McCarthy the true loser in Favre's Green Bay saga

Mike McCarthy had the look of a man on his way to the gallows as he conducted his press conference Tuesday night in Green Bay.
The Packers' head coach had to tell the assembled media, frothing at the mouth in search of fresh news on the Brett Favre soap opera, that No. 4 was on his way out of town for good. So started the end of The Favre Era in Green Bay, and the beginning of the end of The McCarthy Era as well.
No head coach in the National Football League escapes without being fired. Even the greatest men to ever roam the sidelines, men who will be enshrined in the league's Hall of Fame, have been handed a pink slip in the past. Bill Belichick, the current resident genius in New England? Fired by the Cleveland Browns after the 1995 season. Mike Shanahan, Denver's offensive mastermind? Fired by the Los Angeles (now Oakland) Raiders in 1989 after just 20 games and an 8-12 record. Jon Gruden, the fiery boss of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and former Super Bowl champion? He left the Raiders to coach in Tampa and was under pressure late last season before being granted a contract extension until 2011. Another 4-12 season like the Bucs endured in 2006 would give Gruden a hard shove toward the door, if not straight out onto the street. Bill Parcells wasn't fired, but he had nasty divorces with New England and Dallas before moving into the front office. Joe Gibbs wasn't canned during his second tour in Washington only because of his prior good deeds -- three Super Bowl wins and a bust in Canton build up plenty of good will. Mike Holmgren's eight-year contract that he signed when he moved from Green Bay to Seattle in 1998 might have been the only thing that saved him after mediocre seasons from 1999-2002, a four-year stretch in which he went 31-33 and made the playoffs just once. The prospect of the Seahawks eating the final four years of Holmgren's deal likely saved his bacon.
McCarthy is caught in a tug-of-war between the man that hired him, Packers general manager Ted Thompson, and the players in his own locker room. Green Bay decided to hand the starting quarterback job to Aaron Rodgers when Favre retired in March, a move that never would have been made if Favre didn't walk away from a team came within a couple plays of a Super Bowl appearance last season. Rodgers, a first-round pick by Thompson in 2005, has never taken a meaningful snap in a regular season or postseason game in Green Bay, but the Packers kept Rodgers in charge despite Favre's announced intention to return to the franchise. Favre will be traded in the coming days and Rodgers will deal with the chants of "We want Favre" and "Bring back Brett" throughout the season, not exactly the best way to settle into a job.
Green Bay's veterans will say all the right things before the season starts, talking about how Rodgers is their quarterback now and they're going to move forward. It's rubbish, and McCarthy will be left to pick up the pieces of a divided locker room if Rodgers struggles. Proven Packers like starting corners Al Harris and Charles Woodson, starting offensive tackles Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher, wide receiver Donald Driver and defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila have all been in the NFL to know one of the league's hard truths -- young quarterbacks rarely win games. Tom Brady is the lone exception, helping to drive New England to a Super Bowl title in 2001 after Drew Bledsoe was injured in Week 2.
Peyton Manning? No. The Indianapolis Colts were horrible during his first few years in the league and Manning threw as many interceptions as he did touchdowns his first full season. Carson Palmer? Cincinnati is still waiting for the playoff success that was robbed from the club when Palmer injured his left knee against Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger? The image of him chasing Rodney Harrison after a crushing interception while the Steelers choked away another home AFC Championship Game still brings a smile to my face. Tony Romo? Still waiting on his first playoff victory.
McCarthy must hope that Rodgers does his best Brady impression, or they'll both be on their way out of Green Bay. Thompson handed McCarthy a contract extension through 2012 after his 13-3 season in 2007, a strong show of faith, but McCarthy has to know that his club is likely to take a step back in 2008 and can't say so publicly -- it would be career suicide to second-guess a boss with an ax to grind against Favre. McCarthy had to endorse Rodgers and started the clock on his own tenure with the Packers in the process. Thompson can't look like the fool here and won't tolerate anything but more playoff appearances with Rodgers under center. Green Bay's veterans know this and it's McCarthy who'll be left with the locker room mutiny on his hands when his experienced players realize that their last best chance to win a title might have left town with Favre.