Vic Ketchman: Not a Wise Man
Vic Ketchman writes for the official website of the Green Bay Packers. His articles tend to be cranky, uninformative, dismissive, and lacking in insight. I invite you to check his archives and see if you can read through a few for confirmation.
He Says Stuff Like This
One of Vic’s readers, Adam from Charlotte, NC, asked as follows:
“You’ve said you hoped McCarthy wouldn’t give up his play-calling duties. Now he’s handed the responsibility to Tom Clements. How do you feel about this decision?”
Mr. Ketchman’s response, in full:
“What I said is Coach McCarthy is the best play-caller I’ve ever covered. If, in fact, he’s handed the job over to Coach Clements, then it’s my hope Coach Clements becomes the best play-caller I’ve ever covered. Look, here’s the deal: Call any play you want; just make it work. I’m not a big play-call guy. I don’t believe you win games with plays. I believe you win games with players. That final 3:52 wasn’t about plays. It was about playing.”
I find this Irksome
I can agree with Mr. Ketchman’s conclusion – the players flopped in the NFC Championship game. I cannot agree with the words written to get to them. It is not 1966 anymore, and you can’t just power sweep your way to victory in the NFL. Beating modern defenses, or slowing modern offenses, requires deep knowledge of football X’s and O’s and the tendencies of your opponents. If play calling is mediocre, so too will be the team.
Feel free to agree with me below.