WEBVTT - #560 Packers Unscripted: Midway measures 0:00:00.640 --> 0:00:14.720 Hi, everybody, Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from 0:00:14.720 --> 0:00:18.000 Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spoffer, joined as always 0:00:18.079 --> 0:00:20.920 by my trusted colleague West Hodkowitz. Were coming to you 0:00:20.960 --> 0:00:24.200 here from our studio at lambeau Field and West. It's 0:00:24.239 --> 0:00:28.000 been a few days, but the Packers last Thursday night 0:00:28.680 --> 0:00:31.960 not their sixth victory of the season, thirty to seventeen 0:00:32.479 --> 0:00:37.760 over a depleted San Francisco forty Niners outfit out West. 0:00:37.920 --> 0:00:41.760 The Packers get to six and two at the midway point. Really, 0:00:42.120 --> 0:00:44.080 we've said this a couple of times this season, but 0:00:44.200 --> 0:00:46.360 this was one of the games that the Packers just 0:00:46.440 --> 0:00:49.599 did what they had to do because the forts their 0:00:49.680 --> 0:00:54.200 lineup did not resemble anything like what they had in 0:00:54.280 --> 0:00:56.840 the two meetings against the Packers last year in November 0:00:56.920 --> 0:01:00.480 and again in January, and um and the Packer simply 0:01:00.480 --> 0:01:02.160 went out West and took care of business well. And 0:01:02.160 --> 0:01:03.960 one reason this is such a big deal, Mike, is 0:01:04.000 --> 0:01:06.200 because it was what they kind of failed to do 0:01:06.280 --> 0:01:08.959 four days earlier, taking care of business against a team 0:01:09.000 --> 0:01:11.200 that had one win. As we've come to find out, 0:01:11.240 --> 0:01:13.240 the Vikings very much are still alive in this thing 0:01:13.280 --> 0:01:16.200 with Dalvin Cook in their backfield. But I think everybody 0:01:16.280 --> 0:01:19.679 was expecting Green Bay, despite their history in San Francisco, 0:01:19.840 --> 0:01:22.640 at least of late. They expected them to go out 0:01:22.680 --> 0:01:24.600 there and really impose their will on the forty niners. 0:01:24.640 --> 0:01:26.280 And to their credit, they did that, and they did 0:01:26.280 --> 0:01:29.720 it on both offense and defense. Looking strictly at the offense, 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:33.119 I thought, when you talk about in terms of consistency 0:01:33.200 --> 0:01:35.120 throughout the course of a game, this was a really 0:01:35.160 --> 0:01:38.080 solid effort by them. It started with getting Aaron Jones 0:01:38.120 --> 0:01:40.680 back in the backfield. I thought, you know, and you're 0:01:40.680 --> 0:01:42.440 gonna look at his stats in that game and you're 0:01:42.440 --> 0:01:45.440 not gonna be blown away. But what he gave them, 0:01:45.560 --> 0:01:48.320 especially on those first two series when there were so 0:01:48.360 --> 0:01:51.720 many questions about his health, what the backfield was gonna 0:01:51.760 --> 0:01:54.840 look like without having Jamal Williams and A J. Dillon. 0:01:55.160 --> 0:01:57.920 He just allowed the offense to settle in, get its 0:01:57.920 --> 0:02:00.600 composure back in. The Packers, to their credit, for the 0:02:00.800 --> 0:02:02.600 large part of four quarters, were able to carry that 0:02:02.640 --> 0:02:06.360 through the game. Davante Adams has another marquee performance and 0:02:06.400 --> 0:02:08.919 then really quickly just to touch on the defense, This 0:02:08.960 --> 0:02:11.200 is I wrote about an insider inbox this week. This 0:02:11.280 --> 0:02:12.840 is I think kind of the pick me up. They 0:02:12.880 --> 0:02:16.000 needed a reminder of the takeaways, the big plays, what 0:02:16.120 --> 0:02:18.799 this unit is capable of. Now. I understand it was 0:02:18.800 --> 0:02:21.360 a backup quarterback, and I understand that the forty Niners 0:02:21.360 --> 0:02:23.880 were missing a lot of skill position players. But again, 0:02:23.919 --> 0:02:26.720 if you didn't accomplish those things against an offense that 0:02:26.880 --> 0:02:29.680 was depleted, it raises even more questions. So I thought, 0:02:29.720 --> 0:02:31.320 in terms of just being able to get the train 0:02:31.360 --> 0:02:34.040 back on the tracks, Green Bay accomplished that goal out 0:02:34.080 --> 0:02:36.880 in Santa Clara. Yeah, a couple of things statistically, I 0:02:36.919 --> 0:02:40.520 think to to mention here offensively, and really it flew 0:02:40.600 --> 0:02:43.639 under the radar in a sense because of the Packers 0:02:43.639 --> 0:02:46.000 getting Aaron Jones back on offense and what he meant, 0:02:46.000 --> 0:02:48.680 and with the big game that Davante Adams had. But 0:02:48.720 --> 0:02:51.880 Aaron Rodgers was twenty five out of thirty one for 0:02:51.960 --> 0:02:54.720 three five yards with four touchdowns and a one forty 0:02:54.760 --> 0:02:57.760 seven point to pass A rating. And that's on a 0:02:57.840 --> 0:03:01.720 short week, basically not practice, sing and flying two time 0:03:01.840 --> 0:03:05.720 zones away two. And yes, the forty Niners have had 0:03:05.720 --> 0:03:08.400 some injuries on defense, but they were they were missing 0:03:08.440 --> 0:03:11.560 their pass rushers, and yes, and Richard Sherman is also 0:03:11.600 --> 0:03:14.600 on injured reserve in their secondary, but the defense not 0:03:14.760 --> 0:03:18.160 nearly as banged up and statistically has held its own 0:03:18.639 --> 0:03:21.080 throughout the course of this season for the forty Niners, 0:03:21.480 --> 0:03:24.480 and Aaron Rodgers just absolutely carved them up. I mean, 0:03:24.800 --> 0:03:28.560 I don't know if anybody has any Thursday Night Short 0:03:28.600 --> 0:03:31.640 week statistics like over the course of NFL history, but 0:03:31.960 --> 0:03:35.160 I think you'd be hard pressed to find six in completions, 0:03:35.200 --> 0:03:39.080 four touchdown passes in one seven passer rating very often 0:03:39.080 --> 0:03:41.480 in history. The other one, of course, is Davante Adams 0:03:41.760 --> 0:03:44.400 ten catches, a hundred and seventy three yards and a touchdown. 0:03:45.120 --> 0:03:48.640 Now correct me if I'm wrong on this statistical framework, 0:03:48.720 --> 0:03:51.760 but I believe that's the third time this year Davante 0:03:51.760 --> 0:03:54.520 Adams has had double digit catches for a hundred and 0:03:54.600 --> 0:03:58.840 fifty plus yards. And there are only two other receivers 0:03:58.880 --> 0:04:02.800 in and FL history who have had three of those 0:04:02.840 --> 0:04:07.400 types of games in a single season. And Davante Adams 0:04:07.400 --> 0:04:10.440 has done it in six games because he missed two 0:04:10.480 --> 0:04:14.120 of the Packers first eight. That's just outrageous. It's crazy 0:04:14.200 --> 0:04:16.200 and and it and it gets even crazier when you 0:04:16.240 --> 0:04:18.440 break it down and you add in the touchdown receptions 0:04:18.440 --> 0:04:21.000 he's had in all those games, then it's only Kelvin 0:04:21.080 --> 0:04:24.119 Johnson from two thousand and twelve. I believe that matches him. Again. 0:04:24.160 --> 0:04:27.359 That was Megatron having an entire season and Davante playing 0:04:27.360 --> 0:04:30.640 in only six of the Packers first eight games. Somebody 0:04:30.640 --> 0:04:32.880 in the other day was asking me, I was having 0:04:32.920 --> 0:04:35.400 just a just a conversation about the first half of 0:04:35.400 --> 0:04:38.120 the season, and they said, I mean, you can make 0:04:38.120 --> 0:04:40.279 a lot of cases that Aaron Rodgers right now is 0:04:40.600 --> 0:04:44.520 a leading MVP candidate hundred and seventeen point five passer rating. 0:04:44.960 --> 0:04:46.719 You and I discussed it at our desks a couple 0:04:46.760 --> 0:04:48.599 of days ago. He's on pace for I think a 0:04:48.680 --> 0:04:52.400 career high in touchdown passes, career high potentially in yards 0:04:52.400 --> 0:04:54.400 depending on if he can, you know, match some more 0:04:54.400 --> 0:04:56.240 of these big games here in the second half of 0:04:56.279 --> 0:04:59.960 the season. And that is very true. And Rogers does 0:05:00.000 --> 0:05:01.880 serves a lot of credit for the way he's performed 0:05:01.880 --> 0:05:04.119 to this level, especially after I think so many people 0:05:04.600 --> 0:05:06.120 left him out at the side of the road here 0:05:06.160 --> 0:05:09.240 at the beginning of the season. But Davante Adams man, 0:05:09.279 --> 0:05:11.120 if he hasn't given credit for being an all pro 0:05:11.200 --> 0:05:12.720 at the end of the season. If he stays on 0:05:12.760 --> 0:05:15.680 this trajectory, I don't know what it's gonna take. I 0:05:15.720 --> 0:05:18.000 wrote about it after the game. You probably saw the 0:05:18.080 --> 0:05:22.000 plethora of media social media post from his teammates saying 0:05:22.000 --> 0:05:24.400 that this is the best receiver in the game. That's 0:05:24.440 --> 0:05:27.520 a conversation that you can lose so much breath over 0:05:27.960 --> 0:05:31.600 it's almost not even worth discussing. But the fact that routinely, 0:05:31.640 --> 0:05:34.080 Mike we get into this conversation every single year and 0:05:34.120 --> 0:05:37.920 he's not even among the nominees is kind of inexcusable. 0:05:37.960 --> 0:05:39.680 At this point, We're talking about a guy that can 0:05:39.760 --> 0:05:42.960 run the entire route tree, He catches touchdowns, he does 0:05:43.000 --> 0:05:44.919 everything that you need him to do in this offense. 0:05:44.920 --> 0:05:47.919 He moves around, Aaron Rodgers trusts him. But because of 0:05:47.920 --> 0:05:49.839 the fact, I really do think it boils down to this, 0:05:49.920 --> 0:05:52.320 the fact that he's not a celebrity receiver in this 0:05:52.400 --> 0:05:55.440 league that actually hurts him. The fact that he doesn't 0:05:55.520 --> 0:05:57.799 end up on first take because of something he says, 0:05:57.880 --> 0:06:00.240 or he doesn't end up being a guy that's getting 0:06:00.240 --> 0:06:03.960 all these different you know, you know, publicity and off 0:06:03.960 --> 0:06:06.480 the field adulation for the way that he lives his life. 0:06:07.279 --> 0:06:09.919 He is a meat and potatoes receiver in this league, 0:06:09.960 --> 0:06:12.200 and he just so happens to arguably be the best 0:06:12.240 --> 0:06:16.600 one among a ton of successful receivers in a passing era. 0:06:17.279 --> 0:06:19.920 Davante Adams is entering some really rare air right now, 0:06:19.920 --> 0:06:21.880 and you're seeing it happen on a week by week basis, 0:06:22.160 --> 0:06:25.440 and I think it speaks to his character in general. 0:06:25.600 --> 0:06:27.760 And as you said, he doesn't say a lot of 0:06:27.800 --> 0:06:31.120 controversial things that he was actually asked after the San 0:06:31.160 --> 0:06:33.400 Francisco game, do you think you're the best receiver in 0:06:33.400 --> 0:06:37.880 the NFL? And he said, yeah, I do. But how 0:06:37.920 --> 0:06:40.600 many headlines, how many talk shows are talking about that? 0:06:40.720 --> 0:06:44.719 Not many? And that's okay, but they're not talking about 0:06:44.720 --> 0:06:48.400 it because Davante Adams is not some controversial diva look 0:06:48.440 --> 0:06:51.400 at me wide receiver figure. That's not who he is. 0:06:51.480 --> 0:06:54.480 And so he can speak his mind and be honest 0:06:54.480 --> 0:06:56.680 and he says, hey, I'm not trying to be cocky 0:06:56.760 --> 0:06:59.480 or arrogant. I'm just I'm I'm just being confident in 0:06:59.760 --> 0:07:03.560 who I am and that and people accept that. And 0:07:03.839 --> 0:07:06.200 I do think it's it's if he can stay healthy, 0:07:06.240 --> 0:07:08.200 and yes, he did miss two and a half games, 0:07:08.200 --> 0:07:11.160 earlier this season. If he can stay healthy, it's really 0:07:11.200 --> 0:07:13.280 really going to be interesting to see the kind of 0:07:13.360 --> 0:07:15.520 numbers that he puts up here. The guy, if he 0:07:15.560 --> 0:07:17.560 would have played in those first two games, will be 0:07:17.600 --> 0:07:20.640 on pace for two thousand receiving yards this season. I mean, 0:07:20.680 --> 0:07:23.520 it is just ridiculous. It would be a Megatron, a 0:07:23.560 --> 0:07:26.920 Megatron type season because he's had some of those games, Mike. 0:07:26.960 --> 0:07:28.920 I know it's happened a number of times the last 0:07:28.920 --> 0:07:31.640 few years where he's had ten catch plus games, But 0:07:32.040 --> 0:07:34.880 the yards after catch this year, the explosive plays that 0:07:34.920 --> 0:07:37.000 have been built into that that isn't twelve catches for 0:07:37.080 --> 0:07:40.160 ninety four yards. We're having him nearing two hundred yards 0:07:40.200 --> 0:07:43.360 on almost a weekly basis. And to your point there 0:07:43.360 --> 0:07:46.760 about that question, Jason will They from ESPN Wisconsin asked 0:07:46.800 --> 0:07:49.160 that of him, and I know it received some you know, 0:07:49.360 --> 0:07:52.440 comments on on media and whatnot, But the thing about 0:07:52.480 --> 0:07:55.240 Davante's answer that I thought was so illuminating was, yet, well, 0:07:55.280 --> 0:07:56.960 what do you expect him to say? It's not what 0:07:57.040 --> 0:07:59.480 he said, it's how he said it. There's so many 0:07:59.520 --> 0:08:01.320 receiver as I can think of over the last ten 0:08:01.400 --> 0:08:03.280 fifteen years that would have either laughed at that or 0:08:03.320 --> 0:08:04.920 scoffed at or be like, are you kidding me? Of 0:08:04.960 --> 0:08:07.680 course I am. But it's the way that DeVante even 0:08:07.680 --> 0:08:12.080 admitted humbly he would agree with that assertion. That's the 0:08:12.120 --> 0:08:14.160 way he carries himself in the wits, the way he's 0:08:14.160 --> 0:08:17.600 conducted his business for six plus seasons. And the biggest 0:08:17.600 --> 0:08:20.520 thing that Rogers said in any comment that he made 0:08:20.520 --> 0:08:23.440 in the post game of that matchup was he makes 0:08:23.520 --> 0:08:27.120 life as a quarterback so easy because he's not complaining 0:08:27.120 --> 0:08:29.960 about his touches. He's not complaining about his targets. This 0:08:30.040 --> 0:08:33.280 is a guy who just routinely gets open and and 0:08:33.280 --> 0:08:35.360 he's able to, you know, go from there. It's it's 0:08:35.360 --> 0:08:37.240 an incredible story. And the fact that he's still a 0:08:37.280 --> 0:08:39.440 month shy of his twenty eight birthday, I just speaks 0:08:39.480 --> 0:08:42.200 to really how special this guy is gonna be if 0:08:42.200 --> 0:08:43.920 he can stay on pace and if he stays healthy 0:08:43.960 --> 0:08:45.400 in the long term. Yeah, I want to get a 0:08:45.400 --> 0:08:47.640 couple more thoughts from you on the Packers offense in 0:08:47.679 --> 0:08:50.960 a moment here, But first, folks, serious x m NFO 0:08:51.120 --> 0:08:54.680 Radio Channel eight is the only radio outlet dedicated to 0:08:54.720 --> 0:08:57.920 the National Football League seven days a week. Three and 0:08:57.960 --> 0:09:01.040 sixty five days a year, and Packers fans you need 0:09:01.080 --> 0:09:03.800 to gear up for game day. Open a Packers checking 0:09:03.800 --> 0:09:07.440 account from Associated Bank and score a fifty dollar Packer 0:09:07.559 --> 0:09:10.640 Pro Shop gift card. Learn more Associated bank dot Com 0:09:10.679 --> 0:09:14.600 backslash Packers All right West As the Packers get prepared here, 0:09:14.640 --> 0:09:17.000 coming off of the weekend off the mini buy whatever 0:09:17.040 --> 0:09:20.000 you wanna call it, Jacksonville Jaguars slated to come into 0:09:20.080 --> 0:09:24.520 lambeau Field this coming Sunday. We've seen this Packers offense 0:09:24.600 --> 0:09:27.080 deal with the absence of Davante Adams for a couple 0:09:27.120 --> 0:09:30.080 of games. David Baktier has been out now for a 0:09:30.120 --> 0:09:34.040 handful of games. Either Aaron Jones or Jamal Williams has 0:09:34.080 --> 0:09:36.400 been out. Jones with the caff injury for a while. 0:09:36.440 --> 0:09:38.840 He's back. Williams had to miss the last game being 0:09:38.880 --> 0:09:42.080 on the COVID list as a as a high risk 0:09:42.160 --> 0:09:47.800 close contact. As this offense starts to get these guys back, 0:09:47.920 --> 0:09:51.120 David Bakti is back at practice, Alan Lazard is back 0:09:51.120 --> 0:09:54.160 at practice. Jamal Williams is now off of that COVID list. 0:09:54.200 --> 0:09:57.880 He was back at practice on Monday. What where do 0:09:57.920 --> 0:10:01.560 you think this Packers offense can go when you know 0:10:01.640 --> 0:10:04.240 it gets all the all the horses back in the stable, 0:10:04.360 --> 0:10:07.240 so to speak. You know, I mean this there, these guys, 0:10:08.640 --> 0:10:12.040 there have only been you've played eight games. That's thirty 0:10:12.080 --> 0:10:15.079 two quarters of football. I would argue five of those 0:10:15.120 --> 0:10:18.240 thirty two quarters they've had trouble. The last three quarters 0:10:18.280 --> 0:10:21.360 against Tampa Bay, the second half in the second game 0:10:21.360 --> 0:10:24.559 against Minnesota. The other twenty seven out of thirty two 0:10:24.640 --> 0:10:27.000 quarters this offense has been on the field, they've been 0:10:27.040 --> 0:10:29.839 really really hard to stop with all kinds of moving 0:10:29.880 --> 0:10:33.880 parts on the offensive line and amongst the skill position players. 0:10:34.160 --> 0:10:36.439 Where do you think this offense can go when everybody's 0:10:36.480 --> 0:10:39.200 back together. It reminds me of you know, watch those 0:10:39.240 --> 0:10:42.080 cooking shows on you know, whether it be Food Network 0:10:42.160 --> 0:10:44.280 or some of these other channels, where you know, you 0:10:44.320 --> 0:10:47.840 give them the certain amount of you know, ingredients to 0:10:47.880 --> 0:10:50.160 work with and they come up with something good and 0:10:50.240 --> 0:10:52.520 it's fine, and the all the judges, you know, praise 0:10:52.559 --> 0:10:54.120 them for it and they pick a winner and everything 0:10:54.120 --> 0:10:56.560 like speaking of making things look easy, but yeah, go ahead. 0:10:57.040 --> 0:10:59.040 But then you watch the cooking shows where they open 0:10:59.120 --> 0:11:01.840 up the entire super market and they say, just go 0:11:02.000 --> 0:11:04.800 ham figure something out and then what guys can come 0:11:04.880 --> 0:11:07.000 up with. I think that's where the Packers offense is 0:11:07.080 --> 0:11:09.960 right now. They've made do here over the last six weeks, 0:11:10.080 --> 0:11:12.959 especially whether it was when they're missing Davante Adams or 0:11:13.000 --> 0:11:14.680 these last four or five games where they haven't had 0:11:14.720 --> 0:11:17.400 Alan Lazard. You mentioned the injuries that you know, Robert 0:11:17.440 --> 0:11:19.640 Tonyan played in every game, but then he developed an 0:11:19.640 --> 0:11:24.440 ankle injury. To Tyler, you know, Lane Taylor, if you 0:11:24.440 --> 0:11:25.959 want to go back to the opener, losing the guy 0:11:26.000 --> 0:11:28.439 that was the presumptive starter at right guard. So all 0:11:28.480 --> 0:11:31.040 these different things they've overcome and now you're starting to 0:11:31.040 --> 0:11:32.959 see the light at the end of the tunnel again. 0:11:33.000 --> 0:11:35.320 Another thing I wrote an inbox this week is this 0:11:35.400 --> 0:11:37.679 is probably the healthiest the Packers are going to be 0:11:37.720 --> 0:11:39.720 the rest of the season coming out of this mini 0:11:39.800 --> 0:11:42.880 by so to speak. Not saying they're gonna get everybody back, 0:11:42.960 --> 0:11:44.920 but it's trending the right way, and even the guys 0:11:44.920 --> 0:11:47.079 that may not be back for the Jaguars, it's looking 0:11:47.080 --> 0:11:49.480 pretty good. On the other end of that, the one 0:11:49.679 --> 0:11:54.360 me personally as the writer, the enthusiasts, the story guy. 0:11:54.400 --> 0:11:56.960 I mean, it would be pretty interesting if Alan Lazard 0:11:57.000 --> 0:11:59.560 can come back and play against his former team in 0:11:59.559 --> 0:12:03.360 the jack Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. But all that being said, 0:12:03.400 --> 0:12:05.520 to answer your original question, I think the arrow is 0:12:05.520 --> 0:12:08.199 pointing up for them and Rogers being able to develop 0:12:08.240 --> 0:12:10.920 trust and all these different guys throughout this process, not 0:12:11.040 --> 0:12:13.440 knowing when he's gonna have Davante Adams or Aaron Jones. 0:12:13.880 --> 0:12:16.400 Losing Aaron Jones two days before a game. I mean, 0:12:17.040 --> 0:12:19.480 the way that they've been able to adapt. Matt Lafleur 0:12:19.559 --> 0:12:21.319 didn't have to sell me on anything when he became 0:12:21.360 --> 0:12:24.000 a head coach. Who am I But my goodness, man, 0:12:24.040 --> 0:12:25.960 I think these last six weeks. You know, there's so 0:12:25.960 --> 0:12:28.160 many questions. Last year, well, they were healthy the whole year. 0:12:28.200 --> 0:12:30.280 They didn't face any adversity. Of course, they were thirteen 0:12:30.280 --> 0:12:32.400 and three there, six and two right now, And a 0:12:32.400 --> 0:12:33.640 lot of it has to do with the fact that 0:12:33.640 --> 0:12:36.240 Matt Lafleur, Nathaniel hack At, these offensive coaches that have 0:12:36.320 --> 0:12:38.800 been able to adapt and make this offense still a 0:12:38.840 --> 0:12:40.800 top ten unit in despite of the fact they've been 0:12:40.800 --> 0:12:43.360 missing some pieces. Yeah, well, let me get some thoughts 0:12:43.440 --> 0:12:46.320 from you on the Jacksonville Jaguars. This is a one 0:12:46.400 --> 0:12:49.800 win a f C football team, uncommon opponent, all of 0:12:49.840 --> 0:12:52.880 that that will be coming in to lambeau Field on Sunday, 0:12:52.960 --> 0:12:56.160 and with a rookie quarterback who'll be making his second 0:12:56.240 --> 0:12:59.920 NFL start, Jake Luton, if I'm pronouncing that correctly, had 0:13:00.120 --> 0:13:04.080 taken over for the injured Gardner Minshew. I'm personally disappointed 0:13:04.120 --> 0:13:06.920 we're not going to get to see Gardner Minshew. Uh. 0:13:06.960 --> 0:13:09.720 You know, as with Jacksonville being a team the Packers 0:13:09.760 --> 0:13:12.040 only play once every four years, and all we've really 0:13:12.040 --> 0:13:14.560 been able to see is highlights of Minshew in his 0:13:14.679 --> 0:13:17.439 young career so far. Um. I was looking forward to 0:13:17.480 --> 0:13:19.559 getting a chance to see him in person. But be 0:13:19.720 --> 0:13:23.280 that as it may, who are the guys on offense 0:13:23.559 --> 0:13:26.520 for this Jacksonville team that will be supporting this rookie 0:13:26.600 --> 0:13:29.040 quarterback Luton? And who could give the Packers some trouble 0:13:29.080 --> 0:13:31.680 on something? Here's the thing, And Matt Lafleur didn't talk 0:13:31.720 --> 0:13:35.000 in depth about the Jaguars yet, but I imagine he 0:13:35.040 --> 0:13:37.920 will later this week, and I'm guessing what he's gonna 0:13:37.960 --> 0:13:39.520 say is this is a team that's better than the 0:13:39.640 --> 0:13:42.360 record shows. And that's not just all fluff either. I mean, 0:13:42.840 --> 0:13:44.719 you talk about you know, the Vikings and where they 0:13:44.720 --> 0:13:47.440 were at and losing some close games. Jacksonville has lost 0:13:47.440 --> 0:13:49.559 some close games, but they've also dropped now six in 0:13:49.600 --> 0:13:52.240 a row, I believe, since that opener against Indianapolis. So 0:13:52.840 --> 0:13:54.880 there's gonna be sort of a gut check moment for them. 0:13:54.880 --> 0:13:57.800 But there's playmakers go Laura, especially on the offensive side 0:13:57.800 --> 0:13:59.960 of the ball. The one thing Luton proved to me 0:14:00.040 --> 0:14:02.360 in that game against Houston was this guy can deal. 0:14:02.559 --> 0:14:04.640 He can throw the football. It's not just some rookie 0:14:04.720 --> 0:14:06.840 seventh round pick or whatever. He is being back there 0:14:07.080 --> 0:14:09.280 being wide eyed. He threw for three hundred yards in 0:14:09.320 --> 0:14:13.400 that game. And DJ Shark, who appears to be back 0:14:13.440 --> 0:14:16.520 to you know, a hundred percent here after dealing with 0:14:16.559 --> 0:14:18.640 some of his own injuries. I mean, he showed you 0:14:18.679 --> 0:14:21.440 exactly how dominating he can be. This is a legit 0:14:21.520 --> 0:14:23.880 number one receiver in this league. If the guy can 0:14:23.920 --> 0:14:26.120 get the ball to him, he can really make you pay. 0:14:26.160 --> 0:14:28.440 And with JayR. Alexander working his way back now in 0:14:28.440 --> 0:14:31.840 the concussion protocol his status uncertain, that could be a 0:14:31.880 --> 0:14:34.720 big thing to worry about as well. But ultimately I 0:14:34.760 --> 0:14:36.800 think this goes back to the run game. Mike That's 0:14:36.800 --> 0:14:38.720 going to continue to be the question for Green Bay 0:14:38.800 --> 0:14:41.240 until they prove it not to be. In James Robinson, 0:14:41.280 --> 0:14:43.680 they made a decision right away at the beginning of 0:14:43.680 --> 0:14:45.360 the season that this is our running back. This is 0:14:45.400 --> 0:14:47.680 the guy we're gonna run with. Leonard for Nette they 0:14:47.720 --> 0:14:52.720 released and Robinson he's he's pretty you know, he would 0:14:52.720 --> 0:14:54.520 have fit well into the Black and Blue division. I 0:14:54.560 --> 0:14:57.040 feel It's not like he's just a consummate home run threat, 0:14:57.440 --> 0:15:00.480 but he wears you down, man, and they have so 0:15:00.640 --> 0:15:02.800 much trust in him. This is one of the few 0:15:02.840 --> 0:15:05.200 backs in the NFL right now that is a true, 0:15:05.320 --> 0:15:08.200 tried and true every down back and they'll shut them 0:15:08.200 --> 0:15:11.240 down your throat for four quarters. Yeah, this is this 0:15:11.320 --> 0:15:12.960 is going to be This is going to be an 0:15:12.960 --> 0:15:15.800 interesting one because there there is there that lack of 0:15:15.840 --> 0:15:18.400 familiarity when you play these A f C teams And 0:15:18.400 --> 0:15:21.320 obviously that cuts both ways, because the Jaguars are not 0:15:21.360 --> 0:15:26.320 familiar um necessarily with with the Packers. But it always, 0:15:26.400 --> 0:15:29.760 it always creates these potential surprises that you just don't 0:15:29.800 --> 0:15:32.640 you don't exactly know what you're walking into. And yes, 0:15:32.800 --> 0:15:36.720 it it can be seen maybe as another get well 0:15:36.800 --> 0:15:40.280 game for the Packers defense facing a backup rookie quarterback 0:15:40.280 --> 0:15:42.760 and all of that. But the Packers defense is going 0:15:42.760 --> 0:15:44.720 to have its challenges, and I think what you mentioned 0:15:44.720 --> 0:15:49.160 earlier about, Okay, this defense hasn't generated the turnovers that 0:15:49.200 --> 0:15:51.720 it did a year ago that were so important to 0:15:52.320 --> 0:15:54.720 the success on that side of the ball. But they 0:15:54.760 --> 0:15:58.360 generated a couple of them against San Francisco and certainly, 0:15:58.440 --> 0:16:01.280 I mean, Darnell Savage probably should have had to pick six. 0:16:01.320 --> 0:16:03.920 He's gonna be kicking himself over over that one that 0:16:03.960 --> 0:16:06.440 he missed against the forty niners for the rest of 0:16:06.440 --> 0:16:10.680 the season. But those opportunities were there. They're starting to 0:16:10.760 --> 0:16:13.200 cash in on them. You you start to get, you know, 0:16:13.920 --> 0:16:17.400 that type of momentum going in the turnover category, and yeah, 0:16:17.640 --> 0:16:20.440 if they can do it again against another young quarterback, 0:16:20.840 --> 0:16:23.200 more power to him, because a lot of it is 0:16:23.240 --> 0:16:26.360 just sometimes it's it's how you feel about yourself when 0:16:26.360 --> 0:16:28.600 you're out there on the field and how you carry yourself, 0:16:28.640 --> 0:16:31.560 and and maybe even more so this year because you 0:16:31.600 --> 0:16:34.280 don't have the crowd behind you to start screaming and 0:16:34.360 --> 0:16:36.640 yelling on third and seven and all of that kind 0:16:36.640 --> 0:16:39.120 of stuff. So I think it'll be interesting to see 0:16:39.400 --> 0:16:42.760 how the Packers defense if if if they can, you know, 0:16:42.880 --> 0:16:46.840 put together a second straight solid performance, even if they're 0:16:46.840 --> 0:16:49.760 facing an offense that is not necessarily at full strength. Yeah, 0:16:49.760 --> 0:16:52.200 and again you're seeing the line out there already on 0:16:52.240 --> 0:16:54.360 this game, and we were talking to two touchdown to 0:16:54.600 --> 0:16:57.600 score line right now for green Bay. You and I 0:16:57.640 --> 0:16:59.360 discussed this a couple of weeks ago. It goes back 0:16:59.360 --> 0:17:02.840 to two thousand than sixteen, No, two thousand twelve. Excuse me, 0:17:03.120 --> 0:17:04.840 when the Jaguars came in here and I think they 0:17:04.840 --> 0:17:07.960 were sixteen point dogs to green Bay. Green Bay won 0:17:08.040 --> 0:17:11.199 that game, but they were well within sixteen points. So 0:17:11.280 --> 0:17:13.120 you have to be able to again make a statement 0:17:13.119 --> 0:17:15.320 here early on the schedule sets up really well for 0:17:15.359 --> 0:17:16.920 green Bay. I know we're gonna talk about the whole 0:17:17.000 --> 0:17:19.320 landscape here in a minute, but this is sort of 0:17:19.320 --> 0:17:21.320 a take care of business type game before you have 0:17:21.359 --> 0:17:23.600 to go and play a difficult matchup against a quarterback 0:17:23.640 --> 0:17:25.639 you have had a rough history with a Philip Rivers. 0:17:25.840 --> 0:17:27.720 And then you've got a Chicago Bears team that, while 0:17:27.800 --> 0:17:31.359 facing some adversity right now, has been a winning ball 0:17:31.400 --> 0:17:33.840 club for the bulk of this season. As far as 0:17:33.880 --> 0:17:36.320 the Jaguars go, though, I do think this ultimately comes 0:17:36.320 --> 0:17:39.280 down to what Green Bay's offense does against their defense. 0:17:39.520 --> 0:17:41.680 Jacksonville has been up and down to this point of 0:17:41.720 --> 0:17:44.000 the season on the defensive side of the ball. Josh 0:17:44.040 --> 0:17:46.600 Allen is back now he's healthy. He still only has 0:17:46.600 --> 0:17:48.240 two and a half sacks on the season. He was 0:17:48.280 --> 0:17:51.360 working through some of his own stuff, but all those 0:17:51.359 --> 0:17:53.679 sacks have come in three of his last four games. 0:17:54.480 --> 0:17:57.600 So there's still things to worry about there. But I 0:17:57.680 --> 0:17:59.520 just think with you being at home, if you can 0:17:59.560 --> 0:18:02.239 come out again. They've scored on all eight of their 0:18:02.280 --> 0:18:05.480 opening possessions, make a statement early on. It really sets 0:18:05.480 --> 0:18:07.439 you up here to to be able to, you know, 0:18:07.680 --> 0:18:09.880 do what everyone is expecting them to do. Yeah. Well, 0:18:09.920 --> 0:18:12.720 as far as where things stand in the bigger picture here, 0:18:12.760 --> 0:18:16.119 the Packers are six and two, two games up in 0:18:16.119 --> 0:18:18.800 the lost column in the NFC North, with the Chicago 0:18:18.840 --> 0:18:21.800 Bears at five and four and the Bears having lost 0:18:21.840 --> 0:18:24.800 three straight, and then behind them the Lions and the 0:18:24.920 --> 0:18:28.919 Vikings are both three and five, And as far as 0:18:28.960 --> 0:18:31.399 the NFC in general goes, this is where things I 0:18:31.440 --> 0:18:33.560 think it really really interesting. Not that I'm taking the 0:18:33.640 --> 0:18:36.119 NFC North for granted, because the Packers still have to 0:18:36.200 --> 0:18:40.560 play the Bears twice um. Although I do say, and 0:18:40.600 --> 0:18:43.280 I mentioned this an insider inbox, I don't think it's 0:18:43.280 --> 0:18:46.000 a bad thing right now that with the way Minnesota 0:18:46.160 --> 0:18:49.639 is starting to make its presence, felt that the season 0:18:49.720 --> 0:18:52.400 series is done. If the Vikings are going to try 0:18:52.440 --> 0:18:54.640 to catch the Packers, they don't get to play them 0:18:54.640 --> 0:18:57.000 again in order to do that. And I think that 0:18:57.000 --> 0:18:59.320 that bodes well for green Bay because it just makes 0:18:59.320 --> 0:19:01.560 it that much hard d for Minnesota to make that 0:19:01.680 --> 0:19:04.800 run at first place. But in the NFC in general, 0:19:05.800 --> 0:19:08.320