Hawk Talk highlights: How much is Mike McCarthy to blame?

Highlights from the latest “Hawk Talk” with Danny O’Neil:

Efren Herrera questioned the way Green Bay’s Mike McCarthy coached in the NFC title game.

O’Neil: I know Mike McCarthy is getting roasted. I don’t think he made what would be called classic boneheaded mistakes. He was “Classic Conservative Football Coach.” He kicked field goals instead of going for it. He ran the ball late instead of trusting his quarterback to make a first down or two until that game-extending field-goal drive. He believed that the odds of Seattle stringing together enough plays to overturn the outcome was so long that the Packers just needed to not make mistakes. And he was wrong. He took a page out of Marty Schottenheimer’s coaching book. It just needs to be pointed out that Schottenheimer never had Aaron Freaking Rodgers at quarterback.

SeahawkDarrel asked about the chances that cornerback Richard Sherman re-injures his elbow by playing in the Super Bowl.

O’Neil: I don’t think it’s going to be re-injury. I think the concern was that he might cause nerve damage on Sunday because he wouldn’t let them see exactly what happened. The question is going to be his effectiveness in the Super Bowl, not long-term harm.

Vegas Tee asked whether linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. could be a successor to defensive coordinator Dan Quinn if he leaves.

O’Neil: I don’t think so. Here are some things to think about. I think Kris Richard gets a look. Maybe Rocky Seto, too. You’ve also got DeWayne Walker (former New Mexico State head coach, UCLA defensive coordinator) and Greg Robinson, who is a long-term friend of Pete Carroll.

Driez206 asked if it’s “dumb” for Seahawks fans to start petitions in order to pay Marshawn Lynch’s fines.

O’Neil: No. I don’t think it’s dumb. I think it shows how much the fans love and appreciate who he is. To say that the NFL is bullying Lynch? I think that’s dumb. He’s not being bullied. He’s choosing to disobey some of the league’s guidelines. I respect that. I think in some ways it’s admirable. But being civilly disobedient doesn’t mean you’re being bullied.

Discount Double-Choke asked what Colts quarterback Andrew Luck can do that Seattle’s Russell Wilson can’t.

O’Neil: I should do a cut-and-paste with this. Andrew Luck has shown that he can be the single, stand-alone star on a team that makes the playoffs annually and can win a playoff game. He has no running game, an average (at best) defense and his team makes the playoffs because of him. He powers that offense. We don’t know if Russell Wilson could throw his team into the playoffs while shouldering that offensive load. We can project, and we can argue, but we don’t really know because Wilson plays on a team with the league’s best defense and one of its best ground games. On the flip side: We don’t know if Luck could be the winning quarterback like Wilson has in Seattle because we don’t know if Luck could temper and decrease his interception numbers.