Mike McCarthy does not find comfort in the spotlight. He made that clear on Monday when reporters asked him about his contract extension at his scheduled press conference. Less than an hour earlier the team had announced a multi-year deal that is believed to keep him in Green Bay until 2018, but McCarthy was all business.
"Can we talk about the Bears now?" he asked, focused on the Packers' Sunday night opponents.
The coach may not enjoy the extra attention, but he deserves the extra press. This extension secures McCarthy's place in Packers' history. Currently in his ninth season, only Curly Lambeau coached the Packers' longer. While Lambeau's legacy is almost impossible to live up to, with 212 wins in 29 seasons, McCarthy is building a legacy of his own. His 93 wins and eight complete seasons have already outlasted Mike Holmgren's tenure. McCarthy also brought home the Lombardi Trophy in 2011, and led the Packers' to a near-perfect 15-1 record the following season. Clearly the man understands success.
Still, McCarthy understands that the Packers' franchise has a rich history, filled with important figures. "I'm not going to compare myself to Coach Lombardi," McCarthy said. "Let's be real here. I understand my place, my opportunity, and I'm very thankful for the people that came before me: Coach Lombardi, Curly Lambeau, Mike Holmgren, and Ron Wolf. They made this place, the foundation of the building."
He also understands his role in the franchise, "So, [general manager] Ted Thompson, [president and CEO] Mark Murphy and my responsibility and Aaron Rodgers and the players' responsibility [is] to make sure we leave it better than when we arrived. That's the way I've always viewed it."
The Packers' seem to agree with this vision, and are comfortable with McCarthy writing this chapter in Packers' history. When asked about plans to retire, McCarthy made it clear that he has no plans of slowing down. "I'm not thinking about the end, that's for sure," McCarthy said, "This is a great place. I'm very blessed, very fortunate to have the opportunity to coach here.
Amid the extra attention, McCarthy remains focused on the 2014 season. Quickly shifting the conversation back to football during his press conference, the coach knows that there is still work to be done. With eight games left in the season, they find themselves one game back in the division, behind the Detroit Lions. The Packers' face their division rivals, the Chicago Bears, on Sunday night.