WEBVTT - #763 Packers Unscripted: Go West, young men

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<v Speaker 1>Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from

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<v Speaker 1>Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spofford, joined as always

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<v Speaker 1>by my trusted colleague West and Hodkowitz. We're coming to

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<v Speaker 1>you Hear from our studios at lambeau Field to talk

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<v Speaker 1>about Packers playoff Football West. It's the NFC Divisional Round.

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<v Speaker 1>The Packers are headed West to face the number one

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<v Speaker 1>seed in the NFC, the San Francisco forty nine Ers.

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<v Speaker 1>It will be a seven to fifteen pm Central Time

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<v Speaker 1>kickoff from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. Short week here

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<v Speaker 1>for the Packers. It's already Thursday, which is actually Friday,

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<v Speaker 1>and the plane leaves Friday, which is actually Saturday in

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<v Speaker 1>the football world. But however, you want to shake it out.

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<v Speaker 1>This game is coming up soon. It's almost here already.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and for me it feels like Monday right now.

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<v Speaker 2>Trying to get your bearings with all this. Ay, listen,

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, it's been one of these weeks where you

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<v Speaker 2>can celebrate quickly, but you have to flip the page.

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<v Speaker 2>And I think listening to the guys on Wednesday discussed this.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, there is this US against the world mentality.

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<v Speaker 2>I think guys are excited about this opportunity. And I

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<v Speaker 2>mean it goes without saying Mike, but when you won

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<v Speaker 2>four games in a row and you went into Dallas

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<v Speaker 2>and toppled the Cowboys the way you did, I not

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<v Speaker 2>to there's never going to be an issue with overconfidence

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<v Speaker 2>with this team. But I just think there's a swagger

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<v Speaker 2>that they needed to get back, and it's been reinstilled

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<v Speaker 2>in that locker room and something they're hoping can really

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<v Speaker 2>catapult them towards another massive upset here against the forty

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<v Speaker 2>nine ers. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>The way that I've felt about this team, and I

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<v Speaker 1>felt the same way last week going into the Dallas game,

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<v Speaker 1>is they are perfectly aware of what they're up against.

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<v Speaker 1>That these opponents, the Dallas Cowboys last week, the forty

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<v Speaker 1>nine Ers this week, these opponents are better than the

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<v Speaker 1>ones that they played towards the tail end of the

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<v Speaker 1>regular season. I talked last week the Dallas Cowboys would

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<v Speaker 1>be the best team the Packers were going to play

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<v Speaker 1>since the and the City Chiefs came to lambeau Field

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<v Speaker 1>on Sunday Night football. These guys are perfectly aware of

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<v Speaker 1>what they're up against, but they are fully confident in

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<v Speaker 1>if they play their own game, if they do what

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<v Speaker 1>they know they're capable of doing, there's no reason to

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<v Speaker 1>be intimidated or to actually feel like underdogs. That they're

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<v Speaker 1>letting other people talk about the whole underdog underdog thing's

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<v Speaker 1>and that's fine. That's not how they feel about their

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<v Speaker 1>own team.

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<v Speaker 2>No, I think listening to guys discuss this too, they

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<v Speaker 2>respect everybody, but they realize that they are one of

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<v Speaker 2>eight left in this thing, and they have they are

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<v Speaker 2>one of the eight with the chance to win the

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<v Speaker 2>twenty twenty four Lombardi Trophy. Yeah, so San Francisco is

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<v Speaker 2>in the complete opposite situation a Green Bay. They practically

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<v Speaker 2>were able to rest their starters the last six quarters

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<v Speaker 2>of the season. They had the bye last week, and

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<v Speaker 2>it's come up a couple times in my coverage and

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<v Speaker 2>with other writers mentioning, you know, this is the complete

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<v Speaker 2>inverse of what happened two years ago with San Francisco

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<v Speaker 2>coming in here as a six seed after beating Dallas

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<v Speaker 2>and trying to knock off the number one seed at

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<v Speaker 2>Green Bay Packers. They have nothing to lose, they have

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<v Speaker 2>everything to gain. And if you want to mention the

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<v Speaker 2>trying to exercise some of these postseason dmons with the

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<v Speaker 2>forty nine ers. I'm sure that'll be something people want

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<v Speaker 2>to talk about too, But by and large, it's riding

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<v Speaker 2>this Jordan Love train and this wave of momentum and

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<v Speaker 2>hoping that maybe, just maybe with another victory, you can

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<v Speaker 2>step one step closer to achieving something special.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, for sure. Well, you look at this forty nine

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<v Speaker 1>ers season. They were twelve and five. As you said,

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<v Speaker 1>they had the bye, so we just have all of

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<v Speaker 1>the regular season to review here. They lost three straight

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<v Speaker 1>games in October when they lost both Deebo Samuel and

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<v Speaker 1>Trent Williams to injury, their star receiver, slasher running back

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<v Speaker 1>whatever you want to call Debo, and then obviously the

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<v Speaker 1>all pro left tackle in Williams. Three straight losses. But

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<v Speaker 1>when they got healthy, they got rolling again. Since then,

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<v Speaker 1>they've only lost two games. One was when they took

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<v Speaker 1>it on the chin from Baltimore, a really hot Baltimore

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<v Speaker 1>Ravens team that went into Santa Clara. Believe that was

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<v Speaker 1>on Christmas Night if I'm not mistaken, and really took

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<v Speaker 1>it to the forty nine Ers, and you know, quite

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<v Speaker 1>frankly gave brock Purty his worst the worst game of

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<v Speaker 1>his of his young career at quarterback. And then they

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<v Speaker 1>also lost in Week eighteen when they were resting everybody

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<v Speaker 1>because they had the number one seed wrapped up. But

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<v Speaker 1>these guys wes. They've outscored their opponents by almost two

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<v Speaker 1>hundred total points over the course of the year four

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<v Speaker 1>ninety one to two ninety eight. Brock Purty has a

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<v Speaker 1>one thirteen passer rating, thirty one touchdowns, eleven interceptions, sixty

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<v Speaker 1>nine percent completion ratio. And I think you had brought

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<v Speaker 1>up a statistic in one of our written pieces from

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<v Speaker 1>earlier in the week. His passer rating is like one

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<v Speaker 1>hundred and twenty over the second half of the season,

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<v Speaker 1>and that actually includes the four interception game in Baltimore,

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<v Speaker 1>So that one Baltimore game being the outlier where the

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<v Speaker 1>where the Ravens were just all over them from the jump,

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<v Speaker 1>brock Purty's been playing some really, really good football.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah. I mean, if brock Purdy was a number one

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<v Speaker 2>overall draft pick a couple of years ago, people would

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<v Speaker 2>be talking about how wow, I mean, the forty nine

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<v Speaker 2>ers really knocked this one out of the park. I've

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<v Speaker 2>said this many times. I don't understand why there's so

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<v Speaker 2>much hate with the guy. I think when certain anomalies

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<v Speaker 2>form and come out of nowhere to sort of captivate

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<v Speaker 2>a fan base, and galvanis a football team, people just

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<v Speaker 2>try to find ways to knock it. They did that

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<v Speaker 2>for years with Lamar Jackson too, even though he was

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<v Speaker 2>the first round pick thirty second overall. People just didn't

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<v Speaker 2>quite understand why it was working and needed to find

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<v Speaker 2>a reason to belittle it. Yeah, brock Purty has kind

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<v Speaker 2>of been in that spot, and honestly, Michael, if it

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<v Speaker 2>wasn't for that one game against Baltimore, probably in the

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<v Speaker 2>conversation with Jackson for the MVP this year, Yep.

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<v Speaker 1>Totally, I think that I think that game, quite frankly

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<v Speaker 1>on Christmas Night, might have decided the regular season MVP

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<v Speaker 1>in the NFL.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and he's he's been mostly lights out and for

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<v Speaker 2>him to be able to navigate this offense with all

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<v Speaker 2>these litany of name players in playmakers when you have

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<v Speaker 2>George Kittle has probably one of the quietest thousand yard

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<v Speaker 2>seasons you've ever heard of from a tight end. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>Deebo Samuel missed some time but still finished with over

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<v Speaker 2>eight hundred total or eight hundred receiving yards and many

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<v Speaker 2>more total yards. Christian McCaffrey two thousand total yards. Brandon Ayuk,

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<v Speaker 2>who we've known for years, is going to be a

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<v Speaker 2>really special receiver in this league. He gets over thirteen

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<v Speaker 2>hundred reception thirteen hundred receiving yards for the first time

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<v Speaker 2>his career, but also as averaging almost eighteen yards per catch.

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<v Speaker 2>This is an explosive, dangerous San Francisco offense, and ultimately

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<v Speaker 2>it starts in the hands of rock Perty. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>And when I look at you look at this San

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<v Speaker 1>Francisco team, and you know, statistically, you know the total

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<v Speaker 1>points and everything, they were awfully close to the Dallas

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<v Speaker 1>Cowboys in terms of the point total for the regular season.

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<v Speaker 1>What for me separates the San Francisco forty nine ers

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<v Speaker 1>from the Cowboys is we spent so much time last

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<v Speaker 1>week talking about Ceedee Lamb, and yes, there was Brandon Cooks,

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<v Speaker 1>and they're Jake Ferguson and Tony Pollard. But it felt

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<v Speaker 1>like for the Cowboys there was Ceede Lamb and then

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<v Speaker 1>there were a bunch of other guys. Right with the

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<v Speaker 1>San Francisco forty nine ers. It's like there's all these

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<v Speaker 1>guys that are kind of up on the same level.

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<v Speaker 1>There's McCaffrey, as you said, over two thousand total yards

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<v Speaker 1>over twenty touchdowns this season. You have George Kittle, a

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<v Speaker 1>thousand yard tight end. You have Deebo Samuel over eleven

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<v Speaker 1>hundred total yards and twelve touchdowns despite missing some games

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<v Speaker 1>with injury. And then Brandon Iyuk is right up there

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<v Speaker 1>as well, thirteen hundred yards on just seventy five receptions,

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<v Speaker 1>as you noted, eighteen yards per catch, seven touchdowns. These

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<v Speaker 1>guys have a you know, stable of weapons that they're

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<v Speaker 1>really isn't a hierarchy amongst them, and I think that's

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<v Speaker 1>what that's what makes these guys so challenging to not

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<v Speaker 1>only prepare for, but then obviously to play against out

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<v Speaker 1>on the field.

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<v Speaker 2>Well in the way they've built them over the years.

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<v Speaker 2>And you know, they had a multitude of really successful

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<v Speaker 2>running backs. The Packers saw a good one and Raheem

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<v Speaker 2>Mostered a couple of years ago in the postseason. But

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<v Speaker 2>give credit to John Lynch, give credit to that coaching staff.

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<v Speaker 2>They realize that Christian McCaffrey, a player of his caliber,

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<v Speaker 2>was sort of the missing piece for them. It's not

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<v Speaker 2>just him. We saw what the offense looked like when

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<v Speaker 2>Diebo was unavailable.

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<v Speaker 1>Yep.

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<v Speaker 2>There are different guys that function into this, but when

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<v Speaker 2>all those playmakers are together and playing together as one,

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<v Speaker 2>there's a reason why they've they've been able to blow

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<v Speaker 2>out as many teams as they have. They've been able

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<v Speaker 2>to sustain this consistency throughout the course of the season.

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<v Speaker 2>But to give you that shining light, that that hope

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<v Speaker 2>is that there is a path forward it but it

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<v Speaker 2>is largely base. Then be an opportunistic and the few

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<v Speaker 2>opportunities you're going to get to get a takeaway, you

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<v Speaker 2>need to take advantage of them. Yep. When you are

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<v Speaker 2>able to stop Christian McCaffrey, like happened during that three

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<v Speaker 2>game skid when he didn't have over one hundred and

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<v Speaker 2>fifty yards in three games total, they were able to

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<v Speaker 2>teams were able to find ways for a victory. That's

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<v Speaker 2>what Green Bay has to do, and they have to

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<v Speaker 2>be prepared to do it for four quarters because forty

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<v Speaker 2>nine ers come out swinging and they do not stop.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, we'll take a look at the defensive side of

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<v Speaker 1>the ball as well, and then we'll get to our

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<v Speaker 1>keys to victory. But defensively two numbers stand out above

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<v Speaker 1>all else. Forty eight sacks from this defense on the season,

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<v Speaker 1>as well as twenty two interceptions. These guys get after you.

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<v Speaker 1>Nick Bosa ten and a half sacks, Javon Hargrave seven sacks.

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<v Speaker 1>Eric Armstead, who it appears they are getting back from

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<v Speaker 1>injury the way it looks based on the practice reports

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<v Speaker 1>and whatnot, he had five sacks this season. They added

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<v Speaker 1>Chase Young yep, former number two overall draft pick by Washington.

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<v Speaker 1>They added him to that defensive front. He's had two

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<v Speaker 1>and a half sacks since he came to the forty

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<v Speaker 1>nine ers.

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<v Speaker 2>This is.

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<v Speaker 1>We've been talking in recent weeks, obviously about how much

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<v Speaker 1>Aaron Jones has meant to the Packers offense and getting

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<v Speaker 1>the running game going and what that means, not only

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<v Speaker 1>not only for the guys up front, the Packers' offensive

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<v Speaker 1>line and establishing the line of scrimmage and being able

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<v Speaker 1>to run the ball that's where an offensive line really

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<v Speaker 1>asserts its potential dominance, but in opening up the play

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<v Speaker 1>action and everything else that goes along with being able

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<v Speaker 1>to run the football. The San Francisco forty nine Ers

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<v Speaker 1>a much better run defense than the Dallas Cowboys. I

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<v Speaker 1>think everybody knew, based on how teams had beaten the

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<v Speaker 1>Cowboys during the season, that running the ball against them

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<v Speaker 1>was going to be paramount and was going to be

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<v Speaker 1>very doable. The forty nine Ers third in the league

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<v Speaker 1>this season against the run. Defensively, this is the stat

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<v Speaker 1>that jump doubt at me, though, Wes And when you

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<v Speaker 1>talk about trying to find the paths forward the forty

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<v Speaker 1>nine Ers, though they were third in the league against

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<v Speaker 1>the run, as far as rushing yards giving up, they

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<v Speaker 1>were fourteenth in the league and yards per carry. That's

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<v Speaker 1>an indication obviously that they were winning so many games

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<v Speaker 1>by such large scores that in the second half of

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<v Speaker 1>games teams were out of their running game. They had

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<v Speaker 1>to throw, they had to play catch up. The forty

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<v Speaker 1>nine Ers took teams out of their running game early,

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<v Speaker 1>just based on how things went on the scoreboard, and

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<v Speaker 1>so the total yards rushing that this defense gave up

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<v Speaker 1>was one of the lowest in the league. Fourteenth in

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<v Speaker 1>yards per carry means that if you can hang in there,

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<v Speaker 1>if you don't fall behind by too much, and you

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<v Speaker 1>stick to the run and keep after these guys, you

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<v Speaker 1>can keep yourself in favorable down in distance with the

0:11:54.000 --> 0:11:56.680
<v Speaker 1>running game, and I think that's something that could be

0:11:56.720 --> 0:11:58.959
<v Speaker 1>a real key for the Packers here on Saturday night.

0:11:59.160 --> 0:12:02.719
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, because when you are getting into these type of blowouts,

0:12:03.000 --> 0:12:04.839
<v Speaker 2>it's not just about oh, you can't run the ball.

0:12:04.880 --> 0:12:06.800
<v Speaker 2>It said teams can't get into what they want to do.

0:12:06.880 --> 0:12:10.520
<v Speaker 2>I mean, look at what happened against Dallas. Yeah, Dallas

0:12:10.520 --> 0:12:12.960
<v Speaker 2>put up some yards late and they got some points,

0:12:13.440 --> 0:12:15.880
<v Speaker 2>but it was after they scrapped everything they were trying

0:12:15.880 --> 0:12:18.439
<v Speaker 2>to do offensively in the first half, at least through

0:12:18.440 --> 0:12:21.720
<v Speaker 2>the first quarter. Same situation with San Francisco and the

0:12:21.720 --> 0:12:23.400
<v Speaker 2>teams that they've had to face this season. And I

0:12:23.480 --> 0:12:26.800
<v Speaker 2>think that's why if I'm Adam Stenovich and Matt Lafloor

0:12:27.120 --> 0:12:30.839
<v Speaker 2>and those offensive coaching staff members reiterating to your guys

0:12:30.840 --> 0:12:33.360
<v Speaker 2>this week, this is why you run the football. This

0:12:33.440 --> 0:12:35.400
<v Speaker 2>is why you run the football. Against Dallas. When you

0:12:35.440 --> 0:12:38.080
<v Speaker 2>get twenty five yards on the first seven carries, you

0:12:38.200 --> 0:12:41.320
<v Speaker 2>keep chipping away, you keep trying to work up that

0:12:41.440 --> 0:12:44.760
<v Speaker 2>hill because if you don't, that's where the pass rushers

0:12:44.800 --> 0:12:47.240
<v Speaker 2>get going. And I give Steve Wilkes a lot of credit.

0:12:47.520 --> 0:12:49.400
<v Speaker 2>They've had some injuries this year, but he's been very

0:12:49.520 --> 0:12:52.640
<v Speaker 2>multiple and how they've been able to generate pressures. Sixteen

0:12:52.679 --> 0:12:55.240
<v Speaker 2>different guys I believe had sacks for them this season.

0:12:55.320 --> 0:12:57.600
<v Speaker 2>It's not like it was just oh, Nick Bosa had

0:12:57.640 --> 0:13:00.360
<v Speaker 2>twenty and then everybody else filled in. Now Nick the

0:13:00.360 --> 0:13:03.160
<v Speaker 2>way there ten and a half thirty five quarterback hits.

0:13:03.480 --> 0:13:05.679
<v Speaker 2>But it's it's the sum of the hole from that

0:13:05.800 --> 0:13:09.760
<v Speaker 2>vantage point, and then it also does help Mike. It

0:13:09.760 --> 0:13:12.600
<v Speaker 2>doesn't matter if the year is twenty fourteen or twenty

0:13:12.720 --> 0:13:15.800
<v Speaker 2>twenty four if you're talking about San Francisco football, if

0:13:15.840 --> 0:13:18.920
<v Speaker 2>you're talking about the forty nine ers, they have stellar

0:13:19.000 --> 0:13:22.520
<v Speaker 2>inside linebacker play. It is a tail as old as time.

0:13:23.000 --> 0:13:26.040
<v Speaker 2>And Fred Warner, in my estimation, they've had some good ones.

0:13:26.400 --> 0:13:29.599
<v Speaker 2>I'd put him up there as the very best. His longevity,

0:13:29.720 --> 0:13:32.640
<v Speaker 2>his durability, and his ability to perform at a high level.

0:13:33.040 --> 0:13:35.280
<v Speaker 2>You know, Drake Greenlaw, these other guys that have come in.

0:13:36.040 --> 0:13:39.280
<v Speaker 2>It takes a team, it's all eleven. But Fred Warner

0:13:39.280 --> 0:13:42.040
<v Speaker 2>has been the quarterback of that defense for years now,

0:13:42.280 --> 0:13:44.320
<v Speaker 2>and I think is when you talk about, well, why

0:13:44.360 --> 0:13:46.040
<v Speaker 2>are they able to be so successful year in a

0:13:46.120 --> 0:13:48.200
<v Speaker 2>year out, I think it starts with him.

0:13:48.480 --> 0:13:51.840
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, it's It's funny when you look at it because back,

0:13:52.800 --> 0:13:54.600
<v Speaker 1>you know, whatever you want to call it, roughly a

0:13:54.640 --> 0:13:57.240
<v Speaker 1>decade ago, let's say it just for round numbers sake,

0:13:58.040 --> 0:14:01.080
<v Speaker 1>they had Patrick Willis and Navarro bow As, those two

0:14:01.360 --> 0:14:04.680
<v Speaker 1>linebackers just commanding the middle of the field on that defense.

0:14:04.760 --> 0:14:07.360
<v Speaker 1>And you watch that defense and you go, man like,

0:14:07.760 --> 0:14:10.439
<v Speaker 1>you know, how is anybody ever going to find another

0:14:10.480 --> 0:14:13.400
<v Speaker 1>tandem like this? Well, the forty nine ers now have

0:14:13.520 --> 0:14:18.880
<v Speaker 1>Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw and and I think you're right.

0:14:18.960 --> 0:14:22.960
<v Speaker 1>I mean, as much as I, you know, admired Patrick Willis,

0:14:23.480 --> 0:14:26.720
<v Speaker 1>and I think you know he's he's getting deserved Hall

0:14:26.760 --> 0:14:31.200
<v Speaker 1>of Fame consideration. Fred Warner might be better than Patrick Willis.

0:14:31.480 --> 0:14:33.920
<v Speaker 1>And you know, a decade ago, I wouldn't have said

0:14:33.960 --> 0:14:36.240
<v Speaker 1>that that the forty nine ers might ever find another

0:14:36.720 --> 0:14:39.880
<v Speaker 1>another middle linebacker inside linebacker as good as Willis.

0:14:39.880 --> 0:14:43.640
<v Speaker 2>So funny though the game changed, like when you talk

0:14:43.680 --> 0:14:47.720
<v Speaker 2>about twenty tens, early twenty tens, Willis was the man

0:14:47.960 --> 0:14:49.960
<v Speaker 2>like he he is a bona fide Hall of Famer.

0:14:50.000 --> 0:14:51.160
<v Speaker 1>Oh yeah yeah.

0:14:51.160 --> 0:14:54.520
<v Speaker 2>But it's like even as the inside linebacker position evolved

0:14:54.520 --> 0:14:56.800
<v Speaker 2>in these defenses changed to the pass heavy nature of

0:14:56.800 --> 0:15:00.000
<v Speaker 2>the league. Then you have somebody like Warner who popped.

0:15:00.200 --> 0:15:01.880
<v Speaker 2>And I remember the first couple of times Aaron Rodgers

0:15:01.920 --> 0:15:02.800
<v Speaker 2>was hip to this well.

0:15:02.680 --> 0:15:04.560
<v Speaker 1>Before I was just I was just going to bring

0:15:04.600 --> 0:15:08.040
<v Speaker 1>that up. Aaron Rodgers was talking about how good Fred

0:15:08.040 --> 0:15:11.360
<v Speaker 1>Warner was before Fred Warner ever got an All Pro

0:15:11.720 --> 0:15:16.080
<v Speaker 1>vote of any kind. Quite frankly, and as usually happens,

0:15:16.160 --> 0:15:21.360
<v Speaker 1>the outside recognition comes after, you know, a little while

0:15:21.400 --> 0:15:26.040
<v Speaker 1>after a guy actually establishes himself and buts as much

0:15:26.080 --> 0:15:28.840
<v Speaker 1>as Fred Warner maybe wasn't a household name a handful

0:15:28.880 --> 0:15:30.800
<v Speaker 1>of years ago. The teams that were playing against the

0:15:30.800 --> 0:15:33.920
<v Speaker 1>forty nine ers, they absolutely knew about Warner out.

0:15:33.960 --> 0:15:36.000
<v Speaker 2>How funny is it though, too? You know, Chris Borland

0:15:36.040 --> 0:15:38.760
<v Speaker 2>walked away from the game, but they found Chris Borland too,

0:15:38.960 --> 0:15:41.080
<v Speaker 2>Like yeah, it's not like, yeah, we talk about oh,

0:15:41.160 --> 0:15:44.040
<v Speaker 2>the first round pick. Fred Warner was a third round pick.

0:15:44.040 --> 0:15:45.920
<v Speaker 2>I think Borlan might have been a fourth round I mean,

0:15:46.680 --> 0:15:49.560
<v Speaker 2>when you you look at the Packers offensive side of

0:15:49.560 --> 0:15:51.800
<v Speaker 2>the ball right now with Dontavian Wicks, and when you

0:15:52.000 --> 0:15:55.400
<v Speaker 2>find real talent in the middle rounds of the draft, Yeah,

0:15:55.560 --> 0:15:57.320
<v Speaker 2>that's how you fill out a football team. You don't

0:15:57.320 --> 0:15:59.600
<v Speaker 2>do it in March and free agency, Yeah, you do

0:15:59.680 --> 0:16:02.320
<v Speaker 2>it in April and yeah, I mean, I can't say

0:16:02.360 --> 0:16:06.440
<v Speaker 2>enough about him because it's been impressive. It is, so

0:16:06.480 --> 0:16:08.040
<v Speaker 2>this all came up for me. Not to take this

0:16:08.120 --> 0:16:11.640
<v Speaker 2>off on a tangent, but you're not on social media,

0:16:11.680 --> 0:16:13.280
<v Speaker 2>but I got a lot of my social media stuff

0:16:13.320 --> 0:16:15.600
<v Speaker 2>that gets kicked back to me. One. By the way,

0:16:15.680 --> 0:16:17.920
<v Speaker 2>today was I believe nine years to the day that

0:16:17.960 --> 0:16:21.040
<v Speaker 2>we were in Seattle when the Packers played the Seahawks

0:16:21.080 --> 0:16:23.320
<v Speaker 2>and the NFC championship game. Not to bring up bad memories,

0:16:23.800 --> 0:16:27.000
<v Speaker 2>but a week ago it was eleven years of the

0:16:27.080 --> 0:16:31.080
<v Speaker 2>day that we were in Candlestick for the NFC Divisional

0:16:31.120 --> 0:16:36.400
<v Speaker 2>playoff game against the forty nine ers. And you talk

0:16:36.440 --> 0:16:38.680
<v Speaker 2>about blue bloods. I know Colin Coward had this on

0:16:38.720 --> 0:16:41.200
<v Speaker 2>his show a couple days. This is what the NFL

0:16:41.360 --> 0:16:45.520
<v Speaker 2>is about. The coaching staff's change. The players definitely change,

0:16:45.880 --> 0:16:48.480
<v Speaker 2>but it's those mentalities that are kind of woven into

0:16:48.520 --> 0:16:51.840
<v Speaker 2>the fabric of organizations and that's why it's really exciting.

0:16:52.040 --> 0:16:53.960
<v Speaker 2>I can't wait for Saturday. I just wish it could

0:16:53.960 --> 0:16:54.600
<v Speaker 2>be here already.

0:16:54.600 --> 0:16:57.000
<v Speaker 1>Honesty, it's wild when you think about it. The Packers

0:16:57.000 --> 0:17:01.520
<v Speaker 1>and Cowboys last week played their ninth postseason game against

0:17:01.520 --> 0:17:04.320
<v Speaker 1>one another for those two franchises, Packers forty nine ers.

0:17:04.359 --> 0:17:08.760
<v Speaker 1>This is now the tenth postseason game between these two teams.

0:17:08.840 --> 0:17:10.639
<v Speaker 1>I want to get to want to get to our

0:17:10.720 --> 0:17:12.640
<v Speaker 1>keys to victory for Green Bay, but I don't want

0:17:12.680 --> 0:17:15.840
<v Speaker 1>to forget about our sponsor business. So serious XM NFL

0:17:16.000 --> 0:17:18.960
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0:17:19.000 --> 0:17:22.040
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0:17:22.480 --> 0:17:24.840
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0:17:24.880 --> 0:17:27.840
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0:17:27.880 --> 0:17:30.240
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0:17:30.240 --> 0:17:32.960
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0:17:33.520 --> 0:17:37.280
<v Speaker 1>of better. All right, I want to mention this before

0:17:37.280 --> 0:17:39.800
<v Speaker 1>we get into more specific keys to victory because this

0:17:39.880 --> 0:17:41.560
<v Speaker 1>is sort of like the obvious one. When you're the

0:17:41.600 --> 0:17:44.800
<v Speaker 1>seventh seed going up against the one seed you're looking for.

0:17:44.920 --> 0:17:48.080
<v Speaker 1>You know, you have to give yourself a chance at

0:17:48.119 --> 0:17:50.320
<v Speaker 1>the victory, right, you have to put yourself in position,

0:17:50.840 --> 0:17:54.600
<v Speaker 1>give yourself a chance at the end. And here's here's

0:17:54.600 --> 0:17:57.159
<v Speaker 1>the interesting thing that I found. You know, as I

0:17:57.240 --> 0:17:59.560
<v Speaker 1>mentioned the forty nine. Ers have outscored their opponents this

0:17:59.600 --> 0:18:03.679
<v Speaker 1>year by amost two hundred total points in their twelve victories.

0:18:03.880 --> 0:18:07.159
<v Speaker 1>Only one of those victories was by one score. It

0:18:07.200 --> 0:18:10.040
<v Speaker 1>was a seven point victory early in the season. There

0:18:10.040 --> 0:18:13.200
<v Speaker 1>are other eleven wins have all been by multiple scores.

0:18:14.080 --> 0:18:17.120
<v Speaker 1>And it just makes me wonder because last week, all

0:18:17.160 --> 0:18:19.399
<v Speaker 1>the pressure was on the Dallas Cowboys and you know,

0:18:19.480 --> 0:18:22.480
<v Speaker 1>the seas everything and all these slogans that they had,

0:18:22.560 --> 0:18:24.560
<v Speaker 1>and you know Jerry Jones saying he thought they had

0:18:24.600 --> 0:18:27.240
<v Speaker 1>a team that could win it all all that pressure

0:18:27.280 --> 0:18:30.920
<v Speaker 1>that lied in Dallas, and the Packers were the Packers

0:18:30.920 --> 0:18:34.280
<v Speaker 1>were were the outsiders coming in. There's a lot of

0:18:34.280 --> 0:18:36.880
<v Speaker 1>pressure on San Francisco here. They've been a really good

0:18:36.880 --> 0:18:39.399
<v Speaker 1>team for a long time, whether you're talking about the

0:18:39.480 --> 0:18:42.800
<v Speaker 1>Harbaugh years or now the the Shanahan years as a

0:18:42.840 --> 0:18:46.960
<v Speaker 1>head coach, but they still have yet to win that championship.

0:18:47.000 --> 0:18:49.119
<v Speaker 1>For as good as they've been, for as long as

0:18:49.119 --> 0:18:51.320
<v Speaker 1>they've been, there's a lot of pressure on that other side.

0:18:51.400 --> 0:18:55.320
<v Speaker 1>And this team only won one game this year that

0:18:55.440 --> 0:18:57.879
<v Speaker 1>was decided by one score. If you can keep this

0:18:57.960 --> 0:19:01.239
<v Speaker 1>thing close, how much pressure is going to ratchet up

0:19:01.280 --> 0:19:04.399
<v Speaker 1>on those guys in the fourth quarter if it's a

0:19:04.440 --> 0:19:07.760
<v Speaker 1>tight game. That's where I think that That's where I

0:19:07.760 --> 0:19:11.320
<v Speaker 1>think just maybe, just maybe the whole seven seed versus

0:19:11.359 --> 0:19:13.480
<v Speaker 1>one thing could work for green Bay if they can

0:19:13.520 --> 0:19:14.720
<v Speaker 1>be there at the end.

0:19:15.040 --> 0:19:18.520
<v Speaker 2>And winning on third downs and getting making this be

0:19:18.680 --> 0:19:21.199
<v Speaker 2>where brock Purdy has to make some plays. And I

0:19:21.280 --> 0:19:23.320
<v Speaker 2>know there's some comments made about pressure this week, and

0:19:23.359 --> 0:19:26.040
<v Speaker 2>brock Purty has been extraordinary against the Blitz this year,

0:19:26.080 --> 0:19:28.560
<v Speaker 2>but you need to be able to generate pressure with

0:19:28.680 --> 0:19:31.480
<v Speaker 2>four though two yes, And that's where I feel like

0:19:32.040 --> 0:19:33.760
<v Speaker 2>you're going to need to give your coverage guys some

0:19:33.880 --> 0:19:35.879
<v Speaker 2>leeway there. You're gonna need to allow those guys to

0:19:35.920 --> 0:19:38.120
<v Speaker 2>be able to adapt and learn from what they're seeing

0:19:38.119 --> 0:19:39.840
<v Speaker 2>from San Francisco, because they're going to see it all.

0:19:39.880 --> 0:19:42.320
<v Speaker 2>They're going to get the book thrown at them. With

0:19:42.400 --> 0:19:43.919
<v Speaker 2>them aunt of weapons they have in the way that

0:19:43.920 --> 0:19:46.080
<v Speaker 2>they can utilize them, it's going to be a very

0:19:47.240 --> 0:19:49.119
<v Speaker 2>like It's going to be a really fun game to

0:19:49.200 --> 0:19:52.119
<v Speaker 2>watch in terms of the athleticism, the skill and I

0:19:52.240 --> 0:19:55.480
<v Speaker 2>really believe the scheme from both sides. But for Green Bay,

0:19:55.880 --> 0:19:57.639
<v Speaker 2>the one thing you cannot lose sight of is the

0:19:57.640 --> 0:20:01.560
<v Speaker 2>fact that Brock Purty still is a second year quarterback.

0:20:02.000 --> 0:20:04.879
<v Speaker 2>He still is a young dude. And there were no

0:20:05.040 --> 0:20:07.800
<v Speaker 2>two quarterbacks hotter during the final eight games of the

0:20:07.800 --> 0:20:11.080
<v Speaker 2>regular season than Brock Purdy and Jordan Love. It's not

0:20:11.160 --> 0:20:14.400
<v Speaker 2>a joke. It's not a coincidence that these teams got

0:20:14.440 --> 0:20:18.600
<v Speaker 2>to this point. No, it starts with quarterback play. And

0:20:18.640 --> 0:20:21.080
<v Speaker 2>I love the way that Jordan Love is playing right now.

0:20:21.520 --> 0:20:23.399
<v Speaker 2>Not to boil it down to well, Love has to

0:20:23.400 --> 0:20:25.439
<v Speaker 2>have a better passer rating than Perdier, he needs to

0:20:25.440 --> 0:20:28.520
<v Speaker 2>throw for more yards than Perdier, have more touchdowns. But

0:20:28.640 --> 0:20:31.640
<v Speaker 2>the way that Jordan Love is playing right now, if

0:20:31.640 --> 0:20:35.000
<v Speaker 2>he can solve this riddle, that is the Steve Wilkes defense.

0:20:35.720 --> 0:20:38.840
<v Speaker 2>I love green bays chances in this game because even

0:20:38.880 --> 0:20:41.399
<v Speaker 2>though they're nine to eight, the reason you play all

0:20:41.440 --> 0:20:43.280
<v Speaker 2>these games, the reason why they don't just wrap it

0:20:43.359 --> 0:20:46.840
<v Speaker 2>up after Halloween and say all right, time for the playoffs,

0:20:47.200 --> 0:20:50.439
<v Speaker 2>right is because of the masturation that happens with these

0:20:50.520 --> 0:20:53.880
<v Speaker 2>football teams. San Francisco is the juggernaut. They've been doing

0:20:53.880 --> 0:20:56.600
<v Speaker 2>it since day one. They were doing it well before

0:20:56.640 --> 0:20:59.359
<v Speaker 2>this season began. Green Bay, in a lot of ways,

0:20:59.400 --> 0:21:01.800
<v Speaker 2>is more of the start but I think when you

0:21:01.840 --> 0:21:04.200
<v Speaker 2>look at the ceiling and where this thing is rising

0:21:04.240 --> 0:21:07.680
<v Speaker 2>for Green Bay, the trajectory that they're on. I threw

0:21:07.720 --> 0:21:11.240
<v Speaker 2>the line in an insider inbox, you had to edit it.

0:21:11.240 --> 0:21:11.320
<v Speaker 1>It.

0:21:11.400 --> 0:21:13.560
<v Speaker 2>To me, it really does remind me of a marathon.

0:21:13.600 --> 0:21:15.159
<v Speaker 2>It reminds me of a race. It reminds me of

0:21:15.240 --> 0:21:18.600
<v Speaker 2>a thirty two hundred meter run where packers have had

0:21:18.600 --> 0:21:20.960
<v Speaker 2>a really good kick here in these last four weeks

0:21:20.960 --> 0:21:23.720
<v Speaker 2>of the season, and now this is the litmus test

0:21:23.720 --> 0:21:25.240
<v Speaker 2>to see if you can catch who's been the front

0:21:25.280 --> 0:21:26.240
<v Speaker 2>runner in the NFC.

0:21:26.400 --> 0:21:29.840
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, the analogy that I used in insider Inboxes, I

0:21:29.840 --> 0:21:32.720
<v Speaker 1>actually took things back to the Olympics with speed skating.

0:21:33.040 --> 0:21:35.840
<v Speaker 1>To me, the regular season in the NFL now is

0:21:35.880 --> 0:21:40.119
<v Speaker 1>the long track, those long distance whatever five thousand meters,

0:21:40.160 --> 0:21:44.679
<v Speaker 1>ten thousand meters, the guys with the long strides and everything.

0:21:44.720 --> 0:21:48.080
<v Speaker 1>You go through this marathon to put yourself in position.

0:21:48.560 --> 0:21:51.320
<v Speaker 1>And after the marathon, a whole bunch of teams are eliminated,

0:21:51.359 --> 0:21:53.280
<v Speaker 1>and then there's a set of teams that are moving on.

0:21:53.800 --> 0:21:55.879
<v Speaker 1>Then they go from the long track with the speed

0:21:55.920 --> 0:21:59.600
<v Speaker 1>skating to the short track and they fire another starting

0:21:59.640 --> 0:22:02.960
<v Speaker 1>gun and off they go. And you know, and it's

0:22:03.000 --> 0:22:05.840
<v Speaker 1>you know, guys slide, you know, you make you make

0:22:05.880 --> 0:22:08.240
<v Speaker 1>one mistake in the postseason, you slide off the track.

0:22:08.280 --> 0:22:10.639
<v Speaker 1>You're done because it's short track, right, And that's what

0:22:10.840 --> 0:22:14.120
<v Speaker 1>that's that's that's what the playoffs, that's what the playoffs

0:22:14.160 --> 0:22:17.959
<v Speaker 1>are like. We talked about running the ball and what

0:22:18.000 --> 0:22:20.320
<v Speaker 1>that means to this offense. We talked about, you know,

0:22:20.400 --> 0:22:22.879
<v Speaker 1>obviously being in a close game, seeing how the forty

0:22:22.920 --> 0:22:24.800
<v Speaker 1>nine Ers react if they're in a close game with

0:22:24.840 --> 0:22:28.360
<v Speaker 1>the pressure that's on them. Offensively, the Packers have done

0:22:28.400 --> 0:22:31.080
<v Speaker 1>such a good job at finishing drives lately. They move

0:22:31.160 --> 0:22:33.560
<v Speaker 1>the ball, they get it into the red zone, They're

0:22:33.600 --> 0:22:36.040
<v Speaker 1>putting that ball in the end zone more often than not.

0:22:36.240 --> 0:22:39.080
<v Speaker 1>All of that is going to be paramount when I

0:22:39.119 --> 0:22:41.120
<v Speaker 1>look at things on the defensive side of the ball

0:22:41.160 --> 0:22:45.680
<v Speaker 1>for the Packers, it all comes down to tackling this

0:22:46.000 --> 0:22:48.080
<v Speaker 1>forty nine Ers, as we talk about, with all of

0:22:48.080 --> 0:22:51.040
<v Speaker 1>those weapons, all the different guys that Perdy can get

0:22:51.040 --> 0:22:55.000
<v Speaker 1>the ball to, they scheme things up to get their

0:22:55.080 --> 0:22:59.439
<v Speaker 1>guys into open space, into one on one matchups in

0:22:59.520 --> 0:23:03.280
<v Speaker 1>the open field. This is a very difficult offense to

0:23:04.240 --> 0:23:06.159
<v Speaker 1>rally to the ball. And get a whole bunch of

0:23:06.240 --> 0:23:08.800
<v Speaker 1>guys to the ball to make tackles. You are forced

0:23:08.840 --> 0:23:12.760
<v Speaker 1>to make one on one tackles against McCaffrey, against Samuel,

0:23:13.280 --> 0:23:16.280
<v Speaker 1>against you know, Brandon Ayuk, against all these guys in

0:23:16.320 --> 0:23:19.520
<v Speaker 1>the open field. You cannot miss tackles against these guys

0:23:19.560 --> 0:23:23.040
<v Speaker 1>because that's where the six and seven yard gains rupture

0:23:23.080 --> 0:23:26.560
<v Speaker 1>into twenty six and twenty seven yard gains. The Packers

0:23:26.600 --> 0:23:28.720
<v Speaker 1>have to be on their p's and q's with tackling

0:23:28.760 --> 0:23:30.760
<v Speaker 1>in this game, and I think that's what's going to

0:23:30.800 --> 0:23:34.880
<v Speaker 1>give them the opportunities to get the forty nine ers

0:23:34.880 --> 0:23:36.840
<v Speaker 1>into third downs and see if they can get off

0:23:36.840 --> 0:23:37.280
<v Speaker 1>the field.

0:23:37.320 --> 0:23:39.760
<v Speaker 2>What did you make of the forecast out there? I

0:23:39.840 --> 0:23:41.919
<v Speaker 2>touched on this an inbox. I was curious see what

0:23:41.960 --> 0:23:45.000
<v Speaker 2>your thoughts were on Yeah, I mean I've scattered shower basically.

0:23:45.040 --> 0:23:47.520
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I've been hearing different I've been hearing different things.

0:23:47.560 --> 0:23:50.080
<v Speaker 1>So I've heard that supposedly it's going to rain all

0:23:50.160 --> 0:23:53.400
<v Speaker 1>day on Saturday. Other things I've heard said it it's

0:23:53.440 --> 0:23:55.800
<v Speaker 1>going to rain Saturday night, but it might start not

0:23:55.920 --> 0:23:58.240
<v Speaker 1>start raining until the second half of the game, like

0:23:58.320 --> 0:24:02.680
<v Speaker 1>you know, further into the evening. I don't know. It's

0:24:03.560 --> 0:24:07.760
<v Speaker 1>if you're asking me, you know, does does A does

0:24:07.760 --> 0:24:10.760
<v Speaker 1>a wet potentially wet, sloppy or slow track? You know,

0:24:10.880 --> 0:24:15.399
<v Speaker 1>favor favor one team over the other. I'd be okay

0:24:15.440 --> 0:24:17.560
<v Speaker 1>with a little bit of a wet sloppy track just

0:24:17.600 --> 0:24:20.680
<v Speaker 1>because of because I think it. I think it would

0:24:20.720 --> 0:24:22.800
<v Speaker 1>potentially throw the forty nine ers off more than it

0:24:22.800 --> 0:24:23.840
<v Speaker 1>would throw the Packers off.

0:24:24.000 --> 0:24:26.879
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and not that I think both teams are built

0:24:26.920 --> 0:24:29.600
<v Speaker 2>athletically and to speed. Green Bays, I'm much is probably

0:24:29.600 --> 0:24:31.919
<v Speaker 2>the fastest receiving core they add in my time on

0:24:31.920 --> 0:24:35.239
<v Speaker 2>the beat, yep. But San Francisco. I don't know how

0:24:35.240 --> 0:24:37.240
<v Speaker 2>many of those kind of mutter games they've played in

0:24:37.280 --> 0:24:39.439
<v Speaker 2>this year, but Green Bay's played through some interesting elements

0:24:39.480 --> 0:24:43.359
<v Speaker 2>throughout the course of the season. I'm curious see what happens.

0:24:43.440 --> 0:24:45.960
<v Speaker 2>Like I told people in inbox, you can't formulate the

0:24:46.000 --> 0:24:47.359
<v Speaker 2>game plan on it, but it's stuff you have to

0:24:47.400 --> 0:24:48.080
<v Speaker 2>be prepared for.

0:24:48.200 --> 0:24:49.320
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

0:24:49.359 --> 0:24:51.640
<v Speaker 2>And to tie this back to the point I want

0:24:51.680 --> 0:24:54.520
<v Speaker 2>to make we you know so much gets made out

0:24:54.560 --> 0:24:57.879
<v Speaker 2>of Christian McCaffrey and absolutely deserves every bit of that credit.

0:24:57.920 --> 0:25:00.800
<v Speaker 2>But probably the most underrated running back during that same

0:25:00.920 --> 0:25:03.560
<v Speaker 2>entire time has been Aaron Jones. He got one Pro

0:25:03.640 --> 0:25:05.400
<v Speaker 2>Bowl nod, but for the most part he's been more

0:25:05.400 --> 0:25:10.959
<v Speaker 2>of a locally appreciated running back rather than the nationwide accolades.

0:25:11.560 --> 0:25:14.200
<v Speaker 2>And at twenty nine years old, he's running as well

0:25:14.200 --> 0:25:16.919
<v Speaker 2>as he's ran his entire career in terms of the

0:25:16.960 --> 0:25:20.520
<v Speaker 2>consistency of it. I think at four straight hundred yard games,

0:25:21.040 --> 0:25:23.920
<v Speaker 2>twenty plus touches and all these matchups, I've ran through

0:25:24.000 --> 0:25:27.560
<v Speaker 2>all the statistics before on how the Packers fare when

0:25:27.560 --> 0:25:31.520
<v Speaker 2>he gets over one hundred total yards. I honestly believe

0:25:31.520 --> 0:25:33.720
<v Speaker 2>when you're talking about keys the victory, the biggest one

0:25:33.760 --> 0:25:35.680
<v Speaker 2>probably comes back to the stat that you threw out

0:25:35.680 --> 0:25:39.159
<v Speaker 2>there about the yards per carry aloud by San Francisco

0:25:39.200 --> 0:25:42.560
<v Speaker 2>this season. If you're able to keep within arm's reach

0:25:42.640 --> 0:25:46.280
<v Speaker 2>of them, what is possible? Go back to two years

0:25:46.320 --> 0:25:48.680
<v Speaker 2>ago they kind of fell out of that. Aaron Jones

0:25:48.680 --> 0:25:51.040
<v Speaker 2>had a ton of receiving yards, but they weren't able

0:25:51.040 --> 0:25:55.400
<v Speaker 2>to establish that. Can you crack that egg and being

0:25:55.440 --> 0:25:59.480
<v Speaker 2>able to sustain that throughout an entire football game regardless

0:25:59.480 --> 0:26:00.600
<v Speaker 2>of what the canis may be.

0:26:00.840 --> 0:26:04.040
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, absolutely, and I think it is regardless of what

0:26:04.080 --> 0:26:06.359
<v Speaker 1>the conditions may be, it's going to be what are

0:26:06.560 --> 0:26:09.720
<v Speaker 1>what are the numbers on the scoreboard and how is

0:26:09.760 --> 0:26:12.480
<v Speaker 1>that going to How is that going to impact how

0:26:12.520 --> 0:26:15.160
<v Speaker 1>you're calling the game in the second half in particular,

0:26:15.200 --> 0:26:18.240
<v Speaker 1>as things go along, can you can you stick with

0:26:18.280 --> 0:26:20.639
<v Speaker 1>the game plan or does the game get into a

0:26:20.680 --> 0:26:24.359
<v Speaker 1>situation where you know you you you have to you

0:26:24.359 --> 0:26:26.119
<v Speaker 1>have to throw some things out because you need to

0:26:26.160 --> 0:26:28.439
<v Speaker 1>operate more quickly, you need to try to score quickly.

0:26:29.400 --> 0:26:31.439
<v Speaker 1>I think that's that's what this could come down to.

0:26:31.600 --> 0:26:33.960
<v Speaker 2>And that's where San Francisco and it's twenty two interceptions

0:26:34.000 --> 0:26:37.400
<v Speaker 2>come into play. Tabarious Ward with five, that entire defense

0:26:37.400 --> 0:26:39.280
<v Speaker 2>with twenty two, which is tied for the most of

0:26:39.280 --> 0:26:42.280
<v Speaker 2>the NFL this year with Chicago, and how do they

0:26:42.520 --> 0:26:45.400
<v Speaker 2>solve that riddle against the Bears? They got the run

0:26:45.440 --> 0:26:46.600
<v Speaker 2>game going with Aaron j Yeah.

0:26:46.640 --> 0:26:49.560
<v Speaker 1>Absolutely well. Before we go, some quick thoughts on the

0:26:49.680 --> 0:26:54.800
<v Speaker 1>other games uh NFC Divisional playoff weekend. In the NFC,

0:26:54.880 --> 0:26:58.760
<v Speaker 1>it's Tampa Bay at Detroit. In the AFC, you have

0:26:58.840 --> 0:27:03.359
<v Speaker 1>Kansas City at Buffalo. Remarkably the first non Super Bowl

0:27:03.480 --> 0:27:06.160
<v Speaker 1>postseason game that will be on the road. For Patrick

0:27:06.160 --> 0:27:10.160
<v Speaker 1>Mahomes in his career. Right, Yeah, he's played, whether it's wildcard,

0:27:10.200 --> 0:27:14.280
<v Speaker 1>divisional conference championship, he has always played at Arrowhead Stadium

0:27:14.320 --> 0:27:16.719
<v Speaker 1>except for the Super Bowls. He has to go on

0:27:16.760 --> 0:27:18.600
<v Speaker 1>the road now to Buffalo, which is sort of the

0:27:18.960 --> 0:27:21.760
<v Speaker 1>thirteen second revenge game from that, you know, the game

0:27:21.800 --> 0:27:24.320
<v Speaker 1>with the whole thirteen second thing and the field goal

0:27:24.359 --> 0:27:27.320
<v Speaker 1>that sent the playoff game a couple of years ago

0:27:27.359 --> 0:27:31.399
<v Speaker 1>to overtime. And then Houston at Baltimore and you know,

0:27:31.520 --> 0:27:35.440
<v Speaker 1>another really interesting quarterback matchup, Lamar Jackson against c. J. Stroud.

0:27:35.840 --> 0:27:39.439
<v Speaker 1>Doesn't doesn't get much more, much more, any entertaining than that.

0:27:39.480 --> 0:27:42.080
<v Speaker 1>Your thoughts on any of those three ball games?

0:27:42.240 --> 0:27:43.840
<v Speaker 2>Did you see The Dark Knight? I don't know. If

0:27:43.880 --> 0:27:45.119
<v Speaker 2>you're a big movie guy, did.

0:27:44.960 --> 0:27:47.040
<v Speaker 1>You I saw it a long time ago. My friend.

0:27:47.320 --> 0:27:50.040
<v Speaker 2>The Kansas City and Buffalo reminds me the Jokers line

0:27:50.040 --> 0:27:52.240
<v Speaker 2>of like we are just destined to do this forever.

0:27:52.520 --> 0:27:56.159
<v Speaker 2>It seems like no matter what, we always get Kansas

0:27:56.160 --> 0:27:59.200
<v Speaker 2>City in Buffalo, it's just rinse and repeat. With that matchup.

0:27:59.200 --> 0:28:01.920
<v Speaker 2>We'll see what the result this. We won't be able

0:28:01.960 --> 0:28:03.679
<v Speaker 2>to watch it. I doubt I'll watch any of it.

0:28:03.720 --> 0:28:05.840
<v Speaker 2>But Houston versus Baltimore, I think is gonna be worth

0:28:05.840 --> 0:28:08.840
<v Speaker 2>the price fed mission. Yep. Again in a lot of ways,

0:28:08.840 --> 0:28:13.560
<v Speaker 2>it's very much similar to the Packers going into Santa Cilara.

0:28:14.000 --> 0:28:17.560
<v Speaker 2>Houston has had a remarkable turnaround this year. C J.

0:28:17.720 --> 0:28:21.120
<v Speaker 2>Stroud has infused life into that organization that I don't

0:28:21.160 --> 0:28:23.520
<v Speaker 2>think has been there in probably fifteen years. I mean,

0:28:23.520 --> 0:28:27.959
<v Speaker 2>there was some okay runs with with Watson, but nothing

0:28:28.119 --> 0:28:30.200
<v Speaker 2>like this. I mean where they think, you know, you

0:28:30.320 --> 0:28:33.639
<v Speaker 2>got Nico Collins is playing so well right now. You know,

0:28:33.720 --> 0:28:36.080
<v Speaker 2>Devin Singletary I think has shown that he can be

0:28:36.320 --> 0:28:38.120
<v Speaker 2>a back in this league, and when he had some

0:28:38.200 --> 0:28:40.040
<v Speaker 2>fits and starts in Buffalo.

0:28:39.800 --> 0:28:42.800
<v Speaker 1>And Demiko Ryans, quite frankly, has put together kind of,

0:28:42.920 --> 0:28:45.440
<v Speaker 1>you know, kind of a no name defense that that

0:28:45.640 --> 0:28:47.520
<v Speaker 1>is pretty darn good. I mean, you don't you don't

0:28:47.520 --> 0:28:50.600
<v Speaker 1>have JJ Watt, you don't have that headliner on the

0:28:50.640 --> 0:28:54.640
<v Speaker 1>Houston Texans defense anymore. But Demico Ryans, you know, has

0:28:55.000 --> 0:28:57.560
<v Speaker 1>has put together a pretty good unit on that side

0:28:57.560 --> 0:28:57.880
<v Speaker 1>of the ball.

0:28:57.960 --> 0:28:59.720
<v Speaker 2>You know. And honestly, we talked so much about Stroud

0:28:59.720 --> 0:29:01.360
<v Speaker 2>but and since been a good pick for them too.

0:29:01.400 --> 0:29:03.000
<v Speaker 2>I mean it looks like he has plenty in front

0:29:03.000 --> 0:29:05.440
<v Speaker 2>of him that how often a number two overall pick

0:29:05.480 --> 0:29:08.440
<v Speaker 2>can get overlooked just because of the number one pick

0:29:08.520 --> 0:29:10.920
<v Speaker 2>was being probably the offensive rookie of the year. That'll

0:29:10.960 --> 0:29:13.080
<v Speaker 2>be a fun matchup. But let's be honest, Mike, we

0:29:13.120 --> 0:29:15.440
<v Speaker 2>don't care about Houston, we don't care about Baltimore. We

0:29:15.480 --> 0:29:17.920
<v Speaker 2>don't care about what's going on in AFC West and

0:29:18.480 --> 0:29:21.880
<v Speaker 2>the AFC East. Tampa Bay is going to go into

0:29:22.120 --> 0:29:24.760
<v Speaker 2>to Detroit and either that game is going to mean

0:29:24.760 --> 0:29:26.440
<v Speaker 2>everything to the Packers or it's going to mean nothing

0:29:26.480 --> 0:29:29.520
<v Speaker 2>to the Packers. Yeah, and I am very curious to

0:29:29.560 --> 0:29:33.440
<v Speaker 2>see a Tampa Bay team that has had imperfections this year.

0:29:33.480 --> 0:29:36.000
<v Speaker 2>But then last week you saw what they did against Philadelphia,

0:29:36.080 --> 0:29:38.440
<v Speaker 2>a Philadelphia team that was just kind of begging to

0:29:38.440 --> 0:29:41.480
<v Speaker 2>get knocked out and they threw the blows in the

0:29:41.520 --> 0:29:42.479
<v Speaker 2>second half to do it.

0:29:42.560 --> 0:29:43.480
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, they did.

0:29:43.400 --> 0:29:46.120
<v Speaker 2>Against the Detroit team that not only did they get

0:29:46.120 --> 0:29:48.880
<v Speaker 2>that win finally in the playoffs, but they had to

0:29:48.920 --> 0:29:50.800
<v Speaker 2>win it the hard way against the Rams. That was

0:29:50.800 --> 0:29:53.480
<v Speaker 2>a knockdown, dragou battle in a postseason.

0:29:53.560 --> 0:29:57.400
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, the Lions started. The Lions started fast in that game.

0:29:57.440 --> 0:30:00.240
<v Speaker 1>They got three touchdowns in the first half. Then in

0:30:00.280 --> 0:30:02.920
<v Speaker 1>the second half, they only had like eighty six yards

0:30:02.960 --> 0:30:06.040
<v Speaker 1>of total offense, and as I mentioned on our last show,

0:30:06.040 --> 0:30:08.760
<v Speaker 1>their defense just kept stopping the Rams in the red zone,

0:30:08.760 --> 0:30:11.080
<v Speaker 1>making them kick field goals, and they were able to

0:30:11.160 --> 0:30:13.120
<v Speaker 1>hang on. You know, they just hung on for that

0:30:13.800 --> 0:30:17.800
<v Speaker 1>one point victory, whereas the you know, the the Buccaneers

0:30:17.840 --> 0:30:20.120
<v Speaker 1>in some respects were the opposite where it was. You know,

0:30:20.200 --> 0:30:22.080
<v Speaker 1>they were slugging it out a little bit with the Eagles,

0:30:22.120 --> 0:30:24.320
<v Speaker 1>but then as you said, in the second half, they

0:30:24.360 --> 0:30:27.480
<v Speaker 1>threw the haymakers and pulled away. So the way those

0:30:27.520 --> 0:30:31.120
<v Speaker 1>two teams got to this point through wild card weekend

0:30:31.160 --> 0:30:31.880
<v Speaker 1>was very different.

0:30:31.960 --> 0:30:36.120
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and it's great. I love the way the playoffs

0:30:36.160 --> 0:30:37.760
<v Speaker 2>lined up this year. I think there's a lot of

0:30:37.840 --> 0:30:42.680
<v Speaker 2>exciting different variables to this and whether it's the storyline

0:30:42.680 --> 0:30:44.719
<v Speaker 2>with the Lions or seeing what the Packers can do

0:30:45.320 --> 0:30:48.800
<v Speaker 2>with this late season rally. I liked one of the

0:30:48.840 --> 0:30:51.680
<v Speaker 2>big comments that Matt lufford this week is we are

0:30:51.720 --> 0:30:54.160
<v Speaker 2>going to come out swinging. Kenny Clark said it in

0:30:54.160 --> 0:30:56.160
<v Speaker 2>the locker room after the game. We are going to fight.

0:30:56.360 --> 0:30:57.880
<v Speaker 2>That is the one thing we are going to do.

0:30:57.920 --> 0:30:59.640
<v Speaker 2>We are not going to guarantee victories, but we are

0:30:59.640 --> 0:31:03.040
<v Speaker 2>going to and it was good enough for winning Dallas,

0:31:03.760 --> 0:31:05.480
<v Speaker 2>and now the Packers have to decide whether or not

0:31:05.480 --> 0:31:07.040
<v Speaker 2>it's gonna be good enough to take care of business

0:31:07.040 --> 0:31:07.720
<v Speaker 2>in California.

0:31:07.800 --> 0:31:10.440
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, well it's gonna be. It's gonna be a whale

0:31:10.440 --> 0:31:12.200
<v Speaker 1>of a ball game. Can't wait for it to get here.

0:31:12.240 --> 0:31:14.719
<v Speaker 1>As you said, With that, we will sign off on

0:31:14.760 --> 0:31:17.720
<v Speaker 1>this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow all

0:31:17.760 --> 0:31:19.920
<v Speaker 1>of our coverage of the team and all of our

0:31:19.960 --> 0:31:23.200
<v Speaker 1>coverage from Saturday nights NFC Divisional playoff game. We will

0:31:23.240 --> 0:31:26.320
<v Speaker 1>be there at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara with all

0:31:26.360 --> 0:31:28.960
<v Speaker 1>of that for you, for Wes, I am Mike, thank

0:31:28.960 --> 0:31:31.760
<v Speaker 1>you for tuning in everybody. We will see you next time.