WEBVTT - #322 Packers Unscripted: Health update 0:00:00.800 --> 0:00:20.840 Hi, everybody. Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:20.840 --> 0:00:23.880 I am Mike Spofford, sitting alongside the one and only 0:00:23.920 --> 0:00:26.759 West Hodkoits were coming to you here from our studios 0:00:27.160 --> 0:00:30.760 at lambeau Field and West. Another day closer to Packers 0:00:30.880 --> 0:00:34.920 Vikings noon Sunday kickoff at lambeau Field, and another day 0:00:34.920 --> 0:00:38.440 of healing for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He spoke with 0:00:38.520 --> 0:00:41.960 reporters on Wednesday after practice, a practice he did not 0:00:42.040 --> 0:00:45.920 participate in. He was rehabbing instead, but he said he's 0:00:45.920 --> 0:00:49.360 feeling a little bit better every day and all indications 0:00:49.360 --> 0:00:52.920 are that his focus is on doing whatever it takes 0:00:53.200 --> 0:00:55.040 to play in this game. Yeah. I think he made 0:00:55.080 --> 0:00:58.360 that pretty clear after the game against Affairs that that 0:00:58.480 --> 0:01:01.440 is what exactly he's wanting to do. Mike Zimmer, as 0:01:01.480 --> 0:01:04.560 Mike Simmer always does in the conference call with Green 0:01:04.600 --> 0:01:06.600 Bay Media every year, it seems like there's a noteworthy 0:01:06.640 --> 0:01:09.199 bit that comes out of it. This year was his reply, 0:01:09.280 --> 0:01:11.759 and that, well, he walks on waters, so we're expecting 0:01:11.800 --> 0:01:16.119 him to play Rogers coincidentally does not in fact walk 0:01:16.160 --> 0:01:18.520 on water. But you know, he is a guy that 0:01:18.560 --> 0:01:20.240 I think when you look at what he's played through 0:01:20.240 --> 0:01:23.400 over the years and how he's overcome those situations. He's 0:01:23.400 --> 0:01:25.440 gonna do everything he can to be on the field 0:01:25.440 --> 0:01:28.080 on Sunday afternoon. He knows the importance of that game, 0:01:28.600 --> 0:01:31.920 not only the division implications, but really you're looking at two, 0:01:32.120 --> 0:01:33.800 I think, on paper, two of the better teams in 0:01:33.840 --> 0:01:37.160 the NFC in general. So I'm sure there's no shortage 0:01:37.160 --> 0:01:40.000 and motivation for him to be out there, and we'll 0:01:40.040 --> 0:01:41.959 have to see all the week goes. Mike McCarthy said, 0:01:41.959 --> 0:01:44.360 it's gonna be a day by day process. It's gonna 0:01:44.400 --> 0:01:46.759 be just him being in that rehap group trying to 0:01:46.800 --> 0:01:49.960 get whatever he needs to be ready for it. But 0:01:50.680 --> 0:01:52.840 the history is there. I mean, Aaron Rodgers, the way 0:01:52.880 --> 0:01:55.840 he's wired, he doesn't want to be on the sideline. Yeah, 0:01:55.880 --> 0:01:58.480 no question about that. His for him, the way he 0:01:58.560 --> 0:02:01.800 described it to reporters, his threshold in terms of whether 0:02:01.840 --> 0:02:04.080 or not he feels he can be an effective player 0:02:04.560 --> 0:02:07.040 has to do with his mobility. And now he drew 0:02:07.080 --> 0:02:10.560 a distinction obviously because he's not talking about being so 0:02:10.720 --> 0:02:13.320 mobile as to scramble out of the pocket and extend 0:02:13.400 --> 0:02:15.440 plays and all those things that we've seen him do. 0:02:15.480 --> 0:02:18.400 In the past. But it's about having enough mobility to 0:02:18.440 --> 0:02:20.640 be able to shuffle his feet and move in the 0:02:20.680 --> 0:02:24.280 pocket to create the passing lanes that you need based 0:02:24.280 --> 0:02:27.360 on where the rush lanes are and how the pass 0:02:27.440 --> 0:02:29.560 rush is coming after you. He was able to do 0:02:29.600 --> 0:02:31.880 that Sunday night against the Bears. And when you look 0:02:31.919 --> 0:02:36.000 back at the touchdown pass to Geronimo Allison the last 0:02:36.040 --> 0:02:38.960 touchdown to Randall Cobb, both of those were plays where 0:02:38.960 --> 0:02:42.000 he shuffled to his left to create some space for 0:02:42.080 --> 0:02:44.040 himself in order to get off the past that he 0:02:44.080 --> 0:02:46.160 needed to. He feels as long as he can do that, 0:02:46.960 --> 0:02:48.840 he's going to be able to play because he doesn't 0:02:48.840 --> 0:02:52.000 seem concerned about the knee, or at least the doctors 0:02:52.000 --> 0:02:54.400 have told him and everything. He's not concerned about it 0:02:54.760 --> 0:02:57.560 from the standpoint of re injuring it any further. It's 0:02:57.600 --> 0:02:59.960 just a matter of managing that pain and being able 0:03:00.040 --> 0:03:02.919 to move around just enough. Yeah, and that Allison throw 0:03:03.040 --> 0:03:05.040 is probably the big one for me in terms of 0:03:05.040 --> 0:03:08.000 passing the eye test, because hey, you want to do 0:03:08.080 --> 0:03:09.880 quick passes, you want to get the ball move, and 0:03:09.880 --> 0:03:12.360 you want to get into a rhythm. He was able 0:03:12.400 --> 0:03:14.000 to do that. He made a heck of a pass 0:03:14.080 --> 0:03:17.440 to Cob on the seventy yarder, But really it's those 0:03:17.480 --> 0:03:19.920 downfield threats that are gonna be what opens up the 0:03:19.919 --> 0:03:23.320 Packers offense. He did that got single you know, really 0:03:23.520 --> 0:03:27.000 single separation one on one coverage with Kyle Fuller and 0:03:27.120 --> 0:03:29.240 Allison and I think you go back and look at 0:03:29.240 --> 0:03:30.799 that play and I've I've seen it about four or 0:03:30.840 --> 0:03:33.880 five times now. It looks like an effortless throw for him. 0:03:33.880 --> 0:03:37.520 It looked like he was too discomforted and trying to 0:03:37.560 --> 0:03:40.520 get that out there just seem like traditional Aaron Rodgers football. 0:03:41.080 --> 0:03:43.640 That's the biggest thing for him because certainly there is 0:03:43.640 --> 0:03:46.120 going to be discomfort if he does play, there's gonna 0:03:46.120 --> 0:03:48.360 be some of that pain that goes with the territory. 0:03:48.440 --> 0:03:51.200 He's done it before, but it's really been able to threat, 0:03:51.400 --> 0:03:54.120 you know, threaten the downfield. Uh, And you know that 0:03:54.520 --> 0:03:56.080 it's gonna be one of those things that if Rogers 0:03:56.120 --> 0:03:58.040 does go in this game, it's gonna be on the 0:03:58.080 --> 0:04:00.080 offensive line, it's gonna be on the receivers every but 0:04:00.200 --> 0:04:01.800 he has to step their game up to make sure 0:04:02.040 --> 0:04:04.520 that he's in a favorable spot for you know, seventy 0:04:04.600 --> 0:04:07.640 eight plays whatever it takes. Yeah, Well, another injury update 0:04:07.760 --> 0:04:12.520 that nobody was necessarily aware of until Wednesday's practice. Wide 0:04:12.520 --> 0:04:16.440 receiver Davante Adams did not practice on Wednesday. Turns out 0:04:16.520 --> 0:04:19.640 he banged his shoulder a little bit on that fifty 0:04:19.640 --> 0:04:22.679 one yard catch and run in the fourth quarter. Said 0:04:22.720 --> 0:04:25.880 when he got tackled, it was kind of an awkward collision, 0:04:26.480 --> 0:04:30.080 and like with Rogers, he had the adrenaline to play 0:04:30.080 --> 0:04:32.960 through it. He actually caught another past two plays later 0:04:33.440 --> 0:04:35.440 for a short game, and then the next play after 0:04:35.480 --> 0:04:38.680 that he got his touchdown there at the pylon. So 0:04:38.760 --> 0:04:40.480 he played out the rest of the game. But he 0:04:40.520 --> 0:04:42.960 woke up on Monday a little stiff and sore with 0:04:43.000 --> 0:04:47.640 the shoulder. He sounded rather optimistic about being able to play, 0:04:47.680 --> 0:04:50.440 but being cautious right now in practice as far as 0:04:50.680 --> 0:04:52.800 making sure he gets to heal up as well. Yeah, 0:04:52.880 --> 0:04:56.039 I mean, adrenaline, man, it's just so there's nothing better 0:04:56.080 --> 0:04:57.800 than it. I mean, it's what the kids gets it 0:04:57.839 --> 0:05:00.520 through those kind of instances. But him, you know the 0:05:00.520 --> 0:05:03.400 way he's wired, much like Rogers, He's gonna want to 0:05:03.400 --> 0:05:06.040 be out there. And I took my cap to him 0:05:06.080 --> 0:05:08.479 for I mean, the fifty one yard catch was great. 0:05:09.160 --> 0:05:11.160 That was a fine play and one of the biggest 0:05:11.160 --> 0:05:13.760 ones of that entire contest. But he had to work 0:05:13.800 --> 0:05:15.640 for that. Twelve year touched on him. You gotta remember 0:05:15.680 --> 0:05:17.960 that was kind of a sort of almost a receiver 0:05:18.080 --> 0:05:19.920 screen in some ways, and kind of had to make 0:05:19.920 --> 0:05:21.640 that play happen, had to make a guy miss and 0:05:21.680 --> 0:05:24.240 had to dive into the end zone. So, knowing what 0:05:24.320 --> 0:05:25.920 we know now about that, it's kind of a gut 0:05:26.000 --> 0:05:29.360 check for him to be able to pull that through. Again. 0:05:29.400 --> 0:05:31.760 Though this isn't Davante Adams and year one or year two. 0:05:31.839 --> 0:05:34.080 He's a veteran. He's been around this thing. If he 0:05:34.080 --> 0:05:36.640 doesn't get all the reps, it's not the end of 0:05:36.680 --> 0:05:40.760 the world. It opens up more opportunities for Alison, Marcus Velde, 0:05:40.800 --> 0:05:43.400 Scantling and those other young receivers on this roster. The 0:05:43.440 --> 0:05:46.080 biggest thing for Adams though, is going to be being 0:05:46.120 --> 0:05:50.120 available and potentially, you know, getting to even if he 0:05:50.160 --> 0:05:51.960 has to play through certain things, being able to have 0:05:52.000 --> 0:05:54.599 that full of assortment of reps that he's used to. Yeah, 0:05:54.680 --> 0:05:57.320 he had said when the play happened, he didn't even 0:05:57.360 --> 0:05:59.400 think much of it in terms of his shoulder, like 0:05:59.440 --> 0:06:01.560 it really didn't feel like anything had happened or that 0:06:01.680 --> 0:06:04.560 the tackle was anything out of the ordinary. It really 0:06:04.640 --> 0:06:07.600 wasn't until the next day, or maybe late that night 0:06:07.640 --> 0:06:09.520 before he went to bed, or whatever the case was, 0:06:09.560 --> 0:06:11.400 that he started to feel like, oh, my shoulders a 0:06:11.440 --> 0:06:14.040 little sore, you know, so one of those things that 0:06:14.600 --> 0:06:17.720 obviously get him the rest and recovery needs nippet in 0:06:17.760 --> 0:06:20.080 the bud. Now, let him get through another game, hopefully 0:06:20.080 --> 0:06:22.560 nothing gets worse, and then you know, Davante is good 0:06:22.600 --> 0:06:24.200 to go for a while. He's kind of cut from 0:06:24.200 --> 0:06:27.360 that same Randall Cobcloth too. It's like, I mean, those 0:06:27.400 --> 0:06:29.240 guys are you're pretty much gonna have to take a 0:06:29.240 --> 0:06:31.480 limb off for them not to play through something. So 0:06:31.680 --> 0:06:34.800 and they don't exactly enjoy talking about their injuries. They 0:06:34.839 --> 0:06:37.080 realize it's part of the deal that you know, whether 0:06:37.120 --> 0:06:39.680 you're practicing not practicing, or something's going on, you're on 0:06:39.720 --> 0:06:42.000 the injury report, reporters are going to come up to 0:06:42.040 --> 0:06:43.640 you and say, hey, what's going on. So, I mean, 0:06:43.680 --> 0:06:45.960 they get it, but they would just as soon you know, 0:06:46.040 --> 0:06:48.800 nobody even know, because they don't want it to come 0:06:48.839 --> 0:06:50.920 off as like an excuse for their play and everything. 0:06:50.960 --> 0:06:52.680 We've heard that from these guys all the time. The 0:06:52.760 --> 0:06:54.880 only analogy I've been able to throw up people because 0:06:54.880 --> 0:06:57.360 people often ask this in the Fantasy football eras what's 0:06:57.400 --> 0:07:00.920 affected all this? Probably absolutely, But it is funny because 0:07:00.960 --> 0:07:03.560 I said, just imagine going to work and having a cold, 0:07:03.600 --> 0:07:05.560 there's some kind of illness and being sick about it, 0:07:05.680 --> 0:07:07.839 and having every single one of your coworkers come up 0:07:07.839 --> 0:07:10.320 and ask you about it, every single person you come 0:07:10.320 --> 0:07:12.440 across to ask you about it. Yeah. Yeah, over time, 0:07:12.440 --> 0:07:14.320 you're not gonna want to talk about it that much. 0:07:14.400 --> 0:07:17.800 So be that as it may. Like I said before, 0:07:17.800 --> 0:07:19.520 I mean Adams the way he's wired, the way he 0:07:19.560 --> 0:07:23.520 approaches this game, assuming he's cleared to go, I mean 0:07:23.560 --> 0:07:25.840 he's he's met. From a mental perspective, he's gonna be 0:07:25.840 --> 0:07:27.920 worried he needs to be going into Sunday. Yeah, definitely. 0:07:28.000 --> 0:07:31.160 Well with that, West quickly a little sponsor business, It 0:07:31.280 --> 0:07:33.800 is time to enter the Cousins Subs Best Seats in 0:07:33.800 --> 0:07:36.000 the House promotion. You and a guest could win a 0:07:36.080 --> 0:07:38.400 chance to kick back on the fifty yard line in style. 0:07:38.440 --> 0:07:41.320 Two pairs of lucky Packers fans will be chosen prior 0:07:41.360 --> 0:07:44.040 to each home game for this v I P experience, 0:07:44.160 --> 0:07:48.200 enter daily now through December sixteen. By completing the entry 0:07:48.200 --> 0:07:50.840 form and submitting. For complete rules and eligibility, go to 0:07:50.840 --> 0:07:55.120 Packers dot com slash best Seats Cousins subs. We believe 0:07:55.120 --> 0:07:57.800 in better Okay. Sticking with the topic of the Packers 0:07:57.920 --> 0:08:01.560 offense right now, we actually both a little bit from 0:08:01.600 --> 0:08:04.120 Mike McCarthy and then also from Aaron Rodgers in terms 0:08:04.160 --> 0:08:08.040 of how Rogers injury aside, how that game unfolded for 0:08:08.040 --> 0:08:11.320 the Packers offensively against the Bears. With regards to tight 0:08:11.400 --> 0:08:14.200 end Jimmy Graham. You look at the statistics, Jimmy Graham 0:08:14.480 --> 0:08:18.000 to catches for eight yards, not exactly what people were expecting, 0:08:18.640 --> 0:08:22.360 but Randall cob nine for a buck forty two, Davante 0:08:22.400 --> 0:08:25.440 Adams five for eight eight. I think it was Geronimoy 0:08:25.440 --> 0:08:28.840 Allison five for fifty nine, all three sixty nine. All 0:08:28.880 --> 0:08:32.400 three of those guys have a touchdown reception. So it's like, well, 0:08:32.440 --> 0:08:37.120 what happened with Jimmy Graham. Well, the Bears made him 0:08:37.120 --> 0:08:39.720 the focal point of their defense and in terms of 0:08:39.760 --> 0:08:43.160 their coverage, Aaron Rodgers talked about how their whole game 0:08:43.200 --> 0:08:46.040 plan was out in the middle of the field, they 0:08:46.040 --> 0:08:49.080 had an outside linebacker who was disrupting Graham at the 0:08:49.120 --> 0:08:51.560 line of scrimmage, not letting him get a clean release 0:08:51.600 --> 0:08:54.440 into his route. And then when the Packers were close 0:08:54.480 --> 0:08:56.920 to the end zone, down in the red zone area, 0:08:57.160 --> 0:08:59.640 they were simply double teaming. They had either a cloud 0:08:59.679 --> 0:09:03.040 cover to his side or they simply bracketed him with 0:09:03.040 --> 0:09:05.880 with one coverage guy up front and then another guy 0:09:05.920 --> 0:09:09.080 in the back. So um, not the type of start 0:09:09.160 --> 0:09:11.880 to his packer's career that Jimmy Graham was looking for. 0:09:12.080 --> 0:09:15.040 But the guy was affecting the game because he was 0:09:15.080 --> 0:09:18.960 affecting how Chicago was playing its defense. And Marv up 0:09:18.960 --> 0:09:21.280 in the control room, if we could, I'm guessing we 0:09:21.360 --> 0:09:24.920 can't bring up my clip from I think May talking 0:09:24.960 --> 0:09:27.360 about how the addition of Jimmy Graham is going to 0:09:27.440 --> 0:09:30.040 be the best friend for Randall Cole exactly. I'm not 0:09:30.120 --> 0:09:32.160 sitting here trying to act like I'm some kind of 0:09:32.480 --> 0:09:37.880 you know, psychic with this stuff nostradamus exactly. But it 0:09:37.960 --> 0:09:40.120 was obvious that this is gonna be one of the 0:09:40.120 --> 0:09:44.000 beneficiaries of this approach. It's not a coincidence. I mean, now, 0:09:44.080 --> 0:09:45.840 Randall cop did a lot of great things on his own, 0:09:45.880 --> 0:09:48.079 but it's not a coincidence that Jimmy Graham gets entered 0:09:48.120 --> 0:09:51.240 this offense and Randall Cobb has a career day. This 0:09:51.520 --> 0:09:53.719 the way that defense are gonna have to approach this, Mike, 0:09:53.760 --> 0:09:57.439 We've talked about it since the day that Graham was signed. 0:09:57.840 --> 0:10:00.959 They have to make a decision. If Auntie Adams mentioned 0:10:00.960 --> 0:10:02.800 this in the post game too, when he was talking 0:10:02.880 --> 0:10:05.200 his locker. There were times where he got double team. 0:10:05.360 --> 0:10:07.440 There were times where Cobb got double team and we 0:10:07.480 --> 0:10:09.200 saw a lot of double teaming or as you said, 0:10:09.240 --> 0:10:11.840 some of the cloud coverage that they did to Graham. 0:10:11.880 --> 0:10:14.320 That's what opened up the opportunity on that one series 0:10:14.360 --> 0:10:17.000 to Geronto Willison to win his one on one. That 0:10:17.160 --> 0:10:19.360 is ultimately what's going to be able to assuming they 0:10:19.360 --> 0:10:22.800 can keep all these pieces healthy, make this offense what 0:10:22.840 --> 0:10:25.840 they think it can be. This week, a lot of 0:10:25.880 --> 0:10:29.360 emphasis on Jimmy Graham. Next week that might change. Maybe 0:10:29.360 --> 0:10:31.839 that's when Jimmy Graham breaks out, but whatever the case 0:10:31.920 --> 0:10:35.760 may be, there's so many different components in the middle 0:10:35.800 --> 0:10:38.400 of the field. Mike McCarthy's wanted to attack that area. 0:10:38.760 --> 0:10:41.439 They did it in that game against the Bears, and 0:10:41.520 --> 0:10:43.480 they did it through Randall Cobb. In a tip of 0:10:43.520 --> 0:10:46.480 the hat to Jimmy Graham for being able to divert 0:10:46.520 --> 0:10:48.520 some of that coverage. Yeah, and I'm really interested to 0:10:48.520 --> 0:10:51.520 see comes Sunday afternoon what the Vikings decided to do, 0:10:52.600 --> 0:10:55.319 because you look at Minnesota's first game against the San 0:10:55.360 --> 0:10:59.160 Francisco forty Niners. A little known tight end, a guy, 0:10:59.280 --> 0:11:01.720 I'll admit I ever heard of him? Is it George Kittle? 0:11:02.679 --> 0:11:06.000 Is his name? Five catches for ninety yards? He was. 0:11:06.200 --> 0:11:09.440 He was Jimmy Garoppolo's go to guy, was the tight end. Now, 0:11:10.280 --> 0:11:12.240 I don't know enough about the XS and os, and 0:11:12.280 --> 0:11:15.600 I don't watch all of Minnesota's game film, but they 0:11:15.640 --> 0:11:20.760 were probably presumably more focused on Garoppolo's outside targets, the 0:11:20.800 --> 0:11:23.920 guys on the edges, the wide receivers, and so that 0:11:23.960 --> 0:11:26.720 tight end. Kittle had some matchups that he was able 0:11:26.760 --> 0:11:29.640 to take advantage of, and Garoppolo took advantage of ninety 0:11:29.720 --> 0:11:32.440 yards from a tight end. That's a pretty big game. Now, 0:11:32.800 --> 0:11:36.600 what will Minnesota do with regards to Jimmy Graham? And 0:11:36.720 --> 0:11:39.480 you know what the Packers having, assuming Adams is able 0:11:39.520 --> 0:11:42.400 to play in Adams Cobb and Allison how all this unfolds. 0:11:42.440 --> 0:11:44.640 As you said, defense is going to have to make 0:11:44.679 --> 0:11:46.719 a choice. It's an eleven on eleven game. It's a 0:11:46.800 --> 0:11:51.320 numbers game. Anybody, any defense can take away anybody else 0:11:51.360 --> 0:11:53.680 on offense if they want to. It's how this league works. 0:11:54.080 --> 0:11:56.640 So what is Minnesota going to decide? That's what we 0:11:56.679 --> 0:11:58.280 have to wait and see. And you mentioned the red 0:11:58.360 --> 0:12:00.679 zone some of the double coverage that got there. That 0:12:00.840 --> 0:12:03.000 the exciting thing I think if you're Mike McCarthy and 0:12:03.040 --> 0:12:06.120 Aaron Rodgers in this offense, is that Davante Adams and 0:12:06.200 --> 0:12:08.520 Randall cop are really proficient in that area of the 0:12:08.520 --> 0:12:10.079 field as well. I don't know if that's just the 0:12:10.120 --> 0:12:12.000 product of the scrambled drill or just the roads that 0:12:12.040 --> 0:12:14.280 they're running, or the Christmas of it, but they have 0:12:14.400 --> 0:12:16.760 been effective without that kind of threat. Now that you 0:12:16.840 --> 0:12:19.360 put Graham and that equation, there are a lot of 0:12:19.400 --> 0:12:21.040 things that didn't go right for the Packers in two 0:12:21.080 --> 0:12:24.679 thousand seventeen. Nobody's denying that they were pretty good as 0:12:24.679 --> 0:12:27.280 far as red zone offense, though, and now that you 0:12:27.360 --> 0:12:29.280 have Graham added into that mix, I think it's only 0:12:29.280 --> 0:12:31.560 gonna take them one step farther and and to be 0:12:31.559 --> 0:12:33.360 honest with you, Mike too, and I'm glad you brought 0:12:33.360 --> 0:12:36.079 that up. Kittle him and Garoppolo last year they started 0:12:36.080 --> 0:12:38.160 to develop a little bit of rapport. You could tell 0:12:38.200 --> 0:12:39.760 that that's a guy that Garoppolo has a lot of 0:12:39.760 --> 0:12:43.079 confidence in. Aaron Rodgers has really developed a good chemistry 0:12:43.480 --> 0:12:46.120 with Jimmy Graham. And we'll see exactly how this situation 0:12:46.200 --> 0:12:48.840 unfolds on Sunday. But I think, honestly, it's only a 0:12:48.840 --> 0:12:50.679 matter of time before you really start to see that 0:12:50.720 --> 0:12:54.560 production maybe swerve its way a little bit towards Graham, 0:12:54.600 --> 0:12:56.520 just based on the fact that there were so many 0:12:56.559 --> 0:13:00.120 opportunities for them throughout training camp, throughout the preseason that 0:13:00.160 --> 0:13:02.000 they really did capitalize on. Yeah, there are a lot 0:13:02.000 --> 0:13:04.800 of different ways this could play out schematically. Now what 0:13:04.920 --> 0:13:07.440 I know about the Minnesota Vikings, they will certainly have 0:13:07.480 --> 0:13:10.800 no problem leaving Xavier Rhodes one on one, their top 0:13:10.840 --> 0:13:13.280 cornerback will play one on one. They won't worry about 0:13:13.679 --> 0:13:16.959 safety help for him. But then if you're talking about 0:13:17.000 --> 0:13:20.400 wanting safety help on you know, Cobb or Allison, but 0:13:20.440 --> 0:13:24.240 then also wanting it for Graham potentially, well, does that 0:13:24.280 --> 0:13:28.040 take Sendejo and Harrison Smith out of the blitz packages 0:13:28.080 --> 0:13:30.560 and out of the pressure packages, which then leaves the 0:13:30.559 --> 0:13:33.760 Packers offensive line and the protection unit just dealing with 0:13:33.800 --> 0:13:36.640 the front four, maybe not so much the extra rushers 0:13:36.920 --> 0:13:39.120 those This is all part of the chess match. It's 0:13:39.240 --> 0:13:41.520 it's and and the way things start in the first 0:13:41.600 --> 0:13:43.760 quarter is not necessarily how the game is going to 0:13:43.800 --> 0:13:45.840 be played in the fourth quarter. These three hours out 0:13:45.880 --> 0:13:48.600 there on Sunday afternoon, a lot of adjustments back and 0:13:48.640 --> 0:13:52.600 forth and everything. And with this this addition of Jimmy 0:13:52.640 --> 0:13:56.200 Graham being new to the Packers offense with the vikings 0:13:56.200 --> 0:13:58.840 and you know, wanting to do what they do on 0:13:58.960 --> 0:14:01.559 defense and do so well because they've had this unit 0:14:01.600 --> 0:14:04.320 together for so long, it just makes for a really 0:14:04.360 --> 0:14:06.800 intriguing matchup all the way around. And we'll get into 0:14:06.840 --> 0:14:08.360 some of like the what it's going to take to 0:14:08.360 --> 0:14:11.040 win this game stuff on Friday, But for me, I 0:14:11.080 --> 0:14:13.160 think the biggest decision, one of the biggest decisions that 0:14:13.200 --> 0:14:14.760 Mike Zimmer has to make, is how they're going to 0:14:14.920 --> 0:14:18.160 use Mike Hughes. And it's by all accounts, it sounds 0:14:18.160 --> 0:14:19.640 like Trey Wayne's is gonna be Okay, I think he 0:14:19.680 --> 0:14:22.560 was a full participant on Wednesday. But Hughes appears to 0:14:22.600 --> 0:14:25.000 be that that slock cornerback. So is he going up 0:14:25.040 --> 0:14:27.920 against Graham's he going up against Randall Cobb. That's gonna 0:14:27.920 --> 0:14:30.000 be a big piece that they're gonna have to figure out. Yeah, Well, 0:14:30.040 --> 0:14:32.800 switching gears to the defensive side of the ball here quickly, 0:14:32.840 --> 0:14:37.520 wes um the uh we saw at least in our 0:14:37.560 --> 0:14:40.920 first introduction to Mike Petton's defense, and it may have 0:14:40.960 --> 0:14:43.720 been partly driven by the fact that orn Burke said 0:14:43.720 --> 0:14:47.480 inside linebacker was injured and the other inside linebackers aside 0:14:47.480 --> 0:14:49.680 from Martinez haven't been with the team very long. But 0:14:50.360 --> 0:14:52.680 we saw Mike Petton put a lot of dbs on 0:14:52.720 --> 0:14:55.560 the field against the Bears, a lot of six dbs 0:14:55.760 --> 0:14:59.720 and even in some cases seven dB packages depending on 0:14:59.840 --> 0:15:02.440 high you want to classify Jermaine white Head and how 0:15:02.480 --> 0:15:06.120 he was used. But the depth of the Packers secondary 0:15:06.280 --> 0:15:10.080 was needed in Game one, and Mike Petton used every 0:15:10.120 --> 0:15:12.040 just about every inch of it. Yeah, he did. And 0:15:12.080 --> 0:15:14.240 I thought it was really interesting listen to Kirk Cousins 0:15:14.280 --> 0:15:15.720 talk a little bit about it, because he was asked 0:15:15.720 --> 0:15:18.080 about those seven dB packages and how that stress as 0:15:18.080 --> 0:15:20.640 a quarterback. And and he made such a great point 0:15:20.720 --> 0:15:24.400 is that Petton really was indiscriminate when he used it. 0:15:24.520 --> 0:15:26.720 I mean he would use it in a variety of 0:15:26.760 --> 0:15:30.240 different ways in different situations and down in distances. I 0:15:30.280 --> 0:15:32.400 think the most common version of that is going to 0:15:32.480 --> 0:15:34.040 be in the you know, the dime and some of 0:15:34.040 --> 0:15:36.960 the sub package stuff. But we saw packages Mike that 0:15:37.080 --> 0:15:39.240 I think Blake Martinez referred to as like a base 0:15:39.360 --> 0:15:42.760 sub where they had three down linemen, two inside or 0:15:42.760 --> 0:15:45.720 one inside linebacker, two outside linebackers, and then just five 0:15:45.720 --> 0:15:49.560 defensive backs. They pivoted so many different ways with their packages. 0:15:50.160 --> 0:15:52.200 When when you look at how they were able to 0:15:52.280 --> 0:15:55.040 utilize Jermine Whitehead as kind of that Nitro Nickel kind 0:15:55.080 --> 0:15:59.000 of linebacker next to Martinez. Josh Jackson, who I mean, 0:15:59.000 --> 0:16:01.040 where's all the people now talking about how he couldn't 0:16:01.040 --> 0:16:03.200 play the slot, how he was a boundary cornerback, a 0:16:03.280 --> 0:16:07.200 zone boundary cornerback. He's basically dispelled each one of those 0:16:07.200 --> 0:16:09.520 things every single time he's taken the field for Green Bay. 0:16:09.600 --> 0:16:11.800 And we all know what Jr. Alexander can do. So 0:16:12.480 --> 0:16:14.280 I had a really big question. I said it last 0:16:14.280 --> 0:16:16.520 week on the show, Mike how this was all gonna 0:16:16.560 --> 0:16:18.680 look with all these cornerbacks, how Mike pett was going 0:16:18.720 --> 0:16:21.200 to use him because to me, I didn't want Josh 0:16:21.240 --> 0:16:23.320 Jackson if I'm if I'm pettent, I didn't want him 0:16:23.320 --> 0:16:25.520 sitting on the bench most of that game. I wanted 0:16:25.600 --> 0:16:28.160 him involved in Kudos to him he found out a 0:16:28.200 --> 0:16:30.480 way to get Tremont Williams and Kevin King playing the 0:16:30.640 --> 0:16:33.960 entire game, but then also get upwards of forty five 0:16:34.000 --> 0:16:36.800 snaps for both Alexander and Jackson. We talked about it 0:16:36.840 --> 0:16:39.120 being a strength, that the strength as it stands today, 0:16:39.480 --> 0:16:41.640 and he put it to use against the Bears. Yeah. Well, 0:16:41.680 --> 0:16:43.920 we talked about how some of the different ways the 0:16:44.000 --> 0:16:47.720 chess match could unfold with the Packers on offense, the 0:16:47.760 --> 0:16:51.800 Packers on defense. The way this, uh, this chess match 0:16:51.840 --> 0:16:54.680 could go if I'm the Vikings and Kirk Cousins and 0:16:54.720 --> 0:16:57.000 I'm seeing the six and seven dbs out there in 0:16:57.320 --> 0:17:00.120 a lot of different situations, the way you get the 0:17:00.120 --> 0:17:01.720 Packers out of that as you're on the ball with 0:17:01.800 --> 0:17:05.119 Dalvin Cook, because because six seven dbs on the field, 0:17:05.119 --> 0:17:07.120 your light in the pants, so to speak, in terms 0:17:07.160 --> 0:17:09.280 of being able to stop the run. Now, if you can, 0:17:09.400 --> 0:17:11.360 if you're the Packers and you can stop the run 0:17:11.680 --> 0:17:14.280 and contain Dalvin Cook with those kinds of packages, that 0:17:14.359 --> 0:17:17.720 gives you an advantage. But if you can't, then you 0:17:17.800 --> 0:17:20.080 need to get a little bit more beef up front, 0:17:20.080 --> 0:17:22.119 so to speak, in that front seven in order to 0:17:22.119 --> 0:17:24.680 contain the run. And then the advantage shifts to Kirk 0:17:24.720 --> 0:17:28.320 Cousins with Stefon Diggs, Adam Thiel and Kyle Rudolph and 0:17:28.359 --> 0:17:30.879 all the weapons in the passing game. So there there's 0:17:31.240 --> 0:17:33.200 a lot of different ways, just as we talked about 0:17:33.200 --> 0:17:34.600 on the other side of the ball, a lot of 0:17:34.640 --> 0:17:37.040 different ways that this could play out, and over the 0:17:37.080 --> 0:17:39.960 course of four quarters and and three hours, there's gonna 0:17:39.960 --> 0:17:41.960 be a lot of shifting and changing going on. I 0:17:42.000 --> 0:17:44.399 think the exciting thing if you're a Packers fan right 0:17:44.400 --> 0:17:46.760 now with this defense is I think there's a really 0:17:46.800 --> 0:17:48.520 good chance that we don't even see those kind of 0:17:48.560 --> 0:17:51.040 packages again in this game. I think you could see 0:17:51.080 --> 0:17:53.480 pett and potentially and this is just speculation on my part, 0:17:53.480 --> 0:17:55.359 but I think you could see him take more of 0:17:55.359 --> 0:17:57.639 that New England approach where your tailor and game plans 0:17:57.680 --> 0:18:01.280 to specific opponents absolutely in really marching things up a 0:18:01.320 --> 0:18:03.840 little bit. It is going to be interesting to see, though, 0:18:04.320 --> 0:18:06.200 exactly what that plan is going to be for Cook 0:18:06.280 --> 0:18:08.719 and and certainly the defensive front. They know he's going 0:18:08.760 --> 0:18:11.600 to be a big challenge for them and seeing how 0:18:11.600 --> 0:18:14.760 they respond to it. Lastly, Blake Martinez, I think that 0:18:14.880 --> 0:18:16.600 had to be one of the finest games he's played 0:18:16.600 --> 0:18:19.120 in the Packers uniform because for fifty nine of those 0:18:19.119 --> 0:18:21.040 seventy snaps he was on the field. He was the 0:18:21.119 --> 0:18:24.000 loan inside backer. He was working with guys he wasn't 0:18:24.040 --> 0:18:27.040 used to working with, and he was the primary communicator. 0:18:27.280 --> 0:18:28.960 That was a big assignment and that's a big moment 0:18:29.000 --> 0:18:31.000 that he's going to grow from as this season where's on. Yeah, 0:18:31.000 --> 0:18:32.679 it was like he was a ship's captain with a 0:18:32.680 --> 0:18:35.439 whole new crew. Absolutely, and he was the guy tying 0:18:35.440 --> 0:18:38.399 that defensive front to kentroll o'brice Hahak, Clinton Dicks in 0:18:38.440 --> 0:18:40.520 the secretary. That was such a big role for him. 0:18:40.520 --> 0:18:43.240 It wasn't really talked about much, but that was a 0:18:43.320 --> 0:18:45.760