WEBVTT - #438 Packers Unscripted: Diving into Denver 0:00:00.880 --> 0:00:20.799 Hi, everybody. Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:20.800 --> 0:00:23.400 I am Mike Spofford. He is the one and only 0:00:23.480 --> 0:00:26.119 West Hodkowits for coming to you here from our studios 0:00:26.480 --> 0:00:30.120 at lambeau Field and West. It's Wednesday, are midweek show, 0:00:30.280 --> 0:00:32.599 and that means we'll take a look at the Packers 0:00:32.680 --> 0:00:36.360 upcoming opponent. It's the a f C West Denver Broncos. 0:00:36.400 --> 0:00:38.839 They will come into lambeau Field on Sunday for a 0:00:38.920 --> 0:00:43.879 noon Central Time kickoff. And the Broncos, like the Packers, 0:00:43.920 --> 0:00:46.480 have a new head coach, and a rookie head coach 0:00:46.520 --> 0:00:49.640 in this league. Although Vic Fangio has certainly been around 0:00:49.720 --> 0:00:52.960 the NFL for quite some time. But the bottom line 0:00:53.000 --> 0:00:55.880 is right now with his team, whether you want to 0:00:55.920 --> 0:00:59.600 talk about roughing the passer and clock controversies that we 0:00:59.720 --> 0:01:02.960 discus gust on our previous shows, the Broncos are oh 0:01:03.040 --> 0:01:05.040 and two and they're still trying to get Vic Fangio 0:01:05.120 --> 0:01:06.840 his first win as a head coach. Yeah, and you 0:01:06.840 --> 0:01:08.880 could talk about all those things. Certainly, we wasted a 0:01:08.880 --> 0:01:11.040 lot of breath the last few days, you know, expounding 0:01:11.120 --> 0:01:14.080 upon all those topics. But to me, I expected them 0:01:14.160 --> 0:01:16.600 out of the gates to have some you know issues offensively, 0:01:16.640 --> 0:01:18.880 I think, right now, what are they in the league? 0:01:18.920 --> 0:01:21.679 Fifteen points a game. What has surprised me is the 0:01:21.720 --> 0:01:23.640 defense though, And we're gonna talk about both sides of 0:01:23.680 --> 0:01:26.840 the ball here, but Vic Fangio, you think, uh, you know, 0:01:26.920 --> 0:01:28.600 he doesn't blitz a lot, but he does generate a 0:01:28.640 --> 0:01:31.839 lot of pressure, generates takeaways. The Broncos right now don't 0:01:31.959 --> 0:01:34.039 have either. They don't have any sacks and they don't 0:01:34.080 --> 0:01:36.679 have any turnovers for us. So, um, that I think 0:01:36.760 --> 0:01:38.480 is going to be an anomaly. I think when you 0:01:38.480 --> 0:01:41.280 look at the firepower that that defense has, they're going 0:01:41.280 --> 0:01:43.679 to get their opportunities. But for the Green Bay Packers perspective, 0:01:43.680 --> 0:01:46.640 you hope it's one week after this upcoming Sunday. Yeah, 0:01:46.680 --> 0:01:49.080 I mean, let's go ahead and talk about that defense, 0:01:49.120 --> 0:01:51.680 because you said it. The two statistics that jump out 0:01:51.720 --> 0:01:55.760 at you is that through two games, no sacks and 0:01:55.800 --> 0:01:59.120 no turnovers, which for Vic Fangio defense is almost like 0:01:59.240 --> 0:02:01.240 mind boggling. It's hard to believe. And when you look 0:02:01.280 --> 0:02:04.040 at the players that they have on the edges, you 0:02:04.080 --> 0:02:06.720 have Von Miller and you have Bradley Chubb, and on 0:02:06.800 --> 0:02:09.680 the interior with that pass pass rush. You have Derek Wolf, 0:02:09.720 --> 0:02:13.240 who's being paid as a as an elite interior rusher 0:02:13.680 --> 0:02:17.120 in this league, and Chris harris Um certainly a bona 0:02:17.120 --> 0:02:20.400 fide number one cornerback to to lockdown or attempt to 0:02:20.400 --> 0:02:22.720 lock down an opponent's top receiver. They spent a lot 0:02:22.720 --> 0:02:24.840 of money to get to Bryce Callahan this offseason as 0:02:24.840 --> 0:02:27.520 well from Chicago. That was who was Yeah, and and 0:02:27.639 --> 0:02:30.239 Callahan is a guy kind of making that step up 0:02:30.280 --> 0:02:32.920 from being the nickel back in Chicago to being a starter. 0:02:33.320 --> 0:02:36.200 But he obviously has all the knowledge of Fangio's defensive 0:02:36.240 --> 0:02:38.720 scheme and everything, so they felt he would be a 0:02:38.800 --> 0:02:42.280 good fit there. There's talent on that side of the ball. 0:02:42.360 --> 0:02:45.320 But the no sacks and no turnovers through through two 0:02:45.360 --> 0:02:48.079 games is really startling. Yeah, and von Miller, some of 0:02:48.120 --> 0:02:50.079 these guys have talked about it, you know, their need 0:02:50.160 --> 0:02:53.000 to step up and to you know, make some plays 0:02:53.000 --> 0:02:55.440 for this defense because certainly the firepower is there. As 0:02:55.480 --> 0:02:58.680 I just said Bradley Chubb, I mean, I think he's 0:02:58.680 --> 0:03:01.320 one of the top young rushers in this league. Certainly, 0:03:01.360 --> 0:03:04.400 the Denver made a big investment in him a year ago, 0:03:04.440 --> 0:03:06.040 and he paid them off for that. I think he 0:03:06.040 --> 0:03:08.399 had twelve and a half sacks last year. So yeah, 0:03:08.520 --> 0:03:11.960 seeing how these pieces come together and fit into Fangio's 0:03:12.000 --> 0:03:13.760 defense is going to be, you know, one of their 0:03:13.760 --> 0:03:16.400 big storylines for the season because ultimately, while they did 0:03:16.440 --> 0:03:20.320 trade for Joe Flacco, um, you know, they have different 0:03:20.360 --> 0:03:22.799 players there. I think offensively they feel they can win with, 0:03:22.880 --> 0:03:25.200 but the Broncos for the better part of the last 0:03:25.200 --> 0:03:28.000 decade have won with their defense. Um, you know, basically 0:03:28.040 --> 0:03:32.000 since uh, you know, Peyton Manning's MVP season. So um 0:03:32.080 --> 0:03:34.640 for them finding that right rhythm. You know, they're not 0:03:34.680 --> 0:03:36.320 giving up a lot of points. That's kept him in 0:03:36.360 --> 0:03:39.840 these ball games early. But as Mike Petton has said 0:03:39.840 --> 0:03:41.640 time and time again, in order to be a successful 0:03:41.640 --> 0:03:44.240 defense over the course of the season, you need takeaways, 0:03:44.280 --> 0:03:47.240 you need pressure, and right now the Broncos are getting neither. Yeah, 0:03:47.320 --> 0:03:52.280 when you want to look at a statistical comparison, the 0:03:52.280 --> 0:03:55.320 Broncos obviously played the Bears last week after the Packers 0:03:55.320 --> 0:03:57.680 played them in Week one, and really from a yardage 0:03:57.720 --> 0:04:02.120 standpoint other than core Darrell Patterson ripping off about a 0:04:02.120 --> 0:04:05.360 forty six yard run for Chicago in one of those 0:04:05.400 --> 0:04:09.520 funky formations out of the backfield. The Broncos defense really 0:04:09.600 --> 0:04:12.880 did to the Bears offense statistically, you know, the same 0:04:12.920 --> 0:04:16.000 type of job that the Packers did. Rabinsky didn't have 0:04:16.040 --> 0:04:18.040 a pass I don't believe of more than twenty five 0:04:18.120 --> 0:04:22.719 yards a completion, that is. And the Bears running backs 0:04:22.720 --> 0:04:25.160 other than I said, the one long run by Patterson, 0:04:25.520 --> 0:04:29.159 the Bears running backs did not have any other explosive 0:04:29.200 --> 0:04:32.600 games really, but not having any sacks and turnovers has 0:04:32.640 --> 0:04:36.039 been the difference. Even though, um to the Broncos credit, 0:04:36.080 --> 0:04:38.680 they did hold the Bears to just thirteen points until 0:04:39.040 --> 0:04:40.920 the last play of the game. Yeah, and that's all, 0:04:41.080 --> 0:04:42.840 you know, that's where the difference is going to be 0:04:42.880 --> 0:04:46.160 made again. Up until that last play. Mitchell Robinsky had 0:04:46.240 --> 0:04:49.560 ninety passing yards in that game. But I think what 0:04:49.640 --> 0:04:51.400 it shows you, though, Mike, is that you can play 0:04:51.480 --> 0:04:53.799 really stout defensively, but if you don't get the takeaways, 0:04:53.880 --> 0:04:55.560 or you don't get those critical stops when you need 0:04:55.600 --> 0:04:58.239 them the most, how it's going to impact the final 0:04:58.279 --> 0:05:00.880 outcome up games. So I expect there's gonna be a 0:05:00.960 --> 0:05:03.080 hungry team coming in here. And I wrote about this 0:05:03.120 --> 0:05:05.240 an inbox this week. I think it makes that Broncos 0:05:05.279 --> 0:05:08.560 really dangerous because they didn't we'll move on to offense 0:05:08.600 --> 0:05:10.200 here in a second, but they didn't trade for Joe 0:05:10.279 --> 0:05:12.719 Flacco thinking that this is just gonna be a total 0:05:12.760 --> 0:05:16.039 rebuild here. John Elway wants to find a quarterback. The 0:05:16.080 --> 0:05:19.560 Broncos want to return to being a contender, and let's 0:05:19.600 --> 0:05:23.200 be honest, that division has suddenly become a real juggernaut 0:05:23.200 --> 0:05:25.000 now in the NFL and they're trying to keep up 0:05:25.000 --> 0:05:27.720 with the Joneses. So yeah, this is, uh, this is 0:05:27.720 --> 0:05:29.960 gonna be a tried and true test. You win with defense. 0:05:30.000 --> 0:05:31.880 I think a lot of times in this league. The 0:05:32.160 --> 0:05:34.960 Broncos won a Super Bowl a few years back based 0:05:35.000 --> 0:05:37.760 on that defense. We remember that team that the Packers 0:05:37.800 --> 0:05:40.280 had that win into Mile High and you know, they 0:05:40.279 --> 0:05:42.560 struggled to pass the ball on this defense, and that 0:05:42.640 --> 0:05:44.640 was when the Packers were six and oh and writing 0:05:44.720 --> 0:05:47.880 high and that Broncos defense that ultimately ended up winning 0:05:48.240 --> 0:05:51.279 the Super Bowl that year. That Broncos defense completely shut 0:05:51.320 --> 0:05:54.320 down Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. I was four years ago, 0:05:54.600 --> 0:05:57.080 yeah right, and you know right now, the Bronco Broncos 0:05:57.080 --> 0:05:59.000 do technically have a top ten defense, but if you're 0:05:59.000 --> 0:06:01.440 Aaron Rodgers, if you're Aaron Jones, you want to protect 0:06:01.440 --> 0:06:03.880 the football. That offensive line needs to protect the quarterback 0:06:04.160 --> 0:06:06.800 because this little mini gauntlet that they're on here facing 0:06:07.200 --> 0:06:10.080 defenses that can hurt you. You know, the Packers haven't 0:06:10.160 --> 0:06:12.599 escaped that yet. Yeah. Well, you mentioned Joe Flacco on 0:06:12.640 --> 0:06:14.840 the offensive side of the ball for the Broncos, and 0:06:14.880 --> 0:06:17.800 as you said, John Elway made the trade, brought him 0:06:17.839 --> 0:06:21.080 in because they feel like they can contend now in 0:06:21.120 --> 0:06:23.599 a in a tough division with Kansas City Chiefs, Los 0:06:23.640 --> 0:06:28.839 Angeles Chargers and whatnot, and Flacco his numbers so far 0:06:28.920 --> 0:06:32.960 this year statistically things look okay, but much like the Packers, 0:06:32.960 --> 0:06:36.760 the Broncos aren't scoring enough points. They are trying to 0:06:36.839 --> 0:06:40.240 get their running game cranked up. Interestingly, though, the guy 0:06:40.279 --> 0:06:42.320 who made all the headlines for them last year in 0:06:42.360 --> 0:06:47.039 the ground game, Philip Lindsay, isn't really producing to the 0:06:47.120 --> 0:06:49.640 level he was last year. But the number two guy, 0:06:49.760 --> 0:06:52.320 Royce Freeman, is the one who's you know, kind of 0:06:52.320 --> 0:06:54.440 been a bright spot offensively. They're gonna have to make 0:06:54.440 --> 0:06:56.760 a decision here on what they want to do unless 0:06:56.760 --> 0:06:59.840 they are fully committed to this committee approach, because right, 0:07:00.080 --> 0:07:02.200 I mean Philip Lindsley, you know, one of the top 0:07:02.279 --> 0:07:04.120 rookies in the league last season. I think he was 0:07:04.160 --> 0:07:06.880 the only undrafted rookie that made the All Rookie Team 0:07:08.560 --> 0:07:10.760 didn't go to the Pro Bowl. Yes, correct, and the 0:07:10.800 --> 0:07:13.840 only one to make the Pro Bowl. Carries seventy nine yards, 0:07:13.880 --> 0:07:16.000 only has a long of nine right now, three point 0:07:16.080 --> 0:07:18.800 three yards per carry. Then you have Royce Freeman on 0:07:18.800 --> 0:07:21.000 the other side of the carries for hundred and ten 0:07:21.080 --> 0:07:24.000 yards along of twenty six in an average of five 0:07:24.080 --> 0:07:26.280 point two. I think there's a lot of people, you know, 0:07:26.280 --> 0:07:28.640 when you look at the way that this backfield is constructed, 0:07:29.160 --> 0:07:30.880 there's a lot of people, I think, including myself, that 0:07:30.960 --> 0:07:33.280 thought Royce Freeman this was his backfield. They were going 0:07:33.320 --> 0:07:35.560 to turn the keys over to him. And then Lindsay 0:07:35.600 --> 0:07:37.280 kind of came out of nowhere last year to be 0:07:37.360 --> 0:07:40.760 that guy. So what they want to do there is 0:07:40.760 --> 0:07:42.800 going to be interesting to watch and how they approached 0:07:42.840 --> 0:07:44.800 this game and how those reps are divvied up. Because 0:07:45.240 --> 0:07:47.160 again getting back to what point I made a few 0:07:47.160 --> 0:07:50.880 minutes ago, you know this team since that Super Bowl 0:07:51.000 --> 0:07:53.440 run or even before that, really, because there were some 0:07:53.520 --> 0:07:56.320 quarterback questions that year, going back probably even to when 0:07:56.320 --> 0:07:58.440 Manning was an m v P. You know, they've been 0:07:58.440 --> 0:08:00.280 built around the run, and there's been a lot of 0:08:00.280 --> 0:08:02.320 different guys that have carried that mantel for them. Yeah, 0:08:02.360 --> 0:08:03.840 they're trying to figure out who that guy can be 0:08:03.840 --> 0:08:06.520 for Joe Flacco on this offense right now, as far 0:08:06.560 --> 0:08:09.720 as the weapons in the passing game. Emmanuel Sanders, who 0:08:10.000 --> 0:08:12.240 was a free agent signing. I guess it was a 0:08:12.320 --> 0:08:15.080 year or two ago. I'm trying to remember my timeline exactly, 0:08:15.480 --> 0:08:18.800 a free agent signing from the Pittsburgh Steelers. He's there six? 0:08:19.840 --> 0:08:25.400 Is that really help? Are you serious? Okay, well, sorry 0:08:25.400 --> 0:08:27.280 about that, folks. I thought it was just a couple 0:08:27.280 --> 0:08:29.640 of years ago. Um, But he came over from the 0:08:29.640 --> 0:08:33.720 Pittsburgh Steelers. He's been a pretty steady consistent presence for 0:08:33.760 --> 0:08:37.160 them in the passing game. Two years old already? Wow? 0:08:37.360 --> 0:08:40.400 And yeah, well, clearly I didn't realize he was that old, 0:08:41.000 --> 0:08:44.319 or I would have thought he had been there longer. Um. 0:08:44.360 --> 0:08:48.320 But aside from Sanders, who else has Joe Flacco at 0:08:48.360 --> 0:08:50.480 least in this early going. He's only got two starts 0:08:50.559 --> 0:08:52.679 under his belt as a Broncos quarterback. But who else 0:08:52.760 --> 0:08:54.800 is he looking at it? Well, Cortland Sutton is the 0:08:54.800 --> 0:08:57.000 other person in this uh, in this offense, you know, 0:08:57.040 --> 0:08:59.679 since the Damerius Thomas Emmanuel Sanders era kind of went 0:08:59.720 --> 0:09:01.800 by the wayside, and he is kind of a young guy, 0:09:01.880 --> 0:09:04.160 right like Sutton actually is young. Let's let's get an 0:09:04.200 --> 0:09:06.840 official ag. I want to see twenty three years old. 0:09:07.480 --> 0:09:10.280 Last year, really promising rookie season, forty two catches for 0:09:10.360 --> 0:09:13.280 hundred seventy four yards out of SMU. He was one 0:09:13.280 --> 0:09:16.600 of my favorites at the combine and he's off to 0:09:16.640 --> 0:09:18.680 a nice start and had a hundred and twenty receiving 0:09:18.720 --> 0:09:22.360 yards against Oakland. Six ft four two sixteen pounds. Uh, 0:09:22.600 --> 0:09:24.920 you know, really dynamic player. I think without having in 0:09:24.920 --> 0:09:26.080 front of me, I think he ended up going in 0:09:26.080 --> 0:09:29.040 the second round. They have high aspirations for him. He's 0:09:29.040 --> 0:09:31.000 been a favorite target so far early as I was 0:09:31.080 --> 0:09:34.840 just saying with Joe Flacco in this offense, and the 0:09:34.880 --> 0:09:36.760 thing I love about Sanders is that he was one 0:09:36.760 --> 0:09:40.440 of the rare exceptions where a guy reaches free agency 0:09:40.840 --> 0:09:44.960 at that position and really hasn't kind of reached his 0:09:45.080 --> 0:09:48.960 ceiling yet. Uh. He had four fine seasons with Pittsburgh, 0:09:49.000 --> 0:09:50.440 but it was when he got to Denver that he 0:09:50.480 --> 0:09:52.880 really took off. I think he had a fourteen hundred 0:09:52.920 --> 0:09:54.920 yards season during one of those years. His numbers have 0:09:55.080 --> 0:09:57.920 kind of plateau the last two seasons, but still a 0:09:58.000 --> 0:09:59.719 very dynamic guy that the Packers are gonna have to 0:09:59.760 --> 0:10:02.280 bec started with. Well here's an interesting stat I'll just 0:10:02.320 --> 0:10:04.439 throw at you, and I don't want to get into 0:10:04.480 --> 0:10:08.559 too long a discussion about it, but Garrett Bowls, the 0:10:08.640 --> 0:10:11.959 left tackle for the Denver Broncos. Through two games, he's 0:10:11.960 --> 0:10:15.120 already been flagged five times for holding. Now three of 0:10:15.120 --> 0:10:18.120 those were declined, excuse me, but the bottom line is 0:10:18.800 --> 0:10:21.760 five flags for holding in two games. We've seen there's 0:10:21.760 --> 0:10:24.439 been this emphasis on holding. Holding calls are up around 0:10:24.440 --> 0:10:26.840 the league. We've seen we saw David Bactieri in WELAK 0:10:26.880 --> 0:10:29.960 one in Chicago and All Pro the number one left 0:10:29.960 --> 0:10:32.480 tackle in the league last year, first team All Pro guy, 0:10:32.559 --> 0:10:36.000 got flagged for flag twice for holding in Week one. 0:10:36.679 --> 0:10:39.160 But this is one of those things when when if 0:10:39.200 --> 0:10:41.560 a guy starts to get that kind of reputation amongst 0:10:41.600 --> 0:10:43.959 the officials, the officials look at the stats and stuff 0:10:44.000 --> 0:10:46.319 too to know who's out there and what's going on. 0:10:46.679 --> 0:10:49.800 Be interesting to see just what Mike Petton dials up, 0:10:49.840 --> 0:10:52.720 so to speak, or who he wants matched up against. 0:10:52.720 --> 0:10:57.040 Bowls at left tackle for a guy who is struggling 0:10:57.080 --> 0:10:59.280 a little bit to stay away from the penalty FLA yeah, 0:11:00.080 --> 0:11:02.160 overall pick in two thousand and seventeen. He was an 0:11:02.160 --> 0:11:04.200 All rookie member of the p f w A during 0:11:04.200 --> 0:11:06.120 his rookie season. But yeah, he's it's it's one of 0:11:06.120 --> 0:11:09.040 those rocky stars that you sometimes deal with. You look at, 0:11:09.200 --> 0:11:11.120 you know, the way that this offensive line has been 0:11:11.120 --> 0:11:13.319 built over the years. Um that was one of the 0:11:13.360 --> 0:11:15.079 reasons why they were able to win a Super Bowl 0:11:15.280 --> 0:11:17.160 with Peyton Manning with some of the issues that they 0:11:17.160 --> 0:11:19.520 did have in the passing game, is what they were 0:11:19.559 --> 0:11:20.960 able to do with that line and what they were 0:11:20.960 --> 0:11:23.160 able to do with that run game. Bowls has been 0:11:23.240 --> 0:11:24.880 kind of a part of that next guard. There really 0:11:24.880 --> 0:11:26.600 has been a passing of the torch in the last 0:11:26.600 --> 0:11:29.440 couple of years. You know, Ronald Learry, the former Dallas 0:11:29.480 --> 0:11:31.600 Cowboys guard. I've always been a big fan of his work. 0:11:31.640 --> 0:11:33.559 They signed him a couple of years ago. He's been 0:11:33.840 --> 0:11:36.280 kind of moved in there at right guard. Certainly Dalton 0:11:36.360 --> 0:11:37.840 Risner is the guy that you and I have talked 0:11:37.840 --> 0:11:39.760 a lot about over last year. He was one of 0:11:39.760 --> 0:11:42.520 my favorites at the combine this uh this this past year, 0:11:42.559 --> 0:11:45.520 and they're currently using him at right guard I should say, 0:11:45.520 --> 0:11:48.000 excuse me, left guard. So they have some pieces there, 0:11:48.040 --> 0:11:50.640 But you know, the the lynch pinned all this is Bowls. 0:11:50.679 --> 0:11:52.440 He was the first round pick. He was seen as 0:11:52.480 --> 0:11:54.880 the franchise left tackle, and this is where if your's 0:11:54.880 --> 0:11:56.880 a Darius Smith, Preston Smith and the rest of those 0:11:56.960 --> 0:11:58.679 edge rushers, you want to be able to give them 0:11:58.679 --> 0:11:59.960 a run for their money a little bit and make 0:12:00.080 --> 0:12:02.840 things uncomfortable for Joe Flacco because, as we've seen over 0:12:02.840 --> 0:12:05.880 the years, Flacco can hurt you. But he's also a 0:12:05.880 --> 0:12:09.320 guy that pretty much stays to that pocket. So I 0:12:09.360 --> 0:12:11.400 think in some way it's a very similar matchup to 0:12:11.440 --> 0:12:13.560 what they saw a week ago with Kirk Cousins. Yeah, 0:12:13.559 --> 0:12:15.880 I think that's a matchup to watch definitely in this game. 0:12:16.440 --> 0:12:19.520 Real quickly, here, West Select Cousin Subs locations are now 0:12:19.600 --> 0:12:23.200 offering delivery. Whether you're ordering catering or your favorite sub, 0:12:23.200 --> 0:12:25.839 they're delivering right to you when you order online at 0:12:25.880 --> 0:12:30.760 cousin Subs dot Com cousin Subs, we believe in better 0:12:31.080 --> 0:12:34.240 all right. Another aspect with regards to the Packers and 0:12:34.440 --> 0:12:36.679 this most recent victory against the Vikings that I want 0:12:36.720 --> 0:12:39.680 to get back to. You posted a story on Packers 0:12:39.720 --> 0:12:43.760 dot com yesterday. It's your weekly or sometimes semi weekly 0:12:44.800 --> 0:12:48.320 Player on the Rise feature, and you actually selected two 0:12:48.320 --> 0:12:52.080 players in talking about the tandem and presses have at cornerback, 0:12:52.800 --> 0:12:55.680 the young cornerback tandem of Jayar Alexander and Kevin King, 0:12:56.600 --> 0:12:58.840 and we talked a lot in the offseason West As 0:12:59.280 --> 0:13:00.959 you know, we mentioned I wrote its story in the 0:13:01.040 --> 0:13:03.920 yearbook about it. Talking to both of these guys, they 0:13:04.000 --> 0:13:06.199 feel like when they are on the field together, they 0:13:06.240 --> 0:13:09.040 can be one of the top cornerback tandems in the league. 0:13:09.480 --> 0:13:12.320 This Mike Petton defense. In the little that we saw 0:13:12.520 --> 0:13:14.960 last year when these two were on the field together, 0:13:15.000 --> 0:13:18.480 the defense was playing at a different level. Through two games, 0:13:18.520 --> 0:13:20.920 both of these guys have been on the field, knock 0:13:21.000 --> 0:13:24.640 on wood, playing their fair share of snaps and it's 0:13:24.679 --> 0:13:27.199 making a big difference for Mike Petton's crew. I'll be 0:13:27.240 --> 0:13:28.920 honest with you one thing, I am kind of kicking 0:13:28.920 --> 0:13:32.120 myself with and certainly our offseason was pretty busy. Um, 0:13:32.160 --> 0:13:33.920 I know there's a couple different projects I worked on. 0:13:34.120 --> 0:13:35.760 I am sort of kicking myself. I didn't do a 0:13:35.800 --> 0:13:38.080 little bit of a study on where these where this 0:13:38.160 --> 0:13:40.559 defense was at when King was available, because I even 0:13:40.600 --> 0:13:42.840 think I go back to that second game of the 0:13:42.880 --> 0:13:46.320 season against Minnesota when King played to when he left 0:13:46.320 --> 0:13:49.160 the game, and just a real big difference there. Yeah, 0:13:49.200 --> 0:13:52.679 Minnesota's fourth quarter comeback, and I know, you know there 0:13:52.760 --> 0:13:56.280 was the penalty controversy, but Minnesota's fourth quarter comeback. They 0:13:56.320 --> 0:13:59.520 suddenly became this explosive offense in the fourth quarter to 0:13:59.559 --> 0:14:02.640 get that aim to overtime, and Kevin King's absence was 0:14:02.679 --> 0:14:04.599 a huge part of that. All you have to do 0:14:04.640 --> 0:14:07.280 you look at you look at the second half of 0:14:07.360 --> 0:14:10.880 the first Minnesota game and then the entire second Minnesota 0:14:10.920 --> 0:14:15.080 game when the Packers did not have both King and Alexander, 0:14:15.120 --> 0:14:17.080 and look at the numbers that Digs and Theeland put 0:14:17.160 --> 0:14:20.840 up against the Packers compared to what they did on 0:14:20.880 --> 0:14:23.600 Sunday in the first matchup of twenty nineteen. Night and 0:14:23.680 --> 0:14:26.160 day difference in terms of production, it was pretty incredible 0:14:26.160 --> 0:14:27.400 when I looked it up. I mean it was like 0:14:27.440 --> 0:14:29.680 almost like four and er in sixty yards or something 0:14:29.720 --> 0:14:32.560 like that in two games. Two receivers, and they had 0:14:32.600 --> 0:14:35.080 five touchdowns and they were all pretty much balanced across 0:14:35.160 --> 0:14:37.920 both games. So yeah, they were a big problem. And 0:14:38.160 --> 0:14:41.120 you know, suffice it to say, King and Alexander took 0:14:41.120 --> 0:14:42.680 care of that issue, and this is going to be 0:14:42.760 --> 0:14:44.360 something as long as those two are on the field. 0:14:44.400 --> 0:14:47.280 I think the Packers are very confident about putting either 0:14:47.280 --> 0:14:49.960 of those guys outside on anybody in this league and 0:14:50.040 --> 0:14:52.000 being able to be up to the task. And Aaron 0:14:52.080 --> 0:14:54.520 Rodgers comment after the game was very telling as well, 0:14:54.560 --> 0:14:56.760 where he said, you know, we've had, you know, various 0:14:56.760 --> 0:14:58.640 guys who have come through here over the years that 0:14:58.720 --> 0:15:01.120 maybe they don't really want the at that smoke with 0:15:01.200 --> 0:15:03.400 the top receivers in the league. And he wasn't singling 0:15:03.400 --> 0:15:05.320 on anybody, but he's been around for fifteen years. He's 0:15:05.320 --> 0:15:09.200 seen a lot of ball. Kevin King, not that guy, Jr. Alexander, 0:15:09.280 --> 0:15:11.880 not that guy. They want the challenge. And you know, King, 0:15:11.920 --> 0:15:13.600 when I was in his huddle and talking with him 0:15:13.600 --> 0:15:15.400 a little bit after the game, he echoed the same 0:15:15.440 --> 0:15:17.400 thing because he was asked, He's like, you know, do 0:15:17.440 --> 0:15:19.400 you do you feel pressure in these instances? He's like, 0:15:19.400 --> 0:15:21.520 we don't feel any pressure. You know, you see us 0:15:21.520 --> 0:15:25.280 in the way we act. They want that challenge. Jyr 0:15:25.320 --> 0:15:27.880 Alexander does not back away from that challenge. I think 0:15:27.920 --> 0:15:30.360 the way he played in that game, you know, he's 0:15:30.480 --> 0:15:33.000 within a you know, two eyeballs and a fingertip of 0:15:33.040 --> 0:15:35.800 catching that interception that ended up being on the forty 0:15:35.800 --> 0:15:38.480 five yard touchdown pass for Digs, and he didn't bat 0:15:38.480 --> 0:15:40.160 an eye. He came right back with a short memory 0:15:40.160 --> 0:15:42.400 of the next series. As long as those two guys 0:15:42.440 --> 0:15:44.440 are healthy and in that secondary, I think the Packers 0:15:44.480 --> 0:15:47.960 really like where they stand right now at their cornerback position. Yeah, 0:15:47.960 --> 0:15:50.800 I mean they're Their approach, their attitude throughout the whole 0:15:50.800 --> 0:15:54.960 offseason was evident, was palpable in a sense. Anytime you 0:15:55.000 --> 0:15:57.320 talk to him. I know, we keep referencing the yearbook 0:15:57.320 --> 0:16:00.880 story that I wrote, but I had separate one on 0:16:00.880 --> 0:16:03.600 one interviews with the two of them for that story, 0:16:03.840 --> 0:16:08.200 and in separate conversations, they both talked about how they 0:16:08.240 --> 0:16:11.520 want the challenge of taking on that number one receiver 0:16:11.920 --> 0:16:14.520 to the extent that you know, behind closed doors, they 0:16:14.520 --> 0:16:17.320 were joking that you know, they they'd probably be fighting 0:16:17.320 --> 0:16:19.600 with the other guy over over who was going to 0:16:19.720 --> 0:16:21.920 get it, or they'd be making their please to Mike Petton, 0:16:21.920 --> 0:16:23.920 you know, yeah, give me this assignment kind of thing. 0:16:23.960 --> 0:16:27.080 And and yeah, that's what you that's what you love 0:16:27.160 --> 0:16:29.880 to see and love to hear. Aaron Rodgers was making 0:16:29.920 --> 0:16:33.960 reference back to the days of when the three the 0:16:34.040 --> 0:16:38.000 top three cornerback group for the Packers was Charles Woodson, 0:16:38.040 --> 0:16:41.000 Al Harrison, Tremont Williams, when he was the you know, 0:16:41.080 --> 0:16:44.160 the young up and coming guy behind the two veterans. 0:16:44.200 --> 0:16:47.320 Now he obviously couched at. Charles Woodson is going into 0:16:47.320 --> 0:16:50.280 the Hall of Fame. He's you know, Rogers considers him, 0:16:50.320 --> 0:16:52.400 you know, maybe one of the best football players he 0:16:52.440 --> 0:16:55.240 ever played with. I think even said the best words 0:16:55.280 --> 0:16:58.240 at all. And uh, but that being said, it's the 0:16:58.680 --> 0:17:02.480 it's the attitude and the approach that, you know, whether 0:17:02.520 --> 0:17:05.520 you're talking a future Hall of Fame wide receiver on 0:17:05.560 --> 0:17:08.239 the other side or whoever it is, that there's no 0:17:08.280 --> 0:17:10.440 backing down, that it's like, all right, this is my job, 0:17:10.520 --> 0:17:14.000 let's go, let's play and um and these guys, these 0:17:14.040 --> 0:17:17.600 guys take that approach every single time. And one of 0:17:17.680 --> 0:17:20.480 the things that's exciting about this particular duo is they're 0:17:20.520 --> 0:17:24.000 both right in the same you know, generational gap in 0:17:24.080 --> 0:17:26.920 terms of NFL careers. And when Rogers made that analogy 0:17:26.960 --> 0:17:30.400 with Woodson, Treman and al Harris, it's a good analogy. 0:17:30.440 --> 0:17:32.439 He's talking about three of the best cornerbacks to do 0:17:32.480 --> 0:17:34.720 it in Green Bay. But they were all at various 0:17:34.760 --> 0:17:37.320 different points of their careers. Treman was right at the beginning, 0:17:37.359 --> 0:17:40.000 Al Harris was pretty near the end, and you know, 0:17:40.160 --> 0:17:42.919 Charles Woodson was probably and maybe the early fourth quarter 0:17:43.040 --> 0:17:46.080 at that point when he kind of had his late resurgence. 0:17:46.280 --> 0:17:49.840 These two guys are both young, twentysomething you know, guys 0:17:50.480 --> 0:17:52.399 that have a lot of athletic ability. I thought you 0:17:52.400 --> 0:17:55.920 had a really astute observation about the interception that King 0:17:55.960 --> 0:17:58.560 had where he was actually when he caught that pick. 0:17:58.640 --> 0:18:00.520 He wasn't even high pointing the ball at that point. 0:18:00.560 --> 0:18:03.600 He was actually on his descent along with Digs. And 0:18:03.640 --> 0:18:05.880 that's just what you get from him though at six 0:18:05.920 --> 0:18:09.840 ft three, The the rang nous, the catch radius, the speed, 0:18:09.920 --> 0:18:12.600 the quickness, just how long he can keep his body 0:18:12.680 --> 0:18:15.159 in the air when he elevates like that. That he 0:18:15.200 --> 0:18:16.960 was still that he was able to stay in the 0:18:17.040 --> 0:18:19.639 air long enough to still get his hands on the 0:18:19.680 --> 0:18:22.560 ball even though he was coming down and crashing to 0:18:22.640 --> 0:18:24.199 the ground. And the point I want to make with 0:18:24.240 --> 0:18:25.960 this is when you look at this defense the way 0:18:26.000 --> 0:18:29.040 it's structured right now, you don't just have good defensive tackles, 0:18:29.080 --> 0:18:32.480 good outside linebackers, and good cornerbacks. You have players who 0:18:32.520 --> 0:18:37.000 play a position but are also incredible athletes. Kenny Clark 0:18:37.119 --> 0:18:40.280 is not your traditional defensive tackle. He has more speed 0:18:40.320 --> 0:18:43.040 and quickness than most at that position. You've seen it 0:18:43.080 --> 0:18:45.399 with Preston Smith. Preston Smith has an interception in his 0:18:45.520 --> 0:18:48.080 last five seasons now or whatever that is. I mean 0:18:48.160 --> 0:18:51.560 za Darius Smith, what he can do. The athleticism. These 0:18:51.560 --> 0:18:54.119