They made noodle-armed Chad Pennington, a guy who has had two surgeries on his throwing shoulder, look like the second coming of Joe Namath.

There’s a widely known moniker that fans of professional football use when it comes to the three letters representing Sunday’s best. With recent rule changes that limit on-field celebrations by players, some have re-named it the No Fun League.

While that may sometimes be the case, the oldest and most known alteration is a phrase coined by former Atlanta Falcon head coach Jerry Glanville.

Once when a microphone caught Glanville talking on the sideline, you could hear him tell a player he better shape up or he wouldn’t be around because NFL actually means “Not For Long.” Upon further review, this isn’t as ridiculous as it may sound.

Entering last season, the NFL saw a record eight new head coaches, including the Green Bay Packers with the hiring of Mike McCarthy. After general manager Ted Thompson cut ties with incumbent Mike Sherman following an atrocious 4-12 season, it was time to hire his guy.

By selecting McCarthy, Thompson chose someone who stood out for a few reasons. First, no one really knew who McCarthy was or where he came from — his experience included stints as offensive coordinator in New Orleans and San Francisco before coming to TitleTown.

Second, McCarthy was born and raised in blue-collar Pittsburgh, and brought a supposed toughness that hadn’t been since in awhile. This was a huge selling point for Thompson.

I ask, where is the toughness on this Green Bay roster? Toughness is usually attributed to the defensive side of the ball. To play defense you have to be tenacious, unforgiving and, quite frankly, a little crazy.

Green Bay’s defense ranks somewhere near the bottom of the league, with a pass defense ranking dead last. They made noodle-armed Chad Pennington, a guy who has had two surgeries on his throwing shoulder, look like the second coming of Joe Namath.

Tough? Try soft.

To be fair all the blame doesn’t fall squarely on the shoulders of the defense. Where is this toughness when it comes to some of McCarthy’s game management and play calling? Fans were told of a revamped running game that was going to be the bread and butter of the offense. Early on it appeared that would be the case. For whatever reason, as the season progressed, the number of pass to run plays has nearly doubled.

Granted, the Packers are usually coming from behind (see New England, New York), but even in a game at Seattle where snowy conditions begged for a retro Green Bay run-dominated performance, it was no where to be found. Despite four first-half turnovers, it was actually the Seahawks who ran wild behind Shaun Alexander’s 200-yard performance.

I’m not saying McCarthy should be fired. In fact, I think one year is hardly enough time to evaluate a coach — unless your name is Larry Brown. What I am saying is, I’d like to see the traits we were told set McCarthy apart from the other applicants applying for what once appeared to be a highly coveted position in the National Football League.

If he doesn’t make his mark soon, the NFL will take on a new meaning for McCarthy. One that Jerry Glanville knows all too well.

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