WEBVTT - #476 Packers Unscripted: Coaching connection 0:00:00.880 --> 0:00:20.520 Hi everyone, Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:20.600 --> 0:00:23.800 I am Mike Spofford sitting next to my partner in crime, 0:00:23.840 --> 0:00:26.920 Wes Hodkowitz. Were coming to you here from our studios 0:00:26.920 --> 0:00:30.920 at lambeau Field West. Were another day closer to Packers 0:00:31.040 --> 0:00:36.200 forty Niners Sunday Night football from Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California. 0:00:36.280 --> 0:00:39.800 A clash of NFC Titans, you might say for Week twelve, 0:00:40.159 --> 0:00:42.959 a lot to be, a lot to be sorted out yet. 0:00:43.040 --> 0:00:48.240 But one of these storylines that's been interesting to follow 0:00:48.400 --> 0:00:51.040 as we lead up to this big matchup, and it's 0:00:51.120 --> 0:00:54.760 a first in the sense of Matt Lafleur's first year 0:00:54.760 --> 0:00:58.440 as head coach and where he is in his career, 0:00:58.480 --> 0:01:01.360 and that is that his counterpart on the other sideline 0:01:01.960 --> 0:01:05.000 is someone that he goes back a long way with, 0:01:05.080 --> 0:01:07.400 and I'm talking about Kyle Shanahan, the head coach of 0:01:07.400 --> 0:01:11.560 the San Francisco forty Niners, And you posted a story 0:01:11.600 --> 0:01:14.520 on our website with regard to their connection and when 0:01:14.560 --> 0:01:16.720 it started and how far back it goes and how 0:01:16.800 --> 0:01:19.400 it's evolved. So why don't you give us the rundown 0:01:19.600 --> 0:01:23.240 on the background between La Fleur and Shannon. Well, this 0:01:23.319 --> 0:01:26.000 is what's fun about you know life, right, the small 0:01:26.040 --> 0:01:28.640 circles we all run in the six degrees of separation. 0:01:29.360 --> 0:01:30.840 You know, I can tell you one story here at 0:01:30.840 --> 0:01:33.080 the Green Bay Packers. My good friend Nick Goddard, the 0:01:33.080 --> 0:01:35.600 best man in my wedding, works in the Packers video department. 0:01:35.640 --> 0:01:38.520 Now I worked for him when he was a manager 0:01:38.959 --> 0:01:40.479 at Hey. I don't even know if I could say 0:01:40.480 --> 0:01:42.760 the fast food chain restaurant. I'm not sure for allowed 0:01:42.760 --> 0:01:45.120 to or not, but we worked the other when I 0:01:45.200 --> 0:01:48.360 was fifteen, sixteen years old in Green Bay, Wisconsin. You 0:01:48.360 --> 0:01:50.000 follow your path, we both end up with the Green 0:01:50.000 --> 0:01:52.960 Bay Packers, the old teenage fast food job, old teenage 0:01:52.960 --> 0:01:54.680 fast food job. You and I have both been there. 0:01:55.200 --> 0:01:58.360 And it's funny because even though these are the best, 0:01:58.400 --> 0:02:00.920 you know jobs in the NFL, the biggest you know 0:02:01.480 --> 0:02:06.080 spots and professional football, everybody has those same kind of stories, right, 0:02:06.080 --> 0:02:08.480 And you look at Kyle Shanahan and Matt la Floor. 0:02:08.639 --> 0:02:10.919 These guys go back to two thousand and eight together 0:02:11.240 --> 0:02:14.679 when Shanahan was an offensive coordinator for Gary Kubiak, who 0:02:14.760 --> 0:02:18.920 was spoiler alert, an actual disciple of Mike Shanahan Kyle's 0:02:18.960 --> 0:02:21.920 father with the Denver Broncos and they were looking for 0:02:21.960 --> 0:02:26.359 an offensive quality control assistant. Robert Sala, the defensive quality 0:02:26.360 --> 0:02:29.440 control assistant who happened to be college roommates and g 0:02:29.680 --> 0:02:33.079 a with Matt Lafleur at Central Michigan in two thousand four, 0:02:34.000 --> 0:02:37.200 ends up opening up that door. And it was remarkable 0:02:37.400 --> 0:02:40.040 when Shanahan was speaking to the Green Bay Reporters on 0:02:40.080 --> 0:02:42.760 his conference called Wednesday Afternoon. You know I wrote that 0:02:42.800 --> 0:02:46.359 story back in January, documenting Lafleur's rise. I don't know 0:02:46.440 --> 0:02:49.960 if I ever fully paused enough to appreciate how he 0:02:50.040 --> 0:02:53.800 was a quality control assistant for two years with the 0:02:53.840 --> 0:02:57.480 Houston Texans prior to becoming an NFL quarterbacks coach. I 0:02:57.480 --> 0:03:00.280 mean that jump that he made in Shanahan's said it. 0:03:00.360 --> 0:03:02.880 He's like when he decided to follow his dad to 0:03:02.960 --> 0:03:06.400 Washington to be his o C. He needed he wanted 0:03:06.440 --> 0:03:08.680 the floor and Kubiak wanted to keep the floor. So 0:03:08.720 --> 0:03:10.360 what did he do? He made him the QB coach 0:03:10.639 --> 0:03:12.560 brings him with him to Washington. He said he was 0:03:12.639 --> 0:03:15.200 kind of overseeing him that first year, but it didn't 0:03:15.200 --> 0:03:17.320 take long to figure out that this guy could handle it. 0:03:17.720 --> 0:03:20.440 He gave him that room, arguably the most important position 0:03:20.440 --> 0:03:23.960 in football, the most important position coach in football. And 0:03:24.000 --> 0:03:27.560 then they spend those three plus years together in Washington, 0:03:27.800 --> 0:03:30.320 they end up in Atlanta together, and now here we are, 0:03:31.440 --> 0:03:34.080 eleven years after those two first met, now for the 0:03:34.120 --> 0:03:38.000 first time, having this collision courses head coaches. With Shanahan 0:03:38.080 --> 0:03:40.960 leading in a nine into San Francisco forty Niners team 0:03:41.000 --> 0:03:43.720 against Matt Lafour's very resurgent Green Bay Packers at eight 0:03:43.720 --> 0:03:46.280 and two. The story doesn't get any better than that. Yeah, absolutely, 0:03:46.320 --> 0:03:49.240 And you mentioned Robert sala and the whole connection going 0:03:49.240 --> 0:03:51.600 back to Central Michigan and how he got the door 0:03:51.680 --> 0:03:54.720 open for Matt Lafleur to get into the NFL Sunday 0:03:54.840 --> 0:03:58.360 night at Levi Stadium. Matt Lafleur will be calling the 0:03:58.400 --> 0:04:01.600 offensive plays for the Green Bay Packers. Robert Salow, the 0:04:01.640 --> 0:04:05.040 defensive coordinator of the forty Niners, will be calling those 0:04:05.120 --> 0:04:08.320 defensive sets to try to counter what Matt Lafleur is 0:04:08.400 --> 0:04:12.120 doing offensively. And then to add another twist or another 0:04:12.200 --> 0:04:15.640 element to the story, the passing game coordinator for Kyle 0:04:15.680 --> 0:04:19.720 Shanahan is none other than Mike Lafleur, the younger brother 0:04:20.320 --> 0:04:24.200 of Matt Lafleur, who Matt Lafleur wanted to interview and 0:04:24.440 --> 0:04:27.919 presumably would have hired him to join him on his 0:04:27.960 --> 0:04:34.280 Green base. Don't hire him. Yeah, I'm not quite sure 0:04:34.320 --> 0:04:37.880 how that would have gone over at at Christmas and Thanksgiving. 0:04:38.000 --> 0:04:42.400 But um, but Mike Lafleur is still in San Francisco 0:04:42.440 --> 0:04:44.680 because Kyle Shanahan was not going to let him go. 0:04:44.920 --> 0:04:47.200 He's been a big part of what they've been building 0:04:47.200 --> 0:04:51.880 offensively with these running backs with Jimmy Garoppolo, and Kyle 0:04:51.880 --> 0:04:54.880 Shanahan said on the conference call with Green Bay Media 0:04:54.920 --> 0:04:57.360 he plans to have Mike Lafleur with him until michaela 0:04:57.400 --> 0:04:59.880 Fleur becomes a head coach himself. Yeah, and it was funny. 0:05:00.240 --> 0:05:02.279 And again this is a topic that Shanahan had to 0:05:02.279 --> 0:05:04.080 tackle at the combine. I think he was even asked 0:05:04.120 --> 0:05:06.000 about at the owners meetings in March, to be honest 0:05:06.040 --> 0:05:08.360 with you, and both times he said yeah, I mean no, 0:05:08.400 --> 0:05:10.599 I mean I was I wasn't letting him walk out 0:05:10.600 --> 0:05:12.599 of the door. He thinks really highly and Mike as 0:05:12.640 --> 0:05:15.920 he does Matt, and he he was asked by Matt 0:05:15.960 --> 0:05:18.800 Sneidman from the Athletic and Green Bay here about if 0:05:18.800 --> 0:05:20.520 he felt guilty, if he felt bad at I'll not 0:05:20.560 --> 0:05:22.240 be able to do it, And he said no, I 0:05:22.440 --> 0:05:25.040 looked very much forward to saying no to that request 0:05:25.080 --> 0:05:27.240 when Matt pushed that through. Yeah, if you want to 0:05:27.279 --> 0:05:31.800 know how cutthroat the business of coaching and winning football 0:05:31.839 --> 0:05:33.800 games is in the NFL, there you go. He did 0:05:33.839 --> 0:05:37.400 not feel badly at all for not letting the brothers 0:05:37.440 --> 0:05:39.800 reunite in Green And he said a couple of times 0:05:39.800 --> 0:05:42.120 like if they pushed hard enough, maybe he would have 0:05:42.120 --> 0:05:44.080 been okay with it, But then he always comes back 0:05:44.120 --> 0:05:47.039 with probably not. And you know what, you can't lie. 0:05:47.160 --> 0:05:49.400 I mean, Mike, you look at what they've done this season. 0:05:49.440 --> 0:05:52.320 I mean, there's been a secret that San Francisco has 0:05:52.360 --> 0:05:55.640 just been able to unleash here and the mega rebuild 0:05:55.680 --> 0:05:59.040 that Shanahan has put that organization through. Remember where they 0:05:59.080 --> 0:06:01.159 were in two thousands six team and when he was 0:06:01.240 --> 0:06:04.320 hired and the they had to find a quarterback, they 0:06:04.320 --> 0:06:06.760 had to reinvent the defense, they had to find some 0:06:06.800 --> 0:06:10.080 playmakers offensively. Yeah, they were at that point. They were 0:06:10.120 --> 0:06:12.960 a long way from that forty Niners team in the 0:06:13.040 --> 0:06:15.440 early part of this decade that went to three straight 0:06:15.520 --> 0:06:18.919 NFC Championship games, went to a Super Bowl that the 0:06:19.080 --> 0:06:23.040 roster had practically been gutted essentially from what that team was. Yeah, 0:06:23.120 --> 0:06:24.920 so they had a big job ahead of them. And 0:06:25.080 --> 0:06:27.320 the thing I like about it. You talked about Sala, 0:06:27.440 --> 0:06:29.479 You talk about you know Adam Stanovich, who's now the 0:06:29.520 --> 0:06:31.800 offensive line coach for Green Bay. He was the assistant 0:06:31.880 --> 0:06:35.800 last year at the Fort. You know, those are tough times. 0:06:35.960 --> 0:06:38.360 And he jokes now with La Fleur about how you 0:06:38.400 --> 0:06:40.600 know it took him until week nine of his first 0:06:40.680 --> 0:06:42.400 year as a head coach to win a game, La Fleur, 0:06:42.720 --> 0:06:46.760 It took him one the opener against Chicago. But there's 0:06:46.800 --> 0:06:49.520 a lot of times that those coaches, they'll panic, they'll 0:06:49.560 --> 0:06:53.160 make changes, they'll do things abruptly. Shanahan did not do that. 0:06:53.320 --> 0:06:55.360 He knew from the beginning when he became a head 0:06:55.360 --> 0:06:58.159 coach he wanted Solid to be his defensive coordinator. Salo 0:06:58.240 --> 0:07:01.920 had been in Jacksonville. Incidentally enough, with Nathaniel Hackett, who's 0:07:01.960 --> 0:07:04.120 now the offensive corner for Green Bay. He had been 0:07:04.120 --> 0:07:07.960 a linebackers coach there. He brings him in. Shanahan wanted 0:07:07.960 --> 0:07:10.400 to have him as his d C. He found you know, 0:07:10.720 --> 0:07:15.160 he brought up uh, Matt's younger brother. And here they 0:07:15.160 --> 0:07:18.040 are now being able to, you know, lay claim at 0:07:18.120 --> 0:07:19.920 least for one more week here that they're the number 0:07:19.920 --> 0:07:22.040 one team in the NFC. And I just think there 0:07:22.080 --> 0:07:24.280 are so many ties to this, and you can tell 0:07:24.320 --> 0:07:26.040 Shannahan and the Floor do not want this to be 0:07:26.080 --> 0:07:28.360 about them, but you do have to step back and 0:07:28.400 --> 0:07:31.680 appreciate when these guys that are kind of climbed that 0:07:31.760 --> 0:07:34.520 tree to get to where they are right now. Every 0:07:34.520 --> 0:07:35.920 once in a while you got to step back and 0:07:35.960 --> 0:07:38.600 look at it and appreciate for it for what it is. 0:07:38.640 --> 0:07:41.680 Because there's gonna be a lot of friends competing against 0:07:41.680 --> 0:07:43.720 one another. And I think to me, it reminds you 0:07:43.760 --> 0:07:45.320 a lot of just playing with your buddies in the 0:07:45.320 --> 0:07:47.960 backyard or you know, you know, getting out the chess 0:07:47.960 --> 0:07:50.160 board and having some fun. I mean, it's just it's 0:07:50.240 --> 0:07:52.760 that type of challenge that those two pushed each other 0:07:52.760 --> 0:07:55.080 when they were younger coaches, and they're gonna push each 0:07:55.080 --> 0:07:57.280 other against Sunday night for the better team to win. Well, 0:07:57.320 --> 0:07:59.440 here's an interesting one to throw at you because with 0:07:59.560 --> 0:08:01.840 Matt lie Fleur obviously getting off to a great start 0:08:01.840 --> 0:08:04.720 in Green Bay with what the San Francisco forty Niners 0:08:04.720 --> 0:08:08.400 are doing this year. And Kyle Shanahan obviously believes that 0:08:08.440 --> 0:08:12.000 Mike Lafleur has head coach a head coach title in 0:08:12.120 --> 0:08:14.280 his future. Are we going to be talking one of 0:08:14.320 --> 0:08:18.200 these days on Packers unscripted about Matt Lafleur versus Mike Lafleur, 0:08:18.280 --> 0:08:21.000 two head coaches in the NFL, Brothers going ahead to 0:08:21.040 --> 0:08:24.960 head that you know, uh, the harbaugh Um clash redo 0:08:25.040 --> 0:08:27.080 with with a couple of brothers. Yeah, you and I 0:08:27.240 --> 0:08:29.640 talking in the pre production meeting about how often this 0:08:29.680 --> 0:08:32.800 has actually happened before. Other than the hardballs, we couldn't 0:08:32.840 --> 0:08:34.760 come up with anything else. And as far as head 0:08:34.760 --> 0:08:37.800 coach is going toe to toe against each other, and 0:08:38.120 --> 0:08:40.000 I'll tell you what we'll have to see. Obviously, both 0:08:40.040 --> 0:08:43.000 those guys are very young. Matt just touch forty. I 0:08:43.000 --> 0:08:45.120 don't even Mike. I think maybe it's thirty seven. I mean, 0:08:45.160 --> 0:08:47.720 like they are young and their coaching professional. It's probably 0:08:47.720 --> 0:08:50.600 a testament to both their their work ethic. And as 0:08:50.600 --> 0:08:52.600 Shanahan said too, I mean none of this comes as 0:08:52.600 --> 0:08:54.800 a surprise when he looks at what Matt has done, 0:08:55.480 --> 0:08:57.600 you know. He he compared it a lot to what 0:08:57.960 --> 0:09:00.640 they did with Matt Ryan and at Anna. You have 0:09:01.000 --> 0:09:02.800 an m v P quarterback, you have one of the 0:09:02.840 --> 0:09:05.359 top quarterbacks the NFL. Those guys are going to be successful. 0:09:05.360 --> 0:09:09.040 But finding a way to utilize your scheme to maximize 0:09:09.080 --> 0:09:11.480 that player in the other ten offensive players on the 0:09:11.520 --> 0:09:14.120 field with him, this is not a surprise. He was 0:09:14.240 --> 0:09:16.880 very proud, and he said he's pulling for him. He's 0:09:16.920 --> 0:09:19.680 just not pulling for him too hard, considering they both 0:09:19.679 --> 0:09:23.600 share the same conference and ultimately the same goal. Yeah. Absolutely, Well, 0:09:23.920 --> 0:09:27.480 quickly here West, before I forget select, Cousin Subs locations 0:09:27.520 --> 0:09:30.720 are now offering delivery. Whether you're ordering catering or your 0:09:30.720 --> 0:09:33.480 favorite sub, they're delivering right to you when you order 0:09:33.559 --> 0:09:38.000 online at Cousin Subs dot com. Cousin Subs. We believe 0:09:38.040 --> 0:09:40.840 in better. Okay. On yesterday's show, we talked quite a 0:09:40.840 --> 0:09:44.080 bit about the forty Niners and particularly that defense, a 0:09:44.160 --> 0:09:46.920 defense that's wrapped up thirty nine sacks, a defense that's 0:09:47.000 --> 0:09:51.040 third in the NFL with twenty two takeaways. I posted 0:09:51.040 --> 0:09:54.800 a story late on Wednesday just looking at this matchup 0:09:54.840 --> 0:09:57.680 of the Packers offense against the forty Niners defense, and 0:09:57.720 --> 0:10:01.600 aside from the obvious, which is to protect Aaron Rodgers 0:10:01.720 --> 0:10:04.079 and protect the football, when I talk about those sack 0:10:04.160 --> 0:10:07.160 and take away stats, I think an interesting thing going 0:10:07.200 --> 0:10:11.400 into this game is the way we've seen this Packers 0:10:11.480 --> 0:10:14.400 offense evolved. They had to survive for a month without 0:10:14.480 --> 0:10:19.480 Davante Adams. They've found a nice balance between Aaron Jones 0:10:19.520 --> 0:10:22.760 and Jamal Williams in the backfield. We've seen other guys emerge. 0:10:22.760 --> 0:10:25.800 We've seen Alan Lazard makes some plays. We've seen Jimmy 0:10:25.840 --> 0:10:31.800 Graham makes some significant contributions along the way. It just 0:10:31.960 --> 0:10:34.640 has this feeling, and especially with the Packers coming off 0:10:34.640 --> 0:10:37.000 of a bye week where the coaches have reviewed the film, 0:10:37.000 --> 0:10:39.200 they've had a chance to reset. You know, maybe there 0:10:39.200 --> 0:10:41.280 are gonna be some new things, some new wrinkles that 0:10:41.280 --> 0:10:43.600 will get thrown in. It just seems like one of 0:10:43.640 --> 0:10:47.160 these games where somebody is going to emerge from the 0:10:47.200 --> 0:10:50.520 shadows for the Packers offensively, if they're to come out 0:10:51.000 --> 0:10:54.560 victorious in this game, There's going to be a storyline 0:10:54.640 --> 0:10:57.160 late Sunday night from the locker room when we're working 0:10:57.160 --> 0:10:59.440 on our stuff on the plane on the flight home. 0:10:59.840 --> 0:11:02.440 A storyline that we're not talking about right now, that's 0:11:02.480 --> 0:11:05.720 going to be a storyline in this game. I'm curious 0:11:05.760 --> 0:11:08.960 if you have any gut feeling as to what direction 0:11:09.000 --> 0:11:12.240 this might go. Mason Crosby three carries for thirty five yards. 0:11:12.480 --> 0:11:16.600 That's my prediction. Now, Hey, the thing I was joking 0:11:16.600 --> 0:11:18.840 about earlier in addition to that is that, I mean, 0:11:18.840 --> 0:11:22.000 would it be something if it's Danny vitally? Because all 0:11:22.040 --> 0:11:24.120 week long the narrative and I even talked if I 0:11:24.160 --> 0:11:26.319 tell you about this this week, I mean, Kyle Uschek 0:11:26.440 --> 0:11:29.560 is considered the guy at that position right now, the 0:11:29.640 --> 0:11:32.120 ultra fullback. Yeah, if I tell even called him the 0:11:32.160 --> 0:11:35.120 fullback go, and he has so much respect for him, 0:11:35.120 --> 0:11:37.880 and he's been just a perfect fit for what Shanahan does. 0:11:38.080 --> 0:11:41.080 If there'd be any way that floor could out Shanahan 0:11:41.160 --> 0:11:44.880 Shanahan with the fullback position, that would be incredible. That'd 0:11:44.880 --> 0:11:46.920 be something really would be really fun to watch. But 0:11:47.160 --> 0:11:49.040 you'd have fun writing about that on the plane on 0:11:49.080 --> 0:11:51.200 the way home. That something else? Yeah, No, But I mean, 0:11:51.200 --> 0:11:54.160 who doesn't love a good fullback catch? But you know, 0:11:54.240 --> 0:11:56.360 here's the thing that's been beautiful about this offense, and 0:11:56.400 --> 0:11:59.560 I think you know, you see, although those two offensive 0:11:59.559 --> 0:12:02.760 schemes have gradually evolved, uh, you know, from what the 0:12:02.800 --> 0:12:05.200 Floor does and what Shanahan likes to do, there is 0:12:05.240 --> 0:12:07.800 a similarity there with how they utilize their personnel. I 0:12:07.800 --> 0:12:10.439 would argue the Packers probably have a few more established 0:12:10.440 --> 0:12:13.480 playmakers in terms of just the league wide notoriety right 0:12:13.480 --> 0:12:15.800 now with Davante Adams and the peak of his you know, 0:12:15.960 --> 0:12:19.720 his profession, you know, and Aaron Jones and Jamal Williams. 0:12:19.760 --> 0:12:23.120 But they can get multiple and they can get contributions 0:12:23.120 --> 0:12:26.599 from across the board from any number of skill position players. 0:12:26.600 --> 0:12:29.320 Certainly for the forty Niners, that guy has been George Kittle. 0:12:29.600 --> 0:12:31.800 We'll see what his availability looks like this week. But 0:12:31.840 --> 0:12:35.480 in Green Bay, it's no longer that two thousand fourteen. Okay, 0:12:35.480 --> 0:12:38.600 you're gonna see Jordy Nelson, you're gonna see Davante Adams, 0:12:38.640 --> 0:12:41.120 and you're gonna see Randall Cobb. And that's going to 0:12:41.160 --> 0:12:44.200 be the unit that plays sixty snaps plus together each game. 0:12:44.480 --> 0:12:46.800 They're gonna mix and match personnel, and I think, if 0:12:46.800 --> 0:12:49.120 you want to credit, you know, the Floor for anything 0:12:49.120 --> 0:12:51.599 in terms of what his scheme has brought to Green Bay. 0:12:51.640 --> 0:12:54.520 It's that multiplicity. It's being able to use those many 0:12:54.640 --> 0:12:58.160 different personnel combinations to not only work a you know 0:12:58.360 --> 0:13:00.800 where down a defense, but also get the most out 0:13:00.800 --> 0:13:04.360 of those players. So, yes, you're absolutely right, someone needs 0:13:04.360 --> 0:13:06.200 to step up, someone needs to emerge in this game. 0:13:06.240 --> 0:13:08.320 But the beautiful thing is, for Green Bay, you just 0:13:08.360 --> 0:13:10.320 don't even know who that's going to be, right. I 0:13:10.320 --> 0:13:13.920 think that's what makes this matchup so in intriguing. Obviously, 0:13:14.000 --> 0:13:16.760 the stakes and everything with these two teams being at 0:13:16.760 --> 0:13:20.000 the top of the NFC, the Packers coming off of 0:13:20.000 --> 0:13:23.320 the bye week. You just look at statistically some of 0:13:23.360 --> 0:13:26.800 the things that you would not believe to be true 0:13:27.400 --> 0:13:30.240 for a Packers team that's eight in too. Davante Adams 0:13:30.280 --> 0:13:32.800 does not have a touchdown reception yet, coming off of 0:13:32.880 --> 0:13:37.520 three consecutive double digit touchdown seasons. Who is leading the 0:13:37.559 --> 0:13:40.520 Green Bay Packers in touchdown receptions from Aaron Rodgers. It's 0:13:40.520 --> 0:13:43.360 a running back and it's not Aaron Jones. It's Jamal Williams. 0:13:43.440 --> 0:13:47.000 He's got five. That's more than anybody else. We haven't 0:13:47.000 --> 0:13:50.280 seen Marcedes Lewis catch a touchdown pass yet in a 0:13:50.320 --> 0:13:54.360 Green Bay uniform. You mentioned vitality as a possibility. Maybe 0:13:54.440 --> 0:13:56.760 you know, we've we've seen some plays with him, but 0:13:56.840 --> 0:13:59.920 then other other games he's not necessarily a big part 0:14:00.280 --> 0:14:04.320 of the game plan. Marquis Veldez Scantling. He's got five 0:14:04.679 --> 0:14:07.400 past receptions of forty plus yards this season. He has 0:14:07.480 --> 0:14:10.280 nine in his career essentially one and a half years 0:14:10.320 --> 0:14:12.880 in the NFL. But he's been playing through some knee 0:14:12.880 --> 0:14:14.880 and ankle injuries. He only has one catch in the 0:14:14.960 --> 0:14:17.640 last three games. So is he suddenly going to re 0:14:17.720 --> 0:14:21.120 emerge and become the big play guy in this offense? 0:14:21.160 --> 0:14:24.440 So there are a lot of possibilities. And I think 0:14:24.440 --> 0:14:27.320 what Matt Lafleur really likes about his team and what 0:14:27.400 --> 0:14:31.640 he likes about this offense is they've found different ways 0:14:31.640 --> 0:14:34.280 and different guys to get the job done. And I 0:14:34.280 --> 0:14:37.440 think Aaron Rodgers likes that as well, because it makes 0:14:37.440 --> 0:14:41.400 the Packers, you know, not not the most predictable offense 0:14:41.440 --> 0:14:43.320 in the world. Absolutely, and even if you want to 0:14:43.360 --> 0:14:45.440 even take it to another level, Mike, I mean Big 0:14:45.440 --> 0:14:48.800 Bob Tanyan's baby boy, Robert Jr. He's also a full 0:14:48.840 --> 0:14:52.640 participant in Wednesday's practice, hopefully for him being able to 0:14:52.680 --> 0:14:54.920 return after a month and a half layoff from that 0:14:55.320 --> 0:14:58.880 hip injury. Sure, Jay Sternberger played twelve snaps before the 0:14:58.920 --> 0:15:01.520 by He looked pretty good in past protection and what 0:15:01.640 --> 0:15:03.760 some of the blocking the assignments he was asked to do. 0:15:04.240 --> 0:15:06.240 They want to be able to throw the kitchen sink 0:15:06.320 --> 0:15:08.080 at you. That's when this offense is at its best. 0:15:08.080 --> 0:15:10.320 And be honest with you, both of these offenses are 0:15:10.400 --> 0:15:13.600 at their best. My biggest takeaway though, listening to Rodgers 0:15:13.600 --> 0:15:15.560 at his locker on Wednesday, the parson that I was 0:15:15.600 --> 0:15:18.080 there for was him discussing how when you look at 0:15:18.120 --> 0:15:21.080 al Lazard, when you look at Geronto Allison, former undrafted 0:15:21.120 --> 0:15:23.960 free agents, they came through the door and that was 0:15:24.000 --> 0:15:25.920 not too big for them. None of this was too 0:15:25.960 --> 0:15:28.360 big from And that's an easy thing to say, becomes 0:15:28.400 --> 0:15:30.920 cliche at times, but you kind of remember these are 0:15:31.000 --> 0:15:36.240 undrafted guys. You know Kumro coming from Whitewater, Toronto, Ellis 0:15:36.280 --> 0:15:39.200 didn't play a lot in college between his community college 0:15:39.200 --> 0:15:41.200 and then going to Illinois. And then you have Lazard, 0:15:41.240 --> 0:15:44.960 who was a record breaking huge receiver at Iowa State, 0:15:44.960 --> 0:15:46.720 but then he's on a practice squad for a year 0:15:46.720 --> 0:15:50.080 with the Jaguars to see those guys come in and 0:15:50.160 --> 0:15:52.120 just fill those roles and look at it like any 0:15:52.120 --> 0:15:55.000 other game, any other quarterback, and be able to fulfill 0:15:55.000 --> 0:15:57.800 their their assignments. Yes, it hasn't been one guy that's 0:15:57.840 --> 0:16:02.040 catching seven, seven hundred yards and fifty passes, but the 0:16:02.160 --> 0:16:04.520 group of that has been what's complimented this offense and 0:16:04.520 --> 0:16:06.560 that's why the Packers have had success. Yeah, and maybe 0:16:06.720 --> 0:16:08.480 maybe the guy to keep an eye on in this game. 0:16:08.560 --> 0:16:11.400 Quite frankly, as Alan Lazar John Coon pointed out in 0:16:11.400 --> 0:16:16.200 our three Things video yesterday, Alan Lazard leads the Packers 0:16:16.240 --> 0:16:20.000 offense in targeted passes over the last five games. You know, 0:16:20.040 --> 0:16:22.440 obviously Davantae Adams has only been back for a couple 0:16:22.480 --> 0:16:25.440 of those, but Alan's Art is the leader in that category. 0:16:25.480 --> 0:16:27.520 You go back to the to the l A game 0:16:27.560 --> 0:16:30.560 against the Chargers, not that we want to relive um 0:16:30.600 --> 0:16:32.880 all the downs of that, but the Packers were getting 0:16:32.920 --> 0:16:35.800 nothing going, nothing was working. And then when they finally 0:16:35.840 --> 0:16:38.160 did in the fourth quarter and put together a touchdown drive, 0:16:38.200 --> 0:16:39.720 who was the guy who came off the bench and 0:16:39.760 --> 0:16:42.040 started moving the chains. It was Alan waz Art. He 0:16:42.120 --> 0:16:44.120 came off the bench, the ball was going his way, 0:16:44.120 --> 0:16:47.680 the Packers got something going there, so you wonder, um, 0:16:47.840 --> 0:16:50.440 you know, coming off the bye week here, if um, 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:52.880 if Alan Lazard is is potentially a guy to keep 0:16:52.880 --> 0:16:55.120 an eye on. But again, as we've been saying, it 0:16:55.120 --> 0:16:58.280 could be any number of guys who might emerge, you know, 0:16:58.400 --> 0:17:01.600 be that someone different that Aaron Rodgers talked about it 0:17:01.600 --> 0:17:05.000 as locker that makes a difference in this game. Well. 0:17:05.040 --> 0:17:06.680 And and the other thing too that I want to 0:17:06.720 --> 0:17:09.040 go back to. You mentioned Davante Adams and the fact 0:17:09.040 --> 0:17:11.000 that he doesn't have the touchdown catch this year. But 0:17:11.520 --> 0:17:13.080 you can tell me to go to hell, Michigan with 0:17:13.080 --> 0:17:15.840 this if you need me to. But I I personally 0:17:15.840 --> 0:17:18.280 believe within the red area this year, the Packers have 0:17:18.400 --> 0:17:21.320 been just so much better with their utilization of the 0:17:21.400 --> 0:17:24.520 running backs. As you mentioned, Jamal Williams has five touchdown catches. 0:17:25.080 --> 0:17:27.240 How many times has Aaron Jones been able to punch 0:17:27.280 --> 0:17:29.640 something in the end zone from thirteen fourteen yards out? 0:17:29.680 --> 0:17:32.159 This year, they've been so much more efficient in there. 0:17:32.200 --> 0:17:35.200 There seems like so many times in recent years where 0:17:35.200 --> 0:17:37.440 it'd be like, you know, since maybe that Eddie Lacey era, 0:17:37.600 --> 0:17:39.280 you know, at the end of that fourteen season where 0:17:39.280 --> 0:17:41.440 he was pretty dominant where they've just been getting inside 0:17:41.480 --> 0:17:42.840 the twenty. We gotta find a way to get the 0:17:42.840 --> 0:17:45.199 ball to Davante Adams or Randall Cobb, and if that 0:17:45.240 --> 0:17:47.679 doesn't happen, you're gonna have to sell for a field goal. 0:17:47.680 --> 0:17:49.760 It's not like that right now. Yeah. The best the 0:17:49.800 --> 0:17:52.760 best teams, the best teams in the red zone consistently 0:17:52.880 --> 0:17:56.159 over the long haul, over a sixteen game season and playoffs. 0:17:56.600 --> 0:17:58.440 The best teams in the red zone are the ones 0:17:58.480 --> 0:18:00.800 who can run the ball in the red zone that 0:18:00.840 --> 0:18:04.520 you know the safeties aren't playing yards deep. You get 0:18:04.520 --> 0:18:06.440 in the red zone, everything is a little bit tighter, 0:18:06.640 --> 0:18:08.520 but you can still run the ball. You can still 0:18:08.600 --> 0:18:10.880 kind of punch a team in the mouth, get yourself 0:18:10.920 --> 0:18:14.240 into good down and distant situations on second and third down, 0:18:14.280 --> 0:18:16.600 and then open up the playbook. And that's because you 0:18:16.640 --> 0:18:19.000 can run the ball in some tight quarters. And you've seen, 0:18:19.000 --> 0:18:21.240 I mean you want you talked about vitally Vitalis wheel 0:18:21.280 --> 0:18:23.520 Road a month ago. You know, being able to put 0:18:23.560 --> 0:18:25.200 that out there and get down to the one yard 0:18:25.240 --> 0:18:27.720 line when you get that stuff on film. Those are 0:18:27.760 --> 0:18:30.480 all things that defense corners have taken into account. Jimmy 0:18:30.480 --> 0:18:33.520 Graham's couple of touchdown catches this year. Just being able 0:18:33.560 --> 0:18:35.639 to have that many options, Packers have been I want 0:18:35.680 --> 0:18:37.800 to see that the second team in the league right now, 0:18:38.040 --> 0:18:40.119 or maybe third in terms of red zone offense and 0:18:40.160 --> 0:18:43.560 efficiency in producing touchdowns. That has not been something they've 0:18:43.560 --> 0:18:45.720 done well over the years, at least the recent years. 0:18:46.119 --> 0:18:48.560 That's been a turnaround this year. So regardless of whether 0:18:48.640 --> 0:18:50.440 or not it's Stavant Adams or not. And I guarantee 0:18:50.440 --> 0:18:52.120 you see, if you gave him six games, he's gonna 0:18:52.119 --> 0:18:54.880 get you some touchdown catches. But even last week, Mike 0:18:54.920 --> 0:18:58.240 thirty five yard catches twice, both of those ended up 0:18:58.320 --> 0:19:00.920 leading to touchdown drives at Aaron Jones ended up scoring on. 0:19:01.359 --> 0:19:04.520 That's what matters. That's what they want to accomplish this season, 0:19:04.520 --> 0:19:06.120 and right now the Packers have it all in front 0:19:06.119 --> 0:19:08.200 of them. Yeah, and when you look again, just looking 0:19:08.240 --> 0:19:10.200 at how you never know what's going to happen. Aaron 0:19:10.280 --> 0:19:12.919 Jones has that big game as a wide receiver in 0:19:13.040 --> 0:19:16.080 Kansas City. The last two games, he's caught one pass 0:19:16.160 --> 0:19:19.480 for negative one yard. So does you know, does that 0:19:19.560 --> 0:19:22.320 suddenly shift back to being an offensive focus where Aaron 0:19:22.400 --> 0:19:24.280 Jones can make some things happen in the passing game. 0:19:24.440 --> 0:19:26.879 You just don't know necessarily where this is going to go. 0:19:27.040 --> 0:19:29.640 And everyone talks about McVeigh, and again credit to him 0:19:29.680 --> 0:19:31.280 for a lot of the principles he brought in and 0:19:31.320 --> 0:19:32.760