WEBVTT - #431 Packers Unscripted: Week 1 in the books 0:00:01.480 --> 0:00:20.680 Hi, everybody, Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:20.800 --> 0:00:24.320 I am Mike Spofford, joined as always by my trusted 0:00:24.320 --> 0:00:26.680 colleague West Hodkowitz. Were coming to you here from our 0:00:26.720 --> 0:00:30.200 studios at lambeau Field and West. Week two is upon 0:00:30.280 --> 0:00:32.920 us here Packers Vikings coming up on Sunday, the home 0:00:32.960 --> 0:00:36.479 opener for the Green Bay Packers Sunday at lambeau Field. 0:00:37.159 --> 0:00:39.240 But we can look back for a few minutes, first 0:00:39.320 --> 0:00:42.720 at the Packers Week one victory last Thursday night in 0:00:42.840 --> 0:00:46.160 Chicago over the Bears. In one aspect that we didn't 0:00:46.159 --> 0:00:48.840 really touch on on our Friday show before we broke 0:00:48.880 --> 0:00:53.080 for the weekend was the involvement of the tight ends 0:00:53.600 --> 0:00:56.960 right away game one week one in this Green Bay offense. 0:00:57.000 --> 0:01:00.800 Because you look at how this game unfolded. Jimmy Graham 0:01:00.840 --> 0:01:03.720 had a touchdown catch, already half of his total of 0:01:03.760 --> 0:01:07.000 touchdown catches from a year ago. Marcedes Lewis had two 0:01:07.040 --> 0:01:10.480 receptions when he had three receptions all of last year 0:01:10.520 --> 0:01:13.200 his first year in Green Bay. And Robert Tonyan had 0:01:13.200 --> 0:01:15.319 a big catch on a scoring drive in the fourth 0:01:15.400 --> 0:01:18.080 quarter when he didn't catch a pass last year until 0:01:18.280 --> 0:01:21.880 Seattle in November. Whatever week of the season. That was, 0:01:22.680 --> 0:01:25.440 so Matt Lafleur is getting his tight ends. He's only 0:01:25.440 --> 0:01:27.920 got three healthy ones right now, but he's getting his 0:01:28.000 --> 0:01:31.760 tight ends involved early and often here in Yeah, and 0:01:31.840 --> 0:01:34.320 it's funny listening to Marcedes Lewis talk in the locker 0:01:34.440 --> 0:01:36.479 room on Friday a little bit about this. I mean, 0:01:36.520 --> 0:01:40.080 when he got brought in, I think Brian Goodacoons and 0:01:40.120 --> 0:01:42.840 the Packers wanted him, but they really weren't sure how 0:01:42.880 --> 0:01:45.560 they were going to go about using him. So in 0:01:45.600 --> 0:01:49.000 some ways he became almost a glorified sixth offensive linemen 0:01:49.040 --> 0:01:50.680 as al most the way it worked out, he only 0:01:50.680 --> 0:01:53.160 played a hundred seventy snaps. As you mentioned, he only 0:01:53.200 --> 0:01:55.960 had three catches. He did talk about when he came 0:01:56.000 --> 0:01:58.720 back this year, he had a conversation with Brian Goodacons 0:01:58.760 --> 0:02:00.960 about what the direction was going to be. This was 0:02:01.080 --> 0:02:03.120 right after, you know, they had hired Matt Lafleoor, what 0:02:03.240 --> 0:02:05.360 this whole thing is gonna look like. And what it 0:02:05.400 --> 0:02:07.800 came down to is that things are going to be different. 0:02:08.040 --> 0:02:11.640 And I thought this game in particular, really showed what 0:02:11.800 --> 0:02:14.640 the Packers envisioned for this tight end position. In this game. Now, 0:02:14.680 --> 0:02:16.440 it's not like anybody had a hundred yard game or 0:02:16.440 --> 0:02:19.320 anything like that. But when you put together Jimmy Graham's 0:02:19.320 --> 0:02:22.440 thirty catches for thirty yards and a touchdown, tanyans twenty 0:02:22.480 --> 0:02:25.280 eight yard catch, Marcedes Lewis being involved more in the 0:02:25.280 --> 0:02:28.480 passing game all told, six catches for seventy two yards 0:02:28.480 --> 0:02:30.400 and a touchdown in a game in which the Packers 0:02:31.320 --> 0:02:33.120 didn't throw for four inner yards. I mean that was 0:02:33.200 --> 0:02:36.000 almost half of their entire production, a little less than 0:02:36.040 --> 0:02:39.360 in terms of the passing yardage. So this, I thought 0:02:39.480 --> 0:02:42.600 it was a really good indicator of where this offense 0:02:42.639 --> 0:02:45.840 wants to go. Thirty five snaps, thirty four snaps and 0:02:45.840 --> 0:02:51.720 twenty snaps for Graham, Lewis and Tanying respectively. Again, it's 0:02:51.760 --> 0:02:53.359 Week one, what a lot, you know, a lot of 0:02:53.360 --> 0:02:56.160 football would be played out. But from Marsdies Lewis perspective, 0:02:56.200 --> 0:02:57.840 the Packers living up to their end of the bargain 0:02:57.880 --> 0:03:00.320 with the way that they're moving these pieces around. Yeah, 0:03:00.320 --> 0:03:03.840 and Marcedes Lewis almost getting a third reception in that game, 0:03:03.880 --> 0:03:06.880 that back shoulder throw along the sideline from Rogers, really, 0:03:06.919 --> 0:03:10.320 I mean tough catch. Close one almost had it, but 0:03:10.320 --> 0:03:12.680 you almost You get the feeling that if Aaron Rodgers 0:03:12.720 --> 0:03:15.040 is throwing a back shoulder throw in week one to 0:03:15.120 --> 0:03:17.960 Marcedes Lewis, that he's not going to miss it again. 0:03:18.160 --> 0:03:20.360 You know, they didn't quite connect on that one, but 0:03:20.440 --> 0:03:22.240 that might be something we see down the road. Well, 0:03:22.280 --> 0:03:25.000 and Rogers has been really effusive in his praise of 0:03:25.040 --> 0:03:27.400 both Graham and Lewis through the highs and the lows 0:03:27.440 --> 0:03:29.799 of this offense. And he even said, I mean, yes, 0:03:29.840 --> 0:03:32.079 he did have his comment last month during training camp 0:03:32.160 --> 0:03:34.480 about how Lewis came back in phenomenal shape. He end 0:03:34.560 --> 0:03:37.240 up losing about ten pounds. Uh. You know, he's a 0:03:37.320 --> 0:03:39.280 huge leader in this locker room. That was important for 0:03:39.320 --> 0:03:41.200 the Packers and getting back. But even if you go 0:03:41.280 --> 0:03:43.040 back to the end of last season, he was saying 0:03:43.040 --> 0:03:45.040 the exact same thing about Graham and Lewis and his 0:03:45.120 --> 0:03:47.600 belief of what those two guys could do if they 0:03:47.600 --> 0:03:50.880 could get the offense sort of reconfigured and trying to 0:03:50.960 --> 0:03:54.160 determine the best roles for all of these guys. The 0:03:54.200 --> 0:03:56.240 thing that Lewis really likes about the way this is 0:03:56.240 --> 0:03:59.000 working out is you don't necessarily have to run one 0:03:59.080 --> 0:04:00.960 tight end into the round. You don't have to play 0:04:01.000 --> 0:04:04.440 him sixty snaps a game. You can be balanced. There 0:04:04.440 --> 0:04:07.000 can be times where you know, Jimmy Graham's the solo guy. 0:04:07.040 --> 0:04:09.040 There can be times when Louis and Tanian are in 0:04:09.160 --> 0:04:13.040 a two tight end package. So, in from Matt Lafleur's 0:04:13.080 --> 0:04:14.760 perspective when he went to the podium at the end 0:04:14.800 --> 0:04:16.840 of last week, the whole idea of this has been 0:04:16.880 --> 0:04:18.960 what they've talked about all along, is that the more 0:04:19.000 --> 0:04:22.479 packages that you can throw at defenses, the more you 0:04:22.520 --> 0:04:25.200 give them to prepare for. You could very easily come 0:04:25.240 --> 0:04:27.200 out on one series with a two tight end look 0:04:27.200 --> 0:04:30.480 with Louis Antanian, maybe even have Italian the background as 0:04:30.480 --> 0:04:33.120 a fullback and really bring things in. Or you could 0:04:33.120 --> 0:04:35.000 come back all the next series and have Robert I 0:04:35.040 --> 0:04:37.920 should say, Trevor Davis and you know Mark quisveld Is 0:04:38.000 --> 0:04:40.760 scantling out there and really threatened the second level of 0:04:40.760 --> 0:04:44.000 the defense and third level the defense. So that's where 0:04:44.040 --> 0:04:46.000 the Packers want to get this offense. It is a 0:04:46.000 --> 0:04:48.599 work in progress, but I think when you listen to 0:04:48.640 --> 0:04:51.920 Aaron Rodgers words, Matt Lafleur's words, and certainly these tight ends, 0:04:52.200 --> 0:04:54.880 there's optimism about what this thing is going to look 0:04:54.920 --> 0:04:56.960 like when the Packers get it, you know, the way 0:04:57.000 --> 0:05:00.279 they wanted to. Yeah, we certainly saw Jimmy Graham rowing 0:05:00.320 --> 0:05:02.600 caution to the wind, you might say, with that hurdle 0:05:02.800 --> 0:05:05.480 play on on the one reception and he's out there 0:05:05.480 --> 0:05:08.279 battling with the finger injury, but made a couple of catches, 0:05:08.320 --> 0:05:11.680 had the nice touchdown catch. Um to uh to get 0:05:11.680 --> 0:05:14.160 the Packers on the board there in the first half 0:05:14.160 --> 0:05:17.000 in Chicago. Another part of this offensive effort though, that 0:05:17.040 --> 0:05:20.240 we need to talk about because obviously, at this time 0:05:20.360 --> 0:05:23.080 last year when we were talking about the Bears, we 0:05:23.080 --> 0:05:26.000 were talking about Khalil Mack and how he just completely 0:05:26.600 --> 0:05:30.120 wrecked the entire first half of Week one at lambeau Field. 0:05:31.400 --> 0:05:34.279 Mac had a couple of plays in this game. He's 0:05:34.440 --> 0:05:37.279 gonna make his plays here and there, but we didn't 0:05:37.279 --> 0:05:40.440 come out of Soldier Field on Thursday night and get 0:05:40.480 --> 0:05:44.839 on that plane to come home. Um. Talking about this great, 0:05:45.160 --> 0:05:47.960 huge impact that Khalil Mac had in this game, and 0:05:47.960 --> 0:05:51.120 and hats off really to the Packers offensive tackles. Brian 0:05:51.120 --> 0:05:55.200 Bulaga and David baktr Mac lined up, you know, across 0:05:55.240 --> 0:05:58.919 almost anywhere throughout the game, but the Packers held the 0:05:58.960 --> 0:06:01.120 big star in check and that was a big factor 0:06:01.200 --> 0:06:03.680 in Uh. I know it wasn't a great night on offense, 0:06:04.040 --> 0:06:06.279 but as we talked about, Packers didn't turn it over. 0:06:06.560 --> 0:06:08.720 Aaron Rodgers did get sacked a few times, but he 0:06:08.720 --> 0:06:11.279 held onto the ball all that. Khalil Mack was not 0:06:11.360 --> 0:06:13.200 a big factor in this game, and that was a 0:06:13.200 --> 0:06:15.920 big factor in the Packers winning. Yeah, absolutely, Mike, And 0:06:15.920 --> 0:06:17.720 and the thing with Mac is that, I mean you 0:06:17.760 --> 0:06:21.359 see it, five tackles, one tackle for a loss, no 0:06:21.520 --> 0:06:24.919 quarterback hits, no sacks. That's the way you wanted to 0:06:25.000 --> 0:06:27.360 look because if you go back and look at last season, 0:06:28.320 --> 0:06:30.440 it didn't so much happen against the Packers, but there 0:06:30.480 --> 0:06:33.960 were games where Mac completely flipped it on its head 0:06:34.360 --> 0:06:37.400 based on his play by himself. So to keep him 0:06:37.440 --> 0:06:39.120 under control, I think is a big feather in the 0:06:39.160 --> 0:06:41.120 cap of the tackles. And I want to talk about 0:06:41.160 --> 0:06:43.640 quickly just a Brian bolog in particular, because when we 0:06:43.680 --> 0:06:45.960 finally got through everything this weekend, got a chance to 0:06:45.960 --> 0:06:48.719 go back and look at some of those plays. The 0:06:48.720 --> 0:06:53.159 Bolaga is so consistent with how he approaches the game. 0:06:53.400 --> 0:06:57.000 And you know, even keeled, he's been around this game 0:06:57.040 --> 0:06:58.919 for a long time, the way he prepares himself, the 0:06:58.920 --> 0:07:01.040 way he prepares his body, the plan that the Packers 0:07:01.080 --> 0:07:03.640 had for him to get to Week one as healthy 0:07:03.640 --> 0:07:06.520 as possible all the way through the spring and the summer, 0:07:06.839 --> 0:07:09.000 the O T A S and in training camp. Everything 0:07:09.120 --> 0:07:12.400 was planned out in terms of his his snaps, his workload, 0:07:12.480 --> 0:07:15.120 his reps to get ready and stay healthy for week off. 0:07:15.320 --> 0:07:17.200 And I really like that approach because last year, as 0:07:17.200 --> 0:07:19.160 you and I have talked about, it was sort of like, Okay, 0:07:19.240 --> 0:07:21.560 you're trying to get him healthy coming back from the 0:07:21.560 --> 0:07:23.440 A c L, trying to get him some work at 0:07:23.480 --> 0:07:25.960 the end of camp. This year a lot more balanced, 0:07:26.000 --> 0:07:28.920 a lot more pace, And I just felt like that 0:07:29.040 --> 0:07:31.800 performance against Mac and the fact that the Packers were 0:07:31.840 --> 0:07:34.400 able to kind of keep him out of it for 0:07:34.440 --> 0:07:36.920 the most part. It's a volatile defense. There's gonna be 0:07:37.000 --> 0:07:39.480 other areas that are going to stress you, but Mac 0:07:39.520 --> 0:07:41.400 can be the one that really tips everything in the 0:07:41.400 --> 0:07:43.600 Bear's favor, and they didn't allow him to do that. 0:07:44.240 --> 0:07:47.360 From the lagas perspective with where he's at his point 0:07:47.360 --> 0:07:50.640 of his career, taking that approach his health everything to 0:07:50.720 --> 0:07:53.280 have that kind of performance against Mac, right out of 0:07:53.320 --> 0:07:55.560 the gate. I think really is going to be something 0:07:55.600 --> 0:07:58.160 that can be a galvanizing moment for him as he 0:07:58.200 --> 0:08:00.240 looks to now get back in his comfort zone after 0:08:00.280 --> 0:08:02.920 really having to play catch up last season throughout September. Yeah, 0:08:02.920 --> 0:08:04.880 I mean you just you turn on a few snaps 0:08:05.040 --> 0:08:08.440 of the game film from Thursday night watching blog against 0:08:08.480 --> 0:08:11.080 Mac and you can just see the difference in where 0:08:11.080 --> 0:08:14.480 bolog is in Week one this year compared to last year, 0:08:14.560 --> 0:08:18.040 when I mean he made quite frankly, a miraculous recovery 0:08:18.200 --> 0:08:21.200 in terms of the timeline from the a c L injury. 0:08:21.240 --> 0:08:23.240 We had talked about that that he was actually ready 0:08:23.280 --> 0:08:26.840 to play week one, and to his credit, he did that. 0:08:27.480 --> 0:08:30.280 But to go against Khalil Mack in Week one against 0:08:30.320 --> 0:08:33.880 the Bears, he wasn't necessarily fully ready for that, and 0:08:34.120 --> 0:08:37.560 he was absolutely ready for everything that Week one brought 0:08:37.600 --> 0:08:41.319 this time and uh and Brian Bulaga, quite frankly is 0:08:41.000 --> 0:08:44.920 is in a different place healthwise right now September twenty 0:08:45.000 --> 0:08:47.640 nineteen than he was in September. And I think two, 0:08:47.679 --> 0:08:50.400 when the years go on in time passes, people are 0:08:50.400 --> 0:08:52.800 going to appreciate Brian blag a lot more than maybe 0:08:52.800 --> 0:08:55.079 even they do today just for that reason. I mean, 0:08:55.320 --> 0:08:57.280 I agree with you blink your eye like that. And 0:08:57.320 --> 0:08:59.600 he's a ten year vet. He's a guy that's held down, 0:08:59.600 --> 0:09:01.560 that is. And when you use a first round pick 0:09:01.559 --> 0:09:03.559 on a tackle, what do you want to get out 0:09:03.559 --> 0:09:04.599 of it? You want to be able to have a 0:09:04.600 --> 0:09:06.320 guy that you can plug there for ten years and 0:09:06.360 --> 0:09:09.240 not worry about it. He's worked through some injuries, He's 0:09:09.280 --> 0:09:12.160 fought through a lot. But I think you know, ultimately, 0:09:12.200 --> 0:09:13.600 when this thing is all said and done and you 0:09:13.600 --> 0:09:15.480 look at how many games he actually played in for 0:09:15.520 --> 0:09:18.719 the Packers and what he played through, I just I 0:09:19.000 --> 0:09:20.800 think his career is gonna hold up really well. And 0:09:20.800 --> 0:09:23.120 the nice thing for the Packers perspective right now, this 0:09:23.120 --> 0:09:24.360 is a guy who entered the league when he was 0:09:25.160 --> 0:09:27.240 years old. You know, I think there's a lot of 0:09:27.240 --> 0:09:28.720 faith that there's still a lot of tread on the 0:09:28.760 --> 0:09:31.400 tire and this is a guy that could still be, uh, 0:09:31.440 --> 0:09:33.280 you know, a big presence for them at that right 0:09:33.320 --> 0:09:35.440 tackle spot. Well, it's interesting when you look at his 0:09:35.480 --> 0:09:38.439 career because you talk about he has fought through some injuries. 0:09:39.080 --> 0:09:42.000 Long time offensive tackles here like Mark Tauscher and Chad 0:09:42.000 --> 0:09:44.480 Clifton they fought through their share of injuries as well. 0:09:44.840 --> 0:09:46.760 You know, when you look at it in the big 0:09:46.800 --> 0:09:48.480 picture of the grand scheme of things, a lot of 0:09:48.480 --> 0:09:51.360 those guys have had similar careers in that what they've 0:09:51.360 --> 0:09:54.520 had to fight through, but yet gotten themselves to steadily 0:09:54.679 --> 0:09:57.280 play at a really, really high level to to help 0:09:57.320 --> 0:09:59.880 this team. And when an offensive coordinator can trust his 0:10:00.040 --> 0:10:04.520 offensive tackles, that's a that's just a big boost every 0:10:04.520 --> 0:10:07.079 week going into that game planning meeting when he feels 0:10:07.120 --> 0:10:09.240 comfortable with his guys on the end. Yeah, and it's 0:10:09.280 --> 0:10:11.719 a dent injury rate at that position too. I know, 0:10:11.880 --> 0:10:13.679 looking at the game, I was. I watched a lot 0:10:13.720 --> 0:10:15.960 of games on sent on Sunday with us having that 0:10:16.000 --> 0:10:18.760 opportunity to to kind of sit back and obviously not 0:10:18.840 --> 0:10:21.840 work that day, and the one that stood out to 0:10:21.880 --> 0:10:24.440 me was it was the Cleveland game. After it was 0:10:24.440 --> 0:10:28.760 what Greg Robinson got ejected the left tackle for the Browns. Uh, 0:10:28.800 --> 0:10:31.000 they had to move in their their backup tackle. I 0:10:31.040 --> 0:10:34.160 forget his name, Lamb. The third or fourth play that 0:10:34.200 --> 0:10:36.320 he's in the game, they end up getting giving up 0:10:36.320 --> 0:10:39.319 a sack in the end zone. It's a safety against 0:10:39.320 --> 0:10:43.880 Baker Mayfield. The play ends with the the edge rusher 0:10:44.120 --> 0:10:46.720 and Mayfield like collapsing on I believe his name was 0:10:46.800 --> 0:10:50.480 lamb his ankle. And it's just funny to me that 0:10:50.559 --> 0:10:54.079 that position, like sometimes guys get injury labels every single 0:10:54.120 --> 0:10:56.720 it's almost like every single position, every single injury that 0:10:56.720 --> 0:10:59.760 happens at that spot on the offensive line, it's almost 0:10:59.800 --> 0:11:01.840 all always a freak kind of thing just because of 0:11:01.960 --> 0:11:04.760 the randomness of it. So uh to be able to 0:11:04.760 --> 0:11:07.520 have Bolaga there, and certainly with David Baxtr has done 0:11:07.520 --> 0:11:11.160 now in the last six seasons, there's that's a difficult 0:11:11.200 --> 0:11:13.800 thing to be able to accomplish. To have two pillars 0:11:13.840 --> 0:11:16.160 like that in the teams that you see that. Do 0:11:16.400 --> 0:11:19.000 you look at Dallas what they're doing right now, they're 0:11:19.040 --> 0:11:21.520 they're the ones that usually are the ones playing meaningful 0:11:21.520 --> 0:11:24.520 football in December and January. Yeah, well, you started talking 0:11:24.520 --> 0:11:26.440 about week one, and I want to get to some 0:11:26.520 --> 0:11:30.720 more reflections on the opening weekend of NFL football. But first, 0:11:30.800 --> 0:11:35.000 select Cousin Subs locations are now offering delivery. Whether you're 0:11:35.080 --> 0:11:38.280 ordering catering or your favorite sub, they're delivering right to 0:11:38.320 --> 0:11:41.600 you when you order online at Cousin Subs dot Com. 0:11:41.640 --> 0:11:44.920 Cousin subs we believe in better. All right, Well, we 0:11:44.960 --> 0:11:47.199 will spend a good portion of the coming week talking 0:11:47.240 --> 0:11:49.640 about the Minnesota Vikings West, but we certainly have to 0:11:49.679 --> 0:11:52.880 mention here what they did in Week one at home 0:11:53.120 --> 0:11:57.679 against the Atlanta Falcons and absolutely dominating performance against an 0:11:57.679 --> 0:12:01.560 opponent many fields, a playoff contender in the NFC and 0:12:01.640 --> 0:12:05.079 obviously a former m v P quarterback in Matt Ryan. 0:12:05.679 --> 0:12:11.679 Minnesota looked darn good. It was funny. Uh. I didn't 0:12:11.679 --> 0:12:15.520 even realize until the end of the game that Kirk 0:12:15.520 --> 0:12:21.479 Cousins had thrown tent pass. Okay, there's two different storylines 0:12:21.520 --> 0:12:25.040 to this game. One, Minnesota still Minnesota, and it's a 0:12:25.040 --> 0:12:27.120 team that they felt like the underachieved last year. But 0:12:27.160 --> 0:12:29.600 they still have a lot of talent. Dalvin Cook like 0:12:29.640 --> 0:12:31.360 he looks like he's going to be a problem for 0:12:31.400 --> 0:12:33.680 the NFL for years to come, so long as he 0:12:33.720 --> 0:12:36.360 stays healthy. The other thing, though, that I do have 0:12:36.400 --> 0:12:38.800 to at least make mention of, there was a lot 0:12:38.880 --> 0:12:40.559 of hope and optimism that things are going to be 0:12:40.600 --> 0:12:43.400 different for Atlanta's defense this year. I don't know if 0:12:43.440 --> 0:12:46.720 that's necessarily going to be the case, because this was 0:12:46.880 --> 0:12:50.600 as rudimentary of a game is I think that you 0:12:50.600 --> 0:12:54.240 could ask for In two thousand nineteen. You didn't have 0:12:54.360 --> 0:12:57.520 to worry about the downfield pass from Kirk Cousins. They 0:12:57.559 --> 0:13:00.559 made it abundantly clear, We're going to run it down 0:13:00.600 --> 0:13:03.439 your throat. And it's not even like Delvin Cook had 0:13:03.440 --> 0:13:05.880 one kerry for sixty yards. His longest was twenty two 0:13:05.880 --> 0:13:07.960 and he had a five point three yards per carry clip. 0:13:08.600 --> 0:13:11.720 They just could not stop him. And you know, Matt 0:13:11.800 --> 0:13:15.040 Ryan had the two picks, the takeaways and things like that. 0:13:15.120 --> 0:13:18.640 You know, when Minnesota and that Zimmer defense is clicking 0:13:18.679 --> 0:13:21.960 the way it can look. I I think if you 0:13:22.000 --> 0:13:23.920 asked me on Saturday night who I thought would win 0:13:23.920 --> 0:13:25.760 this game, I thought it would be Minnesota. I did 0:13:25.840 --> 0:13:28.240 not expect them to punch the Falcons in the mouth 0:13:28.320 --> 0:13:30.280 the way they did. Yeah, I mean that it was. 0:13:30.360 --> 0:13:33.040 It was a dominating performance by Minnesota and all three 0:13:33.040 --> 0:13:35.520 phases their defense. As you said, they got the sacks 0:13:35.520 --> 0:13:38.520 and the takeaways. I do think a couple of opportunities 0:13:38.559 --> 0:13:40.760 where the Falcons had a chance to get back in there. 0:13:41.320 --> 0:13:45.840 Matt Ryan made some horrendous decisions from um from just 0:13:45.920 --> 0:13:49.040 a for a veteran quarterback and accomplished quarterback to make 0:13:49.320 --> 0:13:52.600 a couple of decisions he made there that that really 0:13:52.600 --> 0:13:54.840 took his team out of the game. But the Vikings 0:13:54.880 --> 0:13:57.400 also had a block punt on special teams. Obviously you 0:13:57.440 --> 0:14:00.400 mentioned the running game with Dalvin Cook and Kirk uSens. 0:14:00.480 --> 0:14:03.440 You know, barely broke a sweat with uh with only 0:14:03.480 --> 0:14:06.960 having to throw ten passes. So three passes in the 0:14:07.000 --> 0:14:09.800 second half. Yeah, well, I mean they were up twenty 0:14:10.520 --> 0:14:12.520 or whatever. Was why would you why would you bother 0:14:12.600 --> 0:14:15.079 throwing the ball and your running backs getting five yards 0:14:15.080 --> 0:14:19.120 to carry? So um but um. But also if we 0:14:19.160 --> 0:14:22.240 look at Week one in the NFC North, a really 0:14:22.280 --> 0:14:25.560 interesting game out in Arizona with the Detroit Lions, it 0:14:25.680 --> 0:14:28.600 was um, t J. Hockenson came on the scene. I 0:14:28.640 --> 0:14:32.280 believe he set an NFL rookie record for a tight 0:14:32.440 --> 0:14:36.840 end debut with a hundred and thirty some receiving yards 0:14:36.920 --> 0:14:39.600 or whatever. So t J. Hockenson, you know, top ten 0:14:39.680 --> 0:14:42.120 draft pick, he will definitely be a guy to watch 0:14:42.200 --> 0:14:48.520 build like that's an NFL tight ends. Yeah, there's there. 0:14:48.600 --> 0:14:50.560 You can see why he was drafted as high as 0:14:50.560 --> 0:14:54.560 he was. But the Detroit Lions four to six lead 0:14:54.600 --> 0:14:56.800 in the fourth quarter, they let it get away and 0:14:56.840 --> 0:14:59.960 they end up in an overtime tie at twenty seven, 0:15:01.200 --> 0:15:04.480 with Kyler Murray, the rookie quarterback for the Cardinals, bringing 0:15:05.000 --> 0:15:08.680 his club all the way back. Um. You know, if 0:15:08.720 --> 0:15:10.720 there is such a thing as a gut punch when 0:15:10.760 --> 0:15:14.120 you tie a game, this is it. Because the Detroit 0:15:14.160 --> 0:15:16.640 Lions had this game. I don't know. I I still 0:15:16.640 --> 0:15:18.400 don't know how you really let it get away. You 0:15:18.440 --> 0:15:21.040 want to know why? It's a big gut punch. Cliff 0:15:21.160 --> 0:15:24.360 Kingsbury was walking to the post game like handshake with 0:15:24.400 --> 0:15:27.480 Matt Patricia with a smile on his face after a tie. 0:15:28.640 --> 0:15:31.240 The sense of relief and the fact that Arizona even 0:15:31.280 --> 0:15:34.480 had a chance to win that game. They had the ball, 0:15:34.560 --> 0:15:36.880 they were driving, they were able to get two first 0:15:36.880 --> 0:15:39.240 downs and it stopped. They end up punting it with 0:15:39.280 --> 0:15:41.720 a with a minute left and overtime. You know, and 0:15:41.960 --> 0:15:43.760 did you see the last play and again they almost 0:15:43.760 --> 0:15:47.200 got I mean Stafford almost thrills the pick on the sideline. 0:15:47.560 --> 0:15:49.720 If I think it was Brock, maybe it was the 0:15:49.760 --> 0:15:52.200 defensive back. If he hangs onto that and steps out 0:15:52.240 --> 0:15:54.480 of bounds with four or five seconds left, they can 0:15:54.480 --> 0:15:57.000 send out the kicker one play and win the game 0:15:57.000 --> 0:15:59.480 in Detroit would have lost. I mean, it's just everything 0:15:59.520 --> 0:16:02.200 that happened from really the beginning of the fourth quarter 0:16:02.240 --> 0:16:03.760 to the end of that game was just was just 0:16:03.880 --> 0:16:06.680 bizarre in a lot of ways. Other you know, but 0:16:06.760 --> 0:16:10.320 it's it's funny, man. The years change, the offenses change, 0:16:10.680 --> 0:16:12.600 things get different. But at the end of the day, 0:16:12.640 --> 0:16:15.560 I mean, Detroit struggled to run the ball again, and 0:16:15.600 --> 0:16:18.440 Matthew Stafford, for his money, for the most part, other 0:16:18.480 --> 0:16:21.000 than that throw late, made some nice throws throughout the game, 0:16:21.040 --> 0:16:23.800 had a solid performance. But I can't think of too 0:16:23.800 --> 0:16:28.720 many instances where one quarterback, oh, beats the other quarterback 0:16:28.720 --> 0:16:32.360 by a thirty five passer rating and yet the other 0:16:32.400 --> 0:16:34.160 quarterback was the one that had a chance to win 0:16:34.200 --> 0:16:36.040 the game at the end. And it's just there was 0:16:36.080 --> 0:16:37.760 just a little bit of a comedy of errors, not 0:16:37.800 --> 0:16:39.840 being able to finish, not getting the drives when you 0:16:39.880 --> 0:16:42.200 needed them. Well, I think this is this is an 0:16:42.200 --> 0:16:45.360 absolute reflection of what the Detroit Lions have been looking 0:16:45.400 --> 0:16:48.400 for for years, which is to find a running game. 0:16:48.400 --> 0:16:50.360 Because if you have a twenty four to sixth lead 0:16:50.440 --> 0:16:52.400 in the fourth quarter on the road, if you can 0:16:52.520 --> 0:16:55.880 run the football with any effectiveness at all, you're gonna 0:16:55.880 --> 0:16:58.720 close out that game. They haven't had a running game. 0:16:58.880 --> 0:17:02.040 They still can't seem to find it. Carry on. Johnson 0:17:02.080 --> 0:17:04.119 was looking like he would be the guy last year. 0:17:04.440 --> 0:17:07.720 He really didn't do much for them yesterday when they 0:17:07.760 --> 0:17:10.080 needed to be able to run the football. Stafford ended 0:17:10.119 --> 0:17:12.640 up with nice numbers, good stats and everything. And as 0:17:12.680 --> 0:17:15.640 you said, if you have a thirty point thirty five 0:17:15.680 --> 0:17:17.920 point differential in the passer rating, that's a game you're 0:17:17.920 --> 0:17:20.719 supposed to win. Absolutely and and to you know, a credit, 0:17:20.840 --> 0:17:23.399 he got to give credit or credits due. Uh. Kyler 0:17:23.480 --> 0:17:26.480 Murray had about as terrible disastrous of a first place 0:17:26.560 --> 0:17:28.520 as you could for a rookie quarterback with those kind 0:17:28.560 --> 0:17:31.159 of expectations. Shook it off. What did he do? He 0:17:31.240 --> 0:17:35.320 found his two biggest weapons, David Johnson and Larry fitz Old. 0:17:35.359 --> 0:17:38.919 Reliable in Johnson just when he's right, how dynamic he 0:17:38.960 --> 0:17:40.760 can be with mixing in what he does as a 0:17:40.760 --> 0:17:44.240 pass catcher. The I'm not you know, I'm not saying 0:17:44.240 --> 0:17:46.399 these are two playoff teams or anything like that. But 0:17:46.440 --> 0:17:48.720 if I'm Kyler Murray, certainly you wanted to finish that 0:17:48.800 --> 0:17:50.960 last drive. You wanted to win that game for the Cardinals. 0:17:51.040 --> 0:17:53.679 But the way he battled back I think speaks volumes 0:17:53.680 --> 0:17:55.960 about a young quarterback and and what he needs to 0:17:55.960 --> 0:17:58.320 do because it wasn't that he just was plays weren't 0:17:58.320 --> 0:18:00.159 going as where he was playing poor. I mean, he's 0:18:00.160 --> 0:18:03.080 getting balls deflected, the line of scrimmages, everything that you 0:18:03.119 --> 0:18:05.320 think of, like as far as what you fear with 0:18:05.359 --> 0:18:08.159 a shorter quarterback. And later on he just started to 0:18:08.200 --> 0:18:10.280 find a way, he got comfortable, he made plays with 0:18:10.359 --> 0:18:13.920 his feet and they were able to uh edge out 0:18:13.920 --> 0:18:16.560 a tie. Yeah. Well, also in Week one you would 0:18:17.000 --> 0:18:19.600 mentioned it briefly earlier the Cleveland Browns. I think if 0:18:19.600 --> 0:18:22.320 there was one result in Week one that kind of 0:18:22.320 --> 0:18:25.160 floored me, it was seeing that the Cleveland Browns at 0:18:25.200 --> 0:18:28.560 home against the Tennessee Titans lost by thirty points. I 0:18:28.600 --> 0:18:30.359 didn't see the game, but I went back and I 0:18:30.400 --> 0:18:33.520 watched the highlights and you mentioned the safety that was 0:18:33.560 --> 0:18:36.560 early on this g This is a fifteen to thirteen game, 0:18:36.920 --> 0:18:40.720 like late third quarter, and then suddenly Tennessee hits a 0:18:40.760 --> 0:18:43.399 screen pass that goes the distance seventy five yards for 0:18:43.440 --> 0:18:47.240 a touchdown, and then Baker Mayfield gets intercepted on three 0:18:47.359 --> 0:18:50.640 consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter. I mean, you talk, 0:18:50.720 --> 0:18:53.600 you talk about a snowball going downhill that just wasn't 0:18:53.640 --> 0:18:56.600 gonna stop. I mean this was this just turned ugly 0:18:56.680 --> 0:18:59.000 for Cleveland. So I actually did I watched this entire 0:18:59.080 --> 0:19:01.399 game um sick because I just was really curious to 0:19:01.440 --> 0:19:04.280 see how the Browns are gonna look. Tony Romo kind 0:19:04.280 --> 0:19:06.600 of pulled the Spofford in it where remember where you 0:19:06.640 --> 0:19:09.240 were like, oh you had Jake Crumero. He hasn't dropped anything, 0:19:09.280 --> 0:19:12.359 and then he like dropped something the very next like practice, 0:19:12.600 --> 0:19:15.600 Romo was like crediting Mayfield, like, hey, you're behind right now. 0:19:15.600 --> 0:19:17.440