Should The Cleveland Browns Hire Mike McCarthy?

CLEVELAND — The Green Bay Packers fired head coach Mike McCarthy on Sunday, after a loss to the feckless Arizona Cardinals. Despite a hapless season in Wisconsin, McCarthy is heavily rumored to be a lead candidate for the vacant head coaching position in Cleveland.

Both the Packers and Cleveland Browns lost on Sunday, and now sport identical 4-7-1 records. Yet the narrative surrounding both franchises couldn't be more different.

The Browns are celebrating a turnaround season, their first year with abundant hope in what feels like an eternity. The Packers, accustomed to division titles and Lombardi trophy competition, are frustrated with the haplessness of their team. McCarthy became the scapegoat for Green Bay's inability to win games.

During a heated post-game press conference, McCarthy admitted he was uncomfortable being this far below .500, this deep into the season.

"I've never been in this spot," he said during the Dec. 2 press conference following the game. "I'm not going to act like I know what the hell I'm going to do tomorrow when they get in here. We're going to do what we always do. We're going to represent the Packers the right way. I know that. Other than that, we're going to focus on what's in front of us."

He was fired two hours later.

The rumor mill heated up immediately. Rumors have begun to circulate on McCarthy's next landing spot - and Cleveland has been brought up because of leadership's ties to the erstwhile Green Bay coach.

"Sources have told FanSided that the Browns are already working on whether they will hire McCarthy. McCarthy has obvious ties to the Cleveland front office, most-notably general manager John Dorsey, vice president of player personnel Alonzo Highsmith and assistant general manager Eliot Wolf."

Should Cleveland fans be excited at the prospect of a Mike McCarthy-helmed Browns squad? Maybe.

Dorsey has had success plucking once-successful head coaches and giving them a fresh start (see Reid, Andy). Whatever his warts, McCarthy has accomplished a lot in the NFL. He's won a Super Bowl, he has a 125-77 career record in the regular season, and a 10-8 record in the playoffs, according to Pro Football Reference.

Still, McCarthy was much maligned for his inability to adjust to the contemporary NFL. Doug Farrar had this to say about McCarthy's dismissal:

"McCarthy's Achilles heel as a head coach and an offensive play-designer was his rigid inflexibility and inability to design passing concepts that would regularly beat even the most rudimentary of defenses. Add in his frequent in-game strategic gaffes this season, and it was clear that Murphy had to make this move."

Could McCarthy's problems as a coach have stemmed from stagnancy? It's possible. Andy Reid and the Philadelphia Eagles both benefited from a separation after years and years together. It's possible McCarthy and the Packers could tell a similar story moving forward.

Browns fans are likely a little nervous about the prospect of a McCarthy hire, and for good reason. But this is a man that had only three losing seasons (including this year) during his 13-year stint as head coach of Green Bay. He also developed (and then arguably held back) Aaron Rogers.

For now, McCarthy is a daydream for the Browns. Before too long, he could be a reality. What do you think the Browns should do?

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