Packers Hire McCarthy

Less than 6 hours ago I wrote that I expected the Packers to announce the hiring of Jim Bates by the end of the day. The end of the day has come but Bates is not the guy. It's 49ers offensive coordinator, Mike McCarthy.

I have no intention of apologizing for being wrong. I'm wrong all the time. If I apologized for every single time I made an incorrect predicition, we would be hear all day. I'd probably have to start another website devoted to nothing but apologies. But don't be looking for imsorry.blogspot.com any time in the near future.

Back to the issue at hand. I can't pass full judgement of the hiring until we find out if Bates will be back as the defensive coordinator. One of the big reasons I was so supportive of Bates as head coach was the fear of losing him to another team if we didn't hire him. Should that not happen, I think this signing gives the Packers the best of both worlds, Bates working wonders with the defense and an offensive minded head coach to work with Aaron Rodgers.

That appears to be one of McCarthy's main qualifications for this particular job. He's regarded around the league as one of the best offensive minds and is particular strong in the area of grooming quarterbacks. His pupils of note include: Favre, Hasselbeck, Brooks, Bulger, and most recently Alex Smith. It should also be noted that he's a West Coast offense guy. This is the system Green Bay has used since Holmgren came aboard. With Favre not wanting to learn a new system, I'd say this increases the chances of him coming back for another season. Whether you think he's lost it or not is a moot point. The fact is that the majority of Packer fans, including yours truly, welcome him back with open arms.

Again, I can't say how much I like or dislike this deal until the rest of the coaching staff is in place. I am feeling very optimistic though. Welcome to Green Bay, Mike. May you be more like Holmgren than Sherman.

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