WEBVTT - #909 Packers Unscripted: Trip to Tampa 0:00:06.300 --> 0:00:10.480 Hi everybody, welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from Packers.com. 0:00:10.560 --> 0:00:13.520 I am Mike Spoffer, joined, as always, by my partner 0:00:13.560 --> 0:00:16.060 in everything Packers, Wes Hodkowitz. We're coming to you here 0:00:16.100 --> 0:00:20.620 from the Pottawatomie Sportsbook studio inside the walls of Lambeau Field. 0:00:20.700 --> 0:00:23.110 And Wes, I feel like we need to start this 0:00:23.230 --> 0:00:28.350 show continuing our conversation from the last show about the 0:00:28.430 --> 0:00:31.730 changes on the Packers offensive line and the new additions 0:00:31.810 --> 0:00:35.409 because we Another new guy showed up on Wednesday at 0:00:35.470 --> 0:00:39.570 practice for Green Bay and that is veteran and Wisconsin 0:00:39.630 --> 0:00:45.070 native and Wisconsin Badger All-American 15-year veteran Kevin Zeitler. He 0:00:45.150 --> 0:00:48.020 is in the fold and I don't know if he's 0:00:48.060 --> 0:00:50.700 going to be ready to play on Sunday or not 0:00:50.840 --> 0:00:54.420 in Tampa. One, I wouldn't put it past him, but two... 0:00:55.120 --> 0:00:58.480 I would say that Kevin Zeitler, once he is ready 0:00:58.520 --> 0:01:00.940 to go, is the Packers' starting right guard for the 0:01:00.980 --> 0:01:01.510 rest of 2026. 0:01:01.510 --> 0:01:04.650 Yeah, you would think so, right? There was another development 0:01:04.690 --> 0:01:06.490 also on Wednesday. We don't know the severity of it, 0:01:06.550 --> 0:01:09.110 but Jacob Monk was not practicing due to a quad injury. 0:01:09.170 --> 0:01:10.630 So in addition to the fact that you have the 0:01:10.670 --> 0:01:12.930 Bakabu LA injury for the remainder of the season, in 0:01:12.990 --> 0:01:15.089 addition to the fact that Aaron Banks is still out 0:01:15.140 --> 0:01:17.060 with the knee and the toe injury, did not practice. 0:01:17.530 --> 0:01:19.550 You also have that that has piled up. So what 0:01:19.569 --> 0:01:22.130 do the Green Bay Packers do? This week has been 0:01:22.330 --> 0:01:25.140 a lot of Brian Gutekunst and his scouts picking up 0:01:25.170 --> 0:01:28.860 the phone, making calls, and Kevin Zeitler is the most 0:01:28.959 --> 0:01:32.679 recent in that series of transactions that Green Bay wanted 0:01:32.720 --> 0:01:35.340 to do. What I like about this move is every 0:01:35.420 --> 0:01:38.280 once in a while over the years, there's been instances 0:01:38.340 --> 0:01:41.830 where fans, we'll see it in Insider Inbox, we'll see 0:01:41.840 --> 0:01:43.709 it in our mentions on social media, they'll be like, 0:01:43.730 --> 0:01:47.149 you need to sign this particular player. Happened with Christian Michael. 0:01:47.810 --> 0:01:50.200 What was that now? Probably over a decade ago. 0:01:50.220 --> 0:01:51.420 Yeah, it was about 10 years ago. 0:01:51.440 --> 0:01:54.680 I remember people saying, hey, you've got to go get 0:01:54.840 --> 0:01:57.840 Tavon Austin after he came available a couple years back. 0:01:58.620 --> 0:02:01.460 And Zeitler's a guy that obviously Packer fans are familiar with. 0:02:01.740 --> 0:02:04.920 Played at Wisconsin in All-American. He won two state championships, 0:02:04.960 --> 0:02:08.980 Division III at Wisconsin Lutheran. He's from Waukesha. He lives 0:02:09.460 --> 0:02:12.870 in Eagle River, Wisconsin in the Northwoods in the offseason. 0:02:13.490 --> 0:02:16.110 He checks so many boxes in addition to the fact 0:02:16.130 --> 0:02:18.389 that that he still wants to play football. He's still 0:02:18.430 --> 0:02:21.010 hungry to play football. We talked with him on Wednesday 0:02:21.030 --> 0:02:23.500 and he mentioned that there was no thought of retirement. 0:02:23.530 --> 0:02:25.500 He needed to get some things cleaned up after last 0:02:25.530 --> 0:02:26.960 year with the Titans. It's one of the reasons why 0:02:27.000 --> 0:02:29.800 he didn't sign anywhere. But once he got cleared last month, 0:02:30.200 --> 0:02:32.640 his intention was to play football again and now he 0:02:32.660 --> 0:02:33.720 gets to do it for the team he grew up 0:02:33.740 --> 0:02:34.180 cheering for. 0:02:34.340 --> 0:02:37.239 Yeah, it is kind of interesting, right, how this goes 0:02:37.320 --> 0:02:40.100 because a lot of times people start to wonder, okay, well, 0:02:40.180 --> 0:02:42.220 why is this guy still available then if he wants 0:02:42.260 --> 0:02:44.800 to play? Well, then We found out he had to 0:02:44.840 --> 0:02:47.190 have a procedure done on an injury from the very 0:02:47.340 --> 0:02:49.840 end of the season with the Titans. And kind of 0:02:49.870 --> 0:02:52.529 the same thing with Makai Becton. Everybody's wondering, you know, 0:02:52.550 --> 0:02:54.690 a first-round pick from a handful of years ago, why 0:02:54.710 --> 0:02:56.850 is he still available? Well, it turned out he had 0:02:56.889 --> 0:03:02.350 a surgery in the offseason. So these things have all 0:03:02.550 --> 0:03:07.270 sort of conspired here and have in some ways revamped 0:03:07.330 --> 0:03:09.690 Green Bay's offensive line. I mean, as I said, we'll 0:03:09.730 --> 0:03:13.150 see who exactly... ends up being in the starting lineup 0:03:14.050 --> 0:03:16.669 on Sunday. I would think just based on the fact 0:03:16.710 --> 0:03:20.369 that Tomlinson has been with a team, he was with 0:03:20.389 --> 0:03:22.850 the Cowboys on the Cowboys practice squad. You know, he 0:03:22.889 --> 0:03:25.410 had a training camp and all of the usual stuff 0:03:25.450 --> 0:03:29.050 to get ready for a season. He would be potentially 0:03:29.110 --> 0:03:32.050 the most immediate help of the group. The other guys, 0:03:32.090 --> 0:03:34.690 both Becton and Becton would have to be elevated from 0:03:34.710 --> 0:03:37.550 the practice squad too, just to clarify. But both with 0:03:37.650 --> 0:03:40.030 Becton and Zeitler, these are guys who are just now 0:03:40.160 --> 0:03:45.020 kind of starting football for 2026, coming off of the 0:03:45.700 --> 0:03:49.480 off-season surgeries and then finding a team to sign with. 0:03:49.540 --> 0:03:53.340 So we have to see what happens here, but everybody's 0:03:53.360 --> 0:03:55.700 going to be waiting with anticipation. 0:03:55.880 --> 0:03:59.040 And these guys are specialists, right? Lakin Tomlinson has started 0:03:59.100 --> 0:04:01.890 for 11 years in the NFL at left guard. You 0:04:01.910 --> 0:04:03.770 have a guy like Kevin Zeitler who has started in 0:04:03.790 --> 0:04:07.290 the NFL for 14 years at right guard. These are 0:04:07.310 --> 0:04:09.470 the positions that these guys play, even though they mentioned 0:04:09.490 --> 0:04:11.270 that there's some, you know, they'll do whatever they want. 0:04:11.330 --> 0:04:14.110 This is what they've done. This is how they've kind 0:04:14.150 --> 0:04:15.830 of made their money over the years. And what I 0:04:15.870 --> 0:04:18.450 like about the Tomlinson one is that's a plug and 0:04:18.500 --> 0:04:20.180 play guy that you can put in there potentially as 0:04:20.279 --> 0:04:22.010 early as Sunday if it needs to happen that way. 0:04:22.520 --> 0:04:24.490 But based on where he is in his career and 0:04:24.529 --> 0:04:26.870 kind of the roles that he's played, if Aaron Banks 0:04:26.910 --> 0:04:29.510 can get back healthy again from the toe and the knee, 0:04:29.529 --> 0:04:32.390 you know, he still would, you would think would still 0:04:32.410 --> 0:04:34.730 be the projected starter at that position. And now Lakin 0:04:34.770 --> 0:04:37.530 gives you a lot of versatility, gives you some depth, 0:04:37.690 --> 0:04:40.710 I should say, and durability at that position if you 0:04:40.750 --> 0:04:44.310 need him to plug in somewhere else. Whereas with Zeitler, 0:04:44.390 --> 0:04:47.890 it's just remarkable the career that he's put together. Both 0:04:47.910 --> 0:04:49.470 of those two guards have been to the Pro Bowl, 0:04:49.490 --> 0:04:51.950 but Zeidler was there three years ago at 33 years old. 0:04:52.450 --> 0:04:54.810 He was an alternate in his one season with Detroit. 0:04:55.450 --> 0:04:59.420 Wherever he's gone, he's fit in. So the Packers needed 0:04:59.460 --> 0:05:01.900 a response. And obviously you see the reported numbers on 0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:04.080 the contract. I mean, they are definitely paying him to 0:05:04.140 --> 0:05:06.979 come in and play. And this is what you got 0:05:07.000 --> 0:05:08.660 to do. Sometimes these things happen in the middle of 0:05:08.680 --> 0:05:10.020 the season or early in the season. 0:05:10.500 --> 0:05:11.340 You need a response. 0:05:11.500 --> 0:05:15.080 The Packers need to exercise it. And another thing is 0:05:15.120 --> 0:05:17.380 to Kevin Zeitler was not going to be available in 0:05:17.420 --> 0:05:18.060 week eight or nine. 0:05:18.500 --> 0:05:20.060 This guy was healthy. He was ready to go. 0:05:20.339 --> 0:05:21.700 He was going to get a call here sooner or 0:05:21.750 --> 0:05:23.290 later and the Packers jumped on it. 0:05:23.750 --> 0:05:27.870 Well, on the flip side of adding players to the roster, unfortunately, 0:05:27.970 --> 0:05:32.349 we've also learned this week that wide receiver Jaden Reed's 0:05:32.350 --> 0:05:37.880 2026 season is over. The good news is that the 0:05:37.940 --> 0:05:41.280 long-term prognosis for his health with the neck injury, he 0:05:41.320 --> 0:05:45.410 needs surgery. The long-term prognosis is good. I mean, Jaden 0:05:45.450 --> 0:05:48.610 Reed is going to be okay from everything that we've 0:05:48.650 --> 0:05:52.150 been told. And his teammates have said, you know, Jordan 0:05:52.190 --> 0:05:54.210 Love said they've seen him, you know, he's walking around 0:05:54.230 --> 0:05:57.480 the building, you know, everything's all right. But his season 0:05:57.540 --> 0:06:00.300 is over because of the surgery that he needs. That's 0:06:01.060 --> 0:06:04.300 going to be a big hole for the Packers to fill, 0:06:04.339 --> 0:06:06.919 not only offensively, but in the locker room from the 0:06:06.960 --> 0:06:11.450 leadership standpoint, from the just the attitude and energy that 0:06:12.770 --> 0:06:16.529 Bird has brought to this team since he arrived as 0:06:16.890 --> 0:06:20.210 a second-round draft pick out of Michigan State. But I 0:06:20.270 --> 0:06:25.610 think we're going to see, we've seen Sky Moore make 0:06:25.630 --> 0:06:27.870 an impact on this team in the return game, which 0:06:27.910 --> 0:06:30.190 is what he was brought here to do. I think 0:06:30.230 --> 0:06:32.830 Sky Moore and Bo Melton and J. Mike Sturtevant will 0:06:32.850 --> 0:06:34.830 be in that mix too, but I think Sky Moore 0:06:34.920 --> 0:06:37.420 is a guy who will potentially be taking a fair 0:06:37.480 --> 0:06:40.060 share of of Jaden Reed snaps and he's going to 0:06:40.100 --> 0:06:42.080 be more involved in the offense here moving forward. 0:06:42.180 --> 0:06:44.880 He is the backup, right? When you talk about Bo, 0:06:45.240 --> 0:06:48.430 Bo is the backup to Christian Watson. Watson runs a 0:06:48.440 --> 0:06:50.589 deep route. Who's the first player that's going in on 0:06:50.610 --> 0:06:51.690 the next play? 0:06:51.710 --> 0:06:52.550 It's Bo Melton, right? 0:06:52.850 --> 0:06:55.010 That's not to say that these guys can't play different roles, 0:06:55.050 --> 0:06:57.150 but you just sort of project it out in terms of, okay, 0:06:57.490 --> 0:06:59.210 if you lose this guy, how do you keep those 0:06:59.570 --> 0:07:01.510 scheme and how do you keep those plays in the playbook? 0:07:02.279 --> 0:07:04.520 Sky Moore allows Green Bay to do that with Jaden Reed. 0:07:05.240 --> 0:07:07.080 In addition to the fact the slot running stuff, but 0:07:07.120 --> 0:07:09.240 as I've talked to you about, I mentioned it on 0:07:09.300 --> 0:07:12.250 three things on Wednesday. It just, one of the first 0:07:12.310 --> 0:07:15.110 plays Green Bay ran all season was Jaden Reed lined 0:07:15.150 --> 0:07:17.630 up in the backfield with, I believe it was Chris 0:07:17.650 --> 0:07:20.710 Brooks on that particular play. You can tell there's concepts 0:07:20.730 --> 0:07:23.330 that Matt LaFleur and Adam Stenovich and his offensive coaches 0:07:23.370 --> 0:07:25.630 want to use with being able to kind of get 0:07:25.830 --> 0:07:28.040 a little bit more out of that receiver position and 0:07:28.160 --> 0:07:29.400 utilize it in different ways. 0:07:30.070 --> 0:07:31.430 Sky Moore allows you to stay in that. 0:07:31.470 --> 0:07:33.650 And I actually really liked when they couldn't get the 0:07:33.690 --> 0:07:35.690 run game going against the Falcons, they turned to that 0:07:35.730 --> 0:07:37.890 little screen pass to Moore and got some yardage out 0:07:37.930 --> 0:07:39.680 of it. You're not going to be able to do 0:07:39.690 --> 0:07:42.180 that every single time, but he allows Green Bay to 0:07:42.380 --> 0:07:44.300 stay in their playbook, stay in their scheme. And at 0:07:44.380 --> 0:07:47.180 some point here, you would hope you do get Savion 0:07:47.220 --> 0:07:50.000 Williams back, and then he also gives you some options 0:07:50.020 --> 0:07:50.560 there as well. 0:07:50.940 --> 0:07:51.940 Not ideal, but. 0:07:52.710 --> 0:07:54.650 The big picture thing is here, man, when you have 0:07:54.710 --> 0:07:56.990 an injury that's scary, and you and I have seen 0:07:57.010 --> 0:07:58.800 a couple neck injuries over the years now. 0:07:58.980 --> 0:07:59.980 Sure have. 0:08:00.120 --> 0:08:01.640 The first thing you want to see is just if 0:08:01.660 --> 0:08:04.580 the guy's doing okay. And my hope and my aspiration 0:08:04.660 --> 0:08:08.420 is this neck surgery that Jaden's going to get, whatever 0:08:08.440 --> 0:08:12.360 it is, it's going to allow him to make whatever 0:08:12.420 --> 0:08:14.300 decision he wants to make. You never want to see 0:08:14.800 --> 0:08:16.700 the decision taken out of a player's hands. We saw 0:08:16.730 --> 0:08:19.770 it with Terrence Murphy. We saw it from different players 0:08:19.810 --> 0:08:21.510 over the years, Michael Finley, Johnny Jolly. 0:08:21.850 --> 0:08:22.350 Nick Collins. 0:08:22.390 --> 0:08:25.390 Nick Collins, obviously the biggest name of all in recent 0:08:25.430 --> 0:08:28.380 modern history. But as long as Bird can make what 0:08:28.440 --> 0:08:31.680 is the best decision for himself and his family, that's 0:08:31.720 --> 0:08:33.219 what you want to see. Because man, I'll tell you what, 0:08:33.660 --> 0:08:35.200 you and I were there and we'll never forget how 0:08:35.260 --> 0:08:37.860 quiet it was at MetLife when he got carted off 0:08:37.880 --> 0:08:38.180 the field. 0:08:38.240 --> 0:08:41.559 Yeah, for sure. No doubt about it. Well, the opponent 0:08:41.600 --> 0:08:45.079 this weekend for the Packers is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 0:08:45.120 --> 0:08:47.709 The game will be at Raymond James Stadium. It's a 0:08:47.770 --> 0:08:52.720 noon central time kickoff. And This is a struggling Buccaneers team, Wes. 0:08:52.740 --> 0:08:55.560 They are not only 0-3, but now they are dealing 0:08:55.620 --> 0:08:59.800 with replacing starting quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is out with 0:08:59.840 --> 0:09:04.140 a dislocated thumb, which occurred at the very end of 0:09:04.400 --> 0:09:07.540 the Buccaneers' loss to the Vikings last week. And now 0:09:07.580 --> 0:09:11.040 it's an undrafted rookie in Jalen Daniels taking over at 0:09:11.080 --> 0:09:13.520 quarterback for Tampa Bay. The rest of the weapons are 0:09:13.559 --> 0:09:17.700 still there. Bucky Irving, Kenneth Gainwell in the backfield, Emeka Egbuka, 0:09:17.800 --> 0:09:21.720 Chris Godwin, Ted Hurst at wide receiver. Kate Otten at 0:09:21.760 --> 0:09:25.579 tight end. All those guys are still there, but this 0:09:25.700 --> 0:09:28.829 is potentially going to be a whole new look to 0:09:29.330 --> 0:09:31.690 Tampa Bay's offense with the change at quarterback. 0:09:31.750 --> 0:09:33.990 Yeah, I mean, and the switch to Jalen Daniels is 0:09:34.030 --> 0:09:37.270 a major one because he had a really impressive preseason. 0:09:37.550 --> 0:09:40.849 I've watched him probably more than any of these rookie quarterbacks, 0:09:41.130 --> 0:09:42.750 to be honest with you, because I watched a lot 0:09:42.770 --> 0:09:44.830 of Kansas football the last few years because Lance Leopold 0:09:44.890 --> 0:09:48.310 is there. And Jalen Daniels, he was there. He was 0:09:48.370 --> 0:09:51.959 in Lawrence for six years. The guy started in 2020, 0:09:51.960 --> 0:09:54.290 didn't go particularly well right off the bat with the Jayhawks, 0:09:54.350 --> 0:09:56.270 but they threw him in there as a true freshman 0:09:56.309 --> 0:09:58.770 right off the bat. So he's played a lot of 0:09:58.809 --> 0:10:01.040 football and the way I've kind of described it is, 0:10:01.120 --> 0:10:04.100 and he did this in the Big 12, he's kind 0:10:04.140 --> 0:10:06.200 of a master at just making the most out of chaos. 0:10:06.740 --> 0:10:09.110 But from a pure intangible standpoint, there's a reason why 0:10:09.120 --> 0:10:09.920 he went undrafted. 0:10:10.160 --> 0:10:10.690 There was a lot of. 0:10:10.679 --> 0:10:13.930 Question marks in the draft process about how he reads defenses, 0:10:15.150 --> 0:10:16.429 how he's going to be able to hold up against 0:10:16.490 --> 0:10:19.069 NFL pass coverages. But in terms of just being able 0:10:19.110 --> 0:10:22.220 to have He's not a natural, like, don't think Michael 0:10:22.260 --> 0:10:25.390 Vick here. He runs basically the same 40s Jordan does. But, 0:10:25.730 --> 0:10:27.850 you know, he's slippery, and he's going to be able 0:10:27.870 --> 0:10:31.270 to extend some plays and I think give that receiving 0:10:31.330 --> 0:10:34.790 core enough to potentially work with, especially with an Ibuka, 0:10:34.830 --> 0:10:36.870 like guys that have that type of talent. Chris Godwin, 0:10:36.890 --> 0:10:39.240 we'll see. He hasn't practiced this week, if he'll be 0:10:39.250 --> 0:10:43.060 available or not. But Bucky Irving, these guys in the backfield, 0:10:43.080 --> 0:10:45.360 you've got to imagine, no matter what it is that 0:10:45.400 --> 0:10:48.339 Daniels can give them, that Tampa's going to want to 0:10:48.440 --> 0:10:49.939 run this thing through its ground game. 0:10:50.260 --> 0:10:54.130 Here's my question with regard to Daniels taking over at quarterback. 0:10:55.330 --> 0:10:58.230 How much do the Packers need to be prepared for 0:10:58.850 --> 0:11:00.449 some of the, whether you want to call it zone 0:11:00.530 --> 0:11:06.650 read or read option type stuff? The quarterback runs, put 0:11:06.670 --> 0:11:08.300 the ball in the belly of the running back and 0:11:08.320 --> 0:11:12.099 then either hand it off or keep it based on 0:11:12.120 --> 0:11:15.260 the way he reads the defensive line. Now, there's always 0:11:15.360 --> 0:11:20.340 risk to that, right? Because one big hit, and then 0:11:20.400 --> 0:11:23.439 suddenly the Buccaneers are down to their number three quarterback. 0:11:23.480 --> 0:11:27.580 So I'm not saying that they're going to build their 0:11:27.620 --> 0:11:31.850 entire game plan around zone read looks from Daniels, but 0:11:32.450 --> 0:11:34.790 it feels to me like it's something the Packers need 0:11:34.809 --> 0:11:39.830 to be prepared for. But I'm just curious to see 0:11:39.870 --> 0:11:41.709 how much the Buccaneers are actually going to run it. 0:11:41.990 --> 0:11:44.050 I would think if I'm the Buccaneers, I think I'd 0:11:44.110 --> 0:11:46.450 major in it, to be honest with you. And they 0:11:46.470 --> 0:11:48.949 did sign Brett Rippin. They have Easton Stick there, too. 0:11:49.010 --> 0:11:51.929 So they do have some backup quarterbacks options. Both of 0:11:51.950 --> 0:11:56.290 those guys play the game very differently than Daniels. And 0:11:56.429 --> 0:11:58.229 if I'm Green Bay, I think that's probably the number 0:11:58.290 --> 0:12:00.489 one thing you're scouting going into this thing. Because let's 0:12:00.530 --> 0:12:03.780 be honest, you never overlook an opponent. And I think 0:12:03.820 --> 0:12:05.360 there's ways that you could still get burned in this 0:12:05.400 --> 0:12:07.679 game through the air. But I think in these type 0:12:07.700 --> 0:12:10.870 of instances, you need to trust Xavier McKinney and Evan 0:12:10.910 --> 0:12:15.240 Williams and, you know, Javon Bullard to trust their rules, 0:12:15.360 --> 0:12:18.560 to trust their principles, their keys in play on instinct. 0:12:18.760 --> 0:12:21.359 And if you need to dedicate another body to the 0:12:21.400 --> 0:12:23.380 box to account for either the run game or the 0:12:23.420 --> 0:12:26.180 possibility of Daniels taking off, I think you just have 0:12:26.220 --> 0:12:27.240 to roll the dice on that. 0:12:27.420 --> 0:12:27.679 Okay. 0:12:27.800 --> 0:12:30.470 Because it goes back to the idea, right, that you 0:12:30.570 --> 0:12:32.730 want him to beat you with his arm. Like we 0:12:32.790 --> 0:12:35.010 talk about when you play you know, a guy like 0:12:35.250 --> 0:12:36.910 Kyler Murray, you want to keep him in the pocket. 0:12:36.929 --> 0:12:38.670 You want to make him beat you from the pocket 0:12:39.110 --> 0:12:41.270 in whatever he does in terms of either scrambling or 0:12:41.330 --> 0:12:43.990 throwing down the field. You don't want him extending plays. 0:12:44.690 --> 0:12:46.610 If you allow a guy like Jalen Daniels to get 0:12:46.670 --> 0:12:49.990 comfortable early and moving the pocket, getting out, extending plays, 0:12:50.630 --> 0:12:53.809 allowing his receivers, you know, to get time against plaster coverage. 0:12:54.490 --> 0:12:56.990 That's I think where the chaos kind of gets involved here. 0:12:57.030 --> 0:12:59.949 But from Green Bay's standpoint, you got to have a 0:13:00.030 --> 0:13:03.370 short memory too, because I actually think defensively Green Bay 0:13:03.390 --> 0:13:06.720 matches up really well with what Tampa presents. Tampa doesn't 0:13:06.750 --> 0:13:09.780 have the run game that Atlanta has. They've struggled in 0:13:09.820 --> 0:13:11.940 their own ways to establish the run this season, and 0:13:11.960 --> 0:13:14.000 honestly it's kind of the reason why Baker Mayfield was 0:13:14.040 --> 0:13:15.599 put in the position that he was, trying to throw 0:13:15.620 --> 0:13:19.230 the ball, obviously trying to play from behind. There's a 0:13:19.270 --> 0:13:21.910 lot in this game for Green Bay. Certainly you've got 0:13:21.929 --> 0:13:24.429 to get to 2-2, but I think based on just 0:13:24.510 --> 0:13:28.010 pure talent alone, Green Bay in some ways needs to 0:13:28.030 --> 0:13:29.250 go in there and really impose their will. 0:13:29.760 --> 0:13:33.059 Well, on the defensive side of things, this is a 0:13:33.100 --> 0:13:35.990 Buccaneers defense that has done really well against the run, 0:13:36.230 --> 0:13:40.410 only allowed 76 yards rushing per game so far, which 0:13:40.470 --> 0:13:43.490 is not something you normally see from an 0-3 team 0:13:43.570 --> 0:13:46.870 because you would think teams that are beating them are 0:13:46.890 --> 0:13:48.710 going to be running the ball late in games and 0:13:48.770 --> 0:13:52.550 kind of piling up the rushing statistics. That hasn't been 0:13:52.590 --> 0:13:54.710 the case. This is a team that stops the run well. 0:13:55.790 --> 0:13:58.080 The flip side of it is they only have six 0:13:58.130 --> 0:14:02.890 sacks through– three games, and they only have two takeaways defensively. Now, 0:14:02.929 --> 0:14:05.670 that being said, you know with the way the Packers 0:14:05.690 --> 0:14:08.750 have struggled to protect the quarterback, they're going to be, 0:14:08.830 --> 0:14:11.069 Todd Bowles is going to be dialing up things to 0:14:11.130 --> 0:14:13.410 get after Jordan Love and to try to make life 0:14:13.470 --> 0:14:17.570 difficult for Green Bay offensively, and I think they're going 0:14:17.590 --> 0:14:20.210 to count on that run defense that has performed well 0:14:20.270 --> 0:14:23.250 so far, combined with the fact that the Packers haven't 0:14:23.330 --> 0:14:26.010 run the ball very well, to try to make Green 0:14:26.030 --> 0:14:29.050 Bay one-dimensional. I mean, from Todd Bowles' standpoint, this is 0:14:29.170 --> 0:14:32.410 okay we're going to make the Packers have to throw 0:14:32.450 --> 0:14:34.930 the football, and then we're going to get after Jordan 0:14:34.970 --> 0:14:37.940 Love and try to make him as uncomfortable as possible. 0:14:37.980 --> 0:14:41.740 It seems on paper, from a game plan standpoint, this 0:14:41.800 --> 0:14:43.720 is pretty simple for Tampa Bay in terms of what 0:14:43.760 --> 0:14:44.460 their goals are. 0:14:44.540 --> 0:14:46.180 And honestly, I'll be honest with you, Mike, I think 0:14:46.220 --> 0:14:48.260 it's pretty simple for Green Bay, too. You've got to 0:14:48.300 --> 0:14:50.710 protect Jordan Love. You have to be able to run 0:14:50.750 --> 0:14:53.630 the football. Tampa's, you mentioned the 6-6, they only have 0:14:53.630 --> 0:14:56.810 14 quarterback hits this season. I mean, it's been, where 0:14:56.850 --> 0:15:00.300 Green Bay has struggled to protect Love... Tampa's struggled to 0:15:00.360 --> 0:15:02.480 just get pressure in terms of being able to actually 0:15:04.220 --> 0:15:07.100 control the game in that way. The three games in 0:15:07.120 --> 0:15:09.760 which they've played, the offenses that they're going up against 0:15:09.800 --> 0:15:13.670 are not the best rushing offenses. But conversely, Green Bay 0:15:13.730 --> 0:15:17.830 currently ranks last in rushing offense. So it is a 0:15:17.850 --> 0:15:20.150 little bit of this something has to give here. And 0:15:20.210 --> 0:15:22.390 I think for Green Bay, especially if they end up 0:15:22.410 --> 0:15:24.510 having some new bodies there on the offensive line or 0:15:24.550 --> 0:15:26.560 if just their unit plays a little bit more stout, 0:15:27.180 --> 0:15:29.210 I think there is an opportunity to establish the run 0:15:29.230 --> 0:15:31.190 in this game. I think there is an opportunity for 0:15:31.230 --> 0:15:32.970 Jordan Love to get comfortable, to be able to get 0:15:33.010 --> 0:15:36.430 into a rhythm and establish something there. Because you've got 0:15:36.450 --> 0:15:39.630 to remember, from Tampa Bay's standpoint, as good as the 0:15:39.650 --> 0:15:41.960 statistics look, and there are some really positive things to 0:15:42.000 --> 0:15:44.020 draw from, I mean, Vita Vea is as good as 0:15:44.060 --> 0:15:45.500 it gets in terms of a big body in the 0:15:45.540 --> 0:15:47.680 middle of the line that is not going to be 0:15:47.720 --> 0:15:49.280 able to give you a lot there, that you're going 0:15:49.300 --> 0:15:50.680 to have to make some decisions with how you want 0:15:50.700 --> 0:15:53.220 to attack the run game. But all that being said, 0:15:53.400 --> 0:15:56.420 the Buccaneers are 0-3. they are going to be without 0:15:56.440 --> 0:15:59.160 their starting quarterback, not just for this game, but potentially 0:15:59.200 --> 0:16:01.080 the next month here, depending on how all the stuff 0:16:01.100 --> 0:16:04.479 with the ligament works out with Baker Mayfield. So Packers 0:16:04.520 --> 0:16:06.800 need a fast start. They need to do what they 0:16:06.880 --> 0:16:10.420 did in that first quarter, in that first half against Minnesota, 0:16:11.240 --> 0:16:12.620 but they need to sustain it then too. 0:16:12.800 --> 0:16:15.080 Yeah, absolutely. Well, I want to get to some more 0:16:15.120 --> 0:16:18.800 of our keys to victory, but first let's pay some 0:16:18.820 --> 0:16:21.770 bills and hear a quick word from our sponsors. Sirius 0:16:21.910 --> 0:16:26.490 XM NFL Radio delivers hard-hitting analysis and up-to-the-minute NFL news 0:16:26.550 --> 0:16:32.670 that true football fanatics need 24-7, 365. Hey Packers fans, 0:16:32.950 --> 0:16:36.190 looking to score a few more Wisconsin memories? From Devil's 0:16:36.230 --> 0:16:39.570 Lake State Park to the Milwaukee Art Museum, discover all 0:16:39.610 --> 0:16:44.790 the wonders of Wisconsin at TravelWisconsin.com slash wonders. Welcome back 0:16:44.820 --> 0:16:47.620 to Packers Unscripted. All right, keys to victory, Wes. We've 0:16:47.640 --> 0:16:49.720 already been talking about some of them, obviously. I think 0:16:49.760 --> 0:16:52.560 at the top of the list is to protect Jordan Love. 0:16:52.940 --> 0:16:55.240 On the defensive side, I do think it's be prepared 0:16:55.300 --> 0:16:58.880 for the zone read, read option stuff from Jalen Daniels. 0:16:59.160 --> 0:17:01.310 The other one I'll throw in, this is a game 0:17:01.330 --> 0:17:03.910 where the Packers absolutely need to win the special teams 0:17:03.970 --> 0:17:09.629 battle because the Minnesota Vikings are not undefeated and the 0:17:09.670 --> 0:17:12.540 Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not winless if not for Miles 0:17:12.600 --> 0:17:17.560 Price's 86-yard punt return last week at Raymond James Stadium. 0:17:18.000 --> 0:17:21.119 That was the play that set the tone for that game, 0:17:21.260 --> 0:17:25.810 kept Minnesota in the lead. And we've talked about Sky 0:17:25.850 --> 0:17:28.770 Moore and what he's done, and there's going to be 0:17:28.790 --> 0:17:31.910 an opportunity here for the Packers to make some hay 0:17:31.930 --> 0:17:33.350 in the return game, and I think they have to 0:17:33.369 --> 0:17:33.830 cash in. 0:17:33.850 --> 0:17:36.199 It's a big Sky Moore game, I think so. And 0:17:36.220 --> 0:17:38.359 I'm not saying you need an 86-yard punt return for 0:17:38.380 --> 0:17:41.080 a touchdown, but if you can leak out and get 0:17:41.100 --> 0:17:44.399 some 10-, 15-, 20-yard returns mixed in with maybe an 0:17:44.440 --> 0:17:46.730 explosive here and there, That's how you change the whole 0:17:46.790 --> 0:17:49.370 formulation of a football game. And then the other thing is, too, 0:17:49.450 --> 0:17:53.169 is that it came down to this kicker battle in 0:17:53.210 --> 0:17:55.450 that matchup. I mean, Will Reichardt, he had to make 0:17:55.490 --> 0:17:58.740 some big-time kicks to be able to put Minnesota ahead, 0:17:58.920 --> 0:18:02.350 but Chase McLaughlin made a handful of his own. So 0:18:02.970 --> 0:18:04.859 when it gets to that phase, I mean, it has 0:18:04.900 --> 0:18:07.120 been through three weeks, that has been the most consistent 0:18:07.160 --> 0:18:09.420 phase for Green Bay this season. And I think they're 0:18:09.440 --> 0:18:11.260 going to need a big game out of that whole 0:18:11.359 --> 0:18:14.859 unit in this one. The part that really intrigues me 0:18:14.880 --> 0:18:17.379 the most, though, is seeing what Tampa's response is going 0:18:17.400 --> 0:18:20.820 to be to giving up that punt return for a touchdown. 0:18:20.840 --> 0:18:23.090 That has been a pretty salty group in terms of 0:18:23.119 --> 0:18:25.889 how they play their teams. Obviously, when you listen to 0:18:25.930 --> 0:18:29.550 Cam Acor this week, very effusive in his praise of 0:18:29.940 --> 0:18:32.880 of that whole operation, the coordinator, everything that the Buccaneers 0:18:32.900 --> 0:18:34.899 have done over the years. But at the end of 0:18:34.920 --> 0:18:37.359 the day, you put it on film and now it 0:18:37.420 --> 0:18:39.680 is the job of Acord. It's the job of Sky Moore. 0:18:39.700 --> 0:18:42.000 It's the job of the assistants, everybody on that unit 0:18:42.380 --> 0:18:44.020 to try to find a way to exploit it. Because 0:18:44.440 --> 0:18:47.360 for Green Bay, you talk about Minnesota winning this game 0:18:47.400 --> 0:18:50.129 against Tampa Bay. Green Bay probably doesn't walk out of 0:18:50.160 --> 0:18:52.369 MetLife without a victory over the Jets, if not for 0:18:52.400 --> 0:18:55.510 how the special teams played all five quarters of that matchup. 0:18:55.570 --> 0:18:58.530