The 49ers have gotten to where they are right now (i.e., the NFC title game) in part because of their ability to tackle. The Packers have gotten to where they are right now (i.e., home) because, in the opinion of their head coach, of their inability to tackle.
“The tackling just was not there all year,” McCarthy said in press conference to end the season, via the Associated Press. “Without getting into the specific statistics, we did not tackle well enough as a football team, from start to finish. It’s something that’s emphasized every single day in practice and something that [defensive coordinator] Dom [Capers] and I talked a lot about today.”
The team made it to 15-1 despite the tackling issues. But that wasn’t enough to secure a home playoff win.
“Our football team will improve,” McCarthy said. “I believe in what our coaching staff gives us during the offseason program. History reflects that, and we will be adding another significant draft class to this football team. So as far as free agency, veteran free agency and all of that, those are really hypothetical situations. I’m sure it’s fun for everybody to play G.M. But we’ll go through the process like we always do.”
Though plenty of Packers fans expected another Super Bowl win, the best news is that the team will continue to be competitive for as long as Aaron Rodgers is the team’s quarterback. That’s all any team can hope for -- to be in the mix every year.
While that may not make Packers fans feel any better about a season of unfulfilled expectations, they’ll rediscover their optimism when everyone’s record re-sets to 0-0.
