Mike McCarthy

There was talk this week about Mike McCarthy going back to Green Bay and they said that it brought tears to his eyes. I’ll tell you why it brought tears to his eyes. 

For all these coaches, it is more than just about winning football games. Coaching in the National Football League, you’re living in a fish bowl and you’re also raising your family. You’re not doing it by yourself. 

And at times, a fish bowl is not really a fish bowl for the coaches because they go into the building in the morning before the sun comes up, and sometimes they come home at night when the sun goes down, and they’re surrounded by their peers and their coaches and their players. And it’s the families [at home] that have to deal with the emotional rollercoaster that every team goes through and that we all do because we’re so passionate about the game of football. And they have to endure that.

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy was asked today what he and his family miss most about Green Bay. Cowboys play at Packers this Sunday. Video via @dallascowboys. pic.twitter.com/6v9ofFBwP8

— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) November 7, 2022

So, when you saw the tears in the eyes of Mike McCarthy, it wasn’t about the memories that he probably had on the field [in Green Bay]. It was probably about the memories he had raising his family there. You’re there for 13 years. I was in Pittsburgh for 15 years. My kids were in the same house the entire time. I surrounded myself with a very small group of people, but I was always a dad, and it was nice to always tell them that my job was no different than anybody else’s; the only difference was when I had a bad day at work, everybody knew it. 

When you think about coaching, you’re spending more time with your assistant coaches and your players than you are with your real family through the course of six months of the year – during the season, during the playoffs, during holidays when you may have to play a game or you’re preparing your team for one. Your extended family is your team, your coaches, your players. 

With Mike Vrabel hugging Ben Jones coming off the field – you know what that was? That was his son, who gave him his all, who played hurt, who was committed and sacrificed and just competed his butt off on that field. And the appreciation he showed. Is Mike a tough guy to play for? I’m sure he is, like all these coaches.

The toughest dude ever. Ben Jones, absolutely spent after the game today. Mike Vrabel knows his Center played through some stuff to finish the game.
Great video here by our guy Zach Tucker.#Titans pic.twitter.com/WZdlIXAvu5

— Chris Harris (@ChrisHarrisWSMV) October 24, 2022

It’s about raising them and giving them core values. That’s why they say a team is a reflection of their coach, because ultimately when you’re with them that long, it’s who you are and it’s who you want them to be. It’s the priorities. It’s the sacrifices . It’s the commitment. It’s the passion.

That’s what makes National Football League coaching the joy it is, how tough it is because you’re playing through so many variables – of media scrutiny, the variables of having to bring a front office into it in terms of trade deadlines. Ownership becomes a part of everything you’re doing when they may want you to do certain things because of sponsorships. 

You are the face of the franchise. You are the one that controls. You’re the CEO of that team. So coaches are people, too. 

Coaching in the National Football League is a privilege. It’s not an entitlement, it’s a privilege. We have an opportunity to compete every Sunday to bring a group of men – coaches and players – together and hopefully bring a sense of pride to the city that we represent and try to win a championship. And doing it the right way. 

Mike McCarthy, go back to Green Bay. Embrace it. I know the joy that you will have and the memories that you will share will be those that you’ve had with your family in your 13 years in Green Bay.