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Aaron Rodgers was right.
When the Packers quarterback said after Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers in the NFC Championship that “[a] lots of futures from guys who are, you know, uncertain, including myself, ”Rodgers may or may not have referred to two of the team’s three coordinators. Five days later, two of the team’s three coordinators left.
The Packers announced Friday night that defensive coordinator Mike Pettine will not be returning, and that special teams coordinator Shawn Mennenga has been removed from his post.
Coach Matt LaFleur initially kept Pettine, who was hired by former coach Mike McCarthy in 2018. Pettine’s three-year contract has expired and Pettine will not return.
“We want to thank Mike for his commitment to the Packers over the past three seasons,” LaFleur said in a statement. “He played an important role in our success. As a head coach for the first time, he has also been an invaluable resource for us during our time together.
Pettine’s goose was baked by that fateful defensive call on the play late in the first half of Sunday’s game, allowing the Buccaneers to score an unlikely touchdown. Pettine had only one safety and the cornerbacks were playing what coaches call “inside leverage,” allowing receivers to go to the touchline for a better position on the pitch or, in the case of Bucs wide receiver Scotty Miller, led by Packers cornerback Kevin King.
“It was a men’s blanket,” LaFleur said after the game. “It’s definitely not the right choice for the situation, and you can’t do things like that against a good football team and hope to win.”
LaFleur is right, but LaFleur could also have canceled the appeal; he’s the head coach. And even if he’s an offensive expert, no head coach should abdicate responsibility for the side of the ball he hasn’t made his mark on.
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