Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy - Ingles

Press Conference Transcript
Friday, Jan. 28

(How did Brandon Jackson do in protection last year against Pittsburgh and how important could he be in this game?)

Brandon Jackson performed very well last year in the Pittsburgh game, particularly in protection, and that’s a big part of it. They have the 3-4 scheme and the ability to try to create matchups with their linebackers, their playmakers on back. There is going to be a point in this game where our running backs are going to have to close the door on their pressure. Brandon, and really the whole group has excelled. Actually James Starks is off to a very good start for a young player, but Brandon Jackson played very well in that game last year.

(Who worked at outside linebacker with Walden out and Zombo limited?)

Frank Zombo practiced today for the first time. I’m going to hold Erik Walden until Wednesday’s practice down in Dallas. I’m just going to give him the full weekend to recover. Just worked the rest of our guys, Francois and Briggs.

(Now that you are back on the field, has it set in more that you are preparing for the Super Bowl?)

It was great to get back to football, no question. It was great to be on the field today. We actually had a very good practice. We finished 13 minutes early, so that tells you something about the tempo. We didn’t have any repeated plays in the team period, so that’s very good for a Wednesday-type practice. I know it’s Friday, but it’s Wednesday on our schedule. I was very pleased with the practice today.

(Do you have to tone them down a little since there isn’t a game Sunday?)

Just like everybody, you talk to a lot of people. The energy before the game, the build-up to it, you have to be conscious of it. I definitely feel the four days off from being on the field really helped our players. Just very positive in the communication with them to obviously take care of their personal responsibilities but get a chance for their bodies to recover. I really like the way the schedule is laid out, practice in shells today, because anytime you have an extended period off, coming off a bye week, your risks for muscle strains is a little higher. So it was important to be smart with today’s practice and we’ll build up to a normal practice tomorrow. But I don’t see too much energy being an issue.

(I am sure you are not caught up in the history of these teams, but have you thought about what these teams have done and does that add to it?)

I am well aware of the history and have a great appreciation for it, but I’m in the middle of a preparation, a preparation for victory. That’s really what my mindset is all about and that’s what we talked about as a football team. Everybody understands what is going on around us, but we are preparing to win a football game. It is imperative that we keep our focus on that.

(It doesn’t seem like Rodgers takes many hits from his blind side. Can you talk about how you have done a good job protecting him?)

We take a lot of pride, like every offense does, in their protection schemes and the importance of it. Our quarterback is clearly the most important player on our offense. Our offensive philosophy is about making the quarterback successful. It starts with him and it goes from there. As far as how we do it, you start with the run game and then you go to the protection scheme. To be multiple with our personnel groupings, we are also a multiple protection scheme. We spend a lot of time on our protections and our blitz pickups. We have an excellent training ground going through the OTAs and training camp when you work against our defense with Dom Capers’ scheme. We’re just fortunate that we have a lot of training that goes into it and I think it shows up on Sundays.

(What did you learn specifically from last year’s game against the Steelers?)

Well, having a chance to go back and looking at the Steeler game last year, the first thing you always look at is the personnel. There’s people that played in that game that are not playing this game. There’s also individuals that didn’t play last year that will play. It is a different year, they’re a different team, we’re a different team in some ways too. But you look at what they’ve done. There’s certain things they do a lot better job on, third down. Statistically they’re tops in the league, top five in most categories. That in itself will be a challenge for our offense. But it’s the whole season, the whole work, how they’re playing the last five weeks, and you look for teams that are comparable to yourself. We only have to look across the hall just to prepare for their defense, so that helps us. But it’s like every game. Every game is different, every path is different, and this will be a different contest.

(What’s the first memory you have as a child watching a Super Bowl?)

First memory … low-scoring game, that’s when they beat the Vikings. That’s my first memory. It was all about watching the Steeler games. That’s a part of the fiber of growing up in Pittsburgh. It’s the same thing in Wisconsin. It’s very, very similar. It’s all about your home team. I just remember the reaction of the town when they won the first Super Bowl. It was incredible. And then having the experience to go through Austin-Straubel Airport after the NFC Championship Game and to experience that personally, it was very special. A lot of positive memories from the ‘70s.

(Would you watch those in your family’s living room, or where would you be?)

Goodness … yeah, I watched them at home, or we watched a lot of them down at my father’s bar. Because Sunday was a day we would work and clean the bar. He didn’t have the Sunday license, so we were closed on Sundays.

(How many Super Bowls have you been to?)

Zero. First one.

(Pittsburgh stations are going to be talking to your parents today. What do you think they’re going to be saying about you?)

I have no idea. I hope they say the good things. I’m just pleased my parents are handling it very well. They’re a little overworked. I got a kick out of my father. “Why do I have to answer the same damn questions over and over?” I said trust me, I know exactly how you feel. But they’re enjoying it.

(Did you have a chance to go to a Super Bowl as a spectator and just turned it down?)

Yes, never had an interest. I had a chance to go to the Super Bowl in ’07 just for a couple of events. I went because I had to go. But my daughter Alex, it was something she always wanted to go to. And I said, hey, we’re going to go when we play in it. It’s finally here. She’s 19.

(At what point in your coaching career did you think to yourself if I get to a Super Bowl, here’s how I’m going to do it? Here’s the way I’m going to run the week, the two weeks. When did you start thinking about it?)

Well, normal practice in this coaching profession is when you go to the Combine or if you’re at the owners’ meeting, you know how coaches are when they get together, they talk about football. You talk about scheduling and things like that, and assistant coaches are the same way. You’re always trying to find out, hey, how’d you do this, how’d you do that. It’s just something that you build over time. It’s no different than an assistant coach preparing to be a coordinator. There’s things that you learn as an assistant coach that you apply and you say hey, when I have my opportunity, this is what I’m going to do. And it’s no different when you’re a head coach. It’s something that I’ve built just over time through some of the conversations I’ve had with other people, other coaches.

GREEN BAY PACKERS DE RYAN PICKETT - Ingles

01/26/2011

Ryan, you've won a Super Bowl before. What advice are you giving to the younger guys on this team?

RYAN PICKETT: Oh, I haven't won one.

Gotten to one, sorry.

RYAN PICKETT: Gotten to one. The advice to them is enjoy this time, but stay focused on the game because I went and lost and that wasn't a fun experience at all. As a matter of fact, I'm still sick to this day that I got there and lost. So just try to pass small things like that to them.

What's on your checklist this week before you get on the plane?

RYAN PICKETT: What's on my checklist?

Yes. How much do you want to have done before you go down there?

RYAN PICKETT: I mean, that's why we've gotten all the business taken care of now. Coaches, they made us get our tickets done and take care of our families and stuff these last two days. So tomorrow and on, from that point, it's going to be all Pittsburgh and all football.

So when we get on the plane, we’re already in our game plan. We'll be ready for Pittsburgh.

What's it like to tackle a quarterback that's almost as big as you?

RYAN PICKETT: It's hard. It's hard. We were watching the film of last year with Big Ben, and we had five sacks, but, man, we could have had him down 10 times, but he's tough to tackle, man.

He's a good quarterback. And he breaks more tackles than any running back I've seen. It's tough to bring him down once you get past the offensive line, it's tough to get him down.

What do you do then? What do you do differently with him than you would with a 6'3", 200‑pound quarterback?

RYAN PICKETT: I don't know. It's tough. Obviously not many people have the answer to how you get him down. That's why he's been to, what, three Super Bowls the last six years. It's tough. He's an elite quarterback. And it's no easy answers. When you get your opportunity, you have to try to tackle him, but that's not easy.

Charles said he just thinks about winning the Super Bowl around the clock. Is that you, too? Are you kind of that possessed?

RYAN PICKETT: Yeah. This is why we play, man. This is my 10th season. And to be at this point, when we're this close, that's all I can think about now is winning a game. The activities and the festivities, everything that's going to be happening in Dallas, it's going to be great. It's going to be awesome, but we're focused on winning this game, you know?

We have four quarters left for our season. So this is big for us.

Seems like Charles is taking on more and more of a leadership role in the season. He says he gives a lot of thoughts to what he says when he addresses the team. What do you think about his messages?

RYAN PICKETT: He's been our leader. His messages have been on point. He has been more of a vocal leader. He is normally quiet, but he's been speaking out. Just letting everybody know, man, this is hard, this is rare.

We have players that have been on this team 13, 12 years, never been to a Super Bowl. So it's hard.

So we have to seize this moment and capitalize on it. So me and him both are very vocal, because we've been there and fell short. And it's hard getting there.

Did you ever doubt you'd be back here?

RYAN PICKETT: You know what, after my first year, I made it my first year so I kind of, I thought this is easy, I'll be every year. I mean, how crazy was that?

But when you play, you just know how hard it is to get here. I mean, everything, the ball has to bounce your way. You have so many tough teams and things like that to beat. It's like this is hard.

But at one point I didn't know if I would ever get back.

What did you think about Mendenhall's first half last week?

RYAN PICKETT: Unbelievable. I mean, he came out. He ran the ball extremely hard against a good defense. So I don't know ‑‑ he broke a lot of tackles. The guy runs hard. He's a good running back. So you have a lot to deal with when you're playing with the Steelers. You have to worry about Big Ben, you have to worry about Mendenhall, their receivers, their offensive line, they're physical.

Plus they've been there three times. This is their third time so they know what it's like. So it's a tough opponent.

When you say the ball has to bounce your way, at the end of the season as guys kept going down, kept replacing one guy with the next guy, the next guy. Did you think the ball wasn't going to bounce your way this season?

RYAN PICKETT: It was tough times for us. It was ups and downs, but we stayed the course. And Coach McCarthy always had us believing that we were going to be at this point.

As the players got together, we just decided, man, this is going to be some great story, man, when we overcome all these injuries and stuff that we had to overcome and go to the Super Bowl to win, it's going to be a great story. That's the approach we took.

You guys have had your backs against the wall five straight games now. Has that helped? Do you need a little time off? Or do you just want to keep that thing going?

RYAN PICKETT: No, we'd like to keep going. We wish we could play this week. The guys are excited. Everybody is ready to play. You've got guys doing film now, extra film. We're excited about having an opportunity to bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Green Bay.

You're one of the quiet veteran voices on this team. Did you or some of the other guys go up to Mike and just say, hey, let's include the injured guys on the team photo? And what's that like to have guys that listen and change things, or whatever you want to call it?

RYAN PICKETT: I have no idea. I haven't heard anything about that. But I wasn't one of the guys that went and said anything. But I definitely would agree with that. I had no say in that.

With the composition of this team, you're still a relatively young guy but you're kind of an old guy. What approach have you taken especially with so many young guys? You're talking about leadership and Woodson’s approach. What's your approach?

RYAN PICKETT: I’ve been more vocal with the younger players. And that's not really my thing. I'm a quiet, laid-back guy, but I think it's important to let them know what we're headed for and what we are trying to do. Like you say, you can get easily carried away with all the things that happen at a Super Bowl.

But the bottom line is we have to go and win. It's a business trip. And that's how we have to approach it. So that's what we're preaching to our young players, and they're buying into it.

The young players are still watching film now. So they bought into it. The whole team has bought into it. That's where we're headed.

You said you were going to be back every year as a rookie ‑‑

RYAN PICKETT: Yes.

You re-signed here for a long‑term deal, and I know you want to win on February 6. Are you guys built in a way that you think you're going to be in the conversation every year because of the young guys coming up and the way this team is built?

RYAN PICKETT: I definitely think Ted Thompson, all these guys put together a great nucleus. It's a team. We have a lot of good players and a lot of them are young. But it doesn't matter. I mean, it's hard in the NFL. You have to take your shot when you have it. So we can't even think about five ‑‑ I mean five weeks down the road, five years. Who knows? Injuries happen. Everything happens.

We just know that we have to take the opportunity that we have now and capitalize on it.

You talked about watching the Steelers' game from last year. You said you had five sacks on him, could have had 10 sacks. Obviously he ended up throwing for 500 yards and the game‑winner. Does it make it a little personal for this defense?

RYAN PICKETT: Oh, yeah, it was embarrassing. To give up the kind of yards we gave up against Pittsburgh last year, we definitely are motivated.

It wasn't ‑‑ the tape wasn't easy to watch. They did everything they pretty much wanted on us. Like you said, 500 yards passing, I don't know how many yards rushing, but it was probably a lot of rushing, too.
But they just moved the ball up and down the field on us. It is kind of hard to watch.

GREEN BAY PACKERS OG JOSH SITTON - Ingles

01/26/2011

What do you take away from that Pittsburgh game last year?

JOSH SITTON: Good question. It was a tough game. It was a tough loss for us. And really it was kind of like all the games we lost this year.

Last-second losses. Losing by a point or three points. You know, it's one of the games you've got to finish. There's a couple of drives that we could have put the game away on offense and obviously last drive for the defense ‑‑ it's all about the finish.

And I think down the stretch this year we've learned how to finish those games and we've had a few of those close games including the playoff games, so I think we've learned how to finish better.

They're known for blitzing and their aggressive packages but you guys seem to handle that pretty well. Does that give you source of confidence going into that or is it irrelevant?

JOSH SITTON: It's a big thing. And we go against defense like that starting in March. With Dom Capers, you see the type of things that Dom Capers does and all the blitzes he brings and different looks. They rattle our brains, the whole offseason, and it just helps us with these other exotic defenses like Pittsburgh.

It's a physical defense. But what is Pittsburgh's calling card on that deal?

JOSH SITTON: I think the strength of their defense is definitely their front seven and the physicality that they bring. They have the speed off the edge. But they have three big guys, three really big experienced guys up front.

They have guys that have got a lot of football under their belts, and they play physical. And the front seven is definitely the strength of that defense.

Want to give your YouTube friends some run and explain what your T‑shirt means?

JOSH SITTON: It's just a video that we found online that the trainers actually showed me. I thought the video was cool. So I posted it on my Facebook, and they sent me a T‑shirt. So I'll do pretty much anything for a free T‑shirt.

Are you in the next video?

JOSH SITTON: I don't know. That's what I'm fighting for. The director actually emailed me the other day and he said they'll send some more T‑shirts to go down to the Super Bowl for a couple of the guys. And I promise it don't matter how much money these guys make or how nice they look, they will do anything for a free T‑shirt. Ask Greg Jennings. He took one.

I don't know the video. Can you describe it a little bit?

JOSH SITTON: It's Feeling So Fly Like a Cheesehead. It's a remake of the song Fly Like a G‑6. I'm not even sure who sings that. But, yeah. I thought it was awesome. I thought it was hilarious. I liked it a lot. We're giving them a lot of good publicity, so they don't mind.

Were you a lineman wearing a cowboy hat, and what went into that whole thing?

JOSH SITTON: Yeah, I was. It really was ‑‑ I don't want to give any secrets away, but it was Aaron Rodgers' idea. He's just funny like that. He always wants to do some kind of prank. And it's funny, it kind of got blown up like we were predicting we're going to the Super Bowl.

It's funny that we're here now, we can say it now and not get in trouble. But it really didn't have anything to do with that. It was just kind of a funny thing that we wanted to do. And it makes all the fans out there that paid the money to come sit at the table, you know, made all them laugh.

It was just a funny thing that we're a bunch of kind of characters in that room. So we just wanted to do something funny.

You don't find it ironic that here you are now going to Dallas?

JOSH SITTON: I think it's pretty funny. A bunch of cowboys back in August, and now we're heading down to Dallas. I think it's pretty cool.

You know Aaron really well. I don't know what he's going to be like this week at the Super Bowl. Could you give us a glimpse into what kind of guy he is with you guys and maybe what you like about him?

JOSH SITTON: Well, like I said, kind of his idea about the whole cowboy thing. He's business‑first. But I think he'll be the first to tell you that you need to have fun at this business, because it is strenuous.

You go through a long five‑week camp. It's tough. This whole season's tough. You gotta be able to have fun, and Aaron's the first one to have fun. He likes to pull the pranks. He’s a genuine guy. He’s a real good guy. He's the first to tell you great job, you're doing great for us.

He's just a genuinely good guy. And it's nice to have that type of guy being the leader on our team. And really I think, and I've said it before, he's really come on as being that leader. And more on the professional side. he's really turned over that new leaf or whatever being in the leadership, the leadership guy, really taking over this team, taking over the organization.

He's been a professional since I've been here. I came here when he was dealing with the whole Favre thing. I wasn't on the team or whatever, but I could just see how it could affect someone, and you couldn't tell with him.

Even in the locker room with us, you know, he's always dealt with everything with great character. And that's just the type of guy he is.

GREEN BAY PACKERS WR GREG JENNINGS - Ingles

01/26/2011

When Aaron is out extending the play, what's the mindset of a receiver when he's out in the pocket and scrambling all around?

GREG JENNINGS: Get open. You’ve got a quarterback fighting for extended life. Obviously he has extended a play to make a play and it's our opportunity to obviously get open, get separation from our defenders.

Is that all ad‑libbed? Is there some method to the madness when it's going on?

GREG JENNINGS: It's a little method to a scramble. You want the shortest guy on the route to kind of work up, come back down. You obviously probably want somebody going deep. But you have to be smart about it. But most of the time it's pretty much ad‑libbed. You can't really draw that up in practice.

As much as you would like to, it's just guys just got to go to work and be smart about the situation and get open.

What's going through your head when you see a guy like Aaron Rodgers run down Brian Urlacher?

GREG JENNINGS: Get him. (Laughter) But we were all ‑‑ we worked these drills every day in practice. You throw a turnover or you have a turnover and everybody pursues to the ball. So obviously once we saw the pick, the pick was made, we're all hustling. But obviously he's in the best position.

He did a great job not only getting him down, but if he didn't get him down, at least he made him cut back, slow down, so some of the guys can kind of rally up and try to get him. But you don't ‑‑ you never want your quarterback really tackling a guy like Urlacher. But in that situation we have to do whatever we can do to get that guy down. He did an outstanding job.

Perimeter guys had a pretty good day last year in Pittsburgh. Polamalu has been in that mix this year. Talk about the quantum leap he makes in that secondary's overall ability?

GREG JENNINGS: He's obviously the chief of that secondary, of that defense, really. He's what makes those guys go. And when he's back there, you can't really ad‑lib for a guy like that. You can prepare only so much because a lot of his game is kind of instinctive play and just veteran savviness. Watching him on film, he does a lot of unique things that you don't see a typical safety do.

A lot of safeties aren't given the amount of freedom that he has, and rightfully so. He deserves the freedom he has because he makes plays when the ball is snapped.

What did you take away from last year’s game at Pittsburgh?

GREG JENNINGS: That was one of those games that, one of those close games we didn't come away with. We've had a lot of experience in a lot of close games that we haven't been able to win. Obviously this year we've had some close games that we didn't win, but we won the majority of them. But for the most part we were able to move the ball. We were able to establish some identity in what we were trying to do offensively. But you can only look so far into what you did last year.

Because from year to year, from game to game, from week to week, teams kind of change up what they're going to throw at you. In this case, Dick LeBeau isn't going to change up his whole entire scheme. But he adds a player that we didn't have out there competing against us last year in Polamalu, probably one of the better players on the field.

We just got done talking to Aaron, obviously. He said he hoped to try and approach this one like any other game, like any other week while knowing that it still could be a once‑in‑a‑lifetime opportunity. He's such the focus of the team being the quarterback and being the star player. What do you expect out of him come Sunday?

GREG JENNINGS: I expect the same performance as we've been getting. And the one thing I've learned playing and practicing with this guy, he prepares better than anybody I've been around and he handles the big stage. He handles all the flashy lights and the spotlight better than a lot of guys would at his age.

I just started calling him "kid" because he's younger than I am, although he has more years of experience in the league. But he handles situations very well. He's very comfortable and he controls the situation. He never lets anything get away from him.

And I think with all that's going to be thrown at us, with the media and him being tugged left and right, Like you said, he is the face of the team so he is going to get a lot of attention, and rightfully so.

I think he handles it the right way. I think he's still going to prepare as though this is it. That's the way we all have to approach it. He's not in it by himself. He's not going to approach it like he's in it by himself, but we all have to rally up and make sure we're doing the things to prepare to win the game instead of just going down there and enjoying the atmosphere.

You've seen teams come out flat in the first quarter in this game or panic set in because the other team had some early success. What can you draw from the last year, year and a half with this squad that convinces you'll be able to handle that early on in that game?

GREG JENNINGS: Ironically enough, we're a young team, but we have a lot of experience with the young guys. And sometimes that bodes well for you and sometimes it works against you. And I think in this case it kind of works well to our advantage, because guys don't, they really don't know what to expect. So you kind of go in there with kind of a nonchalant attitude. Not so much nonchalant, maybe that's the wrong word, but a kind of carefree attitude like this is it. I'm not nervous.

They don't know what to expect, so they don't know to be nervous or they don't know to be tight or to be tense. It's like we're too young. This is a lifetime opportunity and we're getting it at a young age.

And then you have some of the older guys who can come from the other end of the spectrum, they have been in this situation. Charles, a guy like that, a guy like Ryan Pickett who has had this opportunity. It may have slipped away, some may have capitalized on it. We have a lot of different guys, not a lot of different guys, but a few different guys from two ends of the spectrum, myself. It's a dream come true.

And I'm going to prepare like I've never prepared before. But at the same time keeping in mind it is a game. It's the biggest game of any game that I've ever played in and probably ever will play in. But at the same time you’ve got to keep everything to the right perspective. And that's the same routines, preparation has to be the same. A little bit more increase, because this is for everything.

Most Super Bowls have a couple of players who emerge as sentimental favorites. It would seem Donald Driver has been chasing it longer than anybody in the organization, is well positioned for that role. What do you think this opportunity means to him and what does this mean to his team?

GREG JENNINGS: I'll answer the second question first. He means a lot to this team, not only to this team but to this organization. What he brings to the table is unmatched. You can't supplement for a guy like that.

You can't take a piece like that out and kind of just plug a piece in. His veteran leadership, his game smarts, his football IQ. I mean, all of those intangibles, they're hard to imitate.

They're hard to duplicate. And with a guy like that, I'm just fortunate he's in our room having not been afforded this opportunity to play on this stage. Obviously emotionally there's a lot of things running through his mind; but at the same time he understands that this is a once‑in‑a‑lifetime opportunity, and he's trying to come away with a win as we all are.

You talked about how Rodgers is going to approach this. How are you going to approach this? We all know your personality, your effervescence. Are you going to embrace it?

GREG JENNINGS: I'm definitely going to embrace it. I talked to a couple of guys. I talked to Fitz a few times and he was letting me know how he went down there, Kurt and himself were pretty much locked up in the hotel room just studying film, studying film, studying film. And he never really got to enjoy any of the festivities around him.

He took it so serious that he wished he had done some things differently. So getting that advice, you know, I would definitely kind of enjoy the moment, live in the moment, but at the same time recognize that this is a business trip. We're not going down here to enjoy being a part of Super Bowl XLV. We're going down here to bring home the Lombardi Trophy that's been not a part of this organization for like the last 13 years.

So we understand ‑‑ I understand it. I've played long enough. I haven't been on this stage, but I've been around some older guys that have helped my progression mentally. And we understand the magnitude of this game.

How pleased are you that this game is in a dome?

GREG JENNINGS: That's all I can do is smile. I mean, you go from playing in Chicago in January, late January, to Dallas and they close you inside a dome. You can't do anything but smile. Obviously the surface is going to be perfect. The atmosphere is going to be unmatched.

You can just smile. It's going to be exciting. Obviously we play well inside. But in a game like this, game of this magnitude, it didn't matter if we had to play in the park. Guys are going to bring their ‘A’ game and guys are going to come well prepared.

You're not afraid of contact, but when you watch them, is it like preparing for 8-10 car crashes?

GREG JENNINGS: Oh, I think when you watch anybody in the NFL it's like preparing for 8-10 car crashes. But they're a team that really tries to get after you physically. We understand that.

We feel like we're a pretty physical team as well. But at the same time, you know, we have to be elusive when the ball is in our hands but at the same time be smart and know when the down is over. Make the best of each and every opportunity.

Because, again, this is a once‑in‑a‑lifetime opportunity. We're not going down here just to lay down and say, hey, we were part of this game.

We understand we have young guys. But we have a lot of experience with our young guys. And we're going to try to get this done, period.

GREEN BAY PACKERS SPECIAL TEAMS COACH SHAWN SLOCUM - Ingles

01/26/2011

Shawn, can you just talk about how Masthay really developed this season?

SHAWN SLOCUM: First of all, we go back to when he got here last spring, and he was in great competition, and he went through a real growth process there. I think competition brings the best out of players. And then we got into training camp, he won the job. We start the season and he had to learn how to be an NFL punter.

And one of the things we talked about was that it's his job to keep the effectiveness of the returner under control and I think as the season went on, I thought he got better and better with that. I think it's evident with how we played against Chicago and how he performed against Chicago with 16 punts in two ballgames with the effectiveness of Hester.

I think he's also learned to deal with the weather elements that we've got in Green Bay. And, fortunately, in the Super Bowl we've got a controlled environment. So I expect him to be good in that game.

Shawn, when you talk about how he had to learn to become an NFL punter, what are some of the biggest things that, when they come out of college, the mechanics and techniques you have to work on?

SHAWN SLOCUM: I'll tell you, the first thing is the football. The footballs are guarded, and by design, they are tried to be made exactly the same. And they rotate throughout the game. And you start with one ball. The key, I think, back in the old days, guys would fix the footballs up to fly a little better. But that's a big deal. It's slicker most of the time and it travels a little bit differently.

We play a lot of games in the NFL toward the latter part of the season when the weather is really an issue. In college, most of the seasons are over, with the exception of the bowl games, by mid‑November. So playing in December and January is definitely an issue for a kicker or a punter. Those things as well as just the skill level, the pressure that comes from the punt rushes, and the talent of the returners. It's all different.

With as much as Jeremy Kapinos struggled last year, how surprised are you to see him in a Super Bowl?

SHAWN SLOCUM: I'm not surprised at all. Jeremy was always really diligent in his work. He's a young guy, and I think he was learning. Watching him on tape with the Steelers the latter part of the season, I think he's improved. I'm not surprised at all.

How effective is he as a punter this year?

SHAWN SLOCUM: I think he looks pretty effective. He's done a good job. He looks like he is much improved with his punts going in, and that's an important punt because of field position.

You mentioned controlled environment. The dome will be closed, but one of the unique aspects of that stadium was the giant scoreboard, which was an issue a couple years ago with punters. Will there be any discussion about that going into this game?

SHAWN SLOCUM: There will be a discussion about it. We will identify whether or not it's an issue. We have the opportunity to go into the stadium prior to the game and actually kick. We typically punt the ball toward the sideline, and that thing's right down the middle. So I don't know if it's going to affect us much.

How much work do you get in there? Do you know?

SHAWN SLOCUM: We'll have an opportunity to go in for a short period of time and punt for a day, which will be enough for the guys to get a little bit acclimated. Of course we've got the pregame opportunity also.

Early in the season, when Masthay was struggling a bit, Mike McCarthy came in and said he absolutely has to improve. Was there ever a point where you guys were talking about making a change, or did it ever get to that?

SHAWN SLOCUM: It's not my job at that point. It's my job as the coach to get the player to perform. Tim and I worked hard to continue to improve. He did it, and I think it's a non‑story now.

How about the decision to use James Starks as kick returner?

SHAWN SLOCUM: We are looking to put the most effective guy on the field, and that's where it begins. He's a talented young man running with the football. I think he has done some good things. I think that there are some things he needs to do better. And as we move forward, we've used a number of guys on our kickoff return, and we'll approach this game with more than one guy as being prepared to play in the game.

Shawn, I think Tim was signed about this time last year, and he had said that, before that, he was tutoring students at Kentucky, you know, 20 hours a week. Can you appreciate the fact that ‑‑ I think everybody thinks pro athletes are all instant millionaires or whatever ‑‑ but just the work he put in and where he is now.

SHAWN SLOCUM: Absolutely. The path that a lot of kickers, punters and kickers, take to the NFL, is sometimes not defined until after they do it. Tim was here in August, had a good workout. So he was on the top of our minds once we finished the season and looking at improving at the position. We had a conversation at the time that he signed and we talked about the things he needed to do.

I was very well aware of him coming out of college. Actually I was on the field at the combine when he was down there with his workout there and knew quite a bit about him, studying his college days as well.

So we started off that way, and then he just put it all together throughout this year to get to where he is now.

Shawn, going back to the kickoff return thought process, you were pretty excited about Shields kind of showing some flashes. I guess I'm just wondering what changed?

SHAWN SLOCUM: I don't know that anything has changed. Sam prepares every week to be one of our kickoff returners. Here recently we've gone with James. Part of that was because of the weather and we wanted a big body catching the ball and getting north and south. But Sam is very much a part of our return game. He's an explosive player and he is getting better.

I think he improves all the time. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him catch a ball and return it for a touchdown. That's been the history here. I'd love to see it in a game.

Shawn, what's the collective confidence of the units you work with? You have a period in practice all the time and see it as the season went along, they played with more confidence. How would you describe it?

SHAWN SLOCUM: I think there's a karma that's been built. I think part of it is Tim's effectiveness as a punter. He's continued to get better with his placement and his hang times and ball positions. I think our players have gained confidence in being able to go to a specific point on the field. We've added some guys throughout the season that have come in and been impactful with us on special teams.

As a group, it's just grown. And success has a tendency to breed success.

How much did you do with Tim as far as shortening his steps or quickening his get‑off time? Was that quite a bit of work?

SHAWN SLOCUM: First of all, Tim is fundamentally sound in that his mechanics are really in a straight line. That's an excellent starting point. One of the things we did is to compact his footwork into the kick, and that, in my opinion, helps a guy stay most consistent. That's what he's done.

Was that just a little bit of work? Was it a significant amount?

SHAWN SLOCUM: It's a process. It's a continuing process. I think it's something that when you go to work your skill, that that's the thought process is to stay compact, stay straight, try to match the ball on the foot. And that's something that he continuously works on. He's gotten pretty good with it.

It's oftentimes overlooked, but what type of weapon is Jarrett Bush? When it seemed like he downed a punt on the 3 the other day, and it seems like he's always in position to swing field position your way.

SHAWN SLOCUM: Jarrett's been impactful as a cover man. He has been for a while, for a number of years for us. We’ve put him in positions, particularly inside our kickoff team, to be impactful. He's hard to block. Outside he's strong, and he's got enough length and size that it's hard for a corner to play him one on one. And he actually will beat a double‑team at times.

He's been very productive here lately with helping down the ball inside the 20 and inside the 10 in some cases.

Was it ever maddening to you, Shawn, for a while it seemed like he got a lot of flags his way and it doesn't seem that way anymore. Did you pull him aside and have a moment with him?

SHAWN SLOCUM: Yes, we did. Jarrett brings the quality you want in a game. He's extremely tough, and he's put together like a piano wire, and he's ready to jump and go. And he has learned to control that, play within the rules of the game. And I credit him because we did have that conversation.

One of the things we needed to do was improve with the number of penalties that we've had on special teams, and he had gotten a bunch of them because, No. 1, he played a lot of plays and he had made a lot of plays. But he was highly combative, and sometimes he got a little over the line. To his credit, he's done well this year.

Talk about Masthay's mental approach to the game. Pretty even keel?

SHAWN SLOCUM: He is very even keeled. He doesn't go up and down with the rhythm of the game. He stays pretty true to what his mission is. I think it's evident in some of the situations that he's been in as this season has gone on.

The last time this franchise won the Super Bowl, special teams obviously played a huge role, Desmond Howard with the kickoff return for a touchdown. Any chance that will come up in the next 10 days, or is that just nostalgia for the fans and the media?

SHAWN SLOCUM: There's absolutely a chance. Our special teams were very instrumental in getting us in the playoffs, first of all, and I think what you saw in Chicago the other day with our performance with the punt team was a factor in that ballgame. I expect us to be a factor in the game against the Steelers.

Do you use that as a teaching tool to your guys in just saying, everyone that knows special teams, everyone that works in your units knows how big it is. But maybe just to underscore that that was the game‑changing moment in that Super Bowl.

SHAWN SLOCUM: That's awesome, and that's a feel-good story. It's a great story to ‑‑ I'm glad it happened with us because that's something, yeah, we can talk about that. Hey, we've done that before. This organization has done that before.

I think one of the things that makes our team unique is we're going into this game with a game mindset. The event is one thing, and we'll deal with that. But we're going to prepare and be focused and line up between the lines to play the game. We're going to play it the best we can play it. And at the end of the game, we'll see what happens.

A lot of the talk has been about special teams defense, I guess. You popped a few returns. But what's preventing them from getting offensively better field position on returns and kickoffs, punts and kickoffs?

SHAWN SLOCUM: I don't quite understand your question. Say that again.

What's keeping you from getting more productive kick or punt returns when you're getting the ball back? You've popped a couple, but I'm sure you're looking for more. Is there anything there in the blocking scheme or return scheme that ‑‑

SHAWN SLOCUM: Well, I think, realistically, you've got some guys ‑‑ when you look at Devin Hester, you think he returns every ball for a big gain or a score and that's not the case. The field gets smaller because the athletes are so fast. And then when you get a guy that makes a unique play, he may break the coverage and come up with a big gain. We did it against Chicago. We had two. We had a kickoff return that was outside the 40 and had a long punt return.

We need to get another one. We're always pressing that envelope to try to get that, and if we get the ball kicked correctly to us and get the blocks made, it will happen. It's not a constant thing that there's going to be a big return in every ballgame.

Shawn, I can think of three or four games this season where on kick coverage you get down the field and your kick coverage team puts on a big hit, sets the tone, maybe sets your opponent deep in their territory. Is there a fine line between those guys flying around and being assignment-sure on that opening play?

SHAWN SLOCUM: Absolutely. I think that guys take chances. When they take chances, big things are going to happen, either for or against. I think it's important, particularly with what's on the line with this ballgame, that we play fundamentally sound. I think we've learned to do that. We have played a number of different players together.

When guys play beside one another for several games in a row, they start to build continuity, and hopefully we've gotten that.

The Steelers had an onside kick against you the last time you played them. Do you keep that in the back of your mind, or is that ancient history?

SHAWN SLOCUM: That's always in the back of our mind. We special teams coaches are a little different. We have a library on one another. And Al Everest has been a very good special teams coach. He wasn't there last year. But I'm sure he's aware of some of the things we've done, and we will keep that in mind that Coach Tomlin made that call. And we will be prepared for that.

We are all the time. One of the things you have to do is football is a chess match. The kickoff return play is no different. You may have five guys on the front. You may have seven guys on the front line. It's how you want to deploy your troops to give you the advantage. Clearly, if it we feel like it's an onside kick situation, we would lean toward having more guys there.

You're a Texas guy. How does it feel to go back and play this game down there?

SHAWN SLOCUM: It's awesome. It's really neat. The emotion of it, you ask that question and I can remember growing up, and I was a Cowboys fan growing up. Watching their success during my childhood and then watching Super Bowls after that, particularly as I became a coach, it's something I always wanted to do. To be able to go do it in Dallas, Texas, means a lot.

Obviously, you guys have had a lot of injuries and it probably affected the composition of your special teams. But what trepidation is there having a starting corner like Tramon Williams being the primary punt returner?

SHAWN SLOCUM: Well, it's something we decided as an organization going into this season that we were going to use Tramon in that role. Going back a couple years, we've had Charles Woodson in that role. It's something that we decided to do.

I think it's a calculated risk. We trust Tramon and his ability, No. 1, to field the ball because that's what that play is all about. Tramon's got enough skill to make yardage if we get the opportunity.

You were asked about the Steelers' onside kick. I'm wondering if you remember what your thoughts were watching the Super Bowl last year when they started the second half with an onside kick.

SHAWN SLOCUM: I thought it was a great play. I think that pulling the trigger on that coming out of halftime was ‑‑ it's all in. I mean, when you get to this point ‑‑ I mean, we've been playing football for a long time. We've been practicing, coaching, playing for a long time, and it's all in.

So anything can happen. Super Bowls, there have been some great plays that have happened in that game. I think that's one of them and it definitely had an influence on the outcome of that ballgame.

Do you think Mason is sharp right now? He hasn't had a whole lot of work in the playoffs. Where do you think he is coming into this game?

SHAWN SLOCUM: He's sharp, yeah, I mean, because of his body of work all the way to this point for the year. He's done a good job of keeping his core strength up and we're very conscious of the number of reps that we take during the week. We'll do that as we go through the next two weeks practicing here and then down in Dallas. He'll be ready and he'll be at his best.

GREEN BAY PACKERS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR JOE PHILBIN

01/26/2011

How much do you watch that Pittsburgh game from last year going into next week’s game?

JOE PHILBIN: We've obviously taken a look at it already. It's kind of part of our cut‑ups. You know, when you're playing an opponent, you do your best to figure out maybe ‑‑ obviously, there's a lot of information we could gather. They have played 18 games to this point. You could pick all of them if you wanted to.

But typically what we do is we see if we can figure out what teams we're most similar to and use those for a statistical research. Obviously, last year's game, Coach LeBeau has been there. I want to say almost their entire staff defensively has returned. So it's a good reference for us.

Talk about Troy Polamalu on defense and how much of a challenge is he?

JOE PHILBIN: You know, he's an excellent football player. He's a guy that can impact a game a lot of different ways. He's more than just a good run player. Obviously he's got a great reputation as a guy that plays down low in the box and is a physical player, which he certainly is. He's obviously an excellent blitzer. They use him in different packages and bring him from different alignments.

They'll exchange his assignments sometimes. You can't always say, gee, Polamalu is playing safety on this play or he's a free safety or a strong safety. They play him at linebacker-type positions at times, so he's a versatile player. He's a dynamic player, and certainly we're going to have to have our eyes open and be alert to his location and his responsibilities.

Joe, the Steelers have a reputation for playing up to the line sometimes. Does that figure into how you've prepared for this?

JOE PHILBIN: I really haven't even thought about that, to be honest with you. They're a good defensive football team. Obviously their statistics speak well for what they've accomplished on the field. I haven't really noticed. They're a good physical team. They tackle well. What did they give up, 232 points in the regular season. You don't do that unless you're playing physical and playing good football.

But that hasn't jumped out on the film to me.

When you lost Grant and it looked like you had a shortage of play-makers, who in your mind has stepped up to fill the void?

JOE PHILBIN: I think we've had a lot of guys step up. I think Brandon Jackson stepped up. We were just in an offensive meeting and we kind of did some review in the Chicago game. One of the plays in the Chicago game, just to highlight Brandon for a minute. It was a second-and-13 play, and he made Brian Urlacher miss on a short checkdown completion.

But if you watch the whole play, he has some protection responsibilities. He chipped No. 75, knocked them down on the way out. Caught the ball, made a guy miss, protected the ball the way we wanted. This guy's done everything they asked him to do. He's made a great contribution.

Obviously, Starks as of late has done some nice things from the running back position. John Kuhn, as has been well-documented, has contributed as well at that position. We've got a lot of guys at the running back spot, and some of our receivers have stepped up.

Certainly the tight end, Drew Quarless, a young player, has done some nice things. Crabtree's made a contribution here in his first year playing for us, and D-Lee ‑‑ all these guys have helped out to a certain degree. It’s been a team effort. We've had a lot of guys help and contribute and pick up the slack.

You mentioned Brandon Jackson. How was he in that Pittsburgh game just keeping Aaron safe?

JOE PHILBIN: He did a heck of a job. He is a very aware, very bright player. Again, one of the challenges is going to be against Pittsburgh, I think they had 48 sacks during the regular season. This is a team that gets after the quarterback well. They apply a lot of pressure. They utilize a lot of different packages to get to the quarterback and a lot of different blitzes.

So, again, he's going to be a vital part. Our whole protection unit, whether it's a back, whether it's a tight end, whether we're in empty and don't have any backs ‑‑ who knows what that's going to be but our entire protection unit had better be aware. Brandon last year played a very good game against them.

I know you don't have time to reflect this week. You're so busy looking ahead. Considering where you started your coaching career and you were at some small places, I don't know if the Super Bowl was even a dream at that point. Can you talk about how special this kind of game is?

JOE PHILBIN: The one thing I'll share, I think when you get into coaching ‑‑ everybody gets into coaching for different reasons. My reasons for getting into coaching have never changed. You know, some of the best memories that I have is Sunday night sitting on the bus, hearing from some of those kids from Allegheny College in the United States Merchant Marine Academy that nobody knows about or nobody cares about. So that's a great thrill for me to receive.

You know, particular to this, I remember I told, I think Diane Coron, our secretary, the night that I flew to Green Bay to start my job here, Feb. 12, 2003, I was flying from Iowa City and was jotting down some of the things I wanted to accomplish from a selfish standpoint. And one of them was coach on a Super Bowl‑winning team.

Very thrilled, honored to be part of this organization, a small tiny part. I was fortunate enough to coach in a Division III national championship game, and one of the great memories I have in coaching. We were down 14‑0 at half. Nobody cares about this, but we're down 14‑0 at halftime. We tied it up with about a minute to go, and we won the game in overtime.

Three of those guys are head coaches now at small colleges and those types of things. So it's great. But it's rewarding, and hopefully, hopefully it won't be that close of a game in a couple weeks. But hopefully the outcome will be the same.

Have you heard from anybody at Washington and Jefferson College and is that Steeler country?

JOE PHILBIN: Our commissioner is a Washington Jefferson graduate, by the way, Roger Goodell. He was a few years ahead of me. Yeah, I've heard from some guys over the Internet and that type of thing, some guys I haven't heard from in 20‑odd years. It’s been nice.

Is that kind of neat for you? I mean, going to college there, very close to Pittsburgh, and now ‑‑

JOE PHILBIN: You know, it's good, I guess. Dan Rooney Jr., who's a scout for the Steelers, went to Washington and Jefferson a couple years after I did. Dan, that whole family, is a very humble individual. You'd never know it. I see him at the combine every year, and you'd never know his family owned the Steelers for 70 years or something like that.

So it's good. But, again, it's more about ‑‑ I'm more concerned about how well our offense plays in the game.

Any of those guys you haven't heard from in 20 years drop in a ticket request?

JOE PHILBIN: I think they're, the prolific size of my family has been well-documented with six children. So I think guys figure that I might be not a very good source for tickets, you know what I mean? And my wife comes from a family of eight, and I have five siblings. So you get the idea that I'm not the ticket source.

Joe, a specific question about Aaron Rodgers. He's played such good football obviously the past couple months, the whole season really, but down the stretch especially. What’s reasonable to expect with an extra week to prepare for him and in a controlled environment. He said he was happy that last week was the last outdoor game you guys are going to play this year.

JOE PHILBIN: He’s played extremely well. I want to say his quarterback rating is 107 or 109 in these three games, somewhere in that vicinity, which is excellent. I think he's completed 71 percent of his passes, which is very good.

We were just in a meeting, as I said, and there's a lot of things we felt ‑‑ obviously, you have to give the Bears credit. They're an excellent defensive team and very well coached. However, we felt there's a lot of things as an offense we didn't quite get done on Sunday the way we're capable of doing.

So each game's kind of unique, and the weather for the game in Dallas obviously is going to be a controlled environment. Whether that ‑‑ I think if we do a good job protecting our quarterback and our receivers do a good job running their routes, and Aaron's accurate with the ball, it will probably help them. If we don't block real well and he's on his back half the afternoon, it probably doesn't matter what type the weather is.

I think every game we kind of take on its own merit, and it's kind of a new adventure for us. We're looking forward to it. I think he's capable of playing better than he did last Sunday. We're going to find out here in a couple days.

Joe, does anyone give him credit for toughing it out? He took a shot on the shoulder. Is that kind of a tough performance for him, you think?

JOE PHILBIN: He's a tough guy, obviously. He's ‑‑ unfortunately, he's been sacked a bunch since he started playing in '08, more times than we'd like to admit. So I think his physical toughness has really never been in question. How this particular game compares to other games, you know, I don't really have a good feel for it. But certainly he's a tough physical guy.

Jennings had a point early in the year where he wasn't really involved all the time. It seems down the stretch here, from the middle portion of the season, he's been a factor in every game. What's gone into that?

JOE PHILBIN: Sometimes I think our passing game is really predicated ‑‑ we have different types of reads that the quarterback has. And part of our game planning is to do the best we can in terms of creating matchups that highlight the talents and abilities of our players.

However, usually some of that is subject to the defensive call that we face. We never want to force the ball to a particular player if the defensive call dictates that the ball should go somewhere else. So I think we're cognizant of Greg's abilities. We know he's a very talented guy. We'd like to get him the football as often as we can in the passing game. However, we don't want to do it at the expense of being unsound in terms of putting the possession of the football at risk by forcing the ball to him.

Again, we're aware of him. He's made a great contribution. But at the same point in time, he's one of 11 guys. At times, teams can take a guy away. If they're committed to taking somebody away, whether it's a running back by an extra defender down in the box, whether it's a receiver by rolling a coverage his way, we've got to be able to counter that and be able to take advantage of the defense in another fashion.

With so much extra time you have to implement your game plan, how much are you doing this week versus next week?

JOE PHILBIN: I think that's a question Coach is better prepared to answer. We're just kind of right now in the individual film-watching stage. We haven't really gotten together and formulated anything specific as of yet. We've had plenty of time obviously to take a look at these guys, and they're obviously as good as advertised.

Does the fact that they run a similar defense that you guys run have any bearing on this game?

JOE PHILBIN: I don't know about that. Not a whole lot, I don't think, because, as you know, since ‑‑ probably since the middle of August we really haven't gone against Dom's defense.

So I know obviously Coach LeBeau and Dom have a history back there together, but I don't know that's going to have a huge impact in the game.

Can you pick their brain, though, Joe? A lot of your defensive coaches ‑‑ Dom, Kevin Greene, Darren Perry ‑‑ have experience with Dick and their system. Can you pick their brain at all?

JOE PHILBIN: Oh, yeah. I always ‑‑ I oftentimes go by Dom's office at night even if it's not a team necessarily ‑‑ if I see something on film that I think might relate to some of the things that he does, even some of our other teams have utilized, I'll certainly feel free to stop by his office and pop in there and get his opinion.

GREEN BAY PACKERS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR CAPERS - Ingles

01/26/2011

Dom, what's the first thing that jumps out at you about the Steelers when you look at that offense?

DOM CAPERS: They've got a big strong quarterback that's hard to get on the ground. You see numerous times people come flat free, and he's got a real unique ability to pump fake, get them off balance, has very good pocket instincts, and he has very good vision in terms of where the pressure's coming from.

And he's so big and strong that he's hard to get off his feet. And then he’ll step up in and flush, and the receivers will uncover down the field because he buys a lot of time for those receivers to uncover off the coverage.

Any way you can compare the way your secondary is playing now to what they had to endure when you were there last year?

DOM CAPERS: Well, we're a totally different team. I think the Steelers are an offensive team that they have the ability that they can play power football with their running game or they can spread you out and try to use their skill.

I think they've really added some good young wide receivers with speed. Of course, Hines Ward is Hines Ward. He's very instinctive and a very good route-runner. And Ben Roethlisberger makes the thing all go because he's just ‑‑ the timing can break down and some of the times he's at his best when the timing does break down.

Is that the thing that sticks out for you most in that last game, just how hard it is to get him down? You guys had a number of chances to get him down at the end.

DOM CAPERS: I counted. We had five sacks and a chance at five ‑‑ a legitimate chance at five other sacks. But it was just basically him being Ben, you know, where we missed him or we hit him and came off of him.

And a couple of the times, he launched a ball up the field for big plays against us. We gave up by far the most big plays there than we did of any game last season?

How do you work on that? You can't go tackle somebody in practice, obviously, at this point. How do you prepare for a game like that?

DOM CAPERS: Your cover people have to be prepared for the down to extend because it is going to extend. The timing ‑‑ one of the best things about their passing game is when the timing breaks down because Ben has the arm strength to throw the ball any place on the field. When you have speed, the longer the down extends, the harder it is to cover guys. They obviously work a lot on it in terms of flushing.

You just have to stay on your coverage. You can't relax in coverage.

How about the fact that he's 6'5", 250, or whatever he is? And you said how hard he is to get on the ground. How do you simulate that for the guys that try to sack him?

DOM CAPERS: It's like trying to tackle a lineman back there. He's like a fullback back there playing quarterback. I think you've got to try to hit him between the knees and the chest. If you get up high on him, you probably aren't going to get him down.

What's the best play you've seen Clay Matthews make in practice or a game?

DOM CAPERS: He's made a lot of them. I don't know I could single any one out. Clay's got a combination of quickness and instincts. I think he's a very smart player. He has all the qualities that we look for in an outside linebacker because you can ask him to do many things.

We obviously moved him around a lot. He's a very good dropper in coverage. He's got really good coverage instincts when you drop him out of there. And I think he has a feel in terms of he has a plan of how he wants to rush and I think he can set people up many times. Because he has enough strength to where he can bull and power-rush somebody, but then he'll set them up with that and get on the edge and make a quick move.

So he's, I think, also a very good run player. You've seen him at times make quick inside moves. The very first game of the season against the Eagles when they had it fourth-and-1, it was the play of the game really, in my opinion. He made a move and came inside and used up two blockers, and it kept everybody ‑‑ any time he uses up two blockers, you're going to keep another guy free.

Do you like him against Ben?

DOM CAPERS: I like his quickness. I like Clay against anybody.

How important are play-makers in this game? How do you feel about the number of play-makers you have on defense?

DOM CAPERS: I think they're extremely important. I think you look at any really good defense, you've got two, three, four guys that you feel are going to make two or three plays a game that might change that game around because that's what these games come down to.

During the course of a game, if it's a 60‑play game, there's probably three or four plays that have a big influence on determining the outcome of the game. The more people you can put out there to have a chance to make those kinds of plays, then the better your chances are.

We've had a number of different players that have stepped up. I mean, you saw our championship game. Sam Shields and B.J. stepped up and made big plays. Charles Woodson has always been a big play-maker for us. You put him around the ball, and he's one of the very best at, when he tackles people, he's always going for the ball and he pops the ball out a lot doing that. Clay is because Clay's so explosive.

The more explosion you have, I think, and the more guys you have with speed and explosion, the better chance you have of getting the ball turned over. It’s been one of our strengths here really the last two years, taking the ball away.

Can you talk about your situation with Dick LeBeau and how your philosophies have dovetailed each other over the years?

DOM CAPERS: I've got as much respect for Dick as anybody in this business. I consider him a good friend. We roomed together when we first went to Pittsburgh back in '92 when Bill Cowher took the job, and worked there together for three years.

Anybody that's been in the league over 50 years as a player and a coach has to have something special. The fact that he got inducted into the Hall of Fame this last year probably was long overdue. Very unique guy when you look at what he's done and what that defense has done. They’ve been the standard-bearer really of defense.

If you look at him over the last 18, 19 years and probably put their collective stats together, I don't think anybody's can compare with him.

Tom, is Joe Philbin your best friend, and some of the offensive coaches your best friend this week because of what you helped install there in the early '90s and the similarities?

DOM CAPERS: We can pretty much look and call the defense and probably a lot of the terminology might be very similar, I would imagine. You don't have to probably draw as many cards. We can just say, hey, this is what you want. We can call it up.

Do you like that? Is it just mano y mano this week coming into the Super Bowl?

DOM CAPERS: You play certain teams that you're more familiar with and they're more familiar with us too. So it comes down to the players really going out and executing and how much you can execute and do it efficiently, and especially in a game like this because every step along the way, the margin for error gets smaller. And you've got to do a better job of preparation. You just understand that you never know which play is going to determine the outcome of the game. So you've got to play every one like that play is going to determine the game.

The Steelers have had ‑‑ I guess this is their third out of the last six years so they've had experience in this game. I know how excited our guys are to have an opportunity to play in the game.

Dom, how often do you talk to Dick LeBeau?

DOM CAPERS: During the season, we don't talk. I don't think there are many coaches that talk because you just don't have time. But we normally have a standard deal where at the combine we always get together and have dinner and kind of catch up on things.

I'm sure we both follow each other's teams in terms of statistics because we've been very close and competing with each other the whole year statistically. Any chance that I get to look at a Pittsburgh defense, I always like to look at the Pittsburgh defense. I think probably they do the same thing with ours.

Dom, you talked to us before about going from the USFL to the NFL. I know it wasn't the first 3-4 defense that's been run, but it really was, in a lot of ways, revolutionary. Did you guys know at the time how you were going to change the way defenses were played in the NFL when you guys started that?

DOM CAPERS: Well, everything goes in cycles, and if you stay in the game long enough, you're going to see things go full cycle because what might work real well this year, people become more familiar with it, and next thing you know, people are blocking things better and having more success against it.

So you have to ‑‑ it's constantly evolving and changing and a little change here and there. I know that the zone blitz, back when we started with it there, there wasn't a lot of people doing it. Now everybody does it. It's just how they do it and the players they have doing it with and how familiar they are with the different rules that you do it with.

So they do an outstanding job. I mean, Dick's ‑‑ Dick does ‑‑ you know, he's the best.

I guess how are you now just because you have your own personnel and you have tailored things to the personnel here. Is it still pretty much the same defense?

DOM CAPERS: We're in our second year here running the defense here. They've been running pretty close to the defense since '92. So they've drafted for it. One of the great things about the stability of that organization is that defense probably hasn't changed a whole lot other than, you know, new little things.

But they've been doing it for a long time. So normally, if they have a player go down, they've got one standing there that they've been training to come along. So, you know, we're still evolving. We do a lot of things to try to fit to what we think our talent can do. This year the challenge has been each week we go in, who are we going to have available? Because you start thinking at the right outside linebacker, I think I counted six guys we've played at the right outside linebacker position. That certainly affects what you're doing.

You know, if you're in a defense where you've had the same two guys playing 16 games the whole year, it's probably going to look a little different than if you've brought guys in during the course of the season and they've had to kind of catch up on things.

Dom, how important has Raji's addition been to that 3-4 defense really congealing?

DOM CAPERS: To me, B.J.'s a great example of a young, talented player in the second year and understands his assignments and the schemes so much better than he did a year ago. He's been able to stay healthy. He's played more snaps than any of our defensive front guys.

I think that he's far more of a pro now than he's ever been in terms of understanding all the little things at his position. He's like a sponge. He'll ask questions, and he's a smart guy.

I think it's really helped his play, and I think he's played his best football down the stretch here, you know, over the last five or six games. You've seen him show up more because he's getting all those little things. He's been able to stay on the field. A young guy like that with talent, when he does that, he gets better.

How difficult was that first interception that Shields had Sunday against the Bears? And then to have the composure for the one at the end of the game. To go from the raw talent you saw when he came in with the great athleticism to the technique he's showing you in it big games like that.

DOM CAPERS: That's one of the gratifying things about coaching, and I think it's been one of the fun things about our defensive team this year because we've had to rely on a lot of guys to step up that basically, when we started the season, we weren't sure that they were going to contribute at all.

I think it's a credit to Joe Whitt. I think Joe's done a great job of coaching Sam. From the first day Sam came in, he was very serious, very professional about his job. You could see his speed and athletic ability, and then the question is always, how ishe going to respond, you know, when you put him under the bright lights out there.

But every day in practice he'd make a play. You'd kind of look and say you really like what you saw. You didn't want to get too excited. And then when you go back through the preseason games, he would make a play in every preseason game that would catch your eye.

So we decided, let's put the young man with talent out there, and he's going to get better as the season goes on. That's exactly what's happened. He's improved tremendously from Game 1 back in Philly to what you saw in the championship game. He played a tremendous game in the championship game.

Dom, you added him to the blitz package. When were you convinced he was ready for that?

DOM CAPERS: You watch him on the practice field. That was the one that he came on a couple times. We've run that in practice. We hadn't run ‑‑ the one, we hadn't run in any of the games. But basically, the defensive guys joke around about this. They know that, if they want to run something on Sunday that it had better look pretty good in practice because we won't run it if it doesn't.

We have a lot of things. We run them in practice. What looks good in practice, they know has a chance of making it into the game. It looked pretty good in practice and it worked well in the game. I just don't think you can waste a lot of plays. If you've got 60 plays, you can't be experimenting out there on five or six of those or they'll jump up and bite you.

You just mentioned Joe Whitt. How unusual is it to have a coach like him? He's so young. He never played cornerback. He had to learn to coach the position on the fly back in his college days. How good a coach is he at such a young age?

DOM CAPERS: I think he's a student of the game. He's very detailed. He takes pride in what he's doing. I think he's a good teacher. I think he relates to the players well.

Along with, I think, the rest of our guys on the defensive staff, we have an excellent defensive staff, a good group of teachers. I think they're organized and I think the guys respond to that.

One thing that I've found about pro football is there's not a player that I've been around in over 25 years that if they think you can help them go out and have success, they're going to be all ears and listen to what you have to say. I think that's the case with Joe.

Dom, going back to Ben Roethlisberger and how hard he is to get on the ground, you called him like an offensive lineman being back there. Some teams had actually used a player ‑‑ an offensive lineman to simulate him and let their defenders go at him. I'm wondering what, if any, unorthodox measures you might incorporate in the next ten days?

DOM CAPERS: The only problem with that is I don't know once we get to him, about that offensive lineman's ability to throw the ball 40 yards like Ben does down the field.

We'll try to extend the play in our preparation. We’re going to tell our quarterbacks, service quarterbacks back there that we want you to move around and avoid and pump fake and do all those things that he does, just like we always try to ‑‑ we try to coach our scout teams, or service teams up on what we think the opponent does, whether it's in the offensive line or a receiver and that.

So you can't simulate Michael Vick or you can't Ben Roethlisberger. They're two different guys. You try to create as much of a look as you can. Now both of them can extend the play in different ways.

Dom, it's been a great year for your defense, but during the regular season, you guys allowed, I think, three or four game‑winning drives including the Dolphins game, the Redskins game, the Falcons game. Now in the postseason you're ending team's seasons with plays by the defense. What's the difference?

DOM CAPERS: To me the biggest difference in our defense from this and a year ago, we weren't very good in adversity situations a year ago. When we had to go on the field, on our side of the field, whether it be a turnover or big return, people scored points a high percentage of the time against us.

We placed a lot of emphasis on that in the offseason, put together teaching tapes and just talked about it. To me, you evaluate a defense on how well they respond, no matter where they have to go on the field, that they keep people out of the end zone. I'm not sure how we ended up because I haven't had a chance to look. But I know at one point we were No. 1 in the league in adversity defense. I think we finished up probably in the top five, I would imagine, especially if you counted the playoff games.

So to me, what it comes down to is this. It comes down to what kind of confidence you have, guys not trying to do too much. When you get in those pressure situations, guys try to get out of their box and try to make a play and you end up leaving yourself vulnerable. It's all about confidence. Guys rallying together and saying, we're going to go out and find a way to keep them out of the end zone. I think for the most part, we've done a good job of that all year.

PACKERS PLAYERS QUOTES - Ingles

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP

Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers

Sunday, January 23, 2011 - Soldier Field - Chicago, IL


Aaron Rodgers, QB

On getting to the Super Bowl this quickly in his career

“I think I hoped it would (happen). The first year was an up-and-down year. Frustrating. We got on a run there, winning seven of eight, and felt like we had a team that could make a run. This year was just a different year. We were 3-3 at one point. We won four in a row and then lost. We got hurt. We were 8-6, and we had to win five elimination games, and that’s what makes it that much sweeter. You know, having to win those five, but also having to do it with those guys that we didn’t really count on at the beginning of the season.”

On the interception and subsequent tackle of Brian Urlacher

“It was a terrible throw. Once I threw it, I started sprinting, and I was hopeful that I was able to at least catch up to him. And, when he turned and faced me, I knew that I had to make a stand. I had missed a couple of tackles this season, and it’s kind of the joke that’s not real funny in the quarterback room. When you throw a pick and try to make a tackle, both Matt (Flynn) and I have looked pretty silly on a couple of those. So, I wanted to get him down. So, I’m glad I got him down.”

On the importance of that play (the tackle on Urlacher)

“Yeah, it’s a real bad play by me. We could have gone up by three scores right there . . . Good play call. Bad throw. Decent effort. And, probably one of my better tackles. And, I think we stopped them on that drive too. So, yeah, big play . . . I was looking for the open guy, and there was nobody open. In that situation, you’ve got to throw that away there. If you kick a field goal, you’re up by three scores, and in a game like that, where Jay (Cutler) is out of the game, and they’re playing a backup quarterback, it would have really put us in a good position.”

On whether or not he talked with Jay Cutler after the game

“I did. I talked with him, and I feel bad for him, that he couldn’t finish the game with his knee injury, but, I’m happy that we’re moving on.”

On if he knew that Urlacher would score if he didn’t make that tackle

“Yeah, I figured it was either make that (tackle), or he was going to score. I’ve seen Brian run a pick back before. I think it was in ’07 that he had a ‘pick-6’ at about the same distance. Like I said, after I threw the pick, I just started sprinting, and when he turned to face me - I tried to make a tackle on Charles Tillman in Week 17, and it was pretty embarrassing, and we laughed about it in the quarterback room only because we won the game – I just wanted to make sure that I wrapped (Urlacher) up as good as I could. I don’t get paid to tackle, but that was probably one of my better plays of the day.”

On having to watch the Bears try to tie the game with the time winding down

“It’s tough to watch when you can’t have a direct impact, but I was just trusting that somebody was going to make a play. You know, Sam (Shields) has had a good season for us. He had a big pick on a drive in the first half, and then another big pick to finish the game out.”

On the hit he took from Julius Peppers

“It didn’t affect me too much, other than make me look a little worse up here. I just actually talked to Chad Clifton, and I think he may have thought that it was a run play, and that’s why he wasn’t set for a pass. But, they’ve got a great defense. Lovie (Smith) did a great job of getting them ready. Coach Marinelli had some good stuff for us. We had some chances to put more points on the board but didn’t. Thankfully our defense – which has been maybe a little underrated this post-season – was able to pull it out for us.”

On their rushing game

“James Starks ran the ball real well. When he runs the ball like that, it really opens up some of the play-action stuff for us. He’s been big the last two weeks. I’m not sure how many yards he went for today, but the way he ran the ball was real important for us. When he can bust out those runs – especially when you’re backed up there on one of those drives, and he had 16 or 17 yards to start the drive – that’s big for us.”

On winning after having to watch from the sidelines a few years ago

“It was great. It was tough to watch a few years ago when we got beat in that miserable game. Obviously, I would have liked to play better today. I didn’t play as well as I wanted to, but we made enough good plays on offense to put us in a good position to win the game. We would have liked to put more than 14 points on the board obviously, but we’re going to the Super Bowl. We’ve got a week to relax and get our bodies back and go and enjoy Dallas and hopefully get a win down there.”

On ending up with the game ball

“I took a knee – the last kneel down – and held onto the football until somebody came and took it from me. I actually have the ball from all three of our playoff wins this post-season. It’s nice to be on the field there at the end. It’s a special feeling. It’s something you dream about as a kid.”

On what the Bears’ defense presented him today

“They played a lot of ‘1-High’ today. It’s kind of something I said during the week. They’re a ‘Tampa-2’ team, but they play a majority of ‘Cover-3’ or man coverage.”

On coming out and starting so well offensively

”We just executed well on that first drive. This is a very different defense than Atlanta (Falcons). They are a very sound defense. They mix their coverages, but they play to their strengths. They’ve got guys who can cover and very smart, instinctive linebackers. It was a tough day offensively for us, but, like I said, we scored enough points, and B.J. (Raji) had a big interception for a touchdown for us.

That was important for us. Going up two scores on anybody really lets our defense roll through their calls. They can bring their pressures. They can play their coverages. They can kind of let Clay (Matthews) go, let Cullen (Jenkins) go, and let Charles (Woodson) come on blitzes and stuff. So, it’s important to go up two scores. Obviously, my pick kept us from going up three scores, which would have put them away a little earlier than they were put away.”

On the difference between this team and those of previous years

“I think it’s character. If you look at our roster right now, the 45 guys that dressed today, and I would say that a number of them were either not with us at the beginning of the season, or were not counted on to play a big role. Look at a guy like Sam Shields who had two picks today. He was a free agent. Erik Walden was not with us at the start of the season. James Starks was on the PUP for six weeks, and then in that kind of gray area for three weeks and was a non-factor in all but maybe one of our regular season games. So, to have guys like that step up says a lot about our character. One other guy – Charlie Peprah, who’s been cut here before, has played incredible at safety for us. The biggest difference between this team and the previous two seasons is our character and that we just believe in each other, and we’ve just had a bunch of guys play big roles and step up for us.”

On his path to beginning a Super Bowl quarterback

“I think a lot of that stuff is stuff that we’ll be able to talk about after my career is done, and we’ve won a few of these games. But, the journey is the sweetest part. I’ve really enjoyed the route that I’ve been forced to be able to take in my career going all the way back to high school. Just being on that journey and having to work for the success that I’ve achieved and never being complacent, has made this whole journey that much more satisfying.”

On the realization that he is now a Super Bowl quarterback

“It still hasn’t really hit home. It’s early, but it’s what I’ve dreamt about since I was a kid, growing up in Northern California watching Joe Montana and Steve Young when Joe moved on. This is what I always want to do, and it’s amazing to know that I’ll be living out my dream in two weeks in Dallas.

On whether this win validates him as an elite quarterback

“I’m not interested in that whole validation stuff. That’s for you guys in the media to speculate on and write about. I just want to win football games. I wanted to play better, obviously, today, but in the end, I did contribute in a few ways, and we got the win, and we’re moving on.”

On it being special to get this win for Donald Driver and the rest of the veterans

“I think having guys like (Donald Driver) and Chad Clifton and Charles Woodson and Mark Tauscher and the number of veterans that we do have, it’s just the driving force for some of us to get those guys – being so close – just to get those guys in the Super Bowl. We know how much it means to them and how much they’ve been through. To know that we’re going there now means probably a little bit more to Charles and Donald.”


Clay Matthews, LB

On how it feels to be going to the Super Bowl

“It feels great. You know, obviously some guys are more emotional than others with them playing in the league for as many years as they have. But, I don’t know any better. I’ve had a good amount of success my two years being with the Packers. This is just another stepping stone in my career, this season and we hope to get another victory.”

On taking his place in Green Bay history

“It feels great. Any time you can help contribute to such a great organization by bringing home, hopefully bringing home world championships it means a great deal. Obviously, we have a great team. Like I said still, we have one more game to accomplish. But we feel good about where we are, we’re playing some good ball, against some good teams.”

On the defensive schemes today

“I think when you play a team three times, a familiar opponent, you have to be able to mix it up a little bit in order to present new problems. I think we were able to do that for the most part.”

On whether Jay Cutler seemed confused by the defense

“You know, I didn’t notice. Obviously, I looked out there and they had a new quarterback. So…I kinda wish we had Jay in there the whole game the way things were going.”

On the defense sealing the game

“It means a great deal, obviously. It seems defense has put these last three games away, these playoffs. It seems like it’s only fit. We had our backs against the wall a little bit, but we made the play to win the game. That’s ultimately what matters.”


B.J. Raji, NT

On winning the NFC Championship

“I’m only in my second year in the league. To experience something like this is just God’s blessing.”

On his interception

“You know, I was just catching it. The last game we played them I kinda let it hit off my hands so I wanted to make sure I catch this one.”

“I responded back on the play. Obviously, we took away the quick routes and he was looking for the check-down and I was there. In certain defenses you give up certain things. On that particular play we had it [check-down] covered.”

On whether he practiced his TD dance

“Of course not. Man you know, it’s just like football, a reaction. That’s just what happened at that moment.

On whether the Bears almost knocked the ball out

“You’re asking the wrong guy. He was behind me, I really don’t know.”

On what it was like to make a big play late in the game

“It’s just a great feeling. It was a great call. I was behind the back and obviously he wasn’t expecting that. I just caught it and ran it back.”

On his play peaking late in the season

“It’s just growing with experience. The more you play, generally the better you become. I have great guys around me, encouraging me, great coaches, how can I not get better.”


Charlie Peprah, S

On the play of B.J. Raji

“He’s a hell of an athlete and you all got to see that. And he has just made strides so much this year. He’s improved a lot. He’s a leader on defense and without him our defense might not work. He’s unselfish. He keeps the lineman off the linebackers, eats up two blockers, he just does it all. I’m glad he had that play today, it was big for him.”

On how the defense played in the first half

“We just tried to match up Wood (Woodson) with Olsen at first when they came out in their regular package. So when it came out to nickel, I was on the slot, which was Hester. They tried to go to him early, I kind of took the first option away and made him throw it a little later than he wanted to, so threw the timing off. The pressure was getting to him [Jay Cutler]. It all goes hand-in-hand.”

On the defense’s confidence going into the Super Bowl

“Man, we have a lot of confidence. I think just the plays we’ve made all year. A lot of the injuries we’ve been through, the ups and the downs, I feel that we took it upon ourselves to be the constant. We did a good job of that. We have players stepping up. Young Sam Shields grew up today. We’re going to need that next week; two weeks from now.”

On Caleb Hanie’s play

“You know I was surprised. I didn’t think Cutler was going to leave. I heard his knee was banged-up or something like that. But, 12 came in. Good for him. I’m hopeful this will spark his career in the NFL. He came in and didn’t seem too rattled. But in the end we got the best of them. On to Dallas we go.”


Sam Shields, CB

On his interception being the biggest play of his career

“Most definitely. The first thing I was thinking about was making a big play. All I wanted to do is be patient and the play came to me.”

On his development in the NFL

“I just try to keep going day after day. I work with the veterans on some of the little things and we keep adding new things to my game.”

On being overlooked in the draft and being headed to the Super Bowl

“I came in with a chip on my shoulder. The first thing I was thinking about was making the team and opportunities came open and I took advantage of them.”


Greg Jennings, WR

On how he feels after taking some hits

“Oh, I’m good. I’m feeling great. Sometimes a guy will get you pretty good and you just have to shake one off, but I’m feeling good.”

On what this win means to the team’s veterans

“Obviously, the window of opportunity for anybody opens and closes really quickly, so you never know when you are going to get another opportunity. Fortunately for us, this was our second trip to the NFC Championship Game and now we have the opportunity of a life time to bring home the Lombardi Trophy.”

On not being able to go to the Pro Bowl

“That’s not bad news for me. I don’t think that’s bad news for anybody in here. We had our minds set on missing out on the Pro Bowl. This is what you play for and I commend my entire team. It’s going to be exciting.”


James Starks, RB

On scoring a touchdown in the NFC title game

“I’m so happy right now that I forgot I scored. I’m just so happy to be in this situation right now and have the opportunity to play for the Super Bowl.”

On him and Sam Shields stepping up and what that says about the team

“It’s all about opportunity. There are great football players everywhere and those who make the best out of their opportunities will get noticed. If you just keep playing and practicing everything will fall your way. Just have faith and everything will fall your way.”

On how long it will take to set in and realize what’s ahead of him

“I don’t even know. I can’t really tell you. I really can’t answer that question. I’m very happy right now though. This is exciting.”


Donald Driver, WR

On the season and the Super Bowl appearance

“It’s been a long road, but we’re here now so I’m excited. I’m going to go home and celebrate with my wife and kids and enjoy the moment.”

On the Packers facing adversity this season

“You never go into a season and think you are not going to face adversity. Everybody stepped up and played the way they were supposed to play and that’s what you have to have. The comfort level hasn’t been big since March and it’s not going to change. We have four more quarters to go and we have to put that ring on our finger.”

On the toughness of the game because of the rivalry

“You know it’s always going to be tough. This is the first time I’ve had to play them three times in one season. After the game, I had a lot of guys come up to me and say I deserve it.”


Charles Woodson, DB

On this Super Bowl trip being any more special than the last

“It’s more special because I don’t know the outcome yet. The first one we lost. So, at this point, we have an opportunity. NFC Champs. It’s been a tough road, but we just persevered through a lot to get to this point. That part about it feels real good.”

On Aaron Rodgers

“A lot has been said that we didn’t have a running game. So, that being said, we had to rely on our quarterback, and he’s as good as they come. Regardless of the running game, when he has to bear most of the responsibilities without a running game and do a lot with his arm or his legs, he’s done that. He’s done it all season. The guy just has a steady hand, and he’s a big-play guy, and he’s done a great job for the team.”

On the defense’s performance

“We played well. We’re kind of mad about giving up the points we did give up, but the way the offense came out early, driving the ball down and taking time off of the clock and putting points up early, I think it kind of put them on their heels. And, then the defense just went out and smothered them early and played well – flew around well all game. We came up with some big plays when we needed them. And, with that being said, it’s a team thing. Special Teams as well; it was just as big a part of this game as offense or defense.”

On the Bears being able to move the ball and score on them late

“You know, it happens sometimes. They come out in a quick set and run a few plays back-to-back. They got some plays running the ball on our defense, made a couple of pass plays. That happens throughout the course of the game. We had done a great job of getting off of the field – some ‘3 and outs’ and that kind of thing. But, the more times the offense gets the ball, the more times they have an opportunity to go down the field and score. And, they were able to that a couple of times.”

On going up against Caleb Hanie

“It didn’t affect us at all. He just came in and made some plays. It didn’t matter if it was he or Jay (Cutler). If they make plays, they make plays, and we knew that he was a guy that could scramble, but he didn’t have to. He just made some plays. They ran the ball, again, effectively a little bit there late in the game, and he made some throws to help their team gain some momentum. So, hats off to him, really, for coming in as the third-string guy in a championship game and making some plays to put them in the game.”