WEBVTT - #731 Packers Unscripted: Tough loss 0:00:07.120 --> 0:00:10.399 Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from 0:00:10.400 --> 0:00:13.840 Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spofford, joined as always 0:00:13.840 --> 0:00:16.600 by my trusted colleague Weston Hodkoitz. We're coming to you 0:00:16.640 --> 0:00:19.959 hear from our studios at lambeau Field, and unfortunately, Wes, 0:00:20.000 --> 0:00:24.760 we have to talk about a difficult defeat Sunday in Atlanta. 0:00:24.840 --> 0:00:27.960 The Packers fall to the Falcons twenty five to twenty four, 0:00:28.080 --> 0:00:32.879 getting outscored thirteen to nil in the fourth quarter. Packers 0:00:32.920 --> 0:00:35.839 let this one get away. There's no two ways about it. 0:00:35.880 --> 0:00:39.559 They played pretty darn good football for three quarters, but 0:00:39.640 --> 0:00:41.760 it all kind of unraveled on both sides of the 0:00:41.800 --> 0:00:44.519 ball in the fourth quarter, and they came back from 0:00:44.560 --> 0:00:45.879 Atlanta with a lot of regrets. 0:00:46.159 --> 0:00:48.760 Yeah, and I think the tough thing about this and 0:00:48.800 --> 0:00:50.879 I know I notice it with our fans the Insider 0:00:50.920 --> 0:00:55.840 Inbox column. These losses are always difficult because you don't 0:00:55.840 --> 0:00:58.640 get blown out, you don't you know, there isn't one 0:00:58.680 --> 0:01:01.840 thing that you can point to. It's just fifteen minutes 0:01:01.840 --> 0:01:04.200 of regrettable football at the end of that game. And Yep, 0:01:04.480 --> 0:01:07.160 Matt Lafleura, it's not a big thing. I know, it's 0:01:07.160 --> 0:01:09.240 not gonna draw the most headlines, but he hit it 0:01:09.280 --> 0:01:12.160 on the head afterwards, and he reiterated on Monday, complimentary 0:01:12.200 --> 0:01:14.679 football in this league is so important. And when you 0:01:14.720 --> 0:01:16.720 look at the Atlanta Falcons and what they did in 0:01:16.760 --> 0:01:19.560 the fourth quarter and the people that stepped up, Yeah, 0:01:19.720 --> 0:01:23.200 Bjhon Robinson's pretty darn good. Yeah, Desmond Ritter made some 0:01:23.240 --> 0:01:26.000 good plays, some good checks. But it was across the 0:01:26.040 --> 0:01:28.680 board with players stepping up. For the green Bay Packers, 0:01:29.160 --> 0:01:31.160 they just didn't have that one guy that kind of 0:01:31.160 --> 0:01:33.640 put it on their shoulders. So not that you need 0:01:33.640 --> 0:01:35.680 it to be one guy, but sometimes that's where you 0:01:35.720 --> 0:01:37.920 look at the game against Chicago and you're like, well, 0:01:37.959 --> 0:01:40.560 Aaron Jones, that offensive line that gave them the spark. 0:01:41.000 --> 0:01:42.800 Green Bay needed a spark in the fourth quarter, and 0:01:42.800 --> 0:01:43.679 they just couldn't find one. 0:01:43.920 --> 0:01:46.119 Yeah, that was the thing, is it? As that fourth 0:01:46.200 --> 0:01:48.760 quarter was unfolding, the Packers began it with a twenty 0:01:48.760 --> 0:01:52.480 four to twelve lead. The Early in the fourth quarter, 0:01:52.720 --> 0:01:55.760 the Falcons hit a forty five yard deep shot down 0:01:55.800 --> 0:01:57.800 the field that put them into scoring range. And so 0:01:58.400 --> 0:02:01.000 even though the Packers were up by twelve point, once 0:02:01.040 --> 0:02:02.720 they hit that big shot, they were down in the 0:02:02.720 --> 0:02:04.680 red zone. It was like, okay, you know, you know, 0:02:04.800 --> 0:02:08.120 this is game on for an entire fourth quarter and 0:02:08.160 --> 0:02:11.040 the Packers just never, whether it was on offense or defense, 0:02:11.080 --> 0:02:14.560 were never able to make a play that even started 0:02:14.600 --> 0:02:17.680 to shift the momentum. If if the defense got a 0:02:17.720 --> 0:02:20.400 third down stop, they gave up a fourth down conversion, 0:02:20.520 --> 0:02:24.400 or the Falcons were kicking a field goal, the offense 0:02:24.480 --> 0:02:26.800 was unable to get a first down. The last three 0:02:26.840 --> 0:02:28.920 possessions a three and out, a three and out, and 0:02:28.960 --> 0:02:32.160 a four and out. Both sides of the ball had 0:02:32.280 --> 0:02:36.280 opportunities to turn the tie to get things going back 0:02:36.360 --> 0:02:40.720 in the right direction. And it's really too bad because 0:02:41.560 --> 0:02:44.320 if the Packers had been able to either hang on 0:02:44.639 --> 0:02:47.040 or find a way with that final possession with fifty 0:02:47.080 --> 0:02:50.080 seven seconds left to get the points that would have 0:02:50.080 --> 0:02:51.919 been needed to win this game, it would have been 0:02:52.040 --> 0:02:55.080 such an uplifting victory. Because you went into this game 0:02:55.480 --> 0:02:59.400 without Christian Watson, without Aaron Jones. You find out ninety 0:02:59.400 --> 0:03:03.280 minutes before kickoff, David Baktiari can't play. Those are three 0:03:03.480 --> 0:03:07.440 of your most important, most valuable players on the entire offense. 0:03:08.120 --> 0:03:12.000 Yet everything was going just fine until the end of 0:03:12.040 --> 0:03:14.560 the game, and give the Falcons credit when the play 0:03:14.680 --> 0:03:18.120 when the Chips were down, as you said in Insider Inbox, 0:03:18.160 --> 0:03:19.760 when the chips were down and the plays had to 0:03:19.800 --> 0:03:21.600 be made, the Falcons were the ones that made them. 0:03:21.600 --> 0:03:22.360 The Packers didn't. 0:03:22.440 --> 0:03:25.280 Yep, And unfortunately not every quarter is created equal. In 0:03:25.320 --> 0:03:27.639 the fourth quarter, if you win that one as decisively 0:03:27.680 --> 0:03:29.520 as the Falcons did one hundred and sixty six total 0:03:29.600 --> 0:03:32.320 yards to eleven, obviously the points swing that you just 0:03:32.400 --> 0:03:35.200 touched on, it's going to be something that catapults you 0:03:35.240 --> 0:03:39.480 to a victory. To quickly pull a great line from 0:03:39.520 --> 0:03:42.760 the wonderful Dom Capers, I will start with the positives 0:03:42.920 --> 0:03:46.000 for a second, and the positive that my takeaway was 0:03:46.120 --> 0:03:48.120 is that this game showed you again how much of 0:03:48.160 --> 0:03:51.280 a gamer Jordan Love is a lot of things working 0:03:51.280 --> 0:03:54.040 against this offense. You don't have Christian wattson in week two. Well, 0:03:54.040 --> 0:03:55.800 now you know you're not gonna have Aaron Jones. You 0:03:55.800 --> 0:03:59.720 don't have your all pro left tackle, you lose Elton Jenkins. 0:04:00.080 --> 0:04:02.960 All the depth that I spent training camp talking about 0:04:03.040 --> 0:04:04.720 of oh you got the veterans where you need them, 0:04:04.760 --> 0:04:07.480 Well it got young real quick, and Jordan Love still 0:04:07.560 --> 0:04:09.520 rallied the guys. He still made the most of it. 0:04:09.840 --> 0:04:11.760 And I love the play call. I probably have beaten 0:04:11.760 --> 0:04:13.560 it to death more than anybody else on the beat, 0:04:13.600 --> 0:04:16.400 but being aggressive early on with the flea flicker giving 0:04:16.440 --> 0:04:18.280 them something to sort of set the tone, to give 0:04:18.320 --> 0:04:21.080 you that feather in your cap. Matt Lafleur and the offense. 0:04:21.120 --> 0:04:22.760 I like the way they started this thing off with 0:04:22.839 --> 0:04:26.000 the first fifteen scripted plays. It was just a matter 0:04:26.040 --> 0:04:29.240 of execution and the green bit Packers, for better or worse, 0:04:29.279 --> 0:04:31.599 it kind of turned into this game where you either 0:04:31.640 --> 0:04:33.880 were on a scoring drive you kind of were going 0:04:33.920 --> 0:04:35.840 three and out, and unfortunately the three and oults came 0:04:35.880 --> 0:04:37.120 at the wrong time in the fourth quarter. 0:04:37.320 --> 0:04:39.680 Yeah, and I want to get to the young players 0:04:39.920 --> 0:04:43.160 for the Packers that stepped up on offense and gave 0:04:43.200 --> 0:04:45.440 them a chance to win this game. But I think 0:04:45.480 --> 0:04:48.000 the other thing, and we don't need to go through 0:04:48.080 --> 0:04:50.080 chapter and verse on everything that went wrong in the 0:04:50.080 --> 0:04:52.479 fourth quarter. There was you know, the fourth and four 0:04:52.800 --> 0:04:55.440 with the read option play, the zone read play by 0:04:55.440 --> 0:04:57.920 the Falcons. You regret that when there's the third and 0:04:57.920 --> 0:05:01.600 one on offense with aj Dillon at that one. But 0:05:01.600 --> 0:05:04.240 Matt Lafleur also made a point on Monday to say, hey, 0:05:04.360 --> 0:05:07.000 you know, it's not as though the first three quarters 0:05:07.000 --> 0:05:11.680 of this game film were you know, pristine, totally clean football. 0:05:11.720 --> 0:05:14.800 The Packers had a ton of missed opportunities, whether you're 0:05:14.839 --> 0:05:18.400 talking about, you know, taking a delay of game on 0:05:18.640 --> 0:05:22.039 a field goal which then pushes you know, the Packers 0:05:22.080 --> 0:05:24.680 five yards further back, and Lafleur decides not to try 0:05:24.720 --> 0:05:27.760 from fifty six yards and play the field position game 0:05:27.800 --> 0:05:32.200 there off off of the first possession, so the flea 0:05:32.240 --> 0:05:34.960 flicker which drew the defensive pass interference ends up going 0:05:35.000 --> 0:05:38.880 to waste there. Rasull Douglass gets an interception early in 0:05:38.920 --> 0:05:40.880 the ballgame, but then on a third down you have 0:05:40.920 --> 0:05:44.880 a miscommunication on pass protection. Jordan Love gets sacked by 0:05:44.880 --> 0:05:48.120 a free runner, a free blitzer, so that turnover is 0:05:48.200 --> 0:05:52.560 not turn into points again the complimentary football thing. Defensively, 0:05:52.600 --> 0:05:55.000 the Packers dropped two interceptions that hit him right in 0:05:55.000 --> 0:05:57.159 the hands, right in the chest. However you want, you 0:05:57.200 --> 0:05:59.680 want to say, it's so there were there were all 0:05:59.760 --> 0:06:02.760 of these missed opportunities where yes, the Packers had a 0:06:02.800 --> 0:06:06.440 twenty four to twelve lead after three quarters, but when 0:06:06.440 --> 0:06:08.760 you're looking at it strictly from the Green Bay perspective, 0:06:08.760 --> 0:06:11.600 and certainly there were things Atlanta did wrong, and they 0:06:11.600 --> 0:06:13.839 had their regrets in the first three quarters as well, 0:06:14.320 --> 0:06:16.200 But the Packers really felt like they should have been 0:06:16.200 --> 0:06:19.920 ahead by a lot more than twelve points after three quarters. 0:06:20.320 --> 0:06:22.359 But then what it comes down to is in the 0:06:22.400 --> 0:06:24.960 fourth quarter, And this is what the NFL is all about, 0:06:25.160 --> 0:06:27.440 is when it's crunch time, when it's game on the line, 0:06:27.440 --> 0:06:30.560 if you want to call it winning time or whatever 0:06:30.600 --> 0:06:33.800 phrase you want to use. What you do in those 0:06:33.920 --> 0:06:39.600 moments either either magnifies your regrets from earlier in the game, 0:06:39.800 --> 0:06:42.400 or it erases them, it takes them away. The Packers 0:06:42.520 --> 0:06:46.119 regrets became magnified, and the Falcons got to forget about 0:06:46.160 --> 0:06:48.120 all theirs because they walked out with a win. 0:06:48.400 --> 0:06:51.360 Yeah, and you know, Mike, I don't want to pat 0:06:51.400 --> 0:06:53.440 ourselves in the back, because that's now why I'm saying here. 0:06:53.480 --> 0:06:55.679 But what did you and I talk about the most 0:06:55.800 --> 0:06:58.400 last week? There were two big tangibles I thought were 0:06:58.400 --> 0:07:00.839 in this matchup. It was, as you wrote in you know, 0:07:00.880 --> 0:07:04.000 one last look, who wins the ground game? Where's that 0:07:04.040 --> 0:07:07.240 game decided? And then the turnover margin Green they actually 0:07:07.279 --> 0:07:09.159 managed to win the turnovers in this with that pick 0:07:09.160 --> 0:07:11.920 from Rasoul Douglas. But how different is this football game 0:07:11.960 --> 0:07:14.120 if that is three to zero or as Rasul even 0:07:14.120 --> 0:07:17.760 said in the locker room afterwards, five oh five. Because 0:07:17.800 --> 0:07:19.080 Rudy Ford had his hand on a ball. 0:07:19.120 --> 0:07:21.440 I mean there were yeah, there were some deflected balls 0:07:21.480 --> 0:07:23.600 that deflected up in the air and the Packers couldn't 0:07:23.600 --> 0:07:24.320 come down with him. 0:07:24.520 --> 0:07:26.920 The jay Yere one would have been a spectacular play 0:07:26.920 --> 0:07:28.920 if he made it. It would have been probably a 0:07:28.960 --> 0:07:31.880 highlight reel type play. The real gut punch for me, though, 0:07:31.960 --> 0:07:34.360 was the Quay one, just because it was almost a 0:07:34.400 --> 0:07:37.880 carbon copy exactly Chicago. He had a own drop, he 0:07:37.960 --> 0:07:40.160 had the read. It was something the Packers were looking 0:07:40.160 --> 0:07:41.400 for and you just couldn't quite bring. 0:07:41.240 --> 0:07:43.600 It in a young quarterback who just didn't see him 0:07:43.680 --> 0:07:46.920 and threw the ball right to him. And and yeah, 0:07:47.040 --> 0:07:48.920 that was it was You're right. It was a carbon 0:07:48.960 --> 0:07:51.600 copy of Chicago. He caught the one in Chicago. He 0:07:51.600 --> 0:07:53.800 didn't catch this one. That's what that's that happens. 0:07:53.880 --> 0:07:55.640 And last thing I'll just say on this quickly, b 0:07:55.760 --> 0:07:58.440 Jon Robinson came his advertise a really explosive young man 0:07:58.560 --> 0:08:01.600 two way player, as I joked an insideerr inbox, not 0:08:01.640 --> 0:08:03.320 even really a joke, it's the truth. You're kind of 0:08:03.320 --> 0:08:04.960 happy that he didn't end up in the NFC North. 0:08:05.000 --> 0:08:06.200 I mean, this guy looks like he's gonna be a 0:08:06.200 --> 0:08:08.960 real problem down in the South. But the other aspect 0:08:09.000 --> 0:08:11.000 of it, tip your cap to Desmond Ridder, because I 0:08:11.000 --> 0:08:12.600 didn't give him a whole lot of respect going in 0:08:12.680 --> 0:08:14.920 this thing. I wasn't overlooking him. But you just to 0:08:15.000 --> 0:08:17.200 see the stats. You see how they play conservatively, and 0:08:17.240 --> 0:08:20.040 you're like, okay, like how good is this guy? What 0:08:20.080 --> 0:08:21.840 they're trying to do, what Arthur Smith's trying to do 0:08:21.840 --> 0:08:23.880 down there in Atlanta? The young man runs it really well. 0:08:24.120 --> 0:08:26.840 He had some good checks that that that slant play 0:08:26.840 --> 0:08:29.280 that Matt Lafleur talked about on the third down to 0:08:29.320 --> 0:08:33.120 be Jon Robinson. People can talk whatever they want about 0:08:33.120 --> 0:08:35.840 the containment on the keeper on the fourth and goal, Mike. 0:08:36.160 --> 0:08:38.120 When I finally noticed he had the ball, he was 0:08:38.120 --> 0:08:40.000 crossing the end zone. I mean, it was a really 0:08:40.000 --> 0:08:42.040 good look. You have to defend it better. Yeah, but 0:08:42.679 --> 0:08:45.600 Atlanta did an exceptional job of executing their offense, and 0:08:45.640 --> 0:08:46.360 that was the difference. 0:08:46.400 --> 0:08:49.439 Late yeah, I don't like. I don't want to. I 0:08:49.480 --> 0:08:52.080 don't want to take credit away from Atlanta. I certainly don't. 0:08:52.200 --> 0:08:55.320 But but I'm you know, I'm not going to be 0:08:55.400 --> 0:08:57.800 on the Desmond Ridder bandwagon after what I thought should 0:08:57.800 --> 0:09:00.000 have been a three interception game for a young quarterback. 0:09:00.160 --> 0:09:03.679 I don't think he really played all that well quite frankly, 0:09:04.160 --> 0:09:08.280 But the difference in the game was Bjon Robinson. Because yes, 0:09:08.320 --> 0:09:11.200 the Packers struggled to stop the run all game long. 0:09:11.320 --> 0:09:14.760 It was it was a problem. But what made it 0:09:14.760 --> 0:09:18.360 a bigger problem is that when they were in position 0:09:18.480 --> 0:09:20.520 on a lot of plays to stop the run and 0:09:20.559 --> 0:09:22.920 the players were where they were supposed to be, Jon 0:09:23.080 --> 0:09:26.400 Robinson just made guys miss. And so that's you know, 0:09:26.480 --> 0:09:28.800 that's not about that's not about scheme, that's not about 0:09:28.840 --> 0:09:32.760 the call, that's not about whatever. That's about getting a really, 0:09:32.800 --> 0:09:36.880 really dynamic offensive weapon on the ground. And there was 0:09:36.920 --> 0:09:38.880 one play Matt Lafuur even talked about it, and I 0:09:38.920 --> 0:09:41.800 know exactly the one he's talking about, where Robinson made 0:09:41.840 --> 0:09:43.920 four guys miss in a span of about a second 0:09:43.920 --> 0:09:47.640 and a half. And that you know, we had talked 0:09:47.640 --> 0:09:50.880 about that all last week, about about Okay, where is 0:09:50.920 --> 0:09:53.400 your tackling going to be in this game? And are 0:09:53.440 --> 0:09:55.440 you going to be able to is a mistackle going 0:09:55.480 --> 0:09:58.000 to lead to an explosive run or is a mistackle 0:09:58.080 --> 0:10:01.119 just going to lead to a couple of extra yards? 0:10:01.160 --> 0:10:05.680 And uh and Robinson was Robinson was the was the 0:10:05.720 --> 0:10:08.360 difference in this game, hands down. When they had they 0:10:08.360 --> 0:10:10.840 had those fourth and ones, they knew that we're just 0:10:10.880 --> 0:10:13.040 gonna give the ball to number seven and he's gonna 0:10:13.040 --> 0:10:15.480 find a way to uh to move the chains. And 0:10:15.520 --> 0:10:17.720 even on some fourth and ones he's getting five seven 0:10:17.800 --> 0:10:20.520 yard runs that are that are pushing the ball downfield 0:10:20.600 --> 0:10:23.679 just too much, too much for the Packers to it 0:10:23.760 --> 0:10:24.160 made a. 0:10:24.040 --> 0:10:26.600 Good adjustment to I mean, they stopped trying to run 0:10:26.600 --> 0:10:29.440 at Kenny Clark after the first quarter and they started 0:10:29.440 --> 0:10:31.000 to get more of the wide zone going. And when 0:10:31.040 --> 0:10:33.880 you have a guy that can accelerate that quickly and 0:10:34.040 --> 0:10:35.679 being able to win on the edges. 0:10:35.520 --> 0:10:37.920 And cut and cut that quickly and and and move 0:10:37.960 --> 0:10:40.280 and the ship the shiftiness of it, and the Packers 0:10:40.280 --> 0:10:41.000 just couldn't handle it. 0:10:41.080 --> 0:10:43.040 Yeah, it was. That was a real challenge. And again 0:10:43.120 --> 0:10:45.680 it's Mike, this isn't new. We we talked about this 0:10:45.760 --> 0:10:47.920 even before the opener. The Packers have some real tests 0:10:47.960 --> 0:10:50.719 coming up. Now. They're gonna avoid Elvin Kamara because it's 0:10:50.840 --> 0:10:53.640 the suspension, and you know, but you still got Gibbs 0:10:53.679 --> 0:10:56.000 after that, you still got you know, Josh Jacobs coming 0:10:56.000 --> 0:10:58.520 down the pipe. They have some tough run offenses they're 0:10:58.520 --> 0:11:00.720 gonna face, and you have to learn those lessons. 0:11:00.760 --> 0:11:02.480 Yeah, and I think that's I think that's going to 0:11:02.480 --> 0:11:04.280 be the tough thing, because you know how this league 0:11:04.320 --> 0:11:07.200 works west. I mean, yes, opponents, you spend some time 0:11:07.280 --> 0:11:09.720 looking at, you know, the previous year's game film and 0:11:09.760 --> 0:11:12.320 whatnot when you're preparing early in the season. Once you 0:11:12.360 --> 0:11:15.200 get a couple of games on film, then everybody's looking 0:11:15.240 --> 0:11:18.200 at those in terms of how they game plan. This 0:11:18.360 --> 0:11:21.640 performance run defense wise is now on film for every 0:11:21.720 --> 0:11:24.400 single Packers opponent to look at and to pick apart 0:11:24.520 --> 0:11:27.120 and to devise their game plan. The Packers are going 0:11:27.160 --> 0:11:30.440 to be forced to stop the run to improve in 0:11:30.480 --> 0:11:32.880 that area, and they can't. You're not just gonna be 0:11:32.880 --> 0:11:34.679 able to take the field and say, all right, we're 0:11:34.679 --> 0:11:36.160 going to score a bunch of points and take the 0:11:36.200 --> 0:11:38.240 other team out of their running game. It was twenty 0:11:38.240 --> 0:11:40.160 four to twelve going into the fourth quarter, and the 0:11:40.160 --> 0:11:43.360 Falcons were like, no, we're not giving right, We're gonna 0:11:43.400 --> 0:11:46.120 We're gonna keep running the football and because they knew 0:11:46.120 --> 0:11:48.480 there would be enough possessions left in the game to win, 0:11:49.000 --> 0:11:50.800 and that's what they were able to do. 0:11:50.880 --> 0:11:53.040 Did it with really good tempo too. I was impressed 0:11:53.040 --> 0:11:54.559 by that they got in and out of their their 0:11:54.600 --> 0:11:56.680 calls pretty quick, and that's that's not always easy to 0:11:56.679 --> 0:11:57.400 do in run calls. 0:11:57.440 --> 0:11:59.400 And that's where and that's where I do give rid 0:11:59.520 --> 0:12:01.920 Or credit. And when you had mentioned the way he 0:12:02.360 --> 0:12:04.600 ran some checks, checked out a certain things. You saw 0:12:04.679 --> 0:12:08.240 the way they were running motions, getting a read on 0:12:08.280 --> 0:12:10.480 what the Packers were doing defensively. They had the time 0:12:10.520 --> 0:12:12.559 on the play clock to do that, and they made 0:12:12.600 --> 0:12:14.720 the Packers pay. I do want to get to some 0:12:14.760 --> 0:12:17.680 of those bright spots, certainly talking about young players first, 0:12:17.720 --> 0:12:20.840 a little bit of sponsor business. Serious XM NFL Radio 0:12:21.200 --> 0:12:23.840 delivers hard hitting analysis and up to the minute NFL 0:12:23.920 --> 0:12:26.959 news that true football fanatics need twenty four to seven, 0:12:27.320 --> 0:12:29.679 three sixty five. And at Cousin Subs, we have something 0:12:29.679 --> 0:12:32.640 for everyone, like our Wisconsin Cheese cards, Mac and Cheese 0:12:32.720 --> 0:12:35.320 Golden fries and creamy shakes, all paired with your favorite 0:12:35.320 --> 0:12:39.160 sub or sub in a bowl. Cousin subs fifty years 0:12:39.320 --> 0:12:43.640 of better. All Right, When you're talking about the bright 0:12:43.640 --> 0:12:45.680 spots and what the Packers were able to do here, 0:12:45.760 --> 0:12:49.600 it starts with the rookie wide receivers Jaden Reid with 0:12:49.640 --> 0:12:53.320 two touchdowns, Dontavian Wicks with another one. Wicks was the 0:12:53.360 --> 0:12:57.320 target on the opening play flea flicker that drew the 0:12:57.360 --> 0:13:02.120 pass interference penalty. Christian Watson was not in this game. 0:13:03.000 --> 0:13:06.120 Romeo Dobbs got a lot of attention from the Falcons 0:13:06.120 --> 0:13:09.960 in their secondary, and those the two rookies the second 0:13:10.040 --> 0:13:12.920 rounder and Reid the fifth rounder, and Wicks, those guys 0:13:12.960 --> 0:13:17.280 stepped up and gave gave Jordan Love good targets and 0:13:18.000 --> 0:13:20.480 they made some very efficient and important plays in this 0:13:20.520 --> 0:13:21.079 football game. 0:13:21.160 --> 0:13:23.480 Yeah, Mike, you got a chance to see Greg and 0:13:23.600 --> 0:13:26.440 Greg Jennings and James Jones right off the bat. I 0:13:26.520 --> 0:13:29.360 did not in terms of actually covering them, But I 0:13:29.400 --> 0:13:31.880 remember that twenty eleven season, and although I wasn't full 0:13:31.920 --> 0:13:34.640 time on the beat yet, I remember watching Randall Cobb 0:13:34.679 --> 0:13:37.880 and the limited opportunities he got that season. Just how 0:13:37.960 --> 0:13:40.400 much poise he showed, and just for a guy that 0:13:40.520 --> 0:13:42.480 entered the league at twenty years old, the first nineteen 0:13:42.559 --> 0:13:45.240 ninety birth year in the National Football League, but he 0:13:45.720 --> 0:13:48.800 looks so much more mature than that. Jayden Reid gives 0:13:48.840 --> 0:13:50.880 me those same vibes. I mean, he's just a guy 0:13:50.920 --> 0:13:53.120 that gets it. That's not to say that you know 0:13:53.160 --> 0:13:56.040 he won't make mistakes. They're gonna come, yeah, But the 0:13:56.120 --> 0:13:59.160 receiver position, and especially with him on punt returns, that 0:13:59.360 --> 0:14:01.360 is a position where you can't be a deer in 0:14:01.360 --> 0:14:03.160 the headlights. You have to be ready for it. You 0:14:03.200 --> 0:14:04.960 have to be prepared, and you have to be able 0:14:04.960 --> 0:14:07.480 to stand up at those times. I really like what 0:14:07.520 --> 0:14:09.800 I've seen from Reid, and again it's going to be 0:14:09.800 --> 0:14:11.880 a work in progress. The Packers have to find themselves here. 0:14:11.880 --> 0:14:14.280 They got to rally back from this loss. But you 0:14:14.440 --> 0:14:16.320 just sit there and think, man, oh man, if they 0:14:16.320 --> 0:14:18.800 can get Christian Watson back, we'll see when it happens. 0:14:18.840 --> 0:14:21.760 But the reps that Reid has taken, even Wix getting 0:14:21.760 --> 0:14:24.160 a big confidence boost for his thirty two yard touchdown 0:14:24.400 --> 0:14:27.360 in Romeo, Dobbs just being so consistent despite coming off 0:14:27.360 --> 0:14:30.120 of that hamstring injury. The Packers have a wide array 0:14:30.160 --> 0:14:32.360 of receiving options here, and I think a guy like 0:14:32.400 --> 0:14:33.800 Reid is only going to keep getting better. 0:14:34.320 --> 0:14:37.800 Yeah, And but even as good a game as Jayden 0:14:37.840 --> 0:14:42.040 Reid had, they're dealing with the offense with Love and 0:14:42.080 --> 0:14:44.280 Reid and the ups and downs that go along with it. 0:14:44.320 --> 0:14:46.640 There was a play early in the game where Reid 0:14:46.680 --> 0:14:48.360 didn't have his head turned and the ball kind of 0:14:48.360 --> 0:14:50.960 whizzes past him right. And then on the first play 0:14:51.000 --> 0:14:54.240 of the final drive, Love and Reed just not quite 0:14:54.240 --> 0:14:56.680 on the same page where he's running a quick stop 0:14:56.760 --> 0:14:59.240 route and Love thought maybe he was gonna, you know, 0:14:59.360 --> 0:15:01.640 turn a different way or something, and and the balls 0:15:01.640 --> 0:15:04.680 a little bit off target. So you're you're still you're 0:15:04.920 --> 0:15:07.520 you're dealing with You're dealing with those ups and downs. 0:15:07.520 --> 0:15:09.640 But I am totally on board with you. You have to 0:15:09.720 --> 0:15:12.920 love what you see. There is a there's a smoothness 0:15:13.040 --> 0:15:16.640 to his game. There is there is this presence that 0:15:16.760 --> 0:15:19.080 he has out there that just says, I belong in 0:15:19.120 --> 0:15:21.480 the NFL and I and I fit here, And and 0:15:21.520 --> 0:15:23.440 we were talking about it all through training camp in 0:15:23.480 --> 0:15:26.240 the preseason, how he just looks like he fits this 0:15:26.320 --> 0:15:29.000 offense and the things that Matt Lafleur wants to do 0:15:29.120 --> 0:15:31.800 with a receiver with with that kind of skill set. 0:15:31.880 --> 0:15:35.160 So and the other thing. Unfortunately you cover the press conferences. 0:15:35.200 --> 0:15:38.240 I go into the postgame, you know, locker room. I 0:15:38.320 --> 0:15:41.560 was in the Jaden Reid scrum when they won and 0:15:41.640 --> 0:15:44.320 when they lost. And he's the same dude. Yeah, he 0:15:44.400 --> 0:15:46.160 was there for it. He had his foot up against 0:15:46.160 --> 0:15:48.520 the locker saying, hey, it is what it is. You 0:15:48.560 --> 0:15:50.720 have to learn from it. That that goes a long way. 0:15:50.880 --> 0:15:52.240 They got a lot of those guys in that locker 0:15:52.320 --> 0:15:52.640 room too. 0:15:52.920 --> 0:15:54.640 One of the things I'll point out too, because we've 0:15:54.680 --> 0:15:57.160 mentioned the flea flicker, this is this this the second 0:15:57.200 --> 0:16:01.760 game in a row we've seen some real creativity from 0:16:01.760 --> 0:16:04.520 Matt Lafleur and his offensive coaching staff because they came 0:16:04.560 --> 0:16:08.040 out in the second half against Chicago looking for a 0:16:08.080 --> 0:16:11.600 spark offensively and they called the throwback screen. You know, 0:16:11.720 --> 0:16:15.000 real deceptive play and everything. They took the field at 0:16:15.160 --> 0:16:18.520 Mercedes Benz Stadium, you know, all the noise in that 0:16:18.640 --> 0:16:21.360 dome and everything, and the first play of the game 0:16:21.400 --> 0:16:24.640 they run, they run the flea flicker. Not afraid to 0:16:24.760 --> 0:16:27.440 try to try some of this stuff to provide to 0:16:27.480 --> 0:16:32.680 provide a spark and you know, really other than you know, yes, 0:16:32.760 --> 0:16:35.480 there were there were certainly breakdowns in the running game. 0:16:35.520 --> 0:16:38.440 There was the one miscommunication and pass protection that led 0:16:38.480 --> 0:16:41.160 to a sack. One of the plays on the final drive, 0:16:41.280 --> 0:16:43.960 Jordan Love was under pressure and unfortunately couldn't get a 0:16:44.080 --> 0:16:46.680 deep ball to read where Reed had actually run a 0:16:46.680 --> 0:16:50.280 really good route and had beaten his man, but Love 0:16:50.400 --> 0:16:52.720 just wasn't able to step into the throw. So again 0:16:53.080 --> 0:16:57.480 another regret there. But the Packers, you know, Rashid Walker 0:16:57.520 --> 0:17:01.240 stepped in at left tackle for David you had Royce 0:17:01.320 --> 0:17:04.080 Newman ended up stepping in for Elton Jenkins. Sounds like 0:17:04.160 --> 0:17:06.720 Jenkins is going to be out a couple of weeks 0:17:08.160 --> 0:17:12.919 at a minimum with a knee injury, and yosh Nimen 0:17:13.000 --> 0:17:15.439 coming in and playing some snaps of tackle when Rashid 0:17:15.480 --> 0:17:18.040 Walker is playing as the sixth thougher lineman kind of 0:17:18.040 --> 0:17:20.879 that extra tight end thing, whatever you want to call it. 0:17:21.960 --> 0:17:24.320 Packers had a lot of moving parts on the offensive 0:17:24.320 --> 0:17:27.200 line in this game, and unfortunately things just didn't come 0:17:27.240 --> 0:17:30.080 together in the fourth quarter. But twenty four points through 0:17:30.119 --> 0:17:32.639 the first three quarters on the road, that's not a 0:17:32.680 --> 0:17:35.240 bad performance. You just wish they could have added you know, 0:17:35.320 --> 0:17:37.400 all they needed was one drive and you don't even 0:17:37.440 --> 0:17:40.560 know if they necessarily needed points. They needed one drive 0:17:40.720 --> 0:17:43.240 something to get to get going, to move the chains, 0:17:43.280 --> 0:17:45.919 to flip the field, to kill some clock, you know, 0:17:46.400 --> 0:17:51.040 take your pick. And unfortunately, just the fourth quarter didn't 0:17:51.080 --> 0:17:54.000 live up to how they had performed in the first thing. 0:17:54.080 --> 0:17:57.080 No, and I think it ultimately, Yeah, it's hard to 0:17:57.080 --> 0:17:58.919 get into a rhythm when you're you know, when you 0:17:58.960 --> 0:18:01.200 have one team that controls the ball for thirty six minutes, 0:18:01.240 --> 0:18:03.560 it runs seventy eight, seventy six plays whatever it was, 0:18:03.560 --> 0:18:06.679 and the other one's at forty seven. Yeah, and unlike 0:18:06.720 --> 0:18:08.560 out of the you know, the break in Chicago where 0:18:08.600 --> 0:18:10.560 you had Aaron Jones, you had a veteran to turn 0:18:10.640 --> 0:18:12.640 to Green Bay didn't really have that in this game. 0:18:12.680 --> 0:18:15.120 I thought that showed down the stretch. But I'll tell 0:18:15.119 --> 0:18:17.479 you what, man, those are the type of crucibles though, 0:18:17.520 --> 0:18:19.399 that guys learned from, especially when you have to like 0:18:19.480 --> 0:18:20.720 kind of look at each other and be like, Okay, 0:18:20.720 --> 0:18:22.359 how are we going to figure this thing out? And 0:18:22.880 --> 0:18:24.919