M
Mark Eckel
Guest
By BOB McGINN
Mike McCarthy would be viewed as a messiah if, for example, he were to be introduced as the next head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
The odds suggest it’s not likely to happen, and it probably won’t. But something’s telling me McCarthy might have coached his last game for the Green Bay Packers.
Sources with intimate knowledge of the Packers expressed confidence that Russ Ball will be the Packers’ next general manager and Brian Gutekunst will be his lead personnel man with a title along the lines of executive vice president of football operations.
In other words, it appears to be Ball’s job to lose during the interview process.
If Eliot Wolf remains on staff, sources said he also would play a prominent role behind Ball and Gutekunst. Friends of Wolf, however, said he probably would look for another job immediately if passed over for the GM job held in Green Bay from 1991-’01 by his father, Ron.
On Thursday, McCarthy and team president Mark Murphy were among those that interviewed in-house candidates for GM. Late Thursday morning, McCarthy took advantage of his annual post-season press conference to use the word fit seven times to describe what he hopes to find with Ted Thompson’s successor.
“I love it here, I want to be here, but it has to fit for me, too,” said McCarthy. “I’ve done this long enough. I wouldn’t want the GM to hire me or partner with me if we don’t fit together.”
The problem for McCarthy, and presumably the Packers, is that McCarthy and Ball don’t appear to be nearly as close as they were just a few years ago.
In fact, McCarthy told members of his staff Thursday that if Ball became GM he planned to leave Green Bay for another job, according to a source.
“Russ and Mike were really tight,” said a mutual friend. “But they’ve not seen eye-to-eye in a couple years.”
Ball worked alongside McCarthy for six years in Kansas City (1993-’98) and three years in New Orleans (2002-’04) before they were reunited in Green Bay in February 2008. Their friendship seemed extremely strong in August 2011 when I asked McCarthy about Ball for a column on his chances to become a GM.
“Absolutely, no question about it,” replied McCarthy. “I’d hire him. He manages the cap but his people skills are second to none.
“Russ will get mad at me for saying all this. He’s a very humble person and respects the chain of command as far as Ted. But he’s outstanding.”
Contrast McCarthy’s words then to his tepid response Thursday when he was asked an open-ended question about his long relationship with Ball.
“I can still remember when I met Russ,” McCarthy said. “We’ve known each other for a long time. He’s worn so many hats.
“Obviously, look at his resume. He’s diverse. He’s done a lot of really good things. And, really in fairness to all the guys internally, I think they’re all excellent candidates. But, yes, Russ and I have a long relationship.”
Ball, who was recommended by John Schneider to Thompson a decade ago, developed into Thompson’s chief confidant. In recent years Ball is said to have not only accepted but fully supported Thompson’s draft-and-develop strategy that gave short shrift to veteran free agency.
Sources have said there were times in recent years that McCarthy was livid the front office didn’t take a more aggressive, diverse approach toward getting him players. One friend speculated that his apparent falling out with Ball might have been over the Packers’ player procurement practices.
“Are we doing everything we need to do to win a championship?” McCarthy said Thursday. “That question needs to be answered. It needs to be answered throughout football operations.”
McCarthy said he was “appreciative” of being involved in the hiring process for the new GM. Still, Murphy, in conjunction with the other six members of the executive committee, has said he would make the decision.
“It has to be a partnership,” McCarthy said. “I go back to Ted’s opening press conference when he hired me and he talked about partnership … we had a hell of a partnership for 12 years.”
McCarthy, 54, is at the low ebb of his 12 years in Green Bay. His team finished 7-9, ruining his chances for a long-term extension. Instead, he had to deal with widespread fan discontent and accept a one-year extension to avoid lame-duck status, a stunning fall from grace for a coach with a Super Bowl ring and 131 victories.
On Tuesday, Murphy said McCarthy is the team’s coach for 2018. Although he’s under contract, it’s entirely possible that agent Trace Armstrong might have pushed to include an out clause in McCarthy’s contract in the event Thompson was out and a new GM was taking over.
If not, the Packers could tell McCarthy to honor his contract and coach; release him from his contract and just move on, or possibly hold out for draft-choice compensation if another club was hot to hire him.
The Cardinals, one of six teams with a head-coaching vacancy, have been looking since Monday when Bruce Arians retired. The five other teams are Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Oakland and the New York Giants. Oakland reportedly will hire Jon Gruden.
Working against a move borne of pique by McCarthy are the deep roots he, his wife, Jessica, and their five children have in the state. Besides their home in Green Bay, they have another in nearby Door County.
Schneider, the De Pere native and a close friend of McCarthy, and Armstrong, his agent, have attempted to wriggle free of his restrictive contract as GM in Seattle, according to a friend. Murphy has been an enormous fan of Schneider during his successful eight-year run with the Seahawks but, barring a boffo interview by Gutekunst or Wolf, sources say it’s Ball.
“Slam dunk,” said a source familiar with the Packers’ search. “It’s Russ Ball. The decision probably is coming Monday.”
For that same column on Ball six years ago, Murphy told me the team’s vice president was the unsung hero of the Super Bowl.
“He has many strengths,” said Murphy. “Obviously, he’s very intelligent. He has tremendous work ethic … he is really good. He sees things from a broad perspective. He can look at things objectively. He’s a very valuable player.”
Murphy said Ball “absolutely” possessed the ability to be a GM.
Asked if Ball would be the perfect candidate to replace Thompson, Murphy replied, “Yeah, (but) I don’t want to speculate. First of all, I’m going to try to keep Ted as long as possible.
“I’ll answer it more broadly. There’s no question that he’s going to be a very strong candidate to be a general manager somewhere in the NFL some day.”
The 44-year-old Gutekunst (Ball is 58, Wolf is 35) is scheduled to interview next week in Houston for the GM job left vacant Sunday when Rick Smith was granted an extended leave of absence. The Texans haven’t shown interest in Wolf.
“But if Russ gets the job in Green Bay, Gutekunst is there,” said an NFL personnel man. “They’ve gotten close to the hip in the last year and a half. Somehow they’ll do a tandem package with one guy (Ball) having a bigger title.
“What Russ’ weaknesses are would be Gutekunst’s strengths. What Gutekunst’s weaknesses are would be Russ’ strengths.”
A center for the Division II Central Missouri State Mules, Ball served as a strength coach for eight years at Missouri and eight more for the Kansas City Chiefs before moving into a 21-year career in administration and finance for the Chiefs, Vikings, Redskins, Saints and Packers.
“That’s where he hasn’t had a lot of experience in the other places he’s been,” Murphy said, referring to scouting. “But Ted has involved him in almost all the personnel meetings and the discussions scouts have regarding players. I think that’s an area where he’s really starting to gain some experience that will be helpful to him.”
Meanwhile, a source said the Packers want to hire Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator. Fangio was interviewed Wednesday for the head-coaching position in Chicago, where he served as coordinator for the last three seasons.
If Fangio, 59, isn’t hired by the Bears, he’s probably gone from Chicago and Green Bay might be a consideration even though McCarthy’s tenuous situation could be a red flag.
One of Fangio’s best friends, however, is Dom Capers, the Packers’ coordinator for nine years who was fired Monday by McCarthy. After coaching with Capers for seven seasons in the USFL and with the Saints, Fangio was coordinator from 1995-’98 in Carolina and from 2002-’05 in Houston when Capers was head coach.
“He will not come to Green Bay without Dom’s blessing,” said a source. “That’s the whole key. If he doesn’t give it, then he won’t go to Green Bay.”
The post If the general manager doesn’t fit, McCarthy could quit appeared first on Bob McGinn Football.
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Mike McCarthy would be viewed as a messiah if, for example, he were to be introduced as the next head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
The odds suggest it’s not likely to happen, and it probably won’t. But something’s telling me McCarthy might have coached his last game for the Green Bay Packers.
Sources with intimate knowledge of the Packers expressed confidence that Russ Ball will be the Packers’ next general manager and Brian Gutekunst will be his lead personnel man with a title along the lines of executive vice president of football operations.
In other words, it appears to be Ball’s job to lose during the interview process.
If Eliot Wolf remains on staff, sources said he also would play a prominent role behind Ball and Gutekunst. Friends of Wolf, however, said he probably would look for another job immediately if passed over for the GM job held in Green Bay from 1991-’01 by his father, Ron.
On Thursday, McCarthy and team president Mark Murphy were among those that interviewed in-house candidates for GM. Late Thursday morning, McCarthy took advantage of his annual post-season press conference to use the word fit seven times to describe what he hopes to find with Ted Thompson’s successor.
“I love it here, I want to be here, but it has to fit for me, too,” said McCarthy. “I’ve done this long enough. I wouldn’t want the GM to hire me or partner with me if we don’t fit together.”
The problem for McCarthy, and presumably the Packers, is that McCarthy and Ball don’t appear to be nearly as close as they were just a few years ago.
In fact, McCarthy told members of his staff Thursday that if Ball became GM he planned to leave Green Bay for another job, according to a source.
“Russ and Mike were really tight,” said a mutual friend. “But they’ve not seen eye-to-eye in a couple years.”
Ball worked alongside McCarthy for six years in Kansas City (1993-’98) and three years in New Orleans (2002-’04) before they were reunited in Green Bay in February 2008. Their friendship seemed extremely strong in August 2011 when I asked McCarthy about Ball for a column on his chances to become a GM.
“Absolutely, no question about it,” replied McCarthy. “I’d hire him. He manages the cap but his people skills are second to none.
“Russ will get mad at me for saying all this. He’s a very humble person and respects the chain of command as far as Ted. But he’s outstanding.”
Contrast McCarthy’s words then to his tepid response Thursday when he was asked an open-ended question about his long relationship with Ball.
“I can still remember when I met Russ,” McCarthy said. “We’ve known each other for a long time. He’s worn so many hats.
“Obviously, look at his resume. He’s diverse. He’s done a lot of really good things. And, really in fairness to all the guys internally, I think they’re all excellent candidates. But, yes, Russ and I have a long relationship.”
Ball, who was recommended by John Schneider to Thompson a decade ago, developed into Thompson’s chief confidant. In recent years Ball is said to have not only accepted but fully supported Thompson’s draft-and-develop strategy that gave short shrift to veteran free agency.
Sources have said there were times in recent years that McCarthy was livid the front office didn’t take a more aggressive, diverse approach toward getting him players. One friend speculated that his apparent falling out with Ball might have been over the Packers’ player procurement practices.
“Are we doing everything we need to do to win a championship?” McCarthy said Thursday. “That question needs to be answered. It needs to be answered throughout football operations.”
McCarthy said he was “appreciative” of being involved in the hiring process for the new GM. Still, Murphy, in conjunction with the other six members of the executive committee, has said he would make the decision.
“It has to be a partnership,” McCarthy said. “I go back to Ted’s opening press conference when he hired me and he talked about partnership … we had a hell of a partnership for 12 years.”
McCarthy, 54, is at the low ebb of his 12 years in Green Bay. His team finished 7-9, ruining his chances for a long-term extension. Instead, he had to deal with widespread fan discontent and accept a one-year extension to avoid lame-duck status, a stunning fall from grace for a coach with a Super Bowl ring and 131 victories.
On Tuesday, Murphy said McCarthy is the team’s coach for 2018. Although he’s under contract, it’s entirely possible that agent Trace Armstrong might have pushed to include an out clause in McCarthy’s contract in the event Thompson was out and a new GM was taking over.
If not, the Packers could tell McCarthy to honor his contract and coach; release him from his contract and just move on, or possibly hold out for draft-choice compensation if another club was hot to hire him.
The Cardinals, one of six teams with a head-coaching vacancy, have been looking since Monday when Bruce Arians retired. The five other teams are Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Oakland and the New York Giants. Oakland reportedly will hire Jon Gruden.
Working against a move borne of pique by McCarthy are the deep roots he, his wife, Jessica, and their five children have in the state. Besides their home in Green Bay, they have another in nearby Door County.
Schneider, the De Pere native and a close friend of McCarthy, and Armstrong, his agent, have attempted to wriggle free of his restrictive contract as GM in Seattle, according to a friend. Murphy has been an enormous fan of Schneider during his successful eight-year run with the Seahawks but, barring a boffo interview by Gutekunst or Wolf, sources say it’s Ball.
“Slam dunk,” said a source familiar with the Packers’ search. “It’s Russ Ball. The decision probably is coming Monday.”
For that same column on Ball six years ago, Murphy told me the team’s vice president was the unsung hero of the Super Bowl.
“He has many strengths,” said Murphy. “Obviously, he’s very intelligent. He has tremendous work ethic … he is really good. He sees things from a broad perspective. He can look at things objectively. He’s a very valuable player.”
Murphy said Ball “absolutely” possessed the ability to be a GM.
Asked if Ball would be the perfect candidate to replace Thompson, Murphy replied, “Yeah, (but) I don’t want to speculate. First of all, I’m going to try to keep Ted as long as possible.
“I’ll answer it more broadly. There’s no question that he’s going to be a very strong candidate to be a general manager somewhere in the NFL some day.”
The 44-year-old Gutekunst (Ball is 58, Wolf is 35) is scheduled to interview next week in Houston for the GM job left vacant Sunday when Rick Smith was granted an extended leave of absence. The Texans haven’t shown interest in Wolf.
“But if Russ gets the job in Green Bay, Gutekunst is there,” said an NFL personnel man. “They’ve gotten close to the hip in the last year and a half. Somehow they’ll do a tandem package with one guy (Ball) having a bigger title.
“What Russ’ weaknesses are would be Gutekunst’s strengths. What Gutekunst’s weaknesses are would be Russ’ strengths.”
A center for the Division II Central Missouri State Mules, Ball served as a strength coach for eight years at Missouri and eight more for the Kansas City Chiefs before moving into a 21-year career in administration and finance for the Chiefs, Vikings, Redskins, Saints and Packers.
“That’s where he hasn’t had a lot of experience in the other places he’s been,” Murphy said, referring to scouting. “But Ted has involved him in almost all the personnel meetings and the discussions scouts have regarding players. I think that’s an area where he’s really starting to gain some experience that will be helpful to him.”
Meanwhile, a source said the Packers want to hire Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator. Fangio was interviewed Wednesday for the head-coaching position in Chicago, where he served as coordinator for the last three seasons.
If Fangio, 59, isn’t hired by the Bears, he’s probably gone from Chicago and Green Bay might be a consideration even though McCarthy’s tenuous situation could be a red flag.
One of Fangio’s best friends, however, is Dom Capers, the Packers’ coordinator for nine years who was fired Monday by McCarthy. After coaching with Capers for seven seasons in the USFL and with the Saints, Fangio was coordinator from 1995-’98 in Carolina and from 2002-’05 in Houston when Capers was head coach.
“He will not come to Green Bay without Dom’s blessing,” said a source. “That’s the whole key. If he doesn’t give it, then he won’t go to Green Bay.”
The post If the general manager doesn’t fit, McCarthy could quit appeared first on Bob McGinn Football.
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