(Did you get the sense in training camp this offense would be capable of so many big plays?)
Anytime you have a quarterback with the caliber quarterback that we have, the sky's the limit. It's just getting the guys around him to kind of fit in where we need to fit in and make things work.
(Do you remember when the Packers played the Seahawks in the playoffs and did you watch that game?)
I didn't but I watched it last night. I saw the tail end of it - the fourth quarter and overtime, so I know they go back a little bit and I know they're going to be having that under their helmets when they step on the field and remember what happened a few years back.
(Did you watch it on your own or did everyone watch it?)
It actually came on NFL Network so I caught a quick glance of it.
(What have you seen on film of Seahawks CB Kelly Jennings?)
He's definitely improved. I say that like I'm a veteran, but from last year obviously not starting every game, being kind of a part-time starter. This year he's got a lot of games under his belt, so he's seen a lot up until this point. He's one of those players, he's going to give you 100 percent and the way they play their defense they play off and they play with vision, so we're going to have to do a great job in our route-running and our route position.
(Does your coaching staff seem any different this week?)
Coach mentioned about that in a team meeting this morning and he's going to be the same way he's been all year and that's loose but at the same time mindful that it's a bigger stage. It's a bigger stage for all of us. Most of us haven't been playing at this level. Obviously, we have the youngest team in the NFL, but it's one of those situations where if the coaches get kind of tight then that kind of reflects on the players, so I don't see any of the coaches doing that.
(When McCarthy brought up staying loose in the team meeting was he talking about the staff or the players?)
He was talking about the team in general, just trying to make sure that everybody kind of keeps their even keel, that we know it's a big stage game and the spotlight is going to be on us, but at the same time we have to keep playing like we've been playing all year.
(Do you see Koren Robinson as an inspiration?)
You can look at it like that. He's definitely a great guy in the locker room. I enjoy being around him quite a bit. He's one of those guys that his personality kind of grabs at you right away and you kind of wonder how did a guy like this with this kind of personality get caught up in things like that. But it happens to the best of them and he's learned from his mistakes. He's a very smart individual and he brings a lot to the table whether it's on the field or off the field because of his experiences.
(What are you going to do to be fully ready for your first playoff experience?)
I think the biggest thing is it's about time to get on the field. I haven't been out there since the Chicago game, so I'm a little anxious to get out there. I don't know if that's going to play a role in being overanxious or not, but I'm excited to get out there. But I don't really have a routine that I go through. I just pretty much go out there and try to have fun and make plays when I can.
(What is going to be like to actually play in a playoff game?)
I know it's going to be exciting. I'm excited now. I want to play now actually, but at the same time we know that it's a process. We've been through the regular season and that was a stepping stone to get to the playoffs, prepare us for the playoffs, and now this is a stepping stone to prepare us for the future. And that could be the Super Bowl, the divisional, the (NFC) championship game and things like that. We're excited for the challenge and we're going to be prepared.
(Who's told you something useful about being in the playoffs?)
I think everybody on that side of the locker room. Even Jimmy Robinson, our receivers coach, he's harped on over and over again how to take advantage of this opportunity because you never know when it's going to present itself again, and it's been that way for years. A team makes it to the playoffs and then you don't see them in playoffs for another 10, 12 years, maybe never. They used Dan Marino as a prime example. You know, rookie year makes it all the way and then never goes back. It's just one of those situations where you can't take anything for granted.
(What did you learn from the Dallas game?)
We learned a lot from that game. Obviously we had some adversity in that game and we had to overcome a lot of adversity, like the guys mentioned. It definitely was a playoff-type atmosphere. Their fans were great, our fans traveled and they were great, but at the same time we didn't execute when we needed to, but we know how to handle that situation now. I'm not saying that we didn't handle it well but we didn't come out with the win so obviously we could have done some things better.
(Does the Dan Marino analogy seem real to you guys?)
That's the No. 1 thing that rose in my mind. It's like we're here now. I'm not one to try to live in the past. I'm here, I'm not worried about what happened in the past. I don't care about the regular season anymore. That's all null and void now. We're all starting from scratch, so I just feel like if we can go out there and continue to do the things that we've been doing to get to this point and try to continue to be successful and continue to gel as a team, then who knows where the future lies for this ball club.
(As a receiver do you have to be ready for Brett to be in trouble with their pass rush?)
They definitely bring some heat so we're going to try to compensate for that, if need be breaking our routes off a little sooner. It's a process that you go through throughout the game. You get a feel. Like for myself, if I see a team bringing a lot of pressure I'll go back to the huddle and I'll ask Brett, 'Do you need me to break it off a couple yards sooner?' and if he says 'Yeah,' then I'll do it. If he says 'No I'm fine,' then we'll go from there. But they do bring a lot of pressure and they get to the quarterback quite a bit so it's definitely going to be in the back of our minds.
(What made the team so good at home this year?)
I think the biggest thing was our fan support. I think a lot of guys, going through what we went through last year, felt like we let our fans down and with that Lambeau tradition we let the former players that took their cleats and stepped foot on that field, we let those guys down. We kind of, I don't want to say forgot about the Lambeau tradition, but it was kind of forgotten about and we tried to bring that back this year and make that our advantage.
{sportsad300}(How do you look at the year that you've had after struggling in camp and being injured early in the season?)
I feel there's definitely quite a bit of things that I could have done better, but I'm definitely more of a team-oriented guy so with us being 13-3 it's hard to kind of pinpoint what I could have done better individually to make my season much more successful than it has been. So I just look at it as we're in the playoffs, we got a first-round bye, the team's doing well. I feel like as long as the team's doing well then obviously there are going to be individuals on the team that have some success that comes with that. With having said that I've definitely had some success. It has a lot to do with the other 52 guys in that locker room, so I can't take credit for what I've done individually by myself.
(Do you think Green Bay's tradition is unique in the NFL?)
Definitely. Any time you walk through the hallway and you see all the great pictures up of the guys who've even stepped foot in this locker room and on that field, it just says a lot about the history of this franchise. You just don't want to be that team to not uphold what they've already established, and I think that's what we're trying to bring back. We're trying to bring that trophy back here. Obviously it starts with this first playoff game and trying to get a win.
(How would you describe playing for coach McCarthy?)
I enjoy it, I really do, and I'm not just saying that because that's my coach. He's definitely a player's coach. He's easy to talk to. You have some coaches that really kind of want to shy away from the player-coach relationships, but he embraces that. I think that's what makes this team go is the fact that we have a relationship with the staff that's upstairs and it's a good relationship. I think that allows us to be more comfortable with one another and kind of see eye to eye, if we could see eye to eye, if that's even possible.
(Do you feel like you know a lot about coach McCarthy personally or is it mostly a business relationship?)
I don't think it's all business. I think for the most part it has to be business, but I feel like I could go out and have lunch with coach if need be, just to have to, but I don't think it's something that I would do. But I think if I asked him or invited him out to lunch he would come or if he invited me I would go, but I think inside this facility it's more business.
(Have you noticed the poster with Al Harris' interception in the hallway?)
I've noticed all those. Those are the ones you want to be on.
