Cobb: '4-6 doesn’t even sound right'
USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin’s Brett Christopherson caught up with Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb, who shared his thoughts on Sunday’s 42-24 loss to the Washington Redskins. This Q&A is presented by Tundraland:
As you dissect and analyze the season to this point, what has gone wrong? How did it get to this?
Cobb: I wish there was some way to pinpoint exactly what it is, but this is where we stand as terrible as it is — 4-6 doesn’t even sound right. But this is where we are. And fortunately, we still have games to play, we still have opportunities to turn it around. And it’s on us. I’ve said that the past three, four weeks now, but our goals are still in front of us. It’s all about winning your division and getting yourself an opportunity in the playoffs. And that goal is still in front of us. As long as we can find a way to do that, we can at worst case be 7-9 and be in the playoffs. Best case, we go 10-6 and we go on a run and win the Super Bowl. … I think the main thing is for us to stick together in the locker room, for us to continue to have that bond and try to fight through this.
So, what’s the next step you have to take from here to get this turned around?
Cobb: It’s trying to stay the course and coming up with a win. That’s what it comes down to. Things happen through the course of a game, and everything is magnified after a loss, whether it be one play or our slow starts. I think that’s something we have to be better about. We put ourselves in a hole in Tennessee — 21-0 — and then three three-and-outs to start this last game (against Washington). So, it’s very important for us to have a fast start over the next course of these games.
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Coaches and players don’t like to use injuries as an excuse, but your roster has been bitten hard by the injury bug this season. There has to be some acknowledgment that injuries have played a substantial role in why you’re 4-6 and in danger of missing the playoffs, right?
Cobb: Yeah, we do. But we can’t hang our hat on that because we still have to get dressed on Sundays and go play ball with whoever’s on the field. Yeah, it sucks. It sucks to have guys out and to have as many injuries as we do. I’ve never been a part of a team that has had this many injuries, and especially to core guys. It puts different people in different roles, whether it be starters playing more on special teams or doing different things and you have to do a little bit more. But that’s where we’re at right now, and you just kind of have to deal with it and roll with it and try to find a way to win.
Give us the pulse of the team right now. Is the confidence wavering in any way? Do you sense the guys still believe they can end this skid and get things going in the right direction?
Cobb: That’s the message for all of us. That’s the message that we’re trying to continue throughout the locker room. Our goals are still in front of us, as long as we handle our business. We can’t dictate everything else, but we can handle our business. So, we’re trying to stay positive and stay the course as far as our workouts, as far as our meetings, our preparation. Staying on top of everything that we can and just coming out and battling every game. This past week (against Washington), I never saw us give up. Everybody continued to press and press until we didn’t have any time left. That’s what you love to see is the fight that these guys have. I think we have a very resilient group of players. We’ve all had things happen throughout our careers to get us to this point. It takes a lot of work to be on this level and to play in the NFL. So, as long as we know who we are as a person and go out there and continue to do that on the field and try to be that person for your team, we’ll be fine and try to find a way to come out of this.
Brett Christopherson: 920-993-7117, or bchristopherson@gannett.com; on Twitter @PCBrettC