WEBVTT - #644 Packers Unscripted: Roster reinforcements 0:00:00.520 --> 0:00:10.879 Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from 0:00:10.920 --> 0:00:13.760 Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spofford. Heat is my 0:00:13.880 --> 0:00:16.000 partner in crime, West Hod Kuwitz. We're coming to you 0:00:16.120 --> 0:00:19.799 here from our studios at lambeau Field and West. It 0:00:19.880 --> 0:00:22.840 seems every day here during this playoff, by week we 0:00:22.880 --> 0:00:26.160 are getting some new health information with regard to this 0:00:26.239 --> 0:00:29.560 Green Bay Packers roster. This is just remarkable. I'll go 0:00:29.720 --> 0:00:33.880 over essentially what has happened over the last several days, 0:00:33.920 --> 0:00:36.320 you might say. First, of course, David Botieri and Josh 0:00:36.360 --> 0:00:39.680 Meyers get back into action on the offensive line in 0:00:39.720 --> 0:00:43.560 week eighteen. In Detroit. We've seen over the last several 0:00:43.600 --> 0:00:48.279 weeks Randall Cobb and Jaire Alexander both practicing, although they 0:00:48.280 --> 0:00:51.840 haven't gotten back into game action just yet. And now 0:00:51.880 --> 0:00:56.720 this week on the practice field, Billy Turner and Zadarius 0:00:56.760 --> 0:00:59.920 Smith were out there on Wednesday, and then shortly before 0:01:00.080 --> 0:01:03.160 or we turned on the cameras too and microphones to 0:01:03.280 --> 0:01:07.600 record this show, Whitney Merciless was back on the practice 0:01:07.640 --> 0:01:11.200 field for the Green Bay Packers. Now no promises as 0:01:11.200 --> 0:01:15.240 to who exactly will be able to play next weekend 0:01:15.360 --> 0:01:17.960 when the Packers will play their divisional playoff game at 0:01:18.000 --> 0:01:21.840 lambeau Field. But I have never I've covered the Packers 0:01:21.880 --> 0:01:25.440 through multiple times here over the last fifteen sixteen years 0:01:25.480 --> 0:01:28.240 when they've had a bye in the playoffs, I have 0:01:28.360 --> 0:01:32.000 never had a playoff bye week that had this much 0:01:32.319 --> 0:01:35.000 injury related news in it. Yeah, and I've never seen 0:01:35.000 --> 0:01:38.000 anything like this. Uh. I think Raven Green came back 0:01:38.080 --> 0:01:39.959 last year during the playoffs, and that was the one 0:01:39.959 --> 0:01:42.720 player that was kind of designated to return. They've just 0:01:42.760 --> 0:01:44.920 had this whole boatload of guys that it's like their 0:01:44.959 --> 0:01:47.840 timetables to get back on the practice field all basically ended. 0:01:47.880 --> 0:01:50.040 At the same time. A lot of people after I 0:01:50.080 --> 0:01:53.520 tweeted that Mercedes Mercedes, Whitney Merciless, too many ms on 0:01:53.520 --> 0:01:56.880 this team. Uh, Whitney Mercills was back on the practice field. 0:01:56.920 --> 0:01:59.360 So many people were tweeting me like we gotta get 0:01:59.400 --> 0:02:02.840 like the Hortal scene from endgame here from Avengers of 0:02:02.840 --> 0:02:05.400 all the superheroes coming back in for the final battle. 0:02:06.000 --> 0:02:08.919 And to some extent, it's very true. Here's the one 0:02:08.960 --> 0:02:11.760 aspect of this that there's a good reason why you 0:02:11.760 --> 0:02:15.079 you've thought that right up until last year, there wasn't 0:02:15.080 --> 0:02:17.639 an unlimited amount of players that could be designated to return. 0:02:18.320 --> 0:02:20.960 Before that, there wasn't there was one guy on the 0:02:21.080 --> 0:02:23.040 entire team that could return if you go back three 0:02:23.080 --> 0:02:25.280 or four years ago. But but with some of these 0:02:25.320 --> 0:02:28.799 flexibilities that they created with COVID and everything else, you're 0:02:28.840 --> 0:02:30.960 allowed to bring back an unlimited amount of guys off 0:02:30.960 --> 0:02:33.239 injured reserve, which I've always said is the right way 0:02:33.240 --> 0:02:35.200 to go about. It's the way to keep guys healthy 0:02:35.240 --> 0:02:39.280 and safe from a player's safety standpoint. It's exactly what 0:02:39.320 --> 0:02:43.000 the league is should have been doing. But for the 0:02:43.040 --> 0:02:45.240 green you mentioned, you don't know who's going to come back. 0:02:45.320 --> 0:02:47.680 But what I will say is kind of like if 0:02:47.680 --> 0:02:49.320 you're playing a hand to poker and you still got 0:02:49.320 --> 0:02:52.200 the turn in the river coming, somebody's gonna come back. 0:02:52.320 --> 0:02:54.680 I mean, when you have you know, seven eight guys 0:02:54.720 --> 0:02:57.240 that have been injured or on the COVID list or whatnot, 0:02:57.520 --> 0:02:59.320 and you have at least a few of them, some 0:02:59.400 --> 0:03:01.120 of these guys going to be back in the fold. 0:03:01.200 --> 0:03:03.320 So for Green Bay to get this kind of push, 0:03:03.600 --> 0:03:05.079 I don't know if he'll be all eight of them, 0:03:05.120 --> 0:03:07.160 it will be three of them, I don't know, But 0:03:07.360 --> 0:03:09.560 this has to be a big mental boost for the 0:03:09.560 --> 0:03:12.240 Packers here entering this postseason run. Yeah. A couple other 0:03:12.320 --> 0:03:15.320 notes to mention here to Aaron Jones Devandre Campbell, who 0:03:15.360 --> 0:03:17.760 were both held out of the Lions game somewhat on 0:03:17.800 --> 0:03:21.280 a precautionary basis with some minor injuries. Those guys have 0:03:21.360 --> 0:03:23.840 been back on the practice field this week. What is 0:03:23.880 --> 0:03:28.440 the latest with regard to a few other guys, Channon Sullivan, Marquis, 0:03:28.480 --> 0:03:31.560 Velda Scantling, Kingsley, Kiki, do you have an update for us? 0:03:31.600 --> 0:03:35.840 They're still not practicing that that's gonna be the interesting 0:03:35.880 --> 0:03:37.880 thing to see, you know, what these guys do with 0:03:37.920 --> 0:03:41.120 this week in what they're gonna be, you know, you know, 0:03:42.640 --> 0:03:45.040 it doesn't surprise me they're not practicing. Guys coming out 0:03:45.040 --> 0:03:47.360 of a game with an injury, and especially Kiki's case 0:03:47.400 --> 0:03:49.440 has been sort of this this illness type thing that 0:03:49.480 --> 0:03:52.280 he was on the covid lest he came back. It's 0:03:52.320 --> 0:03:54.720 gonna be interesting to see exactly where this thing goes. 0:03:54.800 --> 0:03:56.880 You can't really be too sure until you know, you 0:03:56.920 --> 0:03:59.440 get some more solid evidence behind it. But you know, 0:03:59.480 --> 0:04:02.080 to have the Cobb running routes again out there, to 0:04:02.200 --> 0:04:04.680 have Jr. Alexander and Pads on Thursday. I think that's 0:04:04.680 --> 0:04:06.960 the other thing that's noteworthy too. It wasn't that these 0:04:06.960 --> 0:04:09.800 guys were just out there for like individuals. Packers had 0:04:09.800 --> 0:04:12.760 their pads on on Thursday. I mean Mercedes Lewis, who 0:04:12.760 --> 0:04:15.240 typically takes a veteran rest date, he was out there 0:04:15.240 --> 0:04:18.000 too and pads. So, uh, that's gonna be the big 0:04:18.040 --> 0:04:19.919 thing here. It's it's one thing to be cleared to 0:04:20.000 --> 0:04:22.000 just go out there and do your individual work. It's 0:04:22.000 --> 0:04:23.400 another thing to be able to go out there and 0:04:23.400 --> 0:04:25.400 get the pads back on. And that's something by and 0:04:25.480 --> 0:04:27.640 large Green Bay was able to do on Thursday. Yeah, 0:04:27.640 --> 0:04:30.479 well to to position groups, I think. And this is 0:04:30.520 --> 0:04:33.560 not to discount what Jr. Alexander could potentially bring to 0:04:34.160 --> 0:04:36.800 the defensive backfield if he has worked back into the 0:04:36.839 --> 0:04:40.360 mix for the playoffs, but on on a larger scale, obviously, 0:04:40.400 --> 0:04:42.480 it's worth paying attention to what's going on here with 0:04:42.560 --> 0:04:45.080 the with the offensive line and what the Packers ultimately 0:04:45.120 --> 0:04:48.160 decided to do for the playoffs because Matt lafleur is 0:04:48.200 --> 0:04:50.119 we've talked about on the show. He is a tried 0:04:50.120 --> 0:04:52.920 and true believer and get the five best guys out 0:04:52.960 --> 0:04:56.440 there and the Packers train their offensive linemen, particularly the 0:04:56.480 --> 0:04:58.960 interior guys to be able to play multiple spots, and 0:04:58.960 --> 0:05:01.480 even a guy like Billy Turner who can play tackle 0:05:01.600 --> 0:05:03.960 or guard. He's done that in his time here in 0:05:04.000 --> 0:05:07.600 Green Bay. So seeing where the Packers go with with 0:05:07.640 --> 0:05:11.240 regard to that best five up front as the next 0:05:11.240 --> 0:05:14.040 week and a half develops will be definitely worth watching. 0:05:14.040 --> 0:05:15.760 And then the other thing is with the pass rush 0:05:15.839 --> 0:05:19.039 with the edge rushers, because you have obviously Preston Smith 0:05:19.040 --> 0:05:21.719 and Rashawn Gary and they have carried the load at 0:05:21.760 --> 0:05:25.120 that position for the majority of the season. We saw 0:05:25.240 --> 0:05:29.560 Whitney Merciless starting to make an impact in his brief 0:05:30.000 --> 0:05:33.279 stint here with the Packers right before he you know, 0:05:33.440 --> 0:05:36.680 ultimately got got injured. But now Merciless coming back and 0:05:36.720 --> 0:05:39.920 maybe Zadarius Smith now getting worked into the mix as well. 0:05:40.480 --> 0:05:45.600 The opportunities, the options, the different types of things that 0:05:46.120 --> 0:05:49.359 Joe Barry might be able to do with that group 0:05:49.360 --> 0:05:52.120 of edge rushers. If you can, if Zadarius Smith can 0:05:52.120 --> 0:05:54.799 play ten or twelve snaps, if Whitney Merciless can play 0:05:54.839 --> 0:05:58.600 six to eight snaps, whatever it might be, the possibilities 0:05:58.600 --> 0:06:01.760 are really really intriguing for what this Packers defense could 0:06:01.760 --> 0:06:04.520 look like in certain packages. Yeah, and Merciless is an 0:06:04.560 --> 0:06:06.680 eye opener for me because going back to my days 0:06:06.680 --> 0:06:08.520 at the Press Gazette, you know, we we went through 0:06:08.600 --> 0:06:11.680 b J Roger's biceps injury a lot of times. I 0:06:11.760 --> 0:06:14.320 just thought that thing goes, if you have an injury, 0:06:14.440 --> 0:06:16.600 it's probably gonna keep you off for the season. Yeah, 0:06:16.600 --> 0:06:18.719 you figure that's a season ender. So I don't know. 0:06:19.400 --> 0:06:21.680 You know, the outside linebackers are really far away from 0:06:21.720 --> 0:06:23.440 where we're allowed to view practice, So I don't know 0:06:23.480 --> 0:06:25.240 if he threw a if there there's a you know, 0:06:25.240 --> 0:06:27.120 in harness or something he can put on there, I'm 0:06:27.120 --> 0:06:30.680 not sure, but you know, for what Matt Lafleur sounded like, 0:06:30.720 --> 0:06:33.360 you just remember how downtrodden he was when Merciless went down, 0:06:33.400 --> 0:06:35.839 because it wasn't just what he was doing in the games, 0:06:35.839 --> 0:06:37.600 it was what he was adding to the meeting room. 0:06:37.640 --> 0:06:39.760 I mean, this is a guy who's played eleven years 0:06:39.760 --> 0:06:42.479 in the NFL, the third most games played in Houston 0:06:42.520 --> 0:06:45.240 Texans history. That was a real big vet that I 0:06:45.320 --> 0:06:47.760 think the defense was benefiting from, not just those young 0:06:47.760 --> 0:06:51.479 outside linebackers. So to potentially get him back on the 0:06:51.520 --> 0:06:54.599 field could be huge again, like Preston Smith and Rashawn 0:06:54.640 --> 0:06:58.280 Gary are fully capable of playing of the snaps of 0:06:58.320 --> 0:07:00.719 the snaps in the game. That's the that they've handled 0:07:00.720 --> 0:07:03.279 this thing. Preston has been the epitome of durability during 0:07:03.320 --> 0:07:06.160 his career. But if you could sprinkle in twelve fifteen 0:07:06.160 --> 0:07:08.560 snaps of Zadarius Smith in a divisional round game, or 0:07:08.600 --> 0:07:11.120 maybe even more than that for a conference championship, if 0:07:11.160 --> 0:07:14.280 you can get Whitney Merciless back out there too, even 0:07:14.320 --> 0:07:17.080 if it's a dozen snaps to be able to contribute 0:07:17.120 --> 0:07:19.080 to the cause, give those guys a breather and still 0:07:19.120 --> 0:07:22.760 have elite pass rushing talent out there. Again, we talked 0:07:22.760 --> 0:07:24.760 about the boost that that could bring to this defense, 0:07:24.800 --> 0:07:27.240 but it really could keep that standard up no matter 0:07:27.280 --> 0:07:29.640 which down is on that they're going to have some 0:07:29.880 --> 0:07:33.480 really veteran experienced guys either holding the edges or getting 0:07:33.520 --> 0:07:36.120 after the quarterback. Yeah, and as far as the offensive 0:07:36.160 --> 0:07:38.680 line goes, if all goes well and there aren't any 0:07:38.720 --> 0:07:41.120 issues here over the next week and a half, do 0:07:41.240 --> 0:07:45.160 you see the three interior guys here being Josh Meyers 0:07:45.160 --> 0:07:47.920 at center, John Running at left guard, and Lucas Patrick 0:07:47.960 --> 0:07:50.080 at right guard. Is that where this is headed, and 0:07:50.120 --> 0:07:52.000 then it's just a question of if Billy Turner is 0:07:52.040 --> 0:07:54.920 able to play, he plays right tackle instead of Dennis Kelly, 0:07:54.920 --> 0:07:56.680 and we all know bok Tr is planning to be 0:07:56.720 --> 0:07:58.600 back at left tackle. Is that where this is headed? 0:07:58.680 --> 0:08:00.680 It is? But then Lucas pad Trick goes down and 0:08:00.720 --> 0:08:03.080 gets on the reserve COVID list. So you hope that 0:08:03.160 --> 0:08:05.240 Lucas can get through that the five day window. Now 0:08:05.280 --> 0:08:07.640 if he's symptomatic after that, he'll be allowed to return. 0:08:07.880 --> 0:08:10.480 Matt Lafleur said, the way he's played, the way he's performed, 0:08:10.640 --> 0:08:13.360 he deserves to be in those starting five. I think 0:08:13.480 --> 0:08:15.640 you know the other thing is box tr he had 0:08:15.680 --> 0:08:17.800 that load management day on Wednesday, but to be in 0:08:17.880 --> 0:08:20.640 pads on Thursday, that's gonna be such a big thing 0:08:20.680 --> 0:08:22.720 for him, being able to get those reps, bank those 0:08:22.800 --> 0:08:24.640 up and be able to be ready for a big 0:08:24.680 --> 0:08:26.800 push to play seventy snaps in the game. And I 0:08:26.800 --> 0:08:30.240 think that's exactly why the Packers gave box Tr Wednesday's 0:08:30.280 --> 0:08:33.760 practice office, because the practice reps in pads on Thursday 0:08:33.760 --> 0:08:36.600 are so much more valuable for him and where he 0:08:36.720 --> 0:08:39.600 is compared to a non padded practice on and Billy 0:08:39.640 --> 0:08:41.800 Turner was in pads as well, so that is really 0:08:41.800 --> 0:08:44.079 going to be the Donimo effect. It's crazy to me. 0:08:44.200 --> 0:08:46.800 And in addition to Elton Jenkins who was scooting around 0:08:46.880 --> 0:08:50.160 on you know, at practice obviously going through the reconstructive 0:08:50.200 --> 0:08:54.720 knee surgery. Um the Packers, other than Jenkins, for all 0:08:54.760 --> 0:08:56.880 the injuries they've weathered, for all the illnesses that have 0:08:56.960 --> 0:08:59.880 kind of gone through that room, they have their offense 0:09:00.080 --> 0:09:02.640 line back now. So as La Fleur said, it's just 0:09:02.720 --> 0:09:05.280 figuring out what the best five combination is. To me, 0:09:05.720 --> 0:09:08.240 it would seem like that's Turner moving back into right tackle. 0:09:08.640 --> 0:09:10.959 Dennis Kelly's performed really well there too, So do you 0:09:10.960 --> 0:09:13.480 want to tap into Turner's versatility and moving back inside? 0:09:13.679 --> 0:09:15.760 So many different things the Packers are gonna have to 0:09:15.800 --> 0:09:18.240 figure out here getting ready for that divisional round of 0:09:18.240 --> 0:09:20.920 the playoffs. Yeah, absolutely, well, Uh, a little bit of 0:09:20.920 --> 0:09:24.240 sponsor business here. West Serious x M NFL Radio delivers 0:09:24.280 --> 0:09:27.040 hard hitting analysis and up to the minute NFL news 0:09:27.080 --> 0:09:32.000 that true football fanatics need seven three and had cousin subs. 0:09:32.000 --> 0:09:34.880 We have something for everyone, like our Wisconsin cheese curds, 0:09:34.880 --> 0:09:38.079 Mac and Cheese golden fries and creamy shakes, all paired 0:09:38.120 --> 0:09:40.840 with your favorite sub or sub in a bowl. Cousin subs. 0:09:41.440 --> 0:09:43.480 We believe in better. All right, I want to get 0:09:43.600 --> 0:09:45.760 your thoughts. We are a little tight on time today, 0:09:45.760 --> 0:09:49.760 but I want to get your thoughts on these upcoming 0:09:49.880 --> 0:09:53.439 NFC wild card match. It's really the whole weekend of 0:09:53.480 --> 0:09:56.120 wild card football, but starting with the NFC because obviously 0:09:56.120 --> 0:09:59.600 that's what pertains directly to the Packers. First one in 0:09:59.640 --> 0:10:02.880 the n SEE will be Sunday at noon Central Philadelphia 0:10:02.920 --> 0:10:05.720 at Tampa Bay. What's your take? You know how, like 0:10:05.760 --> 0:10:09.280 Ben Roethlisberger said with the Pittsburgh Steelers, I mean, we 0:10:09.280 --> 0:10:11.920 really don't have a chance against Kansas City. I think 0:10:11.920 --> 0:10:14.000 he said something like, we're not supposed to be here. Yeah, 0:10:14.080 --> 0:10:15.839 you just roll the football out and see how it goes. 0:10:16.160 --> 0:10:17.720 That's kind of the way I look at this game 0:10:17.760 --> 0:10:21.319 for Philly. Tampa is by far the superior team, more 0:10:21.400 --> 0:10:24.600 veteran team. They've been there, they've done that. Philadelphia had 0:10:24.600 --> 0:10:26.280 a big changing in the guard this year at the 0:10:26.280 --> 0:10:29.040 head coaching position. They're they're very young and a lot 0:10:29.040 --> 0:10:31.440 of different spots. So I'm not necessarily saying that as 0:10:31.480 --> 0:10:33.920 disrespect to the Eagles. I just expect them to play 0:10:33.960 --> 0:10:36.520 free and lose. And this is almost again the same 0:10:36.559 --> 0:10:39.800 idea as Roethlisberger. You're playing with house money here, what 0:10:39.840 --> 0:10:44.360 do you really have to lose? But you know Brady Gronk, yes, 0:10:44.440 --> 0:10:49.000 they're really down at the receiver position. But defensively, watching 0:10:49.080 --> 0:10:52.760 that front go up against this Eagles run game, I 0:10:52.800 --> 0:10:55.400 think ultimately it's probably gonna tell you who wins that game. 0:10:55.440 --> 0:10:57.480 To me, I just I look at the Buccaneers. Is 0:10:57.520 --> 0:11:00.160 just a more talented, deeper team. Yeah, I think with 0:11:00.240 --> 0:11:02.760 the Eagles, with their running game, the style they want 0:11:02.760 --> 0:11:05.120 to play, they want to be able to pound the football, 0:11:05.160 --> 0:11:07.960 they want to limit your opportunities on offense, control the tempo, 0:11:08.040 --> 0:11:10.200 all that kind of stuff. That's how they got on 0:11:10.240 --> 0:11:12.320 a pretty good run the second half of the season 0:11:12.320 --> 0:11:16.000 to get a playoff spot. This Buccaneers defense is is 0:11:16.000 --> 0:11:18.400 the worst matchup really they could have gotten in the 0:11:18.440 --> 0:11:21.280 wild card round because because that's a that's a Tampa 0:11:21.280 --> 0:11:23.480 Bay defense that can clamp down on the run I think, 0:11:23.559 --> 0:11:26.640 and make it really really difficult for Philadelphia to play 0:11:26.720 --> 0:11:29.199 the way it wants to play. So the Eagles, Yeah, 0:11:29.280 --> 0:11:31.160 it just feels like they're a big underdoge. There's just 0:11:31.200 --> 0:11:34.560 really no one like that front seven for Tampa where 0:11:34.600 --> 0:11:39.160 you have you know, Sue and obviously Vita Via just big, 0:11:39.320 --> 0:11:43.160 massive tackles and and guys that can really get their 0:11:43.160 --> 0:11:46.360 hands dirty. And then you have a very athletic range 0:11:46.400 --> 0:11:50.120 E sideline to signline linebacker corps behind them. Yeah, that's 0:11:50.120 --> 0:11:52.400 a tough matchup for Philly. Not to say that it's 0:11:52.480 --> 0:11:55.640 it's you know, they can't be able to climb that mountain, 0:11:56.080 --> 0:11:57.600 but they have their work cut out for them for 0:11:58.520 --> 0:12:01.680 second one in the NFC Sunday three, this is the 0:12:01.720 --> 0:12:05.160 money game. Absolutely, San Francisco at Dallas. I think this 0:12:05.240 --> 0:12:09.040 is the game of the weekend of all six of them, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, 0:12:09.080 --> 0:12:12.040 I think this is the This is the um the 0:12:12.160 --> 0:12:14.800 cherry on top of of the wild card weekends, so 0:12:14.840 --> 0:12:17.520 to speak. Forty enters at Cowboys. It's gonna bring back 0:12:17.520 --> 0:12:20.839 a lot of memories for me watching the Joe Montana 0:12:20.920 --> 0:12:23.559 and Steve Young and Troy Aikman days. Of these two 0:12:23.600 --> 0:12:26.640 franchises going at it in a playoff game. We haven't 0:12:26.720 --> 0:12:29.920 seen that in quite a while. And now obviously different 0:12:29.960 --> 0:12:33.160 eras completely different teams and everything, but the Niners and 0:12:33.200 --> 0:12:35.600 Cowboys going at it in the playoffs, that's gonna be something. 0:12:35.960 --> 0:12:38.480 This is that, this is It's gonna happen to me too, someday, 0:12:38.480 --> 0:12:40.320 probably when you're long and retired and there's a young 0:12:40.320 --> 0:12:43.040 whipper snapper with me. You have those I have. I 0:12:43.080 --> 0:12:46.199 don't have those memories. All I know over the last 0:12:46.200 --> 0:12:49.559 twenty five years is a lot of inconsistency with both franchises. 0:12:49.800 --> 0:12:52.560 When this Forts have been up, Dallas has been down. 0:12:52.720 --> 0:12:55.240 When Dallas has been up, the fortys has been down. 0:12:55.280 --> 0:12:57.559 But I know the stories and obviously when you look 0:12:57.600 --> 0:13:01.400 at that quarterback matchup the defenses team, is Dion Sanders 0:13:01.400 --> 0:13:04.480 playing for those type of things? I mean, that is 0:13:04.559 --> 0:13:12.319 really the tell tale sign both teams. But but that 0:13:12.480 --> 0:13:16.600 is there's there's history there and more than that, the 0:13:16.640 --> 0:13:19.120 point I'm trying to illustrate what that is. They're kind 0:13:19.120 --> 0:13:22.640 of coming back into the orbit together here. Dallas became 0:13:22.679 --> 0:13:25.319 the team everybody expected them to be really last year 0:13:25.360 --> 0:13:27.880 when Mike McCarthy came in. They added a couple of 0:13:27.880 --> 0:13:31.880 defensive pieces, but offensively, you know what that situation is 0:13:31.920 --> 0:13:35.280 going to be. What they're looking to achieve San Francisco 0:13:35.640 --> 0:13:38.000 since the very beginning, like it's just about getting that 0:13:38.040 --> 0:13:41.520 team healthy. They have playmakers, but can they keep all 0:13:41.520 --> 0:13:44.760 their playmakers on the field without season ending injuries. It 0:13:45.000 --> 0:13:46.960 is going to be I said this earlier this week. 0:13:47.080 --> 0:13:49.920 It is must see television for me on Sunday afternoon. 0:13:50.160 --> 0:13:52.320 I want to see if Dallas can impose their will 0:13:52.360 --> 0:13:54.679 against that defense, and I want to see if San 0:13:54.679 --> 0:13:57.959 Francisco can dial up some run techniques, be able to maybe, 0:13:58.040 --> 0:13:59.800 you know, get a couple of plays out there that 0:13:59.840 --> 0:14:02.199 we haven't seen before, and see if they can solve 0:14:02.240 --> 0:14:06.480 a Dallas riddle, which has again the Cowboys have looked 0:14:06.520 --> 0:14:09.160 like the best team in football at times and they've 0:14:09.160 --> 0:14:10.880 looked like an eight and eight football team at times. 0:14:10.920 --> 0:14:12.079 Which one is going to show up at a T 0:14:12.160 --> 0:14:14.880 and T stadium. Yeah, last year, the Cowboys obviously lost 0:14:14.880 --> 0:14:17.480 their quarterback to injury, and they didn't have the pieces 0:14:17.520 --> 0:14:21.240 on defense. This year, Dak Prescott has been healthy, and 0:14:21.280 --> 0:14:24.000 you added Michael Parsons, who almost certainly is going to 0:14:24.040 --> 0:14:25.960 be the defensive rookie of the year and he's in 0:14:26.000 --> 0:14:28.520 the conversation for defensive Player of the Year in the NFL. 0:14:28.560 --> 0:14:30.840 So Dallas takes on a whole new look San Francisco 0:14:31.360 --> 0:14:33.600 down the stretch. Here. This is a team they beat 0:14:33.640 --> 0:14:35.880 the Bengals, looks like a team that could beat just 0:14:35.960 --> 0:14:39.560 about anybody. They lost a close one to the Tennessee Titans, 0:14:39.560 --> 0:14:41.320 who are sitting there with the number one seed in 0:14:41.360 --> 0:14:42.960 the a f C. And then, of course, on our 0:14:43.040 --> 0:14:45.120 last show, we talked about how they got their playoff 0:14:45.200 --> 0:14:48.680 spot with a big road comeback against a division rival 0:14:49.120 --> 0:14:51.400 in the in the l A. Rams. The San Francisco 0:14:51.440 --> 0:14:54.320 team is playing really, really well here down the stretch. 0:14:54.360 --> 0:14:57.120 I think that's gonna be a fantastic game. Deebo Samuel 0:14:57.120 --> 0:15:00.840 Man Deebo Samuel on one sideline, CD Lamb on the other. 0:15:00.960 --> 0:15:03.360 You talk about Deebo Samuel, you talk about your all 0:15:03.400 --> 0:15:05.920 purpose offensive weapon there. They will get him the ball 0:15:06.320 --> 0:15:09.080 any way, shape or form in that forty Niners offense. 0:15:09.240 --> 0:15:11.200 It's been a lot of adversity the last two years 0:15:11.200 --> 0:15:14.720 for San Francisco, but John Lynch, Kyle Shanahan, they are 0:15:14.920 --> 0:15:17.600 in lockstep as far as what the philosophies are of 0:15:17.640 --> 0:15:19.920 this team. And Shanahan has kind of risen to this 0:15:20.000 --> 0:15:22.480 level too now where they understood what happened after the 0:15:22.560 --> 0:15:25.640 John Harbaugh or Jim Harbaugh era ended how they kind 0:15:25.640 --> 0:15:28.600 of knows dive there. There's a vision there. Yes, you 0:15:28.640 --> 0:15:31.120 gotta win football games, but they also see the long 0:15:31.200 --> 0:15:34.240 game there, and it really is Mike. It reminds me 0:15:34.320 --> 0:15:37.760 of like a two thousand and thirteen Packers team where 0:15:37.800 --> 0:15:39.560 it's like they just wanted to get in the party 0:15:39.880 --> 0:15:41.480 and once they're there, they feel like they can do 0:15:41.520 --> 0:15:44.280 some damage. Yeah, well, to review the scenarios again, if 0:15:44.320 --> 0:15:47.040 the Eagles win, they come to lambeau Field. If Tampa 0:15:47.080 --> 0:15:50.360 Bay wins, and then San Francisco wins, the forty Niners 0:15:50.360 --> 0:15:52.560 are coming to lambau Field. If the home teams on 0:15:52.600 --> 0:15:56.640 Sunday Buccaneers and Cowboys both win, the Packers opponent will 0:15:56.680 --> 0:16:00.200 be determined on Monday night when the Cardinals face the 0:16:00.320 --> 0:16:03.040 Rams in Los Angeles. And as I think I mentioned 0:16:03.040 --> 0:16:05.920 on our last show, when you have two division rivals 0:16:05.920 --> 0:16:08.400 in their meeting for a third time in the postseason, 0:16:08.800 --> 0:16:11.320 it's just even more so than normal. It just feels 0:16:11.360 --> 0:16:14.480 like it's anything goes type of thing. A third a 0:16:14.600 --> 0:16:18.360 third meeting within within the same season. Um, you know, 0:16:18.440 --> 0:16:20.480 it's all bets are off. As far as I'm concerned, 0:16:20.760 --> 0:16:22.520 and one of these teams seasons is going to end 0:16:22.520 --> 0:16:25.200 in a thud. You gotta remember, you go back to 0:16:25.200 --> 0:16:26.760 week seven or what was what was in it like 0:16:26.800 --> 0:16:28.920 to seven and O teams basically playing each other Week 0:16:28.960 --> 0:16:32.160 six or six and oh teams. Yeah, they both kind 0:16:32.160 --> 0:16:34.400 of nose dived in some regards. The Rams have kept 0:16:34.400 --> 0:16:37.120 the plane up a little bit more Arizona. It's been 0:16:37.160 --> 0:16:39.480 a grind for them. One of these teams is gonna 0:16:39.480 --> 0:16:41.560 have a lot of questions they answer throughout the off season. 0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:45.440 But the one that wins Mike the rebound the ricochet 0:16:45.720 --> 0:16:47.680 to get back into the divisional round, then you feel 0:16:47.680 --> 0:16:49.360 like you're back in the you know, really the chase 0:16:49.440 --> 0:16:53.000 absolutely does does Arizona. People were leaving Arizona for dead. 0:16:53.080 --> 0:16:55.480 Then they go into Dallas and knock off the Cowboys. 0:16:55.800 --> 0:16:58.040 But then you know, they kind of stubbed their toe 0:16:58.560 --> 0:17:01.640 obviously against se Attle in a game that that that 0:17:01.680 --> 0:17:04.359 had quite a bit on the line for them, and uh, 0:17:04.440 --> 0:17:07.359 the Rams dealing with the COVID and rescheduled games and 0:17:07.400 --> 0:17:09.560 everything they've had to dealt with, and they were in 0:17:09.600 --> 0:17:13.040 position to to win and potentially win big against the 0:17:13.040 --> 0:17:15.760 forty niners and then they couldn't close the deal in 0:17:15.800 --> 0:17:18.359 the in week eighteen. For the Rams. To me, this 0:17:18.400 --> 0:17:21.080 is about It's about Matthew Stafford. This is a quarterback. 0:17:21.560 --> 0:17:23.680 He's been in the league a long time, but he's 0:17:23.720 --> 0:17:27.399 never won a playoff game, and he's entering these playoffs 0:17:27.440 --> 0:17:29.679 on a bad run of turning the football over. I 0:17:29.680 --> 0:17:32.439 believe it's like six turnovers in the last three games, 0:17:32.440 --> 0:17:35.120 something like that, five interceptions and a and a fumble 0:17:35.240 --> 0:17:38.439 or or something along those lines. Matthew Stafford has to 0:17:38.440 --> 0:17:41.119 stop turning the ball over if the Rams want to 0:17:41.160 --> 0:17:43.520 make a run here. He absolutely does. I mean, what 0:17:43.640 --> 0:17:48.199 happened in the last fifteen ish minutes ten minutes of 0:17:48.240 --> 0:17:51.880 that regular season finale against San Francisco, it can't happen anymore. 0:17:52.359 --> 0:17:54.480 You hope from their standpoint that they get that out 0:17:54.480 --> 0:17:56.920 of their system. The argument I've been making all week 0:17:57.000 --> 0:17:59.879 long is that I doubt that the Rams are going 0:17:59.920 --> 0:18:02.040 to play that poorly again. I I it was the 0:18:02.080 --> 0:18:05.280 first time they've lost after halftime when having a lead 0:18:05.320 --> 0:18:08.800 under Sean McVeigh. I expect that team to respond. It's 0:18:08.840 --> 0:18:11.080 just to me, Mike, that the stakes are so high 0:18:11.080 --> 0:18:13.399 for them, because everybody wanted to talk about all the Packers, 0:18:13.400 --> 0:18:16.280 they're all in this year. Los Angeles Rams are all 0:18:16.320 --> 0:18:19.160 in right now. Yeah. They confirmed that when they brought 0:18:19.160 --> 0:18:21.320 in O. B. J. And with everything else they've done 0:18:21.359 --> 0:18:24.200 the trade to get Stafford. They gotta win. They don't 0:18:24.240 --> 0:18:27.120 have draft picks like literally, they have one next year. 0:18:27.600 --> 0:18:29.199 They have to find a way to win right now 0:18:29.240 --> 0:18:31.640 and this team was on paper bill to do it. 0:18:31.920 --> 0:18:35.760 Can they stay afloat and turn back? Arizona improved that 0:18:35.760 --> 0:18:38.320 they really were the rightful NFC West champions. Yeah, And 0:18:38.359 --> 0:18:40.919 speaking of getting guys back, which is where we started 0:18:40.920 --> 0:18:43.600 the show with the Packers, Arizona Cardinals might be getting J. J. 0:18:43.760 --> 0:18:46.159 Watt back on their defensive front to add to their 0:18:46.200 --> 0:18:49.040 pass rush. We are almost out of time here in 0:18:49.119 --> 0:18:52.399 the a f C. Raiders at Bengals, Patriots at Bills, 0:18:52.560 --> 0:18:56.359 Steelers at Chiefs. Which of those three intrigues you the most? 0:18:56.440 --> 0:18:58.840 Raiders and Bengals just because both are on the come up. 0:18:59.280 --> 0:19:01.919 The Raiders overcame a lot of adversity, probably more than 0:19:01.920 --> 0:19:03.600 any team in the NFL this year when you look 0:19:03.600 --> 0:19:06.399 at the John Gurdon debacle. So for them to be 0:19:06.440 --> 0:19:08.840 able to make this playoff run, Derek Carr just has 0:19:08.880 --> 0:19:12.360