 |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mike McCarthy
Head Coach
When Mike McCarthy took the job as Head Coach of the Green Bay Packers back in January 2006, he said the goal for the franchise would be to win the world championship, and that would never change.
In just two years, he got the Packers to the brink of accomplishing that goal.
Coming off an 8-8 rookie season that ended with a momentum-building, four-game winning streak, McCarthy led the Packers to a 13-3 mark in 2007 that was groundbreaking in many respects. The Packers tied the franchise record for victories in the regular season and won the club's first NFC North Division title since 2004. They also captured an NFC playoff bye and advanced to the conference championship game for the first time in a decade. It all earned McCarthy 2007 'NFL Coach of the Year' awards from Motorola and NFL Alumni as well as a new five-year contract that runs through 2012. McCarthy also was runner-up in Associated Press coach of the year voting.
That championship he had set as the goal was within reach, as the Packers hosted the New York Giants in the NFC title game on a frigid January day at Lambeau Field. The hard-fought, 23-20 overtime defeat was an opportunity missed, but one McCarthy has vowed his team will learn from.
| A Remarkable Season |
Leading the youngest team in the NFL, McCarthy built on the momentum generated by the four-game winning streak to close 2006 by beginning 2007 with a similar four-game run.
Three of those wins came against 2006 playoff teams Philadelphia, the New York Giants and San Diego, and the Packers used late fourth-quarter scores to beat the Eagles and Chargers, proving their young team could win the close games.
They also proved undaunted on the road, winning back-to-back games in two of the tougher venues in the league - Denver's INVESCO Field at Mile High and Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium - in a span of six days, the former a thrilling Monday Night Football overtime triumph.
Heading into an NFC showdown in Dallas, Green Bay had matched the Cowboys' 10-1 record. Despite a tough road loss, the Packers got a glimpse of their bright future when quarterback Aaron Rodgers, having been tutored the past two years in McCarthy's offseason quarterbacks school, filled in for an injured Brett Favre and brought the team back from a 17-point deficit to within a field goal early in the fourth quarter.
Three more wins in their final four games finished off the 13-3 regular season, tying the franchise mark for most wins and securing the team's first playoff bye since 1997. It also gave McCarthy 17 wins in his last 20 regular-season games and tied him with Mike Sherman for the most wins by a Green Bay coach in his first two seasons with 21.
Behind Favre's superb final year and the emergence of Ryan Grant as the feature back, the Packers with McCarthy as the play-caller finished with the league's second-ranked offense, their highest ranking since 1983. They also compiled season totals in points (435) and net yards (5,931) that rank third on the franchise's all-time list.
The Packers won the NFC North Division title for the first time since 2004 and now are an impressive 9-3 against division foes in two seasons under McCarthy. That includes an 8-0 mark against Minnesota and Detroit, two teams that also hired new coaches at the start of 2006.
The postseason began in startling fashion, with Grant fumbling twice in the first minute of the game, setting up two Seattle scores for a 14-0 Seahawks lead in the NFC Divisional playoff. But, drawing on a steadfastness that served the team well during some rough spots the previous year, McCarthy and the Packers never panicked and rallied for a dominant 42-20 victory in the snowy 'winter wonderland' of Lambeau.
In advancing to the NFC Championship Game, McCarthy became the first Packers coach since Vince Lombardi to lead the team to a title game in his second season at the helm.
Though the quest for that championship came up short, McCarthy had returned the Packers to playoff prominence just two years after the 4-12 season that preceded his arrival, and the team's outlook remains as positive as ever. |
| Favre's Grand Finale |
The Packers quarterbacks coach in 1999, McCarthy spent the past two years renewing his relationship with Favre, and the reunion helped rejuvenate the future Hall of Famer's play.
Charged with learning McCarthy's version of the West Coast offense and given more latitude in making decisions at the line of scrimmage, Favre concluded his brilliant career with a 95.7 passer rating in 2007, his best in 11 years and third-best in his career, while completing a career-high 66.5 percent of his passes.
Buying into McCarthy's aggressive but controlled approach, Favre's interceptions dropped from 29 in 2005 to 18 in 2006 to 15 last year. He finished second in the voting for what would have been an unprecedented fourth NFL MVP award in 2007, and with his retirement following the season now passes the torch to Rodgers, his understudy for the past three years and McCarthy's prime pupil for the last two. |
| Solid First Year |
Blending a mix of young players with seasoned veterans at key positions, McCarthy fostered a strong team dynamic in his maiden season that helped the team battle back from a slow start.
McCarthy stuck to his plan and his vision as his team stood 1-4 at the bye week and 4-8 with one-quarter of the season to play. By turning the team's fortunes around to finish 8-8, he had laid the foundation for the success to come.
McCarthy got his team to bounce back from tough circumstances to remain in the NFC playoff hunt until the final week. The .500 record tied for the third-best among the seven rookie coaches in the NFL in 2006.
Close losses early to eventual NFC runner-up New Orleans and St. Louis put the Packers at 1-4. But the team used the bye week for extra preparation as well as rest, traveling to Miami to beat the Dolphins in oppressive South Florida heat and, three weeks later, post another impressive road win at Minnesota's Metrodome to improve to 4-5.
Three straight losses to eventual playoff qualifiers dropped the Packers to 4-8, but again McCarthy used a long road trip to get the team back on track. This one was to San Francisco, where McCarthy had served as offensive coordinator the previous year, and a big win that coincided with a key personnel change provided the springboard to a strong final month.
McCarthy moved defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins to end early in the 49ers game, and the defense quickly improved. The Packers' run defense got a boost on early downs and allowed for a better situational pass rush, and the defense climbed to 12th overall by season's end.
The strong defensive play and Favre's veteran leadership fueled a season-ending, four-game winning streak, the final three wins coming over NFC North opponents. A 26-7 win at Chicago in the season finale over the eventual NFC champion Bears put the Packers at 5-1 in the division and barely out of the playoffs, losing a tiebreaker with the Giants, who also finished 8-8. |
| The Right Fit |
With a personality to match his blue-collar hometown, McCarthy landed his first NFL head coaching job in his kind of place.
A Pittsburgh native, McCarthy was named the 14th Head Coach of the Green Bay Packers on Jan. 12, 2006, the only step left to take after 13 years as an NFL assistant.
But while he previously had traveled through NFL cities such as Kansas City, New Orleans and San Francisco, it may be Green Bay that most resembles his native Pittsburgh. And if there was one word used to describe McCarthy's hiring in his first days with the Packers, it was that he was the right "fit", both for a town and a team looking to turn around a disappointing 4-12 season in 2005.
The way McCarthy fits Green Bay, however, goes beyond the toughness in his personality, down-to-earth demeanor, and pride in his upbringing.
He not only spent one of those 13 previous years in the NFL with Green Bay, but he took over the Packers already well-versed in the West Coast offense with a reputation for developing offensive talent, particularly at the quarterback position.
McCarthy is known for taking a hands-on teaching approach with young players and has been well-respected around the league, in part because he had called plays for six seasons as an offensive coordinator before becoming a head coach. Plus, he has tutored an impressive roster of NFL quarterbacks.
While two of the biggest names he has worked with, Favre in Green Bay and Joe Montana in Kansas City, were at or beyond their peak years at the time, McCarthy has played at least a part in the development of signal callers Aaron Brooks, Jake Delhomme, Matt Hasselbeck, Marc Bulger, Rich Gannon and Elvis Grbac.
The entire stable of quarterbacks that McCarthy has worked with, which also includes Jeff Blake, Steve Bono, and Dave Krieg, has combined for 33 career Pro Bowl selections, nine Super Bowl starts, and six Most Valuable Player awards.
McCarthy's newest protEgE to rise to a starting role is Rodgers, who enters 2008 without an NFL start but with three years of learning behind one of the all-time greats in Favre. Having drafted Rodgers in the first round in 2005, General Manager Ted Thompson heavily weighed McCarthy's track record with quarterbacks when he hired him the following year, knowing that while the post-Favre era was inevitable, the right tutelage at the game's most important position would be key to a smooth and successful transition. |
| Paying His Dues |
Much like those players he worked with who rose to prominence, McCarthy paid plenty of dues along the way to his first head-coaching job.
He learned a disciplined and no-nonsense approach to life at an early age. His father, Joe, was a longtime firefighter and police officer who also owned a bar near a Pittsburgh steel mill. McCarthy worked odd jobs at the bar as a teen. It was interacting with the hard-working tavern clientele while also watching a father in uniform dedicated to public service that helped make McCarthy proud of where he came from.
After his playing career as a tight end at Baker University (Kan.) ended, his 21-year coaching career began as a linebackers coach at Fort Hays State (Kan.) in 1987. He cracked the Division I ranks two years later as a volunteer assistant at the University of Pittsburgh.
It was there he displayed the will and determination to make it in the coaching profession, working for free on the football field by day and collecting tolls along the Pennsylvania turnpike during the graveyard shift to make ends meet.
He soon moved into a paid position at Pitt assisting with the quarterbacks, and then coaching the wide receivers, before Panthers head coach Paul Hackett recommended him to the Kansas City Chiefs when they hired Hackett as offensive coordinator in 1993. McCarthy joined Hackett on the Chiefs' staff as a quality control assistant.
McCarthy considers Hackett the biggest influence in his coaching career, having learned the West Coast offense from him and then installing it himself as offensive coordinator in New Orleans.
It was under Hackett's wing that McCarthy developed the attention to detail, scouting and game-planning skills that would help him move up the NFL ranks. |
| Opportunity Knocks |
The third-youngest head coach in the NFL when he was hired at age 42 (the Saints' Sean Payton was seven weeks younger and the N.Y. Jets' Eric Mangini was 35), McCarthy took over a team coming off its first losing season since 1991, before Favre arrived as quarterback.
Thompson made it clear when he hired McCarthy he wasn't looking for just an X's and O's guy. He was looking for someone who would impress him with a variety of qualities, including leadership ability, toughness, football knowledge, and an awareness of the Green Bay organization and the team's unique place within the NFL and the local community.
McCarthy, who had interviewed for the Cleveland Browns head coaching job five years earlier but admits he wasn't necessarily ready then, fit the bill. In his introductory news conference, he spoke of how taking over the Packers was like buying his "dream house," with the foundation, tradition and resources to help him and the team make that losing 2005 season an anomaly in modern Packers history.
McCarthy emphasized he didn't feel the Packers were in a rebuilding mode at all, but there was work to be done right away.
He wasted no time constructing the environment he wants for his team, implementing free weights as the foundation for the players' strength and conditioning.
He also installed an offseason workout program, and a then-record attendance at those sessions spoke volumes about the level of respect he quickly commanded as a head coach. |
| Career As NFL Assistant |
McCarthy broke into the NFL as a quality control assistant with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1993. It was then he worked with Montana before moving up to quarterbacks coach from 1995-98, working with starters Gannon, Grbac and Bono. The trio's total of 52 interceptions marked the lowest total in the AFC over that four-year span.
After working with McCarthy from 1995-98, Gannon went on to earn all four of his Pro Bowl selections, the 2002 league MVP award and a start in Super Bowl XXXVII. Gannon credits McCarthy with helping him take the quarterback's game to a higher level.
"He's the guy that really helped catapult my career," Gannon said. "He was the guy who really taught me the West Coast system of football. He really taught me how to prepare for a game, taught me how to watch film, how to break down an opponent, how to study. It was really those things I took with me to Oakland.
"There was never a doubt in my mind he'd be a head coach. He's a great play-caller, great working with the quarterbacks. He's a tough guy, a guy willing to do the work, and he's a leader."
When Gannon left the Chiefs for Oakland in 1999, McCarthy departed Kansas City to become Green Bay's quarterbacks coach. That year, the Packers ranked seventh in passing and ninth in total offense. Favre threw for 4,091 yards, then the third-highest total in his career.
The following year, McCarthy began a successful five-year stint as the offensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints. It became the most prolific offensive era in the team's four decades, as the Saints set 10 offensive team records and 25 individual marks.
Among the more notable accomplishments, the Saints led the NFC with 432 points and 49 touchdowns in 2002, both team records. In his first season in 2000, McCarthy was chosen NFC Assistant Coach of the Year by USA Today.
That year the Saints produced their first 1,000-yard receiver in eight years in Joe Horn and their first 1,000-yard rusher in 10 years in Ricky Williams. After that decade-long drought of 1,000-yard rushers, the Saints had one (either Williams or Deuce McAllister) in each of McCarthy's five seasons running the offense.
In 2005, McCarthy became offensive coordinator in San Francisco. The 49ers struggled, with injuries accounting for a league-high 101 games missed by members of the starting lineup. Four quarterbacks were used during the season. |
| College Coaching & Playing Career |
McCarthy began his six-year collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant at Fort Hays State in Hays, Kan., in 1987, just after completing his playing career at nearby Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan.
At Baker, McCarthy earned a degree in business administration and was an all-conference tight end and senior captain in 1986, helping lead the Wildcats to an NAIA Division II national runner-up finish. He was inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame in October 2007.
At Fort Hays under head coach John Vincent, McCarthy coached linebackers for two years while earning a master's degree in sports administration.
The return to his hometown came in 1989 under Pittsburgh head coach Mike Gottfried, now an ESPN college football analyst, followed by three years under Hackett with the Panthers.
As quarterbacks coach, McCarthy worked with Alex Van Pelt as he topped the school's career and single-season records for passing yards established by Dan Marino. |
| Personal |
Born Michael John McCarthy in Pittsburgh, he grew up one of five children in the Irish-Catholic family of father Joe and mother Ellen in Greenfield, a Pittsburgh neighborhood just a couple of miles from downtown. He graduated from Bishop Boyle High School in Homestead, Pa.
McCarthy's family includes 16-year-old daughter Alexandra, his wife Jessica and two boys, Jack (7) and George (5).
In his short time in Green Bay, McCarthy already has immersed himself in several community events, including the Mike McCarthy Celebrity Golf Open, a fundraiser for local and statewide cystic fibrosis organizations that has had a longstanding relationship with the Packers. In addition, he has served as honorary chairperson for the local Cerebral Palsy Telethon and worked with the American Heart Association on its Red Cap campaign to recognize heart disease and stroke survivors and to raise awareness of those conditions.
On an annual basis, he also visits cancer patients at Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center in Milwaukee, acts as presenter at the Lombardi Award of Excellence Dinner Ball, which supports the Vince Lombardi Charitable Funds in the fight against cancer, and serves as host of the Green & Gold Gala, a fundraiser for Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin.
In 2008, McCarthy partnered with the Packers to make donations of $100,000 each to the Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay, Baker University's football program and to a group of organizations (St. Rosalia Academy, the Greenfield Baseball Association and the Greenfield Organization) in his native Greenfield Neighborhood of Pittsburgh.
Among several other events, McCarthy has participated in Jerry Parins' Cure for Cancer Motorcycle Ride, the team's regular Make-A-Wish Foundation practice and game visits, and various local Get Motivated Seminars.
McCarthy also was honored with the Distinguished Service award at the Lee Remmel Sports Awards Banquet in April 2008. |
| McCarthy At A Glance |
- Named the Packers' 14th head coach on Jan. 12, 2006.
- Honored as 2007 'NFL Coach of the Year' by Motorola and NFL Alumni.
- Became the first Packers coach since Vince Lombardi to lead the team to a championship game in his second season.
- Has won 17 of his last 20 regular-season games as a head coach, and tied Mike Sherman for the most wins by a Packers coach in his first two years (21).
- Was an NFL assistant coach for 13 years, including six as an offensive coordinator calling plays in New Orleans (2000-04) and San Francisco (2005).
- Last time the Packers hired the 49ers' offensive coordinator was in 1992 when Mike Holmgren took over as head coach.
- Has worked with a stable of quarterbacks that have combined for 33 Pro Bowl selections, nine Super Bowl starts, and six Most Valuable Player awards.
- Prior to Green Bay, had never been a head coach at any level, having begun his coaching career as a college assistant at Fort Hays State (1987-88) and the University of Pittsburgh (1989-92) before breaking into the NFL as a quality control assistant with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1993.
- Coached one year previously in Green Bay, as quarterbacks coach in 1999.
- Was inducted into the Baker University athletic hall of fame in October 2007.
- Born and raised in Pittsburgh, as one of five children. His father, Joe, was a longtime firefighter and police officer.
|
| Coaching Background |
| Year |
College/Pro Team |
Position Coached |
| 1987-88 |
Fort Hays State |
Graduate Assistant |
| 1989 |
Univ. of Pittsburgh |
Volunteer Assistant (QBs) |
| 1990-91 |
Univ. of Pittsburgh |
Graduate Assistant (QBs) |
| 1992 |
Univ. of Pittsburgh |
Wide Receivers |
| 1993-94 |
Kansas City Chiefs |
Off. 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 |
| 2006-08 |
Green Bay Packers |
Head Coach |
| Success With Quarterbacks | | Mike McCarthy has worked with quarterbacks who have collectively earned 33 Pro Bowl selections and six NFL Most Valuable Player awards. Those passers also have made nine Super Bowl starts and won five world championships. | | Year(s) | Team | Title | Notable QBs | Notes | | 1990-91 | Univ. of Pittsburgh | Quarterbacks Coach | Alex Van Pelt | Four-year starter who threw for more than 2,000 yards in each season and went on to break Dan Marino's school records for career and single-season passing yards | | 1993 | Kansas City Chiefs | Offensive Assistant | Joe Montana | Montana named to his final Pro Bowl in 1993, Dave Krieg Chiefs advance to AFC Championship game | | 1994 | Kansas City Chiefs | Offensive Assistant | Joe Montana
Steve Bono | | | 1995 | Kansas City Chiefs | Quarterbacks Coach | Steve Bono
Rich Gannon | Bono named to Pro Bowl | | 1996 | Kansas City Chiefs | Quarterbacks Coach | Steve Bono
Rich Gannon | | | 1997 | Kansas City Chiefs | Quarterbacks Coach | Elvis Grbac
Rich Gannon | Chiefs advance to AFC Divisional playoffs | | 1998 | Kansas City Chiefs | Quarterbacks Coach | Rich Gannon
Elvis Grbac | | | 1999 | Green Bay Packers | Quarterbacks Coach | Brett Favre
Matt Hasselbeck
Aaron Brooks | | | 2000 | New Orelans Saints | Offensive Coordinator | Jeff Blake
Aaron Brooks
Marc Bulger | Saints advance to NFC Divisional playoffs | | 2001 | New Orleans Saints | Offensive Coordinator | Aaron Brooks | | | 2002 | New Orleans Saints | Offensive Coordinator | Aaron Brooks
Jake Delhomme | | | 2003 | New Orleans Saints | Offensive Coordinator | Aaron Brooks
Todd Bouman | | | 2004 | New Orleans Saints | Offensive Coordinator | Aaron Brooks | | | 2005 | San Francisco 49ers | Offensive Coordinator | Alex Smith
Tim Rattay
Ken Dorsey
Cody Pickett | Helped tutor NFL's No. 1 overall draft pick | | 2006 | Green Bay Packers | Head Coach | Brett Favre
Aaron Rodgers | | | 2007 | Green Bay Packers | Head Coach | Brett Favre
Aaron Rodgers | Packers advance to NFC Championship Game; Favre named to Pro Bowl |
| Early successin Green Bay | McCarthy became just the second coach in team history to lead his team to a championship game in his second season. In 1960, Green Bay lost to Philadelphia in the NFL Championship under second-year coach Vince Lombardi.
McCarthy captured the NFC North crown in his second campaign, something Mike Sherman did not accomplish until his third season. Mike Holmgren won his first division title in Green Bay in his fourth season.
With 21 regular-season wins over his first two seasons, McCarthy tied Sherman for the most wins by a Packers coach in his first two years. | | Coach | W | L | T | Pct | | Mike McCarthy | 21 | 11 | 0 | .656 | | Mike Sherman | 21 | 11 | 0 | .656 | | Vince Lombardi | 15 | 9 | 0 | .625 | | Mike Holmgren | 18 | 14 | 0 | .562 | | Dan Devine | 14 | 12 | 2 | .536 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
