WEBVTT - #494 Packers Unscripted: Matchup mania 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:14.640 Hi everyone, Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:14.680 --> 0:00:17.959 I am Mike Spofford, sitting alongside my partner in crime, 0:00:18.000 --> 0:00:20.520 West Hodkowits were coming to you here from our studios 0:00:20.560 --> 0:00:24.239 at Lambo Field. West were another day closer to the 0:00:24.320 --> 0:00:27.840 big Week sixteen Monday night football showdown at us Bank 0:00:27.920 --> 0:00:30.800 Stadium between the Packers and the Vikings that will be 0:00:30.840 --> 0:00:34.800 in prime time obviously Monday night. As I I was 0:00:34.840 --> 0:00:37.360 thinking about this game before we turned on the cameras 0:00:37.400 --> 0:00:41.320 to start the show, all these different matchups started going 0:00:41.320 --> 0:00:44.879 through my This is this Packers Vikings showdown as a 0:00:44.960 --> 0:00:47.760 game of matchups. There's going to be some really intriguing 0:00:47.840 --> 0:00:50.040 one on one type of battles to keep an eye on. 0:00:50.560 --> 0:00:53.040 So let's just work our way through some of them. 0:00:53.080 --> 0:00:56.560 What's the first one that comes to mind for you? 0:00:56.720 --> 0:00:59.160 So there's a couple, right, and I think we're gonna 0:00:59.160 --> 0:01:00.840 probably take some time here and go through all of 0:01:00.880 --> 0:01:04.720 them throughout this show. But I would be remiss my tendencies. 0:01:04.760 --> 0:01:07.360 I want to say Stefan Diggs, right, But I think 0:01:07.360 --> 0:01:09.199 we gotta go back and we gotta remember that Week 0:01:09.240 --> 0:01:11.800 two game and remember some of the storylines that came 0:01:11.840 --> 0:01:15.520 out of that Kenny Clark ate Garrett Bradberry's lunch in 0:01:15.560 --> 0:01:18.520 that game. That was a big reason for the disruption 0:01:18.520 --> 0:01:20.399 they were able to cause and being able to get 0:01:20.680 --> 0:01:23.400 Kirk Cousins off his spot. Now, Bradberry is a rookie, 0:01:23.480 --> 0:01:26.440 he's matched, he's matured, he's gone through this whole season, 0:01:26.560 --> 0:01:28.640 so he's in a different place now, I think than 0:01:28.680 --> 0:01:30.240 he was in Week two when he was playing his 0:01:30.319 --> 0:01:34.000 first road game. So seeing how that matchup plays out, 0:01:34.040 --> 0:01:36.200 because you've got Kenny Clark now who's playing some of 0:01:36.240 --> 0:01:39.280 his best football the year, going up against Bradberry, who's 0:01:39.280 --> 0:01:41.360 settled in with I think an offensive line that people 0:01:41.400 --> 0:01:44.160 generally would consider to be improved from Minnesota this season. 0:01:44.640 --> 0:01:47.000 I think that's just one little thing in terms of, like, 0:01:47.040 --> 0:01:49.280 if you're talking about the follow up to that Week 0:01:49.320 --> 0:01:51.440 two game, that's gonna be one to track, but I 0:01:51.480 --> 0:01:54.480 would be I mean, it is Stefan Diggs, how the 0:01:54.480 --> 0:01:58.800 Packers want to defend him, What exactly the utilization is 0:01:58.800 --> 0:02:00.960 going to be of him in this fence from Minnesota. 0:02:01.320 --> 0:02:03.160 You talked about it on yesterday's show. I mean the 0:02:03.280 --> 0:02:06.520 effect he's had, how successful he's been, and just the 0:02:07.880 --> 0:02:12.120 day one to today, consistency of his production has been 0:02:12.160 --> 0:02:13.799 a real problem. It's been one of the reasons too, 0:02:13.800 --> 0:02:15.560 that Kirk Cousins has been able to get into this 0:02:15.639 --> 0:02:18.280 groove after both of them worked through a few things 0:02:18.280 --> 0:02:21.080 earlier this season. Yeah. I know neither you nor I 0:02:21.800 --> 0:02:24.840 is in the defensive meeting game planning room here, but 0:02:24.880 --> 0:02:26.640 I'm just gonna toss this out there. We know it's 0:02:26.639 --> 0:02:30.600 Stefon Diggs and Adam Theland, and we know there's Jairo, Alexander, 0:02:30.680 --> 0:02:33.800 Kevin King, and Tremont Williams as the top three cornerbacks 0:02:33.800 --> 0:02:37.000 for the Packers in this mix, do you think Mike 0:02:37.000 --> 0:02:40.320 Petton wants to match up, you know, match guys one 0:02:40.360 --> 0:02:42.720 on one and and travel around or do you think 0:02:42.800 --> 0:02:45.440 he wants to keep guys on certain sides and see 0:02:45.440 --> 0:02:48.840 where it falls so that Alexander will get snaps against 0:02:48.880 --> 0:02:51.040 both of those guys, for example? Do you have any 0:02:51.040 --> 0:02:53.000 gut feeling as to how this might go? I have, 0:02:53.080 --> 0:02:56.080 So I call it select matching, right, because I think 0:02:56.160 --> 0:02:59.440 you could take jayre and I think something that I 0:02:59.520 --> 0:03:01.520 really would like to see them do this final stretch 0:03:01.520 --> 0:03:04.600 of the season is really match him up with guys. 0:03:04.680 --> 0:03:06.840 So whether it not it's digs, whether or not it's 0:03:06.880 --> 0:03:10.119 Gola day, and then certainly whatever happens in a potential 0:03:10.160 --> 0:03:12.880 playoff run here. But at the same time, I think 0:03:12.960 --> 0:03:15.680 with when theels in the slot, I'm fine with Tremont 0:03:15.720 --> 0:03:18.280 Williams being the guy, maybe covered him with some help 0:03:18.360 --> 0:03:20.960 over the top gian here. I just I've said this 0:03:21.000 --> 0:03:22.440 a couple of times now, Mike, but I just think 0:03:22.440 --> 0:03:25.160 he's graduated to a role now where he can handle 0:03:25.639 --> 0:03:28.240 just being on a star receiver and being accountable to 0:03:28.280 --> 0:03:30.880 that assignment where he doesn't need the extra helper attention, 0:03:31.320 --> 0:03:34.440 and that's so valuable in this league. I think Sam 0:03:34.480 --> 0:03:36.280 Shields when he was at the peak of his power, 0:03:36.840 --> 0:03:40.760 probably two thousand fourteen, that's where he was really good, right. 0:03:40.800 --> 0:03:42.200 I mean they could they could take him and they 0:03:42.200 --> 0:03:44.160 could put him against Calvin Johnson. They could just have 0:03:44.200 --> 0:03:48.000 him matchups against specific receivers and he'd be just fine. Yeah. 0:03:48.040 --> 0:03:50.320 Al Harris was a similar guy sort of in the 0:03:50.400 --> 0:03:53.920 previous generation of the Packers defense. You might say, I 0:03:53.960 --> 0:03:56.600 just think it'll be really interesting to see because theeling 0:03:56.720 --> 0:03:58.800 is back from his injuries, missed a bunch of time 0:03:58.880 --> 0:04:01.720 in and out of the lineup with hamstring issue, but 0:04:01.800 --> 0:04:05.040 with Digs and Feeland both on the field and with 0:04:05.040 --> 0:04:07.400 with how the Packers are going to match up there, 0:04:07.440 --> 0:04:10.600 I do think I think Alexander obviously has risen to 0:04:10.760 --> 0:04:13.800 a level. As you say that that puts him in 0:04:13.840 --> 0:04:16.680 a little bit different category than maybe the Packers have 0:04:16.800 --> 0:04:20.200 had at cornerback over the last couple of years. And 0:04:20.200 --> 0:04:22.240 and that's a that's a nice piece for a defensive 0:04:22.240 --> 0:04:25.080 coordinator to have, and especially at his young age. Mike, 0:04:25.360 --> 0:04:27.280 you talked about l Harris. L Harris was in the 0:04:27.360 --> 0:04:29.440 league for four or five years before he became an 0:04:29.560 --> 0:04:32.280 entrenched starter. Sam Shields was in the league for three 0:04:32.360 --> 0:04:34.240 or four years before he became an in trench starter. 0:04:34.279 --> 0:04:37.880 We're talking about three year old young man that has 0:04:37.920 --> 0:04:40.680 been thrown into that and really does not back down 0:04:40.720 --> 0:04:43.480 from it. He's a heads up player, he's a smart player. 0:04:43.560 --> 0:04:46.599 He plays with his instincts and that's what completes him. 0:04:46.720 --> 0:04:50.080 It isn't that he's just fast and quick and you know, athletic. 0:04:50.120 --> 0:04:53.040 It's what JayR does during the week and in the 0:04:53.080 --> 0:04:55.360 classroom that has allowed him to become the player that 0:04:55.400 --> 0:04:57.840 he's going to be. Because he's on a really solid 0:04:57.920 --> 0:05:00.960 upward trajectory right now to being a lead. Yeah. Well, 0:05:01.000 --> 0:05:03.960 obviously you mentioned one of the matchups in the trenches, 0:05:04.040 --> 0:05:06.800 Kenny Clark against Garrett Bradberry. I think the other one 0:05:07.040 --> 0:05:09.600 or ones that people are certainly going to be talking about. 0:05:09.640 --> 0:05:12.200 We mentioned Daniel Hunter quite a bit on the show yesterday, 0:05:12.720 --> 0:05:16.559 Hunter against Blaga on one edge, Everson Griffin against David 0:05:16.560 --> 0:05:19.920 Baktier on the other edge. And these are matchups that 0:05:20.040 --> 0:05:22.320 are really really key for the Packers in this game 0:05:22.360 --> 0:05:27.080 because the Packers offensive tackles you're on the road, the 0:05:27.160 --> 0:05:29.920 tackles are the guys furthest away from the ball sort 0:05:29.960 --> 0:05:33.000 of on the island where those those edge rushers have 0:05:33.160 --> 0:05:36.120 that advantage with the crowd noise and the silent count 0:05:36.480 --> 0:05:38.880 by the offense all that kind of stuff. So this 0:05:39.000 --> 0:05:42.480 becomes a huge task. And we've seen it West, I 0:05:42.520 --> 0:05:44.919 mean so many times, and not just the Packers, but 0:05:44.960 --> 0:05:49.000 anytime the Minnesota Vikings play at home. If if those 0:05:49.120 --> 0:05:51.360 edge rushers start to take control of the game, they 0:05:51.400 --> 0:05:54.200 get they get the sacks and sometimes it's sack fumbles, 0:05:54.240 --> 0:05:57.400 and they just they can just completely stymy and offense 0:05:57.680 --> 0:05:59.320 with what they can do off the edges, and the 0:05:59.360 --> 0:06:01.960 Packers have of their three time All Pro and now 0:06:02.040 --> 0:06:06.920 Pro bowler David Battier against the snubbed Brian blaga Um. 0:06:06.960 --> 0:06:08.960 This is just a really really big game for both 0:06:09.000 --> 0:06:11.120 of those guys, it is, and that's one of the 0:06:11.120 --> 0:06:13.320 reasons why. And you talked about it on the show, 0:06:13.320 --> 0:06:15.280 and you wrote about inbox and I made a headline 0:06:15.279 --> 0:06:19.920 out of it an Inbox the the NFC man that 0:06:20.120 --> 0:06:22.720 NFC North just doesn't really get a lot of respect, 0:06:23.080 --> 0:06:26.000 and I never understood that. As much as I'm sure 0:06:26.040 --> 0:06:27.680 fans like to beat up on each other about the 0:06:27.760 --> 0:06:30.800 Vikings and Bears and Lions, NFC North has been pretty 0:06:30.880 --> 0:06:33.280 darned good for the past decade, and there's been more 0:06:33.279 --> 0:06:35.200 often than not there's been a wild card team that's 0:06:35.200 --> 0:06:37.920 come out of this division in some cases too. I mean, 0:06:37.960 --> 0:06:41.960 that's just the way this thing plays out. And with 0:06:42.040 --> 0:06:44.560 that has come a lot of really good pass rushures 0:06:44.600 --> 0:06:48.479 because when Aaron Rodgers is a predominant player in your division, 0:06:48.520 --> 0:06:50.960 you have to be able to pressure. The Bears did 0:06:51.000 --> 0:06:53.880 that with Khalil Mack and this these bevy of pass 0:06:53.960 --> 0:06:56.880 rushers that the Vikings have had over the last ten 0:06:56.920 --> 0:06:59.880 to fifteen years, it really speaks to that. So for 0:07:00.040 --> 0:07:03.599 Brian Bouloga to be consistently facing off against that caliber 0:07:03.640 --> 0:07:05.800 of opponent. Yeah, I don't want to get back into 0:07:05.800 --> 0:07:07.920 why he got snubbed and all that. We've discussed that enough. 0:07:07.960 --> 0:07:10.520 But the fact that the Packers can go into a 0:07:10.560 --> 0:07:12.400 game like this and they do it twice a year 0:07:12.400 --> 0:07:15.760 against Minnesota and always feel okay about their chances, that's 0:07:15.760 --> 0:07:17.920 a really testament. That's a big testament to him and 0:07:18.000 --> 0:07:20.400 David baktr and the rest of that offensive line for 0:07:20.480 --> 0:07:23.480 being able to make sure that their quarterback is protective. Yeah. 0:07:23.680 --> 0:07:25.600 I don't want to revisit all the Pro Bowl thing, 0:07:26.040 --> 0:07:28.080 the whole Pro Bowl thing, either, but I will throw 0:07:28.080 --> 0:07:30.040 this out there because it just occurred to me maybe 0:07:30.040 --> 0:07:32.720 Brian Bolaga didn't get any recognition in the whole Pro 0:07:32.800 --> 0:07:35.160 Bowl thing because he hasn't signed a new contract for 0:07:35.200 --> 0:07:37.240 five years. He's in the last year of a five 0:07:37.320 --> 0:07:39.960 year extension, so there haven't been any headlines out there 0:07:39.960 --> 0:07:42.480 about Brian Bolagga getting paid all this money. You know, 0:07:42.480 --> 0:07:45.280 I just I just think maybe that was part of it, 0:07:45.360 --> 0:07:48.240 and that's not his fault by any means. And you 0:07:48.280 --> 0:07:51.080 know how this goes in terms of recognition and and 0:07:51.080 --> 0:07:54.240 and how names and numbers and all that become attached 0:07:54.240 --> 0:07:57.240 to certain guys. And he signed his most recent contract 0:07:57.240 --> 0:07:59.680 heading into and he's in the final year of that 0:07:59.760 --> 0:08:02.360 deal right now. That's just that's just the way it is. 0:08:02.040 --> 0:08:05.600 This is what's disappointing though, Mike, right, because like it's 0:08:05.640 --> 0:08:08.200 one thing for to be like all the fans they 0:08:08.200 --> 0:08:10.640 don't know what they're talking about, and they voted. If 0:08:10.640 --> 0:08:12.280 you look at the Packers, they had the fourth most 0:08:12.320 --> 0:08:15.560 votes among teams in the NFL. Uh And you know 0:08:15.600 --> 0:08:17.480 a lot of their players were well represented. I think 0:08:17.480 --> 0:08:19.200 Brian Blaga for a certain amount of time was up 0:08:19.200 --> 0:08:21.880 there on the tackle fan voting too. So a third 0:08:21.880 --> 0:08:23.800 of the other vote is coaches and the other third 0:08:23.880 --> 0:08:26.280 is players. Like are they that detached from this that 0:08:26.320 --> 0:08:27.960 they can't pick up on those sort of things. I 0:08:27.960 --> 0:08:30.760 don't know. The question was asked an inset or inbox 0:08:30.760 --> 0:08:32.719 about if you put more weight into All Pro or 0:08:32.760 --> 0:08:35.880 Pro Bowl. I always say All Pro, no question, because 0:08:35.880 --> 0:08:38.000 I know the people. It's a much more elite group. 0:08:38.040 --> 0:08:42.560 There are fewer selections, and it's uh, it's not it's 0:08:42.600 --> 0:08:46.400 not just a voting popularity type of thing amongst amongst 0:08:46.440 --> 0:08:48.679 fans and fellow players and stuff. I mean, these are 0:08:48.720 --> 0:08:51.640 the these are the Associated Press writers who cover this 0:08:51.720 --> 0:08:53.839 league year after year after year, and they take this 0:08:53.880 --> 0:08:57.520 stuff serious. Absolutely take the responsibility very serious. I don't 0:08:57.520 --> 0:08:58.920 want to talk on this turn here, but I know 0:08:59.000 --> 0:09:01.560 a lot of the guys that do this, you know, 0:09:01.600 --> 0:09:03.480 in Green Bay and in other places. I mean, they 0:09:03.520 --> 0:09:06.040 go around and they're talking to players about particular pass 0:09:06.120 --> 0:09:08.959 rushers in offensive lineman. They're trying to get into the 0:09:09.000 --> 0:09:11.680 nitty gritty details. They work hard to make sure that 0:09:11.720 --> 0:09:14.320 those things have the credibility to it. But who deserves it. 0:09:14.440 --> 0:09:15.959 At the end of the day, there is a Pro 0:09:16.040 --> 0:09:18.080 Bowl game. That's where the attention is, that's where the 0:09:18.120 --> 0:09:21.280 eyes are. And unfortunately, you know, sometimes the popularity sort 0:09:21.320 --> 0:09:24.439 of sways what I think maybe is sometimes the really 0:09:24.480 --> 0:09:27.160 deserving guys. But it is what it is, all right. Well, 0:09:27.400 --> 0:09:30.120 a little bit of sponsored business here. Select Cousin Subs 0:09:30.160 --> 0:09:33.760 locations are now offering delivery. Whether you're ordering catering or 0:09:33.800 --> 0:09:36.240 your favorite sub, they're delivering right to you when you 0:09:36.320 --> 0:09:39.840 order online at Cousin Subs dot com. Cousin Subs we 0:09:39.960 --> 0:09:42.320 believe in better. Okay, another matchup? I want to throw 0:09:42.360 --> 0:09:44.520 your way, because I think this is a really interesting one, 0:09:44.640 --> 0:09:48.640 and for me, it's Aaron Jones against Eric Kennerys. And 0:09:48.679 --> 0:09:51.560 the reason I say that is because we've seen teams 0:09:52.160 --> 0:09:55.240 when Aaron Jones is split out in the slot or 0:09:55.280 --> 0:09:58.319 split out why to potentially be a pass receiver running 0:09:58.400 --> 0:10:02.160 routes and whatnot, we've seen teams take different approaches. The 0:10:02.240 --> 0:10:04.720 Kansas City Chiefs got burned by trying to cover him 0:10:04.720 --> 0:10:06.920 with a linebacker, and the Packers ended up winning that 0:10:07.000 --> 0:10:09.480 game in large part because of what Aaron Jones did 0:10:09.520 --> 0:10:12.920 as a receiver. Other teams have have decided to put 0:10:12.920 --> 0:10:16.200 a cornerback on him has which has taken away some 0:10:16.280 --> 0:10:20.320 of those routes. The Minnesota Vikings have one of the best, 0:10:20.360 --> 0:10:23.360 if not the best cover linebacker in the league right 0:10:23.360 --> 0:10:25.880 now in Kendricks, and I don't think they're gonna mess 0:10:25.920 --> 0:10:29.320 around at all with asking some cornerback to cover Aaron 0:10:29.400 --> 0:10:32.000 Jones as a past receiver. It's going to be Eric Kendricks. 0:10:32.000 --> 0:10:34.720 And if the Packers want Jones to be involved in 0:10:34.760 --> 0:10:37.800 the passing game, that's a matchup Jones has to win. Yeah, 0:10:37.840 --> 0:10:40.640 the only modification that the Vikings can make here and 0:10:40.679 --> 0:10:42.800 it's because they are the Minnesota Vikings that are as 0:10:42.840 --> 0:10:44.959 deep as they are with their secondaries, they could potentially 0:10:45.040 --> 0:10:46.960 put a safety on him just because of how deep 0:10:47.000 --> 0:10:48.840 they are if they're in some of their sub packages. 0:10:49.320 --> 0:10:51.800 But that being said, at the end of the day, 0:10:51.920 --> 0:10:54.400 if you have a coverage linebacker that you feel good about, 0:10:54.920 --> 0:10:56.560 nine times out of ten, he's going to be the 0:10:56.559 --> 0:10:58.760 guy going up against that running back because you feel 0:10:58.760 --> 0:11:01.120 good that he's not going to get burned. So I'm 0:11:01.120 --> 0:11:03.240 doing a Q and A right now for for eric 0:11:03.559 --> 0:11:06.000 Um Smith over with the Vikings this week, and he 0:11:06.200 --> 0:11:08.520 gave me five lists of questions and one of them 0:11:08.679 --> 0:11:10.440 is which player on both sides of the ball are 0:11:10.440 --> 0:11:12.760 you most excited to watch? And I make the kind 0:11:12.800 --> 0:11:15.319 of comment of, well, you can just pick pick whoever 0:11:15.360 --> 0:11:17.360 you want. On the Vikings defense. There's a lot of 0:11:17.360 --> 0:11:19.320 the guys that are worth the price of admission and 0:11:19.320 --> 0:11:21.439 guys we've been watching for a number of years. But 0:11:21.640 --> 0:11:23.920 Eric Kendricks is one of my favorite guys in this league. 0:11:23.920 --> 0:11:25.920 I loved him when he came out of college. I 0:11:25.920 --> 0:11:28.439 think he brings a really unique, dynamic skill set to 0:11:28.520 --> 0:11:30.560 that position and he's one of the future of that 0:11:30.600 --> 0:11:32.920 position when you're talking about guys that can play three 0:11:32.960 --> 0:11:35.560 downs and being as effective as he could still be 0:11:36.120 --> 0:11:39.439 when operating in space and the coverage. So he's really 0:11:39.760 --> 0:11:42.280 he's become again one of these guys in this defense 0:11:42.280 --> 0:11:43.800 that I think you have to watch out for. And 0:11:44.360 --> 0:11:47.280 the nice thing is that, again getting back to the 0:11:47.320 --> 0:11:49.880 sequel to that week to matchup is well, Aaron Jones 0:11:49.920 --> 0:11:51.880 is a lot more of a known commodity when it 0:11:51.920 --> 0:11:55.000 comes to the passing games. So how does Mike Zimmer 0:11:55.000 --> 0:11:56.959 want to attack that? How does Matt Lafleur want to 0:11:56.960 --> 0:11:59.360 attack this? Are we going to see more to backpackages 0:11:59.400 --> 0:12:01.040 again to kind throw them off? Are we're going to 0:12:01.080 --> 0:12:04.360 see him motioning, you know, outside back to the backfield 0:12:04.440 --> 0:12:07.320 to see exactly what you know, matchups they can win 0:12:07.440 --> 0:12:10.560 from that perspective, There's a lot of questions going into this, 0:12:10.679 --> 0:12:13.200 but no matter which way you slice it, it's gonna 0:12:13.200 --> 0:12:15.400 be Kendricks and Jones that ultimately are gonna probably be 0:12:15.400 --> 0:12:17.280 the ones that decide who ends up being the victor 0:12:17.320 --> 0:12:19.160 in that In that battle, yeah, I think that's gonna 0:12:19.200 --> 0:12:22.280 be a really interesting one, and certainly Kendricks will be 0:12:22.760 --> 0:12:25.360 trying to plug holes, you know, in the box when 0:12:25.400 --> 0:12:28.439 Aaron Jones is taking handoffs as well, not just trying 0:12:28.440 --> 0:12:31.360 to cover him as a receiver. Another question to throw 0:12:31.400 --> 0:12:34.240 your way, who covers Davante Adams. You think they go 0:12:34.280 --> 0:12:36.360 with Trey Waynes. I think it's going to be Waynes 0:12:36.440 --> 0:12:39.800 because Xavier Rhodes has not had the season that we're 0:12:39.880 --> 0:12:42.840 accustomed to seeing from Xavier Rhodes. I think they're gonna 0:12:42.840 --> 0:12:44.920 put Trey Waynes on Adams and then just deal with 0:12:44.960 --> 0:12:47.839 the other matchups as they come. That's probably right if 0:12:47.880 --> 0:12:49.640 we talked a couple of days ago. It might have 0:12:49.640 --> 0:12:51.320 even been yesterday. We've done a lot of shows this 0:12:51.360 --> 0:12:54.960 week without locker room availability. But you know when I 0:12:55.000 --> 0:12:58.239 mentioned they aren't quite as dominant defensively as they've been Minnesota, 0:12:58.480 --> 0:13:00.160 I think a part of that probably does fact during 0:13:00.200 --> 0:13:03.559 the roads in the past defense, But Trey Waynes was 0:13:03.600 --> 0:13:05.720 an investment too, and Waynes has kind of always had 0:13:05.720 --> 0:13:07.719 to sit in the shadows a little bit there, even 0:13:07.720 --> 0:13:09.360 though he did come in as heralded as he was. 0:13:09.640 --> 0:13:12.199 When you have Xavier Rhodes there, it's gonna be tough 0:13:12.280 --> 0:13:14.840 to really stand out. But I think he is probably 0:13:14.840 --> 0:13:16.920 one of the future for them at that cornerback position. 0:13:16.920 --> 0:13:18.560 So yeah, that wouldn't surprise me at all. Now, the 0:13:18.559 --> 0:13:21.480 real question is if the Packers keep showing the slant 0:13:21.600 --> 0:13:24.600 in these slot looks with Davante Adams, how do teams 0:13:24.600 --> 0:13:26.640 want to attack it? And exactly are you gonna travel 0:13:26.720 --> 0:13:28.840 guys there? Are you gonna throw your nickel back on him? 0:13:28.880 --> 0:13:31.480 That's something that we're gonna have to see. Because the 0:13:31.520 --> 0:13:34.720 Packers didn't go out just flow blown, say this this week, 0:13:34.760 --> 0:13:37.319 but then moving him to the slot and then getting 0:13:37.360 --> 0:13:39.800 the match up against Scrin, you can see that was 0:13:39.880 --> 0:13:41.800 something they just wanted to take advantage of that. That 0:13:41.880 --> 0:13:43.280 was something I think one of the reasons you see 0:13:43.320 --> 0:13:46.320 him have thirteen fourteen targets in this past week. Yeah. Well, 0:13:46.360 --> 0:13:49.240 and Aaron Rodgers and Matt Lafleur both said that that 0:13:49.360 --> 0:13:52.439 fourth downplay in the early stages of the Bears game 0:13:52.480 --> 0:13:54.600 that was not designed to be a shot play for 0:13:54.720 --> 0:13:57.600 the end zone, but Adams in the slot, they got 0:13:57.640 --> 0:14:01.040 the matchup against Scrine and Aaron rod just let it rip. Yeah, 0:14:01.040 --> 0:14:02.800 it was one on one without really any help over 0:14:02.840 --> 0:14:05.440 the top. So it was a great, you know, you 0:14:05.440 --> 0:14:07.920 know thing for them. I more than anything right now, Mike, 0:14:07.960 --> 0:14:10.120 I think you're seeing Davante Adams find a stride again. 0:14:10.679 --> 0:14:12.240 I know there's been some ups and downs for this 0:14:12.320 --> 0:14:14.160 offense and then they're still trying to get some things 0:14:14.200 --> 0:14:18.160 ironed out. But Davanta Adams is looking like Davante Adams again, 0:14:18.280 --> 0:14:19.880 and you're gonna want to get him the ball as 0:14:19.920 --> 0:14:22.680 often as possible, and how teams want to defend that. 0:14:22.800 --> 0:14:26.040 Starting with the vikings here, that's gonna probably give you 0:14:26.080 --> 0:14:28.600 a big indication of when are the opportunities going to 0:14:28.640 --> 0:14:31.120 open up because as much as it can be about 0:14:31.200 --> 0:14:33.960 Aaron Jones and Davante Adams, and trust me, that's where 0:14:34.000 --> 0:14:35.960 the ball has to run through here for the Packers. 0:14:36.000 --> 0:14:37.960 If they're gonna be legitimate run, that's gonna be the 0:14:37.960 --> 0:14:40.080 bread and butter of the offense, no doubt about it. 0:14:40.080 --> 0:14:42.880 It's that attention that those two drive that are gonna 0:14:43.040 --> 0:14:45.360 get Jake Kumber forty nine yard catch. It's going to 0:14:45.440 --> 0:14:48.560 open up al lazard for opportunities. So this is it's 0:14:48.560 --> 0:14:50.560 gonna be a really fascinating way to watch this thing 0:14:50.600 --> 0:14:53.760 play out and seeing exactly with where the Packers offenses 0:14:53.800 --> 0:14:56.280 in Week sixteen, how Mike Zimmer, one of the NFL's 0:14:56.400 --> 0:14:59.320 brightest defensive minds wants to really match up with that. Well, 0:14:59.360 --> 0:15:01.560 that's that's and that's the last matchup here I want 0:15:01.560 --> 0:15:04.000 to get to because we've seen it over the years, 0:15:04.240 --> 0:15:07.000 and what I'm talking about is Aaron Rodgers against Mike Zimmer. 0:15:07.040 --> 0:15:09.920 Because whether you're talking about those double a gap looks 0:15:09.960 --> 0:15:12.960 with Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks, you know, lining up 0:15:13.200 --> 0:15:15.520 on either side of the center, whether they're gonna blitz 0:15:15.600 --> 0:15:18.520 or back off. Where Harrison Smith lines up, does he 0:15:18.520 --> 0:15:20.280 come up to the line of scrimmage and then blitz 0:15:20.320 --> 0:15:22.760 off the slot? Does he does he stay back and 0:15:22.880 --> 0:15:26.560 help out um one of those other receiver matchups. These 0:15:26.600 --> 0:15:30.320 guys Rogers against Zimmer, they've gone, they've gone against one another. 0:15:30.360 --> 0:15:33.240 They they put their minds against one another many many 0:15:33.280 --> 0:15:36.040 times here over the years. And but quite frankly, it's 0:15:36.040 --> 0:15:40.280 been a while since maybe one matchup with these two 0:15:40.360 --> 0:15:43.480 had this highest stage. Absolutely, yeah, it's been years in 0:15:43.520 --> 0:15:45.920 that regard. And it is funny that you mentioned the 0:15:45.960 --> 0:15:48.280 double a gap thing that you quickly pivoted to, you know, 0:15:48.320 --> 0:15:50.720 some of the other looks that they can bring. To me, 0:15:50.840 --> 0:15:53.480 that's the most dangerous thing about Zimmer's defense now in 0:15:53.480 --> 0:15:56.720 two thousand nineteen. Is the variance of his of his 0:15:56.800 --> 0:15:59.440 personnel packages and how you can move around those pieces. 0:15:59.560 --> 0:16:01.360 Because to be honest, Mike, I mean he was on 0:16:01.400 --> 0:16:03.200 the very cutting edge of the double a gap blitz. 0:16:03.240 --> 0:16:05.960 But now you see that all the time. Yeah, against 0:16:05.960 --> 0:16:08.160 the Giant, it's been a copycat league. I still think 0:16:08.160 --> 0:16:10.320 the Vikings in terms of the way they disguise it 0:16:10.360 --> 0:16:12.160 and the way they keep you guessing about it, they 0:16:12.200 --> 0:16:16.040 execute it as well, if not better than anybody else. 0:16:16.040 --> 0:16:18.840 But I think Harrison Smith is that is that extra 0:16:18.920 --> 0:16:22.200 chess piece that that Mike Zimmer has. Sometimes Smith will 0:16:22.200 --> 0:16:24.400 line up in the slot and he'll take the slot receiver. 0:16:24.480 --> 0:16:26.680 Sometimes he'll line up in the slot and then boom, 0:16:26.720 --> 0:16:28.640 he's coming on a blitz and then somebody else is 0:16:28.680 --> 0:16:30.880 picking up the slot receiver. But does the quarterback see 0:16:30.920 --> 0:16:33.080 it soon enough to get the ball out? I mean, 0:16:33.280 --> 0:16:35.480 all those kinds of things that that that's that's where 0:16:35.560 --> 0:16:38.200 Zimmer tries to get into get into a quarterbacks head. 0:16:38.280 --> 0:16:41.200 And he has the athleticism at that inside linebacker middle 0:16:41.200 --> 0:16:43.640 linebacker position to be able to move those guys around 0:16:43.720 --> 0:16:45.840 and still defend the middle of the field the way 0:16:45.840 --> 0:16:47.360 you want to be able to defend it. And that's 0:16:47.360 --> 0:16:49.480 why the double A gap and some of the some 0:16:49.560 --> 0:16:51.360 of the concepts that they run off that has been 0:16:51.400 --> 0:16:54.280 so effective for so long for them in this league. 0:16:54.520 --> 0:16:57.280 And I also got to mention, I mean, how Anthony 0:16:57.280 --> 0:16:58.960 Barr has to be the happiest guy in the room 0:16:59.040 --> 0:17:00.520 right that he ended up the saying to stick around 0:17:00.520 --> 0:17:03.400 Minnesota rather than setting sales for New York and being 0:17:03.440 --> 0:17:05.720 able to come back and have the year that he's 0:17:05.720 --> 0:17:08.200 had and for that linebacking core to still be among 0:17:08.240 --> 0:17:11.360 the league's best. Um. That's that's that's a formatable group 0:17:11.440 --> 0:17:13.840 to be a part of. Yeah, one more before we 0:17:13.920 --> 0:17:16.679 go here, because when when I said, okay, when I 0:17:16.680 --> 0:17:20.240 said the phrase quarterbacks head, this one popped into my head. 0:17:20.920 --> 0:17:24.320 Kirk Cousins six and fourteen in primetime games, oh and 0:17:24.400 --> 0:17:28.200 eight on Monday night football? Is there a psychological component 0:17:28.240 --> 0:17:30.680 to this at all? Do you think when the ball 0:17:30.760 --> 0:17:33.240 kicks off on Monday Night? I don't. I don't think 0:17:33.280 --> 0:17:35.040 so either. But you know it's going to be talked 0:17:35.040 --> 0:17:37.840 about here all week and through the weekend until until 0:17:37.880 --> 0:17:40.600 the game actually starts Monday night. And this is what's unfortunate. 0:17:40.600 --> 0:17:44.000 Mike for both sides. Is that Okay, if the Packers lose, well, 0:17:44.040 --> 0:17:46.200 then you're the team that let Kirk Cousins beat you 0:17:46.240 --> 0:17:50.680 on Monday Night football. Kirk Cousins has a eleven passer rating. 0:17:50.760 --> 0:17:53.600 Kirk Cousins is having a fine season season of his 0:17:53.760 --> 0:17:58.560 career anomaly. Sorry, yeah, having a cold right now? Uh 0:17:59.240 --> 0:18:01.760 that you know that that streaks gotta end? I mean, 0:18:01.800 --> 0:18:03.520 did you just keep flipping the coin? Eventually it's going 0:18:03.560 --> 0:18:05.120 to come up heads. The Packers just have to hope 0:18:05.119 --> 0:18:08.040 it's going to happen in another year. But you know, 0:18:08.080 --> 0:18:10.800 the bigger thing I actually think that is that not 0:18:10.920 --> 0:18:13.280 enough people are talking about is probably people talk so 0:18:13.320 --> 0:18:15.879 much about the Packers, right where's their marquee win? We 0:18:15.920 --> 0:18:18.560 don't their prime time win? Have to beat Minnesota is 0:18:18.600 --> 0:18:20.439