WEBVTT - #641 Packers Unscripted: Significant step 0:00:00.480 --> 0:00:10.800 Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from 0:00:10.800 --> 0:00:13.800 Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spofford. He is my 0:00:13.880 --> 0:00:16.520 partner in crime, Wes Hodkowitz. We're coming to you here 0:00:17.040 --> 0:00:20.000 from our studios at lambeau Field West. The Packers on 0:00:20.280 --> 0:00:24.600 Sunday Night football, they blow out the Minnesota Vikings thirty 0:00:24.640 --> 0:00:29.280 seven to ten and in the process clinch the number 0:00:29.320 --> 0:00:33.720 one playoff seed for the NFC because the Cowboys had 0:00:33.760 --> 0:00:35.400 lost earlier in the day. I want to get to 0:00:35.440 --> 0:00:39.360 the playoff scenarios and and where all that stands a 0:00:39.360 --> 0:00:42.200 little bit later, but for this show, and I don't 0:00:42.440 --> 0:00:46.559 want us to start sounding like a broken record, but 0:00:46.680 --> 0:00:49.920 I think we have to start with what Aaron Rodgers 0:00:50.000 --> 0:00:53.519 and Davante Adams are doing. I mean, how that looked 0:00:53.640 --> 0:00:57.560 on Sunday night. What those two guys are doing is incredible. 0:00:58.160 --> 0:01:02.800 What really struck me on Sunday night was just the 0:01:02.880 --> 0:01:07.640 way in which they continue to make it look so easy. 0:01:08.120 --> 0:01:12.240 Aaron Rodgers with another hundred plus passer rating in sub 0:01:12.319 --> 0:01:16.840 zero temperatures or sub zero windshills, excuse me, and Davante 0:01:16.880 --> 0:01:21.480 Adams getting the double digit catches over a hundred yards 0:01:21.600 --> 0:01:25.360 gets in the end zone again, and uh, it just 0:01:25.520 --> 0:01:28.399 it looks too easy in this game. Is not that easy. 0:01:28.440 --> 0:01:31.480 It is not. And the plays that they make, Mike 0:01:31.959 --> 0:01:36.600 Packer fans are so spoiled when you look at the 0:01:36.720 --> 0:01:40.800 NFL and just the amount of jaw dropping plays week 0:01:40.880 --> 0:01:44.280 to week to week. Rogers, for one, makes on his own, 0:01:44.760 --> 0:01:48.320 but to that combination of him and Adams, it's special. 0:01:48.840 --> 0:01:51.320 You might have those a few times in a season 0:01:51.560 --> 0:01:56.240 in other NFL cities. Here it happens literally every Sunday. 0:01:56.280 --> 0:01:57.960 But I want to take this in a different direction 0:01:58.000 --> 0:01:59.960 on you too, though, Mike, because we've talked a lot 0:02:00.120 --> 0:02:02.680 about Aaron Rodgers making a compelling bid for that fourth 0:02:02.760 --> 0:02:06.120 straight m v P. We talked a lot about Davante Adams. 0:02:06.200 --> 0:02:09.520 It would be an absolute travesty if he doesn't actually 0:02:09.520 --> 0:02:11.919 be an unanimous All Pro. I know last year someone 0:02:12.000 --> 0:02:14.400 voted for Cole Beasley for some reason and he wasn't, 0:02:14.440 --> 0:02:17.560 but that he wasn't actually a unanimous all fifty votes 0:02:17.600 --> 0:02:20.919 all Pro at receiver. But it was something that Davante 0:02:20.919 --> 0:02:22.840 Adams said after the game that really hit home with me. 0:02:22.919 --> 0:02:25.799 DeVante talked about almost eighteen minutes, which for a postgame 0:02:25.800 --> 0:02:27.600 interview is about as long as it gets for anyone 0:02:27.639 --> 0:02:30.400 not named Aaron Rodgers or Matt Lafleur. And in the 0:02:30.440 --> 0:02:32.440 middle of it, when he was talking about some of 0:02:32.440 --> 0:02:35.280 the things that him and Rodgers have accomplished together, Davante 0:02:35.800 --> 0:02:38.840 took that car and hit the off ramp and what 0:02:38.880 --> 0:02:41.480 he said was, it's also about the guys in that 0:02:41.560 --> 0:02:45.120 locker room and the way that that offense plays together 0:02:45.120 --> 0:02:49.080 with all eleven parts and the selflessness for guys to 0:02:49.160 --> 0:02:52.720 understand if we're gonna play winning football, this offense and 0:02:52.760 --> 0:02:54.840 a lot of occasions, has to run through Rodgers. It 0:02:54.880 --> 0:02:57.600 has to run through number seventeen. Aaron Jones is a 0:02:57.639 --> 0:02:59.760 guy that in a lot of cities probably is a 0:02:59.800 --> 0:03:03.000 two earned, fifty touch type player. A J. Jones I 0:03:03.040 --> 0:03:05.079 think can show you one week after week after week. 0:03:05.120 --> 0:03:06.359 This is a guy that can carry the ball three 0:03:06.880 --> 0:03:09.320 times a year, no problem, and he's gonna be able 0:03:09.320 --> 0:03:13.040 to get you production. Markquisveldes Scantling has had some huge games, 0:03:13.040 --> 0:03:14.720 and he's had games like Sunday where it was one 0:03:14.760 --> 0:03:17.240 catch for three yards, Alan Lazar, the list goes on 0:03:17.280 --> 0:03:20.040 and on and on. In some places that could be 0:03:20.040 --> 0:03:23.920 a problem for people in Green Bay. They understand what 0:03:24.120 --> 0:03:27.760 everybody's role is and they embrace that role. And in 0:03:27.760 --> 0:03:30.760 this particular case, when you have a generational type talent 0:03:30.800 --> 0:03:33.720 like Aaron Rodgers, and you have a guy that could 0:03:33.800 --> 0:03:36.720 very well go down on that receiver Mount Rushmore here 0:03:36.720 --> 0:03:42.040 in Green Bay, maybe right alongside Don Hudson in Davante Adams, 0:03:42.280 --> 0:03:44.520 you want to ride those horses. And for the Green 0:03:44.520 --> 0:03:46.400 Bay Packers for the last three seasons, it's led to 0:03:46.440 --> 0:03:49.080 an incredible amount of winning and a lot of records 0:03:49.120 --> 0:03:51.040 as well for those two players. Yeah, I was just 0:03:51.120 --> 0:03:54.280 blown away and and I I know we see it 0:03:54.320 --> 0:03:57.160 on a regular basis, but there was something about Sunday 0:03:57.240 --> 0:04:01.760 night with the conditions under the lights. Uh, you know, 0:04:01.800 --> 0:04:05.160 the temperatures were in the single digits, the windshills were 0:04:05.200 --> 0:04:09.200 below zero. It's it's not supposed to be that simple. 0:04:09.320 --> 0:04:13.320 And yet the the back shoulder throws, the tear drop 0:04:13.400 --> 0:04:16.039 throws down, you know, down the sideline that you know, 0:04:16.080 --> 0:04:18.040 sort of the drop in the bucket type of throws. 0:04:18.080 --> 0:04:20.080 I mean, it was just it was it felt like 0:04:20.160 --> 0:04:23.560 it was one after another and they were running around 0:04:23.600 --> 0:04:26.200 out there on you know, the frozen tundra as though 0:04:26.200 --> 0:04:29.680 it was a seventy degree day in September. Um, you know, 0:04:29.800 --> 0:04:32.520 in a in a preseason game or something. And I'm 0:04:32.520 --> 0:04:35.920 not disparaging the Minnesota Vikings defense. I know they've had 0:04:36.200 --> 0:04:39.599 an up and down season and all that, but um, 0:04:39.640 --> 0:04:41.880 a couple of a couple of those back shoulder throws 0:04:41.920 --> 0:04:46.800 were were Um, they were absolutely guarded as closely as 0:04:46.839 --> 0:04:50.039 you could possibly guard them. And that ball is still 0:04:50.080 --> 0:04:55.160 fitting into the tightest of windows with Adams snatching it 0:04:55.240 --> 0:05:00.080 with his hands at absolutely the last possible millisecond and 0:05:00.160 --> 0:05:03.599 not give away to the defender that the ball is coming. 0:05:03.600 --> 0:05:06.520 I mean, the timing and the precision of it in 0:05:06.560 --> 0:05:10.800 those conditions absolutely floored me. In and and again, I 0:05:10.839 --> 0:05:12.840 don't I'm sorry if I'm making our show like a 0:05:13.680 --> 0:05:15.960 broken record that we talked about this every week, But 0:05:16.240 --> 0:05:20.280 I think there's something about that particular game Sunday night 0:05:20.320 --> 0:05:23.320 and what they did and everything that it encompassed that 0:05:23.520 --> 0:05:26.640 was different and special compared to what we've seen before 0:05:26.839 --> 0:05:29.800 offensively for the Minnesota Vikings. I have a lot of questions. 0:05:30.000 --> 0:05:32.719 It seemed to me like Minnesota and Summer guards didn't 0:05:32.720 --> 0:05:35.160 want to really even be there. That's the way I felt. Yeah, 0:05:35.320 --> 0:05:37.680 I tip my cap to their defense, though, Mike, it's 0:05:37.680 --> 0:05:40.440 been a much maligned defense this year. That secondary. Everybody 0:05:40.440 --> 0:05:42.600 talks about how they don't have, you know, the horses 0:05:42.640 --> 0:05:44.760 that they had in the past. You know, cam dancler 0:05:44.800 --> 0:05:47.280 doesn't play in this game, right. I actually thought Chris 0:05:47.360 --> 0:05:50.719 Boyd played a pretty good game. I was watching Harrison, 0:05:51.279 --> 0:05:55.159 you know, Smith basically run laps around the field, trying 0:05:55.200 --> 0:05:57.200 to get on the back end, trying to cover the slot, 0:05:57.240 --> 0:06:00.400 trying to get over to where Davante is and Green 0:06:00.520 --> 0:06:03.120 Bay in the cat and mouse game they played, specifically 0:06:03.120 --> 0:06:06.600 in that second quarter, was just incredible to watch. I mean, 0:06:06.880 --> 0:06:11.400 by and large, Minnesota did a good job against Davante Adams, 0:06:11.560 --> 0:06:13.599 and he had eleven catches for a hundred and thirty 0:06:13.600 --> 0:06:17.039 six yards in a touchdown. But when he got going, man, 0:06:17.520 --> 0:06:21.200 they had few answers to stop him, and and ultimately 0:06:21.240 --> 0:06:24.200 that led to him now being twenty two yards shy 0:06:24.240 --> 0:06:27.680 of Jordy Nelson's franchise record for single season receiving yards. 0:06:27.920 --> 0:06:30.760 He broke his own record for single season catches now 0:06:30.800 --> 0:06:33.640 at one seventeen. And then suddenly not that he's gonna 0:06:33.640 --> 0:06:35.359 be challenging you know, the record that he shares with 0:06:35.520 --> 0:06:38.680 sterling sharp for single season touchdowns. But suddenly this guy 0:06:38.720 --> 0:06:40.520 that was having an issue getting into the red zone 0:06:40.520 --> 0:06:44.039 earlier the season now has ten eleven touchdowns on the year. Yeah, 0:06:44.560 --> 0:06:46.640 DeVante Adams is one of a kind man, and that 0:06:46.760 --> 0:06:50.479 synergy has with Aaron Rodgers, it's it's unlike anything we've seen. Yeah, 0:06:50.520 --> 0:06:52.320 the numbers that he's putting up this year, and you 0:06:52.360 --> 0:06:54.719 mentioned the double digit touchdowns. I believe that's either the 0:06:54.760 --> 0:06:57.120 fourth or fifth time in his career that he's reached 0:06:57.440 --> 0:07:01.440 double digit touchdowns. Now, Um, pretty incredible And with regard 0:07:01.520 --> 0:07:08.400 to to me, and I take nothing away from from um, 0:07:08.440 --> 0:07:11.000 you know, from a guy like Jamaar Chase in Cincinnati 0:07:11.120 --> 0:07:15.040 was having an absolutely phenomenal rookie year. But the but 0:07:15.120 --> 0:07:17.240 the two All Pro receivers on the first team in 0:07:17.280 --> 0:07:19.640 the NFL or Cooper Cup in Davante Adams, I just 0:07:19.680 --> 0:07:22.440 don't see how that goes any other way. And whether 0:07:22.440 --> 0:07:24.320 you whether it's supposed to be unanimus or not, I 0:07:24.360 --> 0:07:26.560 guess I'm not going to get too hung up on that. 0:07:26.960 --> 0:07:30.320 But those two guys, you know, Jamaar Chase has had 0:07:30.360 --> 0:07:32.880 a phenomenal season and he is he He and Joe 0:07:32.920 --> 0:07:37.320 Burrow are elevating Cincinnati into that contender conversation in the 0:07:37.320 --> 0:07:39.400 a f C. But Cooper Cup and Davantae Adams have 0:07:39.480 --> 0:07:42.000 done it every week all season long, and I don't 0:07:42.000 --> 0:07:43.480 think I would have cared as much about the All 0:07:43.520 --> 0:07:45.520 Pro if it would have been just such an egregious 0:07:45.560 --> 0:07:47.800 thing to have cold beat. Which, by the way, that 0:07:47.920 --> 0:07:50.400 vote no, you're you're at You're absolutely that vote ended 0:07:50.440 --> 0:07:52.600 up making Cole Beasley I think in All Pro. I 0:07:52.640 --> 0:07:54.560 think he was a second team All Pro last year 0:07:54.560 --> 0:07:57.120 because of that vote. Yeah, But be that as it may, 0:07:57.520 --> 0:08:00.120 Chase is an exceptional player. I mean, my goodness, what 0:08:00.160 --> 0:08:03.080 he did against Kansas City. Give that guy credit. But 0:08:03.200 --> 0:08:06.360 in terms of the receiving position, the receiving position in 0:08:06.400 --> 0:08:09.360 and of itself, Cup and Adams right now are the 0:08:09.400 --> 0:08:11.960 gold standards. The way they can run the entire road tree, 0:08:12.240 --> 0:08:15.040 their instincts, their ability to play any of the positions 0:08:15.080 --> 0:08:18.280 that are involved with the skill position player. Uh, those 0:08:18.320 --> 0:08:20.640 two guys. Watching them work and having a chance in 0:08:20.680 --> 0:08:23.400 recent weeks to watch Cup more and more, you really 0:08:23.440 --> 0:08:26.400 see a lot of parallels in their game, and especially 0:08:26.400 --> 0:08:28.480 in Cup's case, being able to develop that chemistry in 0:08:28.560 --> 0:08:31.160 year one with Matthew Stafford. Yeah. Well, a couple other 0:08:31.200 --> 0:08:33.920 things to get to hear from this big victory for 0:08:34.000 --> 0:08:36.240 the Green Bay Packers. One is that we had talked 0:08:36.280 --> 0:08:40.680 about it all week long, the keying on Dalvin Cook 0:08:40.720 --> 0:08:43.280 and not letting him take control this football game. And 0:08:43.280 --> 0:08:45.319 then lo and behold, we find out on Friday that 0:08:45.440 --> 0:08:49.040 Kirk cousins Um goes on the COVID list and the 0:08:49.160 --> 0:08:54.720 Vikings have to have to substitute Sean mannion and uh, um, 0:08:54.760 --> 0:08:58.480 you know, hats off to the Packers defense. Dalvin Cook 0:08:58.559 --> 0:09:01.760 held to thirteen yards on nine carries, also had zero 0:09:01.880 --> 0:09:06.320 yards on three receptions, so twelve touches and just thirteen 0:09:06.400 --> 0:09:09.720 yards for Cook. And that's a heck of an effort 0:09:09.720 --> 0:09:14.120 by the Packers defense. But that unit also just didn't 0:09:14.160 --> 0:09:17.240 really have to worry about Minnesota's passing game because because 0:09:17.440 --> 0:09:21.400 Sean Mannion um gave it everything he had on a 0:09:21.440 --> 0:09:25.360 difficult night in difficult conditions. But that Minnesota passing game, 0:09:25.480 --> 0:09:29.400 even with Justin Jefferson but also without Adam Feeling, was 0:09:29.480 --> 0:09:32.600 just never a threat to the to this Packers defense, 0:09:32.640 --> 0:09:35.760 and and then with them never really getting Dalvin Cook going, 0:09:36.280 --> 0:09:39.520 um the whole game just became a foregone conclusion. You know, 0:09:39.679 --> 0:09:41.559 I have a lot of respect for what Matt Lafloora 0:09:41.600 --> 0:09:43.920 and Joe Barry did in this game because they didn't 0:09:43.960 --> 0:09:48.040 disrespect Minnesota's offense. They did if you you always say 0:09:48.080 --> 0:09:49.719 every week, like fans always like to ask in the 0:09:49.720 --> 0:09:52.160 instigram box, hey, is this a trap game? Or are 0:09:52.200 --> 0:09:54.920 they overlooking this point? The green Bay Packers respected the 0:09:55.000 --> 0:09:57.720 Vikings for everything they could be with or without Kirk 0:09:57.720 --> 0:10:01.040 Cousins on the field. But by doing that, they also 0:10:01.080 --> 0:10:04.040 didn't get outside themselves, and they just kind of dominated 0:10:04.040 --> 0:10:06.800 an opponent they should dominate in the fashion that was 0:10:06.840 --> 0:10:10.800 actually you know that that corresponded to the performance. You 0:10:11.080 --> 0:10:13.080 didn't see them cheating guys up. You didn't see them 0:10:13.120 --> 0:10:15.800 just running base packages in the entire game. They incorporated 0:10:15.840 --> 0:10:19.360 the dime the situations that called for specific packages, They 0:10:19.440 --> 0:10:21.760 ran those packages, and they asked their guys to execute. 0:10:22.240 --> 0:10:24.120 I actually think this is a really important game for 0:10:24.160 --> 0:10:27.760 Green Bay from a defensive standpoint, because I thought it 0:10:27.840 --> 0:10:29.920 allowed them to get in and out of their base 0:10:30.080 --> 0:10:33.959 nickel Penny in dime packages with more fluidity. That was 0:10:34.000 --> 0:10:36.000 where we'd seen some of the issues with the communication 0:10:36.040 --> 0:10:40.080 in recent weeks. That was the most unified that Dimes 0:10:40.160 --> 0:10:43.080 seemed this year with Kevin King in that role. There 0:10:43.160 --> 0:10:44.480 was even the one where they kind of had King 0:10:44.520 --> 0:10:48.160 mugging up front with with you know, Devondra Campbell, you know, 0:10:48.200 --> 0:10:50.720 teasing a blitz, you know, kind of more true, you know, 0:10:50.800 --> 0:10:54.319 nickel type looks. The Green Bay Packers have a really 0:10:54.360 --> 0:10:57.120 talented defense, and as we'll probably talk about at some point, 0:10:57.120 --> 0:10:59.679 they could potentially be getting reinforcements back here for the 0:10:59.720 --> 0:11:02.240 post season. But I just felt like they kind of 0:11:02.280 --> 0:11:04.200 need to get their swagger back a little bit, and 0:11:04.240 --> 0:11:06.000 this was the game to do it. The fact that 0:11:06.080 --> 0:11:08.760 Dalvin Cook only carried the ball nine times, it is 0:11:08.800 --> 0:11:11.360 what it is. That's the game plan that they went with. 0:11:11.920 --> 0:11:14.120 But the fact that they only gave up thirteen yards 0:11:14.160 --> 0:11:17.280 on those carries and not giving him extraditional room to breathe. 0:11:17.559 --> 0:11:19.640 That was my main takeaway from this game. The Packers 0:11:19.640 --> 0:11:21.560 one up front and they dominated. Yeah, I think the 0:11:21.600 --> 0:11:24.280 point that you made with regard to the changing of 0:11:24.320 --> 0:11:27.679 the personnel packages in the communication and everything being smoothed out, 0:11:27.679 --> 0:11:30.000 we saw some issues with that with the Packers defense 0:11:30.080 --> 0:11:33.120 in recent weeks, and that did seem to get straightened out. 0:11:33.120 --> 0:11:35.560 I went through the defensive film by what you might 0:11:35.600 --> 0:11:38.280 have missed segment, I actually I focused on on the 0:11:38.320 --> 0:11:41.560 coverage of Eric Stokes because it really was impressive what 0:11:41.640 --> 0:11:44.000 he was doing. He was he certainly got his share 0:11:44.040 --> 0:11:47.160 of of Justin Jefferson in this game, and Stokes is 0:11:47.160 --> 0:11:50.080 playing is playing some really really good football for the 0:11:50.120 --> 0:11:53.719 Packers right now. But with regard to the communication, there 0:11:53.800 --> 0:11:55.839 was one play I saw. I think it was when 0:11:55.880 --> 0:11:58.079 the Vikings were in the red zone or close to 0:11:58.120 --> 0:12:02.200 the red zone or something, and and um, Channon Sullivan 0:12:02.320 --> 0:12:04.280 got kind of mixed up where he was on the 0:12:04.320 --> 0:12:06.040 wrong side of the tight end was on the other 0:12:06.080 --> 0:12:08.240 side and he and he had yeah and he had 0:12:08.280 --> 0:12:11.079 to you know, chase the guy. But other than that one, 0:12:11.280 --> 0:12:14.640 other than that one instance, it felt like it felt 0:12:14.679 --> 0:12:17.640 like everything the Packers wanted to do on offense was 0:12:18.160 --> 0:12:21.280 it was implemented and it was executed smoothly. And that's 0:12:21.280 --> 0:12:23.200 what you like to see with where this team is 0:12:23.280 --> 0:12:25.439 heading into the postsea. And I'm so glad you brought 0:12:25.480 --> 0:12:27.520 that up because what also stood out to me is, Okay, 0:12:27.600 --> 0:12:30.480 after the play happened, they get the guy down, watching 0:12:30.520 --> 0:12:33.400 the defense come back together. Watching Chandon and Ull come 0:12:33.400 --> 0:12:35.160 back together kind of kind of tap each other on 0:12:35.200 --> 0:12:37.920 the helmet and get onto the next one. That was 0:12:38.000 --> 0:12:40.000 my biggest takeaway from that is that, Yeah, that was 0:12:40.040 --> 0:12:42.720 you let what you you gave one up there. Yeah, 0:12:42.840 --> 0:12:44.560 but they found a way to rally back. That's a 0:12:44.600 --> 0:12:47.720 really really salient point. Yeah. The The other thing we 0:12:47.800 --> 0:12:50.760 saw that will be very interesting to monitor here going 0:12:50.800 --> 0:12:55.040 forward is a very under the radar signing. The Packers 0:12:55.080 --> 0:12:59.720 pick up David Moore. They signed him to the practice squad. 0:12:59.720 --> 0:13:02.280 He'd been released from the Broncos practice squad. He's a 0:13:02.280 --> 0:13:05.720 wide receiver. Just a couple of months earlier, Packers bring 0:13:05.840 --> 0:13:07.920 him in, sign him of the practice squad, elevate him 0:13:07.960 --> 0:13:11.040 for game day with a Marii Rodgers on the COVID list, 0:13:11.400 --> 0:13:14.040 and all of a sudden, bang this guy. Well, first 0:13:14.600 --> 0:13:17.199 it looked like he had drawn a penalty for for 0:13:17.360 --> 0:13:21.160 you know, interference of interference to catch a punt. The 0:13:21.280 --> 0:13:23.760 officials picked up that flag and I still don't understand 0:13:23.760 --> 0:13:27.640 why they did. But then later on he returns a 0:13:27.720 --> 0:13:30.920 punt twenty one yards, which becomes the Packers longest punt 0:13:30.960 --> 0:13:33.920 return of the season fifteen yards get tacked on for 0:13:33.960 --> 0:13:36.640 a late hit out of bounds. Suddenly it looks like, 0:13:36.840 --> 0:13:39.560 you know, do the Packers here have their you know, 0:13:39.679 --> 0:13:43.240 the two thousand nineteen Tyler Irvin. This this late addition 0:13:43.280 --> 0:13:45.800 to the special teams in in David Morde had to 0:13:45.920 --> 0:13:47.920 help out here. It looks like he could make an impact. 0:13:48.080 --> 0:13:50.560 Tell you what a couple of things here. One. I 0:13:50.640 --> 0:13:52.840 was driving into work today, I was talking to my friends. 0:13:52.840 --> 0:13:55.800 Scott Vincy, my former cork at the Press Gazette, I 0:13:55.840 --> 0:13:57.720 know him well, and we got talking about the game 0:13:57.760 --> 0:13:59.920 a little bit and I just casually brought up David 0:14:00.040 --> 0:14:03.320 more In. Scott goes, wait, that the Seahawk. That the 0:14:03.320 --> 0:14:04.839 guy that was with the Seahawks. I'm like yeah, and 0:14:04.880 --> 0:14:06.520 I'm like, since when does he played for the Packers. 0:14:06.559 --> 0:14:11.000 I was like, well since Thursday, and I mean that's 0:14:11.040 --> 0:14:14.000 the season. That's the way this thing's gone. Aaron Rodgers 0:14:14.000 --> 0:14:17.560 even mentioned and this post game interview he met more 0:14:17.640 --> 0:14:19.280 on the sideline and he's like, yeah, he had a 0:14:19.360 --> 0:14:21.960 nice kick. A nice punt return for US twenty one 0:14:22.040 --> 0:14:25.560 yards that also doubled as both agreement Packers longest punt 0:14:25.600 --> 0:14:27.880 return of the season and the longest that Moors had 0:14:27.880 --> 0:14:31.800 in his career. Listen, Mike, I almost I almost equated. 0:14:31.800 --> 0:14:33.720 It was sort of like the pepno bismol a little 0:14:33.760 --> 0:14:36.280 bit of the punt return game there. He just seemed 0:14:36.280 --> 0:14:39.160 to really alleviate, you know, some of those issues. I mean, 0:14:39.360 --> 0:14:42.040 there just was a lot more comfort with him back there. 0:14:42.040 --> 0:14:44.160 And it was just one performance. He's got to be 0:14:44.160 --> 0:14:46.560 able to string this together. But what have you and 0:14:46.600 --> 0:14:50.440 I and everyone, coaches, fans, everybody's talked about this. They 0:14:50.520 --> 0:14:54.440 just needed more consistency from their special teams and with 0:14:54.560 --> 0:14:57.440 more He didn't dance under the ball, He tracked it well. 0:14:57.600 --> 0:15:00.480 He didn't seem to be panicky under pressure. Give the 0:15:00.600 --> 0:15:02.840 Jammers a lot of credit. They gave him some room 0:15:02.840 --> 0:15:04.800 to which to work. He did have, he did have 0:15:04.880 --> 0:15:07.520 some room to work. It was by far well. It 0:15:07.560 --> 0:15:10.040 was by far the best punt return performance of the season, 0:15:10.120 --> 0:15:11.560 and it put him up there for one of the 0:15:11.560 --> 0:15:15.920 best special teams outings there. Mason Crosby five touchbacks, four 0:15:15.960 --> 0:15:20.560 extra points, three field goals. They found ways to be consistent, 0:15:20.600 --> 0:15:22.600 and that's all they're asking for them here. They're not 0:15:22.680 --> 0:15:25.480 asking for Devin Hester. They're asking to get the ball 0:15:25.480 --> 0:15:28.360 back to Aaron Rodgers with as favorable field position as possible, 0:15:28.520 --> 0:15:31.160 and they did their job on Sunday night. Yeah, one 0:15:31.280 --> 0:15:34.040 rough punt from bo Joe Um and then also a 0:15:34.360 --> 0:15:36.840 shaky hold on that first field goal, but he recovered, 0:15:36.880 --> 0:15:38.920 got down, Mason was able to make the kick. But 0:15:38.960 --> 0:15:42.880 we're definitely seeing, definitely seeing some some progress there on 0:15:42.920 --> 0:15:45.760 special teams. Before I forget West, I'll take care of 0:15:45.760 --> 0:15:49.320 our sponsor business. Here. Serious x M NFL Radio delivers 0:15:49.400 --> 0:15:52.440 hard hitting analysis and up to the minute NFL news 0:15:52.440 --> 0:15:56.480 that true football fanatics need. Seven three sixty And at 0:15:56.520 --> 0:15:59.320 Cousin Subs, we have something for everyone like our Wisconsin 0:15:59.360 --> 0:16:02.520 cheese curds, AMC and cheese, golden fries, and creamy shakes, 0:16:02.520 --> 0:16:04.840 all paired with your favorite sub or sub in a bowl. 0:16:04.960 --> 0:16:09.480 Cousins Subs, we believe in better all right. The Packers 0:16:09.520 --> 0:16:12.680 clinched the number one seed in the NFC playoffs. The 0:16:12.720 --> 0:16:16.960 Cowboys had lost to the Cardinals earlier on Sunday afternoon, 0:16:17.280 --> 0:16:19.360 so the Packers took the field on Sunday night. They 0:16:19.400 --> 0:16:21.600 took care of business. They have the one seed which 0:16:21.640 --> 0:16:24.720 comes with it the first round by home field advantage. 0:16:24.800 --> 0:16:29.480 Everything that the Packers also had last year. But there's 0:16:29.480 --> 0:16:32.400 still one regular season game left to play, so there 0:16:32.440 --> 0:16:34.840 are a lot of questions. Now, how how do the 0:16:34.880 --> 0:16:39.520 Packers go about this game in Detroit in Week eighteen 0:16:39.600 --> 0:16:43.760 where the win or the loss doesn't impact your obviously 0:16:43.800 --> 0:16:46.760 your your playoff implications at all. And Matt Lafleur said, 0:16:47.160 --> 0:16:52.560 suggested on Sunday night, reiterated on Monday, they're going to 0:16:52.640 --> 0:16:55.520 prep and play the starters in this game. He does 0:16:55.560 --> 0:16:59.200 not want to to give healthy players a week off 0:16:59.240 --> 0:17:02.280 now and then have the playoff by and essentially then 0:17:02.320 --> 0:17:05.399 set up a scenario where from the Minnesota game to 0:17:05.520 --> 0:17:11.280 the divisional playoff game, it's it's three weeks essentially between games. 0:17:11.960 --> 0:17:14.360 That being said, it doesn't sound like the starters are 0:17:14.359 --> 0:17:17.640 necessarily going to play the entire game in Detroit, So 0:17:17.800 --> 0:17:20.199 there is a little bit of a treat this like 0:17:20.240 --> 0:17:23.040 a preseason game kind of thing in a way the 0:17:23.080 --> 0:17:26.240 way it's sounding at least right now early in the week. 0:17:26.520 --> 0:17:31.240 Um And and the other factor that's going on here too, 0:17:31.280 --> 0:17:34.400 as you had alluded to before, is some of these 0:17:34.400 --> 0:17:37.600 injured guys, whether we're talking about David bok T Jaire, 0:17:37.640 --> 0:17:42.280 Alexander Um, Randall, Cobb, are these guys going, Are these 0:17:42.280 --> 0:17:46.040 guys going to be back for the playoffs? Would they 0:17:46.040 --> 0:17:49.760 potentially play against the Lions to get their feet wet 0:17:49.800 --> 0:17:52.119 so to speak. It's maybe not as big an issue 0:17:52.119 --> 0:17:54.080 for Cobb because he's only been out like a month 0:17:54.160 --> 0:17:57.280 or a little over a month. But um, obviously Alexander 0:17:57.320 --> 0:17:59.720 has been out since Week four. Boxtr has not played 0:17:59.800 --> 0:18:02.880 yet this season. We don't know how this is going 0:18:02.920 --> 0:18:05.120 to go. But there's a lot to consider. There's sort 0:18:05.160 --> 0:18:06.800 of there's sort of a lot of a lot of 0:18:06.960 --> 0:18:09.080 balls being juggled in the air, so to speak, by 0:18:09.080 --> 0:18:11.520 Matt Lafleur and his coaching staff and the medical staff 0:18:11.840 --> 0:18:15.199 to figure out the best approach here between now and 0:18:15.240 --> 0:18:18.320 when the Packers will play that divisional playoff game in 0:18:18.359 --> 0:18:21.480 a few weeks. Yeah, And I don't know anything about 0:18:21.560 --> 0:18:23.960 anything as it relearns to the injury front. Obviously, Matt 0:18:24.000 --> 0:18:25.639 Flour has played a pretty close to the best here, 0:18:25.760 --> 0:18:28.360 especially in the last two weeks. But I'll say this, 0:18:28.640 --> 0:18:31.120 I mean the way that Aaron Rodgers was speaking about 0:18:31.200 --> 0:18:34.080 Randall Cobb one, obviously it appears that Cobb is pretty 0:18:34.119 --> 0:18:36.760 close to returning. Rogers even said, you know, if that 0:18:36.760 --> 0:18:38.720 would have been a playoff type game, maybe would have 0:18:38.760 --> 0:18:41.440 even been back out there. What that really tells me, though, 0:18:41.440 --> 0:18:44.200 and this is the biggest thing, is that core injury. 0:18:44.359 --> 0:18:48.840 Obviously it wasn't too significant, and what we've learned more 0:18:48.840 --> 0:18:52.240 and more with these core muscle injuries a lot of times, Mike, 0:18:52.720 --> 0:18:55.280 it's almost kind of like an mcl in some regards 0:18:55.280 --> 0:18:56.840 where you just got to kind of go in there 0:18:56.840 --> 0:18:58.560 and get the things stitched up and just work your 0:18:58.560 --> 0:19:01.840 way back. So obviously being able to at least be 0:19:01.920 --> 0:19:04.119 clear to be back on the field one month after that, 0:19:04.200 --> 0:19:06.119 to be able to return to practice in a padded 0:19:06.160 --> 0:19:09.720 session last Thursday, a very big positive for him. The 0:19:09.760 --> 0:19:12.680 other three, it's gonna be really interesting. Um and Josh 0:19:12.720 --> 0:19:14.760 Meyers certainly trying to come back from that knee injury 0:19:14.760 --> 0:19:16.440 as well. Well, we'll see where things were at with him. 0:19:16.440 --> 0:19:18.320 He's actually been in the rehab group now the last 0:19:18.359 --> 0:19:23.240 few weeks, but Jarry Alexander's practicing, David Bakti was not 0:19:23.320 --> 0:19:25.800 practicing last week. We'll see if he practices this week. 0:19:26.040 --> 0:19:27.840 And then obviously Zadarius Smith, I know there was some 0:19:27.840 --> 0:19:29.800 stuff said about him being back in town. We'll see 0:19:29.840 --> 0:19:32.280 what happens there. The way I look at this is 0:19:32.480 --> 0:19:35.120 the Green Bay Packers have made themselves the top seed 0:19:35.119 --> 0:19:37.280 in the NFC, the top dog, the team that has 0:19:37.280 --> 0:19:40.320 should be favor to represent this conference in the Super Bowl. 0:19:40.760 --> 0:19:44.040 Without a five time All Pro left tackle, without an 0:19:44.040 --> 0:19:47.880 all Pro cornerback, and and certainly, um, when you look 0:19:47.920 --> 0:19:51.440 at what happened with Elton Jenkins and and all these 0:19:51.440 --> 0:19:55.680 other guys they've lost along the way, Robert Don incredible. 0:19:55.720 --> 0:19:58.360 I mean, they still managed to overcome it and put 0:19:58.400 --> 0:20:01.600 themselves in this position. If you get back as a 0:20:01.680 --> 0:20:04.439 Darius Smith and he can give you fifteen snaps in 0:20:04.480 --> 0:20:07.560 an NFC Championship game or fifteen snaps in a Super Bowl, 0:20:08.600 --> 0:20:10.359 what a boost that could give you. If you can 0:20:10.440 --> 0:20:12.920 get back John Alexander for a playoff run, if you 0:20:12.960 --> 0:20:15.040 can get back David box tr and he's ready in 0:20:15.320 --> 0:20:17.800 that in the medical staff feels good about that knee. 0:20:18.920 --> 0:20:22.000 Rogers equated it to two thousand and thirteen, and when 0:20:22.040 --> 0:20:24.439