Say it ain't so....

[gex]

I should know by now after the whole Favre fiasco, that players are just meat...throw them away once they are old and injured.

[Patler]

Yes...but it takes a pretty thick skin to not have one's feelings hurt by being excluded from so many team activities on such a special occasion.

Your point is well taken about the wisdom of shutting up about it, though.

Actually, it sounds like they are part of most things except the picture. The team meetings I assume to be the ones for game preparation. No reason for them to be there. They usually aren't in those during the season after they go on IR. Their job is rehab, and they are usually doing that while their team mates are in meetings and not using the equipment.

[Joemailman]

I should know by now after the whole Favre fiasco, that players are just meat...throw them away once they are old and injured.

Ah yes. You've just been waiting for a reason to blast the organization that got rid of Favre. Hope you feel better now.

[Patler]

I should know by now after the whole Favre fiasco, that players are just meat...throw them away once they are old and injured.

Welcome to the real world. When push comes to shove, that's all any employee is to most employers.

[billy_oliver880]

Just have the pictures thursday. Problem solved.

[vince]

Organizations make decisions to benefit the organization. Many decisions inevitably are to the detriment of certain individuals, but they aren't made with that in mind. It's unavoidable. There's a plan in place to deal with distractions early in the week for the benefit of the team, and a plan in place for the rehabbing guys to get their work in and be a part of the Super Bowl as well, and a plan in place for preparing and getting focused on some upcoming football game.

I for one interested stakeholder am glad the proper priorities are in place.

[swede]

Organizations make decisions to benefit the organization. Many decisions inevitably are to the detriment of certain individuals, but they aren't made with that in mind. It's unavoidable. There's a plan in place to deal with distractions early in the week for the benefit of the team, and a plan in place for the rehabbing guys to get their work in and be a part of the Super Bowl as well, and a plan in place for preparing and getting focused on some upcoming football game.

I for one interested stakeholder am glad the proper priorities are in place.

You professional football team owners are all alike.

[mraynrand]

Smithers, we need to save a few dollars on image processing fees. Make sure the injured reserve players are kept out of the team photo. Dammit man, I don't care if it foments discord, get those slug-a-beds out of the photo!


And stop touching me Smithers, it's creepy.

[RashanGary]

This is a bad move. I understand their line of thinking, but now that they see what it's doing to these guys, they better change their decision. I was feeling bad for the injured players because they wouldn't feel like it was their victory or their ring, but shit, to not even include them in the photo. That's ridiculous. Part of what's best for the organization is building trust and relationships with the people who help accomplish their goals. This isn't cool.

[Fritz]

Doesn't anybody in the Green Bay organization know how to use photoshop, for Chrissakes?

[vince]

You professional football team owners are all alike.

Get on board and shut the hell up, especially this week.

I'm pretty sure putting IR'd players in the SB team picture won't be at the top of Finley's checklist list when it comes time to sign his next mega-deal.

By all accounts, this organization values its players as much or more than any other organization and treats them better day in and day out.

McCarthy's not exactly the kind of guy that goes weak in the knees when he encounters a little selfishness. He's a player's coach and there are about 53 guys that demand his undivided focus for a couple weeks here.

[Fritz]

Get on board and shut the hell up, especially this week.

I'm pretty sure putting IR'd players in the SB team picture won't be at the top of Finley's checklist list when it comes time to sign his next mega-deal.

By all accounts, this organization values its players as much or more than any other organization and treats them better day in and day out.

McCarthy's not exactly the kind of guy that goes weak in the knees when he encounters a little selfishness. He's a player's coach and there are about 53 guys that demand his undivided focus for a couple weeks here.

Dammit, Vince, you need to start paying attention. When players sign monster deals, they always, always make sure we know that it wasn't about the money. It's about respect, man.

[vince]

Just saw this article. I think it fits here.

http://cheeseheadtv.com/blog/green-bay-packers-mccarthy-keeps-eye-on-the-prize

McCarthy Keeps Eye On The Prize

For some reason, one particular statement from Mike McCarthy's Monday press conference stood out to me.

When asked if there was anyone he could call for advice about how to handle the circus that is the Super Bowl, the Green Bay Packers head coach replied, "Not really. A lot of those conversations really have already gone on.

"This is something personally that I've been preparing for. I've always had the schedule in place what I would do when we got to this point. You always need to adjust it based on the health of your team or something that changes that's out of your control."

How far back does his preparation go?

"Quite some time," said McCarthy. "I mean, I was in the position in '07 to prepare for a Super Bowl ahead of time. So for a number of years."

Perhaps I shouldn't be suprised that McCarthy's plan of attack for the Super Bowl dates back at least three years ago and maybe before that.

I imagine most, if not all, NFL head coaches have their schedules all mapped out for the Super Bowl well in advance. There is a reason they've reached the pinnacle of their chosen profession after all.

But the tunnel vision of McCarthy seems, at least to me, to be a tad sharper than most.

And by tunnel vision, I mean that in only the nicest, kindest, most reverential way. Everything seems to be geared toward winning the Super Bowl, and anything that detracts from that objective is dismissed.

To hear McCarthy speak about the goals of his football team back before Week 16 when the team's back was against the wall and they needed to win their final two regular season games to even qualify for the playoffs, it was all very motivational. The confidence was evident in his voice.

"You really have no control of the path," said McCarthy. "That's part of the deal. I mean, every season's different. You just try to keep it on the road. So our particular path this year, in hindsight, has made us a stronger football team. It's shaped us in a different way. We've had opportunity, really, to play five playoff games going into this Super Bowl. So I think that really helps us. We feel like we're a razor-sharp team as far as the level of play that we've been bringing to the table here the last month.

"We knew we were a good football team when we came out of training camp. We knew we'd have an opportunity to be part of this. And things sometimes go your way, sometimes they don't. But I think it speaks volumes about the men in the locker room, the character, everybody keeping an eye on their target. And really coming down to the New York Giants game, that's the one thing that we just kept reiterating to our players: All of our goals are still in front of us. We didn't need any help. And I think that really helped our guys stay focused, stay on point, and the Giant victory there at home was big and then we were able to run the next four in a row. Just part of shaping of a football team."

As the Packers embark on this long, trying and probably dizzying trip over the course of these next two weeks, I'm confident the organization has found the proper captain for their ship.

[swede]

Very nice.

[RashanGary]

Good leaders listen. Good leaders admit when they're wrong. McCarthy is approachable. I'll bet you more than one player on the current 53 man roster tells McCarthy it seems rough on their teammates to not have them their for picture. It's bad enough that they were injured on the field fighting for the cause. They deserve this moment too.

Stay focused, fine, I don't give a fuck, but don't leave those guys home. That's just stupid.