Watching Packers will make for a bittersweet day for Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy
The presence of the Green Bay Packers in Sunday’s NFC Championship seemingly reinforces the idea that the team made the right decision in firing long-time head coach Mike McCarthy in 2018.
McCarthy led the Packers to a 2010 Super Bowl title, a victory that came during a run of eight straight trips to the playoffs. But they went 11-16-1 his final two seasons, and there were accusations that his offensive system had grown stale. Plus, clashes with aging superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers became more public.
The Packers fired McCarthy after a 4-7-1 start in 2018 and then hired Matt LaFleur as his replacement.
Now, after a 13-3 mark and an NFC Central title, only the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers are standing in the way of the Packers’ first Super Bowl appearance in nine years.
It certainly seems as if Green Bay has made the right choice, although for McCarthy the consequences have been bittersweet.
The hiatus that eventually led to McCarthy being offered the coveted Dallas Cowboys head coaching position two weeks ago. He had used the window of time to re-evaluate his craft, and he made the most of his period of reinvention. He studied the game and tried to improve as a head coach so he would be ready for when the next call came.
But he also acknowledges the disappointment of being fired, and the challenge of having to accept Green Bay’s success in the wake of his departure.
While tough at first, McCarthy said watching the Packers march through the season was good for his process of self-reflection and his quest for self-improvement. And he took solace in the fact that some aspect of what they were doing under LaFleur was founded on what he had built. He said it wouldn’t have been smart for him not to watch.
“Obviously, they’ve moved forward and are having success,” McCarthy said. “So I think it’s important to watch. That’s your last experience ... I think it’s a good way to spend your off-season. It was definitely part of my research to improve.
“I don’t want to get into the seven steps of overcoming not being the [Packers] head coach and still living in Green Bay, or five steps, however many there are,” said McCarthy, who added that going through the emotions of that situation was just something he had to process.
Initially, he had to confront “the level of negativity and the volume of negativity you experience when you go through that type of change,” he said. “It can make you take a step back and wonder if it’s worth it.” But he and his family said they realized they had an opportunity to make a fresh start, and they seized it. “We’re blessed to do it here.”
He appears to be able to view the situation dispassionately. “It’s great to see them back where they should be,” he said of his former club. “You’ve got to give those guys a lot of credit. I think the roster and the coaching has given them a chance to get to the Super Bowl.
Living near Lambeau
“Well, you can’t live in Green Bay and not follow them,” said McCarthy, who remained there after his dismissal. “It’s part of the fabric of the community. That’s our home, that was our hometown.”
McCarthy said the people in Green Bay treated him well, although the job high-profile job loss did create some negative experiences for his son while playing high school basketball.
“The reality of it is when you were in Green Bay, it was really good,” McCarthy said. “It was excellent. They treat you like family there. My wife’s from there. Obviously our kids have all been born there. So we’re really part of the community there and we were treated as such. I’m very thankful for that because you worry about your kids in school and those types of things.”
His biggest challenge now is getting his three kids, natural born cheeseheads, to switch their pro football allegiance.
“They’re like, ‘Can we root for the Packers?’ I said, ‘Well, maybe someday, but right now we’re rooting for the Cowboys,’” McCarthy said with a laugh.
He may give them a reprieve on Sunday.
However, a Packers victory and subsequent trip to the Super Bowl would only fuel the narrative that Green Bay is better off without McCarthy. It would also put more pressure on him to get the Cowboys to the stage they haven’t stepped on in 24 years.
McCarthy is a big man with broad shoulders. After what he went through this past year, he is ready for it all.
This story was originally published January 19, 2020 at 12:00 AM.
