Although Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy thinks he is a “highly successful NFL coach” and has a solid regular season record to back that statement up, it appears that his time should and could be coming to an end in Green Bay. The team appears to be blocking out what he is trying to preach and their play the past two weeks has been downright deplorable. The time has come to make a change.
But as much as the Packers should make a change, there is still a strong premonition that as long as Ted Thompson is general manager, McCarthy is going nowhere. However, in case Thompson changes his mind, he needs to put a list together of possible replacements for McCarthy. If the Packers do make a change, don’t look for the Packers to promote within, instead, they will look outside the franchise to find their next head coach. With Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, the Packers head coaching job will be a hot commodity.
Possible Replacements for Mike McCarthy as Packers Head Coach
In no order, here are some possible candidates
Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M
Sumlin would be an “out of the box” candidate. He hasn’t spent any time in the NFL as an assistant or a head coach, but Sumlin seems like the type of coach that could make the leap into the pro game. His overall record is 43-19 at Texas A&M and before that, he had a 35-17 record while at the University of Houston. Sumlin’s background is on offense so he could bring some new ideas to an offense that has become stale.
David Shaw, Stanford
Unlike Sumlin, Shaw has a pedigree in pro football as well as the college game. As the head coach of Stanford, he has a 61-17 record. Before getting the head coaching job with the Cardinal, he was an assistant in the NFL spending time with Philadelphia, Oakland, and Baltimore. Shaw has an offensive background like Sumlin and as such might help the Packers offense get back to where they once were. Shaw also grew up around the NFL game. His father Willie was a long time defensive assistant, spending time with the Lions, Chiefs, Vikings, Saints, Raiders, Chargers, and Rams.
Jon Gruden
Many will argue that Gruden loves his life working on Monday Night Football too much to get back into coaching. But if there is any job that could lure him back into the NFL, it might be head coach of the Packers. Gruden was an assistant in Green Bay under Mike Holmgren in the 90s, so he does have some ties to Green Bay. I think this would be a very interesting fit. Gruden is a no nonsense guy. He wouldn’t put up with Rodgers whiny body language which would be a major plus for the Packers. The Packers need a spark and Gruden could provide that.
Mike Holmgren
Now, some people might think Holmgren is too old to be an NFL coach (he is 68 years old). But look at what Dick Vermeil did at 61 when he returned to coaching with the St. Louis Rams. Holmgren’s ability to coach has never been called into question. He took the Packers to two Super Bowls (winning one) and took the Seahawks to one as well. The problem for Holmgren has been his desire to call the shots. He finally got full control in Seattle and he failed at doing both roles (he was kept on as the head coach but had his duties as the general manager stripped away). With Thompson in control of the personnel, Holmgren can just focus on the coaching aspect, something he has thrived at.
Sean McDermott, Carolina Panthers Defensive Cooridnator
McDermott is the only defensive coach on this list. The last time the Packers had a defensive minded coach was when Ron Wolf hired Ray Rhodes to replace Holmgren when he departed for Seattle. Rhodes only lasted one forgettable season and was replaced by Mike Sherman. A defensive minded coach is maybe what the Packers need. The Packers have had more lows than highs with defensive coordinator Dom Capers running the defense. McDermott has been the defensive coordinator for the Panthers since 2011. Although the Panthers have struggled this season, the unit is still ranked 13th in total defense. McDermott is a protégé of the late Jim Johnson who was known for his attacking defenses with the Philadelphia Eagles.
