WEBVTT - #323 Packers Unscripted: What will it take 0:00:00.680 --> 0:00:20.439 Yeah, Hi, everybody, Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:20.480 --> 0:00:24.360 I am Mike Spofford, joined alongside my trusted colleague West 0:00:24.360 --> 0:00:26.799 Hodkoits were coming to you here from our studios at 0:00:26.880 --> 0:00:30.960 lambeau Field and West Week two Packers Vikings noon Sunday 0:00:31.040 --> 0:00:33.880 kickoff at lambeau Field. It is almost here our final 0:00:33.960 --> 0:00:37.480 show of the week in which we focus on Keys 0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:39.519 to Victory for Green Bay. Where do you want to 0:00:39.560 --> 0:00:44.159 start with this one? Well, there's a quarterback that we 0:00:44.200 --> 0:00:47.440 don't really have an update on right now. I mean, 0:00:47.479 --> 0:00:48.960 just to get out of the way, you know, Mike 0:00:49.040 --> 0:00:52.520 McCarthy mentioned Friday morning, did not have an update on him. 0:00:52.560 --> 0:00:54.800 As you wrote on Packers dot Com. Looks like he'll 0:00:54.840 --> 0:00:56.520 be taking this thing all the way up until game 0:00:56.520 --> 0:00:59.560 time on Sunday. He sounds like he continues to make 0:00:59.600 --> 0:01:01.840 progress us and trying to come back from that knee. 0:01:01.880 --> 0:01:03.680 I actually thought the biggest thing that probably came out 0:01:03.680 --> 0:01:07.240 of that was McCarthy's believing that if there are no setbacks, 0:01:07.240 --> 0:01:09.280 this could be something that clears itself up that he 0:01:09.280 --> 0:01:11.600 wouldn't necessarily have to play through the rest of the season. 0:01:12.160 --> 0:01:14.840 Um be that as it may, everything's about Sunday right now. 0:01:14.840 --> 0:01:16.640 You and I talked about it so many times. Mike 0:01:17.000 --> 0:01:21.840 Packers Vikings, especially the recency between that rivalry with Mike 0:01:21.920 --> 0:01:24.520 Zimmer and that defense. Aaron Rodgers a big piece of 0:01:24.520 --> 0:01:26.520 the puzzle. Depending on how it all shakes out. Yeah, 0:01:26.560 --> 0:01:29.920 I think it all starts, and I personally believe Rogers 0:01:30.000 --> 0:01:32.039 is going to play. But even if he doesn't, and 0:01:32.080 --> 0:01:34.840 if it is Deshaun Kaiser, I think it all starts 0:01:34.840 --> 0:01:38.840 with protecting the quarterback. But this this Minnesota Vikings defense, 0:01:38.920 --> 0:01:41.640 this defensive front, and I'm talking about not only the 0:01:41.680 --> 0:01:44.440 front four but also the linebackers, Bar and Kendricks and 0:01:44.440 --> 0:01:47.760 all of that. These guys can get after quarterbacks. They've 0:01:47.760 --> 0:01:50.320 done it time and time again. Harrison Smith will come 0:01:50.320 --> 0:01:52.880 blitzing from the safety position and you know a lot 0:01:52.920 --> 0:01:55.040 of times finds his way to the quarterback a clear 0:01:55.080 --> 0:01:58.720 path as well. We saw what was happening last week 0:01:58.760 --> 0:02:01.320 when Khalil Mack was kind of a one man wrecking girl, 0:02:01.360 --> 0:02:04.160 though Achiem Hicks was also doing his share of wrecking 0:02:04.160 --> 0:02:06.800 things in the first half for the Packers. But once 0:02:06.840 --> 0:02:11.160 the past protection settled down, Rogers lack of mobility or 0:02:11.200 --> 0:02:14.360 not when the past protection settled down, the Packers offense 0:02:14.400 --> 0:02:17.560 found its rhythm founded screw to score twenty four points 0:02:17.560 --> 0:02:19.880 in a second half in the NFL. That's a lot. 0:02:20.320 --> 0:02:23.760 That's that that's that's big time production. So the Packers 0:02:23.840 --> 0:02:27.400 know that whichever quarterback is back there, he needs to 0:02:27.720 --> 0:02:29.400 he needs to have room to operate. And I think 0:02:29.400 --> 0:02:32.000 that's where the scheme starts. Yeah, and and you look historically, 0:02:32.080 --> 0:02:34.240 Vic Fangio's defense isn't one that gives up a lot 0:02:34.240 --> 0:02:36.760 of those opportunities, either whether he was in San Francisco 0:02:36.840 --> 0:02:38.760 or during his time in Chicago. For him to give 0:02:38.840 --> 0:02:41.679 up that much production, I think shows you just how 0:02:41.720 --> 0:02:44.520 in the zone Rogers was in that contest. And the 0:02:44.520 --> 0:02:46.359 other thing I'm gonna add to that again, depending on 0:02:46.440 --> 0:02:49.600 who the quarterback is and and how this all you 0:02:49.639 --> 0:02:52.760 Know lays out on Sunday. But I mentioned our final 0:02:52.800 --> 0:02:56.000 thoughts video to this week, Mike. Really, if they can 0:02:56.040 --> 0:02:58.280 have that similar production, I'm not saying they need to 0:02:58.280 --> 0:03:00.960 have two and fifty two receiving yards out of Davante Adams, 0:03:01.200 --> 0:03:04.160 Randall Cobb and Geronimo Allison, but just being able to 0:03:04.160 --> 0:03:06.520 spread out the passing game like that. It's the mismatch 0:03:06.560 --> 0:03:09.320 we talked about throughout the off season and being able 0:03:09.320 --> 0:03:11.720 to also have Jimmy Graham involved their Lance Kendricks as 0:03:11.760 --> 0:03:15.040 an h back type tight end and having a multitude 0:03:15.040 --> 0:03:16.760 of different ways that the quarterback can go with the 0:03:16.760 --> 0:03:19.680 football in addition to however you want to utilize time 0:03:19.680 --> 0:03:23.079 Montgomery potentially splitting him out the second half. I thought 0:03:23.120 --> 0:03:24.840 the big key to what the Packers were able to 0:03:24.840 --> 0:03:27.639 do was the fact that one drive belonged to Gerontom 0:03:27.639 --> 0:03:30.360 Wills and one drive happened to belong to Davantae Addams, 0:03:30.560 --> 0:03:33.560 and then obviously Randall Cobb doing what Randall Cobb does 0:03:33.600 --> 0:03:35.840 in the final you know moments of that game to 0:03:35.840 --> 0:03:39.160 to pull out the victory. There's only so many guys 0:03:39.200 --> 0:03:41.120 you can cover, and if you decide to go to 0:03:41.240 --> 0:03:43.000 shell against it, well then that's going to leave you 0:03:43.040 --> 0:03:46.160 some opportunities underneath with the run and and whatnot. So 0:03:47.280 --> 0:03:50.760 that chess match between what Mike Zimmer wants to do 0:03:50.840 --> 0:03:53.000 and how he believes he wants to dictate the game 0:03:53.120 --> 0:03:55.440 versus what the Packers are going to do to build 0:03:55.440 --> 0:03:57.160 off of how they finished last week, to me, is 0:03:57.200 --> 0:04:00.320 the biggest storyline in this game. Absent the quarterback. Yeah. 0:04:00.320 --> 0:04:01.880 And the other thing I'm going to keep an eye 0:04:01.880 --> 0:04:05.240 on two is the penalties. And I want to mention 0:04:05.240 --> 0:04:07.720 a couple of things on both sides of the ball here, 0:04:07.760 --> 0:04:11.000 because in continuing with the theme of protecting the quarterback 0:04:11.040 --> 0:04:14.560 and establishing the pocket, there was an intentional grounding penalty 0:04:14.560 --> 0:04:16.880 against Rogers in the second half that could have been 0:04:16.920 --> 0:04:20.719 really really debilitating for that comeback. Packers were able to 0:04:20.760 --> 0:04:23.839 overcome that penalty. But if he's not able to get 0:04:23.880 --> 0:04:26.159 completely outside of the pocket in order to throw the 0:04:26.160 --> 0:04:28.880 ball away, he needs to have enough time, you know, 0:04:29.000 --> 0:04:31.520 even if somebody's not open, to find a receiver to 0:04:31.560 --> 0:04:33.640 get rid of the ball to avoid the sack and 0:04:33.720 --> 0:04:36.280 avoid the intentional grounding. And then on the other side, 0:04:36.680 --> 0:04:40.599 the roughing the passer penalties, three of them against the Packers. 0:04:41.080 --> 0:04:44.480 I don't know. Usually a team that would have that 0:04:44.520 --> 0:04:46.920 many personal fouls in a game does not come out 0:04:46.920 --> 0:04:50.680 on top. I mean, those those penalties are are really punitive. 0:04:50.880 --> 0:04:53.719 And two of them, as we talked about earlier in 0:04:53.720 --> 0:04:55.920 the week, I thought were really dubious calls. The one 0:04:55.920 --> 0:04:57.599 on Clay Matthews at the end of the game I 0:04:57.640 --> 0:05:02.160 thought was legitimate but the Packers can't. You can't continue that. 0:05:02.240 --> 0:05:04.680 You're the pass rushers have to be on notice here 0:05:04.680 --> 0:05:07.760 because you can't be giving free fifteen yards and free 0:05:07.800 --> 0:05:11.240 first downs, especially on third and fourth down plays as 0:05:11.279 --> 0:05:13.360 what happened at the end of the ball game. Absolutely, 0:05:13.360 --> 0:05:15.440 And I think that's one thing too, is Clay Matthews 0:05:15.480 --> 0:05:17.440 has kind of gone on throughout the week, you know, 0:05:17.440 --> 0:05:21.039 and admitting and atoning for what he'd done and understanding 0:05:21.080 --> 0:05:23.120 that you in this day and age, you can't have 0:05:23.200 --> 0:05:25.400 those type of those type of hits with the quarterback. 0:05:26.000 --> 0:05:27.480 He steps in front of that. But I thought he 0:05:27.520 --> 0:05:30.359 made an important message and in talking about that to 0:05:30.440 --> 0:05:33.000 also bring up how you know him personally. He didn't 0:05:33.000 --> 0:05:36.520 believe the unnecessary roughness penalties on Mohamed Wilkerson and Nick 0:05:37.080 --> 0:05:40.719 mcperry were maybe warranted. Um, I don't think they worried. 0:05:40.880 --> 0:05:44.320 It's really it's a tough problem. We talked about it 0:05:44.320 --> 0:05:46.560 earlier this week. These guys having to try to understand 0:05:46.560 --> 0:05:50.760 how they're going to take their pass rushing skills, go 0:05:50.839 --> 0:05:52.880 after the quarterback and do what they're paying to do, 0:05:53.080 --> 0:05:56.839 but also not have a bad effect to it, because honestly, Mike, 0:05:57.640 --> 0:05:59.600 that might as well just be a fifteen yard completion. 0:06:00.160 --> 0:06:02.680 It might as well be just as much of a 0:06:02.760 --> 0:06:05.960 momentum change and kind of play. So that I agree 0:06:05.960 --> 0:06:08.240 with you, It's gonna be interesting to watch. And I'll 0:06:08.279 --> 0:06:11.160 be honest with you too, I'm gonna be following Anthony Barr. Still, 0:06:11.200 --> 0:06:15.280 I don't want to just keep beating that horse. But seriously, 0:06:15.320 --> 0:06:17.359 that to me, that's one of the reasons why we 0:06:17.400 --> 0:06:20.479 have this role. So, I mean, it's seeing how those 0:06:20.480 --> 0:06:23.480 type of players react to it as well. It's it's 0:06:23.520 --> 0:06:25.520 gonna be Uh, it's gonna be a major storyline, not 0:06:25.560 --> 0:06:28.040 only this week but this whole season. Yeah. The other 0:06:28.080 --> 0:06:30.160 thing I see from the defensive side, and I know 0:06:30.240 --> 0:06:32.800 this is something we could say every single week, but 0:06:32.880 --> 0:06:36.800 particularly in this game with the potential limitations of Rogers, 0:06:37.400 --> 0:06:40.760 with what's at stake here against the Minnesota Vikings and everything, 0:06:40.839 --> 0:06:44.239 and how last week's game unfolded, I think the Packers 0:06:44.320 --> 0:06:47.160 defense needs to get a turnover too for the Packers 0:06:47.200 --> 0:06:48.720 to be able to win this game. And when the 0:06:48.760 --> 0:06:51.560 Packers were down twenty to nothing against the Bears, I 0:06:51.680 --> 0:06:54.880 kept every time the Bears got the ball, I would tweet, Okay, 0:06:54.920 --> 0:06:57.839 it's time for a turnover. I I just didn't think, 0:06:58.000 --> 0:07:00.560 honestly that the Packers could win that game, would complete 0:07:00.600 --> 0:07:03.680 that comeback without the defense make getting a turnover and 0:07:03.760 --> 0:07:05.960 making one of those game changing type of plays. Now, 0:07:06.120 --> 0:07:08.159 they ended up getting one on the final play on 0:07:08.200 --> 0:07:10.840 the fourth down, but they actually did complete the comeback. 0:07:10.880 --> 0:07:14.200 We're ahead or twenty three without the defense getting the turnover. 0:07:14.760 --> 0:07:16.240 I'm not sure you're gonna be able to beat the 0:07:16.240 --> 0:07:19.520 Minnesota Vikings unless you unless you force a mistake from 0:07:19.640 --> 0:07:22.880 Kirk Cousins, or maybe you strip the ball from Dalvin Cook. 0:07:22.960 --> 0:07:24.960 He did cough one up last week against the San 0:07:25.000 --> 0:07:29.320 Francisco forty Niners. But um, this is uh, this is 0:07:29.360 --> 0:07:31.880 the type of This is the type of game where 0:07:32.320 --> 0:07:35.760 the defense needs to create a big momentum swing at 0:07:35.800 --> 0:07:37.760 some point in the game. I think in order for 0:07:37.800 --> 0:07:39.320 the Packers to win and to get to two and 0:07:39.400 --> 0:07:42.920 oh and uh. And you know, I guess the timing 0:07:42.960 --> 0:07:45.240 of the turnover obviously could be crucial, but I think 0:07:45.240 --> 0:07:47.120 the Packers need one or two. I give you a 0:07:47.200 --> 0:07:51.280 hundred credit. I'm not saying you're wrong. I will say 0:07:51.320 --> 0:07:54.240 there is a great equalizer though that people don't often 0:07:54.280 --> 0:07:56.920 talk about. It's the reason why the Packers won that 0:07:56.960 --> 0:08:00.280 game against the Bears. They got off the field, they 0:08:00.320 --> 0:08:03.000 got stops on third down, they got stops on fourth down. 0:08:03.160 --> 0:08:05.640 The Packers don't do that, they don't win because you're 0:08:05.640 --> 0:08:07.760 not getting the ball back here and Rodgers fast enough, 0:08:07.880 --> 0:08:10.280 you're gonna run out of time at some point. There 0:08:10.280 --> 0:08:13.160 were what was that I believe it was five possessions 0:08:13.160 --> 0:08:15.160 against the Bears where they did not have a first 0:08:15.200 --> 0:08:19.320 doubt in the span of six possessions. And you if 0:08:19.360 --> 0:08:21.800 you're not gonna have turnovers, if you're gonna lose the 0:08:21.840 --> 0:08:25.360 turnover margin, and you're also gonna, you know, have some 0:08:25.400 --> 0:08:28.800 issues with some personal follows there, you have to do something. 0:08:29.080 --> 0:08:32.880 And Mike Patton's defense in those instances didn't give an inch. 0:08:33.720 --> 0:08:36.400 Long term, You're absolutely right, though, you have to be 0:08:36.440 --> 0:08:38.200 able to get turn over the football. You have to 0:08:38.200 --> 0:08:41.200 be able to get those type of plays. I'm really 0:08:41.480 --> 0:08:44.240 eager to see all of this start to play out 0:08:44.280 --> 0:08:46.240 on a week to week basis. I don't think, and 0:08:46.240 --> 0:08:48.160 I've said this earlier this week, I don't think we're 0:08:48.160 --> 0:08:49.840 just going to see a carbon copy of the game 0:08:49.880 --> 0:08:52.840 plan that we saw against the Bears now be implemented 0:08:53.000 --> 0:08:55.760 against the Vikings. I think you're gonna shifting off of that. 0:08:56.400 --> 0:08:58.120 I think you're gonna see a lot of different things. 0:08:58.160 --> 0:09:00.439 But I thought the three main message as we got 0:09:00.440 --> 0:09:03.080 out of the first game, where one they have full 0:09:03.080 --> 0:09:05.480 confidence in Blake Martinez to run the defense. And if 0:09:05.520 --> 0:09:08.160 they need to go soul inside linebacker for half the game, 0:09:08.200 --> 0:09:11.480 three courters the game, they're gonna do that. The defensive front, 0:09:11.520 --> 0:09:13.720 as we said all offseason, the defensive line is going 0:09:13.760 --> 0:09:16.320 to have a huge impact in this thing. They're gonna 0:09:16.360 --> 0:09:19.120 run three defensive linemen and sub packages. They're gonna run 0:09:19.160 --> 0:09:21.520 them in base packages. They're gonna have base packages where 0:09:21.559 --> 0:09:24.400 there's one defensive lineman. They're gonna have dime packages where 0:09:24.400 --> 0:09:28.079 there's one defensive lineman. There's it's indiscriminate there. Mike Patton 0:09:28.160 --> 0:09:29.680 is gonna go with whatever he feels the flow of 0:09:29.679 --> 0:09:32.160 the game is like. And lastly, I wrote about it 0:09:32.160 --> 0:09:35.560 earlier week. We talked about it. Defensive back secondary is 0:09:35.559 --> 0:09:37.560 going to be a hallmark of this team. They will 0:09:37.600 --> 0:09:40.280 go as far as they take them this season. Josh 0:09:40.360 --> 0:09:43.480 Jackson Jr. Alexander Mike McCarthy said it. Both of those 0:09:43.559 --> 0:09:46.400 guys earned the reps there on the field. Kevin King 0:09:46.480 --> 0:09:49.000 played every single snap last week. I don't think that's 0:09:49.000 --> 0:09:51.920 a big enough storyline, given the fact that he had 0:09:51.920 --> 0:09:53.720 missed the amount of time he did with the shoulder, 0:09:54.040 --> 0:09:55.560 given the fact that he had sat on the off 0:09:55.600 --> 0:09:57.920 season with the other shoulder surgery. The fact that he 0:09:57.960 --> 0:10:00.440 played all seventy defensive snaps and was a full participate 0:10:00.480 --> 0:10:02.920 in practice this week A very good thing for a 0:10:02.920 --> 0:10:06.000 guy that didn't actually play into preseason game until the finale, 0:10:06.160 --> 0:10:08.640 no question. And lastly, Trumont Williams, what else can you 0:10:08.679 --> 0:10:11.280 say about him? Seventy defensive snaps. He's gonna be a 0:10:11.280 --> 0:10:13.240 pig part of this thing. He's another one of those 0:10:13.320 --> 0:10:17.079 orchestrators in the defense. The Packers secondary as a whole, Mike, 0:10:17.200 --> 0:10:19.480 and there's gonna be guys that get Nixon bruises over 0:10:19.480 --> 0:10:22.080 the course of this season. But that group right now 0:10:22.480 --> 0:10:26.120 appears to have the potential to be special this year. Yeah, 0:10:26.240 --> 0:10:29.440 you mentioned a different type of game plan here against 0:10:29.440 --> 0:10:32.480 the Vikings, and I agree with you because I was surprised. 0:10:32.520 --> 0:10:35.440 As I had mentioned earlier in the week, I was 0:10:35.480 --> 0:10:39.199 surprised at how the Packers really, in essence, they dared 0:10:39.240 --> 0:10:41.480 the Bears to run the ball with Howard and Cohen, 0:10:42.000 --> 0:10:45.920 they did not really counter the Bears run personnel on 0:10:46.040 --> 0:10:49.200 offense with run personnel on defense. Now, at the end 0:10:49.240 --> 0:10:53.360 of the day, Cohen and Howard collectively they averaged better 0:10:53.360 --> 0:10:56.520 than five yards per carry, but yet the Bears running 0:10:56.559 --> 0:11:00.839 game did not control the football game. Now, Dalvin Cook, 0:11:01.840 --> 0:11:04.160 that could that could change. I think. I think this 0:11:04.200 --> 0:11:08.199 guy is a really potentially a really really special player, 0:11:09.120 --> 0:11:11.199 both in how he runs the ball and and how 0:11:11.200 --> 0:11:13.480 they use him as a receiver out of the backfield. 0:11:13.840 --> 0:11:17.080 He's a guy that could change how Petton, you know, 0:11:17.320 --> 0:11:20.400 puts the defensive fronts out there, because you can't let 0:11:20.440 --> 0:11:24.880 the Vikings, especially with as as accomplished a quarterback as 0:11:24.920 --> 0:11:27.400 Kirk Cousins is, with all the four thousand yards seasons 0:11:27.440 --> 0:11:29.599 and all that kind of stuff, you can't let the 0:11:29.679 --> 0:11:31.960 Vikings control the game on the ground because then that 0:11:32.040 --> 0:11:35.480 just changes all those matchups in the secondary that Kirk 0:11:35.520 --> 0:11:38.560 Cousins has the experience then to take advantage of that. 0:11:38.600 --> 0:11:42.000 Perhaps Mitch Robinsky not quite there yet. Yeah, you're you're right. 0:11:42.080 --> 0:11:44.640 There's a reason why the Packers traded for Antonio Morrison. 0:11:44.679 --> 0:11:47.520 They wanted to have that Jake Ryan type run stuff 0:11:47.559 --> 0:11:49.719 for next to Blake Martinez. They wanted to have him 0:11:49.720 --> 0:11:52.080 in the pipeline. I think the big thing for this 0:11:52.160 --> 0:11:53.920 game too, and at the time in which we're taping, 0:11:53.920 --> 0:11:56.439 as we haven't had the injury report yet, but seeing 0:11:56.440 --> 0:11:58.400 where n Burke's is at the fact that he was 0:11:58.400 --> 0:12:01.400 actually able to appear to He's still limited, but appeared 0:12:01.400 --> 0:12:03.120 to be able to do more in practice this week. 0:12:03.360 --> 0:12:06.200 Looks like he's putting that shoulder injury behind him. Burke's 0:12:06.240 --> 0:12:09.200 is an important piece to this equation because he seems 0:12:09.240 --> 0:12:14.040 to be the merger there between going lighter in the 0:12:14.080 --> 0:12:16.240 secondary but still having a guy that can stand up 0:12:16.240 --> 0:12:18.640 in the run. Uh. And you saw what he did 0:12:18.720 --> 0:12:21.880 during preseason throughout training camp. He's a young guy, but 0:12:21.920 --> 0:12:23.800 he's a bright guy, and I think with him and 0:12:23.800 --> 0:12:26.800 Blake Martinez working against each other, that's a really good 0:12:26.800 --> 0:12:29.040 battery there for the Packers and in that in that 0:12:29.080 --> 0:12:31.760 part of the fame, that that facet of the defense 0:12:32.200 --> 0:12:34.319 um and the sooner they get him on the field, obviously, 0:12:34.320 --> 0:12:35.599 the better it's going to be for that group in 0:12:35.640 --> 0:12:37.720 the long run. Yeah. Well, just to touch on special 0:12:37.760 --> 0:12:41.000 teams briefly, we know we've been told Randall Cobb will 0:12:41.040 --> 0:12:44.400 remain the punt returner for the Packers. How long before 0:12:44.400 --> 0:12:46.200 you think he breaks one? I think it might not 0:12:46.280 --> 0:12:47.599 take too long. I thought he was gonna do it 0:12:47.679 --> 0:12:49.520 last week, to be honest with you, on that seventeen 0:12:49.600 --> 0:12:51.200 yard And this is a guy that did not return 0:12:51.200 --> 0:12:53.920 a punt in the two thousand seventeen seasoned wasn't asked 0:12:53.960 --> 0:12:56.320 to do that at all. I I wrote about this 0:12:56.360 --> 0:12:59.960 for the website on Friday, Mike, I just he's missed 0:13:00.080 --> 0:13:02.760 or consistency. He's always been that way. He doesn't get 0:13:02.760 --> 0:13:04.440 too high or too low in the locker room and 0:13:04.440 --> 0:13:07.400 on the field very quietly. I mean, you look at 0:13:07.440 --> 0:13:09.480 his sixty yard seasons and how he's kind of put 0:13:09.480 --> 0:13:12.080 these together and what he's fought through to do that. Yeah, 0:13:12.240 --> 0:13:13.800 I thought that was a very fitting way for the 0:13:13.800 --> 0:13:16.520 Packers to open the season a hundred forty two yards 0:13:16.520 --> 0:13:18.920 from Randall Cobb when we've all we've talked about is 0:13:19.000 --> 0:13:22.240 Jimmy Graham and rookie receivers and new offenses for him 0:13:22.280 --> 0:13:24.280 to play the way he did offensively. And then, oh, 0:13:24.320 --> 0:13:27.559 by the way, Trevor Davis's hamstring flares up. We need 0:13:27.640 --> 0:13:30.320 you on special teams as well, he said it. I'm 0:13:30.360 --> 0:13:32.600 sure you remember these these interviews Mike, going back to 0:13:32.600 --> 0:13:34.360 two thousand, twelve and thirt team when he was starting 0:13:34.400 --> 0:13:36.480 to break out, looked like he was just gonna need 0:13:36.520 --> 0:13:39.040 to be an offensive only player. He said, He's always 0:13:39.040 --> 0:13:41.199 open to doing special teams if he needs that. He 0:13:41.200 --> 0:13:44.120 he embraces that role. Yeah, He's never batted an eyelash 0:13:44.160 --> 0:13:46.680 at getting extra duty thrown at him. Yeah, and the 0:13:46.679 --> 0:13:48.319 Packers want to get the ball in his hands. It's 0:13:48.360 --> 0:13:50.080 one more way to do that, especially if they're going 0:13:50.120 --> 0:13:52.120 to be without Davis for half for you know, the 0:13:52.120 --> 0:13:54.480 whole season. We'll see how that works out. Yeah, all right. Well, 0:13:54.480 --> 0:13:56.199 one other thing we always like to do on our 0:13:56.240 --> 0:13:58.200 final show that week, take a look at some other 0:13:58.240 --> 0:14:02.160 games going on around the league that have some significant implications. Obviously, 0:14:02.200 --> 0:14:04.800 in the NFC North, this Packers Vikings game is where 0:14:04.800 --> 0:14:06.439 it's at. One team is going to be too and 0:14:06.520 --> 0:14:08.880 oh and will be on top of the division all 0:14:08.960 --> 0:14:11.559 by its lonesome after two weeks. So there are a 0:14:11.600 --> 0:14:13.880 couple other games in the NFC that I think are 0:14:13.880 --> 0:14:18.520 really interesting. One is Carolina at Atlanta the first of 0:14:18.559 --> 0:14:22.320 two NFC South showdowns between those two teams. The other 0:14:22.320 --> 0:14:25.880 one that I don't think before Week one we would 0:14:25.880 --> 0:14:28.320 have thought would be an intriguing game, but it is now, 0:14:28.360 --> 0:14:31.240 and that's Philadelphia, the defending Super Bowl champions going to 0:14:31.280 --> 0:14:35.080 Tampa Bay with Ryan Fitzpatrick coming off of the four 0:14:35.160 --> 0:14:39.080 hundred and seventeen yards and four touchdowns against the New 0:14:39.200 --> 0:14:43.520 Orleans Saints in the Buccaneers upset in their opening NFC 0:14:43.560 --> 0:14:47.800 South matchup. This one cross divisions the South versus the East. 0:14:48.680 --> 0:14:50.600 Which one of these do you think is more intriguing? 0:14:50.640 --> 0:14:54.120 The Carolina Atlanta or Philly Tampa. I love Philly Tampa 0:14:54.200 --> 0:14:56.920 because you know, we see the NFC South against each 0:14:56.920 --> 0:14:58.880 other and that there's so much parody in that division. 0:14:58.880 --> 0:15:00.920 It always seems like they're they're going to be important 0:15:00.920 --> 0:15:02.960 games down the stretch. But I mean, you want to 0:15:02.960 --> 0:15:05.760 talk about the Buccaneers, I mean Dirk Cutters, I mean, 0:15:05.800 --> 0:15:08.000 this is where they got to make hay this season. 0:15:08.400 --> 0:15:11.800 Regardless of where Jamis Winston is at and Ryan Fitzpatrick, 0:15:11.880 --> 0:15:14.560 they've expressed a lot of confidence in him going back 0:15:14.560 --> 0:15:16.400 to last year. If you watched Hard Knocks at all, 0:15:16.920 --> 0:15:19.760 and you know everyone talks so much about Aaron Rodgers 0:15:19.760 --> 0:15:22.920 and him falling to the two thousand five draft. What 0:15:22.960 --> 0:15:25.280 about Ryan Fitzpatrick falling to the seventh round in that 0:15:25.360 --> 0:15:27.560 same draft. In the career that he's made for himself, 0:15:28.400 --> 0:15:30.360 it just seems like every time this league wants to 0:15:30.440 --> 0:15:32.440 kind of, you know, spit him out and move on, 0:15:32.880 --> 0:15:35.280 he finds another way to hang on. And this is 0:15:35.280 --> 0:15:37.760 gonna be a supreme challenge for him though against the Eagles. 0:15:38.360 --> 0:15:40.360 To me, that that's a matchup I'm looking forward to. 0:15:40.800 --> 0:15:43.080 And then yeah, every time Atlanta and Carolina play, it's 0:15:43.080 --> 0:15:46.880 always gonna fireworks. Yeah. Well, it's interesting because I was 0:15:46.960 --> 0:15:50.440 really high on Dirt Cutter's Buccaneers team last year. I 0:15:50.480 --> 0:15:52.760 thought they were a team on the rise in the NFC, 0:15:53.320 --> 0:15:55.840 and then things didn't work out, they didn't come together. 0:15:55.920 --> 0:15:58.320 And now this year you're dealing with Jamis Winston being 0:15:58.320 --> 0:16:00.520 suspended at the beginning of the year, and all of 0:16:00.560 --> 0:16:02.920 a sudden, they go out there with Ryan Fitzpatrick and 0:16:03.200 --> 0:16:05.120 light up New Orleans the way they did, get a 0:16:05.160 --> 0:16:08.560 big win. Now they're hosting the defending Super Bowl champs. Maybe, 0:16:08.600 --> 0:16:11.800 just maybe I was a year too early on Cutter 0:16:11.880 --> 0:16:14.480 and his Buccaneers, But and we don't talk often a 0:16:14.520 --> 0:16:18.160 lot about a f C games because we're always looking 0:16:18.200 --> 0:16:20.720 at the NFC North and the NFC and how that 0:16:20.760 --> 0:16:25.040 shakes out. But you do have the rematch of the 0:16:25.080 --> 0:16:27.560 a f C Championship this week with New England, this 0:16:27.600 --> 0:16:31.160 one being at Jacksonville, believe correct. So what do you 0:16:31.280 --> 0:16:33.720 what do you think of this matchup? Obviously a lot 0:16:33.760 --> 0:16:36.880 of people are pointing to Jacksonville, this is their opportunity 0:16:36.920 --> 0:16:38.760 to beat the Patriots. They get him at home, they're 0:16:38.760 --> 0:16:41.600 getting him early in the season, all that kind of stuff. 0:16:41.880 --> 0:16:44.600 How do you see this one playing out? I my 0:16:44.840 --> 0:16:47.440 every time I watched the Patriots now is my eyes 0:16:47.480 --> 0:16:49.880 are always glued on Tom Brady because he's forty one 0:16:49.920 --> 0:16:53.120 years old now, uh, and you're always kind of looking 0:16:53.120 --> 0:16:55.200 to see win. Not necessarily you're going to see the 0:16:55.200 --> 0:16:56.920 athletic dip because it's not like he's ever been like 0:16:56.960 --> 0:17:00.280 this huge, scrambling quarterback, but the arm strength and by 0:17:00.280 --> 0:17:03.440 all accounts, I mean, he's still Tom Brady. But you know, 0:17:03.480 --> 0:17:06.200 when you look on the other side of it, can Jacksonville, 0:17:06.880 --> 0:17:10.480 after appearing like they were trying and clawing and getting 0:17:10.520 --> 0:17:13.239 closer to closing that gap, can they finally do it 0:17:13.280 --> 0:17:16.880 this year. So many resources have gone into that side 0:17:16.880 --> 0:17:19.800 of the ball. I think these are probably what the 0:17:19.840 --> 0:17:22.280 I would say is the highest expectations they've probably had 0:17:22.280 --> 0:17:24.120 for one of their teams since what maybe the Mark 0:17:24.160 --> 0:17:27.399 Brunel era. Yeah, I mean, I'm talking about, like, you know, 0:17:27.520 --> 0:17:29.800 more than just division titles, more than playoffs, and this 0:17:29.840 --> 0:17:31.440 is a team that wants to contend for a Super Bowl. 0:17:31.440 --> 0:17:33.639 They they felt they should have beaten the Patriots in 0:17:33.640 --> 0:17:35.520 New England for that a f C title last year. 0:17:35.560 --> 0:17:38.119 They had the lead, they were they were in, but 0:17:38.160 --> 0:17:40.119 they were in control of the game for a large 0:17:40.160 --> 0:17:41.720 portion of it, and they let it get away at 0:17:41.720 --> 0:17:44.720 the end, and they got it Round two here for them, 0:17:44.720 --> 0:17:46.240 And you can pick up a win here against New 0:17:46.280 --> 0:17:48.800 England that propels you to the season that changes the narrative. 0:17:48.840 --> 0:17:51.520 You lose that again, and you're gonna be answering that 0:17:51.640 --> 0:17:55.200 question for another month or so. Yeah. Another interesting game 0:17:55.240 --> 0:17:57.040 I think in the a f C, Kansas City is 0:17:57.080 --> 0:18:00.399 at Pittsburgh. Are we potentially I know pitt Sburg is 0:18:00.400 --> 0:18:03.440 always really tough at home, but could Pittsburgh actually start 0:18:03.480 --> 0:18:05.600 the season Oh one and one, they could start the 0:18:05.600 --> 0:18:09.439 season oh and two that's possible if they want to 0:18:09.440 --> 0:18:12.920 go running the table another way, another another overtime tie 0:18:13.480 --> 0:18:17.879 Patrick Mahomes. People, we gotta get whatever credit is given 0:18:17.920 --> 0:18:21.000 to Andy Reid and that coaching staff for whatever happens 0:18:21.000 --> 0:18:23.360 with him. I'm always going to have the John Dorsey 0:18:23.359 --> 0:18:26.960 Astrix next to that because Dorsey made such a gutsy 0:18:27.040 --> 0:18:28.920 move going up and getting this guy when I don't 0:18:28.960 --> 0:18:31.080 think many people had him at ten. Now people were 0:18:31.080 --> 0:18:33.720 scratching their heads at that move, like like, wait a minute, 0:18:33.760 --> 0:18:36.000 the Chiefs are trading up, like who do they want? 0:18:36.080 --> 0:18:38.640 And then it's like they traded up for Patrick Mahomes 0:18:38.640 --> 0:18:41.359 and then, yeah, you're right that that was That was 0:18:41.480 --> 0:18:44.080 a very bold move by John Dorsey, and he may 0:18:44.080 --> 0:18:46.440 have set up the Kansas City Chiefs for a lot 0:18:46.480 --> 0:18:49.679 of sixty. It's one game. You never know what can happen. 0:18:49.760 --> 0:18:51.720 Everybody can look like an m v P in one game, 0:18:51.800 --> 0:18:54.440 but the kid looks like he belongs. And in addition 0:18:54.480 --> 0:18:58.680