WEBVTT - #580 Packers Unscripted: Taking another step 0:00:00.720 --> 0:00:14.600 Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from 0:00:14.600 --> 0:00:18.040 Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spofford, joined as always 0:00:18.079 --> 0:00:21.159 by my trusted colleague Weston hod Kit's coming to you 0:00:21.239 --> 0:00:25.520 here from socially distant locations at lambeau Field and West 0:00:25.520 --> 0:00:28.880 The Packers took care of business in the NFC Divisional 0:00:29.000 --> 0:00:31.880 Playoffs thirty two to eight teen, a victory over the 0:00:31.880 --> 0:00:34.840 Los Angeles Rams to get back to the NFC Championship 0:00:34.880 --> 0:00:38.200 Game for the second straight year. And I'll just start 0:00:38.240 --> 0:00:41.199 with this. We talked last week about the number one 0:00:41.240 --> 0:00:44.080 scoring offense against the number one scoring defense at lambeau 0:00:44.120 --> 0:00:48.000 Field on Saturday afternoon. The Packers scored points the first 0:00:48.120 --> 0:00:51.000 five times they touched the ball against that number one 0:00:51.040 --> 0:00:54.520 scoring defense. That absolutely set the table. Was was a 0:00:54.560 --> 0:00:58.320 tremendous formula for victory for Green Bay. You and I 0:00:58.400 --> 0:01:01.880 are in a street fight. Mike. You are a fantastic 0:01:02.200 --> 0:01:05.760 street fighter. You are very good at defense. I'm a 0:01:05.760 --> 0:01:09.800 fantastic street fighter. I'm very good at offense. If if 0:01:09.840 --> 0:01:14.280 we're gonna meet in that dark alley, lights down low, 0:01:14.360 --> 0:01:17.160 how are you gonna win that fight? You're not gonna 0:01:17.160 --> 0:01:20.039 win it by being passive, aggressive, you gotta go for it. 0:01:20.640 --> 0:01:22.800 That's what I liked about this offensive game plan for 0:01:22.840 --> 0:01:26.200 green Bay. You knew what you were facing, you knew 0:01:26.360 --> 0:01:30.479 how good this Los Angeles Rams defense was. They had 0:01:30.480 --> 0:01:33.959 to just press forward, they had to go north and south, 0:01:34.240 --> 0:01:36.720 and they did that. To me, Mike, this game really 0:01:36.760 --> 0:01:38.959 came down to two things. It came down to Matt 0:01:39.000 --> 0:01:41.880 la Floor looking at that backfield, understanding that you have 0:01:41.920 --> 0:01:44.800 Aaron Jones, Jamal Williams, and a J. Dillon, they're all healthy, 0:01:44.840 --> 0:01:48.760 they're all established, getting them involved early, and really punching 0:01:48.800 --> 0:01:51.320 the Rams in the mouth. In the second thing, the 0:01:51.360 --> 0:01:55.880 Packers offensive line this season, all the adversity that they've faced, 0:01:56.040 --> 0:01:59.360 all the different versions that we've seen of this offensive line, 0:01:59.760 --> 0:02:01.640 they had to come out and set the tone early 0:02:01.720 --> 0:02:04.480 and they did that and everything else was built off 0:02:04.520 --> 0:02:07.600 of that. Devantie Adams had some big moments, Al Lazard 0:02:07.680 --> 0:02:10.280 had a huge catch, Aaron Rodgers played again like a 0:02:10.360 --> 0:02:13.760 National Football League Most Valuable Player. But if Green Bay 0:02:13.760 --> 0:02:16.919 didn't come out and assert their dominance in that first quarter, 0:02:17.320 --> 0:02:20.360 we know the book on Sean mcveigh's team. If they're 0:02:20.440 --> 0:02:23.960 leading after halftime, undefeated underneath McVeigh. If they're up on 0:02:24.040 --> 0:02:27.400 time of possession, extremely difficult to beat. The Packers were 0:02:27.400 --> 0:02:30.240 not intimidated, and because of that reason, I felt like 0:02:30.280 --> 0:02:33.280 they came out and set the tone on their own field. Yeah. Absolutely, 0:02:33.280 --> 0:02:36.239 The running game really set up everything else that the 0:02:36.280 --> 0:02:39.880 Packers wanted to do on on offense before the kneel downs. 0:02:39.919 --> 0:02:41.320 At the end of the game. The Packers had a 0:02:41.360 --> 0:02:45.560 hundred rushing yards in this game, which was about double 0:02:45.639 --> 0:02:49.359 what the Rams had averaged allowing coming into the game. 0:02:49.440 --> 0:02:53.040 And let's face it, the Rams didn't have their great disruptor, 0:02:53.080 --> 0:02:55.800 Aaron Donald. He was not at a percent, not even close. 0:02:55.880 --> 0:02:58.520 Quite frankly, he only played about half the snaps when 0:02:58.560 --> 0:03:00.840 he was in there. Elton Jns handled him in the 0:03:00.880 --> 0:03:04.120 run game, and various double teams and whatnot took care 0:03:04.160 --> 0:03:07.640 of him in the passing game. The Packers rendered essentially 0:03:08.639 --> 0:03:12.640 combined with the injury, rendered the best defensive player in 0:03:12.639 --> 0:03:15.120 the National Football League a complete non factor. And the 0:03:15.200 --> 0:03:18.560 Rams defense simply was not the same, and Green Bay 0:03:18.680 --> 0:03:22.360 took advantage of that even and and Aaron Rodgers didn't 0:03:22.360 --> 0:03:25.000 exactly shy away from throwing the ball at Jalen Ramsey 0:03:25.040 --> 0:03:27.480 here and there as well, whether it was Davantae Adams 0:03:27.480 --> 0:03:30.040 on a slant on the double motion for the touchdown. 0:03:30.360 --> 0:03:33.880 He even hit mvs and Lazard on different plays where 0:03:33.960 --> 0:03:36.720 they were lined up against Jalen Ramsey. So you said it. 0:03:36.840 --> 0:03:41.040 The the aggressiveness of this game plan really really set 0:03:41.080 --> 0:03:43.800 the tone for Green Bay. And it all started. It's 0:03:43.840 --> 0:03:46.520 all started with the run game to set everything else up, 0:03:46.680 --> 0:03:51.000 leading to the play action touchdown past the backbreaker in 0:03:51.040 --> 0:03:53.960 the fourth quarter to Alan Lazard where he slips behind 0:03:54.000 --> 0:03:56.360 the defense on a on a hard cell of a 0:03:56.400 --> 0:03:59.360 play fake by Aaron Rodgers. The Packers go up to 0:03:59.480 --> 0:04:01.800 touchdown halfway through the fourth quarter. And that was all 0:04:01.840 --> 0:04:06.880 she wrote. One time, one time Aaron Rodgers was hit 0:04:06.960 --> 0:04:09.800 in this game. That's it. You mentioned Aaron Donald. You 0:04:09.840 --> 0:04:11.760 gotta play with the game and the players that are 0:04:11.760 --> 0:04:13.120 out there. I'm sure Green Bay would have loved to 0:04:13.120 --> 0:04:15.440 have David Batr and Lane Taylor available as well, but 0:04:15.480 --> 0:04:17.560 that's not the world we're living in right now. You 0:04:17.600 --> 0:04:20.039 have to adjust, you have to adapt. They were able 0:04:20.080 --> 0:04:22.080 to do that. And the other thing is you look 0:04:22.080 --> 0:04:25.400 at Billy Turner neutralizing Leonard Floyd, a guy that had 0:04:25.400 --> 0:04:27.520 ten and a half sacks this season. That's where this 0:04:27.640 --> 0:04:30.719 thing started. And as Rogers got comfortable, Mike, you make 0:04:30.760 --> 0:04:32.760 that big pass to Lazard. You think of that other 0:04:32.800 --> 0:04:35.800 one he had standing in his own end zone, inside 0:04:35.800 --> 0:04:38.440 the pocket, motion all around him. He steps up and 0:04:38.480 --> 0:04:40.600 makes a huge throw. Now it ended up being a 0:04:40.640 --> 0:04:42.839 series in which Green Bay had to punt, but being 0:04:42.880 --> 0:04:45.760 able to get out of that backed up position twenty 0:04:45.760 --> 0:04:48.880 one yards downfield to Lazard. Lazard ends up having the 0:04:48.960 --> 0:04:52.719 drop pass. After that, everybody kind of questioning, Okay, what's 0:04:52.720 --> 0:04:55.280 gonna happen here? The Rams get within seven, you need 0:04:55.320 --> 0:04:58.560 a response. The defense provided it, and Aaron Rodgers in 0:04:58.640 --> 0:05:02.279 that play after building up that offensive look, being able 0:05:02.320 --> 0:05:04.560 to run the offense the way they did in the 0:05:04.600 --> 0:05:10.560 first half help kind of lead to that play to Lazard. 0:05:10.600 --> 0:05:13.120 I was trying to say proceed, but I didn't feel 0:05:13.120 --> 0:05:14.800 like that was gonna be the right word. But be 0:05:15.000 --> 0:05:17.680 that as it may, Mike that we talk all the time, 0:05:17.720 --> 0:05:19.800 and fans probably have heard it, maybe even it's it's 0:05:19.839 --> 0:05:22.839 noise over their head, but marrying the run with the past, 0:05:23.279 --> 0:05:26.800 that play was the example of why the Packers want 0:05:26.880 --> 0:05:29.960 to have everything streamlined together. Because you had the safety's 0:05:30.040 --> 0:05:32.680 cheating up now because now they're thinking, Hey, are they 0:05:32.680 --> 0:05:34.599 gonna run it here? Are we gonna have another eight 0:05:34.680 --> 0:05:37.039 nine yard game here? You need to be able to 0:05:37.040 --> 0:05:39.880 compensate for that. Rogers spots that, and it was funny. 0:05:39.880 --> 0:05:41.719 I didn't get a chance to watch the TV copy 0:05:41.760 --> 0:05:44.520 before I wrote Insider Inbox on Monday, and a fan 0:05:44.600 --> 0:05:48.040 mentioned that, did you hear Rogers shouting over to Alan Lazart. Hey, 0:05:48.080 --> 0:05:51.159 Alan kind of motioning to him, has a smirk on 0:05:51.200 --> 0:05:54.120 his face, and Lazard knew exactly what he wanted coming 0:05:54.120 --> 0:05:56.760 out of the slot, goes down the seam fifty eight 0:05:56.839 --> 0:05:59.720 yards and obviously the biggest play of the game to 0:05:59.800 --> 0:06:01.320 be for the Packers to be able to get the 0:06:01.360 --> 0:06:05.320 response they needed and and hold onto that victory. Yeah. Absolutely. 0:06:05.320 --> 0:06:07.840 On on the defensive side of the ball too, It 0:06:07.880 --> 0:06:10.279 was interesting the way this game unfolded because if you 0:06:10.320 --> 0:06:14.520 look at the rams first six possessions on offense, it 0:06:14.560 --> 0:06:17.000 was sort of feast or famine, right. I mean, three 0:06:17.000 --> 0:06:19.400 of the six possessions the Packers defense got a three 0:06:19.400 --> 0:06:22.840 and out Rams did nothing. The other three the Rams 0:06:22.920 --> 0:06:25.839 got points, So it was it was an all or 0:06:25.880 --> 0:06:28.479 nothing scenario with what the Packers were doing on offense. 0:06:28.720 --> 0:06:31.480 That was a trade that they were willing to make. Certainly, 0:06:31.520 --> 0:06:34.320 the three three and outs by the Packers defense really 0:06:34.360 --> 0:06:37.560 helped Green Bay get the lead, build the lead. And 0:06:37.880 --> 0:06:40.920 here's the two other things I really really liked about 0:06:40.920 --> 0:06:44.160 the Packers defensive performance in this game. One, the only 0:06:44.200 --> 0:06:46.599 time they gave up touchdowns West. They only gave up 0:06:46.640 --> 0:06:48.880 two touchdowns in this game, and when they did, the 0:06:48.920 --> 0:06:51.479 Packers were ahead by two touchdowns. When they gave up 0:06:51.480 --> 0:06:54.120 a touchdown, that's a pretty good formula right there. And 0:06:54.160 --> 0:06:56.880 then the other thing in the fourth quarter, the Rams 0:06:56.960 --> 0:07:00.160 never threatened the goal line. The two big possession is 0:07:00.200 --> 0:07:03.920 one of them, with the Packers only leading by one score, 0:07:04.040 --> 0:07:07.040 and then again afterwards when after the Lizard touchdown, when 0:07:07.040 --> 0:07:09.560 the Packers were up by two scores, the Rams never 0:07:09.600 --> 0:07:14.200 really threatened to score. The Packers defense stood tall. Fortunately, 0:07:14.200 --> 0:07:16.760 on one uh, the Rams had started on their own 0:07:16.760 --> 0:07:18.800 six yard line after a good punt, so even when 0:07:18.800 --> 0:07:20.679 they got a couple of first downs, they still weren't 0:07:20.680 --> 0:07:23.800 even really that close to midfield. Packers defense rises up 0:07:23.800 --> 0:07:26.400 and get the stop. The fourth quarter. The Packers really 0:07:26.440 --> 0:07:28.640 owned it in this game. All the back and forth 0:07:28.680 --> 0:07:32.080 through the first three quarters spelled out as a victory 0:07:32.080 --> 0:07:34.640 in the fourth quarter when when the Packers were able 0:07:34.680 --> 0:07:36.720 to control that final stands up. Yeah, and to do 0:07:36.800 --> 0:07:39.720 my old Dom Capers impersonation. Impersonation, let's start with the 0:07:39.760 --> 0:07:42.040 positives here. I mean, the way that they finished this 0:07:42.080 --> 0:07:44.680 game is exactly the way they needed to. You saw 0:07:44.760 --> 0:07:47.320 Kenny Clark, I felt I I said it last week. 0:07:47.320 --> 0:07:49.720 Your guy for this game was Al Nazard. My guy 0:07:49.760 --> 0:07:51.920 was Kenny Clark. Now, I thought it was gonna be 0:07:51.920 --> 0:07:54.520 more based on trying to stop Acres. As it turned out, 0:07:54.760 --> 0:07:56.520 the Rams just said to heck with it, We're just 0:07:56.560 --> 0:07:59.640 gonna pass. But it ended up being Kenny Clark in 0:07:59.760 --> 0:08:03.560 Rish John Gary, the second year linebacker, the twelfth overall 0:08:03.600 --> 0:08:06.680 pick in the two thousand nineteen NFL Draft, him being 0:08:06.720 --> 0:08:08.680 able to make the strides that we've seen all season 0:08:09.000 --> 0:08:10.920 and then have one of his best games, if not 0:08:11.000 --> 0:08:13.680 the best game, in the biggest moment so far for 0:08:13.760 --> 0:08:17.120 green Bay. I thought those two guys really contributed heavily 0:08:17.160 --> 0:08:19.760 to Green Bay being able to slam that door the 0:08:19.800 --> 0:08:22.080 pass rush. And you've seen it time and time again, Mike, 0:08:22.080 --> 0:08:24.280 when the Packers can get teams into third and long 0:08:24.720 --> 0:08:27.920 third and plus six. They are a different unit. They 0:08:27.960 --> 0:08:30.280 just have that swagger, they have that confidence, and with 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:33.440 them not allowing explosive plays from basically beginning to end 0:08:33.440 --> 0:08:35.480 of this season, it has allowed them to be in 0:08:35.480 --> 0:08:38.520 a position of power in those moments. The one area 0:08:38.520 --> 0:08:40.280 I think Green Bay is probably gonna need to look 0:08:40.320 --> 0:08:42.360 at this week, and Kenny Clark mentioned it as soon 0:08:42.400 --> 0:08:45.080 as the game was over in his postgame news conference, 0:08:45.520 --> 0:08:48.679 you have to figure out this this quick curry up 0:08:48.720 --> 0:08:51.559 offense look that the Rams win too, because you're gonna 0:08:51.559 --> 0:08:55.440 see stuff like that against the Buccaneers. The Rams they decided, 0:08:55.520 --> 0:08:57.400 you know, my whole thought process going in, Mike was 0:08:57.440 --> 0:08:59.679 they're gonna run to set up everything that they do 0:08:59.760 --> 0:09:02.480 with off at some point with getting as many base 0:09:02.600 --> 0:09:04.600 looks as they got, they said, you know what, We're 0:09:04.600 --> 0:09:06.400 just gonna go hurry up. We're gonna spread them out, 0:09:06.440 --> 0:09:08.960 and they had success with that in the first half. 0:09:09.200 --> 0:09:12.000 Green Bay ultimately was able to get some stops, was 0:09:12.040 --> 0:09:14.319 able to do some more stuff offensively that it took 0:09:14.320 --> 0:09:16.520 the Rams out of that. But that's gonna be one 0:09:16.600 --> 0:09:18.439 look that green Bay is gonna have to compensate for 0:09:18.600 --> 0:09:20.959 because this week, and we'll talk about the matchup with 0:09:21.000 --> 0:09:23.840 the Bucks later. But the way that Bruce arians and 0:09:23.960 --> 0:09:26.640 in Byron left which draw up this offense. They will 0:09:26.679 --> 0:09:29.240 throw to get going with the run. And when you 0:09:29.280 --> 0:09:31.839 put the ball in Tom Brady's hands in those circumstances, 0:09:32.120 --> 0:09:34.240 that that's gonna be a difficult formula to solve. As 0:09:34.240 --> 0:09:36.680 it related to this game, though, defense hit all the 0:09:36.679 --> 0:09:38.319 notes you wanted them to hit down the stretch for 0:09:38.320 --> 0:09:41.160 the Packers to win this game. Yeah, defensively, the Packers 0:09:41.200 --> 0:09:44.360 allowed ninety rushing yards from acres, but nothing that was 0:09:44.400 --> 0:09:47.800 that was a backing or a tone setting type of run. 0:09:48.000 --> 0:09:50.800 You got four sacks on Jared Goff, Preston Smith, batted 0:09:50.800 --> 0:09:52.560 down a couple of passes that the line of scrim 0:09:52.600 --> 0:09:55.160 is just a lot of plays that that the Green 0:09:55.200 --> 0:09:58.240 Bay defense made in this game. And certainly, as as 0:09:58.240 --> 0:10:01.120 we mentioned, down down the stretch, the Packers defense did 0:10:01.120 --> 0:10:03.839 not let the Ramps threaten to uh, you know, to 0:10:04.240 --> 0:10:08.640 score there before I forget West Sirius x M NFL 0:10:08.760 --> 0:10:11.960 radio Channel eight is the only radio outlet dedicated to 0:10:11.960 --> 0:10:15.199 the National Football League seven days a week, three d 0:10:15.400 --> 0:10:19.079 sixty five days a year. All Right, Well, this victory 0:10:19.120 --> 0:10:22.480 by the Packers, combined with Tampa Bay's victory at New 0:10:22.600 --> 0:10:28.160 Orleans on Sunday, sets up an NFC Championship showdown Aaron Rodgers, 0:10:28.320 --> 0:10:32.200 Tom Brady, Packers, Buccaneers. It will be Sunday two oh 0:10:32.240 --> 0:10:37.120 five Central time, kick off at lambeau Field. And you 0:10:37.160 --> 0:10:39.240 know we're gonna be talking about this all week West. 0:10:39.320 --> 0:10:42.400 But you look at you look at what happened in 0:10:42.440 --> 0:10:46.280 week sixty eight to ten Tampa Bay victory over Green Bay, 0:10:46.640 --> 0:10:51.000 uh down in Florida. You look at how the Buccaneers 0:10:51.040 --> 0:10:53.559 were able to beat the Saints after losing to them 0:10:53.600 --> 0:10:56.280 twice in the regular season, that the most recent of 0:10:56.280 --> 0:10:59.679 those being a thirty eight to three shellacking on National 0:10:59.720 --> 0:11:03.640 Tell Vision. It comes down to turnovers. The New Orleans. 0:11:03.760 --> 0:11:06.840 The New Orleans Saints were I thought they were in 0:11:07.000 --> 0:11:09.800 They were really in control of that game against the Buccaneers. 0:11:09.800 --> 0:11:12.360 It looked like they were headed for a two score 0:11:12.440 --> 0:11:16.120 lead in the second half. Jared Cook catches the slant 0:11:16.120 --> 0:11:18.400 pass for a first down to convert a third down, 0:11:18.440 --> 0:11:21.400 and then boom, the ball gets punched out and instead 0:11:21.400 --> 0:11:24.360 of the Rams possibly are the Saints, excuse me, possibly 0:11:24.360 --> 0:11:27.480 going up two scores, the Buccaneers from that moment on 0:11:27.679 --> 0:11:30.840 outscored the Saints seven team to zero the rest of 0:11:30.840 --> 0:11:34.400 the game, getting a couple of more turnovers along the way. 0:11:34.600 --> 0:11:37.199 Packers were the best team in the NFL at protecting 0:11:37.360 --> 0:11:42.200 the football, and that is absolutely positively job number one. 0:11:42.280 --> 0:11:45.880 Priority number one comes Sunday afternoon, and honestly, Mike if 0:11:45.880 --> 0:11:47.720 I was standing in front of the room in Matt 0:11:47.720 --> 0:11:49.520 with floor even had to address this because it came 0:11:49.600 --> 0:11:52.560 up several times during his Monday news conference. My whole 0:11:52.600 --> 0:11:55.680 thought would be the one takeaway, the one thing I 0:11:55.679 --> 0:11:58.199 want you to remember about Week six is protect the 0:11:58.240 --> 0:12:01.400 football and take the football away. That was the difference 0:12:01.400 --> 0:12:03.600 in the game. Green Bay came out and posed their will. 0:12:03.679 --> 0:12:06.720 That first quarter picture perfect, exactly what Green Bay was 0:12:06.760 --> 0:12:09.600 looking for. Get up by two scores, you're off and rolling. 0:12:10.000 --> 0:12:12.080 But it was what happened after that's that sort of 0:12:12.080 --> 0:12:14.720 turned the tide of where things went for Green Bay. 0:12:14.880 --> 0:12:16.800 So now you look at this matchup, you go and 0:12:16.840 --> 0:12:18.880 look at what Tampa Bay did, As Matt Lafleur said, 0:12:18.920 --> 0:12:21.280 watching the game with his wife at home, sitting back 0:12:21.800 --> 0:12:23.760 just seeing the lay of the land, of the way 0:12:23.800 --> 0:12:25.800 things are going to shape out. I have a lot 0:12:25.840 --> 0:12:28.400 of respect for Mickey Loomis. I love the way that 0:12:28.679 --> 0:12:31.640 the Saints were built this season. They understood, they made 0:12:31.640 --> 0:12:33.600 a transition about five years ago that you have an 0:12:33.600 --> 0:12:35.679 aging quarterback, one of the very best, a future Hall 0:12:35.679 --> 0:12:37.520 of Famer, but you need to be able to develop 0:12:37.559 --> 0:12:39.360 your defense and you need to be able to find 0:12:39.360 --> 0:12:41.920 ways to help him offensively. So it's just not big 0:12:42.200 --> 0:12:45.480 air raid, downfield passing game. And they've done that, Elvin Kamara, 0:12:45.600 --> 0:12:48.120 all the different weapons that you just talked about. But 0:12:48.200 --> 0:12:50.600 what happened here and it's the lesson that Green Bay 0:12:50.600 --> 0:12:52.439 needs to learn going into this matchup now against the 0:12:52.480 --> 0:12:58.479 Bucks is the Saints came out fast and furious offensively. 0:12:58.800 --> 0:13:01.120 Buccaneers weren't able to do much the first quarter for 0:13:01.200 --> 0:13:04.480 most of the first quarter, but there was something about 0:13:04.520 --> 0:13:07.040 that Tom Brady sneak and he's done it so many 0:13:07.080 --> 0:13:11.560 times over the last twenty one years that when Bruce 0:13:11.559 --> 0:13:13.920 arians shows the confidence, we're backed up, we're inside our 0:13:13.960 --> 0:13:18.000 own thirty five six, we're gonna sneak it because Tom 0:13:18.040 --> 0:13:20.360 Brady is arguably the best in NFL history at it. 0:13:20.800 --> 0:13:23.760 And after that moment, man, they just got rolling in. 0:13:23.800 --> 0:13:27.520 The Saints couldn't stop them. Conversely, when you don't have 0:13:27.600 --> 0:13:29.480 the big arm, you know, and you don't have the 0:13:29.559 --> 0:13:32.560 explosiveness that the Saints have had in the past, you 0:13:32.600 --> 0:13:34.760 have to take more chances underneath. And I thought that's 0:13:34.760 --> 0:13:37.320 what happened with Breese. They just after as you mentioned, 0:13:37.320 --> 0:13:40.640 with that that Cook turnover, they just weren't able to 0:13:40.679 --> 0:13:42.640 play catch up after that. So now here you are. 0:13:43.120 --> 0:13:45.200 This is what the National Football League is all about. 0:13:45.240 --> 0:13:47.080 This is what the NFC is all about. These are 0:13:47.080 --> 0:13:49.320 the two best teams and they're gonna see each other 0:13:49.320 --> 0:13:51.920 at lambeau Field on Sunday afternoon, and I am really 0:13:51.960 --> 0:13:54.000 interested to see the chess match that happens now that 0:13:54.040 --> 0:13:56.480 this game is here as opposed to down in South 0:13:56.520 --> 0:14:00.120 Florida and now being able to see exactly what the 0:14:00.120 --> 0:14:02.240 adjustments are going to be made that Matt Laflour and 0:14:02.640 --> 0:14:05.319 Aaron Rodgers are going to do. Matt Lafloor, he still 0:14:05.360 --> 0:14:07.160 hasn't lost back to back games as the head coach, 0:14:07.440 --> 0:14:09.880 but now he has the rematch here right against Tampa 0:14:09.880 --> 0:14:14.320 Bay in the same season. That's going to be tremendous theater. Yeah, absolutely, 0:14:14.360 --> 0:14:16.560 I mean, it's it's what everybody is going to be 0:14:16.600 --> 0:14:18.960 fired up to watch one last thought on the Saints 0:14:19.000 --> 0:14:21.360 before we move on. If indeed we did see Drew 0:14:21.360 --> 0:14:25.120 brees last football game in the NFL, hats off to 0:14:25.160 --> 0:14:28.240 an absolutely tremendous career. And if you want to have 0:14:28.280 --> 0:14:31.040 any understanding of just how difficult it can be to 0:14:31.080 --> 0:14:33.760 get to a super Bowl, the last four years, the 0:14:33.800 --> 0:14:38.520 New Orleans Saints won forty nine football games in four years, 0:14:38.560 --> 0:14:41.040 and they did not get to the Super Bowl any 0:14:41.040 --> 0:14:43.360 one of those times, and in fact, only made it 0:14:43.360 --> 0:14:47.400 to the Conference championship once in those four years. And 0:14:47.400 --> 0:14:49.200 they should have gone to the super Bowl last year. 0:14:49.200 --> 0:14:52.920 They certainly were robbed in my opinion. But anyway, hats 0:14:52.920 --> 0:14:56.000 off to Drew Brees. And if he is going to retire, um, 0:14:56.040 --> 0:14:58.160 I hope he sticks around the game in some fashion. 0:14:58.200 --> 0:15:01.560 It sounds like that is potentially in the works. But 0:15:01.960 --> 0:15:05.920 Tom Brady against Aaron Rodgers, it's a it's a matchup 0:15:05.960 --> 0:15:09.000 for the ages. That will be Aaron Rodgers fifth conference 0:15:09.080 --> 0:15:12.560 championship game, but first at lambeau Field. As we have 0:15:12.640 --> 0:15:14.920 talked about, he won his first one obviously against the 0:15:14.920 --> 0:15:17.880 Bears on the road. Three straight losses on the road 0:15:17.920 --> 0:15:21.520 at this stage. But now Rogers gets a conference championship 0:15:21.560 --> 0:15:24.400 at home. For Tom Brady, it will be the fourteen 0:15:25.040 --> 0:15:29.720 conference championship game of his career, the first thirteen obviously 0:15:29.840 --> 0:15:33.720 as the quarterback of the New England Patriots. Brady nine 0:15:33.840 --> 0:15:39.000 and four in UM nine and four in conference championship 0:15:39.040 --> 0:15:41.240 games in his career, but three of those four losses 0:15:41.640 --> 0:15:44.640 on the road. He's been a five quarterback in road 0:15:44.720 --> 0:15:47.560 games in those a f C title games with the Patriots. 0:15:47.600 --> 0:15:50.000 So you just you, you, you can't ask for anything 0:15:50.040 --> 0:15:52.400 better here, These these two quarterbacks going to head to 0:15:52.480 --> 0:15:55.320 head with so much on the line, two guys who 0:15:55.360 --> 0:15:57.200 are going to be in the Hall of Fame one day, 0:15:57.480 --> 0:16:00.720 and a matchup frankly that you know, until the last 0:16:00.760 --> 0:16:04.320 couple of years, well yeah, prior to two thousand and eighteen, 0:16:05.120 --> 0:16:07.760 Rogers and Brady had gone head to head exactly once 0:16:08.080 --> 0:16:13.200 as starting quarterbacks. Now and then a second time here 0:16:13.480 --> 0:16:17.960 in the postseason. So, uh, Rogers and Brady, it's a 0:16:18.080 --> 0:16:20.880 musty TV. A few lessons to be learned here, Mike, 0:16:20.920 --> 0:16:22.680 before we signed off for the day. The first thing, 0:16:22.720 --> 0:16:24.400 there's gonna be a segment of the fans that are 0:16:24.400 --> 0:16:26.600 gonna be nervous about that first matchup, and they're gonna 0:16:26.600 --> 0:16:27.800 talk about it all this week. You and I are 0:16:27.800 --> 0:16:29.920 going to see it an inbox. As I keep saying 0:16:29.920 --> 0:16:32.240 over and over again, whether I've tweeted it or whether 0:16:32.280 --> 0:16:35.840 I wrote it. Tampa Bay Buccaneers did not care about 0:16:35.840 --> 0:16:37.720 the regular season when they went into the Super Dome 0:16:37.800 --> 0:16:41.760 last weekend and um pasted the Saints after the Saints 0:16:41.760 --> 0:16:43.480 beat them twice in the last of which was a 0:16:43.520 --> 0:16:47.480 thirty eight to three victory. Not concerned at all. Second thing, 0:16:48.520 --> 0:16:51.320 this is the great moment, right because when Tom Brady 0:16:51.400 --> 0:16:54.760 signed with Tampa Bay, there were some executives at Fox 0:16:54.840 --> 0:16:57.960 or somewhere around the country where they started salivating at 0:16:57.960 --> 0:17:01.720 the thought of Brady and Breeze, Brady and Rogers, and 0:17:01.760 --> 0:17:05.080 they're getting it all in the same postseason run. Uh. 0:17:05.119 --> 0:17:07.399 For Brady and Rodgers. This wasn't the way I wanted 0:17:07.400 --> 0:17:09.560 it to go down. I I really wanted to see 0:17:09.560 --> 0:17:11.720 how I thought we were getting in fourteen. I wanted 0:17:11.720 --> 0:17:14.480 to see a Brady Rogers Super Bowl. This is the 0:17:14.520 --> 0:17:17.040 next best thing, though, to see these two warriors, as 0:17:17.040 --> 0:17:19.920 you said, future Hall of Famers, first ballot gold jackets 0:17:20.440 --> 0:17:23.400 facing off Mano a Mano is going to be a fantastic, 0:17:23.440 --> 0:17:25.920 fantastic game. And also we have to say it, Mike 0:17:25.960 --> 0:17:29.440 because honestly, as many headlines as Brady versus Breeze is 0:17:29.440 --> 0:17:33.560 gonna draw, my Brady versus Rogers excuse me, Nadam, the 0:17:33.640 --> 0:17:36.720 can sue in this long storied history against the Green 0:17:36.760 --> 0:17:39.679 Bay Packers, that again gets brought to the forefront, that 0:17:39.920 --> 0:17:42.720 rivalry that you know, the the history with Aaron Rodgers. 0:17:43.040 --> 0:17:45.640 There's so many things about this that you love. And then, honestly, 0:17:45.960 --> 0:17:48.520 the final thing I want to make either Aaron Rodgers 0:17:48.560 --> 0:17:50.680 going back to the Super Bowl for the first time 0:17:50.680 --> 0:17:54.880 in ten years, or Tom Brady in his first season 0:17:54.880 --> 0:17:58.119 with a new team making the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the 0:17:58.119 --> 0:18:00.919 first team to play a Super Bowl on their home field. 0:18:01.560 --> 0:18:03.280 One of the two things is going to happen, assuming 0:18:03.280 --> 0:18:05.560 that they just don't play forever to avoid a time, 0:18:06.000 --> 0:18:08.600 those two are the scenarios, and it's just it is fantastic. 0:18:08.600 --> 0:18:11.440 It's what the National Football League is all about. Yeah. Absolutely, 0:18:11.480 --> 0:18:13.119 I want to get your thoughts on one other thing 0:18:13.160 --> 0:18:16.520 because we may not have enough time in Thursday show 0:18:16.600 --> 0:18:18.479 to get to it, because a lot of fans are 0:18:18.520 --> 0:18:21.720 asking about this and the Packers just faced as we 0:18:21.760 --> 0:18:23.679 talked about, the number one defense in the league in 0:18:23.680 --> 0:18:26.720 the Los Angeles Rams, and had their way with them. 0:18:26.760 --> 0:18:29.600 For the most part. This Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense is 0:18:29.600 --> 0:18:32.160 no slouch, obviously, But I think the other thing too, 0:18:32.280 --> 0:18:36.119 is this Tampa Bay defense is built very differently because 0:18:36.240 --> 0:18:39.199 the stars of the defense, yes they have they have 0:18:39.280 --> 0:18:42.000 tremendous pass rushers up front, just like the Rams had, 0:18:42.400 --> 0:18:44.919 But the stars of the defense are the inside linebackers, 0:18:45.000 --> 0:18:48.880 Lavonte David and particularly Devin White. Packers had a hard 0:18:48.920 --> 0:18:51.640 time with those guys back in Week six, and though 0:18:51.880 --> 0:18:54.600 that type of caliber linebacker in the middle of field 0:18:54.680 --> 0:18:57.240 is not what the Rams had, the Rams defense was 0:18:57.240 --> 0:19:01.120 was built differently. So just what your thoughts initially here 0:19:01.119 --> 0:19:03.640 early in the week and how the Packers go about 0:19:04.000 --> 0:19:06.919 trying to do what they need to do against a 0:19:07.000 --> 0:19:10.720 defense that is extremely talented but very different from the 0:19:10.760 --> 0:19:12.920 one that they just faced. Devin White was going to 0:19:13.000 --> 0:19:14.479 be a star. You and I didn't have to be 0:19:14.520 --> 0:19:16.960 in the package scouting department to understand that. I remember 0:19:17.000 --> 0:19:19.160 you and I salivating over what the type of player 0:19:19.200 --> 0:19:20.800 this guy is gonna be going at the combine and 0:19:20.840 --> 0:19:23.879 through all that process that's not a surprise. Um, although 0:19:23.920 --> 0:19:26.119 the way that they're using them is really innovative. I 0:19:26.320 --> 0:19:29.439 think that's very exciting. The thing I actually like as 0:19:29.480 --> 0:19:32.679 a football fan is that Lavonte David's finally starting to 0:19:32.680 --> 0:19:34.840 get his his his do I mean, you you talk 0:19:34.960 --> 0:19:37.520 here all the time about people wasting primes. We missed 0:19:37.720 --> 0:19:39.960 Lavante David's. I mean, he's still in his prime. Is 0:19:40.000 --> 0:19:42.320 thirty two years old, thirty one years old. But people 0:19:42.320 --> 0:19:43.840 are finally catching up to the fact that this guy 0:19:43.880 --> 0:19:46.040 has been a pretty darn good linebacker for eight years. 0:19:46.440 --> 0:19:48.679