Long Overdue New Faces Arrive At 1265 Lambeau
With the loss of Aaron Rodgers for more than half the season, the Packers were unable to mask the many holes on the field, on the coaching staff, and in the front office. It was clear as day that changes needed to be made, and as soon as the team returned home from their final game in Detroit, the changes started coming.
Even before the final game, it was reported that Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers was on his way out. In a move that should have come at least two years ago, Capers finally was let go. In a move that wasn’t considered as certain that it will happen, but one that many Packer fans were hoping would be made, General Manager Ted Thompson was relieved of his duties and reassigned to be the senior advisor to football operations for the team. Offensive Coordinator Edgar Bennett and Quarterbacks Coach Alex Van Pelt were also shown the door.
After much consideration of candidates inside and outside of the organization, the Packers chose Brian Gutekunst, who was the Director of player personnel before he got the position of General Manager. After several names have been brought up for the Defensive Coordinator position, including Vic Fangio, the job went to Mike Pettine, who was the Defensive Coordinator for the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills and a former Head Coach for the Cleveland Browns. The Offensive Coordinator job went to Joe Philbin, who previously served in the same position from 2007-2011.
So what does all of this mean? Did we get the right people for each position?
Let’s start with the GM. The best candidate out there would have probably been John Schneider, who is the current GM of the Seattle Seahawks, and who is the guy who introduced Mike McCarthy to his future wife. The Seahawks denied Schneider a chance to interview, and it would have likely cost the Packers a lot in a potential trade in order to get him. Packers’ Executive Vice President Russ Ball and Assistant General Manager Eliot Wolf, the son of former GM Ron Wolf, were also candidates, but after extensive interviews, the guy who impressed Packers’ President Mark Murphy the most was Gutekunst. Even Ron Wolf accepted the fact that the team chose Gutekunst over his own son. Gutekunst is reportedly more apt to go after free agents than TT. After TT’s “draft and develop” strategy that resulted in very few attempts to even try free agency, the news was like a breath of fresh air to me and many other Packer fans. Soon after the hire, Wolf took a job in the Browns’ front office. That move came as no surprise to me.
Since the Super Bowl season in 2010, the Packers’ defense has not been ranked in the top 10. Mike Pettine, who hasn’t coached since he was in Cleveland, was named the new DC. As a DC, his teams consistently ranked in the top 10. The Packers do have talent on defense, notably Mike Daniels, Blake Martinez, Clay Matthews when he is healthy, and Damarious Randall, who had a halfway-decent year after a few years of struggles. Some would point out that Pettine failed as a HC of the Browns. I concede that he isn’t head coaching material, but a lot of good assistant coaches aren’t either, notably Lovie Smith, Wade Phillips, and Rex Ryan, just to name a few. Pettine also had the misfortune of serving under the dreaded Johnny Manziel drama. That team was a mess. Even the terrible teams have players or coaches that other teams would covet. I would take Joe Thomas and Myles Garrett from Cleveland in a heartbeat, despite the fact that they went 0-16 this season. Former Head Coach Rex Ryan said that Pettine was the smartest man in the room, no matter what room it is. I know that we should take what Ryan says with a grain of salt since he predicted a Super Bowl victory year in and year out with no results, but I like what I read about Pettine so far.
I do feel for Edgar Bennett. He is a nice guy and was an underrated part of the Packers’ success in the ’90s. As a running back, he made many receptions to move the chains and hardly ever fumbled. This is a business though, and he was let go in favor of Joe Philbin. Philbin will be a great fit for the offense. We can’t forget how the Packers lit up the scoreboard in 2011. Granted, their personnel has changed, but with a speedy receiver or two and hopefully a better running game this time around, the explosiveness could return next year.
It would have been nice if we were able to keep Wolf, but I knew that it wasn’t likely to happen. He joins a front office in Cleveland that has John Dorsey and Alonzo Highsmith, both former Packer executives. Speaking of Cleveland, I think they are finally building a formidable front office there. Don’t be surprised if you see them in the playoffs in a few years. Without Rodgers, the Packers almost lost to the Browns. The Packers were clearly trending downward, and without these personnel changes that they made, a dark stretch of misery in their future was not unrealistic.
I kind of feel the same way about all of these moves the way I feel about draft picks. We can like it or dislike it, but we realistically can’t make a rational judgment until about three years from now. Maybe this is all fool’s gold and my judgment was wrong, but I feel that we should give these guys a chance. They have earned that much. With these moves, it is important for Mike McCarthy to have a big season coaching. He was secretly signed to a one-year extension, but he has some new bosses now. It’s time for him to perform, or he may just find himself among the unemployed around this time next year.
I will keep an eye on this front office during free agency and during the draft. The Packers had a down year, finishing 7-9 and out of the playoffs. They are not far away. The best way (and the only way for many of us) to show us that these changes were worth it is by adding some new hardware to the trophy collection, and by that, I mean the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Let’s win this offseason Packers, and let’s win the regular season and the postseason next year. The future is bright. I have a feeling we will be back on top before you know it.
Go Pack Go!
@DieHardPackrFan #DHPF #GregGoshaw @gg901
