AP

While former outside linebackers coach Kevin Greene’s abrupt departure from the Packers coaching staff raised some eyebrows, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said he accepted and understood that it was for family reasons.

And he also made it clear that in the Packers family, he’s in charge.

Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com asked McCarthy if he asked defensive coordinator Dom Capers to make changes to his coaching staff.

“I wouldn’t discuss that if I did anyway,” McCarthy replied. “But for the record, I control the coaching staff. Dom doesn’t control the defensive staff.”

The Capers-Greene relationship goes back decades, from Capers’ time as defensive coordinator in Pittsburgh in the 1990s and bringing him with him to Carolina when he became head coach.

So it was a reasonable conspiracy theory to view Greene’s departure as a bit of a lean on Capers, especially considering they didn’t replace with another outside linebackers coach, but gave inside linebackers coach Winston Moss control over the whole group, and named Scott McCurley assistant linebackers coach.

“Having Winston oversee the whole group, I think the communication there just from a structure standpoint will improve,” McCarthy said. “It’s nothing against Kevin or the other guys, it’s just the fact now you’ve got all those body types in one room if you do want to have more flexibility. Scott has been preparing, I’ve been preparing Scott for this opportunity for a long time, so this was all part of the potential options for the future planning of the coaching staff.”

Capers has drawn scrutiny in Green Bay in recent years, but the Packers have dipped considerably since winning a Super Bowl four years ago. McCarthy’s done a solid job, but he’s also entering his ninth season, and that’s a long run for any coach in one spot, so you wonder how many more changes he’ll get to make.