McCarthy a Brutal Hire for the Packers!

Sometimes I just don't get it !!!

As offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers last year, Mike McCarthy's offense finished 32nd and dead last in the NFL. How bad was it ??? That offense finished 32nd in passing, 22nd in rushing, and was 30th overal in points going eight games of a sixteen game schedule without an offensive touchdown.

As quarterback coach of the Packers during Ray Rhodes short-lived and ill-fated 1999 regime, McCarthy guided Bret Favre to his second worst season as a professional with the future HOFer throwing 24 pics to just 23 touchdowns. Favre's 74.7 QB rating was was only supraceeded by his 1993 sopomore season rating of 72.2 and this year's train-wreck of 70.9 yet this week Mike McCarthy was brought back to Green Bay and hired as the 14th Head Coach in arguably the most storied franchise in NFL history.

The Packers had to know that this was a controversial hire as the McCarthy news conference seemed to be more of a damage control preemptive rather than a celebration of the man that was going to restore tarnished lustre and return Green Bay to the promised land.

McCarthy was lauded for his past accomplishments, particularly his work with the Saints spanning 2000-2004. During that time, the Saints established 25 team and 10 individual marks. Joe Horn who caught 437 passes for 6289 yards and 45 TD's during McCarthy's tenure. New Orleans led the NFL in points (432) and toucdowns (49) during the 2002 season.

McCarthy's prior work with the Kansas City was also cited. As quarterback coach of the Chiefs between '95-'98, the combo of Gannon, Grbac, and Bono threw an AFC low 52 interceptions over that four year period. Huh ??? Whupdidoo !!!

In his year with Favre, Bret did throw for 4,091 yards but the Packers were just seventh in passing and ninth overall in total offense.

At the press conference it was also brought up that McCarthy had spent most of last year mentoring the leagues first overall draft pick, Alex Smith - possibly an inference that Aaron Rodgers would be in good hands if Favre decides to call it a career.

Alex Smith's season by any standards was an unmitigated disaster! Smith's numbers were horrific - 84-165 (50.9%) for 875 yards and a 1/11 TD/INT ratio. Granted, Smith had little to work but based on his freshman year, he's well on his way to becoming a bust in the proportions of Tony Mandrich and Ryan Leaf.

McCarthy becomes the youngest coach in the NFL, three months younger than John Gruden. He inherits a a young (26.04 years at season end, 3d in NFL) team that is filled with uncertainties like the health of Javon Walker and Ahman Green and the return of Brett Favre.

Mike McCarthy was a surprisingly desperate hire from a surprisingly desperate franchise. The Packers had been to the playoffs five of the six years under Mike Sherman and while the talent level of the team has fallen appreciably due primarily to poor drafts, the whole Packer post-season shakeup wreaks of panic!

McCarthy's coaching background:

1987-88, Fort Hays State - Graduate Assistant
1989-91, Univ. of Pittsburgh - Quarterbacks
1992, Univ. of Pittsburgh - Wide Receivers
1993-94, Kansas City Chiefs - Offensive 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, Green Bay Packers - Head Coach

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Colorful Characters

For the past 16 years, I've had the distinct pleasure, and occasionally the displeasure, of working with some of the most colorful characters that I've ever met. The Marine Corps is made up of men and women from all over the country, and even the world. We certainly have our fair share of eccentric, charismatic, and downright odd people. Here's a brief description of a couple of those people.

The Bat Cave
Several years ago, I worked with a young man that was a bit eccentric. He was very fond of tattoos and body piercings. Of course, body piercings are not allowed for male Marines, and he toed the line. He would, however, routinely mention his desire to get his penis pierced. He thought that was a grand idea, and was very much looking forward to the day when he could. In the meantime, he decided to get a tattoo on his penis instead. For some reason, he felt that getting his member tattooed to look like a bat was a nifty idea. He got little eyes on the head of the organ, with wings and such along the rest of it. He would frequently show it off to anyone who was willing to view it. Being that Marines are pretty down to earth, and not shy, most of us took a look at the thing. It was impressive work, but everyone that I knew was struck by the sheer oddity of it. Marines are not very sensitive folk (usually), and are typically NOT politically correct. Hence, the young man's roommate, being a bit on the effeminate side, was soon given the nickname "Bat Cave." He wasn't fond of the moniker, but he was a good sport about it. The young man with the bat on his tool was infinitely amused by that.

The Reuben Sandwich
Another young man that I knew (we'll call him "Johnson") was, apparently, very good with his hands. By that, I mean that he was addicted to masturbation. He would do it just about anywhere, and he would do it many times per day. One day, while our platoon was in the field on a training operation, we made a "tactical road march" in our humvee's. We were making our way across the desert in a single column, and Johnson's vehicle was directly ahead of mine. The only two Marines in the vehicle were the gunner and the driver. Johnson was the driver. The gunner stands up through a hatch in the roof of the vehicle and mans the machine gun. In all reality, the gunner is not down in the vehicle much at all. While driving down the road, I saw what looked like a tissue being tossed out of the driver's side window of Johnson's vehicle. About 15 minutes later, he did the same thing. I knew then that he was taking advantage of being "mostly alone" in the truck. That's how often he would do it...whenever he could. About a week later, Johnson came to work in a very excited state. He was bubbling with glee. He quickly explained that he had discovered the joys of the Reuben Sandwich. When asked to explain, he cheerfully replied that he had discovered that a warm Reuben Sandwich "feels just like the real thing."

These are just a sampling, but you get an idea of the type of colorful characters that I've met over the years.

**Gleefully scribbled by "Just John." I'm an active duty U.S. Marine, and I enjoy telling a story or two. I hope that my tales provide a wee bit of amusement for somebody somewhere. Enjoy

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