The Green Bay Packers named their playoff captains on Wednesday.
That wouldn’t really be a big deal, except the Packers haven’t even secured a spot in the playoffs yet. This was more of a message.
A message that the playoffs begin now. The run begins now.
“I felt the need to give these men the chance to stand up front and take the responsibility that their teammates have placed upon them,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “That’s the way we’re approaching them. It’s time to ramp it up and make sure we’re playing our best football this time of year.”
The Packers playoff captains, which were voted on by the team, are: Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson (offense), Julius Peppers and Morgan Burnett (defense), and Randall Cobb and Jarrett Bush (special teams).
As you’re probably aware, the Packers have rotating captains during the regular season. However, the league dictates that teams use the same captains throughout the playoffs.
As for motivational ploys, this is an interesting one. McCarthy sent a similar message back in 2010, when he had the players fitted for Super Bowl rings before they even played in the game.
That worked out pretty well.
This team seemingly has a chance to do something special, much like that team did.
One interesting side note on the defensive captains. Where’s Clay Matthews? He talks about being a leader and gets paid like a leader, but as we’ve long said, he’s never shown any leadership qualities. It appears as if his teammates just confirmed that by giving a captain’s nod to a guy who hasn’t even been on the team for a full season.