Green Bay Packers: Comparing Mike McCarthy and Jason Kidd

2. Not changing the defense

The Bucks certainly had success early in Kidd’s coaching career especially on the defensive end. According to basketball reference, the Bucks ranked fourth in defensive rating during the ’14-’15 season.  Kidd implemented an aggressive trapping scheme that confused teams around the league.

That was great until the league figured it out the next year and the Bucks then ranked 24th in defensive rating. Kidd stuck to his guns and didn’t change the scheme the next year and a half resulting in finishes of 20th and 19th in ’16-’17 and ’17-’18, respectively.

The Bucks were actually a good offense last year so if the defense could have merely been average or a little better, maybe Kidd would have never been fired. In retrospect, maybe it is good thing Kidd was so stubborn, as the Bucks are currently ranked third in defensive rating while playing almost the opposite defensive scheme that Kidd ran.

McCarthy also had some success with his defense like when the Packers won the Super Bowl in 2010. The Packers were the no. 2 overall scoring defense per pro football reference that year.

However, from 2011 through 2017, the Packers never ranked in the top 10 in overall defense and finished with an overall average of 18th during those years. McCarthy stuck with Dom Capers for all six seasons before finally firing him in 2017.

The word is still out on how Mike Pettine will finish this year but McCarthy clearly wasted several years of prime Aaron Rodgers because of stubbornness. Just like Kidd, his unwillingness to change it sooner may end up costing him his job.