WEBVTT - #572 Packers Unscripted: Still in command 0:00:00.800 --> 0:00:14.560 Hi, everybody, Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from 0:00:14.560 --> 0:00:18.000 Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spofford, joined as always 0:00:18.000 --> 0:00:21.200 by my trusted colleague Weston Hodkoits were coming to you 0:00:21.280 --> 0:00:25.360 from socially distant locations here at lambeau Field and West. 0:00:25.400 --> 0:00:29.280 The green Bay Packers on Saturday night advanced their record 0:00:29.320 --> 0:00:33.239 to eleven and three with a sixteen a little bit 0:00:33.320 --> 0:00:36.720 too close for comfort victory over the Carolina Panthers, but 0:00:36.800 --> 0:00:39.479 nonetheless it was a victory, a tale of two halves. 0:00:39.520 --> 0:00:43.640 Packers totally dominated the first half of play, then couldn't 0:00:43.720 --> 0:00:45.639 quite get things going in the second half, but did 0:00:45.760 --> 0:00:48.480 enough to to hang on to win, and Green Bay 0:00:48.520 --> 0:00:50.960 is still in control of that number one playoff seed 0:00:51.000 --> 0:00:54.200 in the NFC. Well, first and foremost, Mike, you want 0:00:54.240 --> 0:00:58.640 to talk about winning games looking good while you win games? 0:00:59.120 --> 0:01:02.360 Asked the law Angelos, Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers about what 0:01:02.400 --> 0:01:04.520 it means to win games in the National Football League 0:01:04.560 --> 0:01:07.160 and not have a letdown against a team that maybe 0:01:07.200 --> 0:01:10.000 you shouldn't be on the same level with. It doesn't happen. 0:01:10.000 --> 0:01:12.600 There's only thirty two teams. There's so much parody these 0:01:12.640 --> 0:01:15.600 type of things happen occasionally for the Green Bay Packers. 0:01:15.840 --> 0:01:19.800 A really fast start on Saturday night. Offensively, honestly, I 0:01:19.800 --> 0:01:23.200 even tweeted about it, wrote about it in our live updates. 0:01:23.560 --> 0:01:25.760 They moved the ball at will on that opening series. 0:01:25.760 --> 0:01:28.160 The forty six yard run by Aaron Jones really breaking 0:01:28.200 --> 0:01:31.560 things open. Whatever Carolina was doing, they couldn't stop Aaron 0:01:31.640 --> 0:01:34.320 Rodgers in this offense, and that sort of carried through 0:01:34.360 --> 0:01:36.399 for the next quarter and a half. But they did 0:01:36.400 --> 0:01:38.800 put the clamps down. They mixed up some of their coverages, 0:01:38.840 --> 0:01:41.800 they packed more guys into the box, really loaded the 0:01:41.800 --> 0:01:44.600 line of scrimmage, and most importantly, we're able to get 0:01:44.680 --> 0:01:47.560 pressure with the four man rush against the Packers offensive 0:01:47.560 --> 0:01:50.520 line that has been so stout this season. Despite all 0:01:50.560 --> 0:01:52.600 of that, the defense kind of was able to pick 0:01:52.680 --> 0:01:55.600 up where the offense left off and got a huge 0:01:55.640 --> 0:01:58.400 defensive stop on the goal line. Chris Barnes, as I 0:01:58.480 --> 0:02:01.400 joked about on Twitter, but umboing that ball away from 0:02:01.400 --> 0:02:04.400 Teddy Bridgewater as he tried to dive over the end zone. 0:02:04.720 --> 0:02:07.280 Kevin King returns that forty eight yards. The Packers end 0:02:07.360 --> 0:02:10.079 up generating a touchdown off that a huge four team 0:02:10.120 --> 0:02:12.680 points swing there, potentially for Green Bay, and in the 0:02:12.720 --> 0:02:15.119 second half they got three and els when they needed them. 0:02:15.360 --> 0:02:17.720 They got the final stop with fifty seconds to go 0:02:17.760 --> 0:02:20.520 when they needed it. I thought this was a performance 0:02:20.600 --> 0:02:24.200 the defensive front and defense in general could really build 0:02:24.240 --> 0:02:27.240 off of, while offensively given the Packers a chance to 0:02:27.280 --> 0:02:29.440 reflect on what happened in those last two quarters and 0:02:29.680 --> 0:02:31.480 in what needs to be corrected now going into this 0:02:31.520 --> 0:02:35.040 game against Tennessee. Yeah, I think we saw just how 0:02:35.400 --> 0:02:38.400 smooth and efficient this Packers offense can be when it's 0:02:38.440 --> 0:02:40.840 running the football like it was in the first half, 0:02:40.880 --> 0:02:43.520 and not just the forty six yard run by Aaron Jones, 0:02:43.560 --> 0:02:47.119 but there were chunk plays against the should say with 0:02:47.440 --> 0:02:50.320 the ground game that uh, you know, we're just making 0:02:50.360 --> 0:02:53.280 things easy for this Packers offense and making life easy 0:02:53.320 --> 0:02:55.840 for Aaron Rodgers. So then the question is, okay, where 0:02:55.840 --> 0:02:59.480 did things go wrong? And as always, it's not just 0:02:59.600 --> 0:03:01.840 one thing ing. I think it started with the Packers 0:03:01.880 --> 0:03:05.040 dropping some passes. Al Lazar drops one at the end 0:03:05.040 --> 0:03:08.239 of the first half on the the Jared Cook Dallas playoff, 0:03:08.720 --> 0:03:11.960 you know, reprise of of that great play, but the 0:03:11.960 --> 0:03:14.520 passes dropped by the sideline. Packers don't get some points 0:03:14.560 --> 0:03:16.760 there at the end of the first half. Davantae Adams 0:03:16.840 --> 0:03:19.040 drops a slant early in the second half that would 0:03:19.040 --> 0:03:21.679 have converted a first down. Aaron Rodgers talked about a 0:03:22.240 --> 0:03:26.040 clearly missed hands to the face on Lucas Patrick that, um, 0:03:26.200 --> 0:03:28.239 you know, that would have given the Packers an automatic 0:03:28.280 --> 0:03:31.080 first down to continue drive. Then Matt Lafleur admitted he 0:03:31.160 --> 0:03:33.960 got away from the running game. Aaron Rodgers got away 0:03:33.960 --> 0:03:35.960 from it a little bit too, with trying to throw 0:03:36.000 --> 0:03:39.760 those run solution to horizontal throws to Davante Adams. Packers 0:03:39.760 --> 0:03:42.120 didn't stick with the run, so all these things started 0:03:42.120 --> 0:03:45.880 to add up two. Then the offense, not being as 0:03:46.120 --> 0:03:49.040 as smooth and efficient, did put together the one drive 0:03:49.240 --> 0:03:51.800 with the big third down conversion to al Lazard on 0:03:51.840 --> 0:03:55.520 the shallow cross that got the field goal from Mason Crosby. 0:03:55.600 --> 0:04:00.400 Another clutch kick by Crosby fifty one yards outdoors in 0:04:00.440 --> 0:04:03.240 the cold that that was not an easy kick by 0:04:03.280 --> 0:04:05.760 any means, but it rescored the Packers to score lead 0:04:06.040 --> 0:04:08.360 and that ended up being enough to hang on. Yeah. 0:04:08.360 --> 0:04:11.560 The one thing I really loved about this performance, starting 0:04:11.560 --> 0:04:13.600 with off the offensively, what groom he was able to 0:04:13.640 --> 0:04:16.560 do Aaron Jones a hundred and fourteen total yards of 0:04:16.560 --> 0:04:18.560 offense in the first half. That was the most by 0:04:18.600 --> 0:04:21.600 a Packers running back going back to two thousand sixteen 0:04:21.640 --> 0:04:25.200 when Ty Montgomery had that huge game against the Chicago Bears, 0:04:25.360 --> 0:04:27.400 and then before that, it hadn't been done since two 0:04:27.400 --> 0:04:30.000 thousand and four, so really got off to a fast start. 0:04:30.080 --> 0:04:32.520 I thought it, you know, especially with Jamal Williams going 0:04:32.520 --> 0:04:35.040 out with the thigh injury, it showed you that down 0:04:35.040 --> 0:04:36.520 the stretch here, if there is a game where you 0:04:36.520 --> 0:04:38.920 need to lean on Aaron Jones, he can handle that 0:04:38.960 --> 0:04:42.120 workload and honestly probably should have had a few more opportunities, 0:04:42.120 --> 0:04:44.000 even though he still carried the ball with twenty times 0:04:44.200 --> 0:04:46.560 for a hundred and forty five yards and the touchdown 0:04:46.839 --> 0:04:50.239 in that victory. But also when you mentioned the the 0:04:50.360 --> 0:04:54.000 adjustments that they made, I I was listening to Matt Leflour. 0:04:54.080 --> 0:04:55.719 I thought one thing that was very interesting too that 0:04:55.720 --> 0:04:57.440 he mentioned as yes, getting away from the you know, 0:04:57.480 --> 0:04:59.840 too many run solutions and things of that nature, but 0:05:00.080 --> 0:05:02.719 also the fact that this happens in the National Football League, 0:05:02.680 --> 0:05:05.160 where the Packers go into a game thinking that if 0:05:05.160 --> 0:05:07.360 they get the ball to their playmakers in the open field, 0:05:07.360 --> 0:05:09.760 they're gonna be able to just naturally break tackles. Based 0:05:09.800 --> 0:05:12.919 on what Carolina has put on film. The Panthers tackled 0:05:13.040 --> 0:05:15.520 very well in this game. They probably played a little 0:05:15.520 --> 0:05:17.719 bit better than what Green Bay was expecting at the 0:05:17.760 --> 0:05:20.919 second level, and that narrowed some of those opportunities. But 0:05:21.040 --> 0:05:23.240 you have to find the reaction to that. You have 0:05:23.320 --> 0:05:25.480 to be able to sort of figure out the next 0:05:25.520 --> 0:05:28.880 step to that. So I mentioned an insider in box 0:05:28.880 --> 0:05:30.520 because somebody was saying, Hey, is it better to have 0:05:30.560 --> 0:05:33.120 a performance like this going into a game against Tennessee 0:05:33.160 --> 0:05:35.080 where you know what you gotta correct, as opposed to 0:05:35.680 --> 0:05:37.920 you know you lose and now you're kind of doubting yourselves. 0:05:38.240 --> 0:05:40.240 I think Matt Lafleur and this coaching staff and that 0:05:40.320 --> 0:05:43.600 obviously that locker room is so shown so much maturity 0:05:43.640 --> 0:05:45.320 that I don't think it's based on a win or 0:05:45.320 --> 0:05:47.880 a loss in terms of how they respond the following week. 0:05:48.200 --> 0:05:49.760 They're gonna be able to take the good with the 0:05:49.800 --> 0:05:51.400 bad and the bad with the good and make the 0:05:51.400 --> 0:05:54.880 necessary adjustments. So I feel like showing like this, if 0:05:54.920 --> 0:05:56.680 green Bay can put its best foot forward in the 0:05:56.720 --> 0:05:59.160 second from what they learned in the second half, UH, 0:05:59.200 --> 0:06:01.400 specifically that third quarter where they only were able to 0:06:01.400 --> 0:06:04.279 get off six plays. I believe that is really I 0:06:04.279 --> 0:06:06.400 think could bode well for them going up against a 0:06:06.400 --> 0:06:09.560 Tennessee team this week that, while has a very scary 0:06:09.600 --> 0:06:12.320 offensive weapon and and Derrick Henry and the you know, 0:06:12.360 --> 0:06:16.000 second or third best total offense in the league, defensively, 0:06:16.040 --> 0:06:18.240 has given up a lot of big plays, has not 0:06:18.320 --> 0:06:20.200 had a lot of sacks, has struggle to get pressure 0:06:20.200 --> 0:06:23.560 on the quarterback. Green Bay has a very tough opponent 0:06:23.600 --> 0:06:25.120 coming up this week. But I think some of the 0:06:25.160 --> 0:06:28.680 things that happened with this offensive performance against Carolina doesn't 0:06:28.720 --> 0:06:31.600 necessarily indicate that they're gonna struggle in the same ways 0:06:31.600 --> 0:06:35.239 against the Titans. Yeah, this upcoming matchup with Tennessee another 0:06:35.279 --> 0:06:38.880 primetime game. It will be Sunday night, UH at at 0:06:38.960 --> 0:06:42.719 lambeau Field under the lights. You're talking about two of 0:06:42.720 --> 0:06:45.240 the best offenses in the league, you know, bottom line, 0:06:45.279 --> 0:06:47.040 whether you want to say the Packers are driven by 0:06:47.040 --> 0:06:49.880 Aaron Rodgers, the Titans are driven by Derrick Henry, lots 0:06:49.880 --> 0:06:53.039 of other parts. Ryan Tannehill having a great season at quarterback, 0:06:53.080 --> 0:06:56.880 A J. Brown aformaable receiver Corey Davis. The Packers obviously 0:06:56.880 --> 0:07:00.200 have Davante Adams and Aaron Jones and all of those weapons. 0:07:00.400 --> 0:07:03.400 Seems like it's shaping up as a game where both 0:07:03.440 --> 0:07:05.280 of these teams are gonna want to try to keep 0:07:05.320 --> 0:07:07.760 that other team's offense off the field. It's going to 0:07:07.839 --> 0:07:09.800 be about when your offense is on the field, you 0:07:09.840 --> 0:07:12.880 want to control the clock, control the ball, and maybe 0:07:12.920 --> 0:07:15.920 limit the possessions for those guys on the other side. 0:07:15.920 --> 0:07:17.800 It's it's going to be it's gonna be a really 0:07:17.840 --> 0:07:20.760 interesting clash. Two teams that are both headed to the 0:07:20.800 --> 0:07:25.120 postseason and uh and are both certainly considered Super Bowl contenders. Yeah, 0:07:25.160 --> 0:07:27.920 and you look at the aspect of this thing with 0:07:27.960 --> 0:07:31.559 Derrick Henry. His breakout season in the National Football League 0:07:31.600 --> 0:07:34.920 came when Matt lafloor Is his offensive coordinator back in 0:07:34.920 --> 0:07:38.000 two thousand and eighteen, and he hasn't stopped since then. 0:07:38.040 --> 0:07:41.680 And this season fourteen games the Titans have played, nine 0:07:41.720 --> 0:07:44.360 of them, he's gone over a hundred yards only once 0:07:44.480 --> 0:07:46.600 or twice. He's been held underneath sixty. I mean, he 0:07:46.720 --> 0:07:48.600 is going to get his touches and he is going 0:07:48.640 --> 0:07:52.320 to get his yards, and that's why ball, security, time 0:07:52.320 --> 0:07:54.880 of possession, being able to control the clock I think 0:07:55.000 --> 0:07:56.920 is more so than any other game this year for 0:07:56.960 --> 0:07:59.600 Green Bay is gonna be so so important. But for 0:07:59.640 --> 0:08:01.760 green Bay is run defense. I thought this was another 0:08:01.840 --> 0:08:04.640 performance that they could build on. They they now they 0:08:04.640 --> 0:08:07.400 weren't facing Christian McCaffrey on Saturday night. I'm not gonna 0:08:07.440 --> 0:08:11.200 make any illusions that this was the top flight, you know, 0:08:11.600 --> 0:08:14.360 offensive juggernaut that that the Panthers have been the last 0:08:14.400 --> 0:08:16.800 few years on the ground. But Mike Davis is a 0:08:16.920 --> 0:08:19.440 very respectable running back and does a lot of the 0:08:19.480 --> 0:08:22.560 same things that they aren't shifting the scheme to to 0:08:22.600 --> 0:08:24.480 make it work for him. He's had to adjust to 0:08:24.560 --> 0:08:26.880 what they like to do with their running back in 0:08:26.920 --> 0:08:28.960 Green Bay. If you look at that game, you look 0:08:29.000 --> 0:08:32.560 at the Philadelphia game and obviously Detroit, the last fifty 0:08:32.559 --> 0:08:36.320 four carries against skill position players only two four rushing 0:08:36.360 --> 0:08:40.079 yards allowed. Now, Derrick Henry is a different puzzle to solve, 0:08:40.600 --> 0:08:43.800 but you feel differently about this Packers run defense that 0:08:43.880 --> 0:08:46.080 then maybe you did after they gave up that big 0:08:46.120 --> 0:08:49.240 play against the Bears and David Montgomery. They have hit 0:08:49.280 --> 0:08:51.360 their stride a little bit. I think Dean Lowery and 0:08:51.400 --> 0:08:53.240 Kenny Clark are playing some of their best football the 0:08:53.320 --> 0:08:56.800 year right now. And if Chris Chris Barnes really is 0:08:56.840 --> 0:08:59.800 okay coming off of that eye injury that he exited 0:08:59.840 --> 0:09:02.480 with on Saturday night, Uh, I think you're seeing that 0:09:02.520 --> 0:09:05.200 defensive front at front seven really kind of gel and 0:09:05.280 --> 0:09:07.760 and become the unit green Bay felt they could be. Yeah, 0:09:07.760 --> 0:09:10.280 well that that group is going to get its biggest 0:09:10.280 --> 0:09:12.680 test of the season, that's for sure, with Derrick Henry 0:09:12.720 --> 0:09:15.720 coming in to lambeau Field on Sunday night. As far 0:09:15.760 --> 0:09:18.280 as the playoff picture is concerned, once again, some things 0:09:18.320 --> 0:09:22.040 went Green Bay's way over the weekend, namely that the 0:09:22.080 --> 0:09:25.640 New Orleans Saints lost at home to the Kansas City Chiefs. 0:09:25.679 --> 0:09:28.440 So where things sit right now, the Packers on top 0:09:28.480 --> 0:09:31.360 of the NFC at eleven and three, the Saints and 0:09:31.400 --> 0:09:35.120 the Seahawks right behind at ten and four. What that 0:09:35.160 --> 0:09:38.880 means West is the Packers can clinch the number one 0:09:38.920 --> 0:09:43.079 seed with just one more victory. But it isn't as 0:09:43.080 --> 0:09:45.800 simple as, oh, they just need to beat either Tennessee 0:09:45.880 --> 0:09:49.680 or Chicago. It's not quite that simple because the only 0:09:49.679 --> 0:09:52.000 way the Packers can clinch the number one seed this 0:09:52.080 --> 0:09:55.680 week with a win over Tennessee is if Seattle also 0:09:56.200 --> 0:10:00.920 loses to the Rams. If Seattle beats the Rams, then 0:10:01.040 --> 0:10:04.120 the Packers will have to win at Chicago in week 0:10:04.200 --> 0:10:07.360 seventeen in order to clinch the number one seeds. So 0:10:07.440 --> 0:10:10.440 it doesn't take victories in both games. But it's not 0:10:10.559 --> 0:10:13.000 quite as simple as oh, they just win one or 0:10:13.040 --> 0:10:14.840 the other and they get it. What we do know 0:10:15.320 --> 0:10:18.320 is if they beat Chicago in week seventeen, the number 0:10:18.320 --> 0:10:22.160 one seed is green Bay's, regardless of what happens against Tennessee. 0:10:22.640 --> 0:10:26.160 I love that you're my coworker, that ye're the one 0:10:26.200 --> 0:10:28.120 that handles all this stuff, because somebody asked me that 0:10:28.160 --> 0:10:31.320 an inbox too, and also on Twitter. Uh, what what 0:10:31.360 --> 0:10:33.520 are the scenarios? What are the different machinations here that 0:10:33.520 --> 0:10:35.360 that could lead to the Packers getting the number one seed? 0:10:35.360 --> 0:10:38.360 I'm like, ask Mike Spofford, he has you covered. But 0:10:38.400 --> 0:10:40.160 you're absolutely right. I mean, you boiled it down as 0:10:40.200 --> 0:10:42.680 simple as you could. If the Rams coming off a 0:10:42.800 --> 0:10:45.800 very tough loss, mind you to the Jets can bounce 0:10:45.840 --> 0:10:48.680 back and beat Seattle, which I think we've kind of 0:10:48.720 --> 0:10:50.840 seen already in the NFC West. Any of those four 0:10:50.840 --> 0:10:53.480 teams can beat anybody on any given week. But if 0:10:53.520 --> 0:10:57.080 that happens, green Bay takes the field on Sunday night 0:10:57.400 --> 0:11:00.320 knowing that they have an opportunity to clinch the on seed, 0:11:00.320 --> 0:11:03.320 which would be the first time, like since two thousand 0:11:03.400 --> 0:11:06.280 and seven season for the Green Bay Packers. I mean, 0:11:06.320 --> 0:11:09.720 what a remarkable achievement that would be. And now with 0:11:09.800 --> 0:11:14.439 only having one by per conference, the the emphasis, the importance, 0:11:14.559 --> 0:11:17.720 the value of that week off really is heightened in 0:11:17.720 --> 0:11:20.760 the fact that the Green Bay Packers could have their 0:11:20.800 --> 0:11:23.720 own way to having this thing go through lambau Field 0:11:23.760 --> 0:11:25.959 on the way to Tampa. That's huge. Yeah, I'm just 0:11:26.000 --> 0:11:28.079 gonna correct you though the Packers had the number one 0:11:28.120 --> 0:11:32.600 seed in two thousand but the last last the Packers 0:11:32.640 --> 0:11:36.040 hosted the NC championship game was two thousand seven, So 0:11:36.080 --> 0:11:38.320 you just got you got your data just a little 0:11:38.320 --> 0:11:40.360 bit a little bit mixed up there, But yes, this 0:11:40.480 --> 0:11:42.600 that's what the Packers are after. The Packers are after 0:11:42.640 --> 0:11:45.720 getting the number one seed, which is the only first 0:11:45.800 --> 0:11:48.439 round by in the playoffs this year, then you have 0:11:48.640 --> 0:11:51.520 one home game to win in order to be able 0:11:51.520 --> 0:11:54.320 to host that conference title game, and the Packers have 0:11:54.440 --> 0:11:58.280 not hosted a conference title game since Brett Farve's final 0:11:58.360 --> 0:12:00.640 game in a Green Bay Packers you a form back 0:12:00.640 --> 0:12:03.040 in at the end of the two thousand seven season 0:12:03.080 --> 0:12:05.679 in January of two thousand eight. So I appreciate that. 0:12:05.679 --> 0:12:07.000 That's what I was going for, Mike, and then I 0:12:07.080 --> 0:12:10.679 ended up flobbing it. That's okay, that's okay. Well, so 0:12:10.720 --> 0:12:14.160 those that's the playoffs scenario for the Packers here with 0:12:14.160 --> 0:12:16.800 with two weeks ago. It's um um. It's not as 0:12:16.880 --> 0:12:20.520 simple as you think, but yet it's not overly complicated either. 0:12:20.559 --> 0:12:22.640 And as you said, I think the biggest thing everybody's 0:12:22.640 --> 0:12:26.160 gonna be watching that late afternoon game on Sunday Seattle 0:12:26.200 --> 0:12:28.920 against the l A. Rams. If the Rams win that game, 0:12:28.960 --> 0:12:30.880 the Packers are coming out of the tunnel saying, hey, 0:12:30.920 --> 0:12:33.280 we can clinch the number one seed right here, and 0:12:33.320 --> 0:12:36.760 then the Packers can essentially make the week seventeen game 0:12:36.760 --> 0:12:39.920 against the against the Bears irrelevant if if things fall 0:12:40.360 --> 0:12:42.959 the correct way. What I want to mention this too, 0:12:42.960 --> 0:12:44.560 if I can so the Green Bay Packers that the 0:12:44.559 --> 0:12:47.520 Pro Bowl was announced on Monday night, seven green Bay 0:12:47.520 --> 0:12:49.640 Packers are going to That was that was next on 0:12:49.720 --> 0:12:52.640 my list here. It was, but seven Packers are going 0:12:52.640 --> 0:12:55.640 to the Virtual Pro Bowl this year for a team 0:12:55.800 --> 0:12:59.920 that so many people thought didn't have uh the talent 0:13:00.520 --> 0:13:03.680 or the ability or last year was a fluke. Green 0:13:03.720 --> 0:13:07.319 Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City and then Bolt. I 0:13:07.320 --> 0:13:12.520 think it's Baltimore, right, all four tied with seven teams 0:13:12.559 --> 0:13:16.439 going to seven players going to the Pro Bowl this year. Uh, 0:13:16.800 --> 0:13:19.439 it's just first time since two thousand and eleven the 0:13:19.440 --> 0:13:22.960 Packers have had that many uh players selected upon first 0:13:23.000 --> 0:13:25.720 initial balloting. It seems like there's been so many years 0:13:25.720 --> 0:13:28.240 where Baltimore has gotten that many. Seattle has been a 0:13:28.240 --> 0:13:31.120 big favorite. To see Green Bay finally get that respect 0:13:31.200 --> 0:13:33.600 and the fact that hey, maybe the Green Bay Packers 0:13:33.640 --> 0:13:35.800 are actually pretty darn good and that it just isn't 0:13:35.800 --> 0:13:39.920 an anomaly. Yeah, it's it's a it's a playoff picture 0:13:39.960 --> 0:13:41.760 that's shaping up, and maybe Green Bays starting to get 0:13:41.800 --> 0:13:43.959 some of the respect it deserves. Yeah. Well, as far 0:13:44.000 --> 0:13:47.040 as those seven Pro Bowlers are concerned, will rattle through them. 0:13:47.040 --> 0:13:51.000 Here Aaron Rodgers earns his ninth Pro Bowl selection, which 0:13:51.320 --> 0:13:54.160 ties the franchise record held by and you can help 0:13:54.200 --> 0:13:56.840 me here, Brett Farve and Forced Gregg Force Gregg I 0:13:56.880 --> 0:14:00.959 believe yes, So Rogers tied for the most Pro Bowl 0:14:01.120 --> 0:14:04.240 Pro Bowl selections now in franchise history. Davante Adams gets 0:14:04.240 --> 0:14:07.600 his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl, which is the longest streak 0:14:07.720 --> 0:14:11.760 for a Packers wide receiver since James Lofton back in 0:14:11.800 --> 0:14:17.080 the nineteen eighties. Aaron Jones and Jayre Alexander and Elton 0:14:17.200 --> 0:14:21.800 Jenkins all get their first Pro Bowl nods. And then 0:14:21.840 --> 0:14:25.160 we have the Darius Smith getting his second consecutive here 0:14:25.200 --> 0:14:28.720 in his two years with Green Bay. And then David 0:14:28.760 --> 0:14:32.480 baktr E, the four time Pro Bowler, a sorry, four 0:14:32.480 --> 0:14:37.000 time All Pro now the three time Pro bowler um 0:14:37.040 --> 0:14:39.840 at at left tackle. And here here's the thing. West. 0:14:39.880 --> 0:14:42.240 I know a lot of Packers fans out there like, well, 0:14:42.440 --> 0:14:44.920 what about Corey Lindsley and what about Robert Tunny in 0:14:46.040 --> 0:14:49.280 perfectly good arguments for either one of them to be 0:14:49.400 --> 0:14:51.560 named to the Pro Bowl. But I'll say a couple 0:14:51.600 --> 0:14:54.960 of things. First, when you have seven guys make the 0:14:54.960 --> 0:14:57.840 Pro Bowl, you can't be complaining about the guys who 0:14:57.880 --> 0:14:59.760 I'm sorry, you just don't get to complain when you 0:14:59.840 --> 0:15:03.280 get at seven on the list. First off. But the 0:15:03.320 --> 0:15:07.000 other thing, the other thing I'll say is that I 0:15:07.040 --> 0:15:10.360 do think in some respects that Elton Jenkins might have 0:15:10.360 --> 0:15:14.240 taken Corey Lindsley's spot, if that makes sense, because I 0:15:14.240 --> 0:15:16.880 think Elton Jenkins got a lot more recognition around the 0:15:16.920 --> 0:15:20.640 league than a normal second year player would because of 0:15:20.720 --> 0:15:23.960 starting at different positions, And when these assistant coaches are 0:15:23.960 --> 0:15:26.240 looking at film and preparing for the Packers and even 0:15:26.480 --> 0:15:29.200 preparing for other opponents, but seeing the Packers on film, 0:15:29.240 --> 0:15:31.400 and they're saying, hey, look at this seventy four. He's 0:15:31.400 --> 0:15:33.320 lining up at center, he's lining up at tackle, he's 0:15:33.320 --> 0:15:35.320 lining up at guard. This guy's got you know, got it, 0:15:35.600 --> 0:15:38.120 you know, getting it done everywhere. I think in some 0:15:38.160 --> 0:15:41.360 ways that that, and then combined with Corey Lindsley getting 0:15:41.440 --> 0:15:43.560 hurt here late in the year, I think that might 0:15:43.600 --> 0:15:46.600 have that might have impacted Lindsley's chances to get a 0:15:46.600 --> 0:15:48.800 Pro Bowl because let's be honest here, You're not going 0:15:48.840 --> 0:15:52.000 to get three of your five offensive line starters named 0:15:52.000 --> 0:15:55.720 to one Pro Bowl team? Is that really realistic? So 0:15:55.720 --> 0:15:57.560 so I throw that out there. But but the other 0:15:57.600 --> 0:16:00.560 thing I will say, with Tony in leading all NFL 0:16:00.640 --> 0:16:04.120 tight ends with ten touchdown receptions and I'll be honest 0:16:04.160 --> 0:16:08.120 that you know, I would certainly take Tony In over 0:16:08.240 --> 0:16:10.800 Evan Ingram, who was one of the NFC tight ends 0:16:10.880 --> 0:16:13.120 who made the list. I think Tongans had a better season. 0:16:13.360 --> 0:16:16.320 I just don't think there's any argument there. So that's 0:16:16.320 --> 0:16:18.560 my that that's that's me saying my piece. As far 0:16:18.560 --> 0:16:20.320 as the Pro Bowl, now you can go. It was 0:16:20.360 --> 0:16:23.800 a good piece to Mike Tony In. So here's the 0:16:23.840 --> 0:16:26.880 thing with the Tongan argument. It's almost like you didn't 0:16:26.880 --> 0:16:29.760 expect him to be here yet, but then when you 0:16:29.800 --> 0:16:32.320 see what the criteria was to actually be a Pro 0:16:32.400 --> 0:16:35.240 Bowl tight end this season, Robert Tonyan was a Pro 0:16:35.280 --> 0:16:38.400 Bowl tight end and and unfortunately the tough thing is, 0:16:38.520 --> 0:16:40.800 you know, George Kittle goes down with the injury, you 0:16:40.800 --> 0:16:43.600 don't have the traditional stalwarts, mind you, that you have 0:16:43.720 --> 0:16:46.800 at that position. So this really was a great opportunity 0:16:46.800 --> 0:16:48.600 for him to do it this year. And when you 0:16:48.760 --> 0:16:51.240 match up the statistics with Evan Ingram, I mean, it 0:16:51.320 --> 0:16:52.880 just does It's not even close. I think it was. 0:16:53.120 --> 0:16:56.000 ESPN had Ingram down for eight drops this year. They 0:16:56.000 --> 0:16:59.000 don't have Tony In for one. Tongan had ten touchdowns. 0:16:59.120 --> 0:17:02.440 Ingram has one Ingram had a really fine rookie season 0:17:02.480 --> 0:17:04.119 a number of years ago. But I don't know if 0:17:04.160 --> 0:17:07.240 the name recognition really follows it the way that that 0:17:07.359 --> 0:17:10.000 maybe it should. Uh Tonyon, though it is what it is. 0:17:10.040 --> 0:17:12.000 I'm sure if you asked Robert, he doesn't really care. 0:17:12.119 --> 0:17:14.080 He wants to just win as many games as possible 0:17:14.080 --> 0:17:17.359 and get a Super Bowl ring. Elton Jenkins probably is 0:17:17.400 --> 0:17:19.480 one of the most deserving players of it in the 0:17:19.640 --> 0:17:24.400 entire National Football League, the first player that has started 0:17:24.440 --> 0:17:30.119 at center, tackle, and guard for the Green Bay Packers 0:17:30.160 --> 0:17:33.880 since the merger in seventy uh. The fact that he's 0:17:33.920 --> 0:17:36.680 the first second year offensive lineman to get selected to 0:17:36.720 --> 0:17:39.800 the Pro Bowl in sixty eight years, Mike, since your 0:17:39.840 --> 0:17:44.240 family favorite Darryl Tetuk made this made the Pro Bowl 0:17:44.280 --> 0:17:48.520 team in y two. And the fact that Elton Jenkins 0:17:48.520 --> 0:17:51.520 has played center the past two weeks without there being 0:17:51.560 --> 0:17:54.199 any hiccups. There weren't any bad snaps. He seems to 0:17:54.240 --> 0:17:57.680 fit naturally. The guy can start at any position that 0:17:57.760 --> 0:17:59.600 the Green Bay Packers need him to. He happens to 0:17:59.640 --> 0:18:02.960 be a roll A Bowl caliber left guard. But when 0:18:03.000 --> 0:18:05.680 he filled in at right tackle and the opener looked 0:18:05.680 --> 0:18:08.800 fine when he did it against UH San Francisco, a 0:18:08.920 --> 0:18:10.760 left tackle in the middle of the season looked fine. 0:18:11.000 --> 0:18:12.840 In at center, he's looked just fine. It is a 0:18:12.840 --> 0:18:15.239 shame that Corey Lindsley has gone seven seasons without being 0:18:15.240 --> 0:18:18.119 selected to one Pro Bowl. But Elton jenkins Man has 0:18:18.160 --> 0:18:20.440 been remarkable. And I have to say, though, Mike you mentioned, 0:18:20.720 --> 0:18:23.040 is it realistic for three guys from the same offensive 0:18:23.080 --> 0:18:25.879 line to get the Pro Bowl. The Dallas Cowboys made 0:18:25.920 --> 0:18:28.160 a cottage industry out of it in the two thousand ten, 0:18:28.320 --> 0:18:29.959 so I would be nice to see Green Bay get 0:18:29.960 --> 0:18:32.240 a little bit more of that respect. Yeah, I hear 0:18:32.280 --> 0:18:34.720 that with regard to the Cowboys, and certainly this year 0:18:35.240 --> 0:18:36.760 they just had a bunch of first round picks. That's 0:18:36.760 --> 0:18:38.840 the only different Yeah, that's that's the other thing too. 0:18:38.880 --> 0:18:41.080 But you know, but also this year we aren't going 0:18:41.119 --> 0:18:44.360 to see the you know, injury replacements and this and that. 0:18:44.400 --> 0:18:46.800 You know, the Pro Bowl roster is what it is 0:18:46.840 --> 0:18:48.840 and it's done. There aren't going to be all these 0:18:48.880 --> 0:18:52.000 other additions to UH to the list as there are 0:18:52.040 --> 0:18:55.640 in in normal years. So um So for that, um, 0:18:55.880 --> 0:18:59.480 as I think you mentioned in Insider Inbox, readers have 0:18:59.600 --> 0:19:01.960 mentioned is a little bit more of an exclusive honor 0:19:02.040 --> 0:19:04.240 this year because there aren't going to be as many 0:19:04.240 --> 0:19:07.679 guys who get that label of being a pro bowler 0:19:08.080 --> 0:19:14.080 in so um. Well, before we go here, West will end. Unfortunately, 0:19:14.080 --> 0:19:17.639 on a sad note, the Packers former assistant coach Kevin 0:19:17.680 --> 0:19:20.720 Green Um at the tender age of fifty eight, passed 0:19:20.720 --> 0:19:24.680 away on Monday at his home in Alabama, very suddenly, 0:19:24.800 --> 0:19:28.920 very shockingly. Um something a loss that's being felt all 0:19:28.920 --> 0:19:32.320 around the NFL community. And he was the Packers outside 0:19:32.320 --> 0:19:35.119 linebackers coach for five seasons from two thousand nine to 0:19:35.160 --> 0:19:38.280 two thousand thirteen. Was part of that coaching staff that 0:19:38.359 --> 0:19:42.040 won the Super Bowl in the two thousand and ten season. 0:19:42.640 --> 0:19:45.120 And I'll just say this about Kevin green I don't 0:19:45.240 --> 0:19:47.720