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GREEN BAY — There is little argument that Mike McCarthy’s time as coach of the Green Bay Packers had run its course and there also should be little argument about what type of coach the Packers need to replace McCarthy, who was fired Sunday with four games left in his 13th season.

Given how new-look spread offenses are taking over the NFL, the way McCarthy’s old-school offense has struggled all season and the towering presence of quarterback Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, the situation cries out for an energetic, creative and offensive-minded coach who — and this is big — has a strong enough personality to both connect with Rodgers and coach him at the same time.

Before we can think about who the Packers will hire as coach, however, we need to think about who will do the hiring. Team president Mark Murphy has been operating as the de facto general manager since January, when he named Brian Gutekunst to replace Ted Thompson as general manager but stripped the position of its control over all phases of football operations. Instead, Murphy put the general manager in charge of only the roster and placed him on equal footing with the coach and the salary-cap guru, all answering to Murphy.