IRVING, Texas – From fans in Detroit to Dallas, to the NFL's head of officiating to just about every media personality with a forum to speak, the entire sports world has pretty much weighed on the controversial call in Sunday's playoff game.
Everyone except the player that was initially flagged for a penalty.
But that changed Tuesday when linebacker Anthony Hitchens was asked about the incident in the locker room. Although even the rookie knows where the focus should be.
"I don't know. I'm just trying to do my job," Hitchens said. "I don't make the calls. I'm just trying to get focused on Green Bay."
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Hitchens said he never expected so much attention to be made on the call, a call he ultimately agreed with. When asked point-blank if he should've been called for pass interference or defensive holding, Hitchens smiled and answered.
"Obviously not, they didn't call it," Hitchens said. "I'm just going by what was called on the field. They get paid to do their job. (But) I'm not here to talk about it. Right now, I'm a young player in this league. I'm just trying to turn the tables and focus on this week."
Another topic Hitchens didn't have an answer for was his availability in practice this week. He missed most of last week's practices with a high-ankle sprain but managed to play Sunday. And he even played more than expected after Rolando McClain left the game with what was eventually diagnosed as concussion-like symptoms.
As he was heading to the training room for more treatment on Tuesday, Hitchens said he wasn't sure if he'll be able to practice this week and would adhere to the athletic trainers once again. But he did say the ankle is improving from last week.
"It's feeling better," Hitchens said. "We'll see how it goes this week."
Hitchens, a fourth-round pick from Iowa, started at all three linebacker spots at some point throughout the season. And he finished third on the team with 100 tackles in the regular season.
