McCarthy day-after press conf: Raiders ed.

[SkinBasket]

By Greg A. Bedard
Monday, Dec 10 2007, 12:18 PM

Green Bay - Mike McCarthy is set to start his press conference momentarily. We'll be back with any news as soon as he starts:

Nick Barnett was treated for his eye injury and will go to a specialist, but it's not serious;

Chad Clifton has a right shoulder sprain. Probably won't practice until Friday, but McCarthy said Clifton should be able to go against St. Louis. Daryn Colledge is the backup;

McCarthy said Will Blackmon will "obviously be part of the punt return unit from here on out." McCarthy said the plan in the pre-season was to have a "two-headed monster" with Charles Woodson utilizing his decision-making skills and Blackmon being "the young talent." Basically, McCarthy said both players will be used in different situations taking into account position on the field and other factors;

CB Jarrett Bush had a calf strain and probably won't practice until at least Friday;

McCarthy said having so many players active in the secondary (10) and playing them all on Sunday was part of a plan to make sure the team is healthy for the playoffs. McCarthy called it his top priority;

McCarthy said one of the low hits on Brett Favre by Oakland DE Derrick Burgess was clearly low and intentional;

McCarthy is not concerned that Warren Sapp was calling out the plays at the end of the game;

Junius Coston was solid but "looked like he hadn't played a full game in a while." Some of his footwork was off in the second half;

McCarthy said the guards are still a "competitive situation;"

The decision to blitz more against Oakland was just a game-plan thing. It wasn't to get ready for the post-season or anything like that;

Nick Collins had a "number of exceptional plays."

[MadtownPacker]

A: McCarthy said one of the low hits on Brett Favre by Oakland DE Derrick Burgess was clearly low and intentional.

B: McCarthy is not concerned that Warren Sapp was calling out the plays at the end of the game;

A: If M3 is saying this then we all should be pissed. In the game thread everyone mentioned it. I wish someone would have took their #56 out. They tried to do it to ours anyways.

B: What the hell are they talking about? Fatboy sapp knew what the plays where going to be? If thats true he shouldn't be complaining about only get 38 hung on his defense. :lol:

[The Leaper]

McCarthy said Will Blackmon will "obviously be part of the punt return unit from here on out." McCarthy said the plan in the pre-season was to have a "two-headed monster" with Charles Woodson utilizing his decision-making skills and Blackmon being "the young talent." Basically, McCarthy said both players will be used in different situations taking into account position on the field and other factors

Other factors meaning Woodson is the glue holding your defensive backfield together, so we aren't using him on punt returns any more?

[Merlin]

Sapp has always been about it being someone else's fault. The low hit(s) on Favre were un called for but part of the game I guess. If the Raiders center poked Barnett in the eye then he need to wear a face shield. It won't be the first or last time a lineman tries to "hurt" him. Not that I condone dirty play but it is the Raiders and their reputation well exceeds them.

[Lurker64]

B: What the hell are they talking about? Fatboy sapp knew what the plays where going to be? If thats true he shouldn't be complaining about only get 38 hung on his defense. :lol:

I believe at the point when Sapp was calling out the plays, they were only running two plays: Run right and run left. So essentially all he was doing was predicting the outcome of successive coinflips. It's not an amazing feat or anything.