(Are you glad to finally have this out of the way?)
It's great to have the contract completed. I'm thrilled to death to be part of the future of the Packers. The five-year deal I think is a reflection of the commitment to our football program and the direction that we're headed.
(When did you sign it?)
I actually signed it Friday. Just to get the paperwork back and everybody on board, technically yesterday it was completed. I was traveling. I was in Phoenix through Friday, and I left there Saturday morning.
(How important is it to have your deal coincide with Ted's deal, both 5-year deals?)
I think it's important. Once again, not to be redundant, I think it's a reflection of our football program, something that Ted declared from the first step when I was hired as the head coach, how he was looking for a partnership. I think it's great to have five years to continue to reach our goal.
(Your original deal, was it your decision to take a three-year deal, and were you taking a chance of sorts?)
You could look at it that way. I had the option to sign a three- or four-year deal. I thought it was important to establish our football program, establish myself as a head coach, and I was thankful for the opportunity from the Green Bay Packers organization, and it's worked out. But the three-year deal was a chance.
(Does this give you even more resolve to accomplish the goal you set out to achieve from Day 1?)
I would like to think the resolve has always been there, but I think it's definitely a huge commitment from the organization, to Ted Thompson and myself. The goal will never change. It's been the same since the first time I stood in front of the media and the fans, and that's to win the world championship and bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Green Bay.
(Could you be content just being a head coach for your whole career, or would you envision yourself moving on to a personnel or GM job?)
That's something I do not desire at this point. I think structure, lines of responsibility, organization charts are very important to any successful operation. I think the fit between Ted Thompson and myself and the way we're structured with our personnel department and coaching staff, the way they work hand-in-hand, I think it's an extremely healthy situation, and it's something I look forward to being a part of for a long time.
(It was reported on the eve of the Giants' game that you had agreed to the contract, but a few days later you said that wasn't true. How much had to be done on the contract in the last few weeks?)
As far as the percentage, number one, I'd never negotiated a contract before. The priority was for it not to be a distraction, so there really wasn't a whole lot of time committed to the contract. I want to say up until that point, Ted Thompson, and Jason Wied was part of the process, we probably had met two or three times to that point. There was a lot more to negotiating a contract than I think myself and everybody involved was aware of. We just took the time when it was appropriate because the priority was the football team and our playoff run, so a lot of work was done this last week.
(How are you doing with the championship loss, and have you had a chance to reflect on the season and look at the game yet?)
I have not looked at the game yet. I actually will do that when I get back Wednesday and Thursday, because there's some things I want to talk about with the staff about the football game and our future. But there's reminders everywhere. It was important I think to get away, which I was able to do over the weekend after the championship game. I was down in Austin, Texas, and then going out to the Super Bowl events for the coach of the year awards with Motorola and the NFL Alumni, as soon as you get off the plane in Phoenix, you're clearly reminded the Super Bowl was going on. That was something you have to deal with. Coming out here to the Pro Bowl, I thought Tim Davey from the NFL did a great job when he addressed the staffs as far as the organization and things that were going to go on through the week. This was a reward for your season, and they really bring you down here to reward you and to forget about the championship game. This is a good place for that. It's really enjoyable to be here with the other coaches and their families and to have the opportunity to interact with these Pro Bowl players. We're moving on from it. It's something we need to learn from. I know it's a negative when you don't reach your goal, but it's a learning experience we truly need to learn from as a football team.
(Did you watch the Super Bowl, and is there any part of you that reflects on it to say we lost to the team that won it all?)
I think it's only natural to say, my goodness, that should have been us. I think everybody to a man around the National Football League probably thinks that. But I think it's a credit to the New York Giants what they accomplished. They're a perfect example of playing their best football when it counts, and you need to congratulate them on that. As far as watching the game, I was actually traveling during the football game. It's a long flight from Dallas to Honolulu, and as we were getting closer, one of the stewardesses came around and she had the halftime score, and you're like, wow, it must be a heck of a game. You try to act like you don't care, and then she brings the third quarter score, and you're trying to act like you really don't care, and then about 10 minutes later, you're like where the hell is she at? What's the score of that game? We actually found out the score when we were landing. Everybody's been talking about it down here at the Pro Bowl, how great a game it was, and I'm looking forward to watching it when I get back.
(Have you talked to Brett, and is there any update on that front?)
I have not talked to Brett since I want to say it was Wednesday in Phoenix. We'll probably touch base at some point later in the week, just to stay on the schedule of every 7 to 10 days. There's really nothing to update you with. He's going to take a couple weeks to think about it, and as I've stated before it's more of a personal issue as far as if he's going to come back as opposed to a professional (issue). I think he's clearly shown that he still has a lot of football left in his tank.
{sportsad300}(What kind of agent do you make for yourself, and are drinks on you at the tiki bar tonight?)
I'm very pleased with the deal. I think it's an outstanding commitment from the organization. I have no interest in being an agent. The process of doing it myself was something I was very comfortable doing because of the Green Bay Packers. I didn't want to go through the agent process. Sometimes it can get to a situation where it gets drawn out and things happen that don't need to happen. It was a very mutual understanding on the contract, and I'm just very thankful for Bob Harlan, Mark Murphy, Ted Thompson, everybody involved, for this opportunity.
(Your brother is an attorney, did you have him look it over?)
Pretty much. He was part of the conversation.
(How's Hawaii treating you so far? It sounds like you're a little under the weather.)
Yeah, it just hit me this morning. Got a chest cold, and it's been a little rainy here. But Hawaii always looks good, as far as my memories. It's been 15 years since I've been here, but this is a great event, obviously a beautiful island. It's a great place to be with your family.
(How will you handle coaching and the playbook? How do you handle an all-star game?)
I really left the playbook up to Joe Philbin and Tom Clements and the rest of the offensive staff, and I was shocked to see how much they put in. So I think we're going to have a chance to score some points. But it's fun. Anytime you're around players as a coach, that's what you enjoy. The practice field has always been a sanctuary. Just in our first day of practice, they're a great bunch of guys. The communication and the way they pick things up, it's a tribute to the players and that's why they're Pro Bowl players. I think there's 38 first-time Pro Bowlers here this year, but it looks to be a fun group to work with.
(Will you call the plays or will Joe?)
I'm going to let Joe call the plays. It will be a good experience for him.
