For my first foray into the world of blogging, I was hoping Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy would give me some real entertaining fodder to impress my new OMC boss (and longtime friend) Drew Olson.
No such luck. And hardly surprising. On a related note, Jessica Alba didn't knock on my Lambeau Field office door this afternoon, either.
It is way too early to make any definitive judgments on what kind of a coach McCarthy will make and whether he'll be successful -- the guy's first training-camp practice is at 6:30 p.m. Friday -- in his first year of a three-year contract. (Place your bets now on whether that contract is extended after year two.)
But this much we know after a handful of press conferences since his Jan. 12 hiring:
The guy isn't Steve Mariucci. Or Herman Edwards. Or Jim Mora. Or, for that matter, Mike Holmgren.
"Mooch," Herm and Mr. Playoffs? All were / are famously entertaining at the microphone, and as a sportswriter, those are the coaches you love to cover. The writers in Kansas City are learning that now that Edwards has moved from the New York Jets to the Kansas City Chiefs. Mariucci and Mora both work for the NFL Network now, doing what they do best -- talking.
And Holmgren, whom I covered from 1996 through 1998 as a backup beat writer before becoming the State Journal's lead writer in 1999, had an enormous ego but was a terrific storyteller and understood how to give reporters what they wanted.
McCarthy, who's never been a head coach at any level, isn't like that. He's still learning the media ropes, and his persona as a Pittsburgh tough-guy is vastly different than that of his predecessor, former high-school English teacher Mike Sherman. But that's not to say he's hopeless. He had a few chuckle-worthy moments Thursday afternoon, and once he gets more comfortable, his sound bites may grab our attention a little more often. (Editor's note: For a sample of McCarthy's press conference, check out the podcast link above or click here to go to OMC's blogs and podcasts page, which contains audio collected by C.J. Knee of Milwaukee's ESPN Radio 1510 Days /1290 Nights).
Of course, it could be worse. The Jets media corps went from Edwards, who provides running commentary during our annual sportswriter pick-up basketball games at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis every February, to say-nothing wunderkind Eric Mangini.
Mangini, who has less personality than his coach's whistle, learned from say-nothing savant Bill Belichick, who wouldn't confirm today is Thursday. The difference? Belichick has won three Super Bowls as a head coach.
If McCarthy even wins one of those, it won't matter what his podium presence is.
Jason Wilde covers the Packers for the Wisconsin State Journal. You can read his stories at the newspaper Web site -- www.madison.com/wsj/home/sports.
No such luck. And hardly surprising. On a related note, Jessica Alba didn't knock on my Lambeau Field office door this afternoon, either.
It is way too early to make any definitive judgments on what kind of a coach McCarthy will make and whether he'll be successful -- the guy's first training-camp practice is at 6:30 p.m. Friday -- in his first year of a three-year contract. (Place your bets now on whether that contract is extended after year two.)
But this much we know after a handful of press conferences since his Jan. 12 hiring:
The guy isn't Steve Mariucci. Or Herman Edwards. Or Jim Mora. Or, for that matter, Mike Holmgren.
"Mooch," Herm and Mr. Playoffs? All were / are famously entertaining at the microphone, and as a sportswriter, those are the coaches you love to cover. The writers in Kansas City are learning that now that Edwards has moved from the New York Jets to the Kansas City Chiefs. Mariucci and Mora both work for the NFL Network now, doing what they do best -- talking.
And Holmgren, whom I covered from 1996 through 1998 as a backup beat writer before becoming the State Journal's lead writer in 1999, had an enormous ego but was a terrific storyteller and understood how to give reporters what they wanted.
McCarthy, who's never been a head coach at any level, isn't like that. He's still learning the media ropes, and his persona as a Pittsburgh tough-guy is vastly different than that of his predecessor, former high-school English teacher Mike Sherman. But that's not to say he's hopeless. He had a few chuckle-worthy moments Thursday afternoon, and once he gets more comfortable, his sound bites may grab our attention a little more often. (Editor's note: For a sample of McCarthy's press conference, check out the podcast link above or click here to go to OMC's blogs and podcasts page, which contains audio collected by C.J. Knee of Milwaukee's ESPN Radio 1510 Days /1290 Nights).
Of course, it could be worse. The Jets media corps went from Edwards, who provides running commentary during our annual sportswriter pick-up basketball games at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis every February, to say-nothing wunderkind Eric Mangini.
Mangini, who has less personality than his coach's whistle, learned from say-nothing savant Bill Belichick, who wouldn't confirm today is Thursday. The difference? Belichick has won three Super Bowls as a head coach.
If McCarthy even wins one of those, it won't matter what his podium presence is.
Jason Wilde covers the Packers for the Wisconsin State Journal. You can read his stories at the newspaper Web site -- www.madison.com/wsj/home/sports.
Jason Wilde, a Milwaukee native who graduated from Greendale Martin Luther High School and the University of Wisconsin, is a two-time Associated Press Sports Editors award winner and a Wisconsin Newspaper Association award winner.
His daily coverage can be found on the State Journal's Web site and through his Packers blog on madison.com.
