WEBVTT - #351 Packers Unscripted: Historic matchup 0:00:00.800 --> 0:00:21.119 Hi, everyone, Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:21.120 --> 0:00:24.320 I am Mike Spofford sitting next to my trusted colleague 0:00:24.360 --> 0:00:26.240 West hod Kuitz. We're coming to you here from our 0:00:26.280 --> 0:00:29.720 studios at lambeau Field West. We are another day closer 0:00:29.760 --> 0:00:34.600 to must see TV for certain Sunday night football Packers Patriots, Rodgers, 0:00:34.680 --> 0:00:37.159 Brady all that good stuff, and we will get to 0:00:37.400 --> 0:00:41.400 that epic quarterback matchup. But as promised, we need to 0:00:41.880 --> 0:00:44.640 recap the Packers trades from the trading deadline. Now that 0:00:44.640 --> 0:00:47.959 we've heard from general manager Brian Gudacuin's head coach Mike McCarthy, 0:00:48.000 --> 0:00:50.879 you got some reaction from players in the locker room. 0:00:50.920 --> 0:00:53.440 Ha ha. Clinton Dix sent to Washington for a fourth 0:00:53.520 --> 0:00:56.200 round draft picked, Time Montgomery sent to Baltimore for a 0:00:56.280 --> 0:01:01.240 seventh round draft pick. In the draft, Brian gudunts made 0:01:01.280 --> 0:01:03.400 it pretty clear. He made a couple of things pretty clear, 0:01:03.480 --> 0:01:07.200 I thought in his press conference on Wednesday morning. One 0:01:07.280 --> 0:01:09.080 is that this is not some sort of a fire 0:01:09.120 --> 0:01:11.120 sale and the Packers are giving up on the season. 0:01:11.240 --> 0:01:13.759 That is not the case at all. And number two, 0:01:14.680 --> 0:01:19.240 these moves were made primarily for performance reasons. Two players 0:01:19.319 --> 0:01:24.640 that in the personnel department's eyes, we're having disappointing seasons. 0:01:24.680 --> 0:01:26.480 And there are other factors as well, in the locker 0:01:26.560 --> 0:01:29.200 room chemistry, all that kind of stuff certainly factors in. 0:01:29.680 --> 0:01:32.200 But the bottom line is these are players that the 0:01:32.240 --> 0:01:34.840 Packers wanted to move on from and give other players 0:01:34.840 --> 0:01:37.160 a chance. At this point, Mike, I'm gonna hijack the 0:01:37.160 --> 0:01:39.240 show a little bit. Okay, you've been doing this for 0:01:39.280 --> 0:01:42.360 twelve years with the Green Bay Packers. Have you ever 0:01:42.400 --> 0:01:44.399 been of a part of a week like this? No? 0:01:44.560 --> 0:01:45.920 I mean just in terms of the well, I'm not 0:01:45.959 --> 0:01:48.240 just talking about the Rams game, but the West Coast 0:01:48.640 --> 0:01:52.600 Los Angeles trip, two trades in the deadline, now you're 0:01:52.600 --> 0:01:56.160 preparing for Brady Rogers. It's a per view, you know, 0:01:56.200 --> 0:02:00.480 it's it's it's absolutely unlike anything any single week I 0:02:00.520 --> 0:02:02.320 think that I've ever been a part of. I mean 0:02:02.480 --> 0:02:05.000 me this morning, getting up, going to quick trip, getting 0:02:05.040 --> 0:02:08.160 my crew but coffee, my Packers cup eighty nine cent refills, 0:02:08.760 --> 0:02:12.040 and just trying to get energized about what exactly is 0:02:12.080 --> 0:02:14.120 going on. Because be honest with you, Mike, I'm going 0:02:14.120 --> 0:02:16.560 on about three hours four hours of sleep every night 0:02:16.639 --> 0:02:19.919 right now, because there's just always something happening. It seems 0:02:19.919 --> 0:02:23.079 like still trying to catch up from that West Coast swing. 0:02:23.600 --> 0:02:27.680 But to your original question, ha ha, Clinton Dick's time Montgomery, 0:02:27.680 --> 0:02:30.120 the Packers making a move there. I was sitting out 0:02:30.120 --> 0:02:32.760 at practice on Wednesday. I was surveying the field. The 0:02:32.760 --> 0:02:35.680 Packers did make one move. Trey Carson was promoted. They 0:02:35.720 --> 0:02:38.600 still have one spot available on their fifty three, and 0:02:38.639 --> 0:02:40.440 I was sitting there trying to think of the last 0:02:40.480 --> 0:02:44.040 time they'd made a move like this in season, and 0:02:44.080 --> 0:02:46.120 I couldn't think of one. Mike, I think I've been 0:02:46.280 --> 0:02:47.760 You've been around the Sun a little bit longer than 0:02:47.760 --> 0:02:51.160 I have, But I mean they've traded for players. You 0:02:51.200 --> 0:02:53.120 had Derek Martin come in at one point, you had 0:02:53.200 --> 0:02:55.440 Ryan Grant come in. But I think the last time 0:02:55.480 --> 0:02:57.240 I would say there was something like this in the 0:02:57.280 --> 0:02:59.119 middle of a season. I remember it was my first 0:02:59.240 --> 0:03:01.560 year in this job two thousand and six, also Mike 0:03:01.639 --> 0:03:05.040 McCarthy's first year's head coach. But a mod Carol, who 0:03:05.080 --> 0:03:07.080 was a first round pick from a couple of years prior, 0:03:07.200 --> 0:03:09.720 was a starting cornerback on this team, and after a 0:03:09.800 --> 0:03:13.799 dreadful performance on Monday Night Football in Philadelphia against the 0:03:13.840 --> 0:03:16.600 Eagles and a very ugly loss for Mike McCarthy's Packers. 0:03:16.800 --> 0:03:18.799 A mod Carroll was cut the next morning. I kind 0:03:18.800 --> 0:03:20.359 of forget that a mod Carroll made it to the 0:03:20.440 --> 0:03:23.000 McCarthy era. Yeah, he was. He was here for about 0:03:23.040 --> 0:03:26.200 six games, and Ted Thompson let him go. He was 0:03:26.280 --> 0:03:29.600 a starter, and the next day he was gone. That's 0:03:29.639 --> 0:03:33.160 probably about the only thing that I could equate to this, 0:03:33.240 --> 0:03:37.960 and and the situations are not really similar, too similar, 0:03:38.000 --> 0:03:40.040 I guess I should say in that respect, but that's 0:03:40.040 --> 0:03:41.800 about all I can think of. Well, and then getting 0:03:41.800 --> 0:03:43.440 back to your original point, I don't mean to take 0:03:43.520 --> 0:03:46.360 us completely off the rails here, but I thought one 0:03:46.360 --> 0:03:48.680 thing that Brian Goodkin said during when he addressed the 0:03:48.680 --> 0:03:51.640 media on on Wednesday that was very interesting, very poignant 0:03:51.640 --> 0:03:53.440 to me, is that a lot of people you and 0:03:53.480 --> 0:03:55.360 I saw it an inbox, asking well, why don't you 0:03:55.400 --> 0:03:57.320 just wait until the end of the season. You'll get 0:03:57.320 --> 0:04:00.800 a compensatory pick for Clinton Dicks and Goodain said they 0:04:00.880 --> 0:04:03.680 got a fourth round pick for him. If you wait 0:04:03.800 --> 0:04:06.280 that out one, you're gonna just have to see where 0:04:06.280 --> 0:04:08.760 he falls on that continuum. If he signs a free 0:04:08.800 --> 0:04:12.280 agent contract contract elsewhere. The best you're gonna get as 0:04:12.280 --> 0:04:15.880 an end of the third round under the third round pick. Now, 0:04:15.920 --> 0:04:18.719 there's no questions about that. And the most powerful thing 0:04:18.800 --> 0:04:21.560 I thought Brian Goodkin said was we also want to 0:04:21.600 --> 0:04:24.479 be active in free agency. I just thought that was 0:04:24.480 --> 0:04:26.280 such an about face. And I'm not saying, well, how 0:04:26.279 --> 0:04:29.039 Ted Thompson did things was wrong. He obviously did things 0:04:29.120 --> 0:04:31.680 very right to put this franchise in the situation that 0:04:31.720 --> 0:04:33.440 it's in right now, and and to to win a 0:04:33.480 --> 0:04:36.479 super Bowl and to be a perennial playoff contender. But 0:04:37.240 --> 0:04:40.200 it's interesting here and Goodakin's talk about, Yeah, you know what, 0:04:40.240 --> 0:04:42.640 the compensed story thing isn't gonna drive us here. We 0:04:42.680 --> 0:04:45.520 want to be active. You move with with Clinton Dix 0:04:45.600 --> 0:04:47.680 right now, you get that guaranteed fourth round pick, as 0:04:47.720 --> 0:04:49.560 you point out, that's in the round, not at the 0:04:49.680 --> 0:04:52.279 end of the round. I think that's gonna be something 0:04:52.320 --> 0:04:54.480 the Packers once the season is over. Gives them a 0:04:54.480 --> 0:04:57.200 lot of flexibility for those ten picks as it stands 0:04:57.320 --> 0:04:59.560 right now. I did go around. I was talking to 0:04:59.600 --> 0:05:02.480 some guys in the locker room. The defensive backs. They're healthy, 0:05:02.520 --> 0:05:04.880 they're deep, they feel like they can absorb this loss. 0:05:05.360 --> 0:05:07.719 How Clinton Dix leaves a void. There's no question about that. 0:05:07.760 --> 0:05:09.760 He's a Pro Bowl safety. He's done some good things 0:05:09.760 --> 0:05:12.039 in this league. But the Packers feel like with the 0:05:12.080 --> 0:05:13.599 depth they have and the young players that they have 0:05:13.600 --> 0:05:16.640 in that secondary, there is enough talent there to be 0:05:16.680 --> 0:05:19.600 able to press forward without him. Yeah, and I don't 0:05:19.640 --> 0:05:21.200 I don't want to make too much of this, but 0:05:21.279 --> 0:05:24.040 in a lot of ways, what I saw on the field, 0:05:24.279 --> 0:05:26.520 the play of haw Clinton Dix this season, the play 0:05:26.560 --> 0:05:31.400 of Time Montgomery just very emblematic, very representative of what 0:05:31.520 --> 0:05:34.040 this Packers team has gone through as a whole. Good 0:05:34.080 --> 0:05:36.600 moments and bad moments, lots of ups and downs. We've 0:05:36.600 --> 0:05:39.080 seen how Clinton Dix make a couple of turnover plays 0:05:39.520 --> 0:05:43.679 that were very impactful and and very impressive. We've also 0:05:43.760 --> 0:05:46.200 seen him look a little bit lost in the red zone, 0:05:46.240 --> 0:05:48.800 coverage in the end zone and allowing easy touchdown passes 0:05:48.839 --> 0:05:51.200 that shouldn't have been quite so easy. We saw Time 0:05:51.279 --> 0:05:54.719 Montgomery start the final drive against the San Francisco forty 0:05:54.800 --> 0:05:57.719 Niners with a great fourteen fifteen yard run to get 0:05:57.839 --> 0:06:00.680 the engine cranking, get the Packers going, but then he 0:06:00.760 --> 0:06:03.240 fumbles the kickoff in a crucial moment against the Los 0:06:03.240 --> 0:06:06.160 Angeles Rams just emblematic of what's been going on with 0:06:06.200 --> 0:06:09.800 the with with this entire team, and uh and you 0:06:09.880 --> 0:06:12.800 said it West, the Packers feel like, Okay, it's it's 0:06:12.839 --> 0:06:16.640 time to move on. Mike McCarthy wasn't going to reveal 0:06:16.680 --> 0:06:19.440 to the Patriots and Bill Belichick exactly how the Packers 0:06:19.440 --> 0:06:22.039 are going to line up in the secondary, Who's going 0:06:22.080 --> 0:06:24.320 to be the kick returner, you know, all of that 0:06:24.400 --> 0:06:26.760 kind of stuff. It kind of sounds to me like 0:06:26.839 --> 0:06:29.000 a lot of options are on the table in terms 0:06:29.000 --> 0:06:31.040 of how Mike Petton is going to play this. In 0:06:31.080 --> 0:06:34.800 the defensive backfield, You've got Jermaine Whitehead, although he's on 0:06:34.839 --> 0:06:38.799 the injury report right now. You have maybe some cornerback 0:06:38.880 --> 0:06:41.559 is the deepest position on the team. Maybe somebody shifts 0:06:41.600 --> 0:06:45.360 around there are the six defensive backpackage is gonna look 0:06:45.360 --> 0:06:48.640 a little different because a lot of times Mike Petton 0:06:48.640 --> 0:06:51.880 has been using three corners three safeties for those six dbs. 0:06:51.920 --> 0:06:54.640 Does he now go more to four corners to safeties 0:06:54.720 --> 0:06:56.680 or something like that. So it just seems to me 0:06:56.839 --> 0:06:59.000 like all the options are on the table and we're 0:06:59.040 --> 0:07:01.720 really not going to know until Sunday night, because Mike 0:07:01.839 --> 0:07:04.279 McCarthy has no interest in giving Bill Belichick a heads 0:07:04.320 --> 0:07:05.760 up as to how he's got to play. Yeah, the 0:07:05.760 --> 0:07:07.159 big thing a lot of the guys in the locker 0:07:07.240 --> 0:07:09.880 room talked about, obviously Mike McCarthy talked about, was that 0:07:10.640 --> 0:07:13.200 they want to give guys opportunities. They feel like there's 0:07:13.200 --> 0:07:14.760 a lot of young guys that have not been getting 0:07:14.800 --> 0:07:17.840 playing time right now that that could potentially contribute to 0:07:17.880 --> 0:07:20.240 this defense. You think of guys like Josh Jones, the 0:07:20.280 --> 0:07:22.680 second round pick from last year. Think about guys like 0:07:22.760 --> 0:07:26.360 Josh Jackson who played really well when when they were down, 0:07:26.400 --> 0:07:29.119 Guys in that cornerback room, but now they're healthy again. 0:07:29.320 --> 0:07:32.720 Bashad Breland signed him last month. He had the hamstring, 0:07:32.960 --> 0:07:34.840 he's ready to return. He said he could have played 0:07:34.840 --> 0:07:37.000 in that game against the Rams on Sunday he was 0:07:37.040 --> 0:07:40.160 just a healthy scratch. So this is one of these 0:07:40.200 --> 0:07:44.040 deals where I think, as Mike McCarthy said, and I'm 0:07:44.040 --> 0:07:46.200 sure we'll hear Mike Petton talk about it later this week, 0:07:46.840 --> 0:07:49.280 they are so matchup based and we've seen them Taylor 0:07:49.360 --> 0:07:53.560 specific game plans to specific opponents. So I think there's 0:07:53.600 --> 0:07:56.080 gonna be a lot of fluidity, a lot of flexibility 0:07:56.120 --> 0:07:58.120 with how they use those guys. But the point I 0:07:58.160 --> 0:08:01.640 made an inbox on Thursdays, whatever reform this defense takes 0:08:01.680 --> 0:08:05.520 on Sunday is going to speak to right now as 0:08:05.520 --> 0:08:09.080 it stands, the scheme, the five the six defensive backs 0:08:09.120 --> 0:08:11.800 that they feel most comfortable with against one of the 0:08:11.920 --> 0:08:14.000 NFL's elite. I think that's going to be a very 0:08:14.040 --> 0:08:17.000 important statement to make. But yeah, there's gonna be a 0:08:17.040 --> 0:08:19.040 lot of domino effects with that defense and with that 0:08:19.080 --> 0:08:22.320 secondary as to how you go about replacing a guy 0:08:22.360 --> 0:08:25.360 that basically had not missed any games, basically had not 0:08:25.480 --> 0:08:28.200 missed any snaps over the last four and a half years. Yeah, 0:08:28.400 --> 0:08:30.360 what do you think? What's your sense of maybe what 0:08:30.440 --> 0:08:32.800 direction the Packers will go at kick returner? There are 0:08:32.800 --> 0:08:36.000 obviously a few options there. We've seen the rookie Marquez 0:08:36.120 --> 0:08:38.960 Valdes Scantling step in at kickoff returner here and there. 0:08:39.000 --> 0:08:40.839 He did it in the preseason. He's done it. I 0:08:40.920 --> 0:08:43.000 believe he had one kickoff return so far in the 0:08:43.040 --> 0:08:45.680 regular season. Maybe he's the guy or do you see 0:08:45.720 --> 0:08:48.240 another potential option on to me right now? It's veld 0:08:48.240 --> 0:08:52.200 As Scantling until Trevor Davis is available, or if they 0:08:52.200 --> 0:08:55.200 want to active, they have to make because I just 0:08:55.240 --> 0:08:58.400 I don't think you want to put Randall Cob back there. Um, 0:08:58.559 --> 0:09:00.640 you have the two running backs, but I think you're 0:09:00.640 --> 0:09:02.880 gonna need you know, Aaron Jones and Jamal Williams will 0:09:02.880 --> 0:09:06.360 probably talk about them here in a second. I think 0:09:06.440 --> 0:09:09.480 Valdes Scantling makes the most sense. I I don't recall 0:09:10.760 --> 0:09:13.040 you correct me from hanger. I don't recall Equanimias st 0:09:13.040 --> 0:09:15.920 Brown doing any kickoff returns in games in the preseason. 0:09:16.640 --> 0:09:19.880 Jamon Moore might have, but to meet Valdes Scantling in 0:09:19.880 --> 0:09:22.280 Montgomery for the first two weeks were platooning that position. 0:09:22.280 --> 0:09:24.840 Then they finally just decided to run with Montgomery. So 0:09:24.920 --> 0:09:27.000 I mean, if you're looking for a guy that's done it, 0:09:27.000 --> 0:09:29.960 it's it's Valdi Scantling. Yeah. All right, Um, quickly here 0:09:30.000 --> 0:09:32.160 West before I forget, because I have a tendency to 0:09:32.200 --> 0:09:35.800 forget these things. Uh are other piece of sponsored business. 0:09:36.000 --> 0:09:38.640 Enter the Cousins Subs Best Seats in the House promotion. 0:09:38.760 --> 0:09:40.319 You and a guest could win a chance to kick 0:09:40.360 --> 0:09:42.680 back on the fifty yard line in style. Two pairs 0:09:42.720 --> 0:09:45.480 of lucky Packers fans will be chosen prior to each 0:09:45.520 --> 0:09:48.079 home game for this v I P experience. Enter daily 0:09:48.120 --> 0:09:52.160 now through December sixteen by completing the entry format submitting. 0:09:52.200 --> 0:09:54.840 For complete rules and eligibility, go to Packers dot com 0:09:54.920 --> 0:09:59.079 slash best Seats cousin subs. We believe in Better Okay 0:09:59.559 --> 0:10:03.200 Sunday Night West. It's a treat not only for Packers fans, 0:10:03.240 --> 0:10:06.200 for Patriots fans, but for all NFL fans. It's Aaron 0:10:06.280 --> 0:10:10.360 Rodgers and Tom Brady sharing the same field for only 0:10:10.400 --> 0:10:13.800 the second time in their careers four years ago. A 0:10:13.840 --> 0:10:16.000 great game out here at Lambou Field, Like we talked 0:10:16.000 --> 0:10:19.600 about the other day, Um, I think this is gonna 0:10:19.640 --> 0:10:21.400 be uh, this is gonna be a special one. And 0:10:21.440 --> 0:10:23.400 whatever happens, I think we're gonna remember it for a 0:10:23.440 --> 0:10:25.199 long time. You know what I love the most about 0:10:25.240 --> 0:10:27.760 this matchup too? You're right, it is Brady and it 0:10:27.880 --> 0:10:30.280 is Rogers and it and it only happens so often, 0:10:30.559 --> 0:10:33.200 but their offenses are so similar. You know, when you 0:10:33.240 --> 0:10:35.920 look at Okay, it's Aaron Jones, and it's Jamal Williams, 0:10:36.000 --> 0:10:40.959 it's Sony Michelle, It is obviously James James White, Rob Gronkowski, 0:10:41.120 --> 0:10:45.680 Jimmy Graham, Julian Edelman, Randall Cobb. They mirror each other 0:10:45.800 --> 0:10:48.840 in a lot of ways. One of the things, you know, 0:10:48.880 --> 0:10:51.599 Brill Belichick has been so complimentary of Mike McCarthy in 0:10:51.640 --> 0:10:53.560 the past, I think because there's a lot of similar 0:10:53.679 --> 0:10:56.960 similarity between the way that they build their team, they 0:10:57.040 --> 0:10:59.840 build their culture, in the way they play on the 0:11:00.040 --> 0:11:03.079 utball field. Um and I it does go back though, 0:11:03.120 --> 0:11:05.800 to the two quarterbacks. Aaron Rodgers, I thought, as he 0:11:05.840 --> 0:11:10.000 always does, really something's up perfectly on his went and 0:11:10.080 --> 0:11:13.720 during his Wednesday news conference, when you know, I appreciate 0:11:13.800 --> 0:11:16.720 the history of this matchup and what it means to 0:11:16.760 --> 0:11:18.920 the league to have these two guys playing each other again. 0:11:19.559 --> 0:11:22.000 But the goat debate is one of the most annoying 0:11:22.040 --> 0:11:24.000 things I think that has ever been introduced in this 0:11:24.080 --> 0:11:27.319 new era of trying to determine, you know, the hype 0:11:27.320 --> 0:11:29.640 of the hype of it in terms of that angle 0:11:29.720 --> 0:11:33.080 has gone a bit overboard. Yeah, Rogers, Rogers pretty much 0:11:33.520 --> 0:11:35.559 you know, through the through the water on the fire 0:11:35.720 --> 0:11:37.360 with that. Yeah, And he said, I mean you can't 0:11:37.360 --> 0:11:40.360 really do you really can't prove anything. I mean, it's 0:11:40.400 --> 0:11:42.640 just banter and debate that is meant for you know, 0:11:42.720 --> 0:11:46.280 bars and barbershops. But he did say that Tom Brady 0:11:46.320 --> 0:11:49.200 has five Super Bowls. In most cases, that kind of 0:11:49.320 --> 0:11:51.760 ends the debate, you know, in terms of you know, 0:11:51.800 --> 0:11:53.679 trying to determine. I mean, that's what the goal is 0:11:53.720 --> 0:11:57.480 for every player. So um. But you know, it's gonna 0:11:57.520 --> 0:12:01.240 be fun to see those two come back into the 0:12:01.320 --> 0:12:05.080 same orbit. And you know Brady talked about on his 0:12:05.160 --> 0:12:07.960 conference call as well. You know, he's had a relationship 0:12:08.000 --> 0:12:11.360 with now with Rogers, a good solid, you know friendship 0:12:11.400 --> 0:12:13.880 here for the last five six years. I think Rogers 0:12:13.880 --> 0:12:15.720 went over to his house at one point to meet 0:12:15.720 --> 0:12:18.160 with his nutritionist when he was making some of these 0:12:18.160 --> 0:12:21.000 decisions with his own body and his own wellness as 0:12:21.040 --> 0:12:23.680 he tried to extend his career. Brady's kind of set 0:12:23.679 --> 0:12:27.040 the standard in that regard. In Rogers, arguably the most 0:12:27.080 --> 0:12:30.040 gifted and intelligent quarterback to ever play the game, has 0:12:30.040 --> 0:12:31.760 tried to take some cues from that as well. So 0:12:32.080 --> 0:12:34.000 you can always learn from each other, and these two 0:12:34.000 --> 0:12:36.559 guys certainly are paying attention to what the other is doing. Yeah, well, 0:12:36.559 --> 0:12:40.360 I really enjoyed On Wednesday morning, Mike McCarthy Uh, turned 0:12:40.360 --> 0:12:43.200 back the clock a little bit reminisced. Was asked about 0:12:43.280 --> 0:12:46.079 this Rogers Brady thing, and he brought up when he 0:12:46.120 --> 0:12:48.440 was an assistant coach with the Chiefs first breaking in 0:12:48.480 --> 0:12:53.600 the league, and I remember this game. McCarthy brought it up. 0:12:53.600 --> 0:12:57.440 It was a Monday night football game in Joe Montana 0:12:57.480 --> 0:13:00.480 for the Chiefs John Elway for the Denver Goes. I 0:13:00.520 --> 0:13:04.240 was actually a grad school student at Northwestern. I was 0:13:04.280 --> 0:13:07.680 in my cramped little studio apartment on the Northwestern campus 0:13:07.679 --> 0:13:10.480 in Evanston, Illinois. I should have been studying on a 0:13:10.520 --> 0:13:13.640 Monday night, but I was absolutely glued to that football game. 0:13:13.720 --> 0:13:15.959 It was. It was an incredible game. And then the 0:13:16.000 --> 0:13:18.920 fourth quarter it was just both quarterbacks taken the teams 0:13:19.000 --> 0:13:21.520 up and down the field, back and forth, and at 0:13:21.600 --> 0:13:24.280 mile high on the road, Joe Montana for the Chiefs 0:13:24.280 --> 0:13:27.520 throws a touchdown pass with eight seconds left two Uh 0:13:28.440 --> 0:13:30.720 win that game, and you felt like if they put 0:13:30.760 --> 0:13:33.080 another fifteen minutes on the clock, the two quarterbacks just 0:13:33.080 --> 0:13:35.280 would have kept going back and forth. It was. It 0:13:35.360 --> 0:13:37.160 was two Hall of famers, two of the best of 0:13:37.200 --> 0:13:39.960 all time. And uh, you know, I'd love to see 0:13:39.960 --> 0:13:41.880 another game like that on Sunday night and be a 0:13:41.880 --> 0:13:44.680 real treat. Yeah, and it's Gillette Stadium in that environment. 0:13:44.720 --> 0:13:46.560 I mean, that's one of the one of my favorite 0:13:46.600 --> 0:13:49.959 stadiums in the NFL. Um maybe not for the press box, 0:13:50.000 --> 0:13:52.320 but in terms of just the overall atmosphere. And yeah, 0:13:52.360 --> 0:13:55.280 we have kind of an end zone view from Gillette Stadium, 0:13:55.360 --> 0:13:57.679 so when the players are way down on the other 0:13:57.720 --> 0:14:00.760 side of the field. Yeah, you've got your binoculars. I 0:14:00.800 --> 0:14:04.320 usually just watch the television screen. So yeah, but but 0:14:04.360 --> 0:14:06.040 it is, it's going to be a show. And this 0:14:06.120 --> 0:14:08.360 is what you want, right November sweeps. I mean, now 0:14:08.400 --> 0:14:13.000 you've got Rogers versus versus Brady got Michael Jordan's talking 0:14:13.000 --> 0:14:16.400 about the matchup. But the biggest thing to me, and 0:14:16.480 --> 0:14:18.120 someone brought this up an inbox, and it was a 0:14:18.160 --> 0:14:20.440 good point. I thought, in a game like this that 0:14:20.480 --> 0:14:22.400 could very well be a shootout, that could very well 0:14:22.400 --> 0:14:25.000 be you know, you can do one thing, I'm gonna 0:14:25.040 --> 0:14:27.240 try to do it better. It might very well come 0:14:27.240 --> 0:14:29.800 down to the last possession. And I think from the 0:14:29.800 --> 0:14:33.400 Packers perspective, they have been well conditioned for these matches, 0:14:33.480 --> 0:14:35.480 for these meetings. If there's one thing the Packers have 0:14:35.560 --> 0:14:38.720 done exemplarily well this year it's been with their two 0:14:38.760 --> 0:14:40.680 men in offense. They know how to move the ball 0:14:40.680 --> 0:14:42.920 when they need to move the ball, and it would 0:14:42.960 --> 0:14:45.160 be interesting to see in Gillette Stadium if that ends 0:14:45.200 --> 0:14:47.280 up being the case. Once again. I'm sure for the 0:14:47.280 --> 0:14:49.920 Packers perspective, they'd like a little less drama this week. 0:14:50.440 --> 0:14:51.960 It would be a lot easier just to you know, 0:14:52.040 --> 0:14:54.240 go in there, get up early, and hold onto that 0:14:54.320 --> 0:14:56.000 lead and then walk out of there with a much 0:14:56.000 --> 0:14:59.640 needed victory. But with this type of opponent, with these 0:14:59.720 --> 0:15:02.320 kind of stakes, and obviously doing it on the road 0:15:02.360 --> 0:15:05.720 in a very passionate home road environment, home environment for 0:15:05.760 --> 0:15:08.000 the for the Patriots, it's not going to be easy. 0:15:08.040 --> 0:15:09.960 But the Packers know that. Yeah. Well, a couple of 0:15:10.000 --> 0:15:12.600 lessons here to point out. One a lesson from last 0:15:12.600 --> 0:15:15.160 week that we talked about. In a game like this 0:15:15.360 --> 0:15:19.000 on the road against an elite level team, you're gonna 0:15:19.040 --> 0:15:21.000 have to make the plays at crunch time. That's what 0:15:21.040 --> 0:15:22.600 we talked about. You're not going to beat the New 0:15:22.600 --> 0:15:25.680 England Patriots in forty five minutes or fifty minutes or 0:15:25.720 --> 0:15:28.320 fifty five minutes. You're going to have to beat them 0:15:28.360 --> 0:15:30.680 for the whole sixty minutes. If they have any chance 0:15:30.720 --> 0:15:32.440 in the last three or four minutes of the game, 0:15:32.800 --> 0:15:35.400 you've got to make sure you put it away. The 0:15:35.440 --> 0:15:37.120 other thing is, I will say, if you go back 0:15:37.160 --> 0:15:41.160 to the game here in the Rogers Brady Packers Patriots game, 0:15:42.000 --> 0:15:45.360 a big lesson here for the Packers in that two 0:15:45.400 --> 0:15:49.280 rookies played a huge, huge role in that game. Richard 0:15:49.360 --> 0:15:52.240 Rogers caught a big touchdown pass was a rookie tight end. 0:15:52.600 --> 0:15:55.680 And then Davante Adams six catches for twenty one yards 0:15:55.680 --> 0:15:57.560 in that game, kind of his coming out party as 0:15:57.600 --> 0:16:01.360 an NFL player, and Rogers talk about that. From the 0:16:01.400 --> 0:16:06.000 beginning of the game, Belichick's defense was focused on Jordy 0:16:06.080 --> 0:16:10.000 Nelson and Randall cop Rogers got Davonte going, they hit 0:16:10.000 --> 0:16:13.080 the touchdown to Richard Rogers. Then Belichick's defensive just then 0:16:13.080 --> 0:16:16.560 they hit the touchdown to Jordy Nelson before halftime, Belichick's 0:16:16.600 --> 0:16:19.800 defensive just back again. It's that sort of cat and 0:16:19.840 --> 0:16:22.360 mouse game and and uh and that sort of chess 0:16:22.360 --> 0:16:24.840 match that's going to be going on throughout. But my 0:16:24.960 --> 0:16:27.400 point is that when you look at the roles that 0:16:27.520 --> 0:16:29.640 a couple of rookies had in that big victory for 0:16:29.680 --> 0:16:33.440 the Packers. It's just a lesson that absolutely everybody's got 0:16:33.440 --> 0:16:35.520 to be ready. If you step on the field, it 0:16:35.600 --> 0:16:38.920 might be your moment to shine. And whether that's Feldas Scantling, 0:16:38.960 --> 0:16:42.920 whether that's e q st Brown, whether that's Marcedes Lewis 0:16:43.000 --> 0:16:45.280 or Lance Kendricks, a couple of guys that Rogers brought 0:16:45.400 --> 0:16:48.280 up because you never know who it's going to be 0:16:48.400 --> 0:16:50.440 on a given night, what it's going to take to 0:16:50.560 --> 0:16:53.760 beat a Belichick defense and beat the adjustments that he's 0:16:53.760 --> 0:16:56.760 going to continue to make. So obviously Davantae Adams and 0:16:56.840 --> 0:16:58.960 Randall Cobb and Jimmy Graham they have to make their 0:16:59.000 --> 0:17:02.160 plays as well. But but this game could come down to, 0:17:02.520 --> 0:17:05.399 you know, one of those unsung hero type guys playing 0:17:05.400 --> 0:17:07.520 a big role. Absolutely, I think that will be the 0:17:07.520 --> 0:17:09.760 difference in this game. It's funny you go back and 0:17:09.760 --> 0:17:12.200 think about that Adams game and I was a part 0:17:12.200 --> 0:17:14.720 of the media scrum with him discussing it. That was 0:17:14.760 --> 0:17:17.119 the seventh career start that day. You remember that year. Actually, 0:17:17.160 --> 0:17:19.840 Jared Boykin started the season as the number three. Adams 0:17:19.880 --> 0:17:22.640 after the first month going intto October finally took over 0:17:22.680 --> 0:17:25.200 that spot. The three games. Going into that, he had 0:17:25.200 --> 0:17:27.399 four catches for thirty three yards, one of those for 0:17:27.440 --> 0:17:30.240 a touchdown, but had been relatively quiet during a really 0:17:30.240 --> 0:17:33.160 powerful stretch of offensive football, as Jordy Nelson was really 0:17:33.560 --> 0:17:36.480 you know, humming at that point. So you understand why 0:17:36.520 --> 0:17:39.240 Belichick and company sort of, you know, put him on 0:17:39.280 --> 0:17:41.359 the back burner in that game that proved to be 0:17:41.440 --> 0:17:44.080 the wrong approach. Th Davante Adams showed uh and he 0:17:44.160 --> 0:17:46.040 said it even this week. This was what he felt 0:17:46.040 --> 0:17:48.280 was like a really big confidence game for him, a 0:17:48.320 --> 0:17:50.360 really big boost to show him that he belonged, because 0:17:50.359 --> 0:17:53.480 he had some solid performances up to that point, but 0:17:53.600 --> 0:17:55.560 none of them where he really took over the game. 0:17:56.000 --> 0:17:57.919 And it was funny to listen to talk about it 0:17:57.920 --> 0:17:59.840 because he said, now it's kind of like it's come 0:18:00.000 --> 0:18:02.000 old circle for a little bit for me. Now I'm 0:18:02.040 --> 0:18:04.000 the number one target. He's probably the one that's gonna 0:18:04.000 --> 0:18:06.600 be getting gilmore. He's probably the one that they're gonna 0:18:06.600 --> 0:18:09.639 be tailoring everything too. He's really he likes that challenge 0:18:09.680 --> 0:18:11.280 because he wants to see, now, okay, I put up 0:18:11.320 --> 0:18:14.760 six catches for yards when nobody was looking at me. 0:18:15.240 --> 0:18:17.600 Now everybody's looking at me and I want to have 0:18:17.680 --> 0:18:20.800 that similar production. But just like that, as more attention 0:18:20.840 --> 0:18:22.800 gets driven to him, that's where you want to see 0:18:22.800 --> 0:18:25.320 a guy like Marcus Valdes Scantling or drawn Will Allison, 0:18:25.520 --> 0:18:28.119 whoever stepping into the number three role really you know, 0:18:28.240 --> 0:18:30.440 show that they can shine, because when one guy is 0:18:30.480 --> 0:18:33.520 getting shadowed or coverage over the top, it's gonna open 0:18:33.600 --> 0:18:36.080 up an opportunity for another player. And we saw last 0:18:36.119 --> 0:18:38.000 week Mike with Valve this Scantling what he can do. 0:18:38.359 --> 0:18:40.960 It's man demn coverage and no safety over the top. 0:18:42.160 --> 0:18:45.560 Man demand single high mvs. He's got some pretty good 0:18:45.560 --> 0:18:47.240 moves at the line, and and if he gets a 0:18:47.240 --> 0:18:49.240 step on you, he's got the speed, he's he's tough 0:18:49.280 --> 0:18:51.600 to catch. Absolutely and the other the other element to 0:18:51.640 --> 0:18:53.320 this too, will probably end up discussing this is our 0:18:53.359 --> 0:18:55.600 Keys to Victory on Friday Show. But I think this 0:18:55.680 --> 0:18:57.680 is a really big opportunity for Aaron Jones and Jamal 0:18:57.720 --> 0:19:00.480