If people have been listening carefully, they know that Coach McCarthy and Ted Thompson both know and understand about handling success. They said right away after winning last year, that this year would be about handling success. You hear the players talk about "stacking success."
1934 Bears, 1942 Bears, 1950 Rams, 1983 Redskins, 1998 Vikings, 2007 Patriots. All of these teams would be considered among the best teams ever IF they had finished the deal. None of them did. This is what fans are afraid of. "For every 100 men that can handle failure, only one can handle success." Success destroys people. Every year, people win the lottery, lose everything and wish they had never won. But the leadership of this team knew the success was coming and prepared themselves for it. They knew the messages they would have for the team, and they knew how they would help the players through the turmoil of overwhelming, crushing success.
Having followed McCarthy, I wouldn't be surprised if he knew exactly the weekly message he would give the team if they ever were 18-0. He might have put notes together on it during the offseason he got the job. McCarthy is not caught off gaurd. He is ready to lead the team through this challenge.
