Big Test Sunday For McCarthy » Brats & Beer

November 18, 2006
posted under: Packers, Patriots, Pre-game

A lot of columnists and commentators out there are sighting up this week’s game between the Packers and Patriots as a duel between Brett Favre and Tom Brady, the old gunslinger vs. the new, and that’s probably not a bad lens through which to view this contest. Unfortunately for them it might not be much of a QB battle, because the word on the street according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (fourth item down) is that New England might be running the ball more to try and keep Favre off the field. And therein lies the real subplot of the game this Sunday.

The two teams that take to the not-yet-frozen turf at Lambeau Field tomorrow are overall pretty evenly matched, I would argue. Both have some very good skill position players and both have some holes due to injury, youth, and inexperience. If they played the game 10 times, I would wager the Packers could win four or five of those contests. Since they only have the one shot at it, though, the result is going to come down to which coaching staff has done its homework and makes the minimum of mistakes.

Bill Belichick has to be considered the best coach currently working in the NFL, with three Super Bowl titles and a string of post-season appearances. He and his staff have few equals in gamesmanship and getting the most from their players, and it will be a real test of how well rookie head coach Mike McCarthy and his team matches wills and wits with New England.

I’m not saying here that McCarthy has to outsmart Belickick — I doubt that’s even possible — but he has to make sure he’s not consistently outcoached by is counterparts on the opposite sideline. He has to seize the opportunities that present themselves and effectively exploit the few weaknesses that the Patriots have. Most importantly, though, he has to be prepared to make adjustments during the game to match whatever Belickick throws at Green Bay, and maybe once or twice force New England out of character and create opportunities for the Packers.

If Green Bay can play a close game against the Patriots and not get totally outmatched, even a loss on Sunday could be seen as a victory of sorts for McCarthy and a sign that the future of the franchise is in good hands.