WEBVTT - #247 Packers Unscripted: Birds' eye review 0:00:00.760 --> 0:00:20.599 Hi, everyone, Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:20.640 --> 0:00:24.439 I am Mike Spofford sitting alongside my colleague West Hodkwitz. 0:00:24.440 --> 0:00:27.479 Hope you all had a very merry Christmas. And West, 0:00:27.520 --> 0:00:30.040 we are back here in our studios at lambeau Field 0:00:30.040 --> 0:00:34.960 to discuss the Packers Saturday Night sixteen and nothing lost 0:00:35.000 --> 0:00:37.320 to the Minnesota Vikings. And I guess another one of 0:00:37.360 --> 0:00:40.440 these games that you just chalk up to a frustrating 0:00:40.479 --> 0:00:44.360 sequence of events in a frustrating season, because, uh, the 0:00:44.400 --> 0:00:46.800 game was kind of there for the taking. Minnesota's offense 0:00:46.880 --> 0:00:49.479 was not lighting up the scoreboard by any means, but 0:00:49.600 --> 0:00:53.000 the Packers some misfires by Brett Hunley, some good throws 0:00:53.040 --> 0:00:55.000 by Brett Hunley that we're not hauled in in some 0:00:55.080 --> 0:00:58.720 crucial situations by his receivers, and when it was all 0:00:58.760 --> 0:01:02.080 said and done, the Packers unfortunately suffered their second shutout 0:01:02.160 --> 0:01:05.360 loss at home. Yeah. I think, Mike, as I went 0:01:05.400 --> 0:01:07.959 back and watched this game, it goes back to something 0:01:08.000 --> 0:01:10.480 you and I have talked about numerous times throughout the 0:01:10.480 --> 0:01:13.880 course this year, that getting on that same page, it 0:01:14.040 --> 0:01:16.920 just seemed like when Bret Hunley made the throws his 0:01:17.000 --> 0:01:20.760 receivers didn't come through, and then when his receivers got separation, 0:01:21.080 --> 0:01:23.600 there were opportunities. Bred Hunley didn't put the ball where 0:01:23.600 --> 0:01:26.039 it needed to be. Uh that that isn't a recipe 0:01:26.040 --> 0:01:30.680 for success, and those missed opportunities really ultimately, especially against 0:01:30.720 --> 0:01:33.200 a defense like this and an offense that, while it 0:01:33.280 --> 0:01:37.000 wasn't explosive on Saturday night in the Minnesota Vikings, didn't 0:01:37.040 --> 0:01:39.759 turn the ball over, it's gonna be tough to overcome 0:01:39.800 --> 0:01:42.360 all that. I just think when when the Packers look 0:01:42.400 --> 0:01:44.399 back on this in some ways, and you and I 0:01:44.400 --> 0:01:46.560 even said it during the in the press box on 0:01:46.600 --> 0:01:49.040 Saturday night, and it really did remind you that Baltimore game, 0:01:49.080 --> 0:01:51.720 where there was an opportunity the defense put them in 0:01:51.720 --> 0:01:54.320 a position to win that football game. In the offense, 0:01:54.520 --> 0:01:57.200 while it drove the ball at times, wasn't consistent enough 0:01:57.240 --> 0:01:59.640 and didn't make didn't take enough advantage of those red 0:01:59.720 --> 0:02:02.200 zone oportunities. And what I thought was different about the 0:02:02.200 --> 0:02:05.920 Baltimore game is I thought against the Ravens, the Packers 0:02:05.960 --> 0:02:10.200 offense frankly looked rather helpless at times, and this particular 0:02:10.240 --> 0:02:14.120 game against Minnesota, I thought the Packers just didn't help themselves, 0:02:14.240 --> 0:02:19.000 because the the most frustrating thing about the drop passes 0:02:19.040 --> 0:02:21.200 when Brett Hunley did make a good throw is a 0:02:21.240 --> 0:02:23.200 lot of them were on third downs. They were to 0:02:23.240 --> 0:02:26.480 move the chains to keep drives going. Pretty much all 0:02:26.480 --> 0:02:29.160 of the drop passes, I believe, if if I'm recalling 0:02:29.200 --> 0:02:32.040 all of them, they would have at a minimum gained 0:02:32.080 --> 0:02:35.040 a first down. They these weren't you know, little sideways 0:02:35.120 --> 0:02:38.160 checkdowns where guys are dropping things and things are looking sloppy, 0:02:38.200 --> 0:02:39.760 but you don't really know if those plays are going 0:02:39.800 --> 0:02:43.000 to get anywhere. These drop passes were for first downs, 0:02:43.040 --> 0:02:45.720 to keep drives going, to get the quarterback some confidence, 0:02:45.720 --> 0:02:47.760 to get him in a rhythm. And it just never 0:02:47.800 --> 0:02:51.120 really came together. And and the killer mistake that Hunley 0:02:51.200 --> 0:02:53.760 made was the one at the end of the first 0:02:53.800 --> 0:02:56.960 half the it's attend to nothing game. The Packers are driving, 0:02:57.000 --> 0:02:59.200 you have a tremendous opportunity to get it to ten 0:02:59.280 --> 0:03:02.480 seven at half time, or a minimum tend to three. 0:03:02.720 --> 0:03:05.239 It's third and three from about the fifteen yard line, 0:03:05.280 --> 0:03:07.760 you're in the red zone and Harrison Smith picks him 0:03:07.800 --> 0:03:10.480 off on a pass over the middle that Hunley knows 0:03:10.520 --> 0:03:12.919 he never should have thrown it. He locked onto Kendrick's 0:03:12.960 --> 0:03:15.239 the tight end early kind of stared him down a 0:03:15.280 --> 0:03:17.959 little bit, and and Harrison Smith is is going to 0:03:18.080 --> 0:03:20.040 read that and make the play, and he made Hunley 0:03:20.080 --> 0:03:21.400 pay for it. Yeah, And I think this is the 0:03:21.440 --> 0:03:23.480 most frustrating thing because when you as far as the 0:03:23.480 --> 0:03:25.560 Packers are concerned, because if you do look at the game, 0:03:25.919 --> 0:03:28.400 there were a lot of positives. The offensive line played 0:03:28.440 --> 0:03:31.440 really well, the defense kept them in this thing. It's 0:03:31.480 --> 0:03:34.359 just in the areas where the Packers needed players to 0:03:34.400 --> 0:03:36.800 step up, it just didn't happen. And as you said, 0:03:36.800 --> 0:03:40.240 there Harrison Smith another example of of a Pro Bowl 0:03:40.240 --> 0:03:45.000 type player, although he isn't currently at safety, making big 0:03:45.040 --> 0:03:48.280 plays when his defense needed in the most Viking shot 0:03:48.280 --> 0:03:49.800 out of the gate. I mean they got out, they 0:03:49.800 --> 0:03:51.760 got out there, they made the big plays. They got 0:03:51.760 --> 0:03:54.640 the big defensive pass interference penalty for thirty nine yards, 0:03:54.880 --> 0:03:57.160 were capitalized on that to put points on the board, 0:03:57.440 --> 0:03:59.560 and after that really were held in checked for the 0:03:59.560 --> 0:04:02.400 most part. But it just seemed like that little bit 0:04:02.400 --> 0:04:04.880 of a hole was almost at times, I don't want 0:04:04.880 --> 0:04:08.200 to say insurmountable, but the Packers just couldn't find that 0:04:08.280 --> 0:04:10.200 play to put points on the board to get them 0:04:10.240 --> 0:04:13.320 back within range again, had numerous opportunities to do so, 0:04:13.400 --> 0:04:16.479 but just weren't able to capitalize on those. And I 0:04:16.520 --> 0:04:18.320 think when the Packers go back and look at this thing, 0:04:18.360 --> 0:04:20.280 is is Randall Cobbs said afterwards one of the most 0:04:20.320 --> 0:04:24.360 frustrating UH performances he's been associated with, because I think 0:04:24.360 --> 0:04:26.520 they understood how close they were to actually being able 0:04:26.520 --> 0:04:29.359 to not only compete, but beat a team that likely 0:04:29.440 --> 0:04:32.040 is gonna end up being, you know, a first round 0:04:32.040 --> 0:04:35.080 by type of team in these playoffs. Yeah, the Vikings. Uh, 0:04:35.520 --> 0:04:38.640 it felt to me like the Vikings never got nervous, 0:04:38.960 --> 0:04:41.880 and that's because the Packers didn't do anything to make 0:04:41.880 --> 0:04:44.400 them nervous. Even though for the bulk of the second 0:04:44.400 --> 0:04:47.440 half it was only ten to nothing, then thirteen to nothing. 0:04:47.440 --> 0:04:50.720 It's only a two score game. One touchdown cranks up 0:04:50.720 --> 0:04:52.960 the pressure on the other team to respond, and the 0:04:52.960 --> 0:04:55.719 Packers just never put the Vikings in a position to 0:04:55.760 --> 0:04:58.480 do that. Now that being said, you look at the roster, 0:04:58.760 --> 0:05:01.000 the game day roster, the actors are trying to beat 0:05:01.040 --> 0:05:03.760 a playoff team with you don't have Clay Matthews, you 0:05:03.760 --> 0:05:06.240 don't have Nick Perry, you don't have Davante Adams, you 0:05:06.320 --> 0:05:08.960 don't have Damarus Randall. As the game goes on, you 0:05:09.000 --> 0:05:11.799 lose Jordy Nelson, you lose Richard Rogers, you lose Jason 0:05:11.839 --> 0:05:14.480 Spriggs at right tackle, so you're shuffling on the offensive 0:05:14.520 --> 0:05:18.400 line again. So all sorts of things in that respect 0:05:18.440 --> 0:05:21.600 were you know, an uphill climb for the Packers to 0:05:21.640 --> 0:05:25.000 begin with. But the frustrating thing is the opportunities were 0:05:25.040 --> 0:05:27.200 there and they just didn't see them. Yeah, and you 0:05:27.320 --> 0:05:29.279 see guys, and we'll talk about this soon. We see 0:05:29.279 --> 0:05:31.719 guys like Michael Clark step up, and I thought Jamal 0:05:31.760 --> 0:05:34.280 Williams actually had a pretty decent day given what he 0:05:34.320 --> 0:05:37.760 could out of the backfield. But Aaron Jones goes down 0:05:37.800 --> 0:05:40.440 with another knee injury. Another injury there. I talked about 0:05:40.480 --> 0:05:42.280 one of the my points of emphasis, one of my 0:05:42.360 --> 0:05:44.200 keys in this game was getting both of those guys 0:05:44.240 --> 0:05:46.760 upward of a dozen touches. They were able to accomplish 0:05:46.800 --> 0:05:49.120 that with Williams, but Jones and his knee injury, they 0:05:49.120 --> 0:05:52.560 didn't have that that, you know, that outside threat with 0:05:52.640 --> 0:05:55.239 him and what he brings the table. And then losing 0:05:55.279 --> 0:05:57.400 Jordy Nelson and Richard Rogers you're talking about two of 0:05:57.440 --> 0:06:02.560 the most durable, accountable player is on the entire team. Um, 0:06:02.760 --> 0:06:04.720 it's just and I saw a lot of people's comments 0:06:04.720 --> 0:06:06.240 on Twitter throughout the course of the game too, it 0:06:06.279 --> 0:06:08.919 was like, what next. Jason Spriggs goes out on the 0:06:08.960 --> 0:06:11.680 first play. That looks like a pretty I mean, Mike 0:06:11.760 --> 0:06:15.120 McCarthy said, it's a pretty significant injury. Unfortunately, you know, 0:06:15.200 --> 0:06:18.040 talking to Justin McCrae afterwards, his entire week is focused 0:06:18.040 --> 0:06:21.440 on replacing, likely replacing Jerry Evans at right guard. He 0:06:21.480 --> 0:06:23.240 goes out to right tackle. I just think in some 0:06:23.320 --> 0:06:26.080 ways it was kind of a microcosm of way that 0:06:26.120 --> 0:06:28.159 this season has kind of gone from. Yeah, it was. 0:06:28.240 --> 0:06:31.160 It was kind of a summary of of the entire seen. 0:06:31.200 --> 0:06:32.479 But with that, we're going to throw it to a 0:06:32.480 --> 0:06:34.960 break back with more on Packers Unscripted right after this. 0:06:52.920 --> 0:06:55.720 Welcome back to Packers Unscripted. Mike Spofford in this year, 0:06:55.800 --> 0:06:58.039 West Hodkowits in that one and West. When you look 0:06:58.040 --> 0:07:01.080 at the Packers defense here from said Urday night against 0:07:01.080 --> 0:07:04.560 the Minnesota Vikings, is certainly a respectable effort, holding Minnesota 0:07:04.600 --> 0:07:08.000 to sixteen points, really to thirteen points when with the 0:07:08.040 --> 0:07:11.520 final field goal being a turnover on downs that was 0:07:11.600 --> 0:07:15.160 deep in uh in Green Bay territory for an easy 0:07:15.160 --> 0:07:19.960 extra field goal from Minnesota. But um, this defensive this 0:07:20.040 --> 0:07:22.760 young defensive lineman that we've been talking about a lot 0:07:22.840 --> 0:07:25.040 this year, and I'm talking about the second year pro 0:07:25.160 --> 0:07:27.680 Kenny Clark, former first round draft pick out of U C. 0:07:27.840 --> 0:07:30.120 L A. I don't know how many times I've said it, 0:07:30.160 --> 0:07:32.520 but I thought his season was over when he was 0:07:32.560 --> 0:07:35.760 carded off the field with that ankle injury against Baltimore. 0:07:36.040 --> 0:07:39.560 And not only did he come back, he's playing. He's 0:07:39.560 --> 0:07:41.800 playing as well as any defensive lineman in the league. 0:07:41.840 --> 0:07:43.920 If you were to vote, if you were to take 0:07:43.960 --> 0:07:46.400 the All Pro vote based on based on the last 0:07:46.480 --> 0:07:49.280 month of the regular season right now, Kenny Clark would 0:07:49.280 --> 0:07:51.160 be at the top of everyone's list. This is what's 0:07:51.160 --> 0:07:53.240 interesting to me, Mike, because I wrote about this after 0:07:53.280 --> 0:07:55.880 the game, that the season he's had, and I think 0:07:56.120 --> 0:07:59.520 as a whole we romanticize b J. Rogie's final stretch 0:07:59.560 --> 0:08:02.440 of tooth in ten during that playoff run, and rightfully so. 0:08:02.600 --> 0:08:04.000 He was a key player and one of the reasons 0:08:04.000 --> 0:08:06.600 the Packers got to the Super Bowl. He had eleven 0:08:06.600 --> 0:08:10.200 tackles in four sacks in the last month, that December 0:08:10.240 --> 0:08:14.360 stretch of that season. Kenny Clark right now has twenty 0:08:14.400 --> 0:08:17.480 one tackles in four and a half sacks right now 0:08:17.520 --> 0:08:19.560 in the month of December. That's with one game yet 0:08:19.600 --> 0:08:23.600 to play. By the way, this season has not gone 0:08:23.640 --> 0:08:26.680 how the Packers want defensively. Not gonna sugarcoat that, not 0:08:26.720 --> 0:08:30.080 gonna say anything that's untrue there. It hasn't worked out. 0:08:31.280 --> 0:08:33.920 But to overlook what Kenny Clark has done in the 0:08:34.000 --> 0:08:36.559 jump he's made in year two. Uh, you know, I 0:08:36.640 --> 0:08:38.520 think it was Devon host who said this in the 0:08:38.559 --> 0:08:41.319 locker room afterwards. I mean him and Mike Mike Daniels 0:08:41.360 --> 0:08:43.679 there the salt and pepper this defense. They really are. 0:08:43.720 --> 0:08:45.480 And I think when you look at a building plock 0:08:46.040 --> 0:08:48.840 for where the Packers take this thing in two thousand eighteen, 0:08:49.240 --> 0:08:52.120 it starts there. They didn't have Claim Matthews, they didn't 0:08:52.160 --> 0:08:54.520 have Nick Perry, so you know what they needed more 0:08:54.559 --> 0:08:56.960 out of their inside rushers. Those were the veterans. As 0:08:57.000 --> 0:08:59.360 weird as it sounds, twenty two year old Kenny Clark 0:08:59.440 --> 0:09:02.040 need to be a right yeah, and with two sacks 0:09:02.160 --> 0:09:04.679 um the way he diagnosed that screen pass, that led 0:09:04.679 --> 0:09:08.760 to his second one. This guy has the athleticism, he's 0:09:08.800 --> 0:09:11.800 he can take on double teams, good run stopper. But 0:09:11.920 --> 0:09:14.839 over this past month he's proven what Mike Turkovac and 0:09:14.840 --> 0:09:16.520 a lot of these coaches I've known for some time. 0:09:16.840 --> 0:09:19.480 He could be a disrupting pass rusher. Yeah, and Turgovac 0:09:19.640 --> 0:09:22.440 was the one who said he'd been telling Clark, you know, 0:09:22.840 --> 0:09:25.400 all of it was on film, especially with his pass rush, 0:09:25.440 --> 0:09:27.720 that he was getting so close to quarterbacks, and Turkovac 0:09:27.840 --> 0:09:29.560 was saying, just keep doing what you're doing and just 0:09:29.600 --> 0:09:32.959 be patient. Yeah, early in the season that the statistics 0:09:33.000 --> 0:09:36.120 weren't there in terms of the sacks. Well, now all 0:09:36.160 --> 0:09:38.520 of that hard work, you know, doing what he's doing 0:09:38.679 --> 0:09:41.520 is paying off, because for all of the sacks that 0:09:41.600 --> 0:09:44.400 he missed, so to speak, he ends up getting one 0:09:44.559 --> 0:09:46.640 just by running a quarterback out of bounds, you know, 0:09:46.720 --> 0:09:49.679 not the fancy, highlight real type of thing, but it 0:09:49.679 --> 0:09:51.880 counts as a sack because, as you said, he diagnoses 0:09:52.040 --> 0:09:54.520 was screre passed. It was a really really good play 0:09:54.840 --> 0:09:56.920 and he ends up getting the quarterback out of bounds 0:09:56.920 --> 0:09:59.120 at the line of scrimmage or one yard behind. However, 0:09:59.200 --> 0:10:01.600 that that turn out to be, but it's a sack 0:10:01.760 --> 0:10:04.840 and uh and he's for an interior lineman. He's racking 0:10:04.880 --> 0:10:07.520 him up at a pretty alarming rate. Now, He's exactly 0:10:07.520 --> 0:10:10.520 what you're looking for in defensive nose tackles in the 0:10:10.640 --> 0:10:13.600 NFL in two thousand seventeen, going into two thousand eighteen, 0:10:14.240 --> 0:10:15.600 you want to have, you know, a guy that can 0:10:15.640 --> 0:10:17.319 stop the run, but he doesn't have to be three 0:10:17.960 --> 0:10:20.960 pounds anymore. He can be three fifteen pounds and be 0:10:21.120 --> 0:10:24.920 just completely country strong and being able to to really 0:10:25.080 --> 0:10:27.280 dominate in the trenches. I mean, you look for those 0:10:27.320 --> 0:10:29.600 guys that are just I don't want to say road 0:10:29.600 --> 0:10:33.000 graders because that's a guard term, but just absolutely gritty 0:10:33.040 --> 0:10:36.440 football players. Kenny Clark has been that since day one, 0:10:36.559 --> 0:10:38.600 and he was only twenty years old when he entered 0:10:38.600 --> 0:10:41.520 this league. He's become a guy that I think when 0:10:41.600 --> 0:10:44.480 you look at the way his career trajectory is going, 0:10:44.640 --> 0:10:47.840 is you're seeing the metamorphosis of a playmaker in a 0:10:47.920 --> 0:10:50.920 well rounded three down football player. You saw the same 0:10:50.960 --> 0:10:53.520 thing with Mike Daniels in year two. Daniels is a 0:10:53.559 --> 0:10:55.600 little bit more situational at that time, but he had 0:10:55.640 --> 0:10:57.720 those six and a half sacks that got into everybody's 0:10:57.840 --> 0:11:00.880 radar this last month of the season, I think Kenny 0:11:00.880 --> 0:11:04.080 Clark has followed that same path. And if you're looking again, 0:11:04.120 --> 0:11:05.760 as I said, for for one of the things that 0:11:05.880 --> 0:11:07.800 really point to when you go into two thousand eighteen 0:11:07.840 --> 0:11:09.600 for what could be a strength of this defense, I 0:11:09.600 --> 0:11:11.319 think Kenny Clark is gonna be a guy that that's 0:11:11.320 --> 0:11:12.920 going to get a lot of notice in the NFL 0:11:12.960 --> 0:11:15.959 going forward. Yeah, you wonder now as as we look 0:11:16.000 --> 0:11:20.360 ahead a little bit toen we saw what happened early 0:11:20.480 --> 0:11:23.120 in the season with Mike Daniels and that tremendous game 0:11:23.160 --> 0:11:25.320 he had against the Seattle Seahawks in Week one, and 0:11:25.360 --> 0:11:28.600 then unfortunately Daniels had some injuries. But we've seen Mike 0:11:28.679 --> 0:11:32.120 Daniels have to take on double teams and whatnot. The 0:11:32.160 --> 0:11:33.920 film that Kenny Clark has put out there in the 0:11:34.000 --> 0:11:36.280 last month, he's the guy who's going to be getting 0:11:36.320 --> 0:11:39.079 the double teams in eighteen. And now that's something that 0:11:39.200 --> 0:11:41.440 personally for him he's going to have to adjust to. 0:11:41.520 --> 0:11:43.200 He's going to have to deal with. There's going to 0:11:43.240 --> 0:11:46.000 be some frustrations and some growing pains through that part 0:11:46.000 --> 0:11:48.680 of it. But then that's also something that his other 0:11:49.080 --> 0:11:51.200 mates across the defensive front are going to have to 0:11:51.200 --> 0:11:54.600 take advantage of, because is the one who's He's going 0:11:54.640 --> 0:11:57.360 to have that target on his back now as offensive 0:11:57.400 --> 0:12:00.240 coordinators prepared to face the Packers. And let's be honest, Mike, 0:12:00.280 --> 0:12:03.160 any three four scheme, really any scheme in the NFL. 0:12:03.520 --> 0:12:06.360 When you can get that pass rush from a nose 0:12:06.400 --> 0:12:10.000 tackle three tech position, that's the cherry on top. You 0:12:10.000 --> 0:12:11.440 need to be able to defend the run. You have 0:12:11.520 --> 0:12:15.319 to be stout in that area. But the biggest playmakers 0:12:15.320 --> 0:12:18.160 in this league are guys that can get disruption despite 0:12:18.200 --> 0:12:21.120 the double team, being able to shed blocks and go 0:12:21.200 --> 0:12:23.120 back and look at any of his games this year. 0:12:23.400 --> 0:12:26.080 Show me any film where he's getting pushed backwards, even 0:12:26.120 --> 0:12:28.200 on those double teams, he holds his ground. That's where 0:12:28.200 --> 0:12:30.400 I brought in that strong comment. I mean, it's just 0:12:30.520 --> 0:12:32.920 incredible to me for a guy that's that young competing 0:12:32.920 --> 0:12:36.599 against some offensive lineman there's seven eight years older than him. 0:12:36.640 --> 0:12:38.760 There there's a line of thinking out there that offensive 0:12:38.760 --> 0:12:41.920 lineman don't hit their prime until years old because of 0:12:42.000 --> 0:12:44.560 the strength that you develop over those years in the NFL. 0:12:44.840 --> 0:12:47.560 And Kenny Clark is standing up to it. Yeah, definitely. Well, 0:12:47.559 --> 0:12:49.880 I'm sure we're gonna be talking about him a lot 0:12:50.040 --> 0:12:52.840 in the episodes to come on Packers Unscripted, But for 0:12:52.880 --> 0:12:55.480 now we'll toss to break back with more right after this, 0:13:00.080 --> 0:13:16.600 m Welcome back to Packers Unscripted. Mike Spofford here, Wes 0:13:16.679 --> 0:13:19.880 Hodkowitz over there, and West. We got a little bit 0:13:19.880 --> 0:13:23.040 of a glimpse on Saturday night into what could be 0:13:24.080 --> 0:13:26.200 some of the future for the Green Bay Packers, and 0:13:26.200 --> 0:13:29.200 I'm talking about two players in particular, wide receiver Michael 0:13:29.240 --> 0:13:33.640 Clark and outside linebacker Reggie Gilbert, both guys very recently 0:13:34.120 --> 0:13:36.560 brought up from the practice squad to the active roster, 0:13:36.720 --> 0:13:40.400 and then they get their first regular season NFL game 0:13:40.400 --> 0:13:43.439 action against the Vikings. Uh, you can start with who 0:13:43.480 --> 0:13:45.640 you want to, but both of these guys flashed a 0:13:45.679 --> 0:13:48.319 little bit of ability. They did, Mike, and obviously the 0:13:48.360 --> 0:13:50.720 result was not what the Packers wanted, but I actually 0:13:50.720 --> 0:13:53.160 thought they did check a box here in terms of 0:13:53.160 --> 0:13:56.400 getting their young guys playing time. Reggie Gilbert played forty 0:13:56.480 --> 0:14:02.520 snaps Michael out of as. Nothing like doing that. Excuse me, 0:14:02.559 --> 0:14:05.960 your first game, yeah, exactly, getting getting introduced, you know, 0:14:06.040 --> 0:14:08.600 trial by fire, but I asked him that afterwards if 0:14:08.640 --> 0:14:10.520 he had any inclination that he was going to play 0:14:10.559 --> 0:14:12.640 as much as he did. Regie. This wasn't just second 0:14:12.679 --> 0:14:14.400 half either. Reggie Gilbert was out there on like the 0:14:14.440 --> 0:14:17.600 second defensive series. He was on the field. The Packers 0:14:17.640 --> 0:14:20.200 really were counting on him in this football game, and 0:14:20.240 --> 0:14:22.080 I thought, that's exactly what they need to do. It 0:14:22.120 --> 0:14:24.320 goes back to a comment Jay Rone Elliott, who's you know, 0:14:24.520 --> 0:14:26.680 no longer with the Packers, said to me back during 0:14:26.720 --> 0:14:29.600 the offseason program, because we're talking a lot about you know, 0:14:29.920 --> 0:14:32.720 different rookies and undrafted guys and you know players coming 0:14:32.760 --> 0:14:34.480 off the practice squad that could make an impact, and 0:14:34.520 --> 0:14:37.160 he said, don't sleep on Reggie Gilbert. This is a 0:14:37.200 --> 0:14:39.320 guy that has a lot of ability. Made a huge 0:14:39.360 --> 0:14:42.400 transition going from a four three defensive end defensive tackle 0:14:42.440 --> 0:14:44.880 at the University of Arizona to a stand up three 0:14:44.880 --> 0:14:47.760 four outside backer. Not an easy switch to make. Chris 0:14:47.800 --> 0:14:50.040 Odom's found that out this year with his his his 0:14:50.160 --> 0:14:52.640 move as well to that position, and I think you 0:14:52.760 --> 0:14:55.880 saw his natural tools and assets to be able to 0:14:55.920 --> 0:14:58.400 get some push those Kenny Clark sacks. He basically was 0:14:58.440 --> 0:15:00.760 on on both of them all the we obviously wasn't 0:15:00.800 --> 0:15:03.480 credited for him. This guy can play, and I think 0:15:03.480 --> 0:15:05.240 as they go into this game against the Lions, I 0:15:05.240 --> 0:15:06.720 really want to see more of them because there's a 0:15:06.720 --> 0:15:09.560 lot of ability they're touching quickly. On Michael Clark, we've 0:15:09.600 --> 0:15:12.280 seen at six ft seven the catch radius he has. 0:15:12.320 --> 0:15:14.840 He's raw, he has a lot of room for growth yet, 0:15:15.080 --> 0:15:18.880 but that diving catch I think really illustrates exactly what 0:15:18.920 --> 0:15:21.080 he can bring to the table with just how much 0:15:21.080 --> 0:15:23.120 of a catch radius he has to make a play. Yeah, 0:15:23.200 --> 0:15:25.440 that was a heck of a diving catcher. I believe 0:15:25.440 --> 0:15:27.520 it was for a nineteen yard game. Put the Packers 0:15:27.560 --> 0:15:30.840 in Yeah, put the Packers in position to potentially get 0:15:30.840 --> 0:15:34.280 some points there. We know unfortunately that didn't work out. Um, 0:15:34.320 --> 0:15:37.720 but Clark had a couple of back shoulder opportunities to that. 0:15:38.640 --> 0:15:41.000 You know, wasn't able to quite connect with Brett Hunley 0:15:41.080 --> 0:15:42.800 on those are plays I'm sure he would like to 0:15:42.800 --> 0:15:45.280 have back. They are pretty well thrown balls. I give 0:15:45.360 --> 0:15:47.440 Hunley credit for putting the ball where it needed to 0:15:47.480 --> 0:15:51.440 be and those are the learning opportunities though. That's the 0:15:51.480 --> 0:15:54.240 next step now for Michael Clark. Because I'm sure he'd 0:15:54.240 --> 0:15:56.280 like to get another opportunity. And as you said the 0:15:56.320 --> 0:15:59.160 Detroit game, okay, here's your chance to follow it up, 0:15:59.200 --> 0:16:01.960 you know. And Reggie Gilbert the same way, here's your 0:16:02.040 --> 0:16:04.480 chance to follow it up and show that you can, 0:16:04.560 --> 0:16:06.880 you know, get some pass rush two games in a row. 0:16:06.920 --> 0:16:08.800 It's not just about can you do it in one game, 0:16:08.800 --> 0:16:10.760 it's can you can you perform that way on a 0:16:10.800 --> 0:16:13.840 consistent basis. I think both of these guys, just by 0:16:13.840 --> 0:16:17.040 what they've shown already, have put themselves in position to 0:16:17.120 --> 0:16:21.280 make a serious run out of roster spot in. But 0:16:21.360 --> 0:16:23.160 that's about as far as I'll go right now, because 0:16:23.160 --> 0:16:26.400 we're just seeing maybe what they can do and and 0:16:26.640 --> 0:16:29.080 doing it on a consistent basis game in and game 0:16:29.080 --> 0:16:30.880 out in the NFL is another matter. And I know 0:16:30.960 --> 0:16:33.840 Mike McCarthy said during what would be as Christmas Eve 0:16:34.240 --> 0:16:36.960 news conference that he's not in the business of preseason. 0:16:37.000 --> 0:16:40.240 This isn't preseason football that you saved that time for 0:16:40.280 --> 0:16:42.960 earlier in the summer. But the fact that these guys 0:16:43.040 --> 0:16:45.600 have gotten on the field. They're on the fifty three there, 0:16:45.680 --> 0:16:48.560 fifty three man roster, which means they have to play. 0:16:48.720 --> 0:16:50.960 They're gonna get an opportunity to play. I just I 0:16:50.960 --> 0:16:52.720 think if you're them, you have to be happy with 0:16:52.720 --> 0:16:54.600 what you saw, even a guy like Lindsay Pipkins to 0:16:55.120 --> 0:16:58.640 their undrafted rookie that they had make the roster this year. Yeah, cornerback, 0:16:58.880 --> 0:17:02.000 he basically spelled Devon House in this game when House 0:17:02.000 --> 0:17:04.240 had to come out because of what he was dealing 0:17:04.280 --> 0:17:07.080 with throughout the contest. And I thought he made a 0:17:07.160 --> 0:17:10.080 nice showing for himself as well. Without Damarius Randall being available, 0:17:10.119 --> 0:17:12.520 was sort of the next man up at cornerback. I 0:17:12.520 --> 0:17:16.520 mean Trevor Davis, Scott opportunities, Jeff Jani Scott opportunities. UM, 0:17:16.560 --> 0:17:18.879 A lot of guys that I think people were clamoring 0:17:18.920 --> 0:17:21.520 for in the inbox when we get comments and questions 0:17:21.840 --> 0:17:23.600 were able to get out there on the field. Yeah. 0:17:23.640 --> 0:17:26.400 And I think it says something you mentioned Mike McCarthy's 0:17:26.440 --> 0:17:29.240 comment about this isn't this isn't preseason football. This is 0:17:29.280 --> 0:17:31.480 going out there to try to win football games. The 0:17:31.520 --> 0:17:33.840 fact that Michael Clark got the snaps that he did 0:17:34.280 --> 0:17:37.800 and got the opportunities that he did tells you what 0:17:37.920 --> 0:17:40.480 they think of him, because this this isn't just okay, 0:17:40.520 --> 0:17:42.080 let's put him out there and see what he can do. 0:17:42.160 --> 0:17:43.760 It's let's put him out there and try to win 0:17:43.800 --> 0:17:47.440 a football game, and and that mentality, you know what 0:17:47.480 --> 0:17:49.600 the coaches are looking for, what they see, what they 0:17:49.640 --> 0:17:51.920 expect out of a guy like Michael Clark. They're putting 0:17:51.920 --> 0:17:54.040 some pressure on him right now to perform, and as 0:17:54.040 --> 0:17:55.960 you said, I'm very curious to see how he does 0:17:55.960 --> 0:17:57.600 in Detroit next Yeah, and we're going to get the 0:17:57.600 --> 0:18:00.320 injury report on Wednesday afternoon, so we'll see a exactly 0:18:00.320 --> 0:18:02.600 where Jordy Nelson is and if Dabonti Adams has a 0:18:02.680 --> 0:18:04.680 chance to play in this game. But if you're missing 0:18:04.720 --> 0:18:07.199 those two vets, depending on how things shake out, and 0:18:07.240 --> 0:18:09.679 also depending on what happens with Richard Rodgers at tight end, 0:18:09.960 --> 0:18:12.400 there's gonna be even more opportunity for those young receivers 0:18:12.400 --> 0:18:15.120 in this game. So that was a good building block, 0:18:15.200 --> 0:18:16.720 but I think a lot of them, as you said, 0:18:16.760 --> 0:18:20.080 contending for spots next year, you really need to finish strong. Yeah, definitely. 0:18:20.119 --> 0:18:22.320 With that, let's toss to a breakback with more and 0:18:22.359 --> 0:18:43.679 Packers Unscripted right after this. Welcome back to Packers Unscripted. 0:18:43.680 --> 0:18:46.679 Mike Spofford alongside Wes hod Kowitz and West to provide 0:18:46.680 --> 0:18:50.320 a quick rundown on where the NFL playoff picture stands 0:18:50.400 --> 0:18:53.560 here heading into Week seventeen, one game to go. In 0:18:53.640 --> 0:18:56.920 the a f C, the division champions are all decided. 0:18:56.960 --> 0:18:59.639 You have four teams fighting for two wild card spots. 0:18:59.680 --> 0:19:02.840 The ray Evens, the Titans, the Chargers, and the Bills. 0:19:03.359 --> 0:19:05.800 Baltimore and Tennessee are the ones who control it. If 0:19:05.840 --> 0:19:09.080 they win, they get the two spots. Los Angeles Chargers 0:19:09.080 --> 0:19:11.520 and Buffalo Bills looking to win and get some help 0:19:11.560 --> 0:19:14.200 in order to get in. On the NFC side, it's 0:19:14.240 --> 0:19:17.160 two teams fighting for one spot. It's the Atlanta Falcons 0:19:17.200 --> 0:19:19.359 and the Seattle Seahawks. And the Falcons are the ones 0:19:19.760 --> 0:19:22.400 in the driver's seat. If they can beat Carolina they 0:19:22.440 --> 0:19:25.560 are in. The Seahawks looking to win and have the 0:19:25.600 --> 0:19:28.399 Falcons lose in order for them to get in. What 0:19:28.440 --> 0:19:30.240 do you think is going to happen? Well, first off, 0:19:30.280 --> 0:19:31.960 I mean the a f C, what a wide open 0:19:32.080 --> 0:19:35.359 race this year. I think in some ways, um, you know, 0:19:35.440 --> 0:19:38.399 the Packers shutout loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Certainly we 0:19:38.400 --> 0:19:40.800