Packers coach Mike McCarthy participated in a conference call today with media in Flowery Branch covering the NFC championship game. Here is a partial transcript:
On the challenges of defending the Falcons
“They are a complete offense. They’ve been on an incredible roll. You look at the course of the season—not only the production they have had, they are No. 1 in the league for points so the production speaks for itself—the thing that jumps out on film is the consistency. They’ve been doing it at this high level the whole year. Excellent offensive line play and the ability of those five starters to play week in and week out you can see they are very much in sync both in their run and protection. Matt (Ryan) is having a great year. Very comfortable in everything they are doing. They’ve got the run game and the perimeter. It’s a complete offense. They challenge you in the (play) action passing game, the drop back and they can run the ball with anybody. It’s a big challenge for us this week.”
On if tradition and legacy matter at this point
“We are focused on ourselves… . As far as tradition and history, that’s a continuous, constant message as far as how we view ourselves and how we project. It’s not only how we play, it’s how we handle ourselves professionally. As far as the game, Atlanta is preparing to win the game and we are preparing to come to Atlanta to win the game. So I don’t see any effect yesterday that’s going to affect what happens Sunday.”
On how Aaron Rodgers has handled the responsibility of being the Packers quarterback
“I think he’s done a great job with it. That’s a great question. It’s a big task. Obviously playing quarterback in the National Football League is a huge responsibility. Playing in Green Bay, especially following Brett Favre and the tradition and history here, I think Aaron does a phenomenal job. He’s very cognizant of the responsibility not only to perform but just the way he conducts himself. I know he takes a lot of pride in that.”
On if it helps in preparation that the Packers already faced the Falcons
“I think you look at it from both sides. You play a team for the second time, you definitely have some familiarity. I think it’s beneficial for your players that they have some tape to look at of the opponent and can focus on the individual matchups that they have some current history to draw from… . We’ve been in this realm of playing a repeat opponent, this will now be our sixth week in a row. That’s been an interesting study for us.”
On if rallying from 4-6 record is affirmation for the makeup of the roster
“Definitely… .I’ve been fortunate and blessed to coach 14 teams here in Green Bay here and each team has a different personality. You see in training camp, particularly the training camp, our energy was different, it was unique. There was a very strong belief in the room. This football team really doesn’t swing very high and doesn’t swing very low. The stresses we were going through there was no panic, there was no drama you think there might have been based on the external representation of it. We’re right where we planned on being, playing in the NFC championship game with a chance to go to Houston. We had that belief and we never wavered from it. We didn’t necessarily think this was going to be the path, winning those last six games. But the belief has always been there, the attitude has always been there with this football team.”
On the challenges of facing Falcons running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman
“They are excellent football players. They are three-down players. They can do it from the backfield, both the run and the pass, and that’s dynamic. That is something you always look for in a running back position is the ability to play all three downs. Those guys bring a ton of production. They really complement each other. It’s a great pair of backs.”
On if there are certain teams that stand out for how hard they hit
“Every team has a play style, in my opinion. The video speaks for itself, that’s what we always pay attention to. We pay the most attention to our own video but they have an excellent playing style.”
On Matt Ryan being the only QB still playing without a Super Bowl and if a QB needs that to be considered great
“I don’t really have an opinion on how to categorize or justify that. I know Matt Ryan is playing great. He’s done it for a long time. He’s extremely productive. He’s played in a couple offenses. I don’t get into looking at people and talking about what they don’t’ have. I pay attention to what they do have. I know he’s one hell of a quarterback and we are going to have to play extremely well come Sunday.”
On Aaron Rodgers’ confidence growing during winning streak
“Aaron is playing with great confidence. Aaron has always been an extremely confidence player and just person in general. He never really wavered from that time and played some really good football during that time, too. We’ve been playing better as a football team and statistically obviously we’ve been better on offense during that time.”
On having to remind media that he’s a successful coach and if he feels overlooked
“I don’t. I don’t really keep score so I couldn’t tell you who says what. That quote was a really answer to a question. Like a lot of things, quotes can be taken and used in different direction. But what we’ve done here with this program speaks for itself over the 11 years. That’s the big picture stuff. The immediate focus right now is to beat Atlanta and win the NFC championship game.”
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