WEBVTT - #642 Packers Unscripted: Overdue recognition 0:00:00.480 --> 0:00:11.080 Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from 0:00:11.080 --> 0:00:14.440 Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spofford. He is my 0:00:14.520 --> 0:00:16.920 partner in crime West hot Kowitz for coming to you 0:00:17.000 --> 0:00:20.079 here from our studios at lambeau Field and West. A 0:00:20.120 --> 0:00:23.680 few days away now from the regular season finale, Week 0:00:23.760 --> 0:00:27.480 eight teen, it will be Packers at Lions at Ford 0:00:27.560 --> 0:00:31.840 Field in Detroit. Before we talk about that game in particular, 0:00:32.600 --> 0:00:34.879 I want to discuss another subject, and that is that 0:00:34.960 --> 0:00:37.600 we've we spent a lot of time on this show 0:00:37.640 --> 0:00:41.240 talking about the history that Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams 0:00:41.240 --> 0:00:44.080 have made or on the verge of making, all of 0:00:44.120 --> 0:00:48.480 these types of things, but we have neglected, and that's 0:00:48.520 --> 0:00:52.360 mostly my fault, to talk about a significant piece of 0:00:52.440 --> 0:00:54.640 history on the coaching side of things, and that is 0:00:54.680 --> 0:00:59.800 that Matt Lafleur last weekend got his thirty ninth victory 0:01:00.520 --> 0:01:03.160 thirty regular season victory as the head coach of the 0:01:03.160 --> 0:01:06.760 Packers in his first three seasons, which is now the 0:01:06.880 --> 0:01:11.120 most wins ever by an NFL head coach in his 0:01:11.240 --> 0:01:17.760 first three seasons. And there's no there's no overstating how 0:01:17.800 --> 0:01:22.720 impressive that is. It's one of the most impressive things 0:01:22.760 --> 0:01:25.520 I've ever seen in the coaching realm. And and this 0:01:25.600 --> 0:01:29.360 is no disrespect to George Seyffert whatsoever, but when that 0:01:29.640 --> 0:01:32.760 passing the torch happened in San Francisco, it happened in 0:01:32.800 --> 0:01:36.080 a way that really barely ever happens in the National 0:01:36.080 --> 0:01:39.080 Football League. He was handed a corvette, and he drove 0:01:39.160 --> 0:01:42.080 the car like a corvette. The Green Bay Packers were 0:01:42.120 --> 0:01:45.240 at a crossroads. Two thousand eighteen was the worst year 0:01:45.560 --> 0:01:48.280 that this organization has had on so many different levels, 0:01:48.320 --> 0:01:55.280 really in my lifetime, the last twenty years. I don't 0:01:55.320 --> 0:01:58.280 think the Floor gets enough credit for how quickly he changed. 0:01:58.320 --> 0:02:00.480 It's not like the culture needed an entire overhaul, It's 0:02:00.520 --> 0:02:02.400 not like the roster need an entire overall. But they 0:02:02.400 --> 0:02:04.720 had to get back to being the Green Bay Packers again, 0:02:05.400 --> 0:02:07.440 and the Floor did that. They come out the gates 0:02:07.440 --> 0:02:09.480 thirteen and three. I thought then and there he should 0:02:09.480 --> 0:02:10.519 have been the Coach of the Year. It was the 0:02:10.520 --> 0:02:14.200 biggest single season turn around in franchise history in terms 0:02:14.240 --> 0:02:16.799 of wins. I felt like that was the moment where 0:02:16.800 --> 0:02:18.040 he was the Coach of the Year. They decided to 0:02:18.040 --> 0:02:22.320 give it to John Harbaugh last year. Pretty dominant on 0:02:22.360 --> 0:02:25.920 all sides, all phases. He again doesn't get the award. 0:02:26.440 --> 0:02:30.600 When you're sitting and you've now played forty eight games 0:02:30.600 --> 0:02:33.639 in the regular season, you've won thirty nine of them. 0:02:33.680 --> 0:02:35.520 I think the proof is in the pudding there. And 0:02:35.600 --> 0:02:37.639 the fact of the matter is the flour can credit 0:02:37.680 --> 0:02:39.600 his assistance, he can credit the football team. He can 0:02:39.639 --> 0:02:43.040 do everything to take the shine away from himself, which 0:02:43.040 --> 0:02:46.000 he tries to do quite regularly every time we asked 0:02:46.080 --> 0:02:48.880 him about it. And it's fine. It's a humble humility 0:02:48.919 --> 0:02:51.280 is a good thing. But as I wrote an insider 0:02:51.320 --> 0:02:53.119 Inbox a couple of weeks back, if people don't start 0:02:53.120 --> 0:02:54.960 paying attention to this, they're gonna miss one of the 0:02:55.040 --> 0:02:58.480 really truly special coaching jobs we've seen. This isn't some 0:02:58.560 --> 0:03:01.320 Johnny come Lately. Matt Lafleur is here to stay, and 0:03:01.320 --> 0:03:03.360 people better get used to it. I mean, you gotta 0:03:03.360 --> 0:03:06.120 start recognizing that achievement, because it's pretty incredible what he's on. 0:03:06.240 --> 0:03:08.880 This run he's been on. Yeah. Absolutely, As you mentioned, 0:03:08.919 --> 0:03:11.440 the thirty nine wins in the first three seasons, one 0:03:11.520 --> 0:03:15.440 more than George Seafort, who won thirty eight games in 0:03:15.480 --> 0:03:18.560 the regular season his first three years with San Francisco. 0:03:18.639 --> 0:03:22.040 Seaford had a Super Bowl championship in there as well. 0:03:22.520 --> 0:03:26.160 Folks have been asking, you know about the larger historical context, 0:03:26.200 --> 0:03:29.560 what about any three year run in the NFL. The 0:03:29.639 --> 0:03:32.840 record is forty games, forty victories, and that's Mike Ditka, 0:03:33.440 --> 0:03:39.120 the of the Chicago Bears. Seven. The Bears went fifteen 0:03:39.160 --> 0:03:42.000 and one, fourteen and two, and then eleven and four 0:03:42.680 --> 0:03:45.040 in a year that only had fifteen games as opposed 0:03:45.080 --> 0:03:47.200 to sixteen because of the strike, and there were three 0:03:47.280 --> 0:03:49.920 replacement games in there. The Bears went two and one 0:03:49.920 --> 0:03:52.160 in their three replacement games. That all added up to 0:03:52.920 --> 0:03:57.320 forty wins in forty seven games. Uh from Mike get 0:03:57.440 --> 0:04:00.960 Mike Ditka. So Matt Lafleur with the extra game this year, 0:04:01.000 --> 0:04:03.720 with the seventeenth game, has a chance to match match 0:04:03.800 --> 0:04:07.680 Mike Get because Mike did because forty wins in three seasons. 0:04:08.720 --> 0:04:12.400 Regarding the Coach of the Year, I am absolutely with you, Um, 0:04:12.440 --> 0:04:14.560 and we probably didn't talk about it enough on this 0:04:14.600 --> 0:04:17.839 show at the time, but but Matt Lafleur was very 0:04:17.839 --> 0:04:20.520 deserving of Coach of the Year in nineteen his first year, 0:04:20.560 --> 0:04:23.720 he took over a team that had missed the playoffs 0:04:23.720 --> 0:04:27.000 back to back seasons, um and uh and yes things 0:04:27.000 --> 0:04:29.039 had as far as the way things have gone in 0:04:29.040 --> 0:04:33.440 the last three decades, um at at lambeau Fielding with 0:04:33.480 --> 0:04:36.080 the Green Bay Packers two thousand eighteen was as close 0:04:36.120 --> 0:04:38.880 to rock bottom as it gets. Maybe not. It wasn't 0:04:38.920 --> 0:04:41.160 as bad as two thousand and five, which I think 0:04:41.200 --> 0:04:43.320 was a four and twelve season that was that was 0:04:44.000 --> 0:04:46.520 probably the rock bottom of the last three decades, but 0:04:46.960 --> 0:04:50.360 close enough, certainly. And he not only got the Packers 0:04:50.440 --> 0:04:52.320 right back into the playoffs, but they were the number 0:04:52.320 --> 0:04:55.200 two seed. You know, they got a first round by 0:04:55.240 --> 0:04:57.840 and all of that is first year. That being said, 0:04:57.880 --> 0:05:00.000 I think the coach of the Year discussion this year 0:05:00.279 --> 0:05:05.440 is very interesting. And here's here's the context. Here's the 0:05:05.440 --> 0:05:09.040 context that I'll put it in. For a while, it 0:05:09.080 --> 0:05:12.039 was looking like, for a while in one it was 0:05:12.120 --> 0:05:15.680 looking like this would be either Cliff kings Bearer or 0:05:15.720 --> 0:05:18.440 maybe Bill Belichick with what was going on in Arizona 0:05:18.480 --> 0:05:21.400 and New England. To use your phrase, the shine has 0:05:21.400 --> 0:05:24.160 worn off a little bit on those Not to take 0:05:24.200 --> 0:05:26.080 away from two teams that are both headed to the 0:05:26.080 --> 0:05:29.800 postseason and could you know, have some magic here in January, 0:05:29.839 --> 0:05:35.080 who knows, right, But now lately you certainly have to 0:05:35.120 --> 0:05:38.520 consider Mike McCarthy a legitimate candidate for Coach of the Year, 0:05:38.880 --> 0:05:42.200 Zach Taylor with the Cincinnati Bengals and suddenly where they are, 0:05:42.800 --> 0:05:46.320 Mike Vrabel has the Tennessee Titans in position now after 0:05:46.360 --> 0:05:50.160 losing Derrick Henry, who was probably the single most important 0:05:50.160 --> 0:05:53.520 player on his team, the Titans now are in position 0:05:53.560 --> 0:05:56.120 to be the number one seed potentially in the a 0:05:56.279 --> 0:05:59.200 f C. My point is that while we've seen all 0:05:59.279 --> 0:06:02.159 of these other coaches sort of rise and fall in 0:06:02.240 --> 0:06:05.320 this potential candidacy for Coach of the Year, Matt Lafleur 0:06:05.360 --> 0:06:08.600 has sort of been there the whole time. He's he's 0:06:08.760 --> 0:06:11.839 he's been a candidate. He's been a candidate since the 0:06:11.920 --> 0:06:13.960 day he got this job. And I know it's not 0:06:14.040 --> 0:06:16.479 a three year thing. It's it's supposed to be for 0:06:16.520 --> 0:06:19.160 an individual season. But he's been right in the mix 0:06:19.200 --> 0:06:21.120 the whole time and never really fallen out of it. 0:06:21.160 --> 0:06:24.120 And I think that I think that speaks volumes as 0:06:24.120 --> 0:06:27.440 to the type of um the culture that he has 0:06:27.480 --> 0:06:31.280 built here. I basically you have two coaches of the Year. 0:06:31.279 --> 0:06:34.920 I'd be willing to accept. And one is Mike Rabel 0:06:35.640 --> 0:06:37.600 just based on the standpoint of I think he used 0:06:37.600 --> 0:06:40.200 a very compelling argument for how he's kept that team afloat. 0:06:40.520 --> 0:06:43.120 I even made the comment I don't typically tweet during 0:06:43.160 --> 0:06:45.080 football games. I just liked, if I'm watching, I just 0:06:45.120 --> 0:06:47.880 watched people like to like do the second screen thing. No, 0:06:48.080 --> 0:06:50.760 that's not me. But after they won, I believe that 0:06:50.880 --> 0:06:52.400 was what was that two weeks ago they had that 0:06:52.560 --> 0:06:55.520 big win late I actually tweeted. I was like, that's 0:06:55.520 --> 0:06:58.880 a gritty football team and the ways that they found 0:06:59.200 --> 0:07:01.000 to win this season, I think you got to tip 0:07:01.040 --> 0:07:03.080 their cap to him, and not only now Derrick Henry, 0:07:03.120 --> 0:07:05.839 but also A J. Brown being back. I mean, they're 0:07:05.839 --> 0:07:08.920 gonna be a formidable team here in the postseason. That's 0:07:08.920 --> 0:07:12.440 a creditive Rabel or it's the Fleur Yeah, because what 0:07:12.560 --> 0:07:14.680 because what speaks to what la Fleur has done this 0:07:14.760 --> 0:07:19.520 year in winning thirteen games so far that the Packers 0:07:19.560 --> 0:07:22.240 haven't necessarily had to deal with through his first two seasons. 0:07:22.280 --> 0:07:24.440 As all of the injuries there have been, there are 0:07:24.480 --> 0:07:27.280 injuries that happen every year. But as we talk about, 0:07:27.320 --> 0:07:29.800 it's it's which are the guys that get hurt, right, 0:07:29.840 --> 0:07:32.520 and we're talking about We're talking about a five time 0:07:32.560 --> 0:07:35.480 All Pro and David Bactieri who hasn't played all season, 0:07:35.880 --> 0:07:38.560 a second team All Pro, a pair of second team 0:07:38.560 --> 0:07:41.880 All pros, and Jaire Alexander and Zadarius Smith, and then 0:07:42.080 --> 0:07:45.200 another Pro Bowl offensive lineman and Elton Jenkins goes down, 0:07:45.920 --> 0:07:49.080 you know, a double digit touchdown guy at tight end, 0:07:49.080 --> 0:07:52.720 and Bobby Tounyan goes down. I mean, the the injuries 0:07:52.760 --> 0:07:55.560 that the Packers have dealt with and that that Matt 0:07:55.640 --> 0:07:58.480 Lafleur and his coaching staff have had to have had 0:07:58.520 --> 0:08:02.480 to manage and deal with all season long. That speaks 0:08:02.520 --> 0:08:06.920 to why I think he's he's a top candidate for 0:08:07.040 --> 0:08:09.520 Coach of the Year this year for very different reasons 0:08:09.880 --> 0:08:11.640 than he should have been Coach of the Year two 0:08:11.720 --> 0:08:13.880 years ago. Absolutely, and two years ago he should have 0:08:13.880 --> 0:08:16.680 did it because it was this incredible turnaround that year 0:08:16.800 --> 0:08:19.280 the AP voters decided, you know what, we're gonna go 0:08:19.320 --> 0:08:20.960 with John Harbaugh, which, by the way, the other thing 0:08:21.000 --> 0:08:23.800 I love to people insider inbox bringing up, hey, if 0:08:23.800 --> 0:08:25.880 you have the m v P, can they'd not be 0:08:25.960 --> 0:08:27.920 the Coach of the Year two years ago? That wasn't 0:08:27.960 --> 0:08:30.280 a big deal for the Baltimore Ravens, but yet that's 0:08:30.280 --> 0:08:33.120 the direction they went. Yeah, they had they had Lamar Jackson. 0:08:33.160 --> 0:08:35.240 He was the he was the Cats. Me out right, 0:08:35.360 --> 0:08:37.600 I'm a couple of things. I just want to say 0:08:37.640 --> 0:08:39.679 here quickly, just to close the point on the floor. 0:08:40.360 --> 0:08:42.360 I loved how there was this argument early on about 0:08:42.360 --> 0:08:45.400 Sean Payton all these injuries and things that the Saints 0:08:45.400 --> 0:08:47.720 have gone through, and certainly they've been hit by injuries 0:08:47.720 --> 0:08:49.400 and illness more than any other team in the National 0:08:49.400 --> 0:08:52.200 Football League, no question about that. But then everyone wanted 0:08:52.200 --> 0:08:54.120 to bang the trumpet for him as a coach of 0:08:54.160 --> 0:08:57.320 the Year that the Saints fell off the flour has 0:08:57.360 --> 0:09:00.320 been doing this since Week one, basically lost everyone outside 0:09:00.360 --> 0:09:02.560 of Aaron Rodgers, and he'd even lost him for you know, 0:09:02.600 --> 0:09:04.920 for one week, and they came within six points of 0:09:04.960 --> 0:09:07.400 handing the Kansas City Chiefs. They're only lost up until 0:09:07.440 --> 0:09:10.760 last week. So be that as it may. I just 0:09:10.840 --> 0:09:14.400 think there's so many great awards that the Associated Press has, 0:09:14.920 --> 0:09:16.800 Offensive Player of the Year, m v P, all these 0:09:16.800 --> 0:09:18.559 different things. I think they tend to get him right. 0:09:19.000 --> 0:09:21.400 The batting average hasn't been great on coach of the 0:09:21.440 --> 0:09:24.280 Year these last few years. No disrespect to Mattnege, no 0:09:24.360 --> 0:09:26.560 disrespect to Kevin Stefanski. There is a lot to be 0:09:26.600 --> 0:09:28.760 said for being able to have a turnaround, But I 0:09:28.800 --> 0:09:30.920 think they got to kind of figure out what's what 0:09:31.040 --> 0:09:33.960 they want to emphasize here because they moved the goal post. 0:09:34.440 --> 0:09:36.800 And if you look back over the last ten fifteen years, 0:09:37.000 --> 0:09:39.200 there's a lot of really random coaches that ended up 0:09:39.240 --> 0:09:40.839 being the NFL Coach of the Year. When I feel 0:09:40.840 --> 0:09:43.600 like that honor should be a little bit more prestigious. Yeah, 0:09:43.600 --> 0:09:45.880 And I think and and go going back away is 0:09:45.920 --> 0:09:48.040 not to get not to go too far back into 0:09:48.040 --> 0:09:51.319 the history. But I always felt it was extremely unfortunate 0:09:52.400 --> 0:09:55.440 that when Mike McCarthy put together that thirteen and three 0:09:55.440 --> 0:09:57.600 season in Green Bay in two thousand and seven, his 0:09:57.679 --> 0:09:59.880 second year at the Helm, when he had gone eight 0:10:00.160 --> 0:10:02.840 ate his first year, Brett Farve became an m VP 0:10:03.000 --> 0:10:05.680 candidate again in two thousand seven, Well, it just so 0:10:05.760 --> 0:10:08.040 happened that the New England Patriots ran the table and 0:10:08.040 --> 0:10:10.320 we're sixteen and oh, and there was sort of like 0:10:10.360 --> 0:10:13.160 this obligation to give the Coach of the Year to 0:10:13.160 --> 0:10:16.760 to Bill Belichick. Um because of what because of what 0:10:16.800 --> 0:10:19.559 the Patriots had accomplished there and and Mike McCarthy got 0:10:19.800 --> 0:10:22.280 got overlooked for what I thought was was a tremendous 0:10:22.360 --> 0:10:25.720 coaching job. So, yeah, these these awards, they aren't perfect. 0:10:26.679 --> 0:10:30.120 Stuff happens, but um, but I hope, I hope the 0:10:30.240 --> 0:10:33.520 Fleur gets due consideration issue even though I do believe 0:10:33.559 --> 0:10:37.120 there there are other there are other worthy candidates. Um. 0:10:37.200 --> 0:10:39.640 You know, the the cupboard is not bare in terms 0:10:39.679 --> 0:10:42.840 of the potential candidates here. But uh, but over the 0:10:42.880 --> 0:10:46.280 course of the entire season, from Week one until now, um, 0:10:46.400 --> 0:10:49.040 I think I think Matt Fleur, Matt Fleur has been there. 0:10:49.120 --> 0:10:51.120 He's been in this mix, He's been in the discussion 0:10:51.160 --> 0:10:53.280 the whole time, and he's never let anybody down. And 0:10:53.320 --> 0:10:55.800 the fact that once again for a third straight season, 0:10:56.760 --> 0:10:59.040 he has not lost back to back games as a 0:10:59.040 --> 0:11:01.400 head coach, to me, that is that is his most 0:11:01.400 --> 0:11:04.720 impressive accomplishment if I look at the three years in 0:11:04.800 --> 0:11:07.000 total right now. Yeah, and to be able to manage 0:11:07.000 --> 0:11:09.520 everything that's happened over the last twelve months in Green Bay, 0:11:09.679 --> 0:11:12.280 salary cap issues of things in the off season program, 0:11:12.720 --> 0:11:14.040 I think you got to give a lot of credit 0:11:14.040 --> 0:11:16.120 and then I'll also you know, mention this too. I mean, 0:11:17.000 --> 0:11:19.160 the Packers want to win a super Bowl. That's all 0:11:19.200 --> 0:11:21.960 they're really focused on, and that is totally appropriate. But 0:11:22.160 --> 0:11:25.840 what Aaron Rodgers said after they clinched the NFC North, 0:11:25.880 --> 0:11:28.120 when he gave that speech to the huddle afterwards, about 0:11:28.160 --> 0:11:31.280 enjoying these moments, enjoying these victories, understanding how difficult it 0:11:31.320 --> 0:11:33.760 is to win in this league. It's not that have 0:11:33.880 --> 0:11:36.120 your cake and eat it too scenario to appreciate when 0:11:36.120 --> 0:11:38.960 you have individual accomplishment. And I think that's something that 0:11:39.040 --> 0:11:42.240 is important to remember with la Fleur is that it's cool. 0:11:42.520 --> 0:11:44.199 It's it's neat that there's a coach of the Year. 0:11:44.760 --> 0:11:49.000 I understand it's it's a very subjective thing, but it's 0:11:49.000 --> 0:11:51.280 it's cool. If it's cool to be coach of the year, 0:11:51.440 --> 0:11:53.880 it's okay. And I think if if it would work 0:11:53.880 --> 0:11:55.959 that way, uh, it would be amazing for La Fleur. 0:11:56.040 --> 0:11:58.000 The biggest point though, I thought you raised her. That 0:11:58.120 --> 0:12:00.600 is very valid as just to get duke and sideration. 0:12:01.480 --> 0:12:04.319 There hasn't been enough votes cast for Matt Lafleur the 0:12:04.400 --> 0:12:06.079 last two years. It would at least be nice to 0:12:06.080 --> 0:12:08.440 see him get a better run at it this year. Yeah, 0:12:08.480 --> 0:12:11.840 I would agree. I would I would absolutely agree. Serious 0:12:12.000 --> 0:12:15.080 x M NFL Radio delivers hard hitting analysis and up 0:12:15.080 --> 0:12:17.880 to the minute NFL news that true football fanatics need 0:12:18.760 --> 0:12:22.320 seven three and at Cousin Subs, we have something for 0:12:22.400 --> 0:12:26.000 everyone like our Wisconsin cheese curds, mac and cheese, golden fries, 0:12:26.000 --> 0:12:28.200 and creamy shakes, all paired with your favorite sub or 0:12:28.280 --> 0:12:31.880 sub in a bowl. Cousin Subs, we believe in better 0:12:31.920 --> 0:12:34.520 all right, West. The Packers are headed to Detroit for 0:12:34.640 --> 0:12:39.200 the regular season finale. The plan is to start the 0:12:39.240 --> 0:12:42.920 game with the starters. We don't know, Matt la Fleur says. 0:12:42.960 --> 0:12:46.240 They have developed a plan for how to work through this. 0:12:46.320 --> 0:12:48.720 We don't know how long the starters are going to play. 0:12:48.800 --> 0:12:51.360 Maybe it's going to be one quarter, two quarters, three quarters, 0:12:51.400 --> 0:12:56.760 I don't know, but the Packers are essentially Matt la 0:12:56.760 --> 0:12:59.240 Fleur has decided, you know, yes, there there's a risk 0:12:59.280 --> 0:13:01.960 of injury any time you put guys out there, but 0:13:02.080 --> 0:13:05.600 he's willing to accept the risk of injury over what 0:13:05.640 --> 0:13:09.360 he feels is the larger risk of giving the guys 0:13:09.400 --> 0:13:12.360 this week off and then the following week with not 0:13:12.480 --> 0:13:15.240 having a game over the over wild Card weekend um 0:13:15.320 --> 0:13:17.400 as we talked about our last show, then suddenly it's 0:13:17.400 --> 0:13:21.440 three weeks um between games. So so the Packers are 0:13:21.480 --> 0:13:23.680 going to Detroit. They are preparing this week with their 0:13:23.840 --> 0:13:26.840 with their frontline players ready to start the game, and 0:13:26.880 --> 0:13:29.040 then we'll see how it unfolds from there. I honestly 0:13:29.080 --> 0:13:31.320 don't think it. I even wrote about it for our website. 0:13:31.360 --> 0:13:32.920 I don't really think this is a big of a deal, 0:13:33.000 --> 0:13:34.920 is what it's sort of become. I think it honestly. 0:13:35.360 --> 0:13:36.800 This is a week in which there isn't a lot 0:13:36.840 --> 0:13:39.000 to write about because the game really in a lot 0:13:39.040 --> 0:13:41.800 of ways doesn't matter. But the one thing, there's a 0:13:41.840 --> 0:13:43.760 couple of things that that hit me on Wednesday about it. 0:13:43.800 --> 0:13:46.000 One it was Davante Adams discussing it because he was 0:13:46.040 --> 0:13:49.480 asking a very intelligent and terrific way by Jason Wildy 0:13:49.520 --> 0:13:52.040 about the difference between this and then you guys don't 0:13:52.040 --> 0:13:54.840 want to play in preseason? What's the difference and Davante, 0:13:54.880 --> 0:13:56.760 it's it's so obvious when you think about it, but 0:13:56.920 --> 0:13:59.240 you don't really it doesn't hit you right away. As 0:13:59.280 --> 0:14:03.280 he mentioned in the preseason, which when he set is pointless, 0:14:03.280 --> 0:14:05.840 which I don't disagree with him for players of for 0:14:05.920 --> 0:14:10.599 players of statue. Yeah, what what good is going to 0:14:10.679 --> 0:14:12.440 come out of Mike Spott for going over to a 0:14:12.480 --> 0:14:14.800 local you know, middle school and writing something for their 0:14:15.040 --> 0:14:18.439 school paper, right, I mean, it's just it's a different level. Um. 0:14:18.520 --> 0:14:21.760 But but the thing is is that he mentions in 0:14:21.880 --> 0:14:25.800 training camp, you're going pretty hard in those practices. You 0:14:25.840 --> 0:14:28.880 have padded practice. You have padded practice day after day. 0:14:29.080 --> 0:14:31.240 There is an element of almost you need some rest 0:14:31.360 --> 0:14:34.560 with those to kind of de escalate a little bit. Yeah, 0:14:34.600 --> 0:14:37.200 And for fans who don't know, training camp practices are 0:14:37.360 --> 0:14:43.160 significantly longer, greater duration than regular season practices, it is. 0:14:43.240 --> 0:14:45.360 It is a it is much more of a daily 0:14:45.480 --> 0:14:48.800 grind on the field in training camp than it is 0:14:48.920 --> 0:14:51.160 during the regular It's more like a play. It's not 0:14:51.240 --> 0:14:53.320 just a dress rehearsal. I mean, they are really going 0:14:53.400 --> 0:14:56.600 after it in right now. It isn't like that they 0:14:56.640 --> 0:14:58.400 get their plays in. They have their script in, but 0:14:58.440 --> 0:15:00.800 everything's been installed. They've run a lot of these schemes. 0:15:00.800 --> 0:15:02.120 It's just trying to figure out what are we going 0:15:02.160 --> 0:15:05.600 to install for this game. It's about it's about the 0:15:05.640 --> 0:15:09.200 game plan and just refamiliarizing everybody with certain concepts in 0:15:09.240 --> 0:15:12.560 the playbook that they're choosing for this particular contest. So 0:15:12.640 --> 0:15:15.600 you're not going all that hard in those games, so 0:15:15.840 --> 0:15:18.960 in those practices. So that's where this three weeks comes 0:15:18.960 --> 0:15:21.600 in that we keep talking about if if they wouldn't 0:15:21.920 --> 0:15:26.920 play on Sunday, and I wrote this an inbox too. Okay, 0:15:27.160 --> 0:15:30.480 the game doesn't matter. We know all that. So that's 0:15:30.480 --> 0:15:34.040 where you just avoid the risk. Aaron Rodgers is under pressure, 0:15:35.160 --> 0:15:37.760 throw the ball away, you know, I mean take an 0:15:37.800 --> 0:15:40.200 intentional ground and call these type of thing. I think 0:15:40.200 --> 0:15:43.520 there's it's a very physical game, it's an important game. 0:15:44.000 --> 0:15:46.080 But at the same time, I don't think it is 0:15:46.120 --> 0:15:49.359 the danger that everybody wants to present this as preseason. 0:15:49.400 --> 0:15:51.000 There's no point in it because you could get it. 0:15:51.120 --> 0:15:52.960 You could get a non contact injury, as we saw 0:15:53.000 --> 0:15:55.400 with Jordy Nelson. These guys don't need these reps. They're 0:15:55.600 --> 0:15:58.120 installing stuff in practice. They don't want to show the 0:15:58.160 --> 0:16:00.680 stuff they've installed against the opposite AI to put that 0:16:00.720 --> 0:16:03.520 on film. This is a different animal. And for the 0:16:03.520 --> 0:16:05.560 Packers to actually go out there on Sunday, do they 0:16:05.560 --> 0:16:08.120 need to play? Probably not, but to be able to 0:16:08.200 --> 0:16:10.800 keep that momentum going and keep building and keep the 0:16:10.800 --> 0:16:13.200 wheel turning. As Edvante Adams said, I think there's a 0:16:13.200 --> 0:16:15.480 lot of value in that. Well, we will see, We 0:16:15.480 --> 0:16:18.040 will certainly see how things unfold. I will say this 0:16:18.120 --> 0:16:21.400 with regard to however long Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams and 0:16:21.400 --> 0:16:24.040 and the front line guys play, I don't think there's 0:16:24.080 --> 0:16:27.280 anything one way or another that that Aaron Rodgers can 0:16:27.320 --> 0:16:30.280 do or not do that will that will impact the 0:16:30.400 --> 0:16:33.120 m v P voting. UM. I'm not going to get 0:16:33.120 --> 0:16:35.280 into all of the Hull Barker stuff. It is not 0:16:35.320 --> 0:16:37.800 worth our time to discuss that. What I do want 0:16:37.840 --> 0:16:41.960 to say is that, UM, I think it's pretty clear 0:16:41.960 --> 0:16:44.400 cut on the field that Aaron Rodgers is the m 0:16:44.440 --> 0:16:46.320 v P in the NFL. You said it an inbox. 0:16:46.360 --> 0:16:48.760 I've said it as well before. To me, I felt 0:16:48.840 --> 0:16:51.360 like a few weeks ago, it felt like it was 0:16:51.440 --> 0:16:54.720 Aaron Rodgers, Jonathan Taylor, and Tom Brady and with a 0:16:54.760 --> 0:16:57.120 few games to go in the regular season, Okay, like, 0:16:57.160 --> 0:17:00.200 how is this going to shake out? Now? You know 0:17:00.440 --> 0:17:05.200 Taylor had the nationally televised game, you know, in prime time, 0:17:05.280 --> 0:17:07.840 had like a forty plus yard run but then was 0:17:07.880 --> 0:17:11.520 held to like sixty some yards on his other carries. 0:17:11.560 --> 0:17:14.399 He didn't have that big monster game down the stretch. 0:17:14.680 --> 0:17:16.720 And the Coults are sitting there at nine and seven. Yes, 0:17:16.720 --> 0:17:19.200 they'll probably make the playoffs. They beat the Jaguars, they'll 0:17:19.200 --> 0:17:22.440 get in, But ten and seven, it's I think it's 0:17:22.480 --> 0:17:24.399 hard to vote for an m v P on a 0:17:24.440 --> 0:17:27.520 team that that loses seven games. You look at Tom Brady, 0:17:28.320 --> 0:17:30.919 He's got the shiny year statistics, certainly in terms of 0:17:30.960 --> 0:17:35.160 the yards and the touchdowns, then Aaron Rodgers has. But 0:17:35.760 --> 0:17:40.000 with the Buccaneers in the fight for the playoff by 0:17:40.040 --> 0:17:43.320 and the number one seed, Tom Brady got shut out 0:17:43.560 --> 0:17:45.479 by the New Orleans Saints in a game that he 0:17:45.520 --> 0:17:47.680 only need to put up ten points to win because 0:17:47.720 --> 0:17:51.119 his defense held New Orleans to nine. He got shut out. 0:17:51.240 --> 0:17:53.840 And yes, Aaron Rodgers had a terrible game against the 0:17:53.840 --> 0:17:57.320 Saints back in Week one, but games in December matter more. 0:17:57.600 --> 0:18:00.440 And to me, that sequence of events, with the fact 0:18:00.440 --> 0:18:03.920 that Rogers has continued this run where every week he's 0:18:03.920 --> 0:18:06.880 throwing either two or three touchdown passes with no interceptions, 0:18:06.880 --> 0:18:10.800 and the Packers are finishing now on with a with 0:18:10.960 --> 0:18:13.280 a winning streak here and and have clinched the number 0:18:13.280 --> 0:18:15.800 one seed with a week to go. I think the 0:18:15.840 --> 0:18:20.080 separation has occurred between Aaron Rodgers, Jonathan Taylor and and 0:18:20.080 --> 0:18:22.720 and Tom Brady, that this is that that this award 0:18:22.720 --> 0:18:25.200 should be Rodgers. Since Week one, the guy has thrown 0:18:25.240 --> 0:18:29.480 thirty five touchdown passes and two interceptions, and he's lost 0:18:29.560 --> 0:18:32.840 one game because the other Packers losses when he didn't play. 0:18:33.040 --> 0:18:38.600 He's lost one game on a walk off field goal. Yeah, 0:18:38.680 --> 0:18:40.720 and he threw a seventy five yard touchdown to give 0:18:40.760 --> 0:18:43.000 his team to give his team a chance to win 0:18:43.040 --> 0:18:46.080 that game late. So to me, it's just I don't know. 0:18:46.320 --> 0:18:49.320 I honestly don't know how in good conscience any voter, 0:18:49.520 --> 0:18:52.320 whether you whether you're taking in the off the field 0:18:52.359 --> 0:18:56.480 garbage or not, I don't know how any voter and 0:18:56.560 --> 0:18:59.760 good conscience can really can really say that Aaron Rodgers 0:18:59.800 --> 0:19:04.680 is not the m v P. To me, there are 0:19:04.720 --> 0:19:07.800 more valid candidates for the Coach of the Year discussion 0:19:07.880 --> 0:19:09.720 we just had than the m v P one. This 0:19:09.800 --> 0:19:12.280 is a slam dunk for Aaron Rodgers. I think so. 0:19:12.320 --> 0:19:13.600 And I agree with you. I think you should go 0:19:13.640 --> 0:19:15.320 back to back. I think it should be number four 0:19:15.320 --> 0:19:18.320 for him. The other thing I want to is I 0:19:18.359 --> 0:19:21.280 just I want that focus to be on what happens 0:19:21.280 --> 0:19:24.320 on the football, absolutely and absolutely this is the one 0:19:24.320 --> 0:19:27.560 thing that's funny, right My um my dad recently retired 0:19:27.800 --> 0:19:32.399 congratulations pod worked for forty years close to it, a 0:19:32.440 --> 0:19:36.520 nearby paper mill here celebrate, Yeah, exactly. I don't know 0:19:36.920 --> 0:19:38.919 what his day to day was like. I don't know 0:19:38.960 --> 0:19:40.840 what happened there. I knew what he was like when 0:19:40.840 --> 0:19:42.840 he came home. I knew what he's like when he 0:19:42.880 --> 0:19:44.200 was my dad, But I had no idea what was 0:19:44.240 --> 0:19:47.000 going on at his place of business, as he has 0:19:47.000 --> 0:19:49.680 no idea really ultimately what happens at mind now these days. 0:19:50.600 --> 0:19:53.119 The thing I don't understand about the Rogers fiasco is 0:19:53.119 --> 0:19:55.560 all this is there's so many people on the outside, 0:19:55.920 --> 0:19:58.160