The Green Bay Packers have been notoriously slow starters under Mike McCarthy.
No news there.
The Packers have started 1-2 the past three seasons and it has been, in a word, maddening.
Well, Big Mike has a new idea this season. Let’s NOT get off to our traditional 1-2 start!
Let’s start fast!
“Obviously we need to start the season better,” McCarthy said. “2-2 is not going to cut it this year.”
You know, talk is cheap.
There is a plan here, though.
Much like McCarthy addressed Green Bay being the hamstring pull capital of the world last offseason by changing up the training and practice schedule, he’s changing up his coaching approach this offseason. The idea is the Packers will not pander to the guys who don’t know the system, as they have in the past, and instead ask the veterans to bring those guys up to speed.
That should allow the Packers have the more advanced components of their system in place and understood before the season, rather than four games into it.
“The young guys need to catch up,” McCarthy said.
“We’re challenging the older guys to bring the younger guys up and then coach those younger guys in more of a one-on-one fashion. It’s just finding as many different ways as you possibly can to motivate and continue to grow as a program.”
So you can go ahead and start entertaining visions of 16-0.
Just kidding.
We’re very happy with the way McCarthy has been addressing the team and the program’s weaknesses over the past two offseasons. We just wonder if this decision will have any negative side effects.
For example, a lot of the rookies, which the program was simplified for in the past, are probably going to be useless until well into the season. More so, we’ve been patting the Packers on the back for their ability to develop undrafted guys. Well, this new direction isn’t doing this year’s class of undrafted guys any favors.
We’ll have to see how things look a year from now.