After a disheartening NFC Championship Game loss, many questions arose about the decision making of Mike McCarthy and doubt was cast upon special teams coach Shawn Slocum. Many expected McCarthy to part ways with Slocum in the offseason, but McCarthy has always been loyal to his coaching staff. Since McCarthy was named Green Bay's head in 2006, he had fired just one coordinator, defensive coordinator Bob Sanders in 2008.
While Slocum was fired, no one could have seen the multitude of other changes and additions McCarthy would make to the coaching staff. It started with the familiar hire, promoting assistant special teams coach Ron Zook to the ST coordinator. McCarthy made several other additions along the way, hiring Oklahoma Sooners' defensive coordinator Jerry Montgomery as a defensive assistant to Dom Capers, San Francisco 49ers' offensive line coach Mike Solari as assistant offensive line coach.
The biggest surprise came when McCarthy announced he was giving up play calling duties and shifting roles on the offensive staff. He handed offensive coordinator Tom Clements play calling duties and named him associate head coach, while wide receivers coach Edgar Bennett was promoted to offensive coordinator. Meanwhile, quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt, who was denied interviews by Green Bay, was named quarterbacks/wide receivers coach.
With all of the coaching changes finalized, let's take a look at the impact it will have on the Packers going forward.
Jerry Montgomery, Defensive Assistant:
As McCarthy continued to make more additions to the coaching staff, he looked towards the college game to find a defensive mind to help bring another voice to the practice field and help the defense take the next step. Green Bay looked at Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, but ultimately found their man in Montgomery.
I asked Curt Popejoy, who follows the Oklahoma Sooners closely, soon after the hire about Montgomery as a coach. Montgomery comes highly regarded from Oklahoma; he was named co-defensive coordinator just over a month before Green Bay pulled him into the NFL.
Montgomery will work closely with Dom Capers, serving as his right-hand man. It provides a great opportunity for Montgomery to work with one of the best defensive minds in all of football, while also having the chance to bring his own energy and ideas to Capers. The hire is also interesting given Montgomery's former player, nose tackle Jordan Phillips, could be available with the 30th pick and would fill a need for Green Bay.
Alex Van Pelt, Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers coach:
One of the more surprising moves after the coaching changes were reported was the decision by the Packers not to promote Van Pelt to offensive coordinator. Just weeks before the announcement, the St. Louis Rams asked the Packers permission to interview him for their offensive coordinator vacancy and were promptly denied. Van Pelt has received praise on numerous occasions from Aaron Rodgers
Van Pelt missed out on the offensive coordinator position, but saw his coaching duties expanded to now coach the wide receivers. Pairing the two together certainly makes sense as the quarterback-wide receiver relationship is unmatched and Van Pelt can now help Rodgers get more familiar with guys like Jeff Janis and Jared Abbrederis next season. What will be worth watching is if Van Pelt stays in Green Bay after his contract expires next offseason.
Edgar Bennett, Offensive Coordinator
While he won't be calling plays, Bennett continues to climb his way up the Packers' coaching ladder. In 2001 he started out as director of player development before transitioning to running backs coach for six seasons. Bennett was named wide receivers coach in 2011, holding the job until the promotion to offensive coordinator.
While Bennett won't get to call plays, he will have the opportunity to work with the offense as a whole and have more input and control during practice. We have seen many young receivers like Randall Cobb, Jarrett Boykin and Davante Adams all prosper under Bennett's coaching and his knowledge will now have an expanded role going forward.
Ron Zook, Special Teams Coordinator
Immediately upon Slocum being fired, it was evident that Zook would take his role as coordinator. The former Florida (2002-'04) and Illinois (2005-'11) head coach took a few years off before being named assistant special teams coach this past season.
Now he has the reigns of the position and while he says he believes Green Bay's struggle on special teams last season were due to unlucky bounces, there will certainly be some changes. Brandon Bostick, Brad Jones and A.J. Hawk, who all cost Green Bay dearly on special teams, are no longer with the team and it's already been decided that more veterans will have to play special teams next season. Zook is also known for his enthusiasm, so his ability to breathe life into a group will be counted upon next season.
Tom Clements, Play-caller
Clements has been in Green Bay since McCarthy was hired as head coach in 2006. He started as quarterbacks coach and worked closely with Rodgers for five seasons before Joe Philbin left to become the Miami Dolphins head coach, leading to Clements promotion in 2012.
This will be Clements second run at calling plays, having previously served as the Buffalo Bills' offensive coordinator and play-caller in 2004 and 2005. Under Clements, the Bills finished sixth in points per game in 2004, but fell to 24th in 2005 and was fired when the coaching staff was cleared out. Things should be easier for Clements this time around with weapons in the passing game, a strong running game and one of the best offensive lines in football. Clements success with the play-calling could determine if he becomes a head-coaching candidate in the future.
Mike McCarthy
McCarthy has done excellent work helping build Rodgers into the elite quarterback we see today. He is recognized as a great offensive mind that has coached Green Bay to a top-ten scoring offensive in four of the past five seasons. Though his recent decisions to kick field goals inside the five in the NFC Championship led to many analysts and writers questioning if he was too conservative.
While giving play-calling duties to an inexperienced play-caller can be risky, McCarthy feels it will be most beneficial for the team. Allowing himself to step away from the intensity and singular focus of calling plays, allows him to broaden the horizon and be involved in more areas during the game. After the NFC Championship game, McCarthy was unaware of Clay Matthews coming off the field with an injury in the fourth quarter.
Now with the added flexibility, McCarthy plans to focus on keeping track of game flow and players injured, but will have even more involvement in special teams during the week and during the game. "I'm going to be the third guy in that room. That culture is going to change in there. I can promise you that."