Dear Ken Whisenhunt: The Green Bay Packers Understand “You Play to Win the Game”

January 6, 2010   ·   Mark Strotman   ·   Jump to comments

When the Green Bay Packers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 33-7 last Sunday, most spectators knew the score was more indicative of Packers head coach Mike McCarthy having a different philosophy than Ken Whisenhunt.
By kickoff, both teams had wrapped up their spots in the playoffs and, regardless of the Eagles-Cowboys game, the two teams were going to meet in the first round of the playoffs.
McCarthy chose to play the game as usual and keep his team in rhythm by playing his starters the majority of the game, while Whisenhunt chose to rest his starters and keep them fresh for the upcoming playoff matchup. First, let’s break down both philosophies to try and understand why both coaches decided to do what they did.
For Whisenhunt, a 38-year-old quarterback going up against one of the most feared pass rushers in the NFC from the blind side in Clay Matthews did not seem like the best fit, so Kurt Warner ended up playing just two series. Outside of Larry Fitzgerald and Anqua...

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