WEBVTT - #618 Packers Unscripted: Wild and wacky, but a win 0:00:00.520 --> 0:00:10.520 Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from 0:00:10.520 --> 0:00:13.680 Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spofford, joined as always 0:00:13.720 --> 0:00:16.000 by my partner in crime, West Hodkuwitz. Were coming to 0:00:16.079 --> 0:00:19.319 you here from our studios at Lambeau Field and West. 0:00:19.360 --> 0:00:22.799 The Packers are back from Cincinnati, and I don't think 0:00:22.800 --> 0:00:25.360 they're sad that they won't be going back again for 0:00:25.400 --> 0:00:28.760 another eight years. The way the games in that stadium go, 0:00:28.920 --> 0:00:32.800 Are you kidding me? The Packers prevailed twenty two in overtime, 0:00:32.840 --> 0:00:36.519 improved to four and one on the season, but it 0:00:36.680 --> 0:00:39.879 took if my math is correct, well, I'm not even 0:00:39.880 --> 0:00:42.440 gonna try to do it all somewhere around two hundred 0:00:42.520 --> 0:00:47.519 yards worth of missed field goals um in uh in 0:00:47.600 --> 0:00:52.400 the final two minutes of regulation and overtime before Mason 0:00:52.479 --> 0:00:56.400 Crosby puts one through and the Packers escaped with one 0:00:56.440 --> 0:01:01.920 of the wildest, craziest most buses are Packers games that 0:01:01.960 --> 0:01:04.399 I can recall in sometimes. Yeah, I was actually after 0:01:04.440 --> 0:01:07.240 the game. I was walking We obviously are here with 0:01:07.280 --> 0:01:09.679 the COVID restrictions, yet we're covering the game from Lambeau 0:01:09.720 --> 0:01:11.679 But I was walking down the hallway with my boss 0:01:12.200 --> 0:01:14.920 Duke Barbara are manager of digital, and I said to him, like, 0:01:14.959 --> 0:01:16.560 you know, I've been covering the team now. This is 0:01:16.600 --> 0:01:19.440 my tenth season on a full time basis covering the team. 0:01:19.480 --> 0:01:21.560 I'm sure there's been a lot of these moments. Obviously 0:01:21.600 --> 0:01:24.000 there was Detroit with the hail Mary. You know, a 0:01:24.000 --> 0:01:26.600 lot of crazy things have happened over the last ten years. 0:01:27.280 --> 0:01:30.960 I don't think there's anything quite like this when you 0:01:31.160 --> 0:01:34.319 break it down, where you know there's five, you know, 0:01:34.400 --> 0:01:39.119 potential game altering type field goals missed. I think Elias 0:01:39.160 --> 0:01:41.479 had that stat that that's a record of some kind 0:01:41.560 --> 0:01:43.760 since the merger. There's never been anything like that in 0:01:43.800 --> 0:01:48.080 the fourth the fourth quarter, in overtime, but you know, 0:01:48.200 --> 0:01:51.560 three hours and twenty two minutes of just excruciating football 0:01:52.080 --> 0:01:54.840 in a lot of regards for both teams, and to 0:01:54.920 --> 0:01:57.120 be able to find a way that There was a 0:01:57.120 --> 0:02:00.000 guy that said an insider inbox, and no disrespect to him, 0:02:00.040 --> 0:02:02.400 but one of the things he said is like, well, 0:02:02.480 --> 0:02:03.720 that would have been a game that I would end 0:02:03.800 --> 0:02:05.760 up tied. I would have said, that's fair. And my 0:02:05.880 --> 0:02:08.880 retort to that was the fact that it wasn't. That's football. 0:02:09.360 --> 0:02:12.560 There's going to be imperfections. You can only play what's 0:02:12.600 --> 0:02:14.880 in front of you. As what Matt Lafleur said afterwards, 0:02:14.880 --> 0:02:16.760 there are no beauty points for any of us. You 0:02:16.880 --> 0:02:18.560 just go to win the football game. And the fact 0:02:18.560 --> 0:02:22.080 of the matter is, despite you know, the the issues 0:02:22.120 --> 0:02:24.600 there with the red zone defense, despite the fact Mason 0:02:24.639 --> 0:02:26.880 missed some kicks, at the end of the day, the 0:02:26.919 --> 0:02:29.120 Packers found a way to win that game. And the 0:02:29.200 --> 0:02:31.640 good teams do, Mike, And the fact of the matter 0:02:31.680 --> 0:02:33.760 is the Green Packers are four and one and they 0:02:33.800 --> 0:02:36.639 were able to avoid uh, you know, two real game 0:02:37.080 --> 0:02:41.160 teams in the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, uncommon opponents 0:02:41.200 --> 0:02:42.760 to be able to get there. Yeah. Well, in the 0:02:42.800 --> 0:02:46.080 bottom line for Mason Crosby is he was able to 0:02:47.280 --> 0:02:50.359 He was able to earn that shot at redemption, if 0:02:50.520 --> 0:02:55.240 arne is the right word, by his countenance, essentially his face, 0:02:55.360 --> 0:02:58.880 because Matt Lafleur went over to him after the three 0:02:58.919 --> 0:03:01.560 misses and the Packers are in position for a forty 0:03:01.600 --> 0:03:03.720 nine yard or there with two minutes left and overtime 0:03:04.840 --> 0:03:06.800 went over to him and said, hey, what do you think. 0:03:07.520 --> 0:03:12.720 And Crosby's response was I got this and La Fleur said, 0:03:12.760 --> 0:03:15.560 I didn't see any I didn't see any flinch in him. 0:03:15.600 --> 0:03:19.359 I didn't see any um, you know, hesitation, any doubt 0:03:19.600 --> 0:03:23.520 whatsoever in his in his demeanor, in his countenance. And 0:03:23.600 --> 0:03:26.680 so he went with his veteran kicker there. When you know, 0:03:26.800 --> 0:03:28.840 fourth and inches. It would have been an easy call, 0:03:28.919 --> 0:03:30.959 in a lot of respects to just say, hey, okay, 0:03:31.000 --> 0:03:33.399 our kickers missed three field goals, We're gonna go for 0:03:33.760 --> 0:03:36.680 the first down, try to get closer, maybe get a touchdown, 0:03:36.720 --> 0:03:39.760 whatever the case might be. Because certainly, forty nine yards, 0:03:39.800 --> 0:03:42.200 even if Mason Crosby has made twenty five field goals 0:03:42.200 --> 0:03:44.360 in a row or twenty seven was his streak before 0:03:44.360 --> 0:03:48.000 it ended, forty nine yards is no gimme for anybody 0:03:48.000 --> 0:03:52.080 in this league. But they Lafleur decided to go with 0:03:52.520 --> 0:03:55.240 to go with Crosby, and UH, and he comes through 0:03:55.800 --> 0:03:58.400 for this team, and UH and a big, big win 0:03:58.520 --> 0:04:01.720 because the with the win, the Acker state in sole 0:04:01.760 --> 0:04:03.880 possession of first place in the NFC North at four 0:04:03.880 --> 0:04:06.320 and one, the Chicago Bears, this week's opponent, right on 0:04:06.360 --> 0:04:10.120 their heels at three and two, and UM. But yeah, 0:04:10.320 --> 0:04:12.800 getting back to what you said earlier, I I can't 0:04:12.800 --> 0:04:16.560 remember there. There are always games where a game winning 0:04:16.560 --> 0:04:19.880 opportunity might be missed here, or they're even back and 0:04:19.960 --> 0:04:23.000 forth once each way to a certain extent. But for 0:04:23.040 --> 0:04:25.960 it to go back and forth that many times with 0:04:26.320 --> 0:04:29.520 with essentially the game on the line, um, I don't 0:04:29.520 --> 0:04:31.640 know if we'll ever see anything like that. No, And 0:04:31.640 --> 0:04:34.200 and just to make one quick point about Mason Crosby, 0:04:34.240 --> 0:04:37.599 because it was a frustrating game. I know Mason be 0:04:37.600 --> 0:04:39.120 the first I'll tell you that's not one he's going 0:04:39.160 --> 0:04:41.520 to be putting in the you know, the archives there 0:04:41.520 --> 0:04:43.400 to remember and you know, show all the kids. But 0:04:44.120 --> 0:04:46.480 there is a lesson to be learned with that. And 0:04:46.760 --> 0:04:48.520 one thing I liked, you know, I give a lot 0:04:48.520 --> 0:04:51.760 of credit to Mike McCarthy. In two thousand and eighteen, 0:04:52.000 --> 0:04:54.920 things were not going well in Detroit, but he made 0:04:54.960 --> 0:04:57.240 sure to give Mason that last field goal I think 0:04:57.279 --> 0:04:59.719 it was a forty one yard or against the Allions 0:05:00.000 --> 0:05:02.440 after he missed what four field goals four or five? 0:05:02.760 --> 0:05:04.520 I think it was four field goals in an extra 0:05:04.520 --> 0:05:07.760 point that day that this this particular day in Cincinnati 0:05:07.880 --> 0:05:10.800 was three field goals in the net. Yeah. And I remember, 0:05:10.839 --> 0:05:13.080 you know, Mike wanted to give him that opportunity, even 0:05:13.080 --> 0:05:15.080 though that one wasn't The game was sort of out 0:05:15.080 --> 0:05:17.040 of hand at that point, but but one to give 0:05:17.080 --> 0:05:19.440 him that one last opportunity. I remember Aaron Rodgers patting 0:05:19.480 --> 0:05:21.560 him on the back and the fact that he went 0:05:21.600 --> 0:05:24.080 on this remarkable run. Ever since then, you know, goes 0:05:24.120 --> 0:05:28.919 the entire season, resets the franchise record at on extra 0:05:28.960 --> 0:05:32.080 point attempts. This game, in so many ways reminded me 0:05:32.120 --> 0:05:36.040 of that, because now the outcome was, you know, up 0:05:36.040 --> 0:05:38.159 in the balance, they're trying to figure out, you know, 0:05:38.160 --> 0:05:40.640 who's going to win this game. But you know Matt 0:05:40.720 --> 0:05:43.279 Lafleur having confidence in his kicker, the kicker that for 0:05:43.320 --> 0:05:46.760 the most part, has made of his field goals during 0:05:47.040 --> 0:05:50.680 Floor's time in Green Bay. You know Aaron Jones going 0:05:50.720 --> 0:05:52.120 up to him and tell him that he loves him 0:05:52.120 --> 0:05:54.000 before that kick. I mean, the guys, this is a 0:05:54.000 --> 0:05:57.159 guy who's been an eight time team captain. That locker 0:05:57.240 --> 0:06:00.360 room understands what he provides to this team in the 0:06:00.400 --> 0:06:02.760 way in which he provides it. There are a lot 0:06:02.800 --> 0:06:04.520 of fan bases, Mike, and we saw it in a 0:06:04.520 --> 0:06:06.920 lot of different NFL cities this weekend that every time 0:06:06.960 --> 0:06:08.880 their kicker goes out on the field, you don't know 0:06:08.920 --> 0:06:12.120 what's going to happen. Mason Crosby, for the most part, 0:06:12.120 --> 0:06:14.680 with the exception of one game every two or three years, 0:06:15.279 --> 0:06:18.440 is automatic in a lot of cases. That is what 0:06:18.600 --> 0:06:20.360 stood out to me the most. And how that team 0:06:20.440 --> 0:06:22.599 rallied around him, the fact that they were able to 0:06:22.600 --> 0:06:24.840 get that team victory. We weren't there and since you 0:06:24.920 --> 0:06:26.720 to hear it, but you know all the reporters talking 0:06:26.760 --> 0:06:29.800 about the loud ruckus in the Packers locker room that 0:06:29.839 --> 0:06:34.560 was adjacent to the media auditorium, the visiting meeting media room. 0:06:34.600 --> 0:06:36.440 That tells you everything you need to know. And the 0:06:36.480 --> 0:06:39.040 fact is they have an opportunity now to kind of 0:06:39.080 --> 0:06:41.279 continue this four game winning streak and really find that 0:06:41.400 --> 0:06:44.320 cohesive unit that that ultimately, you know, makes you a 0:06:44.360 --> 0:06:46.919 winning type championship club. Yeah. I think a lot of 0:06:46.920 --> 0:06:49.640 Packers fans after a game like that, all the emotions 0:06:49.640 --> 0:06:52.159 and back and forth and and the roller coaster of 0:06:52.160 --> 0:06:55.760 it all, if Packers fans are sitting back trying to like, 0:06:55.960 --> 0:06:59.240 how am I supposed to feel about my team? Right? Like, like, 0:06:59.560 --> 0:07:01.240 how how do you come out of a win like 0:07:01.279 --> 0:07:04.520 that feeling good? About your team. Well, for me, in 0:07:04.680 --> 0:07:08.560 looking at this game and and how it unfolded, if 0:07:08.600 --> 0:07:11.000 you want to feel good about where this Packers team is, 0:07:11.520 --> 0:07:14.960 take a look at all of the big time plays, 0:07:15.280 --> 0:07:18.320 aside from the missed kicks obviously that were made in 0:07:18.440 --> 0:07:21.840 crunch time to give the Packers all these opportunities to win. 0:07:21.880 --> 0:07:24.840 Whether you're talking about Aaron Jones ripping off a fifty 0:07:24.880 --> 0:07:27.560 seven yard run with three minutes left in the fourth quarter, 0:07:27.920 --> 0:07:31.760 another Aaron Rodgers to Davante Adams in the final half 0:07:31.840 --> 0:07:35.000 minute of regulation, carbon copy of what happened in San 0:07:35.040 --> 0:07:39.080 Francisco to put the ball in position for a game 0:07:39.120 --> 0:07:42.400 winning kick. Deveandre Campbell getting an interception on the first 0:07:42.400 --> 0:07:45.640 play of overtime, setting up for you know, another possible 0:07:45.680 --> 0:07:48.880 and huge play by Campbell, who's who's had such a 0:07:48.920 --> 0:07:52.520 big impact on this defense. And then on the final 0:07:53.000 --> 0:07:54.880 drive with that did turn out to be the game winner, 0:07:54.960 --> 0:07:57.960 the screen pass to Marcedes Lewis that goes for twenty yards, 0:07:57.960 --> 0:08:01.120 and then after a sack on third and sixteen, the 0:08:01.600 --> 0:08:05.120 fifteen yard passed. Randall I mean the number the number 0:08:05.160 --> 0:08:07.920 of clutch plays on both sides of the ball in 0:08:07.960 --> 0:08:10.320 a lot of respects that that the Packers made in 0:08:10.360 --> 0:08:12.560 this game. That's what you hang your hat on coming 0:08:12.600 --> 0:08:15.680 out of here. And and you just Mason Crosby is 0:08:15.720 --> 0:08:17.080 going to deal with what he has to deal with, 0:08:17.120 --> 0:08:19.560 and and the whole field goal operation, because Matt Lafleur 0:08:19.680 --> 0:08:22.320 did talk about that as well, that there are issues 0:08:22.320 --> 0:08:24.400 with the operation that need to be cleaned up to 0:08:24.480 --> 0:08:27.320 make things easier on everybody. But if you take that 0:08:27.400 --> 0:08:29.680 part out of it and you look at you look 0:08:29.720 --> 0:08:32.560 at what this team did in crunch time with the 0:08:32.600 --> 0:08:35.680 game on the line, there's a lot to like there. 0:08:36.040 --> 0:08:38.400 I want to start with offense because there's a lot 0:08:38.440 --> 0:08:40.280 I want to talk about with the defense. But first 0:08:40.280 --> 0:08:43.240 and foremost, Mike, it hit me in the middle of 0:08:43.240 --> 0:08:45.800 that second quarter when Davonte Adams has a hundred yards 0:08:45.800 --> 0:08:49.200 receiving a loan in that fifteen minute block, hundred and 0:08:49.240 --> 0:08:51.560 seventeen yards in the first half on six catches with 0:08:51.600 --> 0:08:53.679 the touchdown off of fade that appeared to be a 0:08:53.800 --> 0:08:57.200 check that I mean, just that's Aaron Rodgers and Davante 0:08:57.240 --> 0:08:59.520 Adams operating on a different level one on one on 0:08:59.559 --> 0:09:02.280 the bound. But the thing that stands out to me 0:09:02.320 --> 0:09:05.280 the most right now is Davante Adams has been on 0:09:05.320 --> 0:09:07.440 the come up for a number of years, and he's 0:09:07.440 --> 0:09:09.960 been doing this since two thousand sixteen, for five years. Really, 0:09:09.960 --> 0:09:13.680 this this prime has been but right now, in my 0:09:13.840 --> 0:09:16.680 for my money, this is the best receiver in football 0:09:17.280 --> 0:09:20.920 because this was the first game to my eye where 0:09:21.120 --> 0:09:24.240 it did not matter what the Cincinnati Bengals did. You know, 0:09:25.040 --> 0:09:29.199 Shudobi A. Woozier is a fantastic cornerback, has been success 0:09:29.280 --> 0:09:31.119 for a number of years. As a reason why Cincinnati 0:09:31.120 --> 0:09:34.599 brought him in. They made that adjustment early on. I 0:09:34.640 --> 0:09:36.360 thought they did a really good job against him in 0:09:36.360 --> 0:09:38.600 the first quarter, but that second quarter proved that when 0:09:38.679 --> 0:09:41.040 you are smart with how you utilize him and moving 0:09:41.160 --> 0:09:45.360 Davante around, he's so hard to cover. And if anybody 0:09:45.400 --> 0:09:48.160 asked me West Hodkowitz, can you give me a play 0:09:48.200 --> 0:09:50.240 that sums up Davante Adams. You can talk about the 0:09:50.320 --> 0:09:52.559 laid hands and in Philadelphia can talk about some of 0:09:52.600 --> 0:09:58.960 the boundary passes, but watching him beat the entire secondary 0:09:59.040 --> 0:10:00.880 over the top down the middle of the field for 0:10:00.920 --> 0:10:04.320 a fifty nine yard ball which Aaron Rodgers just places perfectly. 0:10:04.360 --> 0:10:06.200 I mean, you can't say enough about where that ball 0:10:06.320 --> 0:10:12.400 was thrown into. That's Davante Adams, four time Pro Bowler, 0:10:12.440 --> 0:10:15.480 All Pro Receiver nearly unanimous a year ago. This guy 0:10:15.480 --> 0:10:18.000 has almost six hundred receiving yards in five games. Mike, 0:10:18.559 --> 0:10:20.560 we don't even need to talk about the seventeen games 0:10:20.640 --> 0:10:22.679 right now in a sixteen game season. He's having a 0:10:22.760 --> 0:10:26.959 historic type season. Yeah, that you mentioned the deep bomb. 0:10:27.040 --> 0:10:29.680 He as as that ball is coming down to rest 0:10:29.679 --> 0:10:33.120 in his arms, He's got three Cincinnati Bengals chasing. He's behind, 0:10:33.240 --> 0:10:36.360 He's behind everybody. And this is after he's already at 0:10:36.400 --> 0:10:39.400 that point got a hundred and twenty roughly hundred twenty 0:10:39.440 --> 0:10:43.960 five yards receiving in the game already. They're a monster 0:10:44.080 --> 0:10:47.120 game by Davante Adams. Eleven catches, two hundred and six yards, 0:10:47.320 --> 0:10:50.240 first two hundred yard receiving game of his career, first 0:10:50.240 --> 0:10:53.680 two hundred yard receiving game by a Packers receiver since 0:10:53.720 --> 0:10:58.720 Jordy Nelson in it has been seven years. Um. Yeah, 0:10:58.760 --> 0:11:01.040 an absolutely monster game. And the other part with this 0:11:01.120 --> 0:11:05.040 offense too, for the second game in a row, in 0:11:05.120 --> 0:11:07.720 all the ways that the Packers are utilizing these guys, 0:11:07.760 --> 0:11:11.240 Aaron Jones, A J. Dillon, the one two punch in 0:11:11.280 --> 0:11:15.199 the backfield, combining for almost two yards from scrimmage two 0:11:15.240 --> 0:11:18.120 weeks in a row. Now they've been at that. Plus 0:11:18.200 --> 0:11:20.960 when you combine all their rushing and receiving yards this 0:11:21.120 --> 0:11:25.160 offense with that big three Jones, Dillon, and Adams, they're 0:11:25.240 --> 0:11:27.560 they're they're accounting for a heck of a lot of 0:11:27.600 --> 0:11:31.439 production and defenses are having a hard time stop in it. Yeah, 0:11:31.720 --> 0:11:35.000 and A J. Dillon watching how far he's come, um 0:11:35.160 --> 0:11:38.320 and it is, you know, was talking about it. He 0:11:38.360 --> 0:11:40.000 came in last year. He didn't catch the ball a 0:11:40.040 --> 0:11:41.920 lot at BC, but they felt like he was a 0:11:41.920 --> 0:11:44.720 pretty good pass catcher. I still think he's taken it 0:11:44.760 --> 0:11:46.320 to a different level this year. And you and I 0:11:46.360 --> 0:11:49.000 were discussing some of those plays that he made against 0:11:49.040 --> 0:11:52.640 the Bengals. Those weren't just sitting down waiting for the 0:11:52.720 --> 0:11:55.200 check down throw. They were him running routes. They were 0:11:55.240 --> 0:11:58.320 catching balls and stride, no wasted motion for him to 0:11:58.320 --> 0:12:00.360 have forty nine yards, which was a new you're high 0:12:00.400 --> 0:12:03.040 for him in the NFL. On on receiving yards, being 0:12:03.080 --> 0:12:04.880 able to pound the ball north and south the way 0:12:04.920 --> 0:12:08.560 he does, and more than anything else, the more I 0:12:08.640 --> 0:12:11.920 watch him now, when you understand that the outside zone 0:12:11.960 --> 0:12:14.240 the Packers want to run. You start to see why 0:12:14.240 --> 0:12:16.719 Brian Goodakins in his scouting department, thought that this guy 0:12:16.800 --> 0:12:18.800 is a really good fit for it. The way he 0:12:18.880 --> 0:12:22.720 hits his cutbacks are is it's in stride, it's fluid. 0:12:23.120 --> 0:12:26.679 He's not just a bruising type running back. There's there. 0:12:27.000 --> 0:12:28.800 I agree with you when when you when you see 0:12:28.880 --> 0:12:30.800 him run to the go to the outside on that 0:12:30.880 --> 0:12:33.760 outside zone and then make the cut. There's a combination 0:12:34.400 --> 0:12:38.160 of patients with explosiveness that you and that that's the 0:12:38.200 --> 0:12:41.480 smoothness that you talk about where it looks it looks effortless, 0:12:41.520 --> 0:12:43.560 but but there's there's a patience to it with the 0:12:43.600 --> 0:12:46.400 timing and then the burst is there when as they say, 0:12:46.440 --> 0:12:48.480 you stick your foot in the ground and go and 0:12:48.920 --> 0:12:51.920 where where this offense can go with with those three 0:12:52.080 --> 0:12:54.839 with Dylan Joe, I mean when Matt Lafleur after the game, 0:12:54.920 --> 0:12:56.880 a game that the offense puts up four hundred and 0:12:56.880 --> 0:12:59.160 sixty six yards, Now, yes, they left a lot of 0:12:59.160 --> 0:13:01.600 points out there that the Packers, they know they should 0:13:01.600 --> 0:13:04.520 have scored more points. Cincinnati's defense in the red zone 0:13:04.559 --> 0:13:07.840 gave them all kinds of trouble so you credit the 0:13:07.840 --> 0:13:11.200 Bengals for that, but the Packers they're they're gonna they 0:13:11.240 --> 0:13:14.360 need to get there. Their red zone offense figured out 0:13:14.880 --> 0:13:16.720 because it was so good last year, so you know 0:13:16.920 --> 0:13:20.480 the capability is there. But after an offensive game like that, 0:13:20.520 --> 0:13:22.960 with all the production, and when Matt Lafleur saying, boy, 0:13:23.040 --> 0:13:24.559 I wish I could have gotten the ball to a 0:13:24.679 --> 0:13:28.240 j Dillon Moore, that that that that tells you something 0:13:28.280 --> 0:13:31.480 about about what the Packers have at their disposal. And 0:13:31.480 --> 0:13:33.360 and for Aaron Jones to run the way he did 0:13:33.400 --> 0:13:35.079 in this game too, Mike, how long have I been 0:13:35.080 --> 0:13:38.080 talking about this? He's gaining every yard that's available, He's 0:13:38.160 --> 0:13:40.720 finding ways to extend places, but he just didn't have 0:13:40.760 --> 0:13:43.960 that big home run. Well, here's an opportunity where you 0:13:44.000 --> 0:13:47.640 have von Bell collapsing. There's a gap there, but Bell's 0:13:47.760 --> 0:13:50.600 occupying it with the kind of blitz almost it looks 0:13:50.640 --> 0:13:53.960 like that he's doing from the far safety. But he's 0:13:54.040 --> 0:13:56.640 able to make him miss. And as Aaron Jones said, 0:13:56.640 --> 0:13:59.680 you know, with with his footwork, his timing, he felt 0:13:59.679 --> 0:14:01.559 calm and and he'd be able to get that step. 0:14:01.600 --> 0:14:03.160 With the room he has the operate to be able 0:14:03.200 --> 0:14:05.200 to get up field. You saw him lay a heck 0:14:05.240 --> 0:14:07.320 of a stiff arm at the end of that play too. 0:14:08.200 --> 0:14:10.320 They're gonna be a really good one too. And I 0:14:10.360 --> 0:14:12.880 give Jamal Williams a fantastic back. He's having a good 0:14:12.920 --> 0:14:16.120 season right now with with the Detroit Lions. But it 0:14:16.200 --> 0:14:19.160 wasn't a slight on Jamal Williams that they moved on 0:14:19.320 --> 0:14:21.800 from him. It was more about, Okay, this is a 0:14:21.840 --> 0:14:24.320 guy we drafted a year ago, with two guys both 0:14:24.360 --> 0:14:26.240 coming up on the final year of their contracts and 0:14:26.280 --> 0:14:28.760 A J. Dillon, we feel like he's a good fit. 0:14:28.880 --> 0:14:31.480 And right now Dylan is proving the Packers right. Yeah, well, 0:14:31.520 --> 0:14:33.560 I want, I do want to shift gears to the defense. 0:14:33.640 --> 0:14:36.280 But a shout out to our sponsors. Here. First, West 0:14:36.280 --> 0:14:39.600 Serious x M NFL Radio delivers hard hitting analysis and 0:14:39.680 --> 0:14:42.720 up to the minute NFL news that true football fanatics 0:14:42.720 --> 0:14:45.840 need seven three sixty five. And at Cousin Subs, we 0:14:45.880 --> 0:14:48.680 have something for everyone like our Wisconsin Cheese Kurts, mac 0:14:48.720 --> 0:14:51.920 and cheese, golden fries, and creamy shakes, all paired with 0:14:51.960 --> 0:14:54.920 your favorite sub or sub in a bowl. Cousin Subs 0:14:55.440 --> 0:14:58.480 we believe in better on the defensive side. West We 0:14:58.520 --> 0:15:00.520 had talked last week about the pack is having to 0:15:00.760 --> 0:15:04.040 adjust to their new reality. They've been dealing for multiple 0:15:04.080 --> 0:15:07.520 weeks without Zadarius Smith. Now, this was the first game 0:15:07.880 --> 0:15:10.960 without jayear Alexander both of those second team All Pro 0:15:11.120 --> 0:15:14.080 defenders out indefinitely. At this point, the Packers don't know 0:15:14.160 --> 0:15:21.280 if or when either will be back. And I thought 0:15:21.400 --> 0:15:23.400 in the first half of this game, I thought the 0:15:23.400 --> 0:15:29.480 Green Bay Packers defense really came to play. And unfortunately, UM, 0:15:29.520 --> 0:15:33.160 a really really good half of defensive football against a young, 0:15:33.360 --> 0:15:37.600 up and coming franchise quarterback. Was was kind of undone 0:15:37.680 --> 0:15:40.400 by by just the big breakdown at the end there 0:15:40.400 --> 0:15:42.080 and in the final men of the first half in 0:15:42.120 --> 0:15:46.160 the seventy yard touchdown pass. But UM Matt Lafleur even 0:15:46.160 --> 0:15:48.360 said on Monday he thought this was the Packers best 0:15:48.400 --> 0:15:51.160 defensive performance of the season. Yes, there is still plenty 0:15:51.200 --> 0:15:54.600 to work on, but we're continuing to see this defense 0:15:54.640 --> 0:15:57.400 makes strides there. There there are things to show up, 0:15:57.440 --> 0:15:59.280 there are things they've got it, you know, the red zone, 0:15:59.280 --> 0:16:02.320 and we'll talk about that too. But this defense, this 0:16:02.440 --> 0:16:05.960 defense is making progress every week. You're seeing it, and 0:16:06.360 --> 0:16:10.120 they're doing it now as they're adjusting without some of 0:16:10.160 --> 0:16:13.400 their best players. Yeah, and the first thing first, before 0:16:13.400 --> 0:16:15.960 we talk about some of those breakdowns. The reason why 0:16:16.040 --> 0:16:18.920 the Green Bay Packers were able to ultimately have that 0:16:18.960 --> 0:16:21.120 big second quarter that they did was because of how 0:16:21.160 --> 0:16:23.760 the defense played in the first quarter. Offense did not 0:16:23.800 --> 0:16:26.080 get off to a fast start. It was kind of 0:16:26.120 --> 0:16:27.960 a grind there until they started to kind of find 0:16:27.960 --> 0:16:31.880 their rhythm a little bit. It was the defense forcing 0:16:32.000 --> 0:16:35.240 Cincinnati into multiple three and outs. Even the scoring drive 0:16:35.280 --> 0:16:38.800 that they had, they went three and out or three 0:16:38.920 --> 0:16:42.800 and fourth and whatever, and then they converted the fourth 0:16:42.800 --> 0:16:45.240 down to ultimately end up getting down the field, but 0:16:45.320 --> 0:16:49.760 they originally went three plays and fourth down. That right there, 0:16:50.360 --> 0:16:52.840 I think is huge in the long run in the 0:16:52.880 --> 0:16:56.960 big picture, because if you give Aaron Rodgers a clean 0:16:57.040 --> 0:16:59.960 slate in a first quarter, he's either a gonna be 0:17:00.040 --> 0:17:01.720 able to do a lot of damage to the opposing 0:17:01.760 --> 0:17:04.399 defense or be it's gonna allow the offense time to 0:17:04.440 --> 0:17:07.840 get in sync. That's what the defense provided in this matchup. 0:17:08.800 --> 0:17:12.000 They're also doing less or they're doing more with less. 0:17:12.040 --> 0:17:14.640 Excuse me, they're doing less. They're doing more with less. 0:17:14.680 --> 0:17:17.760 When you don't have Zadarius Smith, it's on the whole 0:17:17.800 --> 0:17:20.000 group to be able to pick up that weight. You 0:17:20.080 --> 0:17:23.160 see Rashan Gary now playing that rover position, Mike, one 0:17:23.160 --> 0:17:25.760 of the stops they had was Gary collapsing on the 0:17:25.800 --> 0:17:28.359 center being able to get the stop, I believe on 0:17:28.440 --> 0:17:31.120 third down or at least to set up that situation. 0:17:31.640 --> 0:17:35.680 You're seeing guys like Dean Lowry making contributions. Kenny Clark 0:17:35.720 --> 0:17:38.000 has been an absolute game record. He's a guy that 0:17:38.040 --> 0:17:39.680 if you look at a statue, you're not going to 0:17:39.720 --> 0:17:41.320 see that he's playing at a Pro Bowl level. But 0:17:41.359 --> 0:17:44.960 he absolutely is. And unfortunately for Kenny, he is such 0:17:45.000 --> 0:17:48.399 a darn good run stopper that, yeah, it makes it 0:17:48.440 --> 0:17:50.440 difficult at times to be able to keep him in 0:17:50.480 --> 0:17:52.959 the past flow because you need to have with what 0:17:53.080 --> 0:17:56.520 he's providing up front. The Packers strong start against the 0:17:56.600 --> 0:17:58.359 run so far, a lot of that has been a 0:17:58.400 --> 0:18:03.159 contribution of Kenny Clark. But Mike dev Andre Campbell coming 0:18:03.200 --> 0:18:06.240 into this defense on June six, I believe it was 0:18:06.280 --> 0:18:10.760 June sixth Gosh, I was so competent to well, I'll 0:18:10.960 --> 0:18:16.919 transaction wire June nine. It was probably June nine, darn it, no, 0:18:17.080 --> 0:18:20.480 but him coming into this defense on June nine, this 0:18:20.560 --> 0:18:24.200 is a guy Mike that win for the better part 0:18:24.200 --> 0:18:27.119 of three months without a job. This is not a 0:18:27.119 --> 0:18:29.399 guy that's been injured. This is not a guy that 0:18:29.480 --> 0:18:33.240 wasn't a starter. Dvandre Campbell was right there for the 0:18:33.320 --> 0:18:36.840 National Football League. And when the Arizona Cardinals, who might 0:18:36.880 --> 0:18:39.440 be as deep at the linebacker position as any in 0:18:39.480 --> 0:18:42.359 the National Football League right now, decided to move on 0:18:42.440 --> 0:18:45.520 from Campbell, I cannot believe there wasn't a long line 0:18:45.560 --> 0:18:47.920 of teams wanting to pick this guy up. Six ft 0:18:48.000 --> 0:18:52.280 three two pounds, runs in the four fives, can cover 0:18:52.359 --> 0:18:54.480 sideline to sideline, and is a willing guy to go 0:18:54.560 --> 0:18:58.520 after the posing running back. Davandre Campbell's a difference maker 0:18:58.640 --> 0:19:00.640 right now. And for him to be able to give 0:19:00.680 --> 0:19:04.760 this contribution after being here for basically three o t 0:19:04.920 --> 0:19:07.480 A practices at the end of the off season program 0:19:08.600 --> 0:19:11.040 unbelievable what he's been able to add to this defense. Yeah. 0:19:11.040 --> 0:19:12.679 I don't know if you saw. I believe it was. 0:19:13.400 --> 0:19:15.520 Believe it was a one on one interview that he 0:19:15.600 --> 0:19:18.720 did within the last couple of weeks with Larry McCarron, 0:19:18.880 --> 0:19:21.959 and there was a line from Campbell that really stood 0:19:21.960 --> 0:19:25.440 out where he basically said you know where I've been before, 0:19:26.119 --> 0:19:29.160 I've always been the robin to somebody's batman, you know, 0:19:29.400 --> 0:19:33.040 And well, this guy is batman on this Packers defense. 0:19:33.080 --> 0:19:35.520 I mean he is in the middle of everything. He's 0:19:35.560 --> 0:19:41.399 wearing the communication helmet, he is um, he is making 0:19:41.440 --> 0:19:45.400 plays against the run and the pass on a regular basis. 0:19:45.440 --> 0:19:48.080 He's just a presence in the middle of the field 0:19:48.160 --> 0:19:50.480 every time he is out there. And he did leave 0:19:50.520 --> 0:19:53.639 the game in Cincinnati briefly. Fortunately then was able to 0:19:53.680 --> 0:19:55.399 come back and it was not a it was not 0:19:55.480 --> 0:19:59.040 a game ending injury. Um, you can't you can't help 0:19:59.080 --> 0:20:01.600 but be impressed. I mean the whole for For as 0:20:01.680 --> 0:20:04.520 much as the salary cap crunch, you know, had an 0:20:04.520 --> 0:20:06.560