COACHING CAROUSEL: Although Mike McCarthy oversaw the biggest collapse from one season to the next (13-3 to 6-10) in the team's 90-year history, his job as head coach is safe for the here and now. McCarthy was rewarded with a five-year contract extension less than a year ago during the Packers' run to the NFC Championship Game, in which they lost in overtime to the eventual league champion New York Giants. He can't afford another lackluster season in 2009, however.

A shakeup with the coaching staff likely is already underway, however.

The team announced six assistants have been released, including defensive coordinator Bob Sanders. He followed special teams coordinator Mike Stock, who "retired" just days after the end of the regular season.

Along with Sanderson Jan. 5, the five other coaches released were defensive ends coach Carl Hairston, defensive tackles coach Robert Nunn, secondary coach Kurt Schottenheimer, defensive nickel package/cornerbacks coach Lionel Washington and strength and conditioning coordinator Rock Gullickson.

FREE AGENT UPDATE: The only three players due to become unrestricted free agents are RT Mark Tauscher, DE Michael Montgomery and DT Colin Cole.

Only Tauscher has been a regular starter in his tenure with the team, but there's a decent chance the 31-year-old won't be brought back after he sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee Dec. 7. Tauscher faces a long recovery after recently undergoing surgery and might not be ready for training camp. The Packers have younger, healthier options to go forward at right tackle.

Montgomery and Cole were contributors in Green Bay's rotation on the defensive line, so the interest is seemingly there to re-sign them.

FEELING A DRAFT: Thanks to their 6-10 finish, the Packers will have a rare top-10 pick in the first round of the April draft. They are slotted at No. 9, which should allow them to target a productive defensive lineman they desperately need.

Green Bay also gained a third-round pick from the New York Jets as compensation for the preseason trade of QB Brett Favre. The pick would have been the Jets' second-rounder had New York advanced to the playoffs.

TEAM NEEDS

Defensive end: Pressure on the quarterback all but went out the window after Cullen Jenkins suffered an early-season injury. Aaron Kampman was left to take on double teams, though he still managed to account for more than a third of the defense's 27 sacks.

Defensive tackle: The fragility of oft-injured Justin Harrell, the Packers' questionable first-round draft pick in 2007 who might need a third back surgery in the offseason, hangs even heavier over the team.

Tight end: Donald Lee was mostly unproductive in the passing game as a starter (39 catches, 303 yards, five touchdowns), and the contributions from young prospects Tory Humphrey and Jermichael Finley were few and far between.

MEDICAL WATCH: QB Aaron Rodgers doesn't feel he will require offseason surgery for a sprained throwing shoulder. The first-year starter suffered the injury in Week 4 and continued to play the rest of the season.

WR James Jones might need surgical work done on his right knee. He sustained a torn posterior cruciate ligament in the preseason and aggravated it a few times during the season, missing six games.

S Atari Bigby reportedly underwent surgery last week for an ankle injury that bothered him from the start of the season. Bigby was on injured reserve for the final two weeks of the season and played in only seven games (six starts) because of ankle, hamstring and shoulder injuries.

DT Justin Harrell, who was deactivated for the final three games, could face another procedure on his troublesome back. Harrell, the team's top draft pick in 2007, missed the first half of the season after undergoing two back surgeries in the offseason. Complications persisted as he returned to the field, and he endured pain in his hip, as he played in only six games.