McCarthy has a killer signing for the Packers!

Sometimes I don’t get it!!!

As offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers last year, Mike McCarthy’s offense finished 32nd and last in the NFL. How bad was it? That offense finished 32nd in passing, 22nd in rushing, and 30th overall in points, going eight games of a sixteen-game schedule without an offensive touchdown.

As the Packers’ quarterbacks coach during Ray Rhodes’ short-lived and ill-fated 1999 regime, McCarthy guided Bret Favre to his second-worst season as a pro with the future HOFer throwing 24 shots for just 23 touchdowns. Favre’s 74.7 quarterback rating was second only to his 72.2 rating in the 1993 sophomore season and this year’s train wreck of 70.9; however, this week Mike McCarthy was brought back to Green Bay and hired as the 14th Head Coach at arguably the most storied franchise in NFL history. .

The Packers had to know this was a controversial signing as McCarthy’s news conference seemed more like preventative damage control than a celebration of the man who was going to restore the tarnished shine and return Green Bay to the promised land.

McCarthy was praised for his past accomplishments, particularly his work with the Saints from 2000 to 2004. During that time, the Saints set 25 team and 10 individual records. Joe Horn, who caught 437 passes for 6,289 yards and 45 TDs during McCarthy’s tenure. New Orleans led the NFL in points (432) and touchdowns (49) during the 2002 season.

McCarthy’s previous work with Kansas City was also cited. As the Chiefs’ quarterbacks coach from 1995-98, the combination of Gannon, Grbac and Bono threw an AFC-low 52 interceptions during that four-year period. Hey??? Oh!

In his year with Favre, Bret threw for 4,091 yards, but the Packers ranked seventh in passing and ninth overall in total offense.

It was also mentioned in the press conference that McCarthy had spent most of last year advising the league’s first overall draft pick, Alex Smith, possibly an inference that Aaron Rodgers would be in good hands if Favre decides to end his career. .

Alex Smith’s season from any point of view was an absolute disaster! Smith’s numbers were awful – 84-165 (50.9%) for 875 yards and a TD/INT ratio of 1/11. Granted, Smith had little to work with, but based on his first year, he’s well on his way to becoming a bust of Tony Mandrich and Ryan Leaf proportions.

McCarthy becomes the youngest coach in the NFL, three months younger than John Gruden. He inherits a young team (26.04 years old at the end of the season, 3rd in the NFL) that is full of uncertainties such as the health of Javon Walker and Ahman Green and the return of Brett Favre.

Mike McCarthy was a surprisingly desperate hire from a surprisingly desperate franchise. The Packers had been in the playoffs five of the six years under Mike Sherman and while the team’s talent level has dropped considerably due mainly to poor drafts, the entire Packers postseason shakeup is panicking!

McCarthy’s Coaching Experience:

1987-88, Fort Hays State – Graduate Assistant

1989-91, University. Pittsburgh – Quarterbacks

1992, University. from Pittsburgh – wide receivers

1993-94, Kansas City Chiefs – Offensive Assistant/Quality Control

1995-98, Kansas City Chiefs – Quarterbacks

1999, Green Bay Packers – Quarterbacks

2000-04, New Orleans Saints – Offensive Coordinator

2005, San Francisco 49ers – Offensive Coordinator

2006, Green Bay Packers – Head Coach