quote:Tuesdays with McCarthy
packers.com
What impact did Cedric Benson’s injury have on the second half of Sunday’s game?
There were certain things in the game plan we took out at halftime based on what the Colts were doing defensively. We also wanted to make Alex Green comfortable with the plays that would be called for him, which is normal in a situation like that. Losing Cedric was definitely an adjustment, but the game plan has to be diversified enough to be able to adapt. The most disappointing thing on offense was our inability to win on first and second down and create more favorable third downs. We had some production in various situations, but we struggled on third downs in the second half. That had the biggest impact on our point production. Scoring 27 points while missing two field goals is not bad point production, but we focus on scoring as much as possible, and more importantly, scoring more than our opponent. We stay true to the film and it told us there were a lot more scoring opportunities.
The impact of B.J. Raji’s injury?
B.J.’s injury created more opportunities for the other defensive linemen. C.J. Wilson and Mike Neal played a lot more than we anticipated. Anytime you lose a three-down player like B.J., it either has a negative impact or creates opportunities for other individuals to step up. I hated that B.J. Raji got hurt, but I prefer to examine the latter.
What were your thoughts at halftime, leading 21-3?
Knock them out. That was my message to the team, but I also talked to the players about fundamentals. Despite a 21-3 lead, I didn’t think we were very fundamentally sound in the first half. We weren’t catching the football, tackling or sustaining our blocks as well as we needed to. I challenged them to play with higher intensity and more detail to the fundamentals, and to knock them out. We didn’t get that done.
You said after the game that the Colts were very aggressive. In what ways were they aggressive?
They played a lot more bump-and-run, and they stuck to their plan regardless of personnel. During their bye week they scouted our offense, set a plan and stuck with it even though they had two defensive backs and a linebacker out of the game. Dwight Freeney returning from injury helped them as he gave them pressure off the edge that they hadn’t had for a couple of weeks. In the secondary, they played us no differently than if cornerbacks Justin King and Vontae Davis had been playing. continue
Original Post