Packers in grief on news of death of Packers OC Joe Philbin's son - NFL News
Green Bay Packers had a very sombre news conference on Monday as police authorities confirmed that they have recovered the body of the son of Packers' offensive coordinator, Joe Philbin.
"The Philbin family's obviously going through a tough time right now, and as we always have, we're a family-first philosophy with our organization, with our program," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Monday afternoon. "So we're supporting Joe and his family
the best we can, and we're holding out hope that this comes to positive conclusion."
The sad news overshadowed the Packers preparations for the divisional round playoff game against New York Giants on Sunday, January 15th 2011. The Giants qualified for the divisional round after overcoming the Atlanta Falcons 24-2 with a brilliant performance.
Packers General Manager Ted Thompson also gave his support and prayed for the Philbin family in their time of need.
Philbin’s son Michael Philbin was attending the University of Wisconsin in Green Bay where he went out on a trip with friends at 2am in the morning on Sunday but did not return. With the news of his disappearance Police were notified and Joe Philbin reached
the area to search for his son.
Grief struck the family on Monday afternoon when divers recovered the body of Michael Philbin from the Fox River after an extended search.
As the news reached the team many players took to twitter to provide support to their offensive coordinator and posted their messages of support.
"As children we all have to someday say goodbye to our parents, but a parent should never have to say goodbye to their child," said offensive lineman T.J. Lang.
The offensive coordinator has been given an extended leave and will not be available for the team but Coach Mike McCarthy believes that the team will be prepared for the Giants and Philbin’s absence will not have much effect on the Packers preparations.
The Green Bay Packers have had a brilliant National Football League (NFL) season. The team went unbeaten for the majority of 2011 and only a single defeat against the Kansas City Chiefs in week 15 marred what was an almost perfect season.
The Packers have outscored every NFL side this year averaging 34 points per game and are favourites to secure the National Football Conference (NFC) Crown and make the Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis where they will look to secure a second straight Super
Bowl title.
Offensive Coordinator Joe Philbin was the silent mind behind the Packers offense preparing quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the offensive line for every game even though Coach Mike McCarthy took the lead in calling many of the plays during games.
His absence from the team will not affect the well-oiled and experienced Packers greatly and the team will be looking to win over the Giants and dedicate the win to their offensive coordinator.
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