“Oh, I think we’re fully capable of winning in Seattle. I was expecting to win (this game),” Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. Credit: Rick Wood

Green Bay — Mike McCarthy undoubtedly is the envy of many of his coaching brethren as he begins his ninth season as coach of the Green Bay Packers.

His immediate supervisor, general manager Ted Thompson, would like nothing better than to conclude the negotiations on a long-term contract extension for McCarthy that began earlier in the year. The 50-year-old coach's present deal averages about $6.5 million.

Team president Mark Murphy continues to provide him with facilities, resources and support that might match if not exceed any of McCarthy's coaching contemporaries.

And his elite quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, should be entering the prime of his career.

McCarthy, a little-known coordinator when tabbed by Thompson in 2006, has produced 88 victories and one championship in eight seasons. His winning percentage of .632 trails only Jim Harbaugh (.746), Bill Belichick (.655), John Harbaugh (.649) and Sean Payton (.642) among active coaches with three or more seasons.

If the Packers win 12 games this season, McCarthy would become the 41st coach in NFL history to record 100 victories.

In an interview Friday with the Journal Sentinel's Bob McGinn, McCarthy looked back on the lopsided opening-night loss in Seattle, set forth his vision for the season and touched upon Brett Favre, Ray Rice and Rodgers.

Q. More than a week has passed since the Packers' loss to the Seahawks on opening night. Was the 20-point defeat in Seattle as sobering from your vantage point as it was for some fans?

A. Sobering? I'm in tune with the expectations for our football team and the pride that our fans carry. No one felt good about it. But the reality is, if you're going to have a defeat on the road, Week 1 is probably the best time to have it. I focused on what happened in the game. We had too many peaks and valleys, and that's the challenge of playing in that environment. You don't want to overreact. It's easy to, especially playing in the opener. There were things we did really well. The things that bothered me were the things I felt we were prepared for and didn't carry it to the field.

Q. The NFC berth in the Super Bowl might well go through CenturyLink Field. Are the Packers capable of winning there? What would it take?

A. Oh, I think we're fully capable of winning in Seattle. I was expecting to win (this game). You have to give them credit. I thought their offense played very well. They hit their big plays. They took advantage of the third-down penalty that we had and the fourth-and-2 punt penalty. They also stayed committed to their plan. The team that gets to play to their plan is usually the team that has the most success. Bryan (Bulaga's) injury changed us a little bit. Derek (Sherrod) struggled, and I struggled with the play-calling. When you have a quarterback of Aaron's capability you don't want to feel like you have to pull on a chain too much, and that's exactly what happened to me in the second half.

Q. What's it like embarking on the 15 remaining games knowing the Packers have the defending champions and the NFL's toughest venue already off the schedule? Is there coaching value in playing the favorite first, having your team humbled and carrying on somewhat under the radar?

A. That's a very interesting perspective. I'm a forward thinker. I appreciate the way you phrased that. I fully expect to be there in the end. That's always been my approach. I truly understand the focus and the energy has to stay on the details of the immediate, and that's where we are. We have an opponent (the Jets) coming in here that's distinctly different than our last opponent. Their offensive and defensive lines are very large. I don't know if we'll see a defensive line like this the rest of the year. You're talking 6-4½, 325 average across the line. I'm not just talking about the first four. I'm talking about all seven of them. You can't think about next week or last week because this league's tough. It's hard to win a game, and that's the beauty of it. That's why it's the most competitive sports league in the world.

Q. Every coach has a vision for his team each year. What's yours? Can this Packers team be great?

A. We have a theme each and every year, and that's really more for the players. We've never set out to be average, or good. We've always set the goal where it needs to be set. That's to win the next world championship. It goes back to my childhood. I never expected not to win. It's about winning. Winning's fun. This game is even more intriguing because if you can practice together and play together week in and week out in the NFL you will improve and your chances to be more successful will increase. This league has taught me that over the last 20-plus years. That's why we practice the way we practice and go about things the way we do. We invest in the growth. We're going to be a better team this week than we were last week. We're not a veteran team. I don't know where we rank but we're 25 years old, 26, kind of about the same. Our structure is different. We've changed some things scheduling and training-wise so we're trying to get better there.

Q. Trace Armstrong, your agent, and the Packers discussed a contract extension earlier this year but no agreement was reached. There are two years remaining on the five-year deal that you signed in March 2011. Who initiated those talks?

A. I've never talked about anybody else's business affairs let alone my own publicly. The organization is the one that always drives those decisions.

Q. After Ted Thompson signed an extension in late July that runs through the 2018 draft, he said one of his next items of business was to extend your contract for a similar length. Where does it stand?

A. I think any time you get into business affairs during the season it's challenging. I know it is for me. You really don't have time to be part of the discussions. I really don't have anything to report today.

Q. Is it a situation where you plan to wait and see what happens with another highly successful NFC coach, Jim Harbaugh, who also has two years left?

A. This is for somebody else's Q&A. I think you can scratch that question.

Q. Given your Super Bowl championship, four NFC North Division titles in eight years and relative youth, you might have your pick of jobs if your contract expired. Is the thought of leaving Green Bay at some point attractive to you?

A. I think anybody that knows me professionally and personally clearly understands that I have a love and a passion for this place. This is my home, my family's home. We definitely desire to be here. That doesn't help on a contract negotiation front but it's the truth. We'll just take it one day at a time.

Q. Would you like to make your own personnel decisions some day in the dual capacity as coach and general manager?

A. I don't think an individual can do both jobs. I think you and I have talked about this before. I don't think it's feasible. You just look at the way we're structured, I don't know how you're down here and have to be with the team and then you're also going to be down the hall on top of that. I think if you do that it has to be a different structure where you're managing the head coach and whoever you pick for personnel. Because I don't know how what I do every day I'm going to go tell Ted or Eliot (Wolf), 'Hey, wait a minute. Do we have this right on this guy?' From that point of it, I don't desire that. But like anything, when you get in situations where all ties are broken by one person, it'd be nice to be that one person that breaks the tie. It's never been an issue here. I don't see it being an issue. I wouldn't want to work for anybody else. Ted is so professional, so consistent. I don't think people realize how important consistency is. Being the same person every day. He's at his best after a loss like Seattle. That's the stuff people don't see. I think it really gives us a chance to really work and stay on path. His consistency on what the expectations are, what the work ethic is, how we go about it, how we react to certain situations. There's not a whole lot of guessing, there's not a whole lot of wondering. Everything's up front. There's not stuff going on around the corner.

Q. Remember how the Packers flew around and played with so much emotion in San Francisco on opening day a year ago? Did you see a team that was playing its butt off in Seattle?

A. I saw two things in our team, the two negatives. I thought we played with really good energy and I think the video showed that. I saw a team where the communication wasn't where it needed to be. To me, that's coaching. That's where my personal disappointment comes. It's important when you walk into a football game that as a coach, you either express confidence or you create anxiety for your players. There were points early in that game where we created way too much anxiety for our players. It kind of flipped. At first it was that way on defense, then it got a little bit that way on offense in the second half. That's where we need to do a better job. I've had to learn it more than anybody. I think about the way I was in 2000 and 2001 (as offensive coordinator in New Orleans). I remember I had a friend of mine who was coaching. He says, 'Maybe you shouldn't drink that Diet Coke before the game. You need to settle down.' You learn that, especially having younger players. Monday through Saturday is where your juice has to come. In the meetings, this and that. But what they need is simple, consistent, direct communication. Especially in that (Seattle) environment. You're going to play in a place like that and with that personality of that football team up there there's going to be high potential for momentum swings. So you've got to be able to run through those. If you're riding that wave like that and communication's not intact, then it directly affects your performance.

Q. When the Packers won the Super Bowl four years ago there were physical players such as Desmond Bishop, Charles Woodson and Cullen Jenkins on defense, not to mention Clay Matthews. The 1996 championship team had an intimidating presence in linebacker Wayne Simmons. Besides Matthews, who on this team carries the nasty edge that every championship team must have?

A. I think we have guys that are coming into their own on that. Mike Daniels brings that from inside. I think Letroy (Guion) is going to bring us some of that. Letroy didn't go through training camp. His issue in the Seattle game was his pad level was too high. He has three (missed) tackles in the backfield. I hope Datone (Jones) can develop into that. Our outside linebacker group is the best we've ever had. We've got some powerful players. Julius Peppers brings a definite presence. We have Nick Perry, and I love our young guys. Andy (Mulumba) and (Jayrone) Elliott. There's the safeties. Hopefully, you're going to be talking about our young guys in the same vein.

Q. Aaron Rodgers has the ball and the unwritten rule is he tries to throw it to the open guy. Was it his decision to stay completely away from Richard Sherman in Seattle?

A. It's interesting. If you would have told me that would have happened in the game I would have said, 'No, that's not going to happen.' When we set the plan, we're no-huddle so obviously the receivers don't come back to the huddle. So it's actually beneficial for a receiver to play one side or the other. Less running. When we went into it I liked (Jarrett) Boykin on Richard. Because Jarrett's young I don't think people realize how strong he is. Richard's an exceptional player, no doubt. But you've got to be really strong at the top of the route against a long-levered corner like him. I felt Jarrett was a very good matchup for him. We throw it to the open guy but let's be honest, the ball is going to go to Jordy Nelson. Jordy's never not gotten targets in a game. Try to take a great player out of his comfort zone was the only thought. Now obviously, when you lose a game, you can't sit there ...they won, they get to say what they want. I would have never thought the ball would not have gone over there. I think it's just the way it worked out.

Q. It's obvious that you carry yourself with a certain swagger. Why, even if only to send a message to your own players, didn't you deploy either Jordy Nelson or someone else to Richard Sherman's outside third of the field and make sure you went at him at least a few times?

A. To me, this is convenient criticism. I told you why we did what we did. The video that we study, against Seattle two years ago, then we had two or three series out here in a (2013) pre-season game, Jordy's an excellent matchup for Richard as far as his route-running. This game is not about one guy. This is football. It's 11 on 11. When you're playing that fast and the ball doesn't go over there ...I think a big deal's being made out of it because they had the success they had and we didn't.

Q. Is it fair to say that mixing four-man with three-man fronts in the base defense and the resulting substitution patterns were more your doing than Dom Capers?

A. I think it was a matter of which direction we were going and utilizing the people that we have. Let's be honest. Mike Neal and Nick Perry are outside linebackers but look at their skill set. Look at Julius' skill set. I don't think it's advantageous for them to be dropping into coverage 55% of the time. My role as the head coach in every area is job responsibility.

Q. Other than periodic stretches, the Packers' run defense hasn't been effective since 2009. The Seahawks rushed for 207 yards. Do you attribute that to Marshawn Lynch and CenturyLink, or is there cause for considerable concern?

A. No. 1, CenturyLink has nothing to do with run defense or run offense. Our biggest issue in that game was tackling. Marshawn Lynch might have broken eight or nine himself. You cannot let a good runner or a great runner out of your technique, and that's what happened. We break the tackling down to the approach, the contact and the fit. Our approach was poor. We were lunging in our approach. We weren't running our feet. It could have been the excitement of the first game. We were overzealous in our approach. I'm not making excuses. The facts are the facts. The detail of each tackle has been presented to the players. We correct it and move on. We practice the approach in tackling every day.

Q. Can you stop the run consistently with a 6-footer in Mike Daniels and a 285-pounder in Datone Jones as the base ends, lean inside backers and Mike Neal at times playing down at a much lighter weight?

A. You're taking three men, their primary job responsibility, that's not it. It's a rotation. The difference that we want this year, we don't want our interior linemen playing eight, nine plays in a row. Where you're spending this much time running in and off. We want those guys to play more in four- , five-play increments. It's more about the fresh, active player and utilizing their ability. Hey, we're built for third down. That's what we want to get teams to because that will be our strength, and it complements the way our offense plays. This whole change ...it's not really change ...this adjustment on defense is really trying to get the offense and the defense to play more the same way as far as the approach to the game.

Q. Rodgers has been pretty ordinary in the playoffs the last three years and wasn't effective against Seattle. Is it safe to say the Packers need him to play bigger in big games?

A. I don't agree with the ordinary. I can only go off our grades sheets. I don't understand the criticism. You go back to last year against San Francisco (wild-card playoffs), he came off the major injury and played against Chicago. We weren't in sync. We ran the ball very well in that (49ers) game. Really, that game came down to the last series inside the 5 (actually the 10). It still irritates me because of what happened down there. We should have had a different outcome. With that, he did play well enough to put us in position to win the game. The year before against San Francisco, I thought he played well out there. In 2011, that's when we had all the drops (against the Giants). You take away all the drops in that game ...when I look at his grades I don't see a guy that hasn't played big in big games. I disagree with that assessment.

Q. Toward the end, Brett Favre wasn't exactly your bosom buddy. Are you ready to forgive, apologize for or at least somewhat forget the things that went down in the spring and summer of 2008?

A. I already have. Without getting into the detail of it ...I look at that chair (in his office) because really the last time we talked at length we were up here for Lord knows how many hours that evening. The voice level was never raised. It was a lot different than I think people will ever understand. There's a lot that went on. I think that was after Family Night. I'm trying to forget that period of time. But as far as our relationship of him playing and me coaching and what we established on a personal level, I never felt that was in jeopardy.

Q. Have both Corey Linsley and JC Tretter already reached the point where they're better than the departed Evan Dietrich-Smith?

A. You've got to let that play out. Corey's played one game. JC's played four pre-season games. Potentially, they'll both be the best centers we've had.

Q. Kevin Greene provided unrivaled intensity, unforgettable style and a blue-collar, relatively simplistic approach to rushing the passer. Have you adequately replaced that with Winston Moss and Scott McCurley?

A. Absolutely. I think Winston brings a whole different dynamic to that group. Training that (linebacker) group all together has helped us. What's always been my fear with a large coaching staff, you can get too detailed, too compartmentalized. Offensively, we do a lot of work intrapositionally. Our line spends a lot of time with our running backs. Our quarterbacks, receivers and tight ends watch the video after practice every single day. We've been doing that for years. It's something that we need to do more of on defense. Now Winston has all those guys. It really increases communication.

Q. Have you spoken to the players about domestic violence in light of the Ray Rice situation? How do you feel about this issue?

A. Yes, it's definitely been addressed. The domestic violence policy has been given to our players. My personal view is there's no place in our society for it. I think especially with the emphasis and education that's out there now let's hope better light will be shined on this area.