Tom Oates has been part of the Wisconsin State Journal sports department since 1980 and became its editorial voice in 1996, traversing the state and country to bring readers a Madison perspective on the biggest sports stories of the day.
Former coach Mike McCarthy isn't off the hook for a 5-8-1 record in a season that began with Super Bowl hopes in Green Bay, but still another fourth-quarter road failure Sunday showed that plenty of people are hanging on the hook with him.
State Journal columnist Tom Oates grades the Green Bay Packers' performance in their 24-17 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field.
Two weeks after the Green Bay Packers fired Mike McCarthy, their coaching search has generated no headlines and tons of conjecture.
If Philbin can find a way to score on Chicago's increasingly ferocious defense perhaps the Packers should call off their coaching search and hire Philbin on the spot.
Instead of playing down to the competition, this time the Giannis-less Bucks played with an intensity that turned the game into a blowout midway through the second quarter.
Was the Packers' most complete game of the season a one-game aberration following major upheaval within the organization or was it a sign that the Packers have fixed their problems and can re-establish their respectability by finishing out the season strong?
State Journal columnist Tom Oates grades the Green Bay Packers' performance in their 34-20 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
Even though No. 12 Wisconsin played strong defense and limited rival Marquette to 35.4 percent shooting at the Fiserv Forum on Saturday, it wasn't good enough to win because the Badgers didn't do the things they usually do best.
A glorious era officially ground to a halt Sunday at wintry Lambeau Field, first with one of the more dismal home losses in Green Bay history, a 20-17 defeat at the hands of the woebegone Arizona Cardinals, then with the Packers taking the unusual step − for them − of firing coach Mike McCarthy with four games to play in the season.
State Journal columnist Tom Oates grades the Green Bay Packers' performance in their 20-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at Lambeau Field.