Mike McCarthy didn’t see it coming. It’s fitting really. McCarthy, the consummate Packers coach, a fit of personality and culture, never thought anyone would be suited to coach this team besides him. So when the news came Sunday evening he would not return in Green Bay, it blindsided him. Next, the person Mark Murphy gets to replace McCarthy will have to coach in the shadow of a man with a street named after him, with a Lombardi Trophy in his case, and a resume full of NFC North wins.
While Murphy made the right call moving on from McCarthy, whether it was now or on Black Monday, this move comes with more risks than most fans are willing to admit.