Pack93z
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15 years ago
The NFL hasn't seen our struggles before has it..

Teams have struggled after reaching title games with new coaches

By Tom Pelissero tpelisse@greenbaypressgazette.com November 27, 2008

In 2002, the Carolina Panthers tapped Fox to turn around a team that had hit a low point. A late-season surge in Year 1 set up a highly successful second season, ending with a trip to Super Bowl XXXVIII.

But the Panthers slipped in 2004, suffering key injuries on the way to a 7-9 finish, and just like that, Fox began hearing his team had crumbled under the pressure of raised expectations.

Its hard to predict, and so sometimes, expectations are built on the outside, Fox said this week in a conference call. Then, if the team gets whacked by injuries, its disappointment and the pressure got to them.

Bill Belichick has been there, too. So has Jon Gruden, among others.

From 2000 to 2006, nine NFL coaches took a team to a conference championship game in his first or second season at the helm. The following season, only three had winning records, two made the playoffs and none made it back to a conference championship game.

Belichicks New England Patriots were defending Super Bowl champions in 2002 when they missed the postseason at 9-7. Grudens Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl that year, then went 7-9 in 2003.

More recent, Jim Mora Jr. took the Atlanta Falcons to the NFC championship game as a rookie coach in 2004 but was fired after missing the postseason the next two years. Sean Payton took the New Orleans Saints to the NFC championship game in his first season in 2006, but they slipped to 7-9 in 2007 and are on the playoff bubble this season at 6-5.

The numbers speak to the parity of a league in which nearly two-thirds of teams miss the postseason and half the playoff field turns over from one year to the next.

Thats the reality, Packers end Aaron Kampman said. Thats the tendency for us, is to box things and generalize them. Theres so many variables that go into it.

The road to the playoffs also is an uphill one this season for McCarthy, who earned a new five-year contract worth roughly $4 million a year after taking the Packers to the NFC championship game in his second season, as well as Norv Turner, who has faced questions about his job less than one year after his San Diego Chargers reached the AFC championship game.

Both teams have lost key defensive players to season-ending injuries Pro Bowl linebacker Shawne Merriman for the Chargers, defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins and middle linebacker Nick Barnett for the Packers and both teams playoff hopes would be far dimmer if they played in better divisions. The Chargers are 4-7, two games back of 6-5 Denver in the AFC West; entering Sundays game against Foxs Panthers, the Packers are 5-6, a game back of 6-5 Chicago and Minnesota in the NFC North.

Injuries is the biggest bugaboo that hits teams that struggle, said Fox, who lost star running back Stephen Davis for 14 games in 2004 because of a knee injury and had four quarterbacks win games last season.

You want to keep continuity, as it helps with a team game, and the injury bug can bite you.

The previous Packers coach to take a team to a title game in his second season was Vince Lombardi, who lost the NFL championship in 1960 and then won it the next two years. But its been 13 years since any NFL coach made a similar leap and that was Barry Switzer, who took over the two-time defending champion Dallas Cowboys, lost in the NFC championship game after the 1994 season and then won the Super Bowl in his second year.

The Panthers stayed healthy enough to return to the NFC championship game in 2005, slipping into the playoff field as a wild card and pulling consecutive upsets on the road against the New York Giants and Chicago.

Thats the type of rebound the Packers will have to aim for if they cant complete a comeback to win the division this season. But with five games to go, including a visit to Chicago on Dec. 22, a more immediate rebound remains the focus.

The first time I stood in front of our football team, I told them their biggest challenge here in Green Bay will be handling success, McCarthy said. And its not only the ability of the individuals to handle success, whether its a new contract or recognition or having a winning season its really the challenges of how people now look at you and how they gun for you and all the different angles these challenges can come at you with. Its part of our business.

We had a successful year last year, and things havent gone as great as wed like up to this point. But thats something that you talk about and you try to prepare for. Its part of the National Football League.


"The oranges are dry; the apples are mealy; and the papayas... I don't know what's going on with the papayas!"
yooperfan
15 years ago
Looks like we are about to join that crowd.
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dhazer (7h) : Steelers sign Patterson because of new kickoff rule interesting
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Mucky Tundra (27-Mar) : No time for talking! Back to work beast!
beast (27-Mar) : You saw only 4,201 of my mocks? 🥺 I think that means you missed more than half of them 😢
dfosterf (27-Mar) : Does anyone know what Lambeau field improvements got put on hold? My guess would be for the 2025 draft
Zero2Cool (27-Mar) : It's like listen, you made 4,201 mocks, no shit.
Zero2Cool (27-Mar) : Cuz during the draft "I had them mocked there!" as if it's amazing.
Zero2Cool (27-Mar) : They're fun to do once in awhile. It's people who think they are "content" that annoy me.
dfosterf (27-Mar) : Against tbd
dfosterf (27-Mar) : Answer to your question is yes, it's a Thursday, will be the Chiefs aga
dfosterf (27-Mar) : Luckily for all concerned, I don't post them. I did one, but that was like 25 mocks ago
Zero2Cool (27-Mar) : NFL 2024 gonna start Sept 5th isn't it???
Zero2Cool (27-Mar) : Ugh... kids these days!
dfosterf (27-Mar) : I'm gonna go do some more mock draft hell instead 🤪
Zero2Cool (27-Mar) : Did we do one of those prediction threads yet for 2024 season?
dfosterf (27-Mar) : In my city, they are playing the nimby game, in order to keep some railroad tracks vs. 2 professional sports teams and a concert venue.
dfosterf (27-Mar) : And/Or a city council, of which I haven't seen a good one in a very long time
dfosterf (27-Mar) : That sounds like a Mayor, not a city.
buckeyepackfan (26-Mar) : Packers halt scheduled 80mil upgrade of stadium until lease agreement talks are restarted
Zero2Cool (26-Mar) : City of Green Bay puts Packers' Lambeau Field lease talks on hold
buckeyepackfan (26-Mar) : Packers 1 of 3 teams to vote no on new kickoff rule.
Zero2Cool (26-Mar) : Packers sign another Kicker
dfosterf (26-Mar) : Lengthy explanation at PFF if you click the link
dfosterf (26-Mar) : Kickoff rules officially changed.ngthy explan
Zero2Cool (26-Mar) : lol
Cheesey (26-Mar) : 2009? No thanks! One open heart surgery is enough!
dfosterf (26-Mar) : Good for you!
Zero2Cool (26-Mar) : Yes. That's the one.
dfosterf (26-Mar) : Is that "Lady Dugan" per chance?
dfosterf (26-Mar) : Crystal?
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Zero2Cool (26-Mar) : Alan posts. Crystal back in my life. It's 2009 all over again! Lol
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Zero2Cool (25-Mar) : Gutekunst said early stages of Jordan Love contract being discussed.
Zero2Cool (25-Mar) : Shouldn't be penalized cuz official screwed up
Zero2Cool (25-Mar) : Yeah, challenge until you are incorrect twice.
Zero2Cool (25-Mar) : Fining them is the goal, per the people who made the rule anyway.
dfosterf (25-Mar) : Still waiting on the kickoff rule changes. Did hear yesterday that the touchback proposal will now be the 30 yard line, not the 35
dfosterf (25-Mar) : Probably speed of game issues with your proposal
dfosterf (25-Mar) : Hopefully the refs don't get in the habit of throwing flags on this
beast (25-Mar) : I think when it comes to Challenges should get two strikes, so unlimited challenges as long as they keep winning them, but 2 wrong then done
dfosterf (25-Mar) : Still subject to the fines etc
dfosterf (25-Mar) : Yes, I should have been more specific. Also, they are now saying it would be a 15 yard penalty. That makes more sense .
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