Cobb: 'I feel the sense of frustration'
USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin’s Brett Christopherson caught up with Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb, who looked ahead to Sunday’s Week 10 matchup against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. This Q&A is presented by Tundraland:
Your game against Tennessee is the first of three straight on the road. Playing three in a row on the road is never ideal, but can this be a good thing for the team — to get away for a stretch — given what it’s going through right now?
Cobb: I can’t really speak on it being a good or a bad thing. But I think the most important thing for us is just going back to play this week, dialing in on our focus, dialing in on our preparation, making sure we’re all prepared, getting ready for anything we may see and focusing on going 1-0. That’s what it’s all about. We can’t worry about the three road games. We know it’s there, but we can’t focus on that. That’s too big of a picture to look at right now. We need to look at this week of preparation and prepare for Sunday.
What do you expect the response will be from you, your teammates and even the coaching staff when you take on the Titans? Do you think you’ll see an angry team?
Cobb: I think so. Like I say, I feel the sense of frustration from everyone because we are very prideful in what we do. We’re not going out there trying not to put points on the board, trying to play the way that we’ve played. We’re chasing perfection. We’re trying to be the best team that we can be, and we haven’t done that. So, I’m sure everybody has their frustrations. I think we just have to play loose and just be us and not get caught up in trying to be perfect. Go out there and play and have fun and do what we love. Don’t chase, but allow the moment to happen. And what I mean by that is don’t go out there looking to make a big play. Go out there and play with high effort and high energy, and the big plays will happen. It’s not something that you can go out and create. It’s something that happens throughout the play.
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What are the keys you see in being able to find consistency and have success against a Titans defense that surrendered 476 yards – 208 of which came on the ground – in last week’s 43-35 loss to San Diego?
Cobb: They’ve given up a few big plays this season, so there are plays out there, there are holes in their defense, and we just have to be able to make those plays when we get those opportunities. Break tackles. Find the holes in the zones and beat one-on-one coverage. We’re definitely going to see some one-on-one coverage, and we have to be prepared for that and be able to break a tackle and make the big play. Their defensive scheme is a lot similar to what we see every day in practice. (Titans assistant head coach and defensive coordinator) Dick LeBeau and (Packers defensive coordinator Dom) Capers have ties back to Pittsburgh, so we know what we’re going to get, and we know what we’re going to see. It’s just going out there and executing our offense.
Finally, you’re a Tennessee native. How fun will it be for you to play in front of family and friends? And what has the ticket request been like?
Cobb: (Chuckling) Well, it’s going to be great going back to Tennessee and playing. I think this will be the first time in the regular season we’ve been back there (since I've been in Green Bay), so it’ll be great to have family come see me play and friends come see me play. But my main focus is being about the game. I don’t even know the ticket request. Besides my immediate family, I’ve had everybody else reach out to my management and let them handle that. That’s more stress than I need to be worried about. I try to focus on what’s important, and that’s finding a way to go 1-0 this week.
Brett Christopherson: 920-993-7117, or bchristopherson@gannett.com; on Twitter @PCBrettC