Mike McCarthy's New Year's Resolution Is To Fire All His Assistant Coaches

The Green Bay Packers formally announced yesterday what was reported everywhere on Sunday and Monday - DC Dom Capers has been fired, along with DL coach Mike Trogvac and ILB coach Scott McCurley.

#Packers announce that DC Dom Capers,ILBs coach Scott McCurley and DT coach Mike Trgovac have been fired. No mention of Bennett or Van Pelt.

— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) January 3, 2018

Then it was reported from multiple sources that QB coach Alex Van Pelt would not return and OC Edgar Bennett would no longer be the offensive coordinator, though Bennett remains under contract.

So Mike McCarthy survives but the #packers completely overhaul everything above and below him? Interesting.🤔

— Mike Tanier 📎 (@MikeTanier) January 3, 2018

For a conservative organization that usually makes few changes in the offseason, this is an amazing turn of events. It's also odd considering the player contract extensions handed out the week before. Right before the front office and coaching staff is undergoing a complete overall, they took steps to bring back the same players for next season.

The #Packers saved about $6 million in future cap charges by getting the Davante Adams and Corey Linsley deals done in December. https://t.co/gyGfHn9R6x

— Packers News (@PGPackersNews) January 3, 2018

Adams was their best receiver last season and it makes a lot of sense to bring him back despite already having two other high priced receivers on the roster (Cobb, Nelson). The Packers have the cap room. Linsley probably had his worst season as a pro in 2017 which probably not coincidentally was his first season not playing alongside either Sitton or Lang at guard. He did get better throughout the season though.

As for Van Pelt, he was originally hired in 2012, seemingly at the request of Aaron Rodgers, as a coach with prior NFL QB experience though he wasn't officially his QB coach until a couple years later. Unlike most NFL OC, the job requirements in Green Bay aren't exactly clear, because on game day it's Mike McCarthy calling the plays. I've always thought the OC got the offense ready to play their next opponent during the week leading up to the game with few duties during the game itself. Van Pelt was usually seen on camera during games sitting next to Hundley with a tablet showing him what he just missed on his previous 3rd down incompletion.

Brett Hundley 3rd Down Passer Ratings...

Week 7 vs. NOR - 14.3 QB Rating
Week 16 vs. MIN - 14.6 QB Rating
Week 17 vs DET - 12.5 QB Rating

3rd Down Passing - 1st Down %

- Kizer 32.1%
- Hoyer 31.7%
- Hundley 31.0%
- Cutler 30.0%

— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) January 1, 2018

No matter what QB statistical list you pull up for 2017, it's likely you'll find Hundley at the bottom of it. I think his worst stat of the season was being the starting QB for two home shutouts. It looks terrible in hindsight that in response to a question about Colin Kaepernick, Mike McCarthy went off on a rant about the three years he spent developing Brett Hundley. That's not to digress about whether the Packers should have signed Kaepernick, it's a look back at how very wrong him and his coaches were about Hundley and why two of them probably lost their jobs because of it.

These should not be difficult jobs to fill. Any ambitious coach looking to rise the coaching ladder would love to have "worked with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay" on his resume. The offense with Rodgers has been mostly great over the past two seasons, but it's also lacked any of the new innovations that other offenses have been trying in recent years. Bringing in a new coach or two from the outside with a new perspective could be a big help.

Also, improving the backup QB position is probably high up on the to-do list this offseason. There's little financial cost to bring Hundley back for the final season under his rookie contract, while also drafting/signing an undrafted rookie free agent to develop behind him. Based on the results from last season, it would be a good idea to let an unbiased eye spend a year with Hundley in 2018 to see what can be done with him.

McCarthy: "Our defense is going to change"

In an article recently published by ESPN.com, Packers HC Mike McCarthy, a coach not known for his defense, promised for what seems like the hundredth time that, in 2014, the team's defense will finally change. 

“Our defense is going to change some," McCarthy said. “You don’t ever stay the same. I’ll set the vision for the defense. Dom Capers and the defensive staff will carry it out.” 

So yea, again we're hearing that Pack's defense will be good next year. That's probably not true, but at least the staff has faith, something that you always need in a hopeless situation. 

Reaction: Dom Capers will likely return next season

Yesterday, Brandon wrote about something that I consider to be huge news: that Mike McCarthy apparently thinks Packers DC Dom Capers is an "outstanding" coach, meaning that Capers will likely return next season. Now I gotta say, I would love having Capers back. Yea, the defense sucked this year, but it wasn't his fault. It was obviously because of two things: injuries and bad players. I mean, Thompson's gotta sign somebody this offseason. He can't keep rolling out these backup idiots. 

One other thing: it is my personal belief that, had Rodgers stayed healthy, the Pack would've gone 14-2 this season. Seriously, look at who they lost or tied to without #12: the Bears, Eagles, Giants, Vikings, Lions, and Steelers? Now they wouldn't have lost any of those contests had Aaron played, don't you think?

DC Dom Capers Will (Probably) Return Next Season

Based on the way the 2013 season unfolded, I wouldn't have been shocked if the Green Bay Packers had fired defensive coordinator Dom Capers. This isn't an unequivocal statement of his return, Mike McCarthy admitted he hasn't completed his end of season evaluations, but it's pretty close to one:

MM: Dom Capers is outstanding coach. No one evaluated today. Not going into process looking to make major changes. Glad Dom on staff.
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) January 8, 2014

I didn't think McCarthy would fire him because of the respect (see above) that he has for Capers, but I thought it was certainly possible. On defense, it's more about the players than the coaches. Capers isn't the one who's getting blocked out of a play, missing a tackle, or blowing the coverage in the secondary. The failings on defense were more about the poor talent evaluation by the personnel department than about bad coaching. Based on his track record, it's very clear that Capers knows football.

I wouldn't have objected if McCarthy looked for a new DC this offseason, but I'm not going to complain about Capers either. The results on the field will improve if GM Ted Thompson gives Capers better players at safety and on the defensive line next season.