| Advertisement |
The Green Bay Packers filled both of their vacant coordinator positions quickly. Just hours after Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Tuesday night that the Packers hired Mike Pettine as their defensive coordinator, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday that Joe Philbin has returned to Green Bay as the Packers' offensive coordinator.
Advertisement
Philbin was the Indianapolis Colts assistant head coach and offensive line coach the past two seasons, but he spent nine seasons with the Packers from 2003 through 2011, filling a variety of roles. He was Green Bay's offensive coordinator from 2007 through 2011 before becoming the head coach of the Miami Dolphins.
Philbin was fired by the Dolphins four games into the 2015 season following a 1-3 start.
It was with the Packers that Philbin had the most success. He called the plays and was the offensive coordinator for the Packers when they won Super Bowl XLV.
Now he is reunited with Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy, hoping they can reinvigorate a Packers offense that struggled in 2017.
The Packers ranked among the league's top 10 in both points and offensive yardage all five years Philbin was their offensive coordinator, and they led the NFL in yardage and were third in points in his final season in Green Bay.
In 2017, the Packers ranked 26th in offensive yardage and 21st in scoring, although the absence of quarterback Aaron Rodgers for much of the season undoubtedly had an impact on Green Bay's offensive production.
Whether Philbin will call the offensive plays in 2018 remains uncertain, as McCarthy has called the plays since 2015.
The Packers' successor to defensive coordinator Dom Capers will be Pettine, a former Cleveland Browns head coach. Pettine the job over Packers assistants Darren Perry, Joe Whitt Jr. and Winston Moss.
The Packers dumped Capers on Jan. 1 after they finished 22nd in the NFL in total defense.
According to the Journal Sentinel, McCarthy was interested in Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio for the opening, but Fangio apparently is staying put after Matt Nagy was hired away from the Kansas City Chiefs as Chicago's head coach.
