slip the Green Bay Packers had handed Mike McCarthy when the question had already started being asked.“What qualities does Aaron Rodgers want in the new head coach?”If Packers president Mark Murphy and general manager Brian Gutekunst are asking themselves that same question as they begin their search for the team’s 14th head coach Elgton Jenkins Jersey , they’re approaching this whole process the wrong way.The confidence of Packers fans was dwindling before the firing of Mike McCarthy, according to our FanPulse results. Click here to sign up, Packers fans. Yes, how the next head coach fits with Rodgers is an important factor but it’s not about what the two-time NFL MVP wants. It has to be about what the quarterback needs that should be driving Murphy and Gutekunst’s quest.The saying is that “players play and coaches coach.” While that isn’t always the case and may not be what the situation in Green Bay calls for considering the window of Rodgers’ prime is closing with the passing of each season, the Packers need to be wary of giving their franchise signal caller too much pull in the coaching department. How many of us get to pick our own boss? Very few, if any. If Rodgers is given considerable input into the hiring process, he very well could settle on someone who he really likes. That said, sometimes the person who we like the most isn’t the one who’s the best for us. It’s like having that teacher you couldn’t stand initially but then at the end of the year you realize how good they were for you. That’s what Rodgers needs right now more than anything.Rodgers doesn’t need a friend in his next head coach. He needs, well, a coach.Rodgers is on the record saying he "desperately wants to be coached" and now we will see if the quarterback really meant that.He very well could want someone who continued to call plays the way McCarthy did but just with different play designs, which was just one flaw that led to the coach’s dismissal. Would this type of coach help fix Rodgers’ suddenly flawed footwork or teach him not to hold the ball so long? It’s doubtful.Instead what Rodgers needs is someone who will take the quarterback back to basics. He doesn’t need his fundamentals fully rebuilt, he just needs to refocus them. Rodgers says he wants to be coached hard? A coach forcing a two-time MVP to work in footwork drills will be some tough coaching indeed. Rodgers may also want someone who will continue to allow him to improvise at will, which is part of the magic that has defined his career up until this point. Before 2018 (or maybe even as far back as 2015), when plays would breakdown there was no more gifted magician than Rodgers who could somehow pull a rabbit out of a hat that was on fire and had a hole in it.What he really needs in this case however is a coach who will actually put him on a metaphorical leash. Rodgers must be forced to operate within the structure of the offense Dexter Williams Jersey , something McCarthy was either unwilling or unable to do. Rodgers can still improvise but only when needed. The new coach must rewire the quarterback’s brain to take the easy throw rather than consistently look for the big play.Perhaps what Rodgers needs more than anything is some tough love. Even in the lost season of 2018, he was still making throws that are utterly insane which is why so many think his struggles this season are mostly mental. Throw in some Cutler-like body language and something clearly is/was eating at Rodgers’ psyche.Maybe getting rid of McCarthy and bringing in a new head coach will be enough to fix that. We won’t know the answer to that until September. There was enough tension between Rodgers and McCarthy that the relationship deteriorated into a battle of egos according to Sports Illustrated so the next coach will have to find a way to be a partner to Rodgers while still maintaining a proper chain of command.If the Packers play their cards right, this next coach will be final head coach Rodgers plays under in his career. That individual will have the job of extracting every ounce of talent Rodgers has left while also preparing the quarterback and team for his inevitable physical decline and eventual retirement.So which candidates would be up for this kind of task? Josh McDaniels should come to the forefront. He's managed an aging Tom Brady for years and if Rodgers wants to follow in the Patriots star's footsteps and play into his forties, McDaniels could be the guy. He's also handled an occasionally over emotional Brady with aplomb.Could a college coach command similar treatment? It's a tougher sell but playing in an offense like Lincoln Riley's or even Kliff Kingsbury's could be enough to snap Rodgers back into shape fundamental-wise. Regardless of the person ultimatelyhired, could history be repeating itself and the next Packers head coach will again be responsible for transitioning the team from a generational quarterback to a young heir apparent?It’s possible but Rodgers is going to have accept and get through to his occasionally stubborn mind that he’s going to have to step out of his comfort zone a bit and listen to some things he may not want to hear but are what he needs to hear.The sooner the Packers get Rodgers back on track the sooner they can return to the league’s elite.If that happens, then this likely will be the last January without Packers playoff football for at least the next several years. The Green Bay Packers are in an unfamiliar position as the 2018 NFL season winds down towards its end: they have a healthy Aaron Rodgers but no hope of making the postseason. This is just the second time that has happened since Rodgers took over as the team’s starting quarterback in 2008, and it resulted in the firing of head coach Mike McCarthy.In addition, the Packers have gone 0-7 on the road this season, and on Sunday they will have their final chance to win a game away from Lambeau Field this season. The team will travel to New Jersey for a game against the New York Jets, who have also been eliminated from the postseason race.However, the Jets’ struggles were expected. After drafting quarterback Sam Darnold third overall in April, the Jets started him in week one and he has been in the lineup for 11 of their 14 games so far. He was under center for each of the team’s four wins this year, but has gone through expected difficulties as a rookie starter with 14 touchdown passes against 15 interceptions.As for the Packers, pride is the likely motivator for the team as a whole Vince Biegel Color Rush Jersey , with some players auditioning for jobs in and out of Green Bay next season over these final two games. Rodgers has said he intends to play, though the team will surely keep him on a short leash should the game become a blowout in either direction. He cited his need to lead by example this week when discussing his plans to suit up, and hopefully he can find some value in additional snaps with his young receivers as well.For fans outside of Wisconsin and the New York City area, it’s going to be tough to tune in. Because the two teams are out of the playoff hunt and are on FOX in a non-doubleheader week, there are few areas getting the game on Sunday, so tune in on the radio if you must and try to enjoy Sunday’s game.WHO?Green Bay Packers (5-8-1) vs. New York Jets (4-10)WHERE?MetLife StadiumEast Rutherford, New JerseyWHEN?Sunday, December 23rd, 20181:00 PM Eastern TimeHOW?TV BroadcastPackers-Jets shown in Green506sports.comFOXLocal broadcastCommentators: Kenny Albert, Ronde BarberRadio BroadcastPackers Radio NetworkWTMJ.com (not available on mobile)Sirius 133/105, XM 386/232ANYTHING ELSE?OddsPackers favored by 3 pointsOver/under total: 47All-time head-to-head recordJets lead 8-4-0Last meetingWeek 2 2014: @Packers 31, Jets 24Current streakPackers have won the last two games