WEBVTT - #434 Packers Unscripted: Situations and personnel 0:00:00.840 --> 0:00:21.120 Hi, everybody. Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:21.120 --> 0:00:24.479 I am Mike Spofford sitting next to my partner in crime, 0:00:24.560 --> 0:00:27.640 West Hodkowits were coming to you here from our studios 0:00:27.680 --> 0:00:30.159 at lambeau Field West. We are one day closer to 0:00:30.320 --> 0:00:34.320 Week two and the home opener at lambeau Field Packers 0:00:34.440 --> 0:00:38.960 Vikings Sunday noon Central Time kickoff. We spent yesterday's show 0:00:39.479 --> 0:00:42.560 examining the Minnesota Vikings, talking a lot about their team 0:00:42.560 --> 0:00:44.680 in all three phases and everything that went on in 0:00:44.720 --> 0:00:47.479 Week one. As we shift our focus back to the 0:00:47.520 --> 0:00:53.160 Packers here, if there's one statistic from the Week one 0:00:53.240 --> 0:00:56.240 victory against the Chicago Bears offensively for the Green Bay 0:00:56.240 --> 0:00:59.240 Packers that really sticks out to me. And I don't 0:00:59.240 --> 0:01:01.520 like to reave a at things from last year because 0:01:01.600 --> 0:01:03.760 last year is last year and this is a new era. 0:01:04.360 --> 0:01:06.959 But that two for twelve on third down by the 0:01:07.000 --> 0:01:11.039 Packers against Chicago, that one really sticks out like a 0:01:11.080 --> 0:01:12.959 sore thumb and something that the Packers have to do 0:01:13.080 --> 0:01:16.840 something about it. And Matt Lafleur talked about it. Hey, 0:01:16.959 --> 0:01:19.000 you know, you can't sit, you can't live in third 0:01:19.000 --> 0:01:22.760 and ten plus, which six of those twelve third down 0:01:22.800 --> 0:01:26.280 attempts were third and ten plus. And you don't want 0:01:26.319 --> 0:01:28.560 to be in that against even the bad defenses in 0:01:28.640 --> 0:01:30.920 the league, let alone some of the good ones. But 0:01:31.040 --> 0:01:34.480 this is something that the Packers you've got, You've got 0:01:34.520 --> 0:01:39.000 to convert more on third down because because this is 0:01:39.040 --> 0:01:41.200 just no way to live on offense. No, and it's 0:01:41.319 --> 0:01:43.679 that's the big thing, and Aaron Rodgers talked about it 0:01:43.680 --> 0:01:45.800 too during his time with the media. I mean, you 0:01:45.840 --> 0:01:49.160 have to put yourself in favorable situations there because third 0:01:49.200 --> 0:01:52.800 down and ten, it doesn't matter how good your offense is, 0:01:53.120 --> 0:01:56.280 you're not going to reliably be able to convert those. 0:01:56.840 --> 0:01:58.880 You know, every single timer, as much as you want to, 0:01:59.240 --> 0:02:02.800 those are maybe maybe one out of four propositions you're 0:02:02.800 --> 0:02:04.960 going to convert third and ten plus. So what you're 0:02:04.960 --> 0:02:06.760 looking for is those third and one to third and 0:02:06.800 --> 0:02:09.760 five kind of situations that you can dictate what you 0:02:09.800 --> 0:02:11.720 can do there that you don't necessarily have to be 0:02:11.760 --> 0:02:14.280 able to allow the defense to sell out to defend 0:02:14.280 --> 0:02:15.799 the past. You have to give them more things to 0:02:15.880 --> 0:02:19.320 think about. This is where I mentioned where the run game, 0:02:19.360 --> 0:02:22.000 I mean, it's still the work is not done for them. 0:02:22.000 --> 0:02:25.040 This Minnesota defense will stress them in that way as well, 0:02:25.120 --> 0:02:28.680 the same as Chicago did over the course of the season. 0:02:28.720 --> 0:02:32.239 I think with the concepts and you know, on fundamentals 0:02:32.240 --> 0:02:34.800 and the things that the Packers are preaching here, I 0:02:34.840 --> 0:02:37.240 think ultimately they'll be able to win this thing out 0:02:37.440 --> 0:02:39.880 and be able to get the production they want. But 0:02:40.120 --> 0:02:42.600 in these instances when you're taking on a high caliber 0:02:42.639 --> 0:02:45.720 defense like Minnesota, you have to be able to get 0:02:45.760 --> 0:02:48.799 your yardage early in first and second down and make 0:02:48.840 --> 0:02:51.200 sure that Mike Zimmer can't just completely pin his ears 0:02:51.200 --> 0:02:53.800 back with what he wants to call on third down situations. 0:02:54.200 --> 0:02:56.920 That's the key to success. I think the huddle, you know, 0:02:57.000 --> 0:02:59.880 breaking that early enough, getting the you know, not getting 0:02:59.880 --> 0:03:03.000 the play clock down, doing all those type of things 0:03:03.440 --> 0:03:05.400 are going to be what ultimately lead the Packers to 0:03:05.400 --> 0:03:07.040 be in the type of offense they wanted to be. 0:03:07.680 --> 0:03:10.960 Aaron Jones, Jamal Williams, there's a lot of optimism about them. 0:03:10.960 --> 0:03:13.040 We've talked about it for five six months now of 0:03:13.040 --> 0:03:15.400 what they can be in this Packers offense. And you're 0:03:15.400 --> 0:03:18.560 gonna be playing defenses like this. I mean, as Aaron 0:03:18.639 --> 0:03:20.919 Rodgers told John Coon and his four downs, I mean 0:03:21.280 --> 0:03:23.360 there's a chance that he thinks that there's a possibility 0:03:23.360 --> 0:03:25.840 you can have four top ten defenses in the NFC 0:03:25.960 --> 0:03:28.560 North and you've got to see those teams three, you know, 0:03:28.639 --> 0:03:32.079 two times throughout the course of the years. So if 0:03:32.080 --> 0:03:33.720 you're gonna be able to get the running game going, 0:03:33.880 --> 0:03:35.440 you want to continue that. You want to get it 0:03:35.480 --> 0:03:37.800 done against Minnesota. Yeah, when you talk about the down 0:03:37.800 --> 0:03:41.720 and distance situation, and looking at Chicago, I mentioned there 0:03:41.720 --> 0:03:44.400 were six that were third and ten plus, including four 0:03:44.440 --> 0:03:46.720 in a row in the second half that were actually 0:03:47.240 --> 0:03:50.240 more than not just ten plus, but actually more than 0:03:50.360 --> 0:03:54.560 ten because of either a penalty or a lost yardage play, 0:03:54.920 --> 0:03:58.640 um a sack or a lost yardage play with the run. 0:03:59.000 --> 0:04:00.920 I mean four times in a row of between like 0:04:00.960 --> 0:04:03.000 twelve and seventeen yards on third down. I mean, it 0:04:03.120 --> 0:04:05.080 just started to get out of hand there for a while. 0:04:05.480 --> 0:04:09.040 You look at the Packers six third down attempts when 0:04:09.080 --> 0:04:11.840 they needed less than ten yards, they were two for six. 0:04:12.080 --> 0:04:14.280 And you'd still like to be a little bit better 0:04:14.280 --> 0:04:16.440 than that when you're in that, you know, needing three 0:04:16.480 --> 0:04:20.039 to seven yard range. But I think the other the 0:04:20.080 --> 0:04:23.520 other thing that bug me a little bit, and I'll 0:04:23.839 --> 0:04:26.120 explain the caveat here. But even the two that the 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:30.679 Packers converted against the Bears, they were kind of busted plays, 0:04:30.720 --> 0:04:35.320 extended plays, like the Packers just never really hit anything 0:04:35.400 --> 0:04:37.640 in rhythm on third down. It was it was sort 0:04:37.680 --> 0:04:40.160 of it was sort of like a survival of the 0:04:40.160 --> 0:04:44.640 fittest type of down. And and I understand defenses, that's 0:04:44.640 --> 0:04:46.520 when they're going to throw the most exotic things that 0:04:46.600 --> 0:04:48.640 you They're trying to get you off your game. They're 0:04:48.640 --> 0:04:51.080 trying to get you to react to something at the 0:04:51.160 --> 0:04:54.120 last second that maybe you're not prepared for. And that's 0:04:54.120 --> 0:04:56.160 what third down is all about in the NFL. That's 0:04:56.200 --> 0:04:58.159 what makes it the money down, that's what makes it 0:04:58.240 --> 0:05:01.640 so tough. And that's why this statistic is so important. 0:05:01.680 --> 0:05:03.680 And obviously early in the season you're going to see 0:05:03.720 --> 0:05:06.839 even more of those unscouted looks and things that you 0:05:07.040 --> 0:05:10.080 don't necessarily know that that other defenses is going to 0:05:10.080 --> 0:05:12.840 be able to throw at you. But um, but if 0:05:12.839 --> 0:05:16.520 the Packers can find anything to any kind of a rhythm, 0:05:16.560 --> 0:05:19.919 anything to hang their hat on third down to say, okay, 0:05:19.960 --> 0:05:21.880 you know, this is this is what we can go 0:05:21.960 --> 0:05:24.039 to or this is this is where we want to 0:05:24.040 --> 0:05:26.520 be when we're in that third and manageable third and 0:05:26.560 --> 0:05:29.720 medium type of situation, I think that third down percentage 0:05:29.720 --> 0:05:32.039 is going to start to go up. But um, but 0:05:32.160 --> 0:05:34.560 you know you don't want to stay down here in 0:05:34.600 --> 0:05:37.400 these percentages for very long. Yeah, and this is kind 0:05:37.400 --> 0:05:39.560 of the situation where I wish John would come barging 0:05:39.600 --> 0:05:41.760 in again to the show, Yeah, we need we need 0:05:41.760 --> 0:05:44.520 the we need the blocking fullback. And when I say blocking, 0:05:44.520 --> 0:05:47.960 the past protecting fullback, who did that so well for 0:05:48.000 --> 0:05:49.760 all of his years in Green Bay. But the way 0:05:49.839 --> 0:05:51.240 I've always looked at this, and this is why I 0:05:51.279 --> 0:05:52.880 wish I could talk to him about it, is I've 0:05:52.880 --> 0:05:56.120 always looked at the third down situation like this. Excuse me, 0:05:56.520 --> 0:05:58.720 you mentioned you know, you had the two that were 0:05:58.800 --> 0:06:02.560 kind of unbroken place. I will never apologize for converted 0:06:02.600 --> 0:06:04.920 third down. They're so difficult to do in the NFL. 0:06:05.240 --> 0:06:06.680 You want to be able to do it because on 0:06:06.720 --> 0:06:08.920 the other side of it, you're gonna have the instances 0:06:08.920 --> 0:06:11.760 where the play does come off clean, a guy drops it, 0:06:11.839 --> 0:06:15.440 a defensive back makes a play, certain thing goes haywire, 0:06:15.560 --> 0:06:17.800 and then the defense technically wins, even though they might 0:06:17.800 --> 0:06:20.320 have been out of position. To me, it's always been 0:06:20.320 --> 0:06:22.960 those ones in the middle when the defense is giving 0:06:23.000 --> 0:06:25.200 you everything that they have and you still find a 0:06:25.200 --> 0:06:28.719 way to convert, regardless of the circumstance, regardless of the package, 0:06:28.960 --> 0:06:32.159 regardless of the game situation. That's where I think the 0:06:32.160 --> 0:06:34.440 Packers want to get to this year under Matt Lafleur, 0:06:34.560 --> 0:06:37.560 because that's where you find the consistency side of it, 0:06:37.600 --> 0:06:39.479 because you're always going to have the things that go 0:06:39.640 --> 0:06:41.559 right and the things that go wrong. It's the things 0:06:41.600 --> 0:06:45.680 in between that are the rudimentary, everyday plays that ultimately 0:06:45.720 --> 0:06:48.560 dictate what type of team you're gonna be on those downs. 0:06:49.000 --> 0:06:51.760 The one thing I really like about the Packers chances 0:06:51.760 --> 0:06:54.560 though in this capacity, is that I personally feel like 0:06:54.600 --> 0:06:56.640 you have three running backs that can all be pass 0:06:56.680 --> 0:06:59.800 protectors and be accountable there. Jamal Williams is certainly ahead 0:06:59.800 --> 0:07:01.599 of the hack. That's been his calling cards since he 0:07:01.640 --> 0:07:04.400 came to Green Bay. Danny Vitally, I think you saw 0:07:04.440 --> 0:07:07.160 some of that during the preseason during training camp when 0:07:07.160 --> 0:07:09.520 the running backs were oute that he was capable of 0:07:09.560 --> 0:07:12.160 being back there and standing alongside Aaron Rodgers in the 0:07:12.200 --> 0:07:15.160 shotgun formations, and Aaron Jones has really improved there in 0:07:15.200 --> 0:07:18.520 the last few seasons. It's just about finding, Okay, who's 0:07:18.520 --> 0:07:20.680 gonna be your go to guys once you get to 0:07:20.720 --> 0:07:24.000 those instances, because the offensive line knows what it's about. 0:07:24.040 --> 0:07:26.040 They know what it's like blocking for Aaron Rodgers in 0:07:26.040 --> 0:07:29.240 those situations. Regardless of what the scheme is, it's where 0:07:29.280 --> 0:07:31.480 can you scheme guys open and who's gonna win in 0:07:31.520 --> 0:07:34.040 those situations? And I'll tell you right now, Mike, if 0:07:34.080 --> 0:07:36.560 a defense is going to come out again like Chicago 0:07:36.600 --> 0:07:39.520 did and put three guys on Davante Adams and those 0:07:39.880 --> 0:07:42.680 those circumstances, you have to be able to win your 0:07:42.720 --> 0:07:45.880 one on one matchups elsewhere. Adams joked about that at 0:07:45.880 --> 0:07:48.000 his lockers saying, hey, there's a lot of respect showing, 0:07:48.080 --> 0:07:51.880 but I still want the ball. And you know, everybody, 0:07:51.880 --> 0:07:54.440 it's on everybody's shoulders to be able to make a 0:07:54.520 --> 0:07:56.680 defense pay if they're going to sell out that much 0:07:56.720 --> 0:08:00.000 to cover one player. Yeah, and you mentioned the interview 0:08:00.000 --> 0:08:02.800 at adams locker yesterday after practice, and it was it 0:08:02.840 --> 0:08:06.320 was really interesting because he if you go, you can 0:08:06.360 --> 0:08:08.880 go on the website and look at the the entire 0:08:09.360 --> 0:08:13.440 locker room interview with Adams he really he's such an 0:08:13.440 --> 0:08:16.840 interesting player and such an interesting personality to me because 0:08:17.240 --> 0:08:23.200 he struck exactly the right balance between knowing and understanding 0:08:23.240 --> 0:08:25.800 how important he is to the offense and what he 0:08:25.840 --> 0:08:29.920 brings to it. Without that, you know, throw me the 0:08:30.000 --> 0:08:32.760 damn ball. To steal a line from Keyshawn Johnson and 0:08:33.280 --> 0:08:36.880 his book, he never he never goes into that, into 0:08:36.960 --> 0:08:40.040 that other realm. But he understands and he wants the 0:08:40.080 --> 0:08:43.080 responsibility of Hey, I I do want the offense to 0:08:43.120 --> 0:08:46.720 go through me. I understand there are circumstances where a team, 0:08:46.800 --> 0:08:49.000 you know, teams are gonna scheme to take him away. 0:08:49.320 --> 0:08:52.360 And yes, Valdi Scantling had one on one coverage for 0:08:52.360 --> 0:08:55.240 a forty seven yard bomb. The three tight ends combined 0:08:55.280 --> 0:08:57.480 for a handful of catches and seventy plus yards and 0:08:57.559 --> 0:09:00.640 a touchdown. Those are some of the results. Packers didn't 0:09:00.679 --> 0:09:04.880 get enough of those results against the Bears. But um, 0:09:04.920 --> 0:09:08.400 but Adams, as you said, yes he does want the ball. 0:09:08.520 --> 0:09:10.600 He's not going to sit there and cry about it 0:09:10.640 --> 0:09:12.880 and beg for it, but he knows how important he 0:09:13.000 --> 0:09:15.520 is to to this offense moving forward. I've made this 0:09:15.640 --> 0:09:17.839 argument and you've read it a lot in Cider in 0:09:17.920 --> 0:09:22.360 boxing raditing that about Adams over this last year in particular, 0:09:22.400 --> 0:09:24.560 I've kind of laid it out there that I view 0:09:24.640 --> 0:09:28.560 him as the perfect receiver for that reason, because you 0:09:28.640 --> 0:09:31.440 want a guy that's confident enough in his abilities that 0:09:31.559 --> 0:09:33.960 regardless of where the game is at or if the 0:09:34.000 --> 0:09:36.800 game's on the line, he's going to step up in 0:09:36.840 --> 0:09:39.560 that that bright light is never gonna be too bright 0:09:39.640 --> 0:09:42.600 for him. We saw it in Philadelphia in two thousand 0:09:42.600 --> 0:09:45.120 and sixteen. I think it's continued all the way since then. 0:09:46.600 --> 0:09:49.959 But at the same time, he doesn't have those diva 0:09:50.040 --> 0:09:53.080 like qualities, and that's such a negative connotation, but he 0:09:53.120 --> 0:09:55.840 doesn't have those prima donna, whatever you want to call it, 0:09:56.440 --> 0:09:59.080 where it's like, I need the ball eight times a game. 0:09:59.559 --> 0:10:01.400 I don't here if I'm open or not, you're throwing 0:10:01.440 --> 0:10:04.000 me the ball. I want my touches. He doesn't view 0:10:04.000 --> 0:10:07.000 the game like that. He almost views it as if 0:10:07.040 --> 0:10:10.200 I win and I'm there, pass me the ball. If 0:10:10.200 --> 0:10:12.200 I'm win and I'm there and you don't pass me 0:10:12.240 --> 0:10:16.080 the ball onto the next play, that's an amazing mentality 0:10:16.120 --> 0:10:18.480 to have at that position, and he's managed to keep 0:10:18.520 --> 0:10:20.439 it from when he was a second round draft pick 0:10:20.440 --> 0:10:22.839 out of Fresno State in two thousand fourteen to when 0:10:22.840 --> 0:10:25.679 he's a two time Pro Bowl receiver today. I think 0:10:25.720 --> 0:10:27.760 that makes him special. And I think when you hear 0:10:27.800 --> 0:10:29.559 Aaron Rodgers talk about how he had a hundred and 0:10:29.559 --> 0:10:32.000 seventy targets last year, he wouldn't mind throwing four hundred 0:10:32.000 --> 0:10:35.200 balls this year. That's the exact reason why. Because there's 0:10:35.200 --> 0:10:37.319 not a pressure on a quarterback shoulders to get him 0:10:37.320 --> 0:10:39.600 the ball, but Aaron Rodgers nose at the same time, 0:10:39.800 --> 0:10:41.560 he's going to find a way to get open. Yeah. 0:10:41.600 --> 0:10:44.120 And he had another interesting comment in that interview two 0:10:44.400 --> 0:10:48.199 in which he was talking about, you know, if I 0:10:48.240 --> 0:10:50.440 mess up a route or drop a pass or something 0:10:50.520 --> 0:10:55.000 like that, you know, I can't sit and sulk about it. 0:10:55.080 --> 0:10:59.200 He says, to act like that on the field, even 0:10:59.240 --> 0:11:02.280 though it was him that's screwed up. But he looks 0:11:02.320 --> 0:11:04.760 at that as a as a selfish thing to get 0:11:04.840 --> 0:11:08.040 down on himself, because, as you said, it's the next 0:11:08.040 --> 0:11:11.280 play and his team, his teammates are counting on him 0:11:11.320 --> 0:11:14.120 to put it aside and move on to the next play. 0:11:14.280 --> 0:11:16.840 And uh, And as you said, I think that's a 0:11:16.920 --> 0:11:22.200 really special mentality for a star, a superstar player in 0:11:22.240 --> 0:11:25.160 the league to have, and I'm really excited to see 0:11:25.160 --> 0:11:27.319 what Davanta Adams is ultimately going to do. I mean, 0:11:27.360 --> 0:11:29.880 four catches for thirty six yards whatever he had against 0:11:29.920 --> 0:11:32.720 the Bears. Hats off to the Bears. They did what 0:11:32.760 --> 0:11:35.000 they needed to do. It still wasn't good enough to 0:11:35.040 --> 0:11:38.640 beat the Packers in this particular game, but um, but 0:11:38.880 --> 0:11:41.120 I'm excited about what Davanta Adams is going to do 0:11:41.160 --> 0:11:43.679 with Aaron Rodgers this season. And as we talked about too, 0:11:43.679 --> 0:11:46.400 I mean this game against the Minnesota Vikings coming up. 0:11:46.480 --> 0:11:48.400 Xavier RhoD is one of the top corners in the league. 0:11:48.880 --> 0:11:51.200 DeVante has had some fine games against him, though, and 0:11:51.240 --> 0:11:53.199 he's had a lot of fine games against the upper 0:11:53.200 --> 0:11:56.400 echelon at that position. The other thing, too, I think 0:11:56.440 --> 0:11:58.600 there's two positions on this team where there's been a 0:11:58.600 --> 0:12:02.400 culture that's permeated throughout the years. Doesn't matter if it's 0:12:02.400 --> 0:12:04.600 the same players, doesn't matter if it's a guy who 0:12:04.600 --> 0:12:07.480 never even played with anybody else. David Bactieri never played 0:12:07.480 --> 0:12:10.240 with Chad Clifton, right, But I always look at receiver 0:12:10.320 --> 0:12:13.520 and offensive line of two staple positions in Green Bay 0:12:13.559 --> 0:12:15.880 where there was a culture established when a lot of 0:12:15.920 --> 0:12:19.360 those guys came into the system and they maintained it, 0:12:19.480 --> 0:12:21.719 they passed it forward, they maybe even took it to 0:12:21.760 --> 0:12:24.800 a different level receivers one of them, And although Davante 0:12:24.800 --> 0:12:27.679 Adams is the only one of his kind right now 0:12:27.679 --> 0:12:30.040 in that room, in terms of the experience and the 0:12:30.080 --> 0:12:32.720 plays and the catches and the touchdowns in the moments, 0:12:33.840 --> 0:12:36.080 that's still lessons that are being passed on to that 0:12:36.200 --> 0:12:39.200 next generation receiver. And I think that's something the Packers 0:12:39.200 --> 0:12:41.160 hope that will continue on in the years to come. Yeah, 0:12:41.240 --> 0:12:44.080 I totally agree with you there. Switching gears for a 0:12:44.120 --> 0:12:46.640 second to the defensive side of the ball. You have 0:12:46.720 --> 0:12:51.640 a story on the website looking at Mike Patton's deployment 0:12:51.840 --> 0:12:54.199 of the defensive backs, and we had talked when the 0:12:54.280 --> 0:12:58.880 roster was cut down selected with the fifty three, Packers 0:12:58.920 --> 0:13:03.040 kept eleven defensive backs. That's a pretty deep group. They 0:13:03.040 --> 0:13:06.880 wouldn't They wouldn't have kept eleven if not for two things. One, 0:13:07.200 --> 0:13:09.960 they feel like they need that kind of depth with 0:13:10.000 --> 0:13:11.960 the way the game has played these days. But two, 0:13:12.760 --> 0:13:16.040 all those guys did what was required in training camp 0:13:16.040 --> 0:13:18.400 in the preseason to earn those roster spots. It wasn't 0:13:18.440 --> 0:13:20.200 just oh, we need eleven, so we got to find 0:13:20.200 --> 0:13:22.960 a leven to keep. They feel pretty good about this 0:13:23.040 --> 0:13:26.200 group and uh and those defensive backs were deployed in 0:13:26.240 --> 0:13:28.600 a lot of different ways in Chicago. They were Mike 0:13:28.679 --> 0:13:30.840 and There's two things. There's probably one regret I didn't 0:13:30.840 --> 0:13:33.559 actually put in this story. You know, there's been years 0:13:33.600 --> 0:13:35.840 where the Packers kept more defensive backs. You know, they've 0:13:35.920 --> 0:13:38.320 kept twelve before. I think even last year. The year before, 0:13:38.360 --> 0:13:40.800 they had twelve on this roster. But what strikes me 0:13:40.840 --> 0:13:43.520 about this particular group is they have a lot of 0:13:43.520 --> 0:13:46.760 guys that can actually play defense right now, like they 0:13:46.760 --> 0:13:48.559 can go out there and play a lot of times. 0:13:48.559 --> 0:13:52.360 It was guys that you know, developmental prospects, special teamers, 0:13:52.360 --> 0:13:54.320 guys that are going to be healthy scratches every week 0:13:54.880 --> 0:13:57.200 with you know, canar Holman had a neck injury that 0:13:57.200 --> 0:13:59.600 he's been working through. He's been practicing but been in 0:13:59.600 --> 0:14:02.520 a no contact jersey. Other than that, they're completely healthy 0:14:02.559 --> 0:14:06.559 at that position right now, and yet they still kept 0:14:06.559 --> 0:14:09.199 that many players despite the fact that you have Warren 0:14:09.200 --> 0:14:12.200 Burke's dealing with his chest injury right now, and they're 0:14:12.200 --> 0:14:15.319 going lighted inside linebackers. So what does that all mean, Basil, Well, 0:14:15.360 --> 0:14:17.400 what it means is you go into that game against 0:14:17.440 --> 0:14:20.000 the Chicago Bears having to make a decision. Are you 0:14:20.000 --> 0:14:22.360 gonna go with Tie Summers, that's who they listed as 0:14:22.360 --> 0:14:24.560 a starter at the position going into the day, or 0:14:24.560 --> 0:14:27.320 you're gonna get a little bit more creative now, you know, 0:14:27.400 --> 0:14:30.920 Matt Lafleur kind of downplayed the three five five or yeah, 0:14:30.960 --> 0:14:35.280 the three five package that they three five three or 0:14:35.320 --> 0:14:38.480 whatever it was, three three five. Wow, this is going great. 0:14:38.480 --> 0:14:39.880 I hope Marvin will be able to edit that out. 0:14:39.960 --> 0:14:42.480 He won't be able to. But that base front that 0:14:42.560 --> 0:14:45.440 they used of a five man front with one inside 0:14:45.480 --> 0:14:49.280 linebacker and then five defensive backs. Raven Green became that 0:14:49.360 --> 0:14:52.640 quote unquote inside linebacker. And it's not new for the 0:14:52.680 --> 0:14:55.200 Packers to use a hybrid safety, They've been doing it 0:14:55.240 --> 0:14:57.240 for the last four years. But to use it on 0:14:57.360 --> 0:15:00.320 rundowns I thought was very innovative in the they were 0:15:00.320 --> 0:15:03.000 able to pivot off that package. They You know, there 0:15:03.040 --> 0:15:05.280 were times where Raven Green came off and Tony Brown 0:15:05.360 --> 0:15:08.120 came in. Kevin King said he was on a rep count. 0:15:08.280 --> 0:15:10.040 Probably was only supposed to play about half of the 0:15:10.040 --> 0:15:12.400 Mona snaps he actually did, and then the forty two 0:15:12.440 --> 0:15:15.320 that he saw, including every play the last two series. 0:15:15.720 --> 0:15:18.520 But yet they're able to give different looks. There is 0:15:18.560 --> 0:15:20.840 an advantage to that, Mike in the fact that they 0:15:20.880 --> 0:15:24.480 only gave up forty six rushing yards the most, the 0:15:24.480 --> 0:15:27.280 fewest Simoni yards that they've allowed in almost three years. 0:15:27.400 --> 0:15:29.440 I think speaks to not only that front for how 0:15:29.480 --> 0:15:31.680 they were able to maintain the lines there and not 0:15:31.720 --> 0:15:34.760 allow guys to break free, but also what those secondary 0:15:34.760 --> 0:15:38.320 players did to tackle and to remain accountable and still 0:15:38.360 --> 0:15:40.560 make plays on the ball with whatever it was eleven, 0:15:40.680 --> 0:15:42.880 you know, pass the defense to whatever they finished with. Yeah, 0:15:42.880 --> 0:15:47.040 I think that's the ultimate schematic question for this game 0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:49.880 for Mike Petton and the Packers defense, And we're not 0:15:49.960 --> 0:15:51.840 really going to know the answer until we see what 0:15:52.040 --> 0:15:55.360 unfolds on Sunday at lambeau Field against the Vikings. But 0:15:56.080 --> 0:16:00.320 can you contain Dalvin Cook and the Vikings running game 0:16:00.880 --> 0:16:04.840 with Raven Green as your primary, so to speak, second 0:16:04.880 --> 0:16:09.480 inside linebacker next to Blake Martinez, or do you need 0:16:09.560 --> 0:16:13.320 to go to more of a traditional run stopper. I'll say, 0:16:13.560 --> 0:16:16.160 in the form of rookie Tie Summers or the newcomer 0:16:16.200 --> 0:16:21.080 b J Goodson, more of that, you know, stout run stopping, 0:16:21.160 --> 0:16:25.720 you know, traditional inside linebacker. And maybe and maybe it's 0:16:25.720 --> 0:16:28.160 a matter of just how the game evolves and and 0:16:28.160 --> 0:16:30.880 and what happens is to uh as to how that 0:16:31.160 --> 0:16:33.520 ultimately plays out. The other thing, I'll say you brought 0:16:33.520 --> 0:16:36.600 it up. I was absolutely stunned when I saw the 0:16:36.720 --> 0:16:38.960 stats at the end of the game that Kevin King 0:16:39.000 --> 0:16:41.920 had played forty two snaps. When I was like you, 0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:44.320 I thought maybe he would be playing you know, eighteen 0:16:44.320 --> 0:16:47.120 to twenty or something like that after missing an entire 0:16:47.200 --> 0:16:50.560 month with the hamstring injury. But that's the other thing 0:16:50.560 --> 0:16:53.040 to me from a schematic perspective, that could be really 0:16:53.040 --> 0:16:55.800 interesting in this game because last year Week two at 0:16:55.880 --> 0:16:59.640 lambeau Field, Minnesota came in here and when JayR Alexander 0:16:59.680 --> 0:17:01.640 and Kevin and King were on the field together for 0:17:01.680 --> 0:17:03.600 the first two and a half quarters of that game, 0:17:04.000 --> 0:17:06.600 Minnesota's offense wasn't doing a whole heck of a lot. 0:17:06.880 --> 0:17:09.280 Kevin King ends up leaving the game with an injury, 0:17:09.640 --> 0:17:12.399 and then starting late third quarter, through the fourth quarter 0:17:12.480 --> 0:17:15.760 and into overtime, Kirk Cousins was going off. I mean, 0:17:16.000 --> 0:17:18.960 you know Stefon Diggs and Adam thieland and these guys, 0:17:19.000 --> 0:17:22.080 and and you know they're passing game just exploded. Now 0:17:22.119 --> 0:17:25.240 It's not only because Kevin King left the field. And yes, 0:17:25.280 --> 0:17:28.280 I understand the Clay Matthews called took away an interception 0:17:28.800 --> 0:17:31.560 and that led to even more passing yards for Kirk 0:17:31.600 --> 0:17:34.639 Cousins when the game essentially should have been over. But 0:17:34.680 --> 0:17:37.280 if Kevin King can have that kind of a snap 0:17:37.320 --> 0:17:41.159 count already when he's missed a month, and then if 0:17:41.200 --> 0:17:44.520 you figure out what's gonna work best schematically against Dalvin 0:17:44.560 --> 0:17:46.400 Cook as far as what you want to what package 0:17:46.440 --> 0:17:48.680 you want to line up within the front to try 0:17:48.680 --> 0:17:50.560 to slow down the run, this is gonna be a 0:17:50.600 --> 0:17:54.000 really really interesting XS and o's type game. Absolutely, and 0:17:54.200 --> 0:17:57.880 to surmise everything that you just said, uh, in terms 0:17:57.920 --> 0:18:00.720 of this matchup, in terms of what they were able 0:18:00.760 --> 0:18:04.560 to do. I asked Tremont Williams about this. This defense 0:18:04.720 --> 0:18:07.320 is just different when Kevin King is on the field. 0:18:07.800 --> 0:18:10.920 It just is because, as Williams said, there's only so 0:18:10.960 --> 0:18:13.639 many six ft three corners in this league. There aren't 0:18:13.640 --> 0:18:18.640 many at all. And then you add in the running, 0:18:19.040 --> 0:18:23.840 his movement skills, the agility. Kevin King is a special guy. Um, 0:18:23.920 --> 0:18:26.800 so for them to have him available. You wrote about 0:18:26.840 --> 0:18:30.240 this offseason. We've talked about it at nauseum. This defense 0:18:30.280 --> 0:18:32.439 is different when he's healthy and he's out there. The 0:18:32.480 --> 0:18:34.520 other nice thing about it too, and I was another 0:18:34.600 --> 0:18:37.880 question I asked of King, is that you know, this 0:18:37.920 --> 0:18:40.040 is a big building block for him last week to 0:18:40.080 --> 0:18:43.679 be able to actually go out there. He felt great afterwards, 0:18:43.680 --> 0:18:45.320 even though he did play a little bit past what 0:18:45.359 --> 0:18:47.960 they wanted him to and in the critical moments he 0:18:48.000 --> 0:18:50.480 was on the field with that defense getting the stops 0:18:50.520 --> 0:18:54.800 that they needed. If this secondary can continue to gel 0:18:55.520 --> 0:18:58.200 and you know, get some consistency back there, which they 0:18:58.240 --> 0:19:00.000 just were not able to last year when they were, 0:19:00.320 --> 0:19:02.760 you know, running more than a dozen different defensive backs 0:19:02.760 --> 0:19:04.960 on the field throughout the course of the year. You 0:19:05.040 --> 0:19:06.840 mix that in with the pass rush that we saw 0:19:06.880 --> 0:19:10.880 against Mitchell Robinsky, that's what's offensively gonna make teams make 0:19:10.960 --> 0:19:13.679 decisions of how they're going to attack the Packers in 0:19:13.720 --> 0:19:17.280 either way, it's gonna work to Mike Petton's benefit. That's 0:19:17.280 --> 0:19:19.480 what I'm looking for moving forward now. In addition to 0:19:19.520 --> 0:19:21.600 the fact that you've got a guy like Josh Jackson, 0:19:21.600 --> 0:19:23.120 who was a second round pick last year. He didn't 0:19:23.119 --> 0:19:26.080 really play in this game, but if you had to 0:19:26.080 --> 0:19:28.440 put him in there multiple spots, the Packers feel pretty 0:19:28.440 --> 0:19:30.680 good about it right now. Cauldar Holman had moments during 0:19:30.720 --> 0:19:34.080 the preseason. You've got two other guys and Will Redmond 0:19:34.119 --> 0:19:36.960 and Shannon Sullivan who have started games in the NFL before, 0:19:37.040 --> 0:19:41.200 So it all factors together into the big picture. But ultimately, 0:19:41.240 --> 0:19:43.480