I would have gone for the TD at the end of the half.
I wouldn't have gone for the FG in the 1st half.
and
I also would have gone for two.

The problem was that our defense couldn't stop anyone. Our offense had to win the game and they came damn close, but I would have made more nonstandard calls.

Our O kept putting it in the D's hands, and they kept F-ing it up.
I hope the entire D is hanging their collective heads. They cost us getting to the next round of the playoffs.

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McCarthy was gutsy yesterday but Like Greg said he has been gutsy for the whole year in certain situations.
When he had a lead instead of putting his boots on the other teams throat he turned gutless and played not to lose.
Yesterday MM coached the finest offensive game of his career IMHO.

I still think as head coach he needs to be more involved with coaching the whole team and challenging his coordinators instead of concentrating so much on the offensive aspects of the team.

I said several times during the chat that if the Packers won, McCarthy should get the game ball for the onside call.

Without that call, the Packers would never have tied the game, but just kept getting within 7 and falling behind 14 again. But that two consecutive possessions made the difference.

Of course it ended up not being enough. But IMO that was the single most important play of the game for the Packers in a game where the defense simply could not stop the Cardinals.

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I take issue with some of McCarthy's calls also. But giving credit where it's due the onside was a great call. The way the Cards front blockers were peeling back it would have been a fluke for GB to not recover. It would have been a shame to miss out on that opportunity and the timing was perfect.

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I was pleased with McCarthy for this game as well. Too many times before I wouldn't see the risk taker. I'm glad he's got it in him and as said above, I hope he's learning and growing from this.

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I have no problems with the play calling. The offensive mistakes at the beginning really put us in a huge hole, and the defense just never got us the one or two big stops we needed. I don't think we were outcoached in the game yesterday, but I think we were out-strategized (is that even a word?) over the whole two week period.

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Nice write up. No HC is going to be everything to everyone, but on par, I think MM is a very good one.

After ranking the NFL's 2009 defensive coordinators from one to 32 last week, Pro Football Weekly has moved to the other side of the ball this week, with an exclusive ranking of the '09 offensive coordinators, some of whom no doubt remain on the radar screen for the head-coaching vacancy in Buffalo and could be considered for top jobs that we hear could possibly be opening up in a few NFL venues, most notably Oakland and Jacksonville.

Our rankings are based on extensive feedback from league sources and talent evaluators and a special formula devised by PFW that takes into account numerous variables, including the effect of injuries on each team.

If the performance of quarterbacks were compared with the output of every NFL offense, the rankings would be comparable, and it's a big reason why nearly every offensive-minded head coach in the NFL has experience coaching quarterbacks, and why the rankings of the top coordinators may closely mirror the performance of this year's top passers.

That said, many factors came into play, with three coordinators Todd Haley, Alex Van Pelt and Greg Olson not taking over their duties until the week before the regular season began. And balancing so many moving parts, with injuries taking a greater toll on some offenses than others, was also factored into the final rankings.

Coordinators are ranked from top to bottom, with insiders' comments on each. All quotes were obtained from pro personnel evaluators on the condition of anonymity. On teams where the head coach has the responsibility for the play-calling and is heavily involved in the coordination of the offense, we've rated the head coach rather than the coordinator. Additional responsibilities of coordinators are indicated in parentheses where applicable.



OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR RANKINGS

1. Jason Garrett / Cowboys
Without Terrell Owens, the Cowboys' offense has been much more cohesive this year. Tony Romo has found a way to get the ball into the hands of his playmakers and has looked much more comfortable down the stretch, a credit to Garrett. He struggled last season managing Owens but has fielded one of the NFL's more efficient offenses this year and kept his quarterback focused in December.
SCOUT'S TAKE: "(Garrett) has probably improved the most from the first quarter of the year to the last. He finally figured out how to use three running backs and who his top two receivers are. He is getting the ball to Miles Austin, Jason Witten and Patrick Crayton instead of Roy Williams, Roy Williams and Roy Williams. On the flip side, you got to ask yourself: If Williams did not get hurt against the Chiefs, would Austin still be sitting on the bench right now? Is Garrett a genius for getting him the ball more, or is he an idiot for taking five weeks to figure out this guy was a Pro Bowl talent. (Austin) is big, he can run, he never gets knocked down. He is very talented."

2. Sean Payton / Saints (head coach)
Regarded as the most innovative offensive schemer in the NFL, Payton is praised by evaluators for his ability to create favorable matchups. He presided over the NFL's most high-powered offense, has Drew Brees playing at an MVP-caliber level and sets up the run with the pass as well as anyone.
SCOUT'S TAKE: "He's an excellent play-caller, knows how to utilize his personnel, can move the ball in the air or on the ground. He is one of the best." ... "He is very creative. He utilizes all of his personnel to create a lot of diversionary tactics to run the same plays. He uses the clock well, and he maximizes the resources that he has on the offense to be productive."

3. Tom Moore / Colts
The Colts have as good of an offensive coordinator on the field (Peyton Manning) as many teams have on the sidelines, and Manning's presence gives the Colts a commanding advantage. Despite inconsistency in the run game, they have found ways to make plays.
SCOUT'S TAKE: "What they were able to do with two rookie receivers and an average left tackle tells you a lot. Anthony Gonzalez only played in the first game. ... "(Tom Moore) has developed a great offensive mind because he has been able to evolve through different decades of the game. He gives a Hall of Fame quarterback the flexibility to do what he sees fit. (Moore) is smart enough to realize he has great weapons and does not overcoach them. He listens to and allows input from others to create a sound offensive package."

4. Mike McCarthy / Packers (head coach)
With all due respect to coordinator Joe Philbin, McCarthy is still heavily involved in the coordination of the Packers' offense and calls the plays for one of the NFL's more high-powered offenses. His ability to adapt midstream and change his philosophy after the Packers struggled to protect Aaron Rodgers is a tribute to McCarthy.
SCOUT'S TAKE: "He puts his players in positions to make plays. He is very talented. To be able to recreate the offense on the fly and go from more of a vertical game to a short, quick, rhythm passing game and utilize the (lesser) talents of their offensive line was brilliant. The quarterback (Rodgers) did not take nearly as many hits the second half of the year because of how he changed what they do."

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Love it. Too bad daptation is exactly what we lacked on defense last night.

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I don't buy McCarthy. Sorry, I don't care if we made the playoffs. I have been fearful of his play calling and coaching since the 07' Dallas game, that almost got Brett killed. He has done a bunch of that same thing early this year and I am surprised Aaron survived the first half of the season.

He is an OK coach, is a far as I can go. I want more than OK.

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