Mike McCarthy is no longer the head football coach of the Green Bay Packers. A news story that sent shockwaves through the league as one of the longest-termed head coaches does not have a job. Packers decided to release McCarthy of his duties after an embarrassing home loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Packers CEO and de facto owner Mark Murphy had seen enough. The move drew some criticism from the likes of NBC Sports’ Tony Dungy, but truly, Green Bay made the right decision yesterday by pulling the band-aid off a wound that was festering and growing bigger by the Sunday. Smart of Green Bay to begin early with their coaching search.

Green Bay getting four weeks ahead of the competition means their committee of people looking for a head coach can get a sense of who they would like to hire first and foremost over every team looking for a coach besides Cleveland. The choices will range from college realm to retreads. My guess is the Packers committee will be made up of Murphy, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst, Russ Ball and former Packers general manager Ted Thompson. I don’t think Thompson will be directly involved, but they’ll lean on him for his opinion about a coach. Aaron Rodgers will not be involved with selecting a coach, but Murphy should reach out at some point.

It’s important for Murphy to know what kind of coach Rodgers wants in the locker room. He’s the leader, and a guy who the coach will likely work with the most considering Rodgers’ struggles this season. If the coach that gets brought in where the Packers quarterback works with him like oil does with water, there’s a big issue yet again. Star players shouldn’t decide coaching hires, but it’s ridiculous to not think of the best player when you’re ready to make a hire. This is a critical move for Murphy.

The rumors will be endless. The coaching search will be fun. I cannot wait to see what happens in the next couple of weeks.

Charlie.