Packers Morning Buzz: Making the case for Nick Saban in Green Bay

Welcome to your Morning Buzz, rounding up news and views regarding the Green Bay Packers from around the web and here at PackersNews.com.

While Packers president/CEO Mark Murphy and general manager Brian Gutekunst begin the search for a successor to fired coach Mike McCarthy, Joe Philbin will direct his first practice Wednesday as the team's interim coach.

We'll start with Jonathan Jones of The MMQB raising eyebrows from Tuscaloosa, Ala., to Green Bay and beyond with his suggestion that Alabama's Nick Saban could be an ideal fit as the next Packers coach.

Jones writes:

It would be a seismic move in the football world, one that may not have an equal in the past quarter-century. A number of things will be fairly questioned: Saban’s age (67), how his previous NFL experiences have panned out, how his coaching methods might work on adults making millions of dollars. ...

But Saban coaching the Packers could be the coach’s best shot at winning the Lombardi Trophy and QB Aaron Rodgers’s best opportunity at getting another. ... 

Saban to Green Bay would be almost a Faustian bargain for someone like him. Cede some control of the program to his GM and quarterback and, in exchange, win a Super Bowl or two while finally proving your NFL bona fides.

You can read the entire story here:

The Packers may have a 2020 vision for Super Bowl contention, write Eric Baranczyk and Pete Dougherty:

Eric and Pete understandably take the Packers to task for their poor showing in the Cardinals debacle:

Packers interim coach Joe Philbin dismissed associate head coach/linebackers Winston Moss:

Former Packers GM Ron Wolf explains the proper way to conduct a coaching search:

Former Packers safety LeRoy Butler and Tom Silverstein dissect what went wrong:

The Packers and Aaron Rodgers are OK with keeping the quarterback out of the coaching interview process:

We won't be seeing McCarthy throwing any more challenge flags this season:

Plenty of praise for McCarthy from safety Josh Jones and receiver Jake Kumerow on "Clubhouse Live":

Tom Oates of the Wisconsin State Journal says Gutekunst should run the coaching search (and the entire football operation, as well):

The MMQB weighs in with what it considers to be "under the radar" Packers coaching candidates:

... and also explores why McCarthy will be in demand:

With the 10th pick (currently) in the Pro Football Focus mock draft, the Packers select edge rusher Josh Allen of Kentucky:

The "Good Morning Football" crew debates what kind of coach the Packers need:

Looks like we can scratch former Cardinals coach Bruce Arians from the potential candidates list:

For the Packers' offense, the devil is in the details:

Former Packers receiver James Jones has plenty to say about McCarthy's firing:

As Clay Matthews learned last summer, beware of line drives back to the pitcher's mound:

Um, if anyone still cares, the Packers are in a bit of a free-fall in the Power Rankings:

And finally ... McCarthy is out, McCartney is in for 2019: