The week off before the Super Bowl always has a few overblown stories because the media’s spotlight on the NFL is reaching a crescendo, and yet there’s not a lot of actual news.
So it shouldn’t come as any surprise to Packers coach Mike McCarthy that a seemingly innocuous issue like whether players on injured reserve will be part of the team picture has turned into a controversy. McCarthy did seem a bit taken aback, however, by what he described as a “total overreaction” to that particular story.
McCarthy said he’s sought advice from other coaches who have been in his shoes, and they told him he just has to be prepared to accept some distractions.
“We’ll be as organized as we possibly can,” McCarthy said. “Something is going to be screwed up. I’ve been told that by a number of coaches. So you have to be able to let it roll off your back, and somebody else is going to get their feelings hurt. We’re going to continue to make sure that we do everything that’s in the best interests of getting our football team ready to win this game.”
Linebacker Nick Barnett was among the players who were upset that the Packers originally planned to exclude the guys on injured reserve from the team photo. The Packers eventually relented and said every player on the team will be in the picture.
“It’s not that they are not part of the team,” McCarthy said. “They are in the photo. You want them in the photo and that’s important.”