Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy might get his street after all.
Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports

It’s going on three years since Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt held up a street sign with Mike McCarthy‘s name on it during the Super Bowl XLV celebration held at Lambeau Field in February 2011, making one wonder if a street would ever be named for the Green Bay Packers head coach.

But now it looks like it might be on the fast track to happening sometime in the near future – if everyone can agree to it.

In a story published today by Scott Williams of the Green Bay Press Gazette, it seems the only stumbling block would be if officials from DePere and Ashwaubenon balk at renaming a stretch of Ashland Avenue which runs through all three communities.

According To Williams‘ story, the north-south thoroughfare runs to the east of the city of Green Bay and it would be a six-mile stretch of the highway that would be renamed for McCarthy.

Schmitt has said that he has already talked to state highway department officials who have indicated the renaming and changing of signage along the route would be OK with those at that department.

Attempts have been made since 2011 to honor the coach with a street, but the effort has stalled because of disagreement among Green Bay Aldermen on which street to rename. According to Williams’ story, the proposal would have to be approved by each individual municipality and that could be happening soon.

Here’s what Williams discovered and wrote after talking with officials from DePere and Ashwaubenon:

Ashwaubenon Village President Mike Aubinger said he will likely present the idea to his Village Board later this month or in June. Aubinger said he was checking with the U.S. Postal Service on whether businesses on an Ashland access road could keep their current mailing addresses.

“It was sort of promised to him,” Aubinger said. “I think we need to follow through on our promises.”

De Pere Mayor Michael Walsh said he wanted to gather feedback from businesses and property owners along Ashland in his community. Walsh said he would not make up his mind until after hearing from those people.

DePere Alderman Robert Heuvelmans said he doubts many people along the road would raise an objection. He added: “Most everybody seems to be Packer fans.”

We here at Lombardiave say it’s about time and we agree with Aubinger – McCarthy was promised the street rename and they should follow through on their promise.

Tim Schlosser proposes to Abigail Kobriger.
Mike McCarthy photograph

Green Bay Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy isn’t known for his photography skills, but the coach who was on vacation this past week got a chance to bone up on his shutter snapping abilities.

That’s because when he was stopped this past week by a couple on a beach looking for someone to take their picture, he got a different surprise. After having their picture taken with McCarthy, the couple, Abigail Kobriger and Tim Schlosser, asked McCarthy if he would take their picture. McCarthy, who obliged, then saw Schlosser drop to one knee and pop the question to Kobriger.

Abigail Kobriger, left, had her photograph taken with Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy.

Schlosser, in an interview with WTMJ, said McCarthy “In his cool voice” could only say “This is cool. This is really cool.”

You can hear McCarthy saying that, can’t you?

But McCarthy wasn’t done as the photographer then went crazy and snapped about 30 more pictures of the couple as they celebrated on the beach.

Recalling later what had happened that day, Krobriger said, “It’s still very emotional.”

And no doubt, the coach who is working on his suntan before having to head back to Green Bay to prepare for the upcoming draft, thought it was a pretty “cool” moment, too.

Though there was no mentions in the story, we wonder if Schlosser and Krogriger may have asked the coach the big question that’s on all Packers minds these days: “Who’s going to be the Packers number one pick in the draft?”

If they did pop that question to the coach, it was the question that Schlosser popped on that day that will live long in their memories for many years to come.

Good luck to the happy couple … and coach McCarthy? Get back here so we can get on with the draft!

Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy answers questions from reporters during the annual NFL meetings at the Arizona Biltmore.
Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Jason Wilde of ESPN Wisconsin posted three videos of an interview with Green Bay Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy taped at the league meetings in Arizona this week.

The videos, which are posted below, as well as on Wilde’s excellent website, show McCarthy at his best. He’s relaxed, thoughtful, engaged and talking football.

Lasting about 20 minutes, McCarthy talks about his disappointments from last season, the needs on the defensive and offensives sides of the football and what he sees as the real positives for his team as the NFL inches toward this spring’s college draft.

He talks about the Divisional round playoff loss to the 49ers and how, defensively, how they were knocked on their heels and couldn’t recover. About 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, McCarthy said that it was his scrambling, especially on third down, that hurt the Packers most. He also describes how the big plays sapped the confidence out of his team and though they were in the game via the score into the fourth quarter, the uphill battle they seemed to be facing was wearing on his team.

McCarthy says that the coaching staff has completed its defensive evaluations from that game and the entire season and are now considering recommendations from defensive coordinator Dom Capers and the staff on how to move ahead and build a scheme and the players needed to make it work.

“We’re a multiple scheme offense and a multiple scheme defense. We like to be aggressive … the players have been phenomenal in the classroom as far the mental preparations … that’s a real strength of our football team … that philosphy won’t change,” he said.

On whether the team was taken by surprise by the read-option, McCarthy said, “We weren’t regimented enough,” and went on to say that it was because of the way his team practiced over the last few weeks of the season. He also said that because his team wasn’t regimented and didn’t “hunker down” and “trust [their] fundamentals.” it all led to the defeat in San Francisco.

Injuries have been a big problem in Green Bay, but McCarthy said that it’s a “constant conversation.” The team’s constant focus on nutrition and health education is important and will continue. But he did add that “it doesn’t add up right now” and hoped that things will change.

In addition, he talks about singular players – Derek Sherrod, and his recover; Randall Cobb and his all-around talents and contributions; the big contracts that will be given out to Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews in the coming months; the play of the offensive line and the running game; B.J. Coleman and whether he’s ready to take the next step as a quarterback; Mason Crosby and what he’s doing to avoid another season like he had in 2012; and the growth of the defense, especially the younger players.

Also in looking back at last season, he summed it up best:

Adrian Peterson and San Francisco… those are our two black eyes … we need to be better … we

have to play better in big games.

Here are the complete videos of McCarthy:

Mike McCarthy, Packers head coach, is doing everything he can this offseason to make sure his team is ready to hit the practice field with a good plan in place.
Raymond T. Rivard photograph

If there’s anyone who knows better, it’s Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy. He understands that the teams that are ready in the spring are usually the teams still standing in January.

At his end-of-the-season press conference held after the Packers got smoked by the San Francisco 49ers, McCarthy intimated that he wasn’t happy with his team’s preparation from the get-go of last year – a factor that affected his team from start to finish.

Because of changes brought about by the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and instituted prior to the 2012 season, training regimens that had been the norm were changed. McCarthy, a stickler for organization and preparation, was thrown off and because of it admitted this week his team never caught their stride the way he anticipated.

It showed.

Mike McCarthy is a sticker for proper preparation.
Raymond T. Rivard photograph

The team lost three of its first five games out of the chute and seemed to be fighting an uphill battle throughout the season. When McCarthy wanted his team to catch fire – in the playoffs – it never happened and he pointed to the changes in training and injuries as the reason.

McCarthy told Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press Gazette yesterday that he was doing everything within his power to make changes that will benefit his players and the outcome at the end of the 2013 season.

“I wasn’t real happy with the way our offseason program went last year,” McCarthy told Demovsky at the NFL annual meetings in Arizona. “So we’re going to do a much better job of that this year. So that’s really, frankly, what the coaching staff’s been focused on.”

Because he was so pleased with the work and preparation program that he had instituted prior to the new CBA, McCarthy had a tough time adjusting – though he also admitted that all teams had to face the same issues.

Demovsky stated in his piece – “Under the new CBA, the offseason program was shortened by more than a month. It can be only nine weeks, down from 14, and features just 10 days of organized team activity practices, down from 14.”

It might not seem much of a change to most, but for McCarthy, whose precision-minded approach, it’s a world of difference. That’s why he’s taking the offseason to make the adjustments for his team.

Team President Mark Murphy also joined in the discussion on the issue:

“Everybody is adjusting to it. I know Mike really liked the program we had in place in the old collective bargaining agreement, but I think we’ll adjust. It’s really part of the initiatives to make the game safer for the players, give them more time off in the offseason. They don’t start until later and have fewer offseason practices and things of that nature.”

Injuries also played a huge role in the success of the team on the field and anything McCarthy can do to keep his players on the field, he will do so. Time management and preparation this offseason are all tied into how the team is readied once they start hitting the practice field in the coming months leading up to Training Camp.

McCarthy said he’s making sure the building blocks are in place.

He was quoted in Demovsky’s story:

“We’re going to adjust. No different than the way we approach the players. The old adage, you either get better or you get worse, we’ve stayed the same for two years, and that’s unusual. But that’s not the goal. When our players get back, it’s going to be different. We believe in our program. We believe in the way we go about things. But there’s going to be some clear-cut adjustments, and it’s important that we accomplish that and it pushes us to where we want to go to.”

Mike McCarthy was hired on this date in 1999 as the quarterbacks coach under head coach Ray Rhodes.
Raymond T. Rivard photograph

On this date in 1999 Mike McCarthy was hired by Green Bay Packers head coach Ray Rhodes as his quarterbacks coach, coming to the Packers after having spent the previous four seasons in Kansas  City with the Chiefs.

What would turn out to be a short stint because Rhodes would last just a single season, McCarthy came into Green Bay with excitement knowing he would be working with Brett Favre. Favre’s previous position coaches had been Steve Mariucci, Marty Mornhinweg and Andy Reid, so McCarthy had some big shoes to fill.

Though Favre would throw for more than 4,000 yards and 22 yards that season, it wasn’t quite good enough to help the Packers to a winning record. Green Bay would finish 8-8 that season and Rhodes would be dismissed after the Packers suffered through its first non-winning season. That was also despite a start to the season when Favre produced a couple of his most memorable late-game comebacks with winning TDs in the final minutes against Oakland and Minnesota.

McCarthy’s stint in Green Bay in 1999 wouldn’t be his first stint. As we all know, he was hired back after Ted Thompson released Mike Sherman from his head coaching position and replaced him with McCarthy.

The rest, as they say has been history.

Lions head coach Jim Schwartz argues a call against his team in a game at Lambeau Field in October 2010. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz took some shots earlier this spring by making fun of Packers head coach Mike McCarthy for taking his team skeet shooting instead of hitting the field for practice.

Many coaches across the league take days off to offer various activities for their players to bond and get away from the football field. It’s nothing new.

However, Schwartz, who many feel suffers from the small man syndrome and uses big words to prop up their stature, sounded off by mocking McCarthy’s strategy.

But McCarthy wasn’t about to make fun of Schwartz, though he no doubt was rolling his eyes behind the scenes when he first heard about the comments.

Here’s what Schwartz had to say at the time:

“We had no sporting clays today or no amusement parks or water parks. Work day of minicamp,” Schwartz said following the Lions’ final practice of minicamp last month. “We take a lot of pride in the fact that we play for a blue-collar town and we try to reflect that kind of work ethic, and we have very few opportunities to practice this off-season. . . . Every one was crucial and couldn’t afford to waste any.”

So, today McCarthy appeared on Green and Gold Today on ESPNMilwaukee radio, and had this to say:

“Their approach is really tailored to the way they go about their business, starting with their head coach,” McCarthy said. “I don’t know what the problem with skeet shooting is; I thought that was probably one of the best events we’ve ever had here. “Just the interaction with the policemen and the players was excellent. You were literally handed a gun, pulled the trigger and handed it back to the police officer. That part of it was in place for the safety,” McCarthy said. “But it was really a neat day. We’ve tried some different things, and by far it was our best group dynamic/team building event that we had. I actually got a chuckle out of hearing someone else worried about us taking our team skeet shooting.”

Instead of firing back something that was sarcastic, McCarthy simply explained the benefits of utilizing tactics like this with his team.

Clearly McCarthy wasn’t about to give the Lions any bulletin board material. He could have gone off about the character issues from which Schwartz’s team appear to suffer. He didn’t. He kept the ball in his court and took the high road.

That’s why I like McCarthy – He’s a smart guy.

His team reflects that attitude and the reason why they are coming off a 15-win season and a Super Bowl championship the past two seasons.

Schwartz can only wish he could match those accomplishments.

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy is a master at handling the media and saying the right things at the right time. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy addressed the media just after 6 p.m. tonight to talk about his team and the draft.

Looking fit and clearly showing his enthusiasm for the new players added through the draft, McCarthy was upbeat and even threw in a couple of jokes.

But on the serious side, McCarthy was very pleased with the selections made on the defensive side of the football, reiterating over and again that these new players are going to increase the competition, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

He said having these new players is going to increase the “versatility on how we play defense. We might play more people” and that the team will be able to use the athletic abilities of these players to its advantage.

“We didn’t play defense very well” last year, McCarthy admitted, and it was the “pride and discipline” of Ted Thompson that allowed the Packers to come through the three days of the draft with the players they now have.

“It’s going to be great to get these players (rookies) into the offseason program,” McCarthy said. And with that said that every player selected is going to make the team better.

“It’s important to get everyone ready. It takes all of them to win a championship,” he said.
With the selections on the defensive line and the addition of players through free agency, McCarthy said, “It’s added more depth and the competition has gone to a higher level. We didn’t player very well on defense …”

On the losses of Nick Collins and Chad Clifton, McCarthy didn’t get emotional like Ted Thompson did last night, but he was clearly sad they were no longer with the team. “It was a tough week,” he said. “How good players like Nick and Chad have been … without a doubt I feel they will be in the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame. Two great guys in the locker room and excellent teammates …”

McCarthy also talked about the offensive line and how confident he is in the core group of players he has at those positions. He likes the depth and isn’t concerned with the center position.

He even commented briefly about Donald Driver’s experience on Dancing with the Stars, saying that Driver is “keeping in shape.” He said he had no reason to believe Driver wouldn’t be in camp, but deferred to Thompson on personnel decisions.

Is Ryan Grant over the hill? Can James Starks be an every down back in the NFL? Does Ted Thompson need to go out in the draft AGAIN and find someone, or is the ACL in Alex Green’s knee, a knee that was repaired back in November, going to allow him to be the punishing runner Green Bay picked last season?

The real question is, what does Green Bay do at running back next season?

The thought in drafting Green was that he would eventually fold into Mike McCarthy’s offensive scheme. He flashed some of the reason he came so highly touted out of Hawaii in the pre-season, but in week seven was sent to the IR, keeping Packers’ Nation wondering what direction the position was going to go.

It’s obvious that if Green Bay wants to make it back to the post season, they can do it on the arm of Aaron Rodgers and a few tweaks defensively. But not having that “big play” presence standing behind the All-Pro QB will, and has, allowed teams to lock down on the corners, bump our receivers and beat up Rodgers in the pocket when open WR’s are scarce.

So what are your thoughts?

Does head coach Mike McCarthy sit or play players like Aaron Rodgers?

Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy is doing a great job at not showing his hand when it comes to who he will play and who he will sit this coming Sunday when the Detroit Lions visit Lambeau Field for the final regular season game.

So, does he go all out and play every starter with the goal to win the game? Does he rest all his starters and give the reserves a chance to shine? Does he play the starters for a given number of snaps and get them out of the game?

You make the call: Take our poll, sit back, have a beer and see what McCarthy does.

Mike McCarthy likes the way his team is playing, but admits there's much more work to do. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Mike McCarthy just finished his Monday afternoon presser.

Here are some of the highlights from the session with the press:

On the injury front, Sam Shields suffered a concussion when he took a hit while trying to run an interception out of the end zone; outside linebacker Frank Zombo, who played in his first game back after a broken scapula, hyper-extended his knee … McCarthy didn’t know the severity of his injury. He did say that Shields will go through the series of tests that go along with concussion recovery. It is unclear whether Shields will play this week vs. the Vikings.

When asked about the wind and the role it played in Sunday’s game, McCarthy said, “the wind factored in the game … you could see ball moving … It’s something talk about in the pre-game … you have to focus on ball … it was a challenge.”

When asked about the possibility that the Vikings may play rookie Christian Ponder, McCarthy said that the team will prepare for both quarterbacks … they may have to go back to preseason tape to watch Ponder, but that didn’t seem to bother the head coach. “That’s all part of the preparation. We’ll be prepared either way.”

(more…)

Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy showed his impatience with questions about the Packers receiving corps today. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy got about as animated as he can possibly get today when he was asked about the receivers on the team, the number of times they touch the ball and the drop-off in Donald Driver’s production.

McCarthy lit into the reporters, raising his voice and downplaying the concern about the numbers of touches by players – calling it “garbage.”

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel blogged about McCarthy’s outburst, but concludes the coach is justified in his rant … we agree. It seems there’s only a story there if sports journalists go after it.

Even Donald Driver is downplaying it, saying he isn’t concerned about his production. He’s not blind … certainly he can see the talent around him and like he says, if it all ends with a win, that’s all anybody should be concerned about.

To check out the jsonline blog, see the clip below and check back to www.packers.com to check to see when the video clip is uploaded.

Oh, and don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Clipped from: www.jsonline.com (share this clip)