From Matt Bowen:
We at The National Football Post learned yesterday that Green Bay Packers Defensive Coordinator, Bob Sanders, was informed that he would be fired from his position with the team. Sanders came to the Packers in 2005, where he coached the defensive ends, and was promoted to the title of Defensive Coordinator the following year by Head Coach Mike McCarthy. During the Packers’ tailspin of a year in 2008, they struggled down the stretch en route to a 6-10 record and Sanders job security was brought into question.
The Packers ranked 20th in total defense this year, and had major issues stopping the run, where they ranked 26th in the NFL, giving up over 131 yards a game on the ground. After a 13-3 record and an appearance in the NFC Championship game last season, Sanders’ defense fell from 6th in the league in points allowed to 23rd this season at almost 24 points per game. Yes, the Packers had multiple injuries along the defensive line and at the linebacker position, but when coaches evaluate their staffs at the end of the season, the numbers don’t lie—no matter who is wearing a helmet.
As a former player in this league, this is a clear case to me of what happens when losses begin to pile up, especially fourth quarter losses, which Green Bay frequented throughout the course of the 2008 season. Players begin to question coaching, and coaches begin to question whether or not their players are buying in to the system they are preaching. I have been there before in my career, and once that slide hits, everyone in the locker room begins to question whether they have the right man for the job leading their defense. It is the head coaches responsibility to hire someone that the players believe in, and in my own opinion, the defensive players from the Packers lost that belief in Sanders months ago.
It will be interesting to see who McCarthy brings in to lead his defense, and we at The National Football Post will bring you any updates or talk we hear from our sources as this story continues to develop.
YOU GUYS at TNFP.com are the BEST!! This is good news for the Packers, we needed a little shake up. Keep up the good work, Bob Sanders is a good duy, but things were just not working, best of luck to him and his family.
i hope they switch to a 3 4 defense. and next we need to get rid of that stupid zone blocking scheme
great call to fire him as long as they change the scheme. no pressure on the QB ever!!!! Fire Schottenheimer Too and make it a very happy new year!!!!
Thanks for breaking the awesome news!! Like Brian said, its nothing personal with Sanders, or Mike Stock (ST coach), but both units played awful down the stretch and changes had to be made.
kinda sad but had to happen. Sanders is a good guy but this is a performance-based business and the D clearly didn't perform. Saw some stats on a yearly grade on the D - with virtually no pass rush and some of the best cover corners in the business, we ended up blitzing less than 20% of defensive downs. You just can't ignore that level of stubborness
Good man, bad fit, inferior personnel. Too bad for the whole organization. Coaching moves in the middle of a 5 year plan usually spell doom for the head coach as well. Who knows, maybe one of those big names sitting on the sidelines waiting for a 2010 return could end up in Green Bay. Sorry Mike, but that's reality.
Props to NFP for breaking the news. Sorry for Sanders and his family, but this move needed to be made. Hopefully the Packers can bring in someone to instill a much more aggressive and physical attitude in the defense, which got ran over and pushed around too often this year. Of course, there will need to be some talent upgrades on the D as well. It will be interesting to see what TT does this offseason in that area.
Derek Mason would be a great fit in green bay at the present he is the asst def back coach for the minnesota vikings .Mason brings 14 seasons of coaching experience on both sides of the ball and was exposed to the NFL through the Minority Coaching Fellowship program in 1996 with the St. Louis Rams, 2000 with the NY Giants and 2006 with the Oakland Raiders. He joined the Vikings staff in 2007, working with defensive backs coach Joe Woods.In 2007, Mason helped coach a defensive backfield that included Pro Bowl S Darren Sharper, who finished the season tied for the team lead with four INTs, along with S Dwight Smith and CB Antoine Winfield. The Vikings also saw 2nd-year CB Cedric Griffin start all 16 games and 2007 3rd-round draft choice Marcus McCauley start 9 of the 16 games he played. Against the NY Giants, the Vikings set a team record as they returned 3 INTs for TDs, including a 93-yard return by Smith that ranks as the fourth-longest INT return in Vikings’ history. The Vikings defense finished the year with 15 INTs and now has 36 picks since the 2006 season opener, a total that ranks tied for 6th in the NFL during that span.
Prior to joining the staff at Ohio, Mason spent 2004 coaching wide receivers at New Mexico State and helped the Aggies lead the conference in passing. In 2003, he was co-defensive coordinator/assistant head coach at Division I-AA St. Mary’s College in California, where he helped DB Wes Boba earn All-America honors in the final season the Gaels fielded a football team. During the 2002 season, Mason mentored the receivers and assisted with special teams at Utah. The 2002 Utes finished with two of the top 10 wide receivers in the Mountain West Conference and led the league in kickoff returns. During Mason’s season in Utah, the team also featured future #1 overall NFL Draft pick QB Alex Smith and WR draftee Paris WarrenDerek Mason has worked on both sides of the ball and assisted on special teams in the return game throughout his coaching career...
Man you guys are the BOMB!! Being a Pack fan since 66, I jump to Bedard and look what he says..
Green Bay - Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Bob Sanders has been fired by coach Mike McCarthy, according to a report at nationalfootballpost.com.
Players on the Packers' defense had not been told of the move yet.
The web site is run by Andrew Brandt, the Packers' former VP of player finance, and Jack Bechta, the agent of cornerback Al Harris. No other details were offered.
Sanders' ouster follows the retirement of special teams coordinator Mike Stock by just a few days.
Bob Sanders is a nice guy. The Green Bay Packers needed a defensive coordinator this year "not a nice guy".
I wish Bob Sanders and his family the best. Now we have some good draft picks due to the Brett Farve fiasco and by losing 6 games in the last 2 minutes (our record).
I can't to WAIT to get the scoop on who our next coordinator will be,I'm sure,I'll hear it here first.
Being a Kentucky fan stuck here in Louisville,after that basketball game this evening,I needed a pick me up, and this news was it!!
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Jan 04, 2009
07:50 PM
Thank the Lord. Leslie Frazier and Jim Johnson showed tody why we need a new coordinator. Thank the Lord