Packers at Bears NFC Championship Release.indd - NFL.com

MIKE McCARTHY TRANSCRIPTEXCERPTS FROM THE COACH – MONDAY, JAN. 17(Greg Jennings talked about the turf today, and obviouslythat’s nothing new. Is there anything you can do in practiceto deal with that?)We’re not going to concern ourselves with the turf. It’s something yougo with every week, every game you play in particularly on the road.You go out early, you make sure you’ve got the right, proper shoeson. We’ll practice outside Thursday like we normally do for our teamperiod, so we’ll have an opportunity to get out on the grass, and ourfield’s in great shape. And we’ll just try to get as close as we can to theenvironment that we’re going to play in on Sunday. We’ll have the doorsopen Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, just to get the temperature downin the Hutson Center and make sure we’re handling the football in coldweather. We’ll follow our deliberate practice emphasis and get ready togo.(For those players and coaches who were here when youguys lost the NFC Championship Game to the Giants, willyou be talking about that this week, about the pain andsomething that I’m sure you remember clearly and stickswith you and probably with those others as well?)I really see no benefit to go back and talk about the pain of ‘07. ‘07 isa different year. It’s a different team, there’s different coaches, playinga different opponent, and we’re playing in a different location. So I’msure everybody that went through the experience in ‘07 has a personalmemory of what they thought maybe they could do differently or howthey can learn from that experience. I’ll be a better coach this time, thesecond time around, and the players that went through that game I fullyanticipate them to be better players. It’s like anything in life, when youhave the opportunity to learn from experiences, a lot of times in our livesyou learn from the negative experiences that you’ve encountered. But tosit there and compare this game with ‘07, I don’t think it helps us.(What have you learned from that experience?)Well, the first thing, big picture, I’ve learned is how hard it is to get there.It’s hard to get to the championship game. And that’s why it’s evenmore important to reinforce what we’ve been reinforcing to our team, isto stick to who you are. We like our brand of football. We’re not goingto change the way we approach games, the way we perform in thosegames. So it just really draws you back to your core, your core beliefs,and that’s something that will be very apparent when we take the fieldSunday.(I realize that when you’re watching film, you’re probablynot studying and ranking other team’s cornerbacks. Arethere many guys better than the way Tramon is playingright now?)I say Tramon Williams -- I’ve said it time and time again during theseason -- he’s is having a Pro Bowl season. When these playoffs andthe Super Bowl are completed, everybody in the country is going toknow who Tramon Williams is. That’s the type of level that he’s playingat. So he’s been very consistent. He’s making the big plays when theopportunity presents itself. Tramon’s playing great.(You get in the playoffs, you’re the sixth seed, so you knowyour road is going to be on the road. How did you approachthat with the team? What mindset did you say, OK, this isour path, how did you approach that?)I think it’s very important to always set the course, make sure thatthere’s no doubt in our approach. And we knew from obviously the timewe walked off the field against Chicago here at Lambeau that we weregoing on the road. So we’ve embraced it. We do a very good job in ourpreparation as far as the way we travel. We keep things very consistent.I think it helps us. I think it really helps us over the course of these lastthree or four years for how young we’ve been, that we’re able to learnfrom that, to get into a routine, and I think it carries over to the playingfield. Offensively we start day one in training camp, managing crowdnoise, and so playing on the road is not that big of a deal to us. I thinkour guys have done an outstanding job with the communication. It’sgoing to be a big part of playing in Soldier Field on Sunday. That’s goingto be a hostile crowd. We had the one penalty on offense against Atlanta,and that dome was as loud as I’ve ever heard it particularly early in thegame. It was significantly louder than when we played down there inNovember, so that’s a very good experience that we can draw from. Butthe road doesn’t scare us. We feel we’re a very good road team. We’re3-5 this year which is down probably for us over prior years. But playingon the road doesn’t bother us at all.(In the two games during the regular season the Bears heldyou guys well below season averages in points and yards.What did they do that was so effective?)They’re a good defense, number one. I think the statistics speaks forthemselves. It’s a system that’s been in place there for quite some time,I know since before I even arrived here. So they have better players, theyhave a very good understanding of their scheme. Just what was verynoticeable from the first time we played them to the second time weplayed them, that they haven’t had any injuries, so they’re very much insync. They’re good football players across the board defensively. Theyall tackle very well, they’re very fundamentally sound. They did a greatjob of recognizing your concepts. So they’re a challenge, and it will be abig challenge Sunday.(How much have you stressed Packers/Bears history in thepast, and how much will you do this week? Obviously youguys are making history, for first time in 70 years playingeach other in the postseason.)We always make a big deal for the first game. It’s important for ourrookies, our first-year players, to clearly understand the importanceand the significance of the Packer/Bear rivalry, so by the second game Ithink everybody gets it. It’s special. It’s really a privilege and honor nowto be part of this great history with the playoff game against the Bears.I know it’s only the second time it’s happened, the 182nd meeting ofboth teams. Personally I’m honored to be a part of this and to be goingdown to Soldier Field to play for the Halas trophy and for the opportunityto play for the Lombardi trophy. It speaks volumes. It’s great for bothorganizations, great for our fans. It’s going to be a fun game to play in.(Did you recognize the intensity of the rivalry before youcame here? Sometimes I get the impression people in theregion have always known, around the rest of the countrythey know they play against each other, but don’t recognizethe intensity. Did you before you came here?)With what happens to every coach, there’s a rivalry in your divisionthat you probably think is the biggest rivalry and it is one because it’sthe job you’re in at the time. But I think everybody’s that’s grown upunderstood the importance of the Bears and Packers. I’ve heard aboutthe Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers even as a kid. When I grewup in Pittsburgh it was the Steelers and the Browns and that was thebig rivalry. And coaching for the Kansas City Chiefs, the Chiefs and theOakland Raiders was such a big rivalry. But this is different. To sayyou’re the longest rivalry in the history of the National Football League,and just the great players and the coaches and the teams that have beenpart of this rivalry, once again, it’s an honor and privilege to play in thisgame.(Is it different in this sphere, though? Like I got the impressionthat the old-time Packers/Bears rivalry, coaches hatedeach other, and the players hated each other. I don’t getthe impression that in 2010 Aaron Rodgers hates BrianUrlacher.)What’s your definition of hate? For me to say I hate, that’s ugly. Iunderstand it’s personal and those types of words that might be thrownaround. We don’t like their team and they don’t like their team. I get allthat. But I respect the way they play. They play the right way. We playthe right way. But this is about winning championships, and we’re goingdown there to play for the NFC Championship Game, and you have tobeat teams like the Chicago Bears that achieve that goal. That’s reallywhat it comes down to. But there will be plenty of energy on that field.Do they like each other and so forth? I really don’t referee that kind ofstuff. I think Lovie Smith is an outstanding coach. I think he’s a finegentleman. I don’t know him very well on a personal level. But I reallyenjoy competing against him and his football team.11