WEBVTT - #910 Packers Unscripted: Costly victory 0:00:06.280 --> 0:00:10.400 Hi everybody, welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from Packers.com. 0:00:10.619 --> 0:00:13.300 I am Mike Spofford, joined, as always, by my trusted 0:00:13.320 --> 0:00:15.850 colleague Wes Hodkowitz. We're coming to you here from the 0:00:15.950 --> 0:00:20.590 Pottawatomie Sportsbook studio inside the walls of Lambeau Field to review, Wes, 0:00:20.730 --> 0:00:25.290 a 17-14 Green Bay Packers victory over the Tampa Bay 0:00:25.329 --> 0:00:29.320 Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium down in Tampa. And unfortunately, 0:00:29.380 --> 0:00:33.239 the discussion of this game comes with how costly this 0:00:33.320 --> 0:00:37.300 victory was for Green Bay because the defense has lost 0:00:37.620 --> 0:00:39.540 one of its top playmakers for the rest of the 0:00:39.580 --> 0:00:43.180 season in linebacker Edgerin Cooper to an Achilles injury. This 0:00:43.220 --> 0:00:44.080 was another tough one. 0:00:44.280 --> 0:00:46.599 It was a big one. And I was sitting there, 0:00:46.620 --> 0:00:48.640 you were working on Insider Inbox, and I was kind 0:00:48.659 --> 0:00:51.559 of going through some of the comments on Twitter and 0:00:52.330 --> 0:00:54.330 kind of thinking through my own sort of membrane a 0:00:54.350 --> 0:00:57.750 little bit about the type of player that Cooper is 0:00:57.790 --> 0:00:59.790 and the role that he'd had on this team this season. 0:00:59.850 --> 0:01:04.280 And it's difficult to put into words exactly, I think, 0:01:04.360 --> 0:01:07.920 what he meant in terms of the totality of this 0:01:07.940 --> 0:01:09.940 football team and what we've seen from him the past 0:01:10.000 --> 0:01:12.780 two years. One of the top young playmakers in the 0:01:12.830 --> 0:01:16.539 National Football League, but even more than that, he was 0:01:16.600 --> 0:01:19.040 such a pivotal part of what Green Bay was doing 0:01:19.080 --> 0:01:22.970 without Micah Parsons. And when you break it all down, 0:01:23.030 --> 0:01:25.069 it wasn't just the fact that he had interception in 0:01:25.090 --> 0:01:27.890 that game, which was spectacular. It wasn't the fact that 0:01:27.910 --> 0:01:30.130 he was in the backfield quite a bit, registered a 0:01:30.450 --> 0:01:34.209 sack of Jalen Daniels in that game early on, and 0:01:34.230 --> 0:01:36.550 was leading the Packers with nine tackles, finished as the 0:01:36.630 --> 0:01:40.450 leading tackler with nine tackles, despite not playing the last, what, 0:01:40.790 --> 0:01:44.360 almost 25 minutes of regulation. You add up all that stuff, 0:01:44.420 --> 0:01:47.550 but It's just seeing him come into his own as 0:01:47.590 --> 0:01:51.570 an athlete, as a linebacker, as just a playmaker. And 0:01:52.010 --> 0:01:54.780 the situation in which it went down, because I, for 0:01:54.800 --> 0:01:56.920 whatever reason, the play was kind of facing us a 0:01:56.920 --> 0:01:59.320 little bit. So I watched Edrin from the moment that 0:01:59.580 --> 0:02:03.520 everything developed. In the second that he looked back when 0:02:03.560 --> 0:02:06.720 he went down with the non-contact, I'm like, oh, shoot, 0:02:06.760 --> 0:02:09.370 it's an Achilles. Yeah. It's just, they always look the same. 0:02:09.490 --> 0:02:11.950 That's the, yeah, that's the reaction. You look behind you, 0:02:12.150 --> 0:02:14.650 you look behind you because when that Achilles pops, it 0:02:14.750 --> 0:02:17.109 feels like somebody stepped on you or somebody kicked you, 0:02:17.290 --> 0:02:19.649 you know, and he turns around behind and he's all 0:02:19.669 --> 0:02:22.330 by himself laying on the ground. And, and yeah, I mean, 0:02:22.350 --> 0:02:24.310 we all had the same reaction in the press box, 0:02:25.030 --> 0:02:27.149 sort of, it was, and it turned out to be what, 0:02:27.669 --> 0:02:32.240 what we feared. And just another challenge that's getting thrown 0:02:32.860 --> 0:02:35.120 at the Packers and at the Packers defense, which is 0:02:35.180 --> 0:02:37.360 still waiting for Micah Parsons to come back. We have 0:02:37.919 --> 0:02:40.180 been informed that he is not going to return to 0:02:40.220 --> 0:02:43.470 practice this week. So still waiting on kind of, I 0:02:43.490 --> 0:02:45.790 guess you'd say, a week-to-week basis at this point as 0:02:45.830 --> 0:02:49.150 to when Parsons is going to get back on the 0:02:49.190 --> 0:02:55.549 practice field. But kudos to Jonathan Gannon, the Packers defensive coordinator, 0:02:55.590 --> 0:02:59.209 because the way this game ended, and we'll talk about 0:02:59.450 --> 0:03:01.670 how the offense should have put the game away, but 0:03:01.750 --> 0:03:04.090 essentially it came down to a final possession. The Packers 0:03:04.150 --> 0:03:07.559 are up by three. The Buccaneers have driven. They've actually 0:03:08.180 --> 0:03:14.540 either gotten to or crossed midfield, and Gannon suddenly starts 0:03:15.340 --> 0:03:18.360 dialing up Evan Williams on the blitz. Now what's interesting 0:03:18.400 --> 0:03:21.859 to me about this is that were those going to 0:03:21.900 --> 0:03:26.960 be blitz calls for Edger and Cooper, and Jonathan Gannon 0:03:26.980 --> 0:03:29.040 has to think, okay, I don't have Edger and Cooper 0:03:29.100 --> 0:03:30.940 on the field, so who's the guy that I want 0:03:30.970 --> 0:03:33.510 to send on the blitz? And Jonathan Gannon is very much, 0:03:33.570 --> 0:03:36.450 and he said it at the podium himself, Players, not plays. 0:03:36.750 --> 0:03:39.730 He's not thinking about blitzes to dial up. He's thinking 0:03:39.770 --> 0:03:42.970 about what players do I want to go after the quarterback. 0:03:43.470 --> 0:03:46.900 So we'll hear from him later today in a little bit, 0:03:46.940 --> 0:03:49.460 and I'm sure he'll address this, everything going on with 0:03:49.520 --> 0:03:53.000 Cooper and then with Williams. But that became the Evan 0:03:53.040 --> 0:03:56.390 Williams show to close out the game. And kudos to 0:03:56.410 --> 0:03:58.550 the young safety because he really came through. 0:03:59.030 --> 0:04:01.950 And before I heap praise on Evan Williams, because he's 0:04:01.970 --> 0:04:05.210 just been exceptional, you know, throughout the stretch here early 0:04:05.230 --> 0:04:06.790 in the season with Green Bay, you're seeing him take 0:04:06.810 --> 0:04:10.450 that jump. What I absolutely loved about Jonathan Gannon, it's 0:04:10.510 --> 0:04:14.490 not just players over plays. It's trusting those players, right? 0:04:15.390 --> 0:04:18.450 He was, he was making sure he wanted to win 0:04:18.490 --> 0:04:21.890 with his guys. And if Jalen Daniels, an undrafted rookie 0:04:21.930 --> 0:04:24.810 out of Kansas beat him, it is what it is. 0:04:25.310 --> 0:04:29.130 It's his scheme. It's his looks first down. It's, You know, 0:04:29.670 --> 0:04:33.990 Isaiah McDuffie's coming, nearly brings him down. Evan finishes the 0:04:34.029 --> 0:04:36.970 job on second down. Third down, he gets off a 0:04:36.990 --> 0:04:39.390 little bit of a check down. But on fourth down, 0:04:39.890 --> 0:04:42.080 here comes Evan Williams again. So to answer your question, 0:04:42.140 --> 0:04:44.080 if Edrin Cooper would have been involved, I'm guessing he 0:04:44.100 --> 0:04:45.620 was going to be involved in at least one of 0:04:45.660 --> 0:04:47.660 those based on how that was all drawn up. 0:04:47.779 --> 0:04:48.779 And perhaps multiple. 0:04:49.060 --> 0:04:52.000 But the fact is, is that I want to steal 0:04:52.020 --> 0:04:54.740 this phrase from Aaron Nagler. He was the one that 0:04:54.760 --> 0:04:57.810 I believe said it on X. Evan Williams had his 0:04:57.870 --> 0:05:01.480 Leroy Butler type game. He was impactful at the line 0:05:01.520 --> 0:05:04.839 of scrimmage. He was impactful in the second level. And 0:05:04.880 --> 0:05:07.500 he was impactful at his natural free safety position with 0:05:07.540 --> 0:05:10.540 the interception in the first quarter. This guy did it all. 0:05:11.040 --> 0:05:13.300 And when it came down to crunch time, when you're 0:05:13.320 --> 0:05:16.580 looking for your star players to shine, they don't have 0:05:16.660 --> 0:05:19.589 Edren Cooper. They don't have Micah Parsons. That doesn't mean 0:05:19.630 --> 0:05:21.990 it always has to be another pass rusher or linebacker. 0:05:22.330 --> 0:05:25.229 In this particular case, it was a safety. And he 0:05:25.270 --> 0:05:25.670 came through. 0:05:26.020 --> 0:05:27.830 Yeah, and a couple other things I'll add to that. 0:05:28.490 --> 0:05:31.310 As you alluded to, prior to the final possession of 0:05:31.350 --> 0:05:34.610 the game, Evan Williams had already had a very strong game. 0:05:34.670 --> 0:05:37.810 He had the interception early on, which set up Green 0:05:37.830 --> 0:05:41.339 Bay's first touchdown drive. He had a great pass breakup 0:05:41.520 --> 0:05:43.700 on a ball over the middle to Kate Otten that 0:05:43.740 --> 0:05:46.260 was going to get a first down for the Buccaneers 0:05:46.339 --> 0:05:49.860 across midfield heading into scoring territory. He was all over 0:05:49.900 --> 0:05:55.390 that and swatted that pass down. So he had already made... 0:05:55.839 --> 0:05:59.260 impactful plays before the final sequence. And the other thing 0:05:59.279 --> 0:06:03.520 I'll say, you mentioned McDuffie comes on first down, forces 0:06:03.560 --> 0:06:07.390 the incompletion. Williams gets the sack on second down. So 0:06:09.570 --> 0:06:12.790 now it's third and 16, if I'm remembering the numbers correctly. 0:06:14.070 --> 0:06:18.300 Williams blitzes again. The Buccaneers have a great call against 0:06:18.339 --> 0:06:21.020 the blitz. They're setting up a screen to the right side, 0:06:21.060 --> 0:06:23.360 and that is exactly the type of play you want 0:06:23.420 --> 0:06:26.720 to beat the blitz. So credit to the entire Green 0:06:26.740 --> 0:06:29.560 Bay defense for playing that screen well enough that it 0:06:29.620 --> 0:06:32.780 didn't rupture. They only got five yards, and it's set 0:06:32.839 --> 0:06:35.219 up fourth and 11. And even if they get 10 yards, 0:06:35.660 --> 0:06:37.760 and you're looking at fourth and five or fourth and six, 0:06:37.800 --> 0:06:40.820 it's a completely different situation than fourth and 11. The 0:06:40.860 --> 0:06:43.480 defense played that screen really well, held it to a 0:06:43.520 --> 0:06:45.990 minimal gain, kept it at fourth and long, and then 0:06:46.050 --> 0:06:48.229 Williams comes again on fourth down and is. 0:06:50.050 --> 0:06:52.630 Hanging on to Jalen Daniels' leg and not letting him 0:06:52.670 --> 0:06:54.250 get away, and all he can do is try the 0:06:54.310 --> 0:06:58.810 desperation pass. So just a great sequence by the defense 0:06:58.870 --> 0:07:02.060 to finish out a victory to get the Packers to 2-2. 0:07:02.860 --> 0:07:06.300 The frustrating part of this game, though, is it shouldn't 0:07:06.339 --> 0:07:08.500 have come down to that last possession, because in the 0:07:08.560 --> 0:07:12.760 fourth quarter, the Packers had two drives offensively with the 0:07:12.860 --> 0:07:19.160 opportunity to score, to bulge their lead to double digits, 0:07:19.180 --> 0:07:23.600 and and the fumble by Caleb Johnson inside the five-yard line, 0:07:23.700 --> 0:07:26.020 and then after the defense gets the stop back there 0:07:26.160 --> 0:07:28.660 and forces the Buccaneers to punt from the back of 0:07:28.700 --> 0:07:31.640 the end zone, the offense is right back in scoring territory, 0:07:31.680 --> 0:07:34.100 and then Jordan Love makes really his only mistake of 0:07:34.140 --> 0:07:36.480 the entire game. He played a really, really good game, 0:07:36.940 --> 0:07:39.360 makes the one mistake, throws the interception in the red 0:07:39.400 --> 0:07:42.000 zone that then gives the Buccaneers that one last chance, 0:07:42.580 --> 0:07:45.730 only down by three points, and that's what led to 0:07:45.750 --> 0:07:50.360 so much of the frustration and the disappointment and the 0:07:50.420 --> 0:07:54.430 comments from Matt LaFleur and Jordan Love after the game. 0:07:54.470 --> 0:07:58.310 Not only everybody was upset about Cooper's injury, but they 0:07:58.350 --> 0:08:01.020 know that this game should not have finished 17-14. The 0:08:01.140 --> 0:08:02.960 offense should have been able to put the game away, 0:08:03.140 --> 0:08:06.220 made it much easier on the defense. That didn't happen, 0:08:06.320 --> 0:08:09.620 and this Packers offense has got to figure out how 0:08:09.660 --> 0:08:12.140 to clean up its act and take advantage of those chances. 0:08:12.320 --> 0:08:14.880 Yeah, it's just trying to get everything into alignment, right? 0:08:15.860 --> 0:08:18.690 Speaking specifically on that interception, I mean, you tip your 0:08:18.710 --> 0:08:20.890 cap to Jacob Parrish. I mean, when they talk about 0:08:20.950 --> 0:08:22.830 reading your keys, you know, we hear that phrase all 0:08:22.850 --> 0:08:25.070 the time in the locker room. He did that. He 0:08:25.150 --> 0:08:28.050 trusted his rules. He came over from the far perimeter 0:08:28.090 --> 0:08:30.940 safety spot to range over and pick off that pass. 0:08:30.980 --> 0:08:34.500 It was a major play for the cornerback there. But 0:08:35.210 --> 0:08:37.450 The Packers, I think what was tough was that was 0:08:37.490 --> 0:08:40.170 the moment where Jordan Love kind of blinked a little bit, right? 0:08:40.530 --> 0:08:44.770 The Packers offense blinked. Yes, you had the fumble with 0:08:44.820 --> 0:08:47.079 Caleb Johnson, but then you also had a fumble earlier 0:08:47.360 --> 0:08:49.660 with Marshawn Lloyd that got saved by the ball going 0:08:49.700 --> 0:08:53.660 out of bounds. The offensive line played much better in 0:08:53.700 --> 0:08:56.520 this game. You know, one quarterback or two quarterback hits 0:08:56.580 --> 0:09:00.040 allowed no sacks, but there still were some procedural penalties. 0:09:00.059 --> 0:09:03.120 There was still some holding penalties. It wasn't always clean. 0:09:03.429 --> 0:09:06.550 The receivers had some drops. Tucker Kraft was lamenting his 0:09:06.610 --> 0:09:09.310 drop in the end zone after the game. It was 0:09:09.350 --> 0:09:12.370 a mixture of all these different things that the Packers 0:09:12.410 --> 0:09:14.890 did enough to win, but they also in many ways 0:09:14.929 --> 0:09:17.510 left that door open for Tampa Bay to take that 0:09:17.550 --> 0:09:19.680 game themselves and for the Green Bay to lose it. 0:09:20.530 --> 0:09:22.950 But I think what you have to feel good about 0:09:22.990 --> 0:09:26.050 if you're the Packers is you saw growth in the 0:09:26.170 --> 0:09:28.270 areas you need to see it after the first three games. 0:09:28.490 --> 0:09:31.929 There were explosive runs. Chris Brooks breaking a 27-yarder in 0:09:31.950 --> 0:09:35.229 the first quarter. Caleb Johnson getting a 31-yarder later in 0:09:35.270 --> 0:09:37.590 the game, the two longest carries of the season. Brooks 0:09:37.630 --> 0:09:40.360 was almost twice as long as the previous long run 0:09:40.700 --> 0:09:44.819 to that point of 14 yards. You saw guys, the 0:09:44.860 --> 0:09:48.180 Tucker Craft sneak plays back in the playbook. The Packers converted. 0:09:48.420 --> 0:09:51.880 They struggled. They went 0-6 on their first six third 0:09:51.920 --> 0:09:55.829 down attempts, but they converted three fourth downs on the 0:09:55.850 --> 0:09:58.110 16-play series. That took nine minutes. That allowed them to 0:09:58.130 --> 0:10:01.209 get on the scoreboard. The Packers... did things better in 0:10:01.240 --> 0:10:03.340 this game it wasn't just always about explosive plays they 0:10:03.390 --> 0:10:06.500 did move the chains a little bit more but they 0:10:06.540 --> 0:10:08.340 had a little bit more wiggle room based on the 0:10:08.380 --> 0:10:10.860 opponent and as we'll talk about probably more on Thursday 0:10:11.460 --> 0:10:15.300 that margin for error is going to get paper thin 0:10:15.340 --> 0:10:17.620 now yeah when you take on a team like the Chicago. 0:10:17.320 --> 0:10:21.280 Bears yeah absolutely I mean the There were positives on 0:10:21.320 --> 0:10:24.860 the offensive side of the football, particularly with the offensive 0:10:24.900 --> 0:10:28.140 line play. Lakin Tomlinson, newly signed, stepped in to play 0:10:28.179 --> 0:10:31.459 left guard. Kevin Zeitler wasn't quite ready yet after just 0:10:31.500 --> 0:10:34.420 three practices. Not surprising in that regard because, as we 0:10:34.480 --> 0:10:36.559 talked about last week, he hadn't had training camp. He 0:10:36.600 --> 0:10:40.420 hadn't had an offseason being with the team and being 0:10:40.480 --> 0:10:43.640 out there on the football field. So Travis Glover took 0:10:43.700 --> 0:10:45.819 over at right guard, which was his first start at 0:10:45.860 --> 0:10:48.360 that position and his first start as a Packer since 0:10:48.910 --> 0:10:51.450 The playoff game in Philadelphia two seasons ago, that didn't 0:10:51.470 --> 0:10:54.840 go so well for him. So props to those guys. 0:10:54.900 --> 0:10:58.040 And yes, there were flags. Those are the things the 0:10:58.059 --> 0:11:02.660 Packers are focused on cleaning up. But as much as 0:11:02.720 --> 0:11:04.900 Jordan Love had been hit in the first three weeks 0:11:04.940 --> 0:11:07.490 of the season, the fact that he was not sacked 0:11:07.550 --> 0:11:10.890 was only hit twice in this game. It was a 0:11:10.929 --> 0:11:12.990 step forward for the offensive line. And you mentioned the 0:11:13.030 --> 0:11:16.150 explosive runs. This was a tough Tampa Bay run defense, 0:11:16.190 --> 0:11:18.680 as we talked about last week. And no, other than 0:11:18.710 --> 0:11:21.150 those two explosive runs, the Packers did not do much 0:11:21.230 --> 0:11:24.010 on the ground. But when you can bust a couple 0:11:24.050 --> 0:11:25.950 of runs like that, that gives you something to build 0:11:26.050 --> 0:11:28.970 on moving forward. And we'll see now if maybe week 0:11:29.050 --> 0:11:32.650 two here for Kevin Zeitler, if he ends up stepping 0:11:32.710 --> 0:11:35.030 in at right guard, and then we'll see where Aaron 0:11:35.050 --> 0:11:40.850 Banks is. But Tomlinson certainly on short notice, so to speak, 0:11:40.890 --> 0:11:43.939 having just arrived with the team on Monday. proved to 0:11:43.960 --> 0:11:46.750 be an upgrade with where the Packers were at the 0:11:46.780 --> 0:11:49.709 guard position. So there are things to build on here, 0:11:49.850 --> 0:11:53.870 but there are also just sort of these black marks, 0:11:53.929 --> 0:11:57.030 these black eyes, so to speak, on that performance by 0:11:57.070 --> 0:12:01.219 the offense that, as you said, continuing to play like 0:12:01.290 --> 0:12:06.280 this offensively against the opponents that are coming up, you're 0:12:06.340 --> 0:12:08.240 not going to be able to win these games that way. 0:12:08.340 --> 0:12:11.500 So that's what needs to be the focus moving forward. 0:12:11.570 --> 0:12:13.210 Yeah, and then the other thing I want to mention, too, 0:12:13.260 --> 0:12:15.170 it really was a game of the young son hero. 0:12:15.790 --> 0:12:19.250 Lakin Tomlinson on six days employment, really, with the Green 0:12:19.290 --> 0:12:22.370 Bay Packers, placed 60 offensive snaps at left guard. 0:12:22.730 --> 0:12:25.870 In the 90-degree heat and humidity of Tampa, Florida. 0:12:25.929 --> 0:12:28.330 Yep, and as he even said, he's like, all that stuff, 0:12:28.370 --> 0:12:30.110 he didn't think about it. He thought about his assignment. 0:12:30.130 --> 0:12:32.070 He thought about what he had to do. His focus 0:12:32.110 --> 0:12:34.540 that entire game, as he said... was all about Sean Ryan. 0:12:34.559 --> 0:12:37.640 I even asked him afterwards about the Tucker Craft sneak plays. Like, 0:12:38.200 --> 0:12:40.300 I didn't know, bro. I was just going for what 0:12:40.330 --> 0:12:42.810 was in front of me the entire time. And it 0:12:42.830 --> 0:12:46.790 allowed him to succeed. The 27-yard run was Tomlinson and 0:12:46.850 --> 0:12:49.689 another unsung hero in Mark Redman that were sealing that 0:12:49.750 --> 0:12:52.710 gap to open up that second level for Chris Brooks 0:12:52.750 --> 0:12:55.370 that we haven't really seen yet this season as Green 0:12:55.390 --> 0:12:58.350 Bay tries to get some of those more explosive runs together. 0:12:58.950 --> 0:13:01.250 I absolutely love the fact that Green Bay started in 0:13:01.270 --> 0:13:04.340 three personnel. I made a note of this in Insider Inbox, 0:13:04.380 --> 0:13:07.380 or one of the stories that I wrote. 110 offensive 0:13:07.420 --> 0:13:10.219 snaps played by the tight end group. It wasn't just 0:13:10.280 --> 0:13:12.400 Tucker Kraft. It was Jonu Smith being out there, and 0:13:12.450 --> 0:13:15.970 it was Redmond. 47% of the offensive snaps, Redmond was 0:13:16.030 --> 0:13:17.770 playing in this game. This was a guy that Green 0:13:17.790 --> 0:13:19.590 Bay traded for at the end of training camp because 0:13:19.610 --> 0:13:22.449 they felt like they needed that blocking tight end in 0:13:22.490 --> 0:13:25.290 this offense. And I think you've seen him week after 0:13:25.370 --> 0:13:28.820 week show the confidence, show how much he's learned in 0:13:28.860 --> 0:13:31.360 this scheme to put himself in a position to contribute. 0:13:31.650 --> 0:13:33.550 And then the last thing I'll mention too, you tip 0:13:33.580 --> 0:13:35.720 your cap to Travis Glover because the last time he 0:13:35.740 --> 0:13:37.219 was on the field for Green Bay was over a 0:13:37.260 --> 0:13:39.540 year and a half ago. It was a tough performance 0:13:39.580 --> 0:13:42.260 against Philadelphia in the playoff game. He ends up having 0:13:42.280 --> 0:13:45.989 a shoulder injury that wipes him out the entire 2025 season. Remember, 0:13:46.030 --> 0:13:48.030 you and I were having conversations, not really sure what 0:13:48.070 --> 0:13:49.969 was going to happen because it was early in training camp. 0:13:50.010 --> 0:13:52.510 Are the Packers going to keep him around? He's a 0:13:52.570 --> 0:13:54.309 six-round pick from a year ago. Are you going to 0:13:54.330 --> 0:13:57.079 injury settle him? No, Green Bay kept him in the fold. 0:13:57.160 --> 0:13:59.530 He was here pretty much all season. And then next 0:13:59.550 --> 0:14:01.290 thing you know, as Green Bay is dealing with all 0:14:01.330 --> 0:14:03.710 these injuries and all these different issues on the offensive 0:14:03.750 --> 0:14:06.970 line right now, it's Travis Culver that steps in, I thought, 0:14:06.990 --> 0:14:10.089 did a very commendable job of settling in in a 0:14:10.130 --> 0:14:12.069 spot where Green Bay's had a lot of flux. 0:14:12.210 --> 0:14:14.490 Yeah, and you mentioned everything that he went through last 0:14:14.530 --> 0:14:17.760 year with the injury situation and his health. And hey, 0:14:18.320 --> 0:14:20.920 if the Packers are going to move forward here with 0:14:21.040 --> 0:14:23.120 Tomlinson at left guard and Zeitler at right guard and 0:14:23.140 --> 0:14:25.240 trying to figure out what's up with Aaron Banks' health, 0:14:26.130 --> 0:14:28.710 You found a depth piece here at guard who can 0:14:28.750 --> 0:14:31.750 be a next man up if something happens here. So 0:14:31.930 --> 0:14:36.270 absolutely hats off to Glover in that regard. We've talked 0:14:36.310 --> 0:14:39.080 defense and offense. I want to throw in special teams 0:14:39.140 --> 0:14:47.280 as well. Trace Mack, 58-yard field goal. It looked to me, 0:14:47.300 --> 0:14:49.979 I didn't have a chance to confirm with you in 0:14:50.000 --> 0:14:51.989 the press box, it looked to me like the kick 0:14:52.760 --> 0:14:55.100 When Bowles called the timeout at the end of the 0:14:55.140 --> 0:14:57.240 first half that he missed, it missed to the right. 0:14:58.420 --> 0:15:01.369 So for him to come back, you know, drilled it 0:15:01.410 --> 0:15:03.570 right down the middle, big three points, obviously gave the 0:15:03.590 --> 0:15:05.630 Packers the lead at halftime. And then when the final 0:15:05.670 --> 0:15:08.810 margin is three points, obviously it looks, it looks even bigger. 0:15:08.910 --> 0:15:12.070 So hats off to smack for another, another clutch kick, 0:15:12.130 --> 0:15:14.820 which was the three points that came after Edger and 0:15:14.840 --> 0:15:16.880 Cooper's interception there late in the first half, when it 0:15:16.920 --> 0:15:19.080 looked like the Buccaneers might be driving down to take 0:15:19.120 --> 0:15:21.770 the lead before halftime. And the other one I want 0:15:21.790 --> 0:15:23.710 to throw out, which was something I mentioned to you 0:15:23.750 --> 0:15:26.250 in the press box when it happened, is Sky Moore 0:15:26.310 --> 0:15:29.870 on the punt returns. Now there wasn't the explosive return, 0:15:29.910 --> 0:15:33.090 there wasn't the big highlight, but there was one punt 0:15:33.130 --> 0:15:36.080 in particular, kind of a low wobbler from Tampa Bay, 0:15:36.480 --> 0:15:40.190 and Sky Moore ran up, like full speed, ran up, 0:15:40.720 --> 0:15:44.160 caught the punt, made a couple moves, and got some yardage. 0:15:44.200 --> 0:15:45.820 And I leaned over to you in the press box 0:15:45.860 --> 0:15:48.280 at the time and I said, that is exactly the 0:15:48.320 --> 0:15:50.500 kind of move from a punt returner that we haven't 0:15:50.620 --> 0:15:53.220 seen in Green Bay for so long. Most of the 0:15:53.260 --> 0:15:56.340 time it's been play it safe, get away from the ball, 0:15:56.760 --> 0:15:58.700 and then you lose a bunch of yardage on the roll. 0:15:59.080 --> 0:16:01.950 When you combine, Cam Acord gave us that whole, he 0:16:01.970 --> 0:16:05.390 did that study about when punts bounce, it's an average 0:16:05.410 --> 0:16:08.250 of like 14 yards of field position. So you combine 0:16:08.330 --> 0:16:11.690 Cam Acord's average of 14 yards with, I believe it 0:16:11.730 --> 0:16:13.990 was eight yards that Moore got on that return. 0:16:14.010 --> 0:16:14.090 Yeah. 0:16:14.090 --> 0:16:17.360 22 yards of field position by him making that play. 0:16:17.480 --> 0:16:21.880 I mean, you can't, you can't overstate how important that 0:16:21.920 --> 0:16:24.400 kind of stuff is in, in the field position game 0:16:24.440 --> 0:16:27.040 in the NFL. And I know it gets lost in 0:16:27.240 --> 0:16:29.950 all the, the shuffle of everything else that was going 0:16:30.040 --> 0:16:33.300 on in that game. But, but this is, this is 0:16:33.400 --> 0:16:36.050 something that over the course, over the long haul here, 0:16:36.090 --> 0:16:38.630 the course of the long season, it's something that's really 0:16:38.650 --> 0:16:39.850 going to help the Packers. Yeah. 0:16:39.970 --> 0:16:42.370 And where you pointed that out very astutely with the 0:16:42.410 --> 0:16:44.840 positive yardage that he got, there was also the fair 0:16:44.880 --> 0:16:47.370 catch that I thought there was so much traffic and 0:16:47.400 --> 0:16:51.250 so much debris around him in yet more made it 0:16:51.310 --> 0:16:54.450 look simple. Uh, those that, that shows you how natural 0:16:54.530 --> 0:16:56.990 he is at this spot. It's not a position for everybody. 0:16:57.010 --> 0:16:59.970 They don't, they don't list punt returns and kickoff returners 0:17:00.030 --> 0:17:02.150 on a depth chart for no reason. It's because somebody 0:17:02.190 --> 0:17:04.450 has to hold that down. And I think more much 0:17:04.510 --> 0:17:07.270 like smack is showing a kicker is showing what it 0:17:07.330 --> 0:17:09.270 means to have a guy that can handle those duties. 0:17:09.730 --> 0:17:11.770 The other thing I absolutely loved about the smack kick 0:17:11.890 --> 0:17:15.030 is again, it, I think honestly, Mason could make some 0:17:15.090 --> 0:17:18.450 money going around the NFL, giving these tutorials to NFL 0:17:18.470 --> 0:17:23.010 head coaches. There's no point in trying to ice kickers, 0:17:23.869 --> 0:17:27.240 especially on long distance kicks, if you're going to do 0:17:27.260 --> 0:17:29.060 it immediately before they snap the ball. 0:17:29.119 --> 0:17:29.340 Right. 0:17:29.640 --> 0:17:33.950 Because Mason said it back in 2016 in Dallas. If 0:17:33.990 --> 0:17:36.290 you do that, you are literally giving him a free 0:17:36.330 --> 0:17:39.629 shot off the tee box. So all the humidity, all 0:17:39.670 --> 0:17:42.909 the heat, all the issues dealing with the stadium you 0:17:42.950 --> 0:17:47.420 are unfamiliar with, Trace Mack, who played at Florida, gets 0:17:47.460 --> 0:17:51.160 that first swing in, makes the adjustment, and then makes 0:17:51.200 --> 0:17:54.000 that next kick. If you have the mindset to be 0:17:54.040 --> 0:17:58.290 able to handle the mental warfare of that, physically, it's 0:17:58.310 --> 0:18:01.869 an advantage for you. And I'll be honest, man, for 0:18:01.910 --> 0:18:05.740 Green Bay struggling the way it did, especially protecting the football, yeah, 0:18:05.880 --> 0:18:07.659 you can say, okay, well, the game changes in the 0:18:07.700 --> 0:18:11.500 second half, but once the Packers got up 17-7, I'm 0:18:11.520 --> 0:18:14.700 not saying it felt insurmountable, but that was a really 0:18:15.510 --> 0:18:18.409 tough climb then for Tampa because it took Daniels out 0:18:18.450 --> 0:18:21.030 of what he was doing well in intervals, other than 0:18:21.050 --> 0:18:24.020 the takeaways, other than the interceptions. And, uh, yeah, I just, 0:18:24.060 --> 0:18:26.060 I felt like that, that changed the complexion of the game. 0:18:26.340 --> 0:18:28.500 I think we're seeing, and it's not just because of 0:18:28.540 --> 0:18:31.280 what happened on Sunday, but, but elsewhere in the NFL, 0:18:31.320 --> 0:18:33.300 when it comes to this, you know, the timeout to 0:18:33.400 --> 0:18:37.220 ice the kicker, um, you have to call the timeout 0:18:37.460 --> 0:18:39.520 much sooner and just say, okay, I'm going to let 0:18:39.540 --> 0:18:41.219 the kicker, if you want to try to ice him, 0:18:41.540 --> 0:18:44.280 let him think about it longer. Don't, don't wait until 0:18:44.340 --> 0:18:46.360 right before the snap when he, when he gets, when 0:18:46.380 --> 0:18:49.200 he gets the practice kick. There's, uh, there's just no 0:18:49.260 --> 0:18:52.600 sense in that you're actually, it's, it's actually an advantage. Um, 0:18:53.320 --> 0:18:54.639 If you want to make them think about it for 0:18:54.680 --> 0:18:57.030 the extra two minutes or whatever during the timeout, then 0:18:57.070 --> 0:18:58.550 as soon as they come out of the huddle to 0:18:58.570 --> 0:19:01.889 start lining up, then pop the timeout and have them 0:19:01.950 --> 0:19:06.210 reset everything. So work to Green Bay's advantage there. Other 0:19:06.230 --> 0:19:07.790 stuff to talk about with what's going on in the 0:19:07.850 --> 0:19:10.250 NFC North. There's an NFC North opponent coming up this 0:19:10.270 --> 0:19:11.990 week for the Packers, but first we're going to pay 0:19:12.010 --> 0:19:15.149 some bills. So let's hear a word from our sponsors. 0:19:16.010 --> 0:19:20.830 Sirius XM NFL Radio delivers hard-hitting analysis and up-to-the-minute NFL 0:19:20.869 --> 0:19:26.689 news that true football fanatics need 24-7, 365. Did you 0:19:26.730 --> 0:19:29.640 know Lambeau Field is just one of our state's many wonders? 0:19:30.119 --> 0:19:34.700 Start making unforgettable memories on your next vacation. Discover Granddad 0:19:34.740 --> 0:19:39.980 Bluff and more at TravelWisconsin.com slash wonders. Welcome back to 0:19:40.020 --> 0:19:42.780 Packers Unscripted. All right, Wes, the NFC North right now. 0:19:42.900 --> 0:19:46.680 The Minnesota Vikings are 4-0. despite not scoring a touchdown 0:19:46.720 --> 0:19:49.970 in two of their four victories, which from what I understand. 0:19:50.210 --> 0:19:52.580 is something that hasn't happened. A team has not been 0:19:52.600 --> 0:19:56.020 4-0 with zero touchdowns in two of the victories for 0:19:56.060 --> 0:19:59.000 like 90 years or something like that in the history 0:19:59.020 --> 0:20:02.500 of the NFL. The Chicago Bears, this week's opponent, and 0:20:02.520 --> 0:20:04.379 we'll talk about them more on our next show, but 0:20:04.460 --> 0:20:06.980 they are 3-1 and they'll be coming to Green Bay 0:20:07.040 --> 0:20:13.620 with backup quarterback Tyson Bajent. Allegedly? Bears have had, yeah, allegedly. 0:20:13.640 --> 0:20:16.840 The Bears have had backup quarterbacks win their last two games, 0:20:16.900 --> 0:20:20.010 Case Keenum against the Eagles and Bajent against the Jets. 0:20:20.730 --> 0:20:24.500 And then the Lions and the Packers are tied at 2-2, 0:20:25.850 --> 0:20:30.350