Green Bay Packers: 3 Implications From the NFC Title Game

2. Moving on from Pettine

Mike Pettine’s tenure in Green Bay has been a roller coaster ride like no other. After being hired by Mike McCarthy, it was assumed Pettine could very well have been let go when a new head coach came in. However, Matt LaFleur, the first-time head coach, decided to keep the seasoned coordinator to help run the ship. Now, after 2 full seasons under LaFleur, it may be the right time to move on from Pettine.

The former Browns head coach, Pettine, is not a bad defensive mind. He has exhibited numerous instances of masterful gameplays that stifled some of the NFL’s best. Most recently, the Pettine-led defense shut down the back-to-back rushing king Derrick Henry and dominated the Titans’ efficient offense late in the regular season.

The issue, however, is that Pettine may not be the guy that can get the Packers’ defense over the hump. He has shown on numerous occasions he cannot contain elite offenses in a playoff setting. Similar to Kevin King, he is talented enough that his services will be utilized, but it should not be in Green Bay.

During the second half of the NFC Title game against Tom Brady and the Bucs, Pettine’s unit got almost all the stops needed for a comeback. However, right before half, in a play that is still haunting all parties involved, Pettine made one of the worst calls a defensive coordinator can. He did something you would not even dare do in Madden.

Pettine played a 1-on-1 coverage where it was blatantly obvious they should have been in Prevent or some other variation of a deep coverage eliminating the possibility of a touchdown. The Scotty Miller end of half touchdown was a game-changer. It not only shifted the momentum back in Tampa’s favor, but those 7 points off the board would have made a world of difference.

Simply put, Kevin King will get a lot of heat for getting beat, and he should. However, more blame needs to be addressed towards Pettine, who would allow a struggling and slightly injured corner to be 1-on-1 near the end of a half.

What makes this even worse is the fact that it was out of a timeout that the Packers called. That sort of mismanagement is just another example of how the Packers beat themselves and ended their season too early.

I am not sure what the right answer is on the defensive end, but Pettine is not the guy who will get the Packers over the hump and into another Super Bowl.

With a little bit more optimism, let’s look at a possible solution for the Green Bay secondary issues.