Packers Writer Says Team Firing Mike Pettine 'Wouldn't Be a Shock'
The Green Bay Packers had flashes of success on defense under Mike Pettine in 2019. The only problem is that he could not stop the San Francisco 49ers offense when it mattered most.
Pettine's toughest task was stopping Kyle Shanahan, who was his offensive coordinator when Pettine was the head coach in Cleveland. The Packers played so poorly on defense Sunday that now Pettine's job could potentially be in danger.
"It will undoubtedly be something he evaluates in the coming week or so and a change wouldn’t be a shock." @TomSilverstein on LaFleur possibly making a move at defensive coordinator. Agreed. https://t.co/QN1hUoQvIG
— Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) January 20, 2020
Pettine being fired would apparently not come as a shock, but it may have more to do with who Matt LaFleur ultimately wants than just the latest loss in San Francisco.
The Packers defense ranked below teams like the Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets during the regular season. Frankly, that's just not good enough.
So if a DC change "wouldn't be a shock" as @TomSilverstein says, the #Packers have ties to very strong candidates.
— Peter Bukowski (@Peter_Bukowski) January 20, 2020
Matt LaFleur coached with Wade Phillips on the Rams staff.
Kris Richard coached in Seattle with LaFleur's old boss (Dan Quinn) and close friend Robert Saleh
LaFleur was a first-year head coach in 2019 and in the process was essentially told to retain Pettine by the Packers brass. Now, he has proven he can lead a team into the postseason and it is Pettine who looks like the weak link on the staff after his defense allowed an embarrassing 285 rushing yards to the 49ers on Sunday.
Remember, the #Packers liked the idea of retaining Pettine through the McCarthy transition, but LaFluer cleaned house with the rest of the staff.
— Peter Bukowski (@Peter_Bukowski) January 20, 2020
The players love Pettine and he's a respected coach, but he might not be LaFleur's guy. We'll see.
The Packers allowed an average of 352.6 total yards-per-game in the regular season, and kept close to that mark at 364.5 yards-per-game allowed in two postseason games. The regular season mark had the Packers in the bottom half of the league even after adding the likes of Za'Darius Smith, Preston Smith and Adrian Amos in free agency.
Amos was injured Sunday, but the duo known as the "Smith Bros." were practically invisible in the biggest game of the season. Pettine failed to make any notable adjustments to help his defense and Raheem Mostert proceeded to run all over all 11 men on the field at any given time.
Raheem Mostert is the only player in NFL history with 200+ rush yards and 4+ rush TD in a playoff game.#49ers | @RMos_8Ball | @49ers
— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) January 20, 2020
This is all speculation now, but the organization cannot be happy after the way the defense failed to show up in the NFC Championship Game. That may be what it takes to rid the building of the last coach associated with the Mike McCarthy era.