If there is one thing that Packers head coach Mike McCarthy will not talk about is the possibility of the team going 16-0. But McCarthy has no problem talking about the future, as long as that future includes a victory in the Super Bowl.
“I’m very impressed with what we’ve accomplished so far, but there’s so much more out there for us and frankly we just came off of a Super Bowl victory,” McCarthy said about clinching the NFC North on Sunday. “So we look at this as a step, we look at this as one of the mile markers on our journey to Indianapolis. We make no bones about it, winning the Super Bowl is what this business is all about. Winning your division, home-field advantage is the best path to get you there. It’s the preferred path. But, like I said, there’s so much more in front of us to accomplish, and that’s why we continue to stay focused.”
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers said McCarthy does a good job keeping that focus.
“I think it’s just the way we’re ingrained to stay focused on the week at hand,” Rodgers said. “Mike does a great job with our schedule, making sure we stay on a similar schedule with our bodies and how much time on the field and how much time in the meeting rooms, how much time he allows us to get away from the game and relax. When you’re on the same schedule and a creature of habit, it’s hard to look past that week.”
Other Green Bay players have no problem talking about a perfect season, but they all know the Super Bowl is the big prize.
“If you’re 14-2 or 15-1, at least from ourselves, we’re still going to expect to win the thing,” wide receiver Jordy Nelson said. “So it’ll be the same pressure to win the Super Bowl, so you might as well do it with a zero in the loss column.”