A calming influence

The respect the Green Bay Packer players have for their coaches has been taken to another level this year.

Head coach Mike McCarthy's exploits are well known by this time. He was runner up in the Associated Press Coach of the Year voting, and he won a couple other lesser known Coach of the Year titles.

But it's the assistant coaches that have really worked hard behind the scenes to get the Packers to where they are right now.

McCarthy praised the job running backs coach Edgar Bennett did with Ryan Grant after he fumbled twice in the first two minutes of the divisonal playoff game on Sunday. Bennett said it even cross his mind to have Grant sit the bench for a while.

"It wasn't even a thought," Bennett told the Green Bay Press-Gazette. "This kid brings so much to the table. He's extremely focused. It came down to fixing a technique error."

It's obvious offensive coordinator Joe Philbin agrees.

"But those (running backs) have a ton of respect for Edgar," Philbin is quoted as saying. "He has tremendous rapport with his players, and they believe in him. When he speaks to them, when he coaches them, he's got their attention and their ear, and they respond typically."

Meanwhile, Brett Favre said in a post-game interview that quarterbacks coach Tom Clements helped him to initiate the comeback against the Seahawks.

It was Clements who told Favre when they fell in a 14-0 hole that the team didn't need to get it all back at once.

And the Packers didn't look back. They tied the score before the first quarter was over and went on to score six touchdowns total. That included a near flawless performance from Favre with three touchdown passes, zero interceptions and a passer rating of over 130.

It might be that these assistants join the long line of Packers that go onto head coaching jobs in the NFL like Andy Reid, Jon Gruden, Dick Jauron...