WEBVTT - #638 Packers Unscripted: Browns coming to town 0:00:03.520 --> 0:00:10.639 Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from 0:00:10.680 --> 0:00:14.040 Packers dot Com. I'm Mike Spofford. He's Wes Hodkowitz. Were 0:00:14.040 --> 0:00:17.480 coming to here from our studios at lambeau Field West, 0:00:18.120 --> 0:00:22.960 Christmas Day, a three three pm Central Time kickoff at 0:00:23.040 --> 0:00:25.560 lambeau Field. It will be the Packers against the Browns 0:00:25.640 --> 0:00:30.240 here in week sixteen, if I have that correct um. 0:00:30.240 --> 0:00:32.960 This Cleveland Browns team, I tell you an interesting bunch 0:00:33.000 --> 0:00:36.839 seven and seven this year, right in the thick of things. Uh, 0:00:37.000 --> 0:00:41.720 they went from having a chance to be in first 0:00:41.760 --> 0:00:44.560 place in the a f C North had they hung 0:00:44.560 --> 0:00:47.840 on and and been able to beat the Las Vegas 0:00:47.960 --> 0:00:50.159 Raiders on Monday Night, But by losing that game on 0:00:50.200 --> 0:00:51.879 a walk off field goal, they dropped all the way 0:00:51.920 --> 0:00:53.800 to last place in the a f C North because 0:00:53.840 --> 0:00:57.560 things are bunched up so tightly in that division. The 0:00:57.640 --> 0:01:00.200 intriguing thing about this Browns team, though, is, and I 0:01:00.600 --> 0:01:03.000 admit I haven't watched a whole lot of their games, 0:01:03.000 --> 0:01:06.120 but you look at their results, you look at the 0:01:06.120 --> 0:01:08.559 way their season has gone, a lot of injuries, guys 0:01:08.600 --> 0:01:10.399 on the COVID list, all this kind of stuff. It 0:01:10.480 --> 0:01:12.800 just feels like you don't really know what you're gonna 0:01:12.880 --> 0:01:16.160 get with the Cleveland Browns. You might get the team 0:01:16.200 --> 0:01:19.400 that absolutely dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild card 0:01:19.520 --> 0:01:22.920 round last January, or you might get the team that 0:01:23.040 --> 0:01:25.840 a handful of weeks ago lost forty to seven to 0:01:25.880 --> 0:01:29.679 the New England Patriots and was never really in the game. Um, 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:32.320 and I guess that's how you end up seven and 0:01:32.360 --> 0:01:35.440 seven and and fighting for your playoff life here the 0:01:35.480 --> 0:01:37.480 last three weeks of the regular season. Well, and in 0:01:37.520 --> 0:01:39.720 that division too, Mike, doesn't it kind of feel like 0:01:39.760 --> 0:01:41.280 it's gonna end up coming down to some kind of 0:01:41.280 --> 0:01:44.080 tiebreaker that ultimately decides a ten or maybe even a 0:01:44.160 --> 0:01:47.000 nine win team from winning that division. Just how this 0:01:47.040 --> 0:01:48.960 thing has started gone in in the a f C North, 0:01:49.160 --> 0:01:51.360 And who knows with what the Steelers having that one 0:01:51.440 --> 0:01:54.280 tie on their record, like that's going to factor into 0:01:54.440 --> 0:01:57.320 all the positioning and whatnot as well. Yeah, and obviously 0:01:57.320 --> 0:02:00.680 the Steelers aren't out of this suddenly. So that's been 0:02:00.680 --> 0:02:03.760 my main takeaway this season from the North as it's 0:02:03.760 --> 0:02:07.240 just it's been this weird sort of thing where each 0:02:07.280 --> 0:02:09.680 of these teams looks really good at times and then 0:02:09.680 --> 0:02:13.399 also can look really bad. And from Cleveland's perspective, it's 0:02:13.440 --> 0:02:15.359 kind of you know, Kevin Stefanski has done a nice 0:02:15.440 --> 0:02:17.880 job with them there, Alex van Pelt, the offensive coordinator, 0:02:17.919 --> 0:02:21.040 they have the right core, it would appear, uh and 0:02:21.040 --> 0:02:23.800 in the direction in which they're moving. But unfortunately for 0:02:23.840 --> 0:02:27.000 the Browns, for the last basically fifteen years, it's been 0:02:27.080 --> 0:02:29.639 very much the same story. They've had some glimpses of hope, 0:02:30.080 --> 0:02:31.640 and then as soon as it looks like they've turned 0:02:31.639 --> 0:02:33.720 a quarter and are going to become a contender again, 0:02:34.080 --> 0:02:36.320 they take a step back. Now. Now, certainly this year, 0:02:36.320 --> 0:02:39.160 the questions with Baker Mayfield, the fourth quarters, you know, 0:02:39.320 --> 0:02:43.000 the comebacks and in the failed comebacks. Now the COVID 0:02:43.040 --> 0:02:45.760 list that extends to what fifteen players, it would appear 0:02:46.400 --> 0:02:48.920 there's been a lot for the Browns to overcome. But 0:02:48.960 --> 0:02:51.400 as I was telling our readers an insider inbox this week, 0:02:51.800 --> 0:02:54.320 offensively and defensively, they have guys you have to be 0:02:54.360 --> 0:02:57.079 aware of. I mean, Nick Chubb is in the conversation 0:02:57.160 --> 0:02:59.280 for the top five, top three running backs in the 0:02:59.360 --> 0:03:02.000 National Football League right now, and they still have a 0:03:02.000 --> 0:03:04.240 lot of weapons in this offense. Despite the fact that 0:03:04.240 --> 0:03:07.800 Odell Beckham Jr. Left. So it's going to be a battle. 0:03:07.960 --> 0:03:09.600 And I think that's the number one thing that Mattel 0:03:09.639 --> 0:03:11.560 Floor is probably gonna be talking these guys about, is 0:03:11.600 --> 0:03:13.799 this is a Browns team that is basically going to 0:03:13.880 --> 0:03:16.320 be playing for its season because there is not a 0:03:16.320 --> 0:03:18.280 lot of wiggle room if you don't win that division. 0:03:18.600 --> 0:03:20.239 It's going to be a log jam is trying to 0:03:20.240 --> 0:03:23.480 get those wild card spots and every win is gonna matter. Yeah. Absolutely. 0:03:23.520 --> 0:03:26.720 There there are three names with this Brown's team that 0:03:26.800 --> 0:03:28.720 jump off the page at me. You've mentioned one of 0:03:28.720 --> 0:03:31.600 them already. And Nick Chubb, Um, this guy is a 0:03:31.680 --> 0:03:34.760 dynamic running back. And this is a Browns team with 0:03:34.840 --> 0:03:37.680 Kevin Stefanski at the helm. They are determined to run 0:03:37.720 --> 0:03:40.960 the football. They like to run the football. I think 0:03:41.000 --> 0:03:44.000 that's going to be one of the key elements to 0:03:44.040 --> 0:03:49.720 this game is how well the Browns potentially can establish 0:03:49.840 --> 0:03:53.320 the ground game in in carving their way toward a 0:03:53.360 --> 0:03:57.000 potential upset of the Packers. Here the other two names, 0:03:57.000 --> 0:04:00.720 Baker Mayfield obviously at quarterback. Everybody one dring you know, 0:04:00.760 --> 0:04:02.880 will he be coming off the COVID list and be 0:04:02.960 --> 0:04:07.000 eligible to play on Saturday. My understanding is the Browns 0:04:07.000 --> 0:04:10.320 are expecting him, expecting to be able to activate him 0:04:10.360 --> 0:04:13.960 from the COVID list before Saturday's kickoff, and that he 0:04:14.000 --> 0:04:16.880 would play. Um. Now, that would be putting him out 0:04:16.880 --> 0:04:20.600 there to play essentially without having practiced for the last 0:04:20.640 --> 0:04:23.200 couple of weeks. Um and the Browns had to go 0:04:23.320 --> 0:04:25.920 to their third string quarterback in the Monday night game, 0:04:25.960 --> 0:04:29.880 the rescheduled Monday night game against the Raiders this past week, 0:04:30.320 --> 0:04:34.800 with with both Mayfield and case Keenum on the COVID list, 0:04:34.800 --> 0:04:36.360 and so they had to turn to Nick Mullins. And 0:04:36.360 --> 0:04:38.919 then the other name that you have to talk about 0:04:38.960 --> 0:04:41.720 with these guys is Miles Garrett, the pass rusher. He's 0:04:41.760 --> 0:04:44.880 got fifteen sacks this season. Now, he injured a groin 0:04:45.040 --> 0:04:47.240 in the game against the Raiders on Monday Night, is 0:04:47.279 --> 0:04:50.680 not practicing to this point this week. His status is 0:04:50.800 --> 0:04:53.839 very much up in the air. Um, if Myles Garrett 0:04:53.839 --> 0:04:57.039 can't play, that definitely changes the look of this Cleveland 0:04:57.040 --> 0:04:59.919 Browns defense. But if he is out there, this guy's 0:05:00.120 --> 0:05:02.440 big time pass rushing well, and a big reason for 0:05:02.480 --> 0:05:04.760 that is, you know, you know, Tach McKinley had his 0:05:04.839 --> 0:05:07.400 injury now, so I think he's basically out, you know, 0:05:07.440 --> 0:05:10.600 moving forward, he blew the Achilles, blew the Achilles. Yeah, 0:05:10.640 --> 0:05:13.080 so then you know Jadeveon Clowney is their next leading 0:05:13.160 --> 0:05:14.880 sack guy. I think he has five on the season 0:05:14.960 --> 0:05:18.599 or maybe six. I mean, this thing really runs through Garrett, 0:05:18.600 --> 0:05:20.400 and it's been that way for a number of years now. 0:05:20.400 --> 0:05:22.279 When you come in with a guy that's as Harold 0:05:22.320 --> 0:05:24.920 as he was, he's lived up to that hype as 0:05:24.920 --> 0:05:27.080 a as a top pick and and being able to 0:05:27.120 --> 0:05:29.719 contain him. When I looked at this matchup on paper 0:05:29.760 --> 0:05:32.159 before we knew anything on Monday, I was like, that's 0:05:32.160 --> 0:05:35.279 going to be the primary objective here for yash Nijman 0:05:35.400 --> 0:05:37.160 or however it works out with who's going to be 0:05:37.240 --> 0:05:40.680 defending him? Well, then lo and behold. Now he's banged up. 0:05:41.360 --> 0:05:43.880 That's what this season is though, right, and we've seen 0:05:43.920 --> 0:05:46.000 it at every corner, whether it be the COVID list 0:05:46.040 --> 0:05:49.440 or whether it be just with people's injury reports, it's 0:05:49.480 --> 0:05:52.600 going to be a battle. So certainly, I'm sure from 0:05:52.600 --> 0:05:55.919 the Packers perspective, if Myles Garrett decides not to partake 0:05:55.920 --> 0:05:57.760 in this football game, they are not going to be 0:05:57.800 --> 0:06:01.000 really too upset about that. But but certainly, as Matt 0:06:01.040 --> 0:06:02.600 Lafleur is kind of talked about, and some of these 0:06:02.600 --> 0:06:06.400 other defensive and offensive players have have assessed, you've got 0:06:06.400 --> 0:06:08.680 to just sort of look at what they have. And 0:06:08.880 --> 0:06:10.839 you know, Nick I should say Eric Stokes was the 0:06:10.839 --> 0:06:13.960 one that touched on this on Wednesday, is that you 0:06:14.000 --> 0:06:16.520 watch the film, but what these teams look like when 0:06:16.600 --> 0:06:19.080 they have all their pieces and then you kind of 0:06:19.160 --> 0:06:21.359 draw in and fill in the rest from there. And 0:06:21.400 --> 0:06:24.279 the thing is is that when Cleveland was a d percent, 0:06:24.400 --> 0:06:26.880 when they had what they felt to be their full 0:06:26.920 --> 0:06:29.919 complement of players, this was a legitimate contender in the 0:06:29.960 --> 0:06:31.680 a f C. So I think that's the version of 0:06:31.680 --> 0:06:33.599 the Browns you have to be prepared for because again 0:06:33.960 --> 0:06:36.440 them coming in on Christmas, them understanding that time as 0:06:36.480 --> 0:06:39.120 a ticking this is going to be a basically kind 0:06:39.160 --> 0:06:41.159 of almost a playing game for them. In relation to 0:06:41.200 --> 0:06:44.000 the in relation to the postseason, Yeah, absolutely, they're playing. 0:06:44.000 --> 0:06:46.760 They're playing for their season. And I think with everything 0:06:46.760 --> 0:06:48.839 that's gone on with this team, with the injuries and 0:06:48.880 --> 0:06:51.520 the COVID and stuff like that, particularly if you get 0:06:51.520 --> 0:06:54.400 your quarterback back, if Baker Mayfield comes back, even if 0:06:54.400 --> 0:06:57.159 he hasn't practiced but if he's activated and he's able 0:06:57.160 --> 0:06:59.400 to play, you know, that's the kind of thing that 0:06:59.400 --> 0:07:02.080 that provides some juice to a team, right that energize 0:07:02.120 --> 0:07:03.839 is a team that's been going through all of this, 0:07:04.040 --> 0:07:06.159 all this turmoil as far as who's going to be 0:07:06.160 --> 0:07:08.760 available and and who's not. So I think the Packers 0:07:08.800 --> 0:07:11.240 have to be ready, even though the Browns are on 0:07:11.280 --> 0:07:13.760 an even shorter week than the Packers are, with playing 0:07:14.120 --> 0:07:16.360 with a Saturday game, with the Browns just having played 0:07:16.360 --> 0:07:18.640 on Monday night, I think you have to be prepared 0:07:18.680 --> 0:07:21.640 for a very energized Cleveland team with everything they have 0:07:21.720 --> 0:07:23.560 on the line. And I want to see Baker because 0:07:23.600 --> 0:07:25.520 obviously we, like you said, Mike, we don't get a 0:07:25.600 --> 0:07:28.320 chance to watch a lot of the Browns basically because 0:07:28.320 --> 0:07:29.880 of our jobs and the fact that they haven't played 0:07:29.920 --> 0:07:32.520 him since that overtime game in Cleveland in two thousand seventeen. 0:07:33.240 --> 0:07:36.200 This young man, you know, he's kind of been maligned 0:07:36.200 --> 0:07:38.040 at times, but I still think there's a lot of 0:07:38.040 --> 0:07:41.080 potential there and there's a lot of talent. So I 0:07:41.200 --> 0:07:43.320 just from my own two eyes, just kind of understanding 0:07:43.360 --> 0:07:45.560 what he looks like, I am in a way sort 0:07:45.560 --> 0:07:47.560 of rooting for him to play in this game. But certainly, 0:07:48.080 --> 0:07:50.320 you know, that's the way this thing has gone with COVID. 0:07:50.520 --> 0:07:52.800 We didn't expect that Kenny Clark was not going to 0:07:52.880 --> 0:07:55.080 be available last week when you and I were going 0:07:55.080 --> 0:07:57.760 about our week. This week, I wrote about MVS. After 0:07:57.840 --> 0:07:59.840 the game, we all thought, Okay, well here we go. 0:08:00.400 --> 0:08:02.600 There's the key to this whole thing that defenses are 0:08:02.600 --> 0:08:05.480 doing against Davante Adams and then Marcus Veldi Scantling ends 0:08:05.520 --> 0:08:08.360 up on the COVID list. It's the nature of this season. 0:08:08.480 --> 0:08:10.760 And you know, hopefully for the Packers, they've been on 0:08:10.800 --> 0:08:12.440 the decent side of it when you look at the 0:08:12.440 --> 0:08:14.560 rest of the NFL so far. Yeah, and it'll be 0:08:14.600 --> 0:08:17.960 interesting to see, uh, whether or not the Packers can 0:08:18.000 --> 0:08:22.120 get back either MVS and or Kenny Clark off the 0:08:22.120 --> 0:08:24.760 COVID list to play in this game on Saturday. Um, 0:08:24.920 --> 0:08:29.120 the possibility is there, but there's also not necessarily any 0:08:29.160 --> 0:08:32.280 guarantee that that's going to happen. And and and if 0:08:32.280 --> 0:08:34.480 they if either one is able to come off the list, 0:08:34.480 --> 0:08:37.320 what kind of impact, um, they would be able to 0:08:37.320 --> 0:08:39.440 have so very much kind of a if he just 0:08:39.480 --> 0:08:41.760 feels like a wait and see thing um, you know, 0:08:41.880 --> 0:08:44.760 waiting up until kickoff on Saturday, if the Packers are 0:08:44.760 --> 0:08:47.040 gonna have these games. Matt la Fleur always plays these 0:08:47.080 --> 0:08:49.080 things pretty close to the vest, but kind of like 0:08:49.160 --> 0:08:51.560 Mike McCarthy back in the day with the hard pressed, 0:08:51.920 --> 0:08:53.840 you know, somebody so and so will be hard pressed 0:08:53.840 --> 0:08:56.000 to play in this game. The floor sort of has 0:08:56.040 --> 0:08:58.520 his little idiosyncrasies too in terms of how he relates, 0:08:58.559 --> 0:09:01.360 you know, talks about players. It does sound like there's 0:09:01.360 --> 0:09:05.520 a really legitimate optimism there that Clark could be available. Certainly, 0:09:05.520 --> 0:09:07.480 you've got to go through the process this week, and 0:09:07.640 --> 0:09:09.480 the s is the one that because and the reason 0:09:09.559 --> 0:09:12.400 I think that too is because on a normal timeline, 0:09:12.679 --> 0:09:15.360 this would have been within the boundaries for Clark to play. 0:09:15.640 --> 0:09:18.000 MBS now becomes sort of the guinea pig here because 0:09:18.040 --> 0:09:20.800 you start to wonder, Okay, with these new COVID rules, 0:09:21.280 --> 0:09:23.560 what does that mean in terms of when he becomes 0:09:23.559 --> 0:09:26.320 asymptomatic or when he's available to be you know, back 0:09:26.360 --> 0:09:29.160 out there. That's the stuff over these next couple of weeks, Mike, 0:09:29.200 --> 0:09:31.000 we're just gonna have to kind of figure out because 0:09:31.280 --> 0:09:33.920 until that happens, where a guy test positive but then 0:09:34.040 --> 0:09:36.760 plays in the next game. You're you're kind of just 0:09:36.760 --> 0:09:39.199 sitting here wondering, you know when that that other foot 0:09:39.280 --> 0:09:41.839 is gonna drop? Yeah, absolutely well, a little bit of 0:09:41.840 --> 0:09:44.559 shout out to our sponsors here West Serious x M 0:09:44.640 --> 0:09:47.520 NFL Radio delivers hard hitting analysis and up to the 0:09:47.559 --> 0:09:52.640 minute NFL news that true football fanatics need seven three six, 0:09:53.040 --> 0:09:55.640 and at Cousin Subs, we have something for everyone like 0:09:55.640 --> 0:09:58.640 our Wisconsin Cheese Kurds, mac and Cheese, golden fries, and 0:09:58.679 --> 0:10:01.760 creamy shakes, all paired with your favorite sub or sub 0:10:01.800 --> 0:10:06.040 in a bowl. Cousin Subs, we believe in better alright. 0:10:06.080 --> 0:10:08.959 A couple of items of Packers news to get to 0:10:09.160 --> 0:10:12.680 before we focus on our keys to victory. Pro Bowl 0:10:12.679 --> 0:10:17.320 announcements came out the Packers with three Pro Bowlers in 0:10:17.360 --> 0:10:21.400 the initial selection process. Aaron Rodgers sets a franchise record 0:10:21.480 --> 0:10:25.120 with his tenth Pro Bowl selection. He now surpasses Forrest 0:10:25.200 --> 0:10:29.600 greg and Brett Favre, who had nine a piece. Davante 0:10:29.640 --> 0:10:34.079 Adams gets his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl selection, which, as 0:10:34.120 --> 0:10:37.280 I believe you wrote about, is now one shy of 0:10:37.880 --> 0:10:43.760 James Lofton's streak of six consecutive for a Packers wide receiver, 0:10:44.200 --> 0:10:47.320 and then Kenny Clark gets his second Pro Bowl, not 0:10:47.520 --> 0:10:52.160 his first one as an original selection. Um certainly well 0:10:52.200 --> 0:10:56.880 deserved for all three of those guys, but I'm particularly 0:10:56.920 --> 0:10:59.760 happy for Kenny Clark because he's just He's a guy 0:10:59.760 --> 0:11:03.640 who plays that position. The stats aren't necessarily there, but 0:11:03.840 --> 0:11:07.280 his work, his impact on games on a regular basis 0:11:07.280 --> 0:11:09.640 when he's in there, is being recognized. You have to 0:11:09.720 --> 0:11:12.440 be able to understand, and I've said this so many 0:11:12.440 --> 0:11:15.200 times this year, Mike, to watch Kenny Clark is to 0:11:15.320 --> 0:11:18.160 know what kind of impact he's making on a football field. 0:11:18.160 --> 0:11:21.040 You can't just look at a box score and understand 0:11:21.080 --> 0:11:23.640 how talented this guy is and in how much he's 0:11:23.679 --> 0:11:27.520 affecting the opposing team, in the opposing quarterback. The other 0:11:27.559 --> 0:11:30.880 reason I really thought that Kenny Honor was fantastic was 0:11:30.920 --> 0:11:33.920 from the standpoint of first time since Henry Jordan's Mike, 0:11:34.040 --> 0:11:37.400 going back to nineteen sixty six when he wont when 0:11:37.400 --> 0:11:39.680 he got to his last Probo believed the last of 0:11:39.720 --> 0:11:42.840 his five, that's the last time the Green Bay Packers 0:11:42.880 --> 0:11:46.040 have actually had a defensive tackle that's been able to 0:11:46.080 --> 0:11:49.000 go to multiple Pro Bowls. It's a difficult position to 0:11:49.040 --> 0:11:51.480 get accoltes. Think about all the tremendous defensive tackles the 0:11:51.480 --> 0:11:54.000 Packers have had over the years. The Gilbert Browns, the 0:11:54.040 --> 0:11:57.080 Mike Daniels, you know that. You know, the Brian Picketts, 0:11:57.080 --> 0:12:00.120 the b J Rodgers. It's not easy to do. So 0:12:00.200 --> 0:12:02.760 for Kenny to get that recognition, I think is well deserved. 0:12:02.960 --> 0:12:04.839 I think the one that jumps off the page to me, though, 0:12:04.920 --> 0:12:08.560 is the Davante Adams one, because now you start to 0:12:08.600 --> 0:12:10.760 stack these up, you would imagine here, in a few 0:12:10.760 --> 0:12:14.800 weeks you'll be all pro again. He's starting to put 0:12:14.840 --> 0:12:19.160 together that resume that could potentially give you that door 0:12:19.160 --> 0:12:22.360 into Canton. And that's been the thing that I thought 0:12:22.400 --> 0:12:25.400 was illuminating because for the first time, you know, Aaron Rodgers, 0:12:25.400 --> 0:12:28.160 people give him credit. You know, people talk about Davante 0:12:28.240 --> 0:12:29.880 and and how he is one of the best now, 0:12:29.920 --> 0:12:32.800 if not the best receiver in the game. But when 0:12:32.840 --> 0:12:34.480 he was speaking to the media, and I can't even 0:12:34.520 --> 0:12:36.560 remember if it was to your question who asked it, 0:12:36.600 --> 0:12:38.360 but when he was talking about that, the thing he 0:12:38.400 --> 0:12:42.040 thinks about the most now is the gold jacket. To 0:12:42.120 --> 0:12:44.679 my recollection, that was the first time Davante has uttered 0:12:44.679 --> 0:12:47.320 those words out of his mouth and for him to 0:12:47.440 --> 0:12:50.560 start being able to channel that a little bit. That 0:12:50.600 --> 0:12:52.520 shows you the confidence the young man, but also the 0:12:52.520 --> 0:12:55.120 self reflection and understanding what he's accomplished in his first 0:12:55.120 --> 0:12:58.400 eight NFL seasons. He's right there now. And I think 0:12:58.400 --> 0:13:00.360 when you think of guys that could potential to keep 0:13:00.400 --> 0:13:04.920 stringing this together at age thirty one, I don't see why. 0:13:04.960 --> 0:13:07.480 Davante Adams. I don't see any signs of him slowing 0:13:07.520 --> 0:13:10.920 down here, especially with that synergy that he has with Rogers. Yeah, 0:13:10.960 --> 0:13:13.319 it certainly doesn't look that way by any stretch of 0:13:13.480 --> 0:13:17.680 the Packers also did have some alternates um to the 0:13:17.720 --> 0:13:21.040 Pro Bowl roster, Aaron Jones was named a first alternate 0:13:21.600 --> 0:13:26.000 at running back, and then um, there are other alternates 0:13:26.040 --> 0:13:28.760 you know down down the way that aren't specified exactly 0:13:28.800 --> 0:13:33.080 what round they are, but cornerback Russeul Douglas and punter 0:13:33.240 --> 0:13:37.640 Corey Horkez. And was there another Gary? That's right, I 0:13:37.679 --> 0:13:39.760 knew I was forgetting one with Shawn Gary as well 0:13:40.160 --> 0:13:45.120 at edge Rusher. So for alternates total, the one here 0:13:45.160 --> 0:13:48.560 that of course jumps out at you is Russeul Douglas 0:13:48.640 --> 0:13:50.760 because and a lot of a lot of folks are 0:13:50.800 --> 0:13:54.480 asking asking me in the inbox, and I'm not quite 0:13:54.480 --> 0:13:57.160 sure how I'm going to be able to necessarily nail 0:13:57.240 --> 0:14:00.200 this down one way or another. But a guy who 0:14:00.240 --> 0:14:03.400 starts a season on a practice squad and ends up 0:14:03.440 --> 0:14:06.080 as a Pro Bowl alternate, I don't think I've never 0:14:06.120 --> 0:14:11.840 heard I've never heard of that happening before. But hats 0:14:11.840 --> 0:14:14.200 off to Rasseul Douglas. Obviously we talked about him a 0:14:14.200 --> 0:14:17.200 lot on this show already. But but that type of 0:14:17.720 --> 0:14:20.240 that type of path, that type of journey within one 0:14:20.400 --> 0:14:23.240 NFL season to be on a practice squad and then 0:14:23.360 --> 0:14:26.400 end up as an alternate to UH to the NFC 0:14:26.440 --> 0:14:30.040 Pro Bowl roster. Heck of an achievement. Resul Douglas was 0:14:30.120 --> 0:14:34.320 signed seventy nine days ago at the time in which 0:14:34.360 --> 0:14:37.960 we are taping this episode of Packers unscripted. What he 0:14:38.040 --> 0:14:41.080 has accomplished in just over two months time, not to 0:14:41.200 --> 0:14:44.040 learn a defense, not to get you know, kind of 0:14:44.240 --> 0:14:47.560 brought into a locker room, but to make the plays 0:14:47.560 --> 0:14:50.840 that he's made for a team that has legitimate Super 0:14:50.880 --> 0:14:53.840 Bowl aspirations. You'll see this a lot in the past, Mike. 0:14:53.880 --> 0:14:56.000 We did the stories ourselves back in two thousand and 0:14:56.040 --> 0:14:58.320 eighteen when the Packers were out of playoff contention, things 0:14:58.360 --> 0:15:00.760 weren't really going the right way. We'll see guys that 0:15:00.800 --> 0:15:02.400 kind of pop up on a roster and make an 0:15:02.400 --> 0:15:04.680 impact late in the season. They make for good stories. 0:15:05.080 --> 0:15:08.200 This guy is a game changer. This guy at some 0:15:08.280 --> 0:15:11.120 intervals could be considered the best player on this defense 0:15:11.160 --> 0:15:14.080 at times with what he's been bringing in the points 0:15:14.080 --> 0:15:16.720 in which he has been generating, with some of these turnovers, 0:15:17.280 --> 0:15:20.440 I've never seen anything like it. And well, we'll get 0:15:20.440 --> 0:15:22.160 down the road here. The Packers are going to try 0:15:22.160 --> 0:15:23.720 to win a Super Bowl and this will be something 0:15:23.760 --> 0:15:26.440 way down the line will reflect upon. But the job 0:15:26.480 --> 0:15:29.640 that Brian Goodkins has done his scouting department have done 0:15:29.720 --> 0:15:33.160 over the last twelve months, given the salary cap sort 0:15:33.160 --> 0:15:37.000 of limitations that they're under, has been nothing short of extraordinary. 0:15:37.040 --> 0:15:39.240 And for Matt Laflour to take that talent along with 0:15:39.280 --> 0:15:43.440 his coaching staff and make their scheme adjustable enough to 0:15:43.520 --> 0:15:46.560 welcome in guys mid season to have them be able 0:15:46.560 --> 0:15:49.880 to play it their full at their best. This is 0:15:49.920 --> 0:15:52.320 how a team with three Pro bowlers gets to be 0:15:52.360 --> 0:15:54.840 eleven and three. That's how you do it, and it's 0:15:54.880 --> 0:15:57.960 been incredible to watch. Yeah. Absolutely, I want to make 0:15:58.000 --> 0:16:02.360 one more announcement here. With Christmas right around the corner, 0:16:02.680 --> 0:16:06.040 anyone looking for a holiday gift. Idea of folks, team 0:16:06.120 --> 0:16:09.600 history and Cliff crystals book, The Greatest Story in Sports 0:16:09.720 --> 0:16:12.240 is now available at the Packers Pro Shop. It's a 0:16:12.280 --> 0:16:15.960 four volume hardcover book set that tells the true complete 0:16:16.000 --> 0:16:19.000 story of the Packers first century, from humble beginnings to 0:16:19.120 --> 0:16:23.320 heartbreaks and triumphs. Buy your copy online or in store today. 0:16:23.440 --> 0:16:25.240 And I got an update for you, Mike. I was 0:16:25.320 --> 0:16:27.560 just down in the Pro Shop. I picked up my 0:16:27.680 --> 0:16:30.680 NFC North Champions hat in T shirt. I gotta go 0:16:30.760 --> 0:16:33.200 do that, man, you do Yeah, I can't do that 0:16:33.280 --> 0:16:35.000 for you. There's a checklist I have to go. I 0:16:35.040 --> 0:16:36.880 have to go do that. But they got a new 0:16:37.000 --> 0:16:39.960 batch of these books back in there. It was getting 0:16:39.960 --> 0:16:42.200 pretty bare there for a second. These things were flying 0:16:42.240 --> 0:16:45.520 off the shelves hot cakes. I'm telling you, Mike. Uh. 0:16:45.560 --> 0:16:47.640 The fact that they got some more down there. Cliff 0:16:47.720 --> 0:16:51.640 Crystal was nice enough, generous enough, gracious enough to sign 0:16:51.720 --> 0:16:54.440 my book as well. So, yeah, if you haven't had 0:16:54.480 --> 0:16:57.560 a chance yet, we're running short on time here. If 0:16:57.560 --> 0:17:00.760 you celebrate Christmas. You gotta pick up a book. Just 0:17:00.800 --> 0:17:04.639 a couple of days away now, All right, West Saturday 0:17:04.720 --> 0:17:08.640 lambeau Field, Packers, Browns, Keys to victory here for Green Bay. 0:17:08.680 --> 0:17:10.520 We all know what's on the line for the Packers. 0:17:10.560 --> 0:17:13.920 You're looking at as of now. If you win out, 0:17:14.160 --> 0:17:15.879 you're the number one seed, you get a buy, you 0:17:15.920 --> 0:17:18.320 get home field and all that. We talked about everything 0:17:18.359 --> 0:17:20.439 that's on the line for the Browns. There's certainly plenty 0:17:20.480 --> 0:17:23.160 on the line for the Packers. What do the Packers 0:17:23.200 --> 0:17:27.359 have to do? What is the top priority? Two finish things? 0:17:27.359 --> 0:17:30.400 On Saturday night at twelve and three. I think there's 0:17:30.400 --> 0:17:33.120 two things that need to happen, and I'm probably gonna 0:17:33.160 --> 0:17:34.520 end up stealing one of years, but I want to 0:17:34.560 --> 0:17:37.600 address this. If they can get Kenny Clark back, I 0:17:37.600 --> 0:17:40.560 feel like this Packers run defense is a championship quality 0:17:41.680 --> 0:17:46.000 caliber unit. Times have it changed? You're not seeing the 0:17:46.040 --> 0:17:50.520 thousand pound line anymore of picket Raji Howard Green. You've 0:17:50.520 --> 0:17:52.320 got guys that are a little bit more versatile, a 0:17:52.359 --> 0:17:55.920 little smaller, but yet still really stout. And when Kenny 0:17:55.960 --> 0:17:58.480 Clark is in the ballgame, like how many times this year, 0:17:58.520 --> 0:18:00.720 I wish there was a stat I'm sure PFF has 0:18:00.760 --> 0:18:03.760 it whatever, But I mean, how many times have we 0:18:03.840 --> 0:18:06.399 seen it where he gets in the backfield and it 0:18:06.480 --> 0:18:10.000 redirects a runner off of what his assignment is. That's 0:18:10.040 --> 0:18:13.119 big time football. So if Kenny Clark is back, I 0:18:13.119 --> 0:18:15.320 think stopping the run as paramount. But as I've continued 0:18:15.359 --> 0:18:17.200 to say, I think getting off to a fast start. 0:18:17.720 --> 0:18:19.480 I think if you can break the will of the 0:18:19.520 --> 0:18:21.880 Browns right off the bat, if this offense can get 0:18:21.920 --> 0:18:25.679 into a rhythm from series one, like you saw what 0:18:25.720 --> 0:18:28.399 happened in the second half of that game. Offensively, you 0:18:28.480 --> 0:18:31.800 get it's a momentum driven game. You get a feeling 0:18:31.840 --> 0:18:33.800 of Okay, is this going the direction you want to 0:18:33.840 --> 0:18:35.480 go or is it not really going the direction you go? 0:18:35.560 --> 0:18:37.240 Do you feel like the Packers can move the ball 0:18:37.240 --> 0:18:39.200 downfield or does it feel like it's gonna be difficult 0:18:39.240 --> 0:18:43.399 getting a yard. I had no qualms, no doubts, no 0:18:43.600 --> 0:18:46.280 confusion whatsoever what the Packers were able to do in 0:18:46.280 --> 0:18:49.440 the second half of that game against the Ravens. So yeah, 0:18:49.480 --> 0:18:51.439 I think this is a game in which you start fast, 0:18:51.880 --> 0:18:54.400 you put your foot down on the pedal, you come 0:18:54.440 --> 0:18:56.959 up with that twelve victory. Yeah, my initial thought at 0:18:56.960 --> 0:18:58.760 the beginning of the week when I was asked an 0:18:58.760 --> 0:19:01.639 insider inbox, are the keys to winning this game for 0:19:01.680 --> 0:19:03.920 the Packers? And this is what I wrote. I said, 0:19:04.440 --> 0:19:07.960 block Myles Garrett and tackle Nick Chubb. Those are the 0:19:08.040 --> 0:19:10.280 to me, that's what this game comes down to, those 0:19:10.320 --> 0:19:12.280 two things. Now, we don't know if Myles Garrett is 0:19:12.320 --> 0:19:14.639 going to play or not, so we talked about that before. 0:19:15.440 --> 0:19:18.040 But Nick Chubb is going to play. And this is 0:19:18.119 --> 0:19:24.520 a this is a run oriented Brown's offense, and it's 0:19:24.520 --> 0:19:26.880 not an opponent you know that you see, Like, like 0:19:26.920 --> 0:19:29.119 we said, two thousand seventeen was the last time the 0:19:29.119 --> 0:19:32.480 Packers face these guys, right, and and we saw last 0:19:32.520 --> 0:19:36.520