Packers coach angrily swats question about Colin Kaepernick replacing injured Aaron Rodgers
Mike McCarthy had to have known he was going to be asked about Colin Kaepernick the day after the Green Bay Packers lost superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers, possibly for the season.
But that didn’t make the Packers coach any happier to receive the question about the controversial former San Francisco 49ers quarterback when it did come.
During a news conference Monday, McCarthy told reporters about the faith he has in the next players in line at the quarterback position, despite the tiny amount of NFL experience between the two of them.
“I’ve got three years invested in Brett Hundley, I’ve got great confidence in Brett Hundley, I’ve got two years invested in Joe Callahan,” McCarthy said. “It’s a quarterback room that has structure and has a philosophy behind the development of it.”
Then came this question from a reporter: “Are you entertaining the idea of bringing Colin Kaepernick in to compete for that backup job?”
McCarthy snapped back: “Did you just listen to the question I just answered? OK, I’ve got three years invested in Brett Hundley, two years invested in Joe Callahan, the quarterback room is exactly where it needs to be, OK? ...
“We’re committed to the path that we’re on. We need to play better as a football team. Brett Hundley will start this week and Joe Callahan will be the backup.”
Hundley, the former UCLA Bruin, has very little game experience. He completed 19 of 34 passes for 157 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions after Rodgers got hurt during the Packers’ 23-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Callahan, from Division III Wesley College, has yet to appear in a game.
Kaepernick is a seventh-year pro who led the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance following the 2012 season. He hasn’t found an NFL job since opting out of his contract with the 49ers in March.
Many people feel Kaepernick is being blackballed from the league for refusing to stand for the national anthem before games last season as a means of protesting social injustice. On Sunday, he filed a grievance against the NFL, alleging that he remains unsigned as a result of collusion by team owners.
Kaepernick was born in Milwaukee and lived in Fond du Lac, Wis., until he was 4.
On Monday, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stating that players should refrain from protesting during the anthem and instead use their platforms to condemn domestic violence.
Every year since 2006, McCarthy’s first season with the Packers, the coach has shown his players a PowerPoint presentation that stresses the importance of the national anthem, according to USA Today.
McCarthy told reporters that the Packers could add some free agent quarterbacks to help in practice.
Twitter: @chewkiii
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