WEBVTT - #320 Packers Unscripted: More of the aftermath 0:00:00.800 --> 0:00:20.959 Hi, everyone, Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:20.960 --> 0:00:23.640 I am Mike Spofford, joined by the one and only 0:00:23.720 --> 0:00:26.320 Wes Hodkuitz. We're coming to you here from our studios 0:00:26.760 --> 0:00:29.920 at lambeau Field and West. The subject on everybody's mind 0:00:30.000 --> 0:00:32.920 now a couple of days removed from the great comeback 0:00:32.960 --> 0:00:36.080 over the Bears is what is the status of Aaron Rodgers. 0:00:36.760 --> 0:00:39.720 And in this segment we'll call the Aaron Rodgers Update, 0:00:39.720 --> 0:00:43.239 it's actually the Aaron Rodgers non update because Mike McCarthy 0:00:43.280 --> 0:00:47.640 on Monday didn't have all the injury information. They're still 0:00:47.880 --> 0:00:51.959 trying to figure out exactly what the situation is with 0:00:52.120 --> 0:00:55.000 Rogers and that knee. So it's going to be a 0:00:55.160 --> 0:00:57.400 wait and see type of thing all week long the 0:00:57.440 --> 0:00:59.680 way it sounds, Yeah, and we'll we'll get a better 0:00:59.760 --> 0:01:02.920 feel for how Rogers is feeling. I'm guessing on Wednesday, 0:01:03.240 --> 0:01:05.160 that's typically been the data in the regular season, which 0:01:05.160 --> 0:01:07.600 he addresses the media. Uh, and we'll see what his 0:01:07.640 --> 0:01:11.200 participation is going to be. Like Mike McCarthy mentioned, you know, 0:01:11.280 --> 0:01:14.720 Deshaun Kaiser, probably regardless of what however, Sunday and Folds 0:01:14.720 --> 0:01:16.800 will probably take a lot of work this week, take 0:01:16.840 --> 0:01:18.600 a lot of reps. Maybe some of that trickles down 0:01:18.640 --> 0:01:22.000 to Tim Boyle as well. We'll see. But that being said, 0:01:22.680 --> 0:01:24.839 it seems to me, Mike everybody obviously wants to rush 0:01:24.880 --> 0:01:28.240 to conclusions. They want to know everything now the minute 0:01:28.800 --> 0:01:31.200 that they want to know it. The one thing I 0:01:31.200 --> 0:01:33.319 would caution people to do because I saw some people 0:01:33.360 --> 0:01:35.760 taking what McCarthy had said on Monday, and you know, 0:01:35.800 --> 0:01:38.160 saying this is a red flag. If you know anything 0:01:38.200 --> 0:01:40.560 about Mike McCarthy the way he handles this thing. He's 0:01:40.560 --> 0:01:44.080 not giving injury report on Monday. So regardless of how 0:01:44.120 --> 0:01:46.680 this week plays out or whether or not Rogers plays 0:01:46.720 --> 0:01:49.200 on Sunday, it's not going to be based upon the 0:01:49.240 --> 0:01:51.960 information that Mike McCarthy has on Monday, the day after 0:01:52.000 --> 0:01:54.320 the game. It's gonna be after seeing where this whole 0:01:54.320 --> 0:01:58.160 week takes them. Certainly, Rodgers made his voice known after 0:01:58.160 --> 0:02:01.040 the game he fully intends to play against Minnesota, but 0:02:01.080 --> 0:02:03.080 there certainly is a bigger picture in play as well. 0:02:03.600 --> 0:02:05.760 I think the biggest positive you can draw from this 0:02:05.840 --> 0:02:07.880 is the fact that he did finish that game and 0:02:07.920 --> 0:02:09.880 he was able to run back out on the field. 0:02:10.440 --> 0:02:12.760 That at least I would hope you would think would 0:02:12.760 --> 0:02:15.639 alleviate some of the long term concerns. But certainly it's 0:02:15.639 --> 0:02:17.520 about making sure that Aaron Rodgers is healthy for a 0:02:17.520 --> 0:02:20.080 full fifteen weeks the rest of the season. Yeah, and 0:02:20.120 --> 0:02:22.119 I don't want to put the card before the horse here, 0:02:22.160 --> 0:02:24.040 but this is kind of looking to me like one 0:02:24.040 --> 0:02:27.200 of those weeks where the quarterback may not practice at all, 0:02:27.400 --> 0:02:29.800 or if he practices, it could be very little, and 0:02:29.840 --> 0:02:33.360 then the Packers will just decide as things get close 0:02:33.400 --> 0:02:35.640 to game time whether or not he goes. There was 0:02:35.680 --> 0:02:40.600 an incident, a similar incidence, I meant to say, back 0:02:40.600 --> 0:02:42.640 in two thousand and eight, his first year as a starter, 0:02:42.720 --> 0:02:46.200 he had a shoulder injury. Packers had the Atlanta Falcons 0:02:46.240 --> 0:02:50.160 coming here to lambeau Field. Rogers really didn't practice during 0:02:50.200 --> 0:02:52.080 the week, and they took him down to the Hudson 0:02:52.160 --> 0:02:55.640 Center on Sunday morning before they needed to make the 0:02:55.639 --> 0:02:58.080 final decision as to whether he would be active or 0:02:58.080 --> 0:03:00.320 inactive for the game. They had him throw some asses 0:03:00.320 --> 0:03:02.200 and they're like, all right, you know, good to go. Now. 0:03:02.440 --> 0:03:04.359 The Packers ended up not winning that game. It was 0:03:04.400 --> 0:03:07.399 a close game. Whatever. It was ten years ago, but 0:03:07.400 --> 0:03:11.000 but even back then, Aaron Rodgers went out and gave 0:03:11.000 --> 0:03:12.680 his team a chance to win when he didn't even 0:03:12.720 --> 0:03:14.600 practice right, And if correct me, if I'm wrong, Mike, 0:03:14.639 --> 0:03:16.600 was he doubtful for that game? I'm trying to remember. 0:03:17.600 --> 0:03:19.840 I feel like his designation might have even been doubtful 0:03:19.840 --> 0:03:22.200 because I think that's one of only like two instances 0:03:22.840 --> 0:03:25.000 over the last you know, ten twelve years where that's 0:03:25.000 --> 0:03:27.880 actually happened where he guys played after that designation. Be 0:03:28.000 --> 0:03:30.639 that as it may. Uh, Yeah, Rogers is gonna do 0:03:30.720 --> 0:03:33.200 whatever he can to be out there. Certainly, we know this. 0:03:33.280 --> 0:03:36.160 It's well documented. He's the most competitive player in that 0:03:36.200 --> 0:03:39.120 locker room, if not the planet. So he's gonna want 0:03:39.120 --> 0:03:40.800 to be there. He's gonna want to rally the troops 0:03:40.800 --> 0:03:43.320 like he did in the second half. But again, there 0:03:43.400 --> 0:03:45.640 is a big, bigger picture in play, and when they 0:03:45.680 --> 0:03:48.280 go through Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and even into that final 0:03:48.320 --> 0:03:50.800 practice on Saturday, and the things the Packers do to 0:03:50.800 --> 0:03:53.720 get ready for game time, those are all factors are 0:03:53.720 --> 0:03:55.400 going to have to take an account before they get 0:03:55.440 --> 0:03:58.119 to you know, Sunday afternoon. Yeah, well, before we get 0:03:58.160 --> 0:04:00.040 to some other topics. I want to take care of 0:04:00.040 --> 0:04:03.200 a little sponsored business Here enter the Cousin Subs Best 0:04:03.240 --> 0:04:05.360 Seats in the House promotion. You and a guest could 0:04:05.360 --> 0:04:07.680 win a chance to kick back on the fifty yard 0:04:07.680 --> 0:04:09.960 line in style. Two pairs of lucky Packers fans will 0:04:10.000 --> 0:04:12.560 be chosen prior to each home game for this v 0:04:12.640 --> 0:04:16.000 i P experience. Enter daily now through December sixteen by 0:04:16.040 --> 0:04:19.800 completing the entry form and submitting. For complete rules and eligibility, 0:04:19.960 --> 0:04:23.320 go to Packers dot com slash Best Seats Cousins Subs 0:04:23.880 --> 0:04:27.000 We Believe in Better? Okay. A couple of things left 0:04:27.040 --> 0:04:30.599 over somewhat from the discussion of Sunday Night's big victory 0:04:30.640 --> 0:04:34.040 by the Packers. There's been a lot of talk, obviously 0:04:34.120 --> 0:04:37.080 of Clay Matthews roughing the passer call on the initial 0:04:37.160 --> 0:04:40.640 fourth down when the Bears were trailing there by a 0:04:40.680 --> 0:04:45.000 point late in the game. He's taken responsibility for it. 0:04:45.040 --> 0:04:48.279 He knows he shouldn't have done it. Um, Mike McCarthy said, hey, 0:04:48.320 --> 0:04:50.640 we have to be smarter there. Everybody knows it was 0:04:50.800 --> 0:04:54.600 it was a bad play. The larger concern from my standpoint, 0:04:54.920 --> 0:04:57.719 is that the Packers had three roughing the passer penalties 0:04:57.760 --> 0:05:00.400 in this game. Now, I thought the one on mat Views. 0:05:00.560 --> 0:05:03.360 Even though Clay said after the game he thought, well, 0:05:03.400 --> 0:05:05.760 maybe in past years that's a warning they're flagging it. 0:05:05.839 --> 0:05:08.880 This year, I thought his quite frankly, was pretty obvious. 0:05:09.400 --> 0:05:12.360 The ones that were called on Wilkerson and Perry earlier 0:05:12.360 --> 0:05:14.919 in the game, especially the one on Wilkerson, to me, 0:05:15.080 --> 0:05:18.719 I thought was really really questionable. I I I'm telling 0:05:18.760 --> 0:05:20.479 you Wes that, you know, we talked a lot about 0:05:20.520 --> 0:05:23.119 the helmet rule and all this other kind of stuff 0:05:23.160 --> 0:05:26.000 and the flags that were flying in the preseason. If 0:05:26.200 --> 0:05:28.760 those types of plays like Wilkerson had, if those are 0:05:28.760 --> 0:05:31.080 going to be called roughing the passer all season long 0:05:31.080 --> 0:05:34.320 in the NFL, Boy, these pass rushers, they they better 0:05:34.400 --> 0:05:36.680 be on their toes. You really have to watch out 0:05:36.720 --> 0:05:39.359 because those fifteen yard penalties are costly. They are, and 0:05:39.400 --> 0:05:42.760 it is it's it's a tough situation to be in because, 0:05:43.120 --> 0:05:44.839 as we've talked about, we even mentioned, you know, on 0:05:44.920 --> 0:05:48.359 yesterday's show, the percentages of you know how a drive 0:05:48.400 --> 0:05:53.120 and the likelihood of scoring increases exponentially if you end 0:05:53.200 --> 0:05:56.719 up having a giving up a personal foul on a play. 0:05:56.960 --> 0:05:59.680 It's like an expulsive play. It's it's fifteen yards, it's 0:05:59.680 --> 0:06:02.200 an ad matic first down. It's it's it's a big 0:06:02.240 --> 0:06:05.960 time shift. So this is where I've obviously, you know, 0:06:06.360 --> 0:06:09.480 taken some caution going into the season because you just 0:06:09.560 --> 0:06:12.880 aren't quite sure exactly how sensitive we're going to get 0:06:12.880 --> 0:06:16.640 about quarterbacks and being able to protect them. Certainly, as 0:06:16.680 --> 0:06:19.840 I've talked about ad nauseum at the end of last season, 0:06:20.240 --> 0:06:22.800 you know, I always felt the Anthony Barr hit, those 0:06:22.839 --> 0:06:25.160 are things you want to take out just because there's 0:06:25.160 --> 0:06:27.520 no reason for a quarterback to get hit like that, 0:06:27.920 --> 0:06:30.200 there's no reason to drive them to the turf. But 0:06:30.360 --> 0:06:34.200 unfortunately that as I've said from all along, it's either 0:06:34.240 --> 0:06:36.320 black or white. It seems like a lot with these 0:06:36.440 --> 0:06:40.119 these rules, there's never room for interpretation, there's never gray area. 0:06:40.720 --> 0:06:44.560 So I don't understand why it's so difficult trying to 0:06:44.600 --> 0:06:47.279 take something that's just as blatant as like the Davante 0:06:47.320 --> 0:06:49.960 Adams hit last year from Danny Trevathan and trying to 0:06:50.000 --> 0:06:54.000 eliminate that without grouping a bunch of other penalties into that. Now, 0:06:54.160 --> 0:06:57.640 that's a really good point, that is, and I think, 0:06:57.680 --> 0:07:00.920 what's I think what's going on here, at least what 0:07:00.920 --> 0:07:03.039 what I what I think should be going on. But 0:07:03.279 --> 0:07:06.080 what seems to be going on in terms of carrying 0:07:06.120 --> 0:07:09.080 a little too far is I think the standard in 0:07:09.120 --> 0:07:11.360 some ways that the officials are using with all these 0:07:11.400 --> 0:07:16.960 calls is was the contact avoidable? Because yeah, could Mohammed 0:07:17.000 --> 0:07:20.200 Wilkerson have avoided hitting the quarterback there? Yeah he could 0:07:20.200 --> 0:07:22.000 have been it hit it very hard, you know. And 0:07:22.040 --> 0:07:24.880 I thought same thing with Perry to a certain extent. 0:07:25.840 --> 0:07:29.640 But again, if that's if that's the standard standard you're using, 0:07:29.800 --> 0:07:32.120 you know a lot of people are asking, well, why 0:07:32.240 --> 0:07:35.160 wasn't the putting the body weight on the quarterback flag 0:07:35.240 --> 0:07:39.280 when Rogers got hurt? I think that. I think the collision, 0:07:39.400 --> 0:07:42.240 everything that happened on that play was was you know, 0:07:42.440 --> 0:07:45.040 so awkward to an extent that the officials didn't think 0:07:45.080 --> 0:07:48.400 it was avoidable. So I can understand that being the standard, 0:07:48.920 --> 0:07:51.600 But I totally get what you're saying as well, that 0:07:51.680 --> 0:07:54.080 it's it's grouping in a lot of other calls that 0:07:54.200 --> 0:07:56.360 just because it was avoidable, Well, does it really need 0:07:56.400 --> 0:07:58.720 to be a fifteen yard penalty? Yeah? And here's here's 0:07:58.760 --> 0:08:00.600 the other issue I have with it. My can and 0:08:00.600 --> 0:08:02.000 and I understand what the leak's trying to do. You 0:08:02.040 --> 0:08:04.200 don't want anyone to get hurt in terms of quarterback 0:08:04.200 --> 0:08:07.000 play if it's unnecessary. But my big is the reason 0:08:07.040 --> 0:08:09.040 I always bring up the bar thing, and it's certainly 0:08:09.080 --> 0:08:11.120 because I don't have as much examples to look at 0:08:11.120 --> 0:08:12.880 the entire NFL. There was some of them, I know, 0:08:13.400 --> 0:08:15.880 uh in these last week and across the NFL. Wasn't 0:08:15.920 --> 0:08:18.920 just in this Green Bay game. But I still think 0:08:18.920 --> 0:08:23.520 there's a difference between driving your body on a sack 0:08:24.240 --> 0:08:26.920 and doing it to a quarterback once the ball has 0:08:27.000 --> 0:08:31.320 left his hand. And and I get that technically it's 0:08:31.880 --> 0:08:35.280 the quarterbacks in a precarious situation, but one seems over 0:08:35.320 --> 0:08:38.000 exaggerated to me than another one that could just be 0:08:38.440 --> 0:08:40.559 a football play and a guy playing to the whistle. 0:08:40.600 --> 0:08:43.160 Because as we know, Mike from you know right now 0:08:43.200 --> 0:08:46.320 the last ten years, the window for a defensive player 0:08:46.320 --> 0:08:49.120 to hit a quarterback it's getting smaller and smaller. You 0:08:49.120 --> 0:08:52.760 can't go too low, you can't go too high pad 0:08:52.840 --> 0:08:55.880 through it exactly. I mean, you basically just have the 0:08:56.559 --> 0:09:00.320 abdomen area to go after. So you know just as 0:09:00.360 --> 0:09:02.600 well as I do, if you're going after the meat 0:09:02.640 --> 0:09:06.120 of a human being because of that being basically their 0:09:06.160 --> 0:09:09.280 core and their center of gravity. You're putting in a 0:09:09.280 --> 0:09:11.400 little more forced than you would if you're trying to 0:09:11.400 --> 0:09:13.720 get him at the legs or going higher on them. 0:09:13.720 --> 0:09:16.480 So it's a it's a really tough pickle. The lead's 0:09:16.520 --> 0:09:18.439 gonna be be in this year because it looks like 0:09:18.480 --> 0:09:21.040 we're not going to get any answers until afterwards. I 0:09:21.080 --> 0:09:24.680 guess if you're Mike Petton, you know, Jerry Montgomery and 0:09:24.760 --> 0:09:27.000 these defensive coaches, you just got to teach the right 0:09:27.040 --> 0:09:29.960 technique and keep your fingers crossed the refs, you know, 0:09:30.040 --> 0:09:32.480 don't throw the flag. I feel for defenders a little 0:09:32.480 --> 0:09:35.199 bit in these situations because how silly is a defender 0:09:35.240 --> 0:09:37.560 gonna look if he's bearing down on the quarterback and 0:09:37.600 --> 0:09:40.840 that quarterback pump fakes like Aaron Rodgers has done many times, 0:09:40.880 --> 0:09:43.600 like a lot of quarterbacks do that quarterback pump fakes, 0:09:43.800 --> 0:09:45.800 And so the guy pulls up thinking, well, if he's 0:09:45.800 --> 0:09:47.920 getting rid of the ball, I'm gonna get flagged. But 0:09:47.960 --> 0:09:49.560 then it's a pump fake and he tucks the ball 0:09:49.600 --> 0:09:51.680 and runs and takes off and then you missed the 0:09:51.679 --> 0:09:53.720 second didn't even get any contact on him at all. 0:09:53.760 --> 0:09:56.920 That that's the position that defensive players are in because 0:09:56.960 --> 0:09:59.040 they don't know if the quarterback is going to throw 0:09:59.080 --> 0:10:02.720 the ball or not. And um when to me anyway, 0:10:02.760 --> 0:10:05.559 at least when contact after the throw, I thought the 0:10:05.600 --> 0:10:08.160 Matthews one should have been flagged. But if the contact 0:10:08.200 --> 0:10:11.280 after the throw is not egregious, I think you just 0:10:11.400 --> 0:10:13.200 I think you just have to say, Okay, he wasn't 0:10:13.200 --> 0:10:15.600 trying to hurt him. He wasn't trying to do anything. Yeah, 0:10:15.640 --> 0:10:17.640 there was some contact, but let's just play out. Yeah, 0:10:17.640 --> 0:10:19.480 that's tough because it is it's it's sort of that 0:10:19.640 --> 0:10:21.800 where you draw the line there, and certainly he didn't 0:10:21.880 --> 0:10:23.680 drive through his back or anything when he saw the 0:10:23.720 --> 0:10:26.160 ball go out. But at the same time, if you're 0:10:26.160 --> 0:10:28.160 in that position, the ball is gone. You just got 0:10:28.160 --> 0:10:30.319 to try to let up. The analogy I keep using 0:10:30.360 --> 0:10:31.760 when I talk to some of my friends and also 0:10:31.800 --> 0:10:35.960 some other reporters about this is not necessarily the Matthews one, 0:10:36.000 --> 0:10:38.280 but some of these other, you know, issues that guys 0:10:38.280 --> 0:10:40.600 are running into. To me, it's almost like you're driving 0:10:40.640 --> 0:10:42.199 on the highway and you don't know where the stop 0:10:42.240 --> 0:10:44.480 sign is gonna get put up, and trying to get 0:10:44.520 --> 0:10:47.360 that automobile to stop because dude, this game is played 0:10:47.760 --> 0:10:51.400 at a thousand miles per hour. These guys, some guys 0:10:51.640 --> 0:10:53.559 on a given week, they're playing for their jobs, they're 0:10:53.559 --> 0:10:55.640 playing for their careers, they're playing for a role in 0:10:55.679 --> 0:10:59.560 the defense. They're gonna play hard. So it's just trying 0:10:59.559 --> 0:11:02.320 to fix as equal dollars in those contracts. That the 0:11:02.320 --> 0:11:06.240 bottom line. So, I mean that's the challenge. And you know, 0:11:06.280 --> 0:11:08.360 the NFL is gonna have a huge sample size after 0:11:08.360 --> 0:11:09.680 this year to go off of and we'll see what 0:11:09.720 --> 0:11:12.439 they determine. Yeah, well, anytime you have a big comeback 0:11:12.520 --> 0:11:16.520 victory like the Packers had, there are unsung heroes along 0:11:16.559 --> 0:11:19.199 the way. And we got a little bit of a 0:11:19.240 --> 0:11:21.440 hint at who one of those unsung heroes might have 0:11:21.480 --> 0:11:23.880 been for the Packers on Sunday Night, especially on the 0:11:23.920 --> 0:11:26.240 defensive side of the ball, and that's the young safety 0:11:26.320 --> 0:11:30.839 Kentroll Bryce Mike McCarthy. Without necessarily being prompted, per Se 0:11:31.440 --> 0:11:34.040 said that Bryce was one of the defensive players who 0:11:34.080 --> 0:11:37.439 graded out the highest when the coaches graded the film. Uh, 0:11:37.480 --> 0:11:40.520 you know they they they basically score every play on 0:11:40.640 --> 0:11:44.440 different things technique, assignment, you know, execution, result, all those 0:11:44.520 --> 0:11:47.880 kinds of things and Kentroll Bryce graded out awfully high. 0:11:48.200 --> 0:11:50.920 A very good sign for the Packers here because you 0:11:50.960 --> 0:11:53.640 didn't really know necessarily going into the season, him coming 0:11:53.679 --> 0:11:56.360 off of the injury from the year before, Josh Jones, 0:11:56.400 --> 0:11:58.440 being a young guy, still trying to find his way, 0:11:58.480 --> 0:12:00.959 what the Packers were going to do at that's lot um. 0:12:01.080 --> 0:12:02.840 Bryce turned in a pretty good ball game. Here's what 0:12:02.880 --> 0:12:05.160 I love about Kentroll Brice too. He has if if 0:12:05.160 --> 0:12:06.679 he ever had a chance to deal with him or 0:12:06.720 --> 0:12:10.000 talk with him, he has a really cool personality in 0:12:10.120 --> 0:12:12.240 terms of like you can tell why he probably fit 0:12:12.320 --> 0:12:14.760 in it like Louisiana Tech or somebody schools that aren't 0:12:14.760 --> 0:12:17.760 like big FPS schools, because he just is sort of 0:12:17.800 --> 0:12:19.440 this I'd like to do my job and then I'd 0:12:19.480 --> 0:12:21.400 like to leave. And it's not that he doesn't want 0:12:21.400 --> 0:12:23.120 to do interviews. But what was interesting is he was 0:12:23.160 --> 0:12:26.520 aware of what McCarthy said at the podium and saying 0:12:26.520 --> 0:12:28.880 he was a top graded defensive player, and there was 0:12:28.920 --> 0:12:31.320 this horde of media that we're talking to two Sean 0:12:31.400 --> 0:12:35.520 Kaiser in the locker room and Bryce goes to his 0:12:35.559 --> 0:12:38.200 locker changes and tries to sneak through the back door 0:12:38.600 --> 0:12:41.439 and myself and Jason will the end up stopping him. 0:12:41.520 --> 0:12:43.760 As much as he appreciated the praise, the way that 0:12:43.840 --> 0:12:46.120 he's wired, he would have been just fine going about 0:12:46.160 --> 0:12:48.559 his day and I'll see on Wednesday and we'll start 0:12:48.559 --> 0:12:50.920 for week two. But that's not the world we live in, 0:12:50.920 --> 0:12:53.679 and he understands that. And I think, you know, there 0:12:53.800 --> 0:12:56.280 is a lot of emotion evolved in this though for him, 0:12:56.760 --> 0:12:59.839 he did injure his ankle last year, he did see 0:12:59.840 --> 0:13:02.439 his season end, and then he suffered another injury in 0:13:02.480 --> 0:13:04.520 training camp that he got carted off for and luckily 0:13:04.559 --> 0:13:07.880 for him, was able to avoid a significant um you know, 0:13:08.000 --> 0:13:09.880 kind of a you know, I don't want to call 0:13:09.880 --> 0:13:12.680 it a relapse or an aggravation, but whatever the case, 0:13:12.720 --> 0:13:16.080 may be a scare. And not only was he able 0:13:16.080 --> 0:13:18.880 to go out there and start play every single defensive snap, 0:13:18.880 --> 0:13:21.600 all seventy of them. If you watch the game, kentroll, 0:13:21.600 --> 0:13:24.319 Bryce played pretty well. I mentioned that an unscripted on Monday, 0:13:24.360 --> 0:13:28.480 even before McCarthy talked about this. He just was really consistent, Mike, 0:13:28.559 --> 0:13:31.320 and he's such a big hitter, and that's the reason 0:13:31.360 --> 0:13:33.199 why I think a lot of people he's gotten on 0:13:33.240 --> 0:13:35.760 their radars. But Kentroll Bryce knows, as we just talked 0:13:35.760 --> 0:13:39.040 about in this last segment, that can't be your game anymore. 0:13:39.120 --> 0:13:41.000 You have to evolve. You can be aggressive, you can 0:13:41.000 --> 0:13:43.280 be assertive, but you have to play within your discipline 0:13:43.280 --> 0:13:45.840 and your technique. I thought he did a terrific job 0:13:45.840 --> 0:13:47.439 of that in this game. And if he keeps putting 0:13:47.440 --> 0:13:50.880 performances together like that where he's in that center field position, 0:13:50.920 --> 0:13:54.319 allowing Clinton Dicks to roam a little more. Clinton Dick 0:13:54.360 --> 0:13:56.600 said it, this group could be special and Kentroll Bryce 0:13:56.640 --> 0:13:58.400 is a big part of that. Yeah. Well, the thing 0:13:58.440 --> 0:14:00.320 that stood out to me when he came on the 0:14:00.320 --> 0:14:03.000 scene as an undrafted rookie, aside from obviously the big 0:14:03.080 --> 0:14:05.200 hits when he was getting in the games, but his 0:14:05.280 --> 0:14:09.160 speed was very, very impressive. Now, it's only been one game, 0:14:09.600 --> 0:14:11.880 it's only been one game so far this season, but 0:14:12.280 --> 0:14:15.480 if that ankle injury and the subsequent surgery and everything 0:14:15.520 --> 0:14:17.360 he had to go through last year to get back 0:14:17.360 --> 0:14:19.960 this year, if that hasn't compromised his speed at all, 0:14:19.960 --> 0:14:22.600 We'll see, because he's going to be tested by some 0:14:22.760 --> 0:14:25.040 other guys in this league aside from just the Bears. 0:14:25.360 --> 0:14:27.640 But if that speed of his hasn't been compromised at 0:14:27.640 --> 0:14:30.040 all because of what he went through injury wise. That's 0:14:30.040 --> 0:14:31.880 a heck of a good sign for him and and 0:14:32.000 --> 0:14:34.920 this Packers defense. I remember talking to Xavier Woods, who 0:14:35.000 --> 0:14:37.920 was his basically his running mate at Louisiana Tech, at 0:14:37.920 --> 0:14:40.680 the NFL Combine in two thousand seventeen, and I had 0:14:40.760 --> 0:14:42.840 him by myself and we were and I was taught, 0:14:42.880 --> 0:14:45.680 asking him about Bryce, and you know, he almost talked 0:14:45.680 --> 0:14:48.480 with this sort of the smile the entire time, because 0:14:48.680 --> 0:14:50.840 you know, Bryce really he'd been sort of a situational guy, 0:14:50.880 --> 0:14:52.880 played on special teams, one of five guys to make 0:14:52.920 --> 0:14:55.000 the rosters, an undrafted rookie, but people really didn't know 0:14:55.080 --> 0:14:57.680 much about him in Woods sort of had this mentality. 0:14:57.720 --> 0:14:59.520 And I don't remember all the quotes he gave me 0:14:59.560 --> 0:15:02.000 on the top, but he just said, you know, they 0:15:02.040 --> 0:15:04.720 don't people really don't understand how good this guy can 0:15:04.760 --> 0:15:07.080 be in terms of just you know, he's more than 0:15:07.120 --> 0:15:08.880 just a hitter. There's more to his game. And it 0:15:08.920 --> 0:15:10.280 was one of the reasons why those two were so 0:15:10.360 --> 0:15:13.040 successful together. And now Woods is having success. I believe 0:15:13.080 --> 0:15:17.120 in Dallas in the NFL, Bryce has all the intangibles 0:15:17.120 --> 0:15:18.760 you look. For sure, he wasn't a top of the 0:15:18.840 --> 0:15:21.920 radar prospect, but he was right from the get go 0:15:22.040 --> 0:15:23.800 pretty much seen as one of the gems of that 0:15:23.880 --> 0:15:27.000 undrafted free agent class. And and certainly him being able 0:15:27.040 --> 0:15:30.120 to step into those huge shoes of Morgan Burnett at 0:15:30.160 --> 0:15:32.320 safety next to ha Clinton Dicks, and the fact that 0:15:32.840 --> 0:15:35.120 kind of like Geronimo Allison a little bit going into 0:15:35.160 --> 0:15:38.720 Jordan Alison's number three spot there. He didn't really leave 0:15:38.840 --> 0:15:41.200 much doubt throughout the offseason program. He showed that he's 0:15:41.200 --> 0:15:43.800 a guy that he's not just a dime coverage, you know, 0:15:44.440 --> 0:15:46.200 safety like he was last year. He's a guy that 0:15:46.240 --> 0:15:47.960 could play all three downs. Yeah, and it was great 0:15:47.960 --> 0:15:50.160 to see him come back so quickly from that training 0:15:50.200 --> 0:15:52.720 camp injury, which at the time you're looking at it going, 0:15:52.720 --> 0:15:55.840 oh boy, it's gonna be another injury, you know, significant 0:15:55.840 --> 0:15:58.520 injury for kentro Bryce turned out not to be honest 0:15:58.520 --> 0:16:00.840 with you, Mike, I obviously, David tr you got carted 0:16:00.840 --> 0:16:02.680 off too during family Night, turned out to be fine 0:16:02.720 --> 0:16:05.880 with the ankle. In my seven years, I don't remember 0:16:05.880 --> 0:16:07.960 too many instances where player has been carted off the 0:16:08.000 --> 0:16:09.600 field and he ends up being able to come back 0:16:09.600 --> 0:16:12.760 in about a week. Sometimes it isn't surgical, sometimes it 0:16:12.800 --> 0:16:15.000 isn't season ending. But very rarely is it something where 0:16:15.040 --> 0:16:17.120 it's like, Okay, he's back out at the practice field. 0:16:17.840 --> 0:16:19.960 Kenny Clark last year. Maybe it was one example, the 0:16:20.080 --> 0:16:24.040 hily miss. Yeah, that might have been the all timer. 0:16:24.160 --> 0:16:27.520 Does that look like that? Looked? Josh Boyd bad like 0:16:28.480 --> 0:16:31.320 significant injury end of the year into the off season, 0:16:31.360 --> 0:16:34.640 and Clark ended up being fine. Fortunately, Packers keep counting 0:16:34.640 --> 0:16:37.600 their lucky stars there. All right, let's hope um quickly 0:16:37.600 --> 0:16:41.280 before we go, um, just an update on worth things stand. 0:16:41.320 --> 0:16:44.560 In the NFC North Monday Night football, the Detroit Lions 0:16:44.600 --> 0:16:47.360 take one on the Chin and Matt Patricia's head coaching debut. 0:16:47.440 --> 0:16:49.720 They start the game with a pick six. Sam Donald's 0:16:49.760 --> 0:16:53.360 first NFL path goes the wrong direction. But after that, 0:16:53.400 --> 0:16:57.320 the young rookie from the New York Jets dominated that 0:16:57.360 --> 0:16:59.840 football game in a lot of ways, and the Jets 0:17:00.040 --> 0:17:02.640 in big so. The Lions and Bears both oh and one, 0:17:02.720 --> 0:17:05.360 the Packers and Vikings both one and oh and Week 0:17:05.400 --> 0:17:09.120 two Packers Vikings at lambeau Field. It's the the early 0:17:09.560 --> 0:17:12.040 shot at the driver's seat. I guess you say it was, 0:17:12.160 --> 0:17:14.400 I mean, and that was really something to see Stafford 0:17:14.400 --> 0:17:16.520 struggle the way he did against the Jets defense. It 0:17:16.640 --> 0:17:19.760 was four interceptions, forty seven point nine passer rating in 0:17:19.800 --> 0:17:24.320 that contest. But this, let's be honest, Mike, regardless of 0:17:24.400 --> 0:17:27.760 Khalil Mack, I think everybody is sort of you know, earmarked, 0:17:28.080 --> 0:17:30.880 the Packers and Vikings as far as the krumdalea creme 0:17:30.880 --> 0:17:34.040 in this division at least going into the season. And 0:17:34.040 --> 0:17:36.520 and again I said an inbox last week, I never 0:17:36.600 --> 0:17:39.240 view any Week one game is like a season defining game. 0:17:39.600 --> 0:17:42.439 I still don't because so much can happen. But the 0:17:42.480 --> 0:17:44.640 Packers do have a lot of momentum going into this. Again, 0:17:44.760 --> 0:17:47.400 we have to see how Aaron Rodgers does, but how 0:17:47.440 --> 0:17:50.720 he is with his prognosis. But that's a huge leap 0:17:50.960 --> 0:17:53.679 being able to come back. Emotionally, we know it's a 0:17:53.680 --> 0:17:56.399 game of swings. Things can turn at any single moment. 0:17:57.000 --> 0:17:58.760 That that is going to be a huge contest at 0:17:58.800 --> 0:18:01.000 lambeau Field. Even though the Airs Sunday Night Football a 0:18:01.040 --> 0:18:03.679 hundred season was a big game, this is one that 0:18:03.720 --> 0:18:06.160 does have implications down the line because it's very rare 0:18:06.200 --> 0:18:08.960 that you get to division games at home to start 0:18:09.000 --> 0:18:10.760 the season. I'm sure the Packers will be ready for it. 0:18:10.960 --> 0:18:13.160 It's only gonna be one team in the NFC North too. 0:18:13.200 --> 0:18:15.480 And oh after two weeks and it's the winner at 0:18:15.600 --> 0:18:18.480 Lambeufield on Sunday afternoon. So with that we'll call it 0:18:18.520 --> 0:18:20.680 a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure 0:18:20.720 --> 0:18:22.800 to follow all of our coverage of the team all 0:18:22.840 --> 0:18:25.240 week long on Packers dot com on Twitter, He's at 0:18:25.240 --> 0:18:27.560 west hot I'm at Mike Spofford at Packers for the 0:18:27.600 --> 0:18:30.520 team account. Thanks for tuning in, everybody, See you next time.