Written by Genaro C. Armas at Madison.com
For all the postseason appearances that the Green Bay Packers have made in coach Mike McCarthy’s tenure, this year’s run to the playoffs might be the most unique yet.
The Packers were considered a likely Super Bowl contender in the preseason. They look like a Super Bowl contender now going into the divisional round game on Sunday against Dallas.
In between, the middle of the season resembled a roller-coaster ride. But the Packers are peaking at the right time.
They haven’t lost since falling to 4-6 following a 42-24 defeat to Washington in Week 11. Just like other teams, Green Bay had to make adjustments after losing key players.
They got healthier on defense. They have quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is playing perhaps the best football of his career .
Through the ups and downs, McCarthy’s confidence didn’t waver, even as some fans took to social media to question his job security following a four-game skid. There were no apparent outbursts in the locker room, no rash decisions.
“I’m not into shock and awe, or a torch-the-landscape-type person. I’m a builder, I’m a developer. I’ve said that since the first day I arrived here,” McCarthy said on Nov. 14 , the day after a 47-25 loss at Tennessee. “You build a program, culture is what makes it go, you have to invest in that culture every single day, and that’s my big-picture focus.”
The steady leadership made an impact, left tackle David Bakhtiari said.
“I think he stayed true to who he was, and we stayed true to who we are,” Bakhtiari said on Monday when asked about how the culture developed by McCarthy aided the team’s rebound.
“It got rough, you know? With everyone outside, all the outside noise. We just understood that it’s about us. It’s about everyone in here. We know what we’re capable of,” Bakhtiari added. “Let’s go do what we do, don’t worry about them.”
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