WEBVTT - #887 Packers Unscripted: Shaking down the schedule 0:00:06.440 --> 0:00:07.160 Hi, everybody. 0:00:07.200 --> 0:00:11.119 Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:11.160 --> 0:00:14.360 I am Mike Spotfer, joined as always by my trusted 0:00:14.400 --> 0:00:17.040 colleague west Hod Qoitts. We're coming to you here from 0:00:17.079 --> 0:00:20.720 our studios at lambeau Field to talk about Wes. The 0:00:20.760 --> 0:00:22.639 only thing there has been to talk about for the 0:00:22.680 --> 0:00:26.040 last few days, and that is the Packers twenty twenty 0:00:26.079 --> 0:00:30.680 sixth schedule. It came out last Thursday night accompanied by 0:00:31.600 --> 0:00:37.200 an absolutely fantastic video, and I'm just going to start 0:00:37.240 --> 0:00:40.639 by giving a shout out to everybody who is involved 0:00:40.680 --> 0:00:44.120 in that video production. I had nothing. 0:00:43.760 --> 0:00:44.239 To do with it. 0:00:45.120 --> 0:00:47.440 You're on the wheel, bro, I was on the wheel. Yeah, 0:00:47.440 --> 0:00:49.160 my name was on the wheel. And that wasn't even 0:00:49.159 --> 0:00:50.520 my idea? Was that your idea? 0:00:50.600 --> 0:00:50.720 No? 0:00:50.920 --> 0:00:54.520 Okay, you think I have any ideas? But that was 0:00:55.320 --> 0:00:58.320 That was a lot of fun, and uh, it was 0:00:58.720 --> 0:01:01.320 it was. It was a thing. It was fun. I 0:01:01.360 --> 0:01:03.520 love Mike on the scooter, like the. 0:01:03.480 --> 0:01:05.160 And then him coming out of the scooter. Dude, I 0:01:05.160 --> 0:01:07.720 gotta say really fast too. I know, you get these 0:01:07.720 --> 0:01:10.720 little rankings and you get all these people like this 0:01:10.760 --> 0:01:15.160 and that, and credit to every NFL social media department 0:01:15.240 --> 0:01:16.960 I just want to say that first and foremost, there's 0:01:16.959 --> 0:01:19.200 some that are ranked number one, there's some that are 0:01:19.240 --> 0:01:23.120 ranked thirty two. And it's really easy for people that 0:01:23.200 --> 0:01:26.199 don't have any skin in the game to throw pot 0:01:26.200 --> 0:01:30.040 shots at people and rip people. How hard watching how 0:01:30.080 --> 0:01:32.640 hard our social media department works at this and how 0:01:32.680 --> 0:01:35.560 long it lasts, it gives me a respect for all 0:01:35.600 --> 0:01:39.160 these teams around the National Football League. And then, you know, 0:01:39.200 --> 0:01:41.680 you get these pundits that sit there in front of 0:01:41.680 --> 0:01:43.920 their computers and watch these videos for two and a 0:01:43.920 --> 0:01:46.920 half minutes and rank them one to thirty two without 0:01:47.560 --> 0:01:51.160 any context or conjecture of what the market is. And 0:01:51.520 --> 0:01:53.560 I'll tell you this right now, it's kind of like 0:01:53.600 --> 0:01:55.800 watching an offensive lineman. I'm sure this is how they 0:01:55.800 --> 0:01:58.440 feel about when people talk about their performance. You have 0:01:58.520 --> 0:02:00.680 no idea even what you're watching or what it means 0:02:00.680 --> 0:02:02.920 to a fan base. I think if you're talking about 0:02:02.960 --> 0:02:05.040 real rankings, it's how does it resonate with your fan base? 0:02:05.080 --> 0:02:08.160 And in these last three years, you know, and I'm 0:02:08.160 --> 0:02:11.079 gonna say it with Duke and Duke bober Renee Gabriel, 0:02:11.520 --> 0:02:15.760 the direction we've headed with those departments I've been I've 0:02:15.800 --> 0:02:17.760 never been more proud of of what we put together. 0:02:17.760 --> 0:02:21.320 I said this, I think in inbox last week that 0:02:21.320 --> 0:02:24.000 I used to dread schedule release week just because I 0:02:24.080 --> 0:02:26.679 knew the strain and stress it caused on everybody and 0:02:27.160 --> 0:02:30.079 worrying about how reaction is going to be. I never 0:02:30.200 --> 0:02:32.560 was more pumped than this year because I just knew 0:02:33.080 --> 0:02:36.480 whether it was Packy Packers long awaited return, whether it 0:02:36.639 --> 0:02:42.440 was working with you know, Stupid Buddy Studios in you know, 0:02:42.680 --> 0:02:47.200 just the people behind the brainchild of Robot Chicken Harve 0:02:47.360 --> 0:02:51.280 his team, Michael. I just I left this building on 0:02:51.320 --> 0:02:54.080 Thursday night with a smile etched on my face. It 0:02:54.160 --> 0:02:55.240 was just so cool to be a part of. 0:02:55.320 --> 0:02:59.320 Well, the schedule release has become the social media. 0:02:59.120 --> 0:03:00.840 Super bowl of the whether we want it to be 0:03:00.919 --> 0:03:03.600 or not world, And that's just that's uh, that's how 0:03:03.600 --> 0:03:05.040 it's evolved. That's where we are. 0:03:05.280 --> 0:03:09.200 And and yeah, and I uh, I enjoyed this one 0:03:09.200 --> 0:03:11.560 a lot more than dressing up as a clown a 0:03:11.600 --> 0:03:13.960 couple of years ago, which was which was fun, but 0:03:14.080 --> 0:03:16.119 this was actually there was a time and place, Yeah, 0:03:16.200 --> 0:03:18.480 this was this was more fun. But let's get to 0:03:18.520 --> 0:03:22.160 the actual schedule itself, and you and I have gone 0:03:22.200 --> 0:03:25.440 back and forth, you know, Insider Inbox and our live 0:03:25.560 --> 0:03:30.280 Q and A with regard to the schedule and sort 0:03:30.320 --> 0:03:34.520 of what has caught our eye. So, now that you've 0:03:34.560 --> 0:03:37.800 had a few days to you know, let it sit 0:03:38.000 --> 0:03:40.840 marinate in the brain a little bit, what do you 0:03:40.880 --> 0:03:44.160 think is the most I guess interesting or eye catching 0:03:44.280 --> 0:03:45.920 aspect to this schedule. 0:03:46.280 --> 0:03:49.840 The fact that, other than a very strange buye, which 0:03:49.880 --> 0:03:52.840 was necessary because the Packers got put into that Thursday 0:03:53.600 --> 0:03:57.160 pre Thursday game, yeah, you know, the Thanksgiving Eve game, 0:03:57.200 --> 0:03:59.360 whatever you want to call it. Yeah, uh, it was 0:03:59.400 --> 0:04:03.280 gonna whire some different changes, whether it was playing Thursday 0:04:03.320 --> 0:04:05.280 night football the week before or just having the buye. 0:04:06.120 --> 0:04:09.000 Aside from that, I actually really like the layout of 0:04:09.040 --> 0:04:11.600 the season. If you're gonna start, if you're gonna have 0:04:11.600 --> 0:04:13.200 a stretch of three or four to start the year, 0:04:13.720 --> 0:04:15.560 it's a challenge, but as you and I have talked 0:04:15.600 --> 0:04:17.880 about some of our other content, it's also a huge opportunity. 0:04:17.880 --> 0:04:19.640 With how many home games the Packers have the rest 0:04:19.680 --> 0:04:22.360 of the way in contrast to how many road games 0:04:22.360 --> 0:04:25.240 they're gonna end up playing, the Packers' season can be 0:04:25.320 --> 0:04:27.240 whatever they make it. Now, you certainly got to hope 0:04:27.240 --> 0:04:28.960 that the injury bug doesn't bite as hard as it 0:04:29.000 --> 0:04:32.599 did last year, especially down the stretch. But you take 0:04:32.640 --> 0:04:35.159 care of business the first month of the season, regardless 0:04:35.200 --> 0:04:37.520 of whether or not Micah Parsons and Tucker Craft around 0:04:37.560 --> 0:04:40.280 the field, or if they're ramping up during that time 0:04:40.680 --> 0:04:42.760 to get back or they're on a pitch count at 0:04:42.760 --> 0:04:46.680 that time. But if you get through September playing good, 0:04:46.720 --> 0:04:49.680 winning games, you feel really good about where the Packers' 0:04:49.760 --> 0:04:52.160 chances are to be going into October. So and with 0:04:52.200 --> 0:04:54.080 four or five to close out the year at home, 0:04:54.200 --> 0:04:55.920 if you're an NFL team, if you're trying to get 0:04:55.920 --> 0:04:57.640 into the playoffs, you're trying to win a division, you're 0:04:57.640 --> 0:04:59.800 trying to get the first round by it's not set 0:04:59.839 --> 0:05:02.680 up any better than that. So in so many ways, 0:05:02.680 --> 0:05:04.719 I feel like it is. It's a good layout for 0:05:04.760 --> 0:05:06.200 Green Bay this year. And there's been plenty of times 0:05:06.200 --> 0:05:07.599 over the last ten years where you and I have 0:05:07.600 --> 0:05:10.120 talked about the challenges they're going to face with some 0:05:10.160 --> 0:05:13.320 of these layouts of schedules. This is not one of 0:05:13.320 --> 0:05:13.880 them in my. 0:05:13.880 --> 0:05:15.000 Book, Yeah, this one. 0:05:15.880 --> 0:05:19.080 It's interesting to me how there are parts of it 0:05:19.120 --> 0:05:23.360 that are sort of like classic Green Bay Packers schedule 0:05:23.440 --> 0:05:27.520 with you know, numerous primetime games, Packers being involved with 0:05:27.560 --> 0:05:30.839 the holidays, with the night before Thanksgiving, playing on Christmas, 0:05:31.240 --> 0:05:34.359 all of these things that we've seen before, but then 0:05:34.560 --> 0:05:38.880 other things that are unusual, you know, starting the season 0:05:38.960 --> 0:05:41.520 with back to back road games. It's become a little 0:05:41.520 --> 0:05:44.599 bit more common in recent years, but not something that 0:05:44.640 --> 0:05:46.920 we've seen a whole heck of a lot. 0:05:47.360 --> 0:05:48.400 The division games. 0:05:49.920 --> 0:05:52.599 I did a little bit of research when I realized, like, oh, 0:05:52.720 --> 0:05:55.560 the Packers don't have back to back division games at 0:05:55.560 --> 0:05:57.840 any point in the schedule. All six of them are 0:05:57.880 --> 0:06:00.120 spread out. You know, you have one in Week one, 0:06:00.120 --> 0:06:02.360 in Week eighteen, and then the other four are all 0:06:02.360 --> 0:06:04.760 spread out in between. No back to back division games. 0:06:04.920 --> 0:06:08.040 And that's the first time since the advent of the 0:06:08.160 --> 0:06:11.040 NFC North, the four team division back in two thousand 0:06:11.040 --> 0:06:13.600 and two, that there has not been any spot in 0:06:13.640 --> 0:06:16.200 the schedule where there are division games that are back 0:06:16.240 --> 0:06:20.960 to back. So that's kind of unusual, and frankly, in 0:06:21.000 --> 0:06:23.200 some ways, I think that's the way it should be. 0:06:24.040 --> 0:06:26.560 When we've seen some of these schedules where the Packers had, 0:06:26.640 --> 0:06:28.400 you know, you open the season with back to back 0:06:28.400 --> 0:06:31.559 division games, or you close with back to back division games, 0:06:31.640 --> 0:06:34.160 or you have three in a row or something like that. 0:06:34.440 --> 0:06:37.640 Just it seemed to me that's just too much imbalance 0:06:38.400 --> 0:06:41.279 with you know, regard to really the six games that 0:06:41.320 --> 0:06:44.279 should be the most important games on the schedule, playing 0:06:44.279 --> 0:06:46.680 your division rival, and the way they're spread out this year, 0:06:47.040 --> 0:06:49.720 I think that I feel like that's the way it 0:06:49.760 --> 0:06:51.600 should be, and I hope we get to see that 0:06:51.640 --> 0:06:53.120 maybe a little bit more often. 0:06:52.920 --> 0:06:54.960 You know. In the other aspect of this that I 0:06:55.000 --> 0:06:57.040 was looking at was the two Thursday night games are 0:06:57.080 --> 0:07:00.279 both home games in terms of the Atlanta game Week 0:07:00.320 --> 0:07:03.039 three and then also the Carolina one. So in contrast 0:07:03.080 --> 0:07:04.840 to that, it's not just the fact that Green Bay 0:07:04.880 --> 0:07:06.360 gets to wake up and roll out of their own 0:07:06.400 --> 0:07:09.200 beds on Thursday for that game. Always a challenge no 0:07:09.240 --> 0:07:10.960 matter what on a short week, no doubt. But you're 0:07:11.000 --> 0:07:13.640 gonna have Atlanta at home against Carolina, then on a Wednesday, 0:07:13.640 --> 0:07:16.520 making that cross country flight up north to come here, 0:07:16.640 --> 0:07:18.760 and then you go later in the season with Carolina 0:07:19.360 --> 0:07:21.120 and they're gonna be in a position where they're gonna 0:07:21.120 --> 0:07:23.800 be playing at home against Tampa Bay and then making 0:07:23.840 --> 0:07:28.000 that turnaround coming to Green Bay. That that matters. Now. 0:07:28.040 --> 0:07:30.600 The Packers, to their credit, these Thanksgiving matchups they've had 0:07:30.680 --> 0:07:33.600 recently with Detroit, they've won those. They've played really well 0:07:34.200 --> 0:07:36.760 in those games. And certainly just being having the home 0:07:36.760 --> 0:07:39.000 field of Aangel on Thursday night isn't a given. But 0:07:39.040 --> 0:07:41.960 if you're gonna have to play that twice in addition 0:07:42.000 --> 0:07:44.240 to having a Friday night football game later in the 0:07:44.240 --> 0:07:46.480 season in Chicago, in addition to having an away game 0:07:46.480 --> 0:07:50.160 on a Wednesday in Los Angeles, it was good to 0:07:50.200 --> 0:07:52.760 see that those Thursday night games sort of skewed more 0:07:52.760 --> 0:07:57.200 towards the Packers favor. And again, the schedule, we can 0:07:57.240 --> 0:07:59.760 talk about it more times than not, but to have 0:07:59.800 --> 0:08:02.720 a i that is going to be only nine days 0:08:02.760 --> 0:08:06.400 apart between games, that's going to be a challenge. But 0:08:06.920 --> 0:08:09.120 if you can get healthy and you're playing good football 0:08:09.160 --> 0:08:10.960 at that time of the season, and you come out 0:08:11.000 --> 0:08:14.120 of that and play well against two road opponents, then 0:08:14.160 --> 0:08:16.200 all the dominos are there for you to have success 0:08:16.240 --> 0:08:19.400 against Buffalo, against Miami, against the slew of teams they 0:08:19.400 --> 0:08:21.000 are going to see at home in that final stretch. 0:08:21.120 --> 0:08:24.280 Yeah, I mean, it's really interesting how this sets up 0:08:24.320 --> 0:08:27.240 with the back to back road games to start the year. 0:08:27.360 --> 0:08:30.320 So then you have nine of your last fifteen are 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:33.400 at home, and then within that is for the last 0:08:33.440 --> 0:08:36.320 five being at home, with the only road trip in 0:08:36.360 --> 0:08:38.640 that stretch of the last five games being to Chicago, 0:08:38.679 --> 0:08:43.680 which is just the you know, the quick flight. This 0:08:43.840 --> 0:08:49.520 sets up for the Packers to kind of get rolling 0:08:50.160 --> 0:08:53.959 at the right time. But you've got to put yourself 0:08:53.960 --> 0:08:58.280 in position come mid November right to make what looks 0:08:58.320 --> 0:09:01.680 like a favorable finishing schedule with all the home games, 0:09:02.120 --> 0:09:04.240 You've got to put yourself in position to take advantage 0:09:04.240 --> 0:09:04.440 of that. 0:09:04.480 --> 0:09:05.559 You've got to make it mean something. 0:09:05.640 --> 0:09:05.720 Ye. 0:09:06.400 --> 0:09:08.720 But to close on that last point I made, it's 0:09:08.720 --> 0:09:10.640 just the fact that now that you're playing uncommon opponents. 0:09:10.679 --> 0:09:13.360 You're gonna play a Buffalo, You're gonna play a Houston 0:09:13.360 --> 0:09:15.679 Texans team on Monday Night football here as it's scheduled 0:09:15.720 --> 0:09:18.240 right now. You're gonna play Miami. We all know the 0:09:18.240 --> 0:09:20.200 track record there and the challenges that the Dolphins have 0:09:20.240 --> 0:09:22.840 faced in sub forty degree weather going back to twenty seventeen. 0:09:24.040 --> 0:09:26.520 That's a great chance to be able to build momentum. 0:09:26.520 --> 0:09:28.760 And I felt like the injuries we make a lot 0:09:28.800 --> 0:09:31.800 of the injuries and as there should be the season 0:09:31.880 --> 0:09:35.280 changed that the world turned on its axis. When Micah 0:09:35.320 --> 0:09:38.559 Parsons had the non contact injury in Denver, you could 0:09:38.640 --> 0:09:40.720 feel the air kind of go out of the stadium. 0:09:40.720 --> 0:09:42.880 You could feel the energy from the sideline gets zapped, 0:09:43.360 --> 0:09:45.920 and green Bay struggled down the stretch. They struggled to 0:09:45.920 --> 0:09:48.199 refine themselves. They struggle with the confidence to get back 0:09:48.240 --> 0:09:52.000 into a rhythm. And as much as we talk about 0:09:52.000 --> 0:09:53.960 Mike's injury, it's also about being able to pick yourself 0:09:54.040 --> 0:09:57.000 up off the dirt and push forward. I just think 0:09:57.000 --> 0:09:59.480 that this year, with the layout of it, it's gonna 0:09:59.480 --> 0:10:01.320 be a great opportunity for Green Bay to make a 0:10:01.360 --> 0:10:04.599 push because we've talked for years now. Everybody wants to 0:10:04.600 --> 0:10:06.839 see the Packers back in an NFC championship game. It's 0:10:06.880 --> 0:10:08.960 been sixteen years since they've been in a Super Bowl. 0:10:09.640 --> 0:10:12.559 They've had some really good moments under Jordan Love. Now 0:10:12.600 --> 0:10:15.199 can they put that next foot forward and make that leap. 0:10:15.440 --> 0:10:18.240 The way this roster's orientated right now, it's all right 0:10:18.280 --> 0:10:19.880 there for them. They are not going to be the 0:10:19.920 --> 0:10:22.320 youngest team in the football the National Football League this year. 0:10:22.360 --> 0:10:25.200 They will be an older, more veteran unit. Can you 0:10:25.200 --> 0:10:27.760 play like it now down the stretch? Can you have 0:10:27.800 --> 0:10:30.480 that composure in the fourth quarter? Those are all the 0:10:30.520 --> 0:10:32.920 questions green Bay has to answer, because as much as 0:10:32.920 --> 0:10:34.920 you and I can sit here and talk until you 0:10:34.960 --> 0:10:39.320 know all the cows from Subisky come home, it ultimately 0:10:39.320 --> 0:10:40.840 comes down to what we see on the grass in 0:10:40.880 --> 0:10:43.160 the summer and then obviously into the fall and finally 0:10:43.400 --> 0:10:46.960 the winter. And I just feel like when you're looking 0:10:47.000 --> 0:10:51.040 at it's like a race, right. You can have ideal conditions, 0:10:51.520 --> 0:10:54.640 run your best time. You can have ideal conditions and 0:10:54.920 --> 0:10:57.480 just not have your day. I think it's lined up 0:10:57.520 --> 0:11:00.679 to have a nice sixty degree day and the morning 0:11:00.679 --> 0:11:03.000 of the marathon here and now the rest of it's 0:11:03.000 --> 0:11:04.319 going to be up for green Bay to decide what 0:11:04.360 --> 0:11:05.040 they want to do with it. 0:11:05.200 --> 0:11:07.720 Yeah. Absolutely, Well, I got a few other things about 0:11:07.760 --> 0:11:09.480 the schedule. I want to bounce off you, but we 0:11:09.520 --> 0:11:11.679 do need to pay some bills. So first we'll hear 0:11:11.720 --> 0:11:15.520 a quick word from our sponsor. Serious XM. NFL Radio 0:11:15.600 --> 0:11:18.560 delivers hard hitting analysis and up to the minute NFL 0:11:18.640 --> 0:11:21.800 news that true football fanatics need. Twenty four to seven, 0:11:21.960 --> 0:11:26.200 three sixty five. Welcome back to Packers Unscripted Wes and 0:11:26.240 --> 0:11:31.320 Mike talking about the Packers twenty twenty six schedule. All right, Wes, 0:11:31.360 --> 0:11:33.719 We've been asked this question, you know, every which way 0:11:33.760 --> 0:11:37.800 but Sunday with Larry on Three Things and our Live 0:11:37.920 --> 0:11:40.880 Q and a Insider Inbox and all that. But I'll 0:11:40.880 --> 0:11:47.040 throw at you, you know what, what's your favorite game here? 0:11:47.080 --> 0:11:51.599 What is the game that gets the biggest, darkest, boldest 0:11:51.760 --> 0:11:54.199 circle on the calendar from Wes Hodkowitz. 0:11:54.280 --> 0:11:57.240 Okay, so that answer is clearly going to be Christmas 0:11:57.280 --> 0:12:00.600 against Chicago. It just is. I can't shift my mindset 0:12:00.640 --> 0:12:02.679 from that. So let's just put that in And if 0:12:02.679 --> 0:12:05.120 you'd like to hear my explanation for that, you can 0:12:05.160 --> 0:12:08.200 watch the Packers live Q and a that I think 0:12:08.240 --> 0:12:10.800 is on our social media channels. You can watch Three 0:12:10.880 --> 0:12:14.120 Things or instant reacts. You can probably go down the 0:12:14.120 --> 0:12:17.200 street at Deerfield Diner and ask the wonderful ladies there. 0:12:17.280 --> 0:12:18.840 But what my thoughts are on I mean, I've talked 0:12:18.840 --> 0:12:21.600 about this ad nauseam at this point, so let's put 0:12:21.600 --> 0:12:23.360 a little pin in that one. 0:12:23.440 --> 0:12:23.760 Okay. 0:12:24.559 --> 0:12:26.640 The other one that I have not talked about at 0:12:26.640 --> 0:12:30.240 all that I am quietly excited for is New England. 0:12:30.840 --> 0:12:32.880 Because that is not an easy place to play in. 0:12:32.840 --> 0:12:35.480 Foxborough and defending champs. 0:12:35.520 --> 0:12:37.400 There is a lot of stuff going on. I'm not 0:12:37.440 --> 0:12:39.040 going to touch on it as far as what their 0:12:39.040 --> 0:12:40.800 offseason has looked like and some of maybe you want 0:12:40.840 --> 0:12:43.800 to call them distractions, sure, but it's kind of going 0:12:43.920 --> 0:12:47.080 over the fact that this was the AFC's representative last 0:12:47.120 --> 0:12:49.520 year in the Super Bowl. It's making you overlook the 0:12:49.600 --> 0:12:52.319 fact that they have one of the league's bright young 0:12:52.440 --> 0:12:56.000 stars in Drake May. And by the way, Elliott Wolf 0:12:56.080 --> 0:12:59.160 knows what he's doing. This guy has rebuilt this thing 0:12:59.559 --> 0:13:02.320 almost overnight. They had to take some lumps early on, 0:13:02.440 --> 0:13:05.959 but that wasn't just the New England Patriots beating a 0:13:06.000 --> 0:13:09.640 bunch of cupcakes. That was a very balanced roster that 0:13:09.679 --> 0:13:12.760 took advantage of what they had with their schedule. I 0:13:12.760 --> 0:13:14.400 think they're going to be back this year. I think 0:13:14.440 --> 0:13:16.520 they're going to be hungry in some ways. They got 0:13:16.559 --> 0:13:18.839 embarrassed in the Super Bowl. They're going to want to 0:13:18.880 --> 0:13:20.920 show that they are the the when you're talking about 0:13:20.960 --> 0:13:23.600 up and coming teams in the NFL, the Pats are 0:13:23.640 --> 0:13:26.400 going to want to put that flag in the ground. Yeah, 0:13:26.440 --> 0:13:28.120 and I think Green Bay in a lot of ways, 0:13:28.120 --> 0:13:29.839 they've not made a Super Bowl run. But I think 0:13:29.880 --> 0:13:31.480 in a lot of ways, there's a mirror match up 0:13:31.559 --> 0:13:36.000 there with teams that had to completely renovate themselves, completely 0:13:36.080 --> 0:13:38.679 change their personnel, get a new leader, get a new 0:13:38.679 --> 0:13:42.840 direction at quarterback, and now they're among the teams that 0:13:42.880 --> 0:13:46.319 you talk about now in May, in June, in July. 0:13:46.760 --> 0:13:48.040 Is who are going to be the front runners in 0:13:48.040 --> 0:13:49.320 the NFL in the upcoming season? 0:13:49.440 --> 0:13:51.280 Yeah, and I'm with you too. 0:13:51.400 --> 0:13:54.000 I want to talk about a game that I haven't 0:13:54.040 --> 0:13:57.600 really talked about yet because my initial answer to this 0:13:57.720 --> 0:14:00.000 question when we did the video with Larry when we 0:14:00.120 --> 0:14:02.800 did our live Q and A has been the Buffalo 0:14:02.840 --> 0:14:06.040 Bills because I'm very excited for the first time health 0:14:06.080 --> 0:14:09.319 willing to see that quarterback matchup of Jordan Love against 0:14:09.360 --> 0:14:12.160 Josh Allen under the lights, you know, Sunday night football 0:14:12.200 --> 0:14:15.040 at Lambellfield late in the season. Very likely to have 0:14:15.080 --> 0:14:16.800 big implications for both teams. 0:14:17.200 --> 0:14:17.679 All of that. 0:14:18.320 --> 0:14:20.440 But with that one, we'll put a pin in that 0:14:20.480 --> 0:14:25.600 one because the other one that nobody's really talking about 0:14:25.800 --> 0:14:29.120 is a couple weeks after the Buffalo game, the Houston 0:14:29.160 --> 0:14:35.760 Texans early January, coming into lambeau Field. Now, I don't 0:14:35.800 --> 0:14:39.280 know where Houston season will be at that point, but 0:14:39.400 --> 0:14:43.080 the one thing that I'm anticipating is that Demiko Ryans 0:14:43.120 --> 0:14:45.000 is still going to have one of the best defenses 0:14:45.000 --> 0:14:48.640 in the NFL. And if you want a late season 0:14:48.760 --> 0:14:52.600 test as to just where you are offensively, potentially and 0:14:52.640 --> 0:14:56.600 hopefully going into the playoffs, going up against one of 0:14:56.600 --> 0:14:59.520 the best defenses, that is going to be a major 0:14:59.800 --> 0:15:03.400 ma test for Jordan Love and company at lambeau Field. 0:15:03.400 --> 0:15:05.080 And yes, we're gonna have to wait a while for it, 0:15:05.120 --> 0:15:07.360 but in some ways I can't wait for it because 0:15:07.400 --> 0:15:10.960 I'm excited about where this Green Bay offense potentially is 0:15:10.960 --> 0:15:13.280 going to be at that point in the season, and 0:15:13.320 --> 0:15:16.120 there's gonna be hardly any if. 0:15:16.000 --> 0:15:18.040 Any defense is better than the Houston Texas. 0:15:18.360 --> 0:15:20.600 It's an excellent point you raised, Mike, and I'll add 0:15:20.680 --> 0:15:23.400 too when you're I don't think Demiko Ryans gets nearly 0:15:23.520 --> 0:15:26.600 enough credit. I certainly the defense. Everybody talks about that, 0:15:26.640 --> 0:15:28.800 and they've won a lot of games, but there's a 0:15:28.840 --> 0:15:32.360 lot of when you talk about the Shanahan McVeigh and 0:15:32.400 --> 0:15:34.440 even to some extent because he's getting up there now 0:15:34.440 --> 0:15:37.480 in age in terms of his tenure, Matt Lafleur, those 0:15:37.520 --> 0:15:40.720 teams peak like they know how to peak, they know 0:15:40.800 --> 0:15:43.640 how to reach their their zenith. They're heading into plostseason play, 0:15:43.680 --> 0:15:45.360 and I feel like that's been one of the hallmarks 0:15:45.400 --> 0:15:47.760 of Ryan's teams, not just his defense. That nobody talks 0:15:47.840 --> 0:15:51.280 enough about is Houston didn't start last season great. The 0:15:51.320 --> 0:15:54.080 Texans struggled out of the game, and but by the 0:15:54.200 --> 0:15:56.000 end of the season, I mean they were reeling off 0:15:56.000 --> 0:15:58.440 win after win after win and made no bones about 0:15:58.440 --> 0:16:00.720 it that this is a legitimate playoff team from thinking 0:16:00.960 --> 0:16:03.440 the AFC South was just gonna be run away with 0:16:03.440 --> 0:16:06.440 with the Colts, and then suddenly it ends up being 0:16:06.480 --> 0:16:09.520 two different teams that end up making the postseason, right, 0:16:09.560 --> 0:16:11.280 and it was a credit to how they finished. Certainly 0:16:11.320 --> 0:16:13.280 Jacksonville falls in that same equation, So yeah, that is 0:16:13.280 --> 0:16:17.240 not gonna be a pushover. And I hope that everything 0:16:17.320 --> 0:16:19.480 shapes out well with the Texans in their season because 0:16:19.520 --> 0:16:22.640 that game is being in Week seventeen. That's what is 0:16:22.680 --> 0:16:25.320 looking to continue. This thirty four year streak of the 0:16:25.360 --> 0:16:27.600 Packers playing on Monday Night football, the longest streak in 0:16:27.640 --> 0:16:30.240 the NFL, and you can flex out of that now too, 0:16:30.280 --> 0:16:32.720 So that's the one where it's like, Okay, it's a 0:16:32.760 --> 0:16:35.040 little bit of asteris there. Make sure that history stays there, 0:16:35.080 --> 0:16:38.720 because yeah, it's probably one of the latest times the 0:16:38.760 --> 0:16:40.840 Packers have had a Monday night FOOTBA game, I would 0:16:40.840 --> 0:16:42.360 imagine at least, Yeah, this one that. 0:16:42.640 --> 0:16:45.120 Would be that would actually be interesting to look up 0:16:45.200 --> 0:16:48.040 in terms of because yeah, the Packers have you know, 0:16:48.120 --> 0:16:50.600 played on Monday Night for you know, more than three 0:16:50.640 --> 0:16:52.680 decades in a row at least, you know, at least 0:16:52.680 --> 0:16:55.600 one game. But you're right, I mean with the you know, 0:16:55.720 --> 0:16:59.320 kind of the advent of the seventeen game schedule now, 0:16:59.520 --> 0:17:03.920 so in week seventeen before the finale, there is you know, 0:17:04.000 --> 0:17:06.879 a Monday night game in early January. So I'm sure, 0:17:07.119 --> 0:17:10.359 I'm sure it's the latest Monday night game that that 0:17:10.400 --> 0:17:13.080 the Packers have had because the Packers are not played 0:17:13.080 --> 0:17:15.480 in the wild Card game on Monday night, which is 0:17:15.520 --> 0:17:18.840 another sort of new invention with h with Super wild 0:17:18.920 --> 0:17:22.560 Card weekend. But yeah, I'm I'm really looking forward to 0:17:22.560 --> 0:17:25.280 that one. I mean, the division game, the division games 0:17:25.320 --> 0:17:26.919 and as we've talked about a lot, you know, the 0:17:26.960 --> 0:17:30.359 two games against the Bears, you know, one in week 0:17:30.440 --> 0:17:34.399 five mid October, the other one on Christmas. Having the 0:17:34.400 --> 0:17:36.560 Bears games you know, spread out like that, I think 0:17:36.720 --> 0:17:39.359 is I think is good. You get the litmus test 0:17:39.440 --> 0:17:42.919 early against one of your biggest rivals, and then you know, 0:17:43.600 --> 0:17:46.120 most likely a ton of implications late in the year 0:17:46.160 --> 0:17:49.600 on Christmas down at Soldier Field. But but yeah, there 0:17:49.840 --> 0:17:52.560 there are some you know, there's some sort of sneaky 0:17:52.600 --> 0:17:55.960 games on this schedule that that are gonna be really big, 0:17:56.640 --> 0:18:00.520 I think when when the moment comes around. But but 0:18:00.560 --> 0:18:03.200 not a whole lot of people talking about necessarily right now. 0:18:03.240 --> 0:18:06.159 And the points of which these games are happening when 0:18:06.200 --> 0:18:08.920 you think about and again we've talked about numerous different 0:18:10.119 --> 0:18:14.040 content streams that we've done, whether it's opening against Minnesota 0:18:14.080 --> 0:18:16.119 after closing against them the year before, whether it is 0:18:16.160 --> 0:18:19.120 the Chicago Bears coming back in the Lambefield, the Packers 0:18:19.119 --> 0:18:22.440 and Dallas Cowboys again on Sunday Night Football. The Detroit 0:18:22.480 --> 0:18:24.560 Lions are not going anywhere. I mean, they're going to 0:18:24.600 --> 0:18:26.160 be a team that are going to give Green Bay 0:18:26.160 --> 0:18:29.080 everything they have, not only in that October matchup at 0:18:29.119 --> 0:18:31.280 Ford Field, but then again closing the regular season at 0:18:31.320 --> 0:18:34.560 Lambefield and the rivalry that that's become. The Packers are 0:18:34.920 --> 0:18:37.879 the bulls eye in everybody's dartboard right now, especially with 0:18:37.920 --> 0:18:41.640 these NFC North teams and especially with the Chicago land Bears. 0:18:41.720 --> 0:18:44.159 I mean, this is going to be a season in 0:18:44.200 --> 0:18:45.919 which I think the Packers really need to put their 0:18:45.960 --> 0:18:49.879 feet in the ground and show what they're about. And again, 0:18:49.920 --> 0:18:51.719 we have to see how it plays out. We can 0:18:51.760 --> 0:18:54.399 talk about this as much as we want, but the 0:18:54.440 --> 0:18:56.639 fact is is that the Packers and the season that 0:18:56.680 --> 0:18:59.960