WEBVTT - #510 Packers Unscripted: Down the stretch 0:00:00.800 --> 0:00:14.440 Hi everyone, Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:14.480 --> 0:00:17.040 I am Mike Spofford. He is the one and only 0:00:17.120 --> 0:00:19.800 West Hodkowitz. We're coming to you here from our studios 0:00:20.200 --> 0:00:22.439 at lambeau Field West. It's the middle of the week. 0:00:23.120 --> 0:00:26.640 Packers forty Niners for the NFC Championship will take place 0:00:26.680 --> 0:00:31.200 on Sunday PM Central Time. This is normally the show 0:00:31.240 --> 0:00:34.320 where we take a closer look at the Packers opponent. 0:00:34.920 --> 0:00:37.360 We were just doing so with the forty Niners about 0:00:37.360 --> 0:00:40.200 a month and a half ago, so we won't necessarily 0:00:40.240 --> 0:00:41.879 review all of that, but I do want to take 0:00:41.920 --> 0:00:44.320 a look at before we get to some Pro Football 0:00:44.360 --> 0:00:46.120 Hall of Fame news later in the show, just to 0:00:46.200 --> 0:00:48.120 tease that a little bit, but I do want to 0:00:48.159 --> 0:00:51.479 take a look at the forty Niners season, how it 0:00:51.600 --> 0:00:57.560 finished up after the victory over the Packers in Week twelve, 0:00:57.600 --> 0:00:59.560 and when you look at how this unfolded for San 0:00:59.600 --> 0:01:06.000 Francis Go. The Niners final five regular season games literally 0:01:06.120 --> 0:01:08.560 came down to the last play of the game. I 0:01:08.560 --> 0:01:12.039 mean they were involved in crunch time game. After crunch 0:01:12.120 --> 0:01:15.760 time game, they went three and two. They lost to 0:01:15.760 --> 0:01:18.040 the Ravens on the last second field goal. They lost 0:01:18.040 --> 0:01:20.920 to the Falcons on a last second touchdown, but they 0:01:20.959 --> 0:01:24.280 pulled out victories over the Saints, over the Rams, and 0:01:24.319 --> 0:01:27.199 over the Seahawks to win the NFC West and get 0:01:27.240 --> 0:01:30.119 that NFC's number one seed, which is why they are 0:01:30.160 --> 0:01:33.720 hosting the Packers this weekend. It was a really, really 0:01:34.000 --> 0:01:37.959 uh tough stretch of games, a gauntlet so to speak, 0:01:38.000 --> 0:01:41.319 that the Forts finished their season. Yeah, and honestly, I 0:01:41.360 --> 0:01:43.240 think there's maybe one game in there that they didn't 0:01:43.240 --> 0:01:45.720 play well. I felt like the Atlanta game they just 0:01:45.800 --> 0:01:48.720 they played poorly in that other ones, I mean, they 0:01:48.760 --> 0:01:50.520 had a couple of things that didn't go their way, 0:01:50.560 --> 0:01:52.920 But I mean I thought they put together a good 0:01:52.920 --> 0:01:55.960 effort against the Saints. Obviously, the game against the Ravens 0:01:56.080 --> 0:01:58.120 was what it was. Robbie Gold, I believe, was still 0:01:58.200 --> 0:02:02.160 injured during that game, and obviously, you know, the Ravens 0:02:02.160 --> 0:02:04.120 won it on a game winning field goal. And then 0:02:04.120 --> 0:02:06.280 you go to that Seahawks game, and it's funny, Mike, 0:02:06.320 --> 0:02:09.120 when you look at how the Packers won that game 0:02:09.160 --> 0:02:11.680 against Seattle. Now, while they had a little bit more 0:02:11.720 --> 0:02:15.079 breathing room than the Forts did, very similar in how 0:02:15.120 --> 0:02:18.919 those second halves played out, can you stop Russell Wilson 0:02:19.320 --> 0:02:21.600 that one play, that one drive that you need you 0:02:21.720 --> 0:02:24.880 to fill, you know, get a victory. San Francisco did that, 0:02:25.600 --> 0:02:27.760 and it just shows you that it doesn't matter if 0:02:27.800 --> 0:02:30.160 you're the first ranked defense or the last ranked defense. 0:02:30.200 --> 0:02:32.080 If you're going up against Russell Wilson, you're in for 0:02:32.120 --> 0:02:35.840 a long afternoon. And when they needed, I felt they 0:02:35.880 --> 0:02:38.680 needed to pull things together and make a statement. They 0:02:38.720 --> 0:02:41.359 did that against Minnesota. That was the game where they 0:02:41.360 --> 0:02:43.520 definitively put their foot down and said we are the 0:02:43.520 --> 0:02:46.800 better team. Because you're right. That was an absolute gauntlet. 0:02:47.000 --> 0:02:49.480 They won games that maybe they shouldn't have when you 0:02:49.480 --> 0:02:52.000 look at the Rams contest, and they lost a game 0:02:52.120 --> 0:02:54.720 against the Falcons that they very much should have won. 0:02:55.639 --> 0:02:57.399 They were the number one seed, they got the first 0:02:57.480 --> 0:02:59.200 round by they put it to good use. They're very 0:02:59.200 --> 0:03:01.440 healthy and had the performance that they did against the 0:03:01.520 --> 0:03:04.080 Vikings well. And I think the game that everybody points 0:03:04.120 --> 0:03:06.920 to as probably the game of the year in the 0:03:07.080 --> 0:03:09.800 NFL as far as the regular season is concerned, was 0:03:09.880 --> 0:03:12.480 that forty Niners visit to the super Dome in New 0:03:12.600 --> 0:03:16.360 Orleans back and forth. One of the highest scoring games 0:03:16.360 --> 0:03:19.080 in the NFL. The final was forty forty six. New 0:03:19.200 --> 0:03:21.560 Orleans gets a touchdown. I believe it was less than 0:03:21.600 --> 0:03:24.120 a minute to go, like fifty some seconds on the clock. 0:03:24.520 --> 0:03:27.519 New Orleans takes the lead. The forty Niners come back 0:03:27.560 --> 0:03:29.600 the other way and they look they're hanging by a 0:03:29.680 --> 0:03:32.880 thread there at fourth down. The game is on the line, 0:03:33.360 --> 0:03:36.280 and then George Kittle catches the pass, breaks some tackles, 0:03:36.280 --> 0:03:39.080 gets a big play down the field, and that sets 0:03:39.120 --> 0:03:41.960 up the game winning field goal. Not only obviously was 0:03:42.040 --> 0:03:46.680 that instrumental in the forty Niners ultimately getting the number 0:03:46.720 --> 0:03:49.720 one seed, it also helped the Packers get a first 0:03:49.800 --> 0:03:52.120 round by because it tagged a loss on the Saints. 0:03:52.160 --> 0:03:55.080 That ended up proving pivotal as far as all of 0:03:55.080 --> 0:03:57.840 the tie breakers and everything else went with regard to 0:03:57.880 --> 0:04:00.680 the playoff seeding. But that was one ale of a game, 0:04:00.680 --> 0:04:02.760 and I think that was the game that a lot 0:04:02.840 --> 0:04:06.080 of people said, Okay, that's the one that really pegs 0:04:06.080 --> 0:04:08.920 the Niners as the team to beat in the NFC 0:04:09.040 --> 0:04:11.640 because they went into New Orleans. Everybody knows that's a 0:04:11.680 --> 0:04:15.000 tough place to play. They want to shoot out and 0:04:15.160 --> 0:04:17.920 uh and they did it in pretty impressive fashion yea, 0:04:17.960 --> 0:04:20.280 and they got a two point stop at the end 0:04:20.279 --> 0:04:22.560 of that game. You know, there was the touchdown pass 0:04:22.600 --> 0:04:24.760 from Breeze with fifty three seconds, that's right, and the 0:04:24.760 --> 0:04:26.880 Saints went for two. They went for two because they 0:04:26.880 --> 0:04:29.800 want to be able to persive it absolute point advantage. 0:04:30.040 --> 0:04:32.479 And for the exact reason that played out, Robbie Gold 0:04:32.480 --> 0:04:35.400 comes down, makes the thirty yard field goal, forty Niners win. 0:04:35.640 --> 0:04:37.880 But you know, much like the Packers and and JR. 0:04:37.880 --> 0:04:40.680 Alexander getting that sack of Wilson, you know, those those 0:04:40.680 --> 0:04:43.400 can be such momentum turning plays, even though they aren't 0:04:43.400 --> 0:04:45.119 always the first thing to the top of your mind. 0:04:45.680 --> 0:04:48.480 I just felt like the San Francisco forty Niners showed 0:04:48.480 --> 0:04:50.920 a lot of fortitude and grit during the second half 0:04:50.920 --> 0:04:53.560 of the season, because, yeah, you can talk about those 0:04:53.640 --> 0:04:56.120 last five games in the regular season, all of them 0:04:56.160 --> 0:04:59.039 being one score. Before that, they had to knock down, 0:04:59.080 --> 0:05:03.960 drag out games against Arizona. They've really been tested when 0:05:03.960 --> 0:05:05.760 when you look at how their season has played out. 0:05:05.800 --> 0:05:07.160 What was the other game too, I'm trying to think 0:05:07.200 --> 0:05:09.880 of off the top of my head, uh, Seattle beating 0:05:09.920 --> 0:05:13.280 them on November eleven, twenty four Yeah, that overtime game 0:05:13.279 --> 0:05:15.480 on Monday night that almost ended in a tie. Like 0:05:15.520 --> 0:05:18.960 the over, the overtime almost expired before the Seahawks won. Yeah, 0:05:19.000 --> 0:05:20.760 and so much of this is put on the Packers for, 0:05:20.800 --> 0:05:22.480 you know, winning ugly and all these things. I mean, 0:05:22.480 --> 0:05:25.200 people kind of forget that once the forty niner is lost, 0:05:25.279 --> 0:05:28.279 and even before that, you know, them beating Washington nine 0:05:28.320 --> 0:05:30.599 to zero. I mean, they've had to win ugly two. 0:05:31.080 --> 0:05:34.120 That's what makes this game great and as good as 0:05:34.560 --> 0:05:36.920 Seattle has been in the second half this year, and 0:05:37.160 --> 0:05:40.080 how they've won their share of one score games. I 0:05:40.120 --> 0:05:42.200 think when you look at the true strength and makeup 0:05:42.240 --> 0:05:44.560 of the NFC right now, as I said on yesterday's show, 0:05:45.080 --> 0:05:48.360 it's Green Bay and it's San Francisco. It's these two 0:05:48.400 --> 0:05:51.760 Titans that are finally gonna clash here, And as Kyle 0:05:51.760 --> 0:05:53.800 Shannon's talked about, as Matt with Floors talked about, this 0:05:53.880 --> 0:05:57.480 is going to be a different game. I'm mostly just 0:05:57.800 --> 0:06:01.479 interested in seeing one what adjustments Anahan makes offensively in 0:06:01.520 --> 0:06:04.720 this rematch against Mike Petton, his former head coach when 0:06:04.720 --> 0:06:08.880 they were together in Cleveland, and how Matt Lafleur tries 0:06:08.960 --> 0:06:12.400 to steer the ship differently for this offense in Round 0:06:12.400 --> 0:06:15.120 two against San Francisco. What did he learn from maybe 0:06:15.200 --> 0:06:17.520 watching the Rams? What did he learn from watching what's 0:06:17.640 --> 0:06:21.920 the Saints did? Is there certain avenues towards victory there 0:06:21.920 --> 0:06:24.320 that maybe the Packers didn't explore the first time that 0:06:24.360 --> 0:06:26.520 would allow him to get off to a faster start. Yeah, 0:06:26.600 --> 0:06:29.640 and obviously I think the Packers are are looking for 0:06:29.760 --> 0:06:33.560 a faster start. Things went south early in that that 0:06:33.680 --> 0:06:37.800 first matchup in Week twelve, and the Packers never really recovered. That. 0:06:37.920 --> 0:06:40.400 Being said, you know, you look at the way the 0:06:40.440 --> 0:06:42.760 forty niner season ended, as we talked about, with all 0:06:42.800 --> 0:06:44.760 these close games. You look at the way the Packers 0:06:44.960 --> 0:06:47.760 entire season is gone. With all these close games in 0:06:47.800 --> 0:06:50.159 the fourth quarter, you just get the feeling, just like 0:06:50.800 --> 0:06:55.600 with the Seattle game um last week, that that this one, 0:06:55.760 --> 0:06:58.360 this one's gonna be a four quarter battle. The Week 0:06:58.400 --> 0:07:03.599 twelve result, notwithstanding the the overwhelming evidence with regard to 0:07:03.640 --> 0:07:06.040 these two teams is that these are the kind these 0:07:06.040 --> 0:07:07.839 are the kind of games that they play. I remember 0:07:08.720 --> 0:07:10.520 keeping an eye on that. I believe it was a 0:07:10.520 --> 0:07:13.640 Saturday night game in Week sixteen when the forty Niners 0:07:13.640 --> 0:07:16.400 were playing the Rams, which of course Packers fans had 0:07:16.400 --> 0:07:20.360 their eye on because of potential seating possibilities and all 0:07:20.400 --> 0:07:23.800 of that. And the game is tied, and twice on 0:07:23.920 --> 0:07:26.920 San Francisco's game winning drive to kick the walk off 0:07:26.960 --> 0:07:30.720 field goal at the end, they had third and sixteen. Offensively, 0:07:30.800 --> 0:07:34.080 they converted it both times, you know, much like you 0:07:34.120 --> 0:07:36.760 know the Packers hitting the big third down conversions against 0:07:36.800 --> 0:07:39.880 Seattle to not give Russell Wilson another chance. The Rams 0:07:39.880 --> 0:07:42.360 were in great shape. You're at third and sixteen, you 0:07:42.400 --> 0:07:44.160 get a stop, you got a minute or so on 0:07:44.200 --> 0:07:47.120 the clock. Jared Goff maybe drives them down to to 0:07:47.240 --> 0:07:50.160 kick a field goal and win that game. But um, 0:07:50.360 --> 0:07:54.320 Jimmy Garoppolo converts a pair of third and sixteens. The 0:07:54.320 --> 0:07:58.360 the number of crunch time, clutch moments that both of 0:07:58.360 --> 0:08:01.400 these teams have been through throughout the course of the season, 0:08:01.440 --> 0:08:03.800 I think is what really makes this interesting that now 0:08:03.840 --> 0:08:06.720 they're the last two teams standing in the NFC. Yeah, 0:08:06.720 --> 0:08:09.560 and what is an NFL season like? It is a 0:08:09.640 --> 0:08:13.760 battle of attrition. It's trying to, you know, manage the 0:08:13.840 --> 0:08:16.400 highs and the lows of a year. Because, as everyone 0:08:16.440 --> 0:08:18.840 always likes to talk about it's been what forty seven 0:08:18.920 --> 0:08:21.000 years now since the team has gone undefeated for an 0:08:21.120 --> 0:08:24.239 entire season through the Super Bowl. You're gonna take losses, 0:08:24.280 --> 0:08:26.840 You're gonna take punches on your chin, But how do 0:08:26.880 --> 0:08:28.800 you bounce back for them? And I think see San 0:08:28.840 --> 0:08:30.760 Francisco and Green Bay have been two of the most 0:08:30.800 --> 0:08:33.720 resilient teams in the NFL this year, and it goes 0:08:33.800 --> 0:08:37.800 back to confidence. Uh, these teams are not swayed by, 0:08:38.120 --> 0:08:41.280 you know, certain outcomes of adversity. They if they if 0:08:41.280 --> 0:08:43.360 they're gonna take a loss, they're gonna learn from it 0:08:43.400 --> 0:08:45.839 and they're gonna try their best the following week to 0:08:46.040 --> 0:08:49.640 not replicate those mistakes. That's what stood out to me 0:08:49.679 --> 0:08:51.400 the most during the second half of the season with 0:08:51.400 --> 0:08:54.760 San Francisco because it's not like, Okay, you have Jerry 0:08:54.880 --> 0:08:57.440 Rice and you've got you know, Garrison Hurst. You have 0:08:57.520 --> 0:08:59.200 guys that you need to feed the football too, and 0:08:59.240 --> 0:09:02.240 that's your offense. That's not the way they operate. They 0:09:02.280 --> 0:09:04.680 got three different running backs, four different running backs. If 0:09:04.720 --> 0:09:06.679 you want to throw Jeff Wilson in there, that can 0:09:06.720 --> 0:09:08.800 all take the ball in the backfield. The Packers got 0:09:09.040 --> 0:09:11.800 a little familiar with Wilson in that first game. You 0:09:12.040 --> 0:09:15.040 you have, yes, Emmanuel Sanders that came in, but they 0:09:15.040 --> 0:09:17.560 didn't just start piping the ball to Emmanuel Sanders every 0:09:17.559 --> 0:09:21.760 single down. You have different areas where they thrive in. 0:09:21.960 --> 0:09:24.000 I think they have the best tight end in football, 0:09:24.040 --> 0:09:27.480 they have the best fullback in football. They win in 0:09:27.679 --> 0:09:32.760 unconventional ways, and they thrive unconventionally. That statistic as I 0:09:32.800 --> 0:09:36.240 was watching the game against Minnesota that I wasn't familiar 0:09:36.280 --> 0:09:39.240 with is the fact that Jimmy Garoppolo's average yards per 0:09:39.280 --> 0:09:42.520 pass are the league's low right now among quarterbacks. They 0:09:42.559 --> 0:09:44.959 asked so much in terms of yards after catch from 0:09:44.960 --> 0:09:48.240 their receivers to get the ball and then create afterwards. 0:09:48.440 --> 0:09:50.880 Get the ball in open field and let your athletes work. 0:09:51.440 --> 0:09:55.240 That's what's made them so I think, honestly dominant throughout 0:09:55.280 --> 0:09:57.600 the course of the year, because if there's anything that 0:09:57.760 --> 0:10:00.320 is difficult to beat in the NFL, it's a team 0:10:00.360 --> 0:10:03.400 that consistently moves the chains and gets first down. In 0:10:03.440 --> 0:10:05.480 San Francisco for the large part of this season, has 0:10:05.520 --> 0:10:07.800 been one of the best at doing that. Yeah. Absolutely, 0:10:08.000 --> 0:10:11.160 And when you look at last week's game against Minnesota, 0:10:11.240 --> 0:10:13.960 which really was quite a statement by the four Niners. 0:10:13.960 --> 0:10:16.160 The way they dominated that game. They obviously used the 0:10:16.160 --> 0:10:19.440 playoff by to their advantage. They got some guys healthy, 0:10:19.720 --> 0:10:22.079 and they were in control of that game pretty much 0:10:22.120 --> 0:10:24.560 from start to finish. Garoppolo made the one mistake he 0:10:24.600 --> 0:10:27.560 threw the interception to Eric Kendricks, but the Vikings didn't 0:10:27.600 --> 0:10:29.960 totally capitalize on it. They only got a field goal 0:10:30.000 --> 0:10:32.880 out of it, and uh and then the Vikings never 0:10:32.920 --> 0:10:37.320 were able to completely close the gap. What Minnesota was 0:10:37.400 --> 0:10:41.000 able to do in that game was limit George Kittle, 0:10:41.080 --> 0:10:43.079 which not a lot of teams have been able to do. 0:10:43.880 --> 0:10:46.000 And I'm no xs and OS expert, and I did 0:10:46.000 --> 0:10:47.880 not sit and watch the game from start to finish, 0:10:47.960 --> 0:10:51.840 had some other things going on on Saturday. But in 0:10:51.960 --> 0:10:54.480 stopping George Kittle, the one thing the Vikings were not 0:10:54.600 --> 0:10:57.319 able to do was stop the running game, because because 0:10:57.320 --> 0:10:59.839 San Francisco just pounded the ball I think one of 0:10:59.880 --> 0:11:02.520 the touchdown drives, didn't They run the ball on every 0:11:02.520 --> 0:11:05.760 single play, like seven or eight plays for sixty yards 0:11:05.800 --> 0:11:09.040 something like that. So Minnesota was able to take Kiddle 0:11:09.080 --> 0:11:10.960 out of the game, but was that at the expense 0:11:11.000 --> 0:11:12.880 of not being able to stop the run I mean, 0:11:13.040 --> 0:11:15.120 that's what makes these guys so tough to defend. And 0:11:15.160 --> 0:11:17.880 what you said about whatever adjustments Petton is going to make, 0:11:18.080 --> 0:11:20.719 and as we've talked about whatever adjustments the Fleur might 0:11:20.760 --> 0:11:23.240 make in terms of trying to get Aaron Rodgers out 0:11:23.240 --> 0:11:26.560 of the pocket. Look at look at what the Rams did. Uh, 0:11:26.600 --> 0:11:30.439 you know, in terms of working sideline to sideline offensively 0:11:30.520 --> 0:11:33.360 to uh to get that defense moving. It all sounds 0:11:33.400 --> 0:11:37.400 great in theory, but you have to execute it so 0:11:37.520 --> 0:11:41.320 precisely against these guys because they're really, really good. Yeah. 0:11:41.480 --> 0:11:43.520 And the reason I'm gonna agree with you that I 0:11:43.520 --> 0:11:46.480 think that is what happened. The emphasis on Kittle in 0:11:46.480 --> 0:11:48.640 the pasting game costs them against the run is because 0:11:48.760 --> 0:11:51.959 San Francisco had forty seven carries forty three if you 0:11:51.960 --> 0:11:55.640 don't want to count Garoppolo. Their longest carry was eleven yards. 0:11:56.160 --> 0:11:58.640 I mean, this isn't Derrick Henry wearing you down, wearing 0:11:58.640 --> 0:12:00.600 you down and then busting a big one. They were 0:12:00.640 --> 0:12:03.559 just ahead of the chains. Everything they were. They were 0:12:03.559 --> 0:12:05.920 in second and three, second and four. It seemed like 0:12:05.960 --> 0:12:07.920 the vast, the vast majority of the time I was 0:12:07.960 --> 0:12:10.720 looking at the screen, I wasn't seeing San Francisco in 0:12:10.800 --> 0:12:12.800 second and eight or second nine. It was second and 0:12:12.840 --> 0:12:15.679 four or second and five, second and two and uh. 0:12:15.720 --> 0:12:18.840 And that's a great way to live offensively, especially with 0:12:18.880 --> 0:12:21.360 that offense, when you use bunch formations and you're so 0:12:21.440 --> 0:12:24.320 tight end heavy, it isn't trying to get you know, 0:12:24.400 --> 0:12:27.280 stretch plays down the field. It's not trying to to 0:12:27.440 --> 0:12:30.000 you know, run go routes and outbreakers and trying to 0:12:30.080 --> 0:12:32.760 do things to make it explosive play happen. They're just 0:12:32.840 --> 0:12:35.719 they forced them organically, if that even makes sense. I mean, 0:12:36.240 --> 0:12:38.720 they are just going to keep pushing the ball down 0:12:38.760 --> 0:12:42.439 your throat until you just can't take it. And that's 0:12:42.480 --> 0:12:45.120 the reason I think. For example, here twenty one first 0:12:45.120 --> 0:12:49.160 downs forty in this game, there were seven for the Vikings. 0:12:49.320 --> 0:12:52.920 Jimmy Grappil only completed eleven passes. The time of possession 0:12:52.960 --> 0:12:57.280 was thirty one thirty three. Kyle Shanahan says all the 0:12:57.360 --> 0:12:59.040 right things this week, and I think people who don't 0:12:59.040 --> 0:13:01.320 really understand the four Niners and the way they win 0:13:01.400 --> 0:13:03.720 will say, well, you know, he's just giving his guys 0:13:03.760 --> 0:13:05.960 the right message that you know, you can't look at 0:13:06.000 --> 0:13:07.960 that first game with Green Bay. You gotta be focused 0:13:08.000 --> 0:13:10.880 on this one, yes, but it's also the fact that 0:13:10.960 --> 0:13:14.079 they won that game in a very different fashion than 0:13:14.120 --> 0:13:18.040 they usually win. The Packers dominated time of possession, The 0:13:18.040 --> 0:13:23.880 Packers ran seventy offensive place at Green Bay was being 0:13:23.920 --> 0:13:25.320 forced to go the length of the field. I don't 0:13:25.320 --> 0:13:27.160 even think they got two hundred yards of total offense, 0:13:27.720 --> 0:13:31.640 and San Francisco was being opportunistic. That's a way to win, 0:13:31.840 --> 0:13:33.800 and it's allowed San Francisco to be a number one 0:13:33.840 --> 0:13:35.320 seed and has allowed them to be one of the 0:13:35.320 --> 0:13:38.240 best teams in football. But that's not their bread and butter. 0:13:38.280 --> 0:13:41.880 Their bread and butter is doing what they did so 0:13:41.920 --> 0:13:45.920 that when you're in the fourth quarter, your will is broken. Yeah, 0:13:46.080 --> 0:13:49.160 that's what that's that's uh, that's definitely what they're after 0:13:49.200 --> 0:13:51.640 and they had. They did have some breakdowns in the 0:13:51.679 --> 0:13:53.839 fourth quarter late in the season that cost him a 0:13:53.880 --> 0:13:57.240 couple of games. To their credit, they also bounced back 0:13:57.280 --> 0:13:59.480 from a few of those breakdowns and they did not 0:14:00.040 --> 0:14:02.520 ultimately give away the number one seed. And that's why 0:14:02.520 --> 0:14:04.600 they're playing at home on Sunday. And here's the other 0:14:04.640 --> 0:14:06.680 thing too, you have to consider with this, and we 0:14:06.800 --> 0:14:09.240 talked about a little bit, but it's big man. Joe 0:14:09.240 --> 0:14:12.959 Staley's back for them now, Kwon Alexander is back for them. 0:14:13.040 --> 0:14:15.280 De Ford is back for them, And there's a certain 0:14:15.679 --> 0:14:18.040 line of thinking out there. For as much attention as 0:14:18.080 --> 0:14:20.560 Bosa has gotten this year, that a lot of that 0:14:20.640 --> 0:14:24.040 attention and a lot of that success is going hand 0:14:24.040 --> 0:14:26.560 in hand with having DeFord on the field, much like 0:14:26.640 --> 0:14:29.000 having both of the Smith bros. When you get those 0:14:29.120 --> 0:14:32.480 multiple pass rushers in different ways to pressure, that's going 0:14:32.520 --> 0:14:35.880 to enable your playmakers to make more plays. This is 0:14:35.880 --> 0:14:38.240 a big challenge, no question about it. On the flip side, 0:14:38.280 --> 0:14:40.920 the Viking, sorry not the Vikings, the forty Niners have 0:14:41.080 --> 0:14:44.560 lost two players on the interior in the trenches, center 0:14:44.640 --> 0:14:49.040 Weston Richburg and defensive tackle those tackle DJ Jones are 0:14:49.080 --> 0:14:50.960 both out for the season now, so that'll be a 0:14:51.000 --> 0:14:53.840 little bit different from what the Packers faced back in 0:14:53.880 --> 0:14:55.880 Week twelve. And rich Burg would you go back to 0:14:56.360 --> 0:14:58.760 when John Lynch was building this team and they signed 0:14:58.840 --> 0:15:01.040 him over from the Giants. I felt like that was 0:15:01.360 --> 0:15:03.920 no no antenna, but a Lynch pin for their offensive 0:15:03.960 --> 0:15:06.960 line because the way they want to run the ball, 0:15:07.360 --> 0:15:10.520 in the way that he kind of compliments that style 0:15:10.720 --> 0:15:13.120 that is a challenge, no question about it. Um and 0:15:13.120 --> 0:15:15.880 it's gonna be a good matchup. Well, quickly, here's some 0:15:15.920 --> 0:15:19.880 sponsored business. Select Cousin Subs locations are now offering delivery. 0:15:19.960 --> 0:15:22.920 Whether you're ordering catering or your favorite sub, they're delivering 0:15:23.000 --> 0:15:26.040 right to you when you order online at Cousin Subs 0:15:26.160 --> 0:15:29.840 dot com. Cousin Subs we believe in better. Okay, I 0:15:29.880 --> 0:15:31.840 said we would get to the Pro Football Hall of 0:15:31.840 --> 0:15:33.880 Fame news. So that is where we are going to 0:15:33.960 --> 0:15:38.840 turn the Hall of Fame's centennial slate, this special class 0:15:39.640 --> 0:15:44.080 that is being inducted as part of the NFL's one season. 0:15:44.120 --> 0:15:48.560 There were several former Packers that were in the finalist stage, 0:15:48.600 --> 0:15:53.160 the contenders for um this honor. The only one who 0:15:53.240 --> 0:15:55.800 has been elected now to the Hall of Fame from 0:15:55.800 --> 0:16:00.320 that group is defensive back Bobby Dylan, uh LaVey Wegg 0:16:00.560 --> 0:16:04.880 cecil isbel Verne Llewellyn, and former head coach Mike Holmgren, 0:16:05.560 --> 0:16:09.119 who were all strong candidates did not make the cut. Unfortunately, 0:16:09.200 --> 0:16:11.160 we'll get to a little bit of that later. But 0:16:11.880 --> 0:16:16.120 I know that this special blue Ribbon panel Centennial Committee 0:16:16.120 --> 0:16:19.160 that the Hall of Fame put together to handle this 0:16:19.280 --> 0:16:24.600 process to elect this special class. Ron Wolfe was on it, 0:16:24.720 --> 0:16:27.320 and I know Ron Wolfe is a very strong advocate 0:16:27.360 --> 0:16:30.160 for Bobby Dillon. He'd been on record saying that he thought, 0:16:30.160 --> 0:16:33.320 as far as any former Packers who were deserving of 0:16:33.360 --> 0:16:35.120 the Hall of Fame, but we're not in that he 0:16:35.200 --> 0:16:38.280 thought Bobby Dylan had was the biggest oversight. So I'm 0:16:38.320 --> 0:16:41.080 sure that Ron Wolfe had a big part in Bobby 0:16:41.120 --> 0:16:45.040 Dylan getting getting in here. And for those who are wondering, well, 0:16:45.120 --> 0:16:48.560 who exactly is Bobby Dylon. You might think the Packers 0:16:48.640 --> 0:16:51.800 all time leader in interceptions as someone like her Batterlee 0:16:51.880 --> 0:16:55.480 or Charles Woodson, It's Bobby Dylon. He intercepted fifty two 0:16:55.520 --> 0:16:59.080 passes during his time with the Packers. That is still 0:16:59.160 --> 0:17:04.240 the franchise all time record, and um unfortunately for him, 0:17:04.240 --> 0:17:07.560 it's a posthumous honor. But congratulations to to his family 0:17:07.640 --> 0:17:11.000 and his descendants who will will have something to celebrate 0:17:11.040 --> 0:17:13.960 this year. It is quite an honor. However it happens 0:17:14.240 --> 0:17:16.680 to go into Canton. I am extremely happy for them 0:17:16.680 --> 0:17:18.840 and I hope they can take some pride in this honor. 0:17:18.880 --> 0:17:21.400 And obviously he did pass away in August at eighty nine, 0:17:21.440 --> 0:17:23.679 years old, and our sympathies and condolences go out to 0:17:23.720 --> 0:17:26.600 them for that. But it is a tremendous honor. And 0:17:26.640 --> 0:17:28.640 as you said, Ron Wolf has been a huge advocate 0:17:28.680 --> 0:17:30.560 for him for a number of years. I know there's 0:17:30.560 --> 0:17:32.320 a number of Packer players that he kind of took 0:17:32.320 --> 0:17:34.639 a liking to, just with him being the historian of 0:17:34.720 --> 0:17:37.280 this game that that he is. Yeah, the thing I 0:17:37.320 --> 0:17:40.080 love about Bobby Dylan's story is one you have to understand. 0:17:40.160 --> 0:17:44.080 If Bobby Dylan would have been eight years younger and 0:17:44.200 --> 0:17:46.720 been there during the Lombardi years, this guy would have 0:17:46.760 --> 0:17:49.400 been probably a first ballot Hall of Fame. He really 0:17:49.400 --> 0:17:52.960 would have been. Can you imagine. Can you imagine Bobby Dylan, 0:17:53.160 --> 0:17:56.000 Herb Adderley, and Willie would all in the same secondary 0:17:56.080 --> 0:17:57.959 as you say, if it was the era had just 0:17:58.000 --> 0:17:59.800 shifted maybe a little bit. And this is the other 0:17:59.840 --> 0:18:02.320 thing that's great about forties and fifties. I felt like 0:18:02.400 --> 0:18:04.639 two of the strongest candidates, I'll be honest with you, 0:18:05.119 --> 0:18:07.159 the gentleman from the twenties. I don't know much about them, 0:18:07.160 --> 0:18:08.760 but I know a lot about Cecil Hasabell, and I 0:18:08.800 --> 0:18:11.040 know a lot about Bobby Dylan. And the thing is 0:18:11.080 --> 0:18:14.320 they both cut their career short. Uh, Dylan, and for 0:18:14.359 --> 0:18:17.120 the same reason. Football was different in the forties and fifties. 0:18:17.119 --> 0:18:19.240 Guys wanted to make money. You didn't make money by 0:18:19.240 --> 0:18:22.080 playing football. If you were married and had a family. 0:18:22.200 --> 0:18:24.200 You got to explain that to your wife, why you're 0:18:24.240 --> 0:18:26.800 doing this when there's more money to be made. And 0:18:26.840 --> 0:18:29.360 I think, what was it plastics or whatever. Dylan eventually 0:18:29.359 --> 0:18:32.680 got into and and cecil Isabel ended up quitting after 0:18:32.720 --> 0:18:35.040 the retiring whatever you wanna call it, after five years 0:18:35.560 --> 0:18:38.639 and got into to being a head coach. And the 0:18:38.720 --> 0:18:41.280 thing that's great about Dylan though, is he played for 0:18:41.359 --> 0:18:44.720 six head coaches in eight years. Those were lean years 0:18:44.760 --> 0:18:47.920 for the Green Bay Packers. He had fifty two interceptions 0:18:48.200 --> 0:18:51.280 in eight seasons, the second most in the NFL at 0:18:51.280 --> 0:18:52.840 that time. And the guy, the gentleman that was in 0:18:52.880 --> 0:18:55.639 front of him, you know, played four more years and 0:18:55.640 --> 0:18:59.000 and everything else. Uh. It was an incredible run that 0:18:59.080 --> 0:19:02.919 he got on. And the fact that he was blind 0:19:03.000 --> 0:19:05.440 in one eye, I mean he only had one eye 0:19:05.440 --> 0:19:11.240 he lost. Yeah, remarkable physical attributes that he had and 0:19:11.280 --> 0:19:14.720 how he played the game with that limitation with regards 0:19:14.720 --> 0:19:16.919 to his vision, Yeah, and still being able to to 0:19:17.000 --> 0:19:19.359 lead the NFL all those years, have so many All pros, 0:19:19.440 --> 0:19:22.280 so many Pro Bowlers, And the other thing I love 0:19:22.320 --> 0:19:25.439 too about it is he's basically the one guy that 0:19:25.520 --> 0:19:29.600 kind of said no to Vince Lombardi. Lombardi comes in 0:19:29.600 --> 0:19:33.240 in fifty nine. He basically had already that being dealing, 0:19:33.280 --> 0:19:35.360 had basically made up his mind he was going to retire. 0:19:36.240 --> 0:19:39.159 Lombardi sees this film of him, identifies that this is 0:19:39.200 --> 0:19:41.240 one of our best players, if not the best player 0:19:41.280 --> 0:19:42.920 that I'm inheriting here. We gotta find a way to 0:19:42.920 --> 0:19:45.520 get him to play. And there's just a lot of 0:19:45.760 --> 0:19:48.000 you know, kind of pulling and stretching him, and you know, 0:19:48.560 --> 0:19:50.760