McCarthy: Raji, Shields still in concussion protocol

Packers coach Mike McCarthy spoke to the media on Thursday morning. Here are some highlights:

On Sam Shields/Bryan Bulaga:

Making progress. Seeing them in the meetings, there’s a plan for them today. We’ll see how they respond. I think Bryan, Sam and David we probably won’t know until the end of the week.

On B.J. Raji:

He’s still in the protocol.

On Shields:

He’s on the backend of the protocol.

On Clay Matthews going back-to-back games without a tackle:

He’s clearly our most disruptive player. The statistics don’t always tell the full story. I don’t think it’s an indication of anything.

On Minnesota’s offensive line:

Best offensive lines play together. That’s something if you look at teams that are successful, offensive lines that play 16 weeks or so together, there’s a direct correlation to that.

On GB’s banged-up o-line:

For the most part, we’ve handled it. Last week we didn’t handle it. Things we were trying to get done, we did not. I really like our group. Really flexible group we’ve had here.

On Josh Sitton practicing:

Josh, this has really been the plan. He’s been on the same plan for four, five weeks. He has the trust of the coaches.

On Letroy Guion:

Letroy did a lot of good things. Mike Pennel did a lot of good things, as well. It’s a good rotation up front. One of the strengths of our team is our defensive line. We’ll see how B.J. gets through the week.

On special-teams units:

Our coverage units have done a good job. We’ll be challenged this week. Ball placement will be critical this week. Coverage units will be a part of it. … I feel better about it this year than last year if you’re looking for a comparable.

On defending Adrian Peterson:

Adrian is a great player. He’s an impact player. He’s a focal point of the defense regardless of who they compete against. It’s something he’s dealt with his whole football life. That’ll be the case Sunday night.

On JC Tretter’s versatility:

JC is an excellent football player. You think about what he’s done this year. He’s playing center, playing tackle. I don’t know how many guys can do that. We’re always looking for things for him. Just his flexibility and being able to backup every position on the offensive line.