WEBVTT - #337 Packers Unscripted: Ongoing adjustments 0:00:00.400 --> 0:00:20.800 M Hi, everybody, Welcome to Packers unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:21.040 --> 0:00:24.560 I am Mike Spofford, sitting alongside I trusted colleague west 0:00:24.600 --> 0:00:27.560 Hodkuwitz for coming to you here from our studios at 0:00:27.600 --> 0:00:32.400 lambeau Field West. Another day closer to Packers Lions Sunday afternoon, 0:00:32.520 --> 0:00:35.800 Ford Field in Detroit, and as the Packers get into 0:00:35.840 --> 0:00:39.640 the bulk of their on field practice preparation for this game, 0:00:40.200 --> 0:00:43.320 worth going over the injury report here as we sit 0:00:43.400 --> 0:00:47.839 in week five, because while Randall Cobb and Geronimo Alison 0:00:48.040 --> 0:00:52.519 with a hamstring and concussion, respectively, are not back on 0:00:52.560 --> 0:00:56.360 the practice field for the Packers at the cornerback position, 0:00:56.480 --> 0:00:59.800 Kevin King and Jaire Alexander, both dealing with coroyin and 0:01:00.080 --> 0:01:02.840 reas were on the practice field and that's a potentially 0:01:02.840 --> 0:01:06.119 good sign for this past defense heading into a game 0:01:06.160 --> 0:01:09.760 against Matthew Stafford. Absolutely, and those three receivers that the 0:01:09.800 --> 0:01:13.200 Lions have, certainly the Packers are well acquainted with. Marvin 0:01:13.240 --> 0:01:15.440 Jones Jr. Has had a fair amount of success over 0:01:15.480 --> 0:01:18.360 them the last few seasons. Golden Tate is a type 0:01:18.360 --> 0:01:20.840 of player possession receiver you always have to take into 0:01:20.880 --> 0:01:23.720 account regardless of where he's lining up much like a 0:01:23.840 --> 0:01:27.160 Randall Cobb type, you know, impact player for their offense. 0:01:27.440 --> 0:01:29.840 And then also Kenny Gallabay, who's who was their third 0:01:29.880 --> 0:01:32.360 round pick last year, has made an impact. So yeah, 0:01:32.560 --> 0:01:36.240 that's of the passing yards so far for the Lions 0:01:36.280 --> 0:01:39.120 this season, those three receivers. So Packers want to be 0:01:39.160 --> 0:01:41.280 at full strength at cornerback. We'll have to see all 0:01:41.280 --> 0:01:43.240 the rest of the week plays out here. But the 0:01:43.280 --> 0:01:46.400 fact that Kevin King was back in a full capacity 0:01:46.440 --> 0:01:49.400 on Wednesday, it was kind of funny because that the 0:01:49.440 --> 0:01:52.800 actual injuryport gets released later in the day, but he 0:01:52.880 --> 0:01:55.760 was standing at his locker after practice talking about it 0:01:55.840 --> 0:01:59.400 and was basically asked, Hey, if you have to play 0:01:59.440 --> 0:02:01.800 at less than ercent are you able to do that 0:02:01.840 --> 0:02:04.000 with a groin injury? And he thought about it for 0:02:04.000 --> 0:02:06.080 a second, he goes, yes, I can, but I'm a 0:02:06.160 --> 0:02:09.440 hundred so it's all good. So uh, And then as 0:02:09.480 --> 0:02:11.320 it turned out, he ended up being a full participant. 0:02:11.320 --> 0:02:13.560 So I think for Kevin King, I'm not saying there's 0:02:13.560 --> 0:02:16.160 any time in which it's good for a player not 0:02:16.240 --> 0:02:19.360 to be playing, but I think these last two weeks 0:02:19.360 --> 0:02:21.680 are really beneficial for him because certainly he's been able 0:02:21.720 --> 0:02:23.880 to rest up with the groin injury. He also was 0:02:23.919 --> 0:02:26.160 dealing with the shoulder before that. The Packers are gonna 0:02:26.200 --> 0:02:28.800 need Kevin King to be at his full strength to 0:02:28.800 --> 0:02:32.040 be an impact player for this defense, for the Packers 0:02:32.080 --> 0:02:33.359 to get to where they want to be at the 0:02:33.440 --> 0:02:35.560 end of the season. And now him coming back a 0:02:35.600 --> 0:02:38.960 perfect opponent, three really good weapons for the Lions. They 0:02:38.960 --> 0:02:40.960 want to have that secondary at his best. Yeah, we 0:02:41.000 --> 0:02:43.680 saw when Kevin King left the game in Week two 0:02:43.800 --> 0:02:46.080 against the Vikings. There was a bit of a domino 0:02:46.120 --> 0:02:50.120 effect for the Packers defense there against Minnesota and then 0:02:50.400 --> 0:02:53.600 in the first half against Washington. Still some adjustments and 0:02:53.600 --> 0:02:55.840 and things didn't really settle down in terms of the 0:02:55.840 --> 0:02:58.639 past defense. From the second half of the Washington game 0:02:58.680 --> 0:03:02.160 now through obviously the Buffalo game against a rookie quarterback, 0:03:02.200 --> 0:03:05.240 mind you, but the Packers seem to settle in with 0:03:05.280 --> 0:03:08.280 their secondary and with the roles. Now you potentially have 0:03:08.520 --> 0:03:11.840 that positive domino effect of King coming back into the 0:03:11.880 --> 0:03:15.000 lineup based on extra options of how to match up 0:03:15.040 --> 0:03:17.840 and and how to use different combinations of players and 0:03:17.880 --> 0:03:20.000 things like that. It's sort of a domino effect the 0:03:20.040 --> 0:03:22.280 other way, he is one of the type of players 0:03:22.280 --> 0:03:24.480 and I'm just projecting this to be what he's going 0:03:24.520 --> 0:03:26.840 to be in this league, I think, to me, looking 0:03:26.880 --> 0:03:28.920 at his intangibles and looking at what he's put on 0:03:28.960 --> 0:03:31.160 film in his first ten and a half eleven games 0:03:31.160 --> 0:03:34.119 of his career, Kevin King just seems like the kind 0:03:34.120 --> 0:03:36.280 of guy that you plug in at boundary cornerback and 0:03:36.280 --> 0:03:39.560 you just don't think about it. He solves that puzzle 0:03:39.640 --> 0:03:41.720 for you. He's a a guy that's going to be 0:03:41.720 --> 0:03:44.360 able to travel with top receivers if you need him 0:03:44.400 --> 0:03:45.720 to do that. If you want to have him play 0:03:45.720 --> 0:03:48.080 one side, he can do that as well. But he 0:03:48.160 --> 0:03:51.320 has the versatility, the flexibility, and the overall talent to 0:03:51.400 --> 0:03:53.440 be able to match up with the Stefon Diggs of 0:03:53.480 --> 0:03:55.480 the world, as we saw last year with you know, 0:03:55.760 --> 0:03:58.600 Julio Jones and A. J. Green does Bryant. He doesn't 0:03:58.640 --> 0:04:02.240 step away from those challenges. But the nice effect of 0:04:02.280 --> 0:04:05.400 that as well is that R Alexander stepped up and 0:04:05.400 --> 0:04:07.640 I thought played really well in his absence here the 0:04:07.720 --> 0:04:10.640 last two weeks and him being able to get back 0:04:10.680 --> 0:04:13.560 on the practice field after leaving with the groin injury. 0:04:13.680 --> 0:04:16.840 There's just a lot of different pieces for this secondary 0:04:16.880 --> 0:04:19.080 and certainly they did lose Devon House. But then you 0:04:19.120 --> 0:04:22.880 go inside Bashad Brelan, you have Tremon Williams playing how 0:04:22.960 --> 0:04:25.000 he's playing right now as a boundary corner in this 0:04:25.080 --> 0:04:28.880 league at age thirty five. Josh Jackson stepped up, and 0:04:29.120 --> 0:04:31.440 I just think you look at the versatility of guys 0:04:31.480 --> 0:04:35.359 like Jermaine Whitehead and Josh Jones. As the season wears on, 0:04:35.440 --> 0:04:37.920 you're gonna need to tap into that depth. The Packers 0:04:37.920 --> 0:04:39.440 did it the last couple of weeks. But if you 0:04:39.480 --> 0:04:42.440 have Kevin King healthy, available and ready to go, it 0:04:42.440 --> 0:04:44.160 doesn't get any better than that. This is a really 0:04:44.160 --> 0:04:46.560 good test for him now, you know, hopefully being able 0:04:46.600 --> 0:04:48.200 to get back on the field Sunday and seeing what 0:04:48.200 --> 0:04:50.760 he can do against those threats in Ford Field. Yeah, 0:04:50.760 --> 0:04:53.120 I think it makes the Packers entire defense that much 0:04:53.200 --> 0:04:55.880 more versatile in terms of what Mike Petton can choose 0:04:55.920 --> 0:04:59.200 to do in different situations when you have a corner 0:04:59.279 --> 0:05:01.920 with the just the physical attributes and the skill set 0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:03.600 of the king out there on a regular basis, Right, 0:05:03.640 --> 0:05:05.400 and how soon we forget I mean that game against 0:05:05.440 --> 0:05:08.360 the Bears, the Packers ran seven defensive backs a lot. 0:05:08.560 --> 0:05:11.440 They played six defensive backs in a base defense, so 0:05:11.880 --> 0:05:14.960 it's nice to have that ace upper sleeve again after 0:05:15.080 --> 0:05:16.880 last week where they basically had to finish the game 0:05:16.880 --> 0:05:19.560 and Nickel just because of kind of the attrition at 0:05:19.560 --> 0:05:21.440 that position. All right, well, I've got to catch up 0:05:21.440 --> 0:05:23.920 on a little sponsor business here west because I neglected 0:05:23.960 --> 0:05:27.280 my duty on yesterday's show. So at home or here 0:05:27.279 --> 0:05:29.160 in the stands, we all know that Green Bay fans 0:05:29.200 --> 0:05:31.480 give it their all and that takes a lot of energy. 0:05:31.520 --> 0:05:34.279 So grab a warm bowl of Campbell's Chunky Soup. It's 0:05:34.279 --> 0:05:37.160 meaty goodness fuels the greatness of Packers fans everywhere. Try 0:05:37.240 --> 0:05:40.400 the delicious classic chicken noodle soup. Just visit your local 0:05:40.440 --> 0:05:44.080 supermarket and ask for Campbell's Chunky Soup. Official sup partner 0:05:44.320 --> 0:05:46.479 of the Green Bay Packers. Okay, getting back to the 0:05:46.480 --> 0:05:50.159 injuries at the wide receiver position, Randall Cobb, Geronim Wilson 0:05:50.200 --> 0:05:53.080 not in practice. Davante Adams pops up on the injury 0:05:53.080 --> 0:05:57.160 report with a calf injury limited participant in practice. We'll 0:05:57.160 --> 0:05:59.160 have to see how the wheak goes on. If this is, 0:05:59.720 --> 0:06:02.080 you know, anything to be concerned about as far as 0:06:02.160 --> 0:06:05.840 Sunday's availability. I don't want to speculate necessarily one way 0:06:05.920 --> 0:06:09.919 or the other with that, but regardless, it certainly looks 0:06:09.960 --> 0:06:12.800 like the Packers have a couple of options here in 0:06:12.880 --> 0:06:15.599 terms of how to compensate for some things in the 0:06:15.640 --> 0:06:18.360 passing game. Either you go in with a lot more 0:06:19.080 --> 0:06:21.600 you know, two tight end maybe even three tight end 0:06:21.600 --> 0:06:24.400 packages and work those tight ends even more into the 0:06:24.440 --> 0:06:26.960 passing game, or you turn over a lot of snaps 0:06:26.960 --> 0:06:29.960 to the rookie wide receivers. Valdez Scantling obviously played a 0:06:29.960 --> 0:06:34.120 lot against Buffalo. We talked about the positives and negatives 0:06:34.160 --> 0:06:36.360 of his kind of first real big game on an 0:06:36.440 --> 0:06:39.160 NFL stage. And then you've also got Jamon Moore and 0:06:39.200 --> 0:06:42.600 eq St Brown who were certainly itching for their opportunity 0:06:42.640 --> 0:06:44.800 as well. You have any sense at all of how 0:06:44.880 --> 0:06:47.919 the Packers, may you know, go into this from a 0:06:48.000 --> 0:06:50.479 planning perspective, I really don't like. But the thing I 0:06:50.560 --> 0:06:52.479 like about it, and we talked about this, I don't 0:06:52.480 --> 0:06:54.440 know if you recall I think even in training camp 0:06:54.480 --> 0:06:57.720 about with the two tight end looks and even in 0:06:57.760 --> 0:06:59.560 to some extent the three tight end looks at they're 0:06:59.560 --> 0:07:02.800 able to be use they can be so multiple, especially 0:07:02.839 --> 0:07:04.800 if you're using a guy like Time Montgomery who's a 0:07:04.839 --> 0:07:09.039 pseudo receiver, pseudo running back that could play a multitude 0:07:09.040 --> 0:07:11.360 of different roles for you. It's able to keep a 0:07:11.400 --> 0:07:14.560 defense on its heels a little bit. Meet Personally, I 0:07:14.640 --> 0:07:17.800 still wonder if the regardless of who's available, regardless of 0:07:17.800 --> 0:07:20.320 Allison passed at the concussion protocol like Nick Perry did 0:07:20.400 --> 0:07:22.480 last week where we didn't actually miss a game, or 0:07:22.560 --> 0:07:24.160 Cobs able to get back on the field at some 0:07:24.200 --> 0:07:26.880 point in Davante Adams, this is just a blimp on 0:07:26.880 --> 0:07:29.280 the radar and he's fine. Maybe you do have you know, 0:07:29.320 --> 0:07:32.600 most or if not all, those guys available, But either way, 0:07:32.760 --> 0:07:35.240 I think the game plan for this has to be 0:07:35.320 --> 0:07:41.120 running back heavy base, specifically alone on just the production 0:07:41.160 --> 0:07:42.800 that the lines have been giving up in the run 0:07:42.880 --> 0:07:45.760 game this year. They go into this game thirty second 0:07:45.760 --> 0:07:49.040 in the league. Last week, Ezekiel Elliott ends up having 0:07:49.160 --> 0:07:52.320 a hundred and fifty rushing yards against them in that victory. 0:07:52.560 --> 0:07:54.920 I think this has to be an Aaron Jones type game. 0:07:54.920 --> 0:07:56.640 It has to be a Jamal Williams and in Time 0:07:56.640 --> 0:08:00.640 Montgomery type games. So I think, if nothing else, what 0:08:00.760 --> 0:08:05.000 these injuries are doing in this specific encounter, Is it 0:08:05.080 --> 0:08:07.200 maybe will allow the Packers open up the playbook a 0:08:07.240 --> 0:08:09.960 little bit more. Maybe we see more Marcedes Lewis, Maybe 0:08:10.040 --> 0:08:11.640 we see more of those two tight end looks that 0:08:11.680 --> 0:08:14.960 we saw throughout the preseason. It was probably their base 0:08:15.040 --> 0:08:18.400 package throughout the preseason. They have depth at tight end 0:08:18.400 --> 0:08:20.720 and running back to turn to depending on what they 0:08:20.720 --> 0:08:22.520 want to do with those receivers. Yeah, and as we 0:08:22.600 --> 0:08:24.760 talked about earlier in the week too, I'm curious to 0:08:24.760 --> 0:08:28.080 see just because we haven't seen Marcedes Lewis involved that 0:08:28.160 --> 0:08:30.720 much in the passing game yet for the Packers, if 0:08:30.760 --> 0:08:33.480 if that's something that maybe gets unveiled here out of 0:08:33.520 --> 0:08:36.920 necessity based on your your options at wide receiver. I 0:08:36.960 --> 0:08:40.040 totally agree with you on the running game situation that 0:08:40.160 --> 0:08:42.000 you just have to look at the statistics. The Lions 0:08:42.000 --> 0:08:44.400 are struggling to stop the run. As we've talked about, 0:08:44.880 --> 0:08:47.600 they've changed a lot of things on defense. The front 0:08:47.640 --> 0:08:51.320 four that was so much the foundation of their defense 0:08:51.400 --> 0:08:54.600 in previous years with the and Dominican Susan Nick Fairley's 0:08:54.600 --> 0:08:58.000 and Kyle Vanenbosch's that's not how this defense is built anymore. 0:08:58.120 --> 0:09:02.439 Darius Slay is their playmaker at cornerback. They have Glover 0:09:02.559 --> 0:09:05.800 Quinn at safety. Um, you know guys like that. The 0:09:05.880 --> 0:09:08.559 defense is just built differently and they're struggling right now 0:09:08.559 --> 0:09:10.480 to stop the run. So you have to take advantage 0:09:10.520 --> 0:09:13.880 of that. That being said, you know, if these rookie 0:09:13.920 --> 0:09:17.439 wide receivers get an opportunity, they have to cash in, right. 0:09:17.440 --> 0:09:19.880 I mean this is even if if they if if 0:09:19.880 --> 0:09:23.240 it's Jamon Moore or MVS they get one ball thrown 0:09:23.280 --> 0:09:26.439 their way in Detroit, make the play because with Aaron Rodgers, 0:09:26.480 --> 0:09:27.920 that's going to go a long way. I mean, that's 0:09:27.920 --> 0:09:30.120 how Geronimo Alison did, right. I mean you brought it 0:09:30.200 --> 0:09:32.720 up in your story on Rogers. He talked about at 0:09:32.720 --> 0:09:35.880 the Atlanta game. Now that's two years ago. Yeah, back 0:09:37.000 --> 0:09:39.280 Cobb ended up being a scratch. I think Time Montgomery 0:09:39.360 --> 0:09:41.720 ended up being a scratch in that game. Jordy Nelson 0:09:42.000 --> 0:09:43.640 I think was I'm trying to remember if he was 0:09:43.679 --> 0:09:45.880 even available for that one. But anyway, they were down 0:09:45.960 --> 0:09:48.600 and they were depleted at receiver, so it ended up 0:09:48.600 --> 0:09:51.599 being Geronimo Allison, Jeff Janison, Trevor Day, Trevor Davis, and 0:09:51.760 --> 0:09:54.679 Alison who just came off the practice squad, ended up 0:09:54.720 --> 0:09:56.920 having the best game out of everybody, and and and 0:09:57.040 --> 0:09:59.440 you wrote about it. We talked about it. That's what 0:09:59.600 --> 0:10:01.800 was sort of his coming out party, and told Rogers, 0:10:02.120 --> 0:10:03.720 this is a guy I can count on, this is 0:10:03.720 --> 0:10:05.679 a guy that could be a playmaker in this offense. 0:10:06.000 --> 0:10:08.120 That's a big hit for Alison to be in the 0:10:08.120 --> 0:10:11.440 concussion protocol, just because he's been so darn consistent. I 0:10:11.480 --> 0:10:13.160 know there was a couple of drop passes there, but 0:10:13.240 --> 0:10:15.600 still already had eighty receiving yards in that game against 0:10:15.600 --> 0:10:17.600 the Bills. Well, and you just wonder if the one 0:10:17.640 --> 0:10:19.760 that he took the hit, if he makes the catch 0:10:19.880 --> 0:10:22.280 rather than drops it, does he end up not getting 0:10:22.720 --> 0:10:25.160 that type of hit and and doesn't have a concussion 0:10:25.200 --> 0:10:27.240 One of those things that you just yeah, if the 0:10:27.320 --> 0:10:29.560 drop pass doesn't happen, maybe we're not talking about a 0:10:29.559 --> 0:10:32.760 concussion protocol. But to your original point with MVS. With 0:10:32.880 --> 0:10:35.600 Jamon Moore with a Gunemius st. Brown, if those guys 0:10:35.640 --> 0:10:38.160 do get into this game, if it's one step, if 0:10:38.200 --> 0:10:40.720 it's fifties four snaps like it was for Valdis Scantling 0:10:40.800 --> 0:10:42.920 last week, you have to make sure that you use 0:10:42.960 --> 0:10:44.760 those two the best of your ability to show Aaron 0:10:44.840 --> 0:10:46.560 Rodgers that you know what I can play in this 0:10:46.640 --> 0:10:48.640 offense and I can be your receiver. All right? Well, 0:10:48.679 --> 0:10:51.280 double duty on the sponsor business. Today, West, it's time 0:10:51.320 --> 0:10:54.080 to enter the Cousins Subs Best Seats in the House promotion. 0:10:54.480 --> 0:10:56.080 You and a guest could win a chance to kick 0:10:56.080 --> 0:10:58.240 back on the fifty yard line in style. Two pairs 0:10:58.240 --> 0:11:01.000 of lucky Packers fans will be chosen prior to each 0:11:01.000 --> 0:11:03.439 home game for this v I P experience. Enter daily 0:11:03.480 --> 0:11:07.000 now through December sixteen by completing the entry form and submitting. 0:11:07.000 --> 0:11:09.560 For complete rules and eligibility, go to Packers dot com 0:11:09.600 --> 0:11:13.360 slash Best Seats Cousin Subs. We believe in better. Okay, 0:11:13.400 --> 0:11:16.760 you mentioned the Detroit Lions being last in the league 0:11:16.760 --> 0:11:20.400 at defending the run over the last handful of years, 0:11:20.600 --> 0:11:23.280 they've been last or close to last in the league 0:11:23.280 --> 0:11:25.960 at running the ball on offense. That is not the 0:11:25.960 --> 0:11:29.719 case anymore. Looking up the statistics, they're actually up to 0:11:29.840 --> 0:11:34.080 twenty in the league in rushing yardage and even more impressively, 0:11:34.520 --> 0:11:37.360 seventh in the league in yards per carry. As far 0:11:37.400 --> 0:11:42.880 as running the ball. Hey, but those are those are 0:11:42.920 --> 0:11:45.480 not rankings that the Detroit Lions are used to with 0:11:45.559 --> 0:11:47.520 running the football. They've been last in the league in 0:11:47.600 --> 0:11:49.840 rushing yards two of the last four years, and they've 0:11:49.840 --> 0:11:52.440 been in the high twenties the other two years. They've 0:11:52.440 --> 0:11:55.559 been anywhere from six to last in the league over 0:11:55.600 --> 0:11:58.760 the last four years in yards per carry. They are 0:11:58.800 --> 0:12:02.440 emphasizing the run game. They're trying to develop that complementary 0:12:02.600 --> 0:12:06.920 running game for a quarterback like Matthew Stafford. And this 0:12:07.000 --> 0:12:09.880 is a this is a type of preparation week that's 0:12:09.920 --> 0:12:12.240 a little different for the Packers going up against the 0:12:12.280 --> 0:12:16.600 Lions because really they're in my opinion, They're rushing statistics 0:12:16.720 --> 0:12:19.080 become even more impressive when you look at the fact 0:12:19.160 --> 0:12:22.080 that they've been behind in the fourth quarter in the 0:12:22.080 --> 0:12:25.199 majority in basically three of their four games where they 0:12:25.200 --> 0:12:27.680 haven't had a chance to continue running the ball because 0:12:27.720 --> 0:12:30.160 they because they've been behind. They racked up the big 0:12:30.200 --> 0:12:33.600 rushing yards in the win over New England. But this 0:12:33.640 --> 0:12:36.040 team is showing a determination to run the football and 0:12:36.040 --> 0:12:37.720 the Packers have to be ready for it. Yeah, and 0:12:37.760 --> 0:12:39.720 this is in ever since. I mean, you can always 0:12:39.760 --> 0:12:42.120 draw the comparisons between them at the running back position 0:12:42.120 --> 0:12:44.560 and what Cleveland has gone through at the quarterback position. 0:12:45.000 --> 0:12:48.600 They lost Barry Sanders. I think that was James Stewart 0:12:48.600 --> 0:12:50.560 that came after him had a thousand yards season. But 0:12:50.559 --> 0:12:53.000 ever since then, it's been a carousel. They've used second 0:12:53.080 --> 0:12:55.120 round draft picks, they've used first round draft picks on 0:12:55.160 --> 0:12:57.160 the position. Well, and and they and they thought they 0:12:57.200 --> 0:13:00.040 had a future feature back in job at best, and 0:13:00.160 --> 0:13:02.840 concussions and ended his career because he was looking like 0:13:02.880 --> 0:13:05.760 a very promising prospect for them. Absolutely So now they 0:13:05.840 --> 0:13:09.199 got Carrie on Johnson. And it's funny, Mike, because so often, 0:13:09.320 --> 0:13:11.520 you know, we talked about as recently as these last 0:13:11.559 --> 0:13:14.199 couple of days, people ask about the Packers in the 0:13:14.280 --> 0:13:16.520 running game and who are you going to feature, Well, 0:13:16.559 --> 0:13:20.440 look at what Detroit's also doing. They have Carrie on Johnson, 0:13:20.480 --> 0:13:22.959 who's you know, the spark plug is the big hitter, 0:13:23.000 --> 0:13:25.520 home run hitter. Yeah, he's he's speedy guy, he's fast. 0:13:25.679 --> 0:13:29.360 You have obviously, um, you know Blunt who has been 0:13:29.360 --> 0:13:31.959 a big power back all these years, the Hammer, the Hammer, 0:13:32.520 --> 0:13:35.760 his last name fits his running style exactly. And then 0:13:35.800 --> 0:13:40.160 you got theoretic, who's more of the complimentary receiving type 0:13:40.200 --> 0:13:42.920 of it almost mirrors what Green Bay is doing, which 0:13:43.040 --> 0:13:46.320 almost mirrors what the NFL is doing in two thousand eighteen. 0:13:46.600 --> 0:13:48.520 It's just the way things go. But I mean, getting 0:13:48.559 --> 0:13:51.120 back to the original point, Johnson has been a revelation 0:13:51.200 --> 0:13:54.200 for this offense. He finally ended that streak of of 0:13:54.400 --> 0:13:55.920 that skid. I guess you could say of them not 0:13:55.960 --> 0:13:58.240 having a hundred yard rusher, which at the end of 0:13:58.240 --> 0:14:00.360 the day, it's not a big deal with has went 0:14:00.360 --> 0:14:02.120 through it a number of years ago too, before Eddie 0:14:02.240 --> 0:14:04.440 Lacy got here. But it is a question you have 0:14:04.480 --> 0:14:06.760 to keep answering. It's a question the head coach and 0:14:06.800 --> 0:14:09.160 the offense has to keep addressing. It's something that takes 0:14:09.200 --> 0:14:11.080 on a life of its own in certain and to 0:14:11.160 --> 0:14:13.400 a certain extent, they ended that. So you're out of 0:14:13.440 --> 0:14:16.000 that that equation now for the next season or two. 0:14:16.520 --> 0:14:18.760 But the thing what Johnson is is you can tell 0:14:18.840 --> 0:14:20.840 this is a guy that isn't a that isn't a fluke. 0:14:21.320 --> 0:14:23.320 He's gonna get his yards, he's gonna get his production. 0:14:23.360 --> 0:14:25.600 And as he gets more established in his offense, is 0:14:25.640 --> 0:14:27.800 they get more confidence in him. He's going to be 0:14:27.800 --> 0:14:29.520 a guy that not only the Packers, but the NFC 0:14:29.600 --> 0:14:31.680 North in general is gonna have to deal with. Yeah, well, 0:14:31.840 --> 0:14:35.440 certainly something the Packers will be prepared for on Sunday 0:14:35.480 --> 0:14:37.880 before we go today West. Though it is Thursday, I 0:14:37.920 --> 0:14:41.240 wanted to touch on the Thursday night football matchup this 0:14:41.280 --> 0:14:44.160 week because one of the things that's happened here in 0:14:44.200 --> 0:14:48.520 the NFL this season with Fox Major Network taking over 0:14:48.560 --> 0:14:52.360 the Thursday night television package, is these matchups on Thursday 0:14:52.480 --> 0:14:55.360 nights are they aren't just like throw aways of some 0:14:55.440 --> 0:14:57.880 sort of you know, let's give so and so, you know, 0:14:57.960 --> 0:15:00.720 a primetime game that doesn't normally get one. We saw 0:15:00.760 --> 0:15:04.000 the Rams against the Vikings last week, got the Colts 0:15:04.040 --> 0:15:06.240 against the Patriots this week. Now this is no longer 0:15:06.240 --> 0:15:09.120 Peyton Manning against Tom Brady, but it's Andrew Luck against 0:15:09.120 --> 0:15:11.520 Tom Brady and two guys who have faced each other 0:15:11.560 --> 0:15:14.360 in the postseason, including in an a f C championship game. 0:15:14.640 --> 0:15:16.640 And you have all the drama of what happened with 0:15:16.680 --> 0:15:19.920 the coaching search in the off season with Josh McDaniels 0:15:19.920 --> 0:15:23.600 and and GM Chris Ballard for the Indianapolis Colts. So 0:15:23.840 --> 0:15:26.960 are really interesting. Another interesting Thursday up matchup and one 0:15:27.000 --> 0:15:29.680 that could have some significant implications in the FC. It's 0:15:29.680 --> 0:15:32.120 a must win game for both teams. I mean, you 0:15:32.120 --> 0:15:34.080 look at the Patriots, they're trying to get back on 0:15:34.120 --> 0:15:38.040 the positive side of five. In the Colts with Andrew 0:15:38.080 --> 0:15:40.040 Luck coming back, this is supposed to be okay, well 0:15:40.040 --> 0:15:42.560 we're back to being a contender again. Well they're sitting 0:15:42.640 --> 0:15:44.920 one in three. The other storyline that I don't think 0:15:45.000 --> 0:15:47.640 is getting talked enough about this week is the fact 0:15:47.680 --> 0:15:51.000 that this is Andrew Luck's return against New England. That 0:15:51.120 --> 0:15:53.720 was that looked Mike, when you go back to those 0:15:53.760 --> 0:15:55.560 a f C Championship games, when you go back to 0:15:55.600 --> 0:15:58.240 where things were headed in two thousand, twelve and thirteen 0:15:58.240 --> 0:16:01.320 and fourteen, it looked like Tom Brady versus Manning was 0:16:01.360 --> 0:16:04.040 just gonna shift to Tom Brady versus Love and then 0:16:04.080 --> 0:16:06.640 he deals with the shoulder injury. They obviously go through 0:16:06.680 --> 0:16:09.960 their issues. Jacoby Brissette comes in, who has ties to 0:16:10.400 --> 0:16:13.160 New England, and things kind of get jumbled a little bit. 0:16:13.200 --> 0:16:16.600 But as Chris Ballard said, the rivalries back on after 0:16:16.680 --> 0:16:19.880 everything that happened with Josh McDaniels. Obviously, Frank Wright coming 0:16:19.920 --> 0:16:22.440 in has a lot of familiarity. Now you know with 0:16:22.520 --> 0:16:25.680 that that New England Patriots team. It's gonna be a 0:16:25.680 --> 0:16:27.320 really fun game to watch, And to be honest with you, 0:16:27.360 --> 0:16:30.200 I I from a player perspective. I've always felt for 0:16:30.240 --> 0:16:33.040 the players. I think it's a tough turnaround for guys 0:16:33.080 --> 0:16:35.920 to make it almost you know, kind of a natural 0:16:36.400 --> 0:16:38.320 just just for them to be able to be expected 0:16:38.360 --> 0:16:40.360 to play again on three days rest. But I'd be 0:16:40.440 --> 0:16:42.240 lying to you if I told you I wasn't watching 0:16:42.280 --> 0:16:45.240 these games. For me personally, especially with us covering games 0:16:45.280 --> 0:16:47.840 on Sundays, it's really difficult to sit down and watch 0:16:47.960 --> 0:16:52.160 NFL football, uh if you're specifically honed in on one team. 0:16:52.320 --> 0:16:55.320 So I'm always tuned in and I'll be tuned in again. 0:16:55.360 --> 0:16:58.160 I think it's a really fun matchup between two teams 0:16:58.200 --> 0:17:00.800 that have a really interesting backstory. Yeah. Well, the rest 0:17:00.840 --> 0:17:02.840 of the Thursday nights late this year, there are a 0:17:02.920 --> 0:17:05.040 lot of interesting matchups, so we'll keep talking about them 0:17:05.080 --> 0:17:07.080 as we go along, including the Packers. I know the 0:17:07.359 --> 0:17:09.520 Seattle Seahawks are going through some tough times right now. 0:17:09.560 --> 0:17:10.960 We'll have to see where things are at a month 0:17:10.960 --> 0:17:12.720 from now, but there's a lot of history in that 0:17:12.800 --> 0:17:15.080 stadium with the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks. You're 0:17:15.080 --> 0:17:18.200 not even just counting the NFC, the NFC Championship game, 0:17:18.680 --> 0:17:21.400 Century link with the Packers. There's there's a story there. 0:17:21.480 --> 0:17:25.479 So again me personally, if you're gonna have Thursday night 0:17:25.480 --> 0:17:28.720 football games, make them compelling, make them watchable, and you know, 0:17:28.920 --> 0:17:31.239 let the chips fall where they may. All Right with that, 0:17:31.280 --> 0:17:34.200 We'll call it a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. 0:17:34.320 --> 0:17:35.919 Be sure to follow all of our coverage of the 0:17:35.960 --> 0:17:38.760 team on Packers dot com. On Twitter, you can still 0:17:38.800 --> 0:17:41.200 follow him at west Hot I'm at Mike Spofford at 0:17:41.200 --> 0:17:43.960 Packers is still the team account. Thanks for tuning in, everybody, 0:17:44.400 --> 0:17:45.160 See you next time.