What’s next for Packers?
With McCarthy out, Rodgers might be looking at rebuild
GREEN BAY, Wis. — If this is what Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers really wanted — a new offense, a fresh look, a change of direction, a chance to win a Super Bowl another way — well, he’s got it.
About three hours after the Packers’ 20-17 loss Sunday to the lowly Cardinals dropped them to 4-7-1, president Mark Murphy announced he had fired coach Mike McCarthy.
The move ended McCarthy’s 13-year reign as the coach of the Packers and his equally long relationship with Rodgers.
So the rebuild will begin. Rodgers never said that he wanted McCarthy fired or that he was playing to get him fired, but he never stuck up for him, never spoke about how the two were working together to get things fixed and often played with the body language of someone who was fed up with everything.
Rodgers’ play this season reached a new low against the Cardinals. He threw balls high, he threw them low, he threw them too far and he threw them too short. He rarely seemed willing to trust his receivers enough to throw to them when a defender was near.
‘‘We’re just not on the same page consistently,’’ Rodgers said after the game. ‘‘We’re not executing the right way, and it’s the same stuff: poor throws, not on the same page with receivers, wrong depth, protection.’’
It’s a damning account of what has happened to a team with high aspirations, but it’s also a commentary on how Rodgers no longer might be able to do what the best quarterbacks do, which is make the players around him better.
Maybe Rodgers thinks he’s doing that with all the scrambling out of the pocket and playing an unconventional street-yard game, but he’s not. Rookie receivers such as Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown need to be put in positions to succeed, not in positions that satisfy Rodgers’ desire for perfection.
The way the game went, you would have taken the offense that played against the Seahawks or Vikings over this one. The Packers put up seven points against a warm-climate team that entered the game with all kinds of problems with its run defense and a depleted secondary.
Now come the repercussions. Rodgers is going to want to hit the ground running with a new coach and a new offense, but success might not come as quickly as he thinks it will.
You can criticize McCarthy all day for not adapting his offense to the talent he had, but the bottom line is he didn’t have enough of it to succeed. When you’re playing with rookie receivers and young running backs, your two veteran tight ends are too slow to beat anyone downfield and your offensive-line depth doesn’t cut it, you’re not going to go to many Super Bowls.
Asked what role he might play in the decision on a potential replacement, Rodgers said: ‘‘I’m not even thinking about that right now. I’m just thinking about these next four games and realizing how important leadership is in the tough times and trying to get guys to dig deep and play with that pride. I know my roles is to play quarterback to the best of my abilities.’’
At the same time, he might want to prepare himself to wait. Instant success with a new coach is rare, and given some of the holes on the Packers’ 53-man roster, it’s unlikely general manager Brian Gutekunst can build a strong-enough team to win a Super Bowl in two offseasons.
For those who think Rodgers’ career is wasting away, you should be prepared to wait, too.