Mike McCarthy focused on 'the next 100' wins
He already has a Super Bowl ring and a city street named after him. On Sunday, Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy’s legacy added another notch.
Ten years and 150 games after being hired as the Packers’ coach, McCarthy beat the San Diego Chargers for his 100th regular-season victory. His regular-season record stands at 100-49-1, a .670 winning percentage that ranks ninth all-time among coaches with at least 100 games.
Naturally, McCarthy deflected the attention from himself to the rest of the Packers’ franchise.
“It’s really a reflection of our program,” he said. “Frankly, I’m just focused on the next 100. It’s a landmark. Actually, I was just made aware of it. I think it speaks volumes about our program. It speaks hugely about our players and coaches. That’s what it takes — it takes a good program that’s consistent and puts you in position to win each and every week.”
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McCarthy became the 38th coach to win 100 games in the NFL. He’s second among Packers coaches, and he’ll need more than “the next 100” to become the franchise’s leader. Packers founder Curly Lambeau ranks fourth all time with 226 victories.
With a 38-28 win against the Kansas City Chiefs last month, McCarthy passed former Packers coach Vince Lombardi for second on the team’s all-time wins list.
It will be interesting to see how high McCarthy continues to climb. He will turn 52 next month, and there’s plenty of coaching ahead of him. McCarthy’s contract was extended last season and is believed to run through the 2018 season, but there’s no telling how long he’ll coach.
At his current pace, McCarthy could hit the 200-win mark as a 61-year-old, the same age New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was when he hit that milestone two years ago.
McCarthy’s prolonged success bucks the NFL trend. Every offseason, the league’s coaching carousel is set into motion again. McCarthy is tied with New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton as the league’s fourth-longest tenured head coach.
McCarthy said his longevity has been made possible by the people around him, from general manager Ted Thompson to his staff to quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
“I’m very blessed to be here,” McCarthy said. “I’m blessed to work for an organization that gives you the resources to be successful. They let you be creative so you can continue to grow your program, and we have excellent players. We’ve had (great) players all 10 years that I’ve been here. I can’t say it enough, I think I have the best coaching staff in the National Football League. It’s a coaching staff that’s been together a long time. There’s a lot of consistency.”
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