The Green Bay Packers are going through not just the unusual status of trying to bounce back from four losses in five games, but the unusual Thursday-to-Thursday week, the kind of week that even confuses head coach Mike McCarthy.
"I'm trying to remember what day it is. (Monday) is a Thursday for us," explained the coach to 620WTMJ Packers analyst Larry McCarren on "Wisconsin's Afternoon News."
"It's a different week. Playing Thursday to Thursday is definitely a different challenge."
So is responding to failure. November was a nightmarish 1-4 month for the Packers, but December can be a new opportunity to bounce back.
To do so, however, McCarthy says the team needs to remember that having the "G" on your helmet doesn't mean you own a deed on success.
"When you do have success, it's the toughest challenge in sports, reassuring our football team and tightening our focus," said McCarthy.
"It's important, something we focus on as a football team. We understand we've had success in the past, the success the organization has had the last eighty (plus) years. That doesn't mean it's guaranteed to you. You have to keep working, work for that success each and every day, keep it going on gameday, win the close games, the hump we haven't gotten over of late."
McCarthy has always preached big plays as a fundamental part of winning such games. They simply haven't done that in McCarthy's mind.
"We've made more plays than our opponents when we've won, and we haven't made the timely play in this particular stretch that we're in....there are plays to be made."
