McCarthy Says Hawk Is Mad Because He Was Supposed To Play Sunday

Head coach Mike McCarthy said Hawk was supposed to play in the second half of the Raiders game but decided against playing him with a 31-0 halftime lead.

Head coach Mike McCarthy said in his Monday press conference that linebacker A.J. Hawk is irritated that he was supposed to play in Sunday's game against Raiders but in the blowout win, the coach decided not to play him.

"He's mad at me, but he should be," said McCarthy. "That's okay, and I understand it."

McCarthy said Hawk was supposed to play in the second half of yesterday's game.

"With the score 31-0 at halftime, I didn't think that was in our best interest," said McCarthy. "He really wanted to play in the game and I respect that, but it was best to give him another three or four days."

The three or four days McCarthy mentioned is in reference to the next time the Packers practice. They begin preparations for their upcoming game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Wednesday. McCarthy said Hawk is ready and will be able to practice at that time.

Hawk was active for yesterday's game spending the entire game suited up on the sidelines. He was one of only two players on the team's 46-man active roster not to play joining offensive lineman Ray Dominguez.

The veteran inside linebacker was supposed to be on a "pitch count" limited to less than 30 snaps if he did play, according to McCarthy.

For the second week in a row, neither Hawk nor Desmond Bishop started. Both continue to nurse calf injuries sustained during the Thanksgiving game against Detroit.

Hawk came into the Raiders game second on the team with 75 tackles for the season.

D.J. Smith and Robert Francois started in place of Hawk and Bishop and both received game balls for their efforts on Sunday, in which they combined to account for three turnovers.

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Comments (19)

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Robin Marohn's picture

December 12, 2011 at 05:36 pm

The TEAM is 13-0 and defending a Super Bowl. Maybe the Coach knows what he's doing. Get over it, A.J.

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NewPackerOwner's picture

December 12, 2011 at 05:36 pm

Yeah, Hawk is worried about his job status as he watches his replacements make athletic plays he doesn't make.

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thehatefulnerd's picture

December 12, 2011 at 09:37 pm

He should be.

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GoPack1265's picture

December 12, 2011 at 05:58 pm

Mr. Hawk should shut up and play when the coach calls on him to play. I agree with what NewPackerOwner said, Hawk is seeing other guys make plays that he can't make; he's nervous. He should appreciate the fact that his coach was more concerned about what is best for the long-term health of the Green Bay Packers AND for Mr. Hawk.

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Chad Toporski's picture

December 12, 2011 at 06:10 pm

Hawk didn't say anything. At least I haven't seen any quotes from him in the media.

As McCarthy said, he "should be" mad.

This is not a case of a player running his mouth to the press about not getting to play. It's a case of the coach talking about him not playing on Sunday. Don't make a mountain out of a molehill.

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TPackers's picture

December 12, 2011 at 09:27 pm

+1 good point chad.

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PackersRS's picture

December 13, 2011 at 05:39 pm

This is so asinine.

In fact, what the hell is wrong with so many Packer fans this season? When a player gets asked a question and answers fairly (Finley, Jones), they get clobbered.

Hell, EVEN IF THE PLAYER DOESN'T SAY A WORD he gets clobbered.

Stop it. Just stop it. There's no question that this team is cohesive, that it's all about the team and not the player. Yet some act all high and mighty and try to lecture them.

You make the fanbase look bad. Players are humans with emotions. Who the hell are you to tell them how to behave?

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Ruppert's picture

December 12, 2011 at 06:11 pm

I hope Hawk is so mad that he angrily finds a way to actually cover a tight end for the next two months.

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Chip Soup's picture

December 12, 2011 at 07:40 pm

Nice! I do like the way AJ seems to settle and steady the defense, but maybe watching his replacement do something twice in a couple of games (intercept a pass) that he has yet to do in more than 10 will help. Reminds me of when he was benched last time and came back a little more lively. Maybe he should rest one more week and think about it.

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PackersRS's picture

December 13, 2011 at 05:40 pm

Not happening. He might not get dragged for 5 yards every time, though.

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AJKUHN's picture

December 12, 2011 at 06:18 pm

I would expect every player on the team to be mad if they don't play. If a guy doesn't feel that way, he shouldn't be in the NFL. Pretty sure that's all this is about.

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PackersRS's picture

December 12, 2011 at 06:35 pm

And there's speculation that GB will rest players...

They're hungry. They know that the backups can take their spot at any time.

This is our year.

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markinmadison's picture

December 12, 2011 at 07:12 pm

Hawk playin mad can't be bad.

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Bob's picture

December 12, 2011 at 07:25 pm

Worked well in Atlanta.

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Kendra's picture

December 12, 2011 at 08:34 pm

+1

Competitive players want to compete. Period. It's why Bishop indicated he was ready to go on Twitter about a week ago and coaches clearly thought he was at least a week or two away from starting to practice.

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BrianD's picture

December 12, 2011 at 10:18 pm

Who doesn't want to play for a winner when everything's going your way. Hawk doesn't just want to win a championship, he wants to EARN it.

Though if he really were "mad" (which he's not), it would be difficult to look past what's happened to Starks when it comes to using an injured player in a game.

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Bearmeat's picture

December 13, 2011 at 07:45 am

MM: U Mad Bro?

Hawk: (with the full frontal Caveman Hair goin on)
Me Angry. Me want to cover RB's now. Me do good!

MM: Bout time! Go get em AJ!

Fans: (Sigh of relief)

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MarkinMadison's picture

December 13, 2011 at 07:51 am

"With the score 31-0, I didn't think it was in our interest." So we're going for it, but we're not being stupid about it. Sounds good.

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Otto's picture

December 14, 2011 at 01:10 am

It's interesting that MM brought this up and AJ didn't. A little insight to MM motivating his player, perhaps?

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