WEBVTT - #342 Packers Unscripted: Holding their own 0:00:00.600 --> 0:00:20.360 M Hi everyone, Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:20.440 --> 0:00:24.000 I am Mike Spofford, sitting alongside my trusted colleague West 0:00:24.000 --> 0:00:26.960 Hodkowits were coming to you here from our studios at 0:00:27.000 --> 0:00:30.080 lambeau Field. West were another day closer to Packers forty 0:00:30.160 --> 0:00:33.479 Niners on Monday Night football at lambeau Field, the Packers 0:00:33.520 --> 0:00:37.000 only Monday Night game of the year. As we work 0:00:37.080 --> 0:00:39.960 through this week, obviously a lot going on here with 0:00:40.000 --> 0:00:42.720 the Green Bay Packers. One of the things maybe getting 0:00:42.760 --> 0:00:45.720 a little bit lost in the shuffle, is that this 0:00:45.800 --> 0:00:48.640 Packers defense two weeks in a row has actually played 0:00:48.720 --> 0:00:51.559 some pretty good football too. I guess you could say 0:00:51.600 --> 0:00:54.360 even two and a half games in a row since 0:00:54.400 --> 0:00:58.720 halftime of that loss at Washington and uh. I know 0:00:59.040 --> 0:01:01.280 there have been some coverage breakdowns here and there. Nothing 0:01:01.360 --> 0:01:03.360 has been perfect by any means. We'd like to see 0:01:03.360 --> 0:01:05.360 them take the ball away more all of that, But 0:01:05.800 --> 0:01:08.480 in terms of what this Packers defense is doing holding 0:01:08.480 --> 0:01:12.200 the yardage total down fairly well for their opponents in 0:01:12.280 --> 0:01:16.000 recent weeks, Who do you think is the best defensive 0:01:16.000 --> 0:01:18.320 player on this Packers team? Right? There are a number 0:01:18.319 --> 0:01:20.600 of candidates that I think you can point towards, but 0:01:20.720 --> 0:01:23.319 for me, I think it has to be Kenny Clark. 0:01:23.400 --> 0:01:26.400 And I was talking with our producer Marvin uh and 0:01:26.680 --> 0:01:29.319 you know, he was mentioning he also directs The Mike 0:01:29.400 --> 0:01:33.000 McCarthy Show and mentioned that every single week basically Mike 0:01:33.040 --> 0:01:37.559 McCarthy is mentioning the plays and how disruptive Kenny Clark 0:01:37.600 --> 0:01:40.600 has been weekend, and we got We've talked so much 0:01:40.600 --> 0:01:44.000 about Davante Adams. I think defensively, Kenny Clark has been 0:01:44.040 --> 0:01:47.200 that player for them. And what else is really impressive, Mike. 0:01:47.720 --> 0:01:50.400 This isn't in no disrespect to Ryan Pickett, are those 0:01:50.440 --> 0:01:56.200 type of guys, but this isn't your pound, run nose tackle, 0:01:56.320 --> 0:01:58.440 run stuffer. They asked him to do so many things 0:01:58.440 --> 0:02:01.120 in this defense and he's playing a lot, Mike. I mean, 0:02:01.120 --> 0:02:02.720 I was like bringing up the stats in front of 0:02:02.760 --> 0:02:07.880 me here Football outsiders dot Com. Two defensive stats. Defensive 0:02:08.040 --> 0:02:11.960 snaps so far this season. That's the total. That is 0:02:12.000 --> 0:02:15.000 a heavy, heavy workload for a defensive player. And the 0:02:15.000 --> 0:02:17.079 biggest thing is you just it's really difficult to take 0:02:17.120 --> 0:02:20.200 him off the field right now because he's equally as 0:02:20.520 --> 0:02:23.120 dominant against the run as he is being able to 0:02:23.160 --> 0:02:26.440 get inside pressure against the past. So I just think 0:02:26.440 --> 0:02:28.639 you're seeing a young man now at twenty three years old, 0:02:28.800 --> 0:02:31.680 is really coming into his own. The Packers drafted him 0:02:31.720 --> 0:02:34.480 with upside in mind, and and he's really, I think, 0:02:34.520 --> 0:02:37.280 lived up those expectations. And he's also just a quiet 0:02:37.280 --> 0:02:39.519 guy that just goes about his business weekend and week out. 0:02:39.520 --> 0:02:42.560 He's not trying to get on any commercials or billboards 0:02:42.600 --> 0:02:45.200 or anything. Yeah, he's not doing any crazy celebrations out 0:02:45.200 --> 0:02:48.800 there or anything like. Yeah, I have to agree with you. 0:02:48.840 --> 0:02:51.360 I think Clark is the best defensive player right now 0:02:51.480 --> 0:02:54.639 on this team, and I'll be curious to see now 0:02:54.720 --> 0:02:57.919 as the season goes along. I have to believe that 0:02:58.280 --> 0:03:01.080 as the Packers get beyond the bye week and you know, 0:03:01.120 --> 0:03:03.320 they go on this road stretch and everything else that 0:03:03.360 --> 0:03:05.760 we've talked about, I think Kenny Clark is going to 0:03:05.840 --> 0:03:09.000 see a lot more double teams now. Mike Daniels, of course, 0:03:09.080 --> 0:03:11.120 is the guy who has seen those double teams in 0:03:11.160 --> 0:03:13.120 past years and had to deal with those and had 0:03:13.160 --> 0:03:15.720 to make adjustments. Kenny Clark is the guy who's going 0:03:15.760 --> 0:03:18.360 to have to make adjustments because I think the way 0:03:18.360 --> 0:03:21.200 he's playing and what's on film. Teams have got to 0:03:21.280 --> 0:03:23.560 notice it, and they're going they're gonna have to say, hey, 0:03:23.600 --> 0:03:26.919 we can't let number ninety seven disrupt what's going on 0:03:27.040 --> 0:03:29.320 and in the middle of the trenches the way he 0:03:29.400 --> 0:03:33.080 has so consistently. So this is uh, it's one of 0:03:33.080 --> 0:03:35.680 those things where, yes, Kenny Clark is playing great right now, 0:03:35.760 --> 0:03:37.680 you can't just say, Okay, well, he's just gonna play 0:03:37.720 --> 0:03:40.000 like that the rest of the season. Other teams are 0:03:40.000 --> 0:03:42.960 gonna adjust him. The Packers will have to have their CounterPunch. 0:03:43.280 --> 0:03:46.320 But but yeah, what's what's on film right now is 0:03:46.320 --> 0:03:49.400 pretty impressive, as you said, both defending the run and 0:03:49.480 --> 0:03:51.520 in terms of pushing that pocket. And it's a it's 0:03:51.560 --> 0:03:53.960 punch CounterPunch, and I think you've seen some of that 0:03:54.000 --> 0:03:56.240 already with Mike Petton and some of the blitz packages 0:03:56.280 --> 0:03:58.240 he's been using. I actually think the Packer is one 0:03:58.240 --> 0:04:00.200 of the things they've done very well so far. And 0:04:00.240 --> 0:04:02.000 the other part of the season is being able to 0:04:02.000 --> 0:04:04.920 to blitz through the middle of the offensive front. You've 0:04:04.920 --> 0:04:07.320 seen them threatened the double A gap stuff. I think 0:04:07.320 --> 0:04:09.040 it was actually correct me if I'm wronger, But the 0:04:09.120 --> 0:04:11.360 Jermaine Whitehead sack from two weeks ago. I think actually 0:04:11.440 --> 0:04:13.760 did come off a double a gap blitz, or at 0:04:13.760 --> 0:04:15.680 the very least he came up through the middle line 0:04:15.960 --> 0:04:19.039 and was able to get after Josh Allen. That's what 0:04:19.200 --> 0:04:22.720 can help in the in specifically in the dime passing situations. 0:04:22.720 --> 0:04:25.040 Helped take off some of the pressure. They've moved around 0:04:25.040 --> 0:04:27.960 those defenders, those defensive lineman a lot as well. But 0:04:28.000 --> 0:04:31.120 getting back to original points, specifically against the run, that's 0:04:31.160 --> 0:04:32.560 just the thing that he's going to have to get 0:04:32.560 --> 0:04:35.040 comfortable with. He's going to have to know that this 0:04:35.120 --> 0:04:37.080 is what is going to be required to me going forward. 0:04:37.360 --> 0:04:39.400 B J. Raji had to do it, Ryan Pickett had 0:04:39.440 --> 0:04:41.240 to do it, Mike Daniels has had to do it 0:04:41.279 --> 0:04:43.400 over the years and being able to still find ways 0:04:43.440 --> 0:04:46.080 to be effective. It's one thing to break out and 0:04:46.120 --> 0:04:48.400 get that attention. It's another thing to have to adapt 0:04:48.440 --> 0:04:50.080 to it. And that's what the great, you know, real 0:04:50.120 --> 0:04:52.440 Pro Bowl perennial type players do. Yeah, And when you 0:04:52.480 --> 0:04:55.520 talk about a quiet guy who's simply going about and 0:04:55.560 --> 0:04:58.120 doing his job, maybe with out a whole lot of 0:04:58.960 --> 0:05:02.680 flash or fan or Blake Martinez in the middle of 0:05:02.680 --> 0:05:06.080 that defense. Mike Petton during training camp, and when they 0:05:06.080 --> 0:05:07.960 were installing all of this and everything, he kind of 0:05:08.000 --> 0:05:10.719 called that that inside linebacker who's, you know, got the 0:05:10.720 --> 0:05:13.680 communication hel McCullum, the nerve center of the defense, because 0:05:13.680 --> 0:05:17.360 he's the one who's he's gotta make sure the front 0:05:17.520 --> 0:05:20.320 and the coverage in the back end that everybody's on 0:05:20.360 --> 0:05:23.279 the same page and knows what's going on. And and 0:05:23.520 --> 0:05:27.000 so far, I can't say enough about what Blake Martinez 0:05:27.040 --> 0:05:30.400 has done there. I know, statistically, nothing necessarily jumps off 0:05:30.400 --> 0:05:33.120 the page. You expect inside linebackers to rack up tackles 0:05:33.160 --> 0:05:34.640 all that kind of stuff, just like he did a 0:05:34.720 --> 0:05:38.839 year ago. But we're not seeing just you know, flat 0:05:38.880 --> 0:05:44.040 out blown defensive assignments necessarily. And and yes, this defense 0:05:44.080 --> 0:05:46.560 has given up some big plays. I get that, but 0:05:46.680 --> 0:05:50.120 it's not because of just complete communication breakdown. Yeah, I mean, 0:05:50.240 --> 0:05:52.320 you met. You asked me who the best defensive player 0:05:52.360 --> 0:05:54.479 on the team is right now, it's Kenny Clark. If 0:05:54.520 --> 0:05:56.400 you ask me who the most important player on this 0:05:56.480 --> 0:05:59.320 defense is right now, it's Blake Martinez. And it's because 0:05:59.320 --> 0:06:01.880 there's just you can't replace him at this point in time. 0:06:01.880 --> 0:06:04.080 And certainly, if something would happen, they'd have to adjust, 0:06:04.520 --> 0:06:08.440 but his experience, what he offers as a football player 0:06:08.480 --> 0:06:13.040 in the communication skill, those three things are imperative right 0:06:13.040 --> 0:06:15.320 now because Mike, we haven't seen it so much the 0:06:15.400 --> 0:06:18.000 last few weeks. Last week with not having Germaine Whitehead, 0:06:18.000 --> 0:06:19.640 they had to go a little more traditional with their 0:06:19.720 --> 0:06:22.560 nickel packages or in Burke's ended up playing upwards of 0:06:22.600 --> 0:06:25.359 twenty snaps for the first time. But the thing about 0:06:25.400 --> 0:06:27.680 it is Martinez in a lot of situations has had 0:06:27.720 --> 0:06:30.320 to be the only inside linebacker on the field. We 0:06:30.360 --> 0:06:32.800 talk about dime linebackers all the time and playing all 0:06:32.800 --> 0:06:35.000 three downs, Well, he's had to do that sometimes in 0:06:35.040 --> 0:06:37.960 the sub base packages as we continue to call them, 0:06:38.000 --> 0:06:41.880 those hybrid type things where they're going with three uh 0:06:41.960 --> 0:06:45.640 cornerbacks instead of the extra inside linebacker, and he has 0:06:45.680 --> 0:06:47.560 to be the guy making sure that the front is 0:06:47.600 --> 0:06:50.440 tied to the back and everything is is in is 0:06:50.480 --> 0:06:52.520 in line there. I think he's done a really good 0:06:52.600 --> 0:06:54.039 job of that, and the fact that he's still been 0:06:54.080 --> 0:06:57.880 incredibly productive. Actually coincidentally, I know this is probably just 0:06:57.960 --> 0:07:00.560 more of a I don't want to call it a fluke, 0:07:00.640 --> 0:07:02.520 but I mean the fact that he's currently tied for 0:07:02.560 --> 0:07:04.960 the lead right now on the team in sacks with three. 0:07:05.040 --> 0:07:07.239 He had to his first two sack game last week. 0:07:07.760 --> 0:07:10.000 That you're finding ways to have him make an impact. 0:07:10.080 --> 0:07:12.240 And I think the biggest credit to Martinez at this 0:07:12.280 --> 0:07:14.920 point in time is if there's a running back or 0:07:14.920 --> 0:07:17.680 there's a player out in space down the field, Blake 0:07:17.720 --> 0:07:21.080 Martinez is gonna get him. He fits gaps well, he 0:07:21.120 --> 0:07:23.040 knows where he needs to be at all times, and 0:07:23.080 --> 0:07:24.720 if it isn't gonna be him, He's at least going 0:07:24.800 --> 0:07:26.520 to hold up the play until he can get you know, 0:07:26.560 --> 0:07:29.880 everybody else to pursuit and finish. So I just I've 0:07:29.920 --> 0:07:32.000 been really impressed with him and how he's handled this 0:07:32.080 --> 0:07:34.160 role in the fact that he's had to play next day, 0:07:34.160 --> 0:07:37.920 Antonio Morrison, Corey tumor Jermaine Whitehead as I mentioned, or 0:07:38.000 --> 0:07:40.440 in Burke's so many different guys having to fill that 0:07:40.560 --> 0:07:43.560 void with Jake Ryan being out for the year, and uh, 0:07:43.640 --> 0:07:45.840 you know, Blake Martinez has been up for that. Champel Well, 0:07:45.840 --> 0:07:47.960 both of these guys were talking about Kenny Clark and 0:07:48.000 --> 0:07:51.440 Blake Martinez. You mentioned it with Clark already. The snap load, 0:07:51.720 --> 0:07:56.280 the the snap count for these guys both really really high. 0:07:56.440 --> 0:07:59.800 Is this something that is sustainable as the Packers go along, 0:07:59.800 --> 0:08:01.920 are they're going to need to make some adjustments here 0:08:01.920 --> 0:08:04.440 over the course of sixteen games. I think it's gonna 0:08:04.440 --> 0:08:06.600 be tough for him to play the snaps like he 0:08:06.640 --> 0:08:10.080 did in Detroit. Now, they did promote Tyler Lancaster, who 0:08:10.160 --> 0:08:12.119 I think I've mentioned it's probably four or five times 0:08:12.120 --> 0:08:13.920 now if you don't know anything about his story, mic 0:08:13.960 --> 0:08:16.760 wrote a phenomenal piece on him during the off season 0:08:16.880 --> 0:08:19.400 where he comes from, and actually I thought had a 0:08:19.440 --> 0:08:22.440 really good camp all things considered that what was at 0:08:22.480 --> 0:08:25.120 that time a very deep position when Mohammed Wilkerson was 0:08:25.160 --> 0:08:27.880 still in the fold, well he's now on the active roster, 0:08:28.040 --> 0:08:30.800 Mark Montrevius Adams, you know, you look for him to 0:08:30.840 --> 0:08:33.320 potentially get more involved. The Packers have been in a 0:08:33.320 --> 0:08:35.440 tough spot because they've been playing a lot of bass. 0:08:35.800 --> 0:08:38.160 They've been playing a lot of three defensive line packages, 0:08:38.160 --> 0:08:41.079 which puts Clark, Daniels and Lowry on the field a lot. 0:08:41.200 --> 0:08:43.240 But when you're down by multiple scores, the other team 0:08:43.280 --> 0:08:44.959 is going to run the full exactly. You've got to 0:08:45.000 --> 0:08:46.880 get your personnel out there to stop the run and 0:08:46.920 --> 0:08:48.720 get the ball back. So you want to go with 0:08:48.760 --> 0:08:51.600 those guys. It's must win situations, So I get that 0:08:51.640 --> 0:08:54.000 he's playing that much. I would think the Packers would 0:08:54.040 --> 0:08:55.920 like to taper those snaps off over the course of 0:08:55.960 --> 0:08:58.040 the year because you need to keep those guys fresh 0:08:58.040 --> 0:08:59.760 and you want to keep them involved in the inside 0:09:00.040 --> 0:09:01.960 us rush as well. But a lot of it I 0:09:01.960 --> 0:09:04.520 think is going to be determined Mike on guys like Adams, 0:09:04.520 --> 0:09:07.079 guys like land Caster, showing that they can go in 0:09:07.080 --> 0:09:09.920 in critical situations and help pick up that rotation. Yeah, 0:09:09.920 --> 0:09:12.360 all right, I agree with you. There. With with that 0:09:12.520 --> 0:09:14.640 a little bit of sponsored business West, it is time 0:09:14.679 --> 0:09:17.760 to enter the Cousins Subs Best Seats in the House promotion. 0:09:18.040 --> 0:09:19.640 You and a guest could win a chance to kick 0:09:19.679 --> 0:09:22.160 back on the fifty yard line in style. Two pairs 0:09:22.160 --> 0:09:24.880 of lucky Packers fans will be chosen prior to each 0:09:24.920 --> 0:09:27.760 home game for this v I P experience. Enter daily 0:09:27.800 --> 0:09:31.440 now through December sixteen by completing the entry form and submitting. 0:09:31.480 --> 0:09:34.200 For complete rules and eligibility, go to Packers dot com 0:09:34.240 --> 0:09:38.600 slash Best Seats Cousin Subs We Believe in Better. Okay. 0:09:38.800 --> 0:09:42.120 Another topic that continues to come up in our insider inbox, 0:09:42.480 --> 0:09:45.640 my weekly Chat and everywhere else that we try to 0:09:45.679 --> 0:09:49.520 answer fan questions. Is the situation with the Packers running backs. 0:09:49.520 --> 0:09:52.000 A lot of people asking continuing to ask, why isn't 0:09:52.000 --> 0:09:54.200 Aaron Jones getting the ball more? Why isn't he on 0:09:54.280 --> 0:09:57.360 the field more? It was to nothing at halftime against Detroit. 0:09:57.760 --> 0:09:59.920 Jones was hardly on the field in the second half 0:10:00.040 --> 0:10:02.840 as the Packers are basically in their two minute offense 0:10:02.920 --> 0:10:06.280 with with either Montgomery or Jamal Williams as the past 0:10:06.360 --> 0:10:10.600 protecting running back. I'll just say this, I think Mike 0:10:10.679 --> 0:10:14.079 McCarthy on Monday essentially admitted he would like to get 0:10:14.120 --> 0:10:17.840 Aaron Jones the football more. He blames himself for the 0:10:17.960 --> 0:10:21.160 limited opportunities thus far that Jones has had because now 0:10:21.200 --> 0:10:23.680 that he's been in there for a few games after 0:10:23.720 --> 0:10:27.040 missing the first two games, I think Mike McCarthy does 0:10:27.120 --> 0:10:29.680 want to get him the football more. That being said, 0:10:30.679 --> 0:10:33.320 I'll go back to what I said in my chat 0:10:33.320 --> 0:10:35.439 on Tuesday, which is on Packers dot com if you 0:10:35.480 --> 0:10:37.560 want to check it out. I think people are getting 0:10:37.600 --> 0:10:40.360 way too hung up on this. I think the criticism here, 0:10:40.880 --> 0:10:43.520 while some of it may be valid and there's arguments 0:10:43.520 --> 0:10:45.440 to be made, I don't deny that, but I think 0:10:45.440 --> 0:10:49.920 the criticism has gone overboard because when you look at 0:10:49.960 --> 0:10:52.320 the production the Packers have gotten from the running back 0:10:52.320 --> 0:10:54.160 group as a whole, and what is going on with 0:10:54.200 --> 0:10:56.760 the execution of those players and what they're getting out 0:10:56.800 --> 0:10:59.679 of them, the running back position is the least of 0:10:59.720 --> 0:11:02.800 this team's problems. So I don't understand personally, I just 0:11:02.800 --> 0:11:05.640 don't understand why the criticism of this has gotten to 0:11:05.720 --> 0:11:09.640 such a height When the penalties, the protecting the football, 0:11:09.679 --> 0:11:13.200 the turnover margin, the drop passes, some blown coverages in 0:11:13.240 --> 0:11:16.880 the secondary, those are the things that would change the 0:11:16.920 --> 0:11:20.600 outcome against Washington and against Detroit, not the usage of 0:11:20.600 --> 0:11:24.000 Aaron Jones. Just my opinion. I just think this is 0:11:24.080 --> 0:11:26.320 this is something that has taken on a life of 0:11:26.360 --> 0:11:30.240 its own, and the Packers have far more important issues 0:11:30.280 --> 0:11:32.560 that they need to focus on right now than what's 0:11:32.600 --> 0:11:34.719 going on and running. I agree with Mike, and I 0:11:34.800 --> 0:11:36.120 think you and I touched on this a little bit 0:11:36.120 --> 0:11:38.120 earlier this week, but I want to revisit one thing here, 0:11:38.160 --> 0:11:41.080 going back to this game on Sunday, Packers and the Lions. 0:11:41.160 --> 0:11:44.319 Lions won this game. If you haven't heard, carry on 0:11:44.440 --> 0:11:47.480 Johnson had twelve carries for seventy yards. He averaged five 0:11:47.520 --> 0:11:50.920 point eight yards of carry in that game, and I 0:11:50.960 --> 0:11:52.920 think now is still averaging like six six and a 0:11:52.960 --> 0:11:55.360 half yards of carry on the season. Like Garrett Blunt 0:11:55.400 --> 0:11:57.520 had the same amount of carries. He had twelve carries 0:11:57.559 --> 0:12:00.160 for twenty two yards and two touchdowns. I don't hear 0:12:00.160 --> 0:12:02.480 any chirping right now out of the Detroit Lions. Their 0:12:02.520 --> 0:12:05.760 media core, their fan base, their coaches. They understand that 0:12:05.800 --> 0:12:09.040 guys have roles. The part that I've had a difficult 0:12:09.040 --> 0:12:11.080 time to ciphering, I think it also it ultimately just 0:12:11.080 --> 0:12:13.440 comes down to wins and losses. When you win, people 0:12:13.480 --> 0:12:15.800 don't question things. When you lose, people do. It's just 0:12:15.840 --> 0:12:17.480 the way that this business works. It's the way that 0:12:17.520 --> 0:12:22.200 any professional sports league or amateur college sports league works. Here. 0:12:22.320 --> 0:12:26.679 Here's the thing, Aaron Jones is dynamic. I mean, you know, 0:12:26.720 --> 0:12:29.520 I wrote probably as many articles as anybody on the 0:12:29.520 --> 0:12:32.280 beat last year on Aaron Jones. Right. I covered every 0:12:32.280 --> 0:12:35.280 inch of his family's history. For the most part, love 0:12:35.320 --> 0:12:38.360 Aaron Jones, great football player. But I what I don't 0:12:38.440 --> 0:12:41.400 understand is, like we talked about this twenty four and nothing, 0:12:41.440 --> 0:12:44.360 they're trailing at halftime, and you start seeing these tweets 0:12:44.400 --> 0:12:46.480 in the day after, and it's it's mostly from a 0:12:46.559 --> 0:12:48.760 national perspective. I'm guessing people that were just looking at 0:12:48.760 --> 0:12:52.120 box scores and making their own analysis from there. Aaron 0:12:52.200 --> 0:12:54.040 Jones didn't have a cary in the second half. Things 0:12:54.080 --> 0:12:57.720 like that. Since day one, Aaron Jones himself has said, 0:12:57.760 --> 0:13:00.200 we all have roles, we all do something well in 0:13:00.240 --> 0:13:04.320 this offense. Well, it just happens to be that Jamal Williams, 0:13:04.360 --> 0:13:06.200 I think everybody would agree at this point in time, 0:13:06.240 --> 0:13:08.720 is their best pass blocker. I think everybody that would 0:13:08.760 --> 0:13:11.480 agree in their two minute offense time, Montgomery is their 0:13:11.520 --> 0:13:13.760 best option there because you can use them in so 0:13:13.760 --> 0:13:15.559 many different ways. You can flank him out and he's 0:13:15.559 --> 0:13:18.360 a receiver, he's not a decoy, he's a receiver. You 0:13:18.360 --> 0:13:20.000 can keep him in the backfield, you can motion them, 0:13:20.040 --> 0:13:22.040 see what they're gonna do, how they're going to disguise 0:13:22.080 --> 0:13:24.800 their defense, and Aaron Jones can do those things too. 0:13:25.280 --> 0:13:28.080 But for my money, with everything else that went wrong 0:13:28.080 --> 0:13:30.280 in that game against Detroit, at no point in time, 0:13:30.320 --> 0:13:33.120 I didn't write about everyone eleven hunderword notebook. I didn't 0:13:33.120 --> 0:13:35.560 even touch on the running backs, because at no point 0:13:35.600 --> 0:13:37.520 in time was I going, man, why are they not 0:13:37.640 --> 0:13:40.120 feeding Aaron Jones the ball? I'm thinking they need a 0:13:40.920 --> 0:13:43.920 thirty yard chunk play to get the ball moving downfield. 0:13:44.040 --> 0:13:45.520 If you want to talk about the beginning of the 0:13:45.520 --> 0:13:47.960 game and how you're utilizing him, fine, but you at 0:13:48.040 --> 0:13:50.640 least have to acknowledge the point in which the Packers 0:13:50.679 --> 0:13:53.080 were in that game against the Lions and where the 0:13:53.120 --> 0:13:55.800 situation was at. It's a situation that screened for Jamal 0:13:55.840 --> 0:13:58.679 Williams and Time Montgomery. It just did. Yeah. And this 0:13:58.760 --> 0:14:00.360 is the other thing too, the fact that it was 0:14:00.360 --> 0:14:02.360 twenty four to nothing at the start of the second half. 0:14:02.400 --> 0:14:05.640 The Packers drive down and get a touchdown. If you 0:14:05.720 --> 0:14:08.480 don't get the two point conversion there and it's twenty 0:14:08.480 --> 0:14:10.880 four to six, it's still a three score game. I mean, 0:14:10.920 --> 0:14:13.040 it was only a two score game, and barely a 0:14:13.080 --> 0:14:16.280 two score game because they got the two point conversion. 0:14:16.280 --> 0:14:20.320 It's twenty four to eight. You still you can't you 0:14:20.360 --> 0:14:22.560 can't play the game as though, Okay, we just need 0:14:22.600 --> 0:14:25.040 to score two more touchdowns and we're gonna get this 0:14:25.080 --> 0:14:27.040 thing tied up. Because if you miss one two point 0:14:27.080 --> 0:14:29.320 conversion along the way, which the Packers did on their 0:14:29.360 --> 0:14:33.120 second touchdown. You haven't necessarily closed the gap as much 0:14:33.120 --> 0:14:35.200 as you would have liked. So, um, I think you 0:14:35.240 --> 0:14:36.920 and I are on the same page here. And as 0:14:36.960 --> 0:14:40.400 I've said before, I'm not I'm not sitting here to 0:14:40.400 --> 0:14:43.200 to be a Mike McCarthy apologist for the criticism that 0:14:43.240 --> 0:14:45.520 he's getting here. I've given my opinion on this and 0:14:45.520 --> 0:14:49.240 and it is my own opinion. I completely understand what 0:14:49.400 --> 0:14:51.600 the Packers are doing here with their running backs and 0:14:51.600 --> 0:14:55.840 the utilization and how the game situations have dictated this, 0:14:56.000 --> 0:14:58.360 and they're just so there are so many other issues, 0:14:58.360 --> 0:15:00.320 and it's why Mike McCarthy continues to go to the 0:15:00.320 --> 0:15:03.080 podium and talk about penalties and protecting the ball and 0:15:03.120 --> 0:15:06.320 turnover margin and all these things, because at the end 0:15:06.320 --> 0:15:08.160 of the at the end of the day, West in Detroit, 0:15:08.360 --> 0:15:10.960 twelve penalties and minus three in turnovers is why you 0:15:11.000 --> 0:15:13.400 lost the football game. And none of that had anything 0:15:13.440 --> 0:15:15.800 to do with the utilization of the running backs. Not 0:15:15.880 --> 0:15:17.360 like any of the running backs put it on the ground. 0:15:17.360 --> 0:15:18.880 It's not like any of the running backs you know, 0:15:19.440 --> 0:15:21.960 messed up their opportunity. I mean time Montgomery, you see 0:15:22.000 --> 0:15:24.520 what he Offers as a receiver. He did it against Buffalo. 0:15:24.640 --> 0:15:26.240 He did it again in this game with the twenty 0:15:26.240 --> 0:15:28.240 three yard catch. You want to have those guys integrated 0:15:28.240 --> 0:15:30.680 in the offense. You know. People and also are using 0:15:30.680 --> 0:15:33.280 this thing about the four straight runs that Jones had 0:15:33.280 --> 0:15:34.720 and I think it end up going for thirty seven 0:15:34.760 --> 0:15:36.920 yards or something like that. At that point the game, 0:15:36.960 --> 0:15:39.360 that was critical, I thought with that, with how the 0:15:39.360 --> 0:15:42.160 passing game was struggling, they just had back to back 0:15:42.280 --> 0:15:44.600 or it was close to it with the fumbles giving 0:15:44.640 --> 0:15:47.600 the ball back. You needed to establish another threat against 0:15:47.600 --> 0:15:50.720 that defense. And they did it there right, But then 0:15:50.800 --> 0:15:53.200 then the problem is the four straight carries for thirty 0:15:53.240 --> 0:15:55.640 seven yards. Like I said, so Jones needs to come 0:15:55.640 --> 0:15:57.960 out for a breather. So you call play action on 0:15:58.000 --> 0:16:01.000 the next on the next first and ten, and they 0:16:01.040 --> 0:16:03.400 missed the blitzing linebacker coming right up the middle. He 0:16:03.440 --> 0:16:05.520 completely recks the play and Rogers has to throw it 0:16:05.560 --> 0:16:07.920 away and then you're in second and ten. Well, yeah, 0:16:07.960 --> 0:16:10.640 I mean, he just ran the ball four straight times. 0:16:10.680 --> 0:16:12.680 He needs to step out for a play. Well, when 0:16:12.680 --> 0:16:14.640 he steps out for a play, the other guy, I mean, 0:16:14.760 --> 0:16:17.840 you still need to execute the next play. It wasn't executed, 0:16:17.880 --> 0:16:19.720 and it threw off the whole sequence, in the whole 0:16:19.800 --> 0:16:21.720 rhythm of what the offense was doing. Like I said, 0:16:21.880 --> 0:16:24.440 the part I think is the most interesting is the 0:16:24.480 --> 0:16:26.880 Packers in the Lions use their running backs. I said 0:16:26.880 --> 0:16:30.200 it going into this game. They have very complimentary parallel 0:16:30.280 --> 0:16:33.560 running back back fields. They use them the same way. 0:16:33.680 --> 0:16:36.840 There is no discussion about whatsoever in Detroit right now. Well, 0:16:36.840 --> 0:16:39.040 why didn't carry On Johnson get the ball every single play? 0:16:39.040 --> 0:16:41.480 Why didn't carry On Johnson get the goal line carries? 0:16:41.720 --> 0:16:44.880 Doesn't matter right now because the Lions won. When you win, 0:16:45.280 --> 0:16:48.760 everything's hunky dorry. When you lose, people ask questions. That 0:16:48.800 --> 0:16:51.000 was ultimately the difference between how these two back fields 0:16:51.000 --> 0:16:53.880 are utiflized and not much different. Yeah. Alright, Well, as 0:16:53.880 --> 0:16:56.120 we head into a weekend here where Packers fans have 0:16:56.160 --> 0:16:59.840 to wait until Monday to see the Green Bay Packers play, 0:17:00.160 --> 0:17:02.600 it's a pretty big weekend in Wisconsin sports, and I 0:17:02.600 --> 0:17:05.560 want to start with the college football team, which is 0:17:05.560 --> 0:17:08.639 the Wisconsin Badgers. On Saturday night, they are headed to 0:17:09.119 --> 0:17:12.000 the Big House. As they say in ann Arbor. It's 0:17:12.000 --> 0:17:15.320 a big football game for Wisconsin. The more time goes 0:17:15.400 --> 0:17:18.159 by the worst. The loss to be why you looks 0:17:18.280 --> 0:17:22.119 as b y. You got pasted by Washington and then 0:17:22.160 --> 0:17:26.160 they got pasted by Utah State where my son attends college. 0:17:26.400 --> 0:17:28.640 So that loss to be why you continues to look worse. 0:17:28.680 --> 0:17:30.679 But the Badgers have bounced back with a road win 0:17:30.800 --> 0:17:33.240 at Iowa, very tough place to play in prime time. 0:17:34.000 --> 0:17:36.480 They got the win uh last week and then now 0:17:36.640 --> 0:17:40.320 going into prime time at Michigan. And these two games 0:17:40.359 --> 0:17:44.200 these last couple of years Paul Chris Jim Harbaugh Wisconsin 0:17:44.200 --> 0:17:48.280 against Michigan, these have been low scoring, defensive slug fests, 0:17:48.280 --> 0:17:50.960 so to speak. Could be a really really interesting football 0:17:50.960 --> 0:17:53.399 game Saturday night. Yeah, it will be. And also I 0:17:53.400 --> 0:17:55.720 think an important test too for the pack. For excuse me, 0:17:55.720 --> 0:17:58.200 I'm so caught on the pack for the Badgers defense, 0:17:58.440 --> 0:18:00.119 because you know, they have given up some points at 0:18:00.119 --> 0:18:02.119 different points in this season. I think they've had to 0:18:02.160 --> 0:18:04.120 do things a little bit differently this year, even though 0:18:04.160 --> 0:18:05.399 I think a lot of people have. You know, they 0:18:05.440 --> 0:18:07.280 put them right up there in discussion at the beginning 0:18:07.280 --> 0:18:09.919 of the year as being a potential playoff teams. So 0:18:10.359 --> 0:18:12.879 they they've had to win in different fashions. They have 0:18:12.960 --> 0:18:14.680 to you know, they have a quarterback now that I 0:18:14.720 --> 0:18:17.560 think they trust at this point in his career to 0:18:17.560 --> 0:18:20.159 to make plays, which historically it's been more based around 0:18:20.200 --> 0:18:23.520 just run the ball until you can't run it anymore. Uh. 0:18:23.520 --> 0:18:25.720 And defensively, they got to pick themselves up. So it's 0:18:25.720 --> 0:18:27.960 gonna be a great game. I'm excited. I don't know 0:18:28.000 --> 0:18:29.360 how much of it I'm gonna be able to catch, 0:18:29.400 --> 0:18:32.760 but uh, certainly Jim Harbaugh in the Wolverines, it's it's 0:18:32.760 --> 0:18:35.720 gonna be probably their biggest test in this conference. Yeah, well, 0:18:35.720 --> 0:18:37.879