Packers coach defends ‘kick Chicago’s ass’ comment

Context is everything, apparently.

Asked about his week-old comment that his Packers would “kick Chicago’s ass” in the opener, head coach Mike McCarthy said he was simply playing to a rah-rah crowd.

“It’s really more out of a respect for the rivalry,” he said Wednesday. “Let’s be honest: I was at the Chamber of Commerce ‘Welcome Back’ luncheon. I think that explains it.”

One week ago, video captured the Packers’ head coach saying that “we will proudly stand as the 95th team in the history of the Green Bay Packers when we kick Chicago’s ass!”

Bears head coach John Fox said he saw the comments, joking Monday and he “looked at the tape” from last year’s blowouts and “they should be confident.”

McCarthy spends the week of the first Bears game of each season teaching his team about the rivalry.

“It’s really primarily geared toward our first-year players, new players in Green Bay, just to make sure they understand the importance and the significance of the best rivalry in pro football,” he said.