WEBVTT - #375 Packers Unscripted: Rivalry week 0:00:00.800 --> 0:00:21.079 Hi, everyone, Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:21.120 --> 0:00:23.680 I am Mike Spofford. He is the one and only 0:00:23.720 --> 0:00:26.880 wes Hodkuits. We're coming to you here from our studios 0:00:26.920 --> 0:00:31.000 at lambeau Field and west to uh. I guess put 0:00:31.000 --> 0:00:34.120 in perspective where the Packers are right now. Joe Philbin 0:00:34.600 --> 0:00:37.640 spoke to the media on Monday, the traditional day after 0:00:38.200 --> 0:00:42.120 game press conference from a head coach, and he made 0:00:42.159 --> 0:00:45.080 no bones about it. Here West with the Chicago Bears 0:00:45.120 --> 0:00:49.120 on the horizon Sunday noon kickoff at Soldier Field, the 0:00:49.159 --> 0:00:52.120 Packers are going to have to play their best game 0:00:52.159 --> 0:00:55.960 of the season, quite frankly, in order to win this game. Um, 0:00:56.040 --> 0:00:59.400 and now we're looking at a Bears team that is 0:00:59.400 --> 0:01:02.720 going to see it arch rival come into its stadium 0:01:02.760 --> 0:01:06.720 with a chance, Chicago speaking, that is, to clinch its 0:01:06.760 --> 0:01:10.720 first NFC North championships since two thousand and ten. You 0:01:10.800 --> 0:01:13.319 know they want to do that against the Packers. The 0:01:13.400 --> 0:01:16.200 steaks do not get any higher for either of these teams. 0:01:16.240 --> 0:01:19.720 Because here's the other thing. From the Bears perspective, they 0:01:19.720 --> 0:01:22.200 actually have an outside chance still getting a bye here. 0:01:22.319 --> 0:01:24.520 So I mean, if if they can you know, if 0:01:24.560 --> 0:01:27.200 the same way the pack The Packers want to win out. 0:01:27.400 --> 0:01:29.399 The Bears want to do the same thing and then 0:01:29.400 --> 0:01:31.839 see if maybe some luck would fall into their hands, now, 0:01:32.319 --> 0:01:35.240 you know, and on an outside chance, what a way, 0:01:35.440 --> 0:01:37.679 if I'm not mistaken, the way the Bears would get 0:01:37.680 --> 0:01:39.600 a bye would be to win out and the Rams 0:01:39.640 --> 0:01:42.080 would have to lose twice, right, because if they could 0:01:42.120 --> 0:01:44.400 tie the Rams, they have the tiebreaker on the head 0:01:44.440 --> 0:01:46.440 to head and then the Bears could get the two seats. Yeah, 0:01:46.480 --> 0:01:48.680 so that that door is open for them now. So, 0:01:49.320 --> 0:01:51.960 and then from the Packers perspective, it's really funny, Mike. 0:01:52.000 --> 0:01:55.120 I was sitting down last night having a conversation with 0:01:55.160 --> 0:01:58.680 my father and I was saying, you know, it's interesting 0:01:58.680 --> 0:02:02.080 in that literally, these past two weeks could not have 0:02:02.120 --> 0:02:05.000 gone any better for the Packers other than losing that 0:02:05.080 --> 0:02:07.760 game to the Cardinal. Right, they got everything they needed 0:02:07.800 --> 0:02:11.160 to happen last week, and it basically happened again. Now 0:02:11.160 --> 0:02:12.959 it looks like Seattle is going to be running away 0:02:13.000 --> 0:02:15.200 with one of those wild card spots. Yeah, the Seahawks 0:02:15.240 --> 0:02:17.760 are in perfect position now for one of those wild cards. 0:02:17.800 --> 0:02:19.680 You know, they'd have to lose out for the Packers 0:02:19.720 --> 0:02:22.120 to even be in a potential situation to to get 0:02:22.120 --> 0:02:24.440 it over them. But be that as it may. The 0:02:24.440 --> 0:02:28.720 Packers very suddenly have not a good probability, but a 0:02:28.800 --> 0:02:31.880 realistic probability. Here you have three teams that need to 0:02:31.919 --> 0:02:33.720 lose one, so you need the Vikings, who are reeling 0:02:33.720 --> 0:02:37.160 to lose twice in the last three weeks. Stranger things 0:02:37.200 --> 0:02:39.679 have happened. I think the Packers biggest issue right now 0:02:39.960 --> 0:02:41.959 is the fact that they're staring at the Chicago Bears 0:02:41.960 --> 0:02:44.280 here on Sunday. Yeah, they're staring at a Bears team 0:02:44.320 --> 0:02:48.160 that quite frankly, is riding high. They just beat the 0:02:48.200 --> 0:02:51.400 team that was holding the number one seed in the 0:02:51.520 --> 0:02:54.520 NFC in the Rams, and they held that high flying 0:02:54.560 --> 0:02:58.320 offense to just six points intercepted. Jared Goffwell was at 0:02:58.360 --> 0:03:02.959 four times on Sunday Night Football. So this, uh, this 0:03:03.000 --> 0:03:07.880 Bears team is riding a significant wave of momentum. And yeah, 0:03:07.960 --> 0:03:10.320 I mean you can talk all these other scenarios and 0:03:10.360 --> 0:03:12.519 who has to lose and this and that for the Packers, 0:03:12.560 --> 0:03:17.120 but it all starts now with knocking off the presumptive 0:03:17.200 --> 0:03:21.400 division champion in the Chicago Bears on Sunday in Chicago 0:03:21.560 --> 0:03:24.760 in December, in the cold, all of that, for everything 0:03:24.800 --> 0:03:27.400 that's gone on this season, it's just gonna be fun. 0:03:27.480 --> 0:03:30.120 I think to go to Chicago for a Packers Bears 0:03:30.200 --> 0:03:33.280 game in December with quite a bit on the line. Yeah, 0:03:33.280 --> 0:03:36.360 I put it as our insider Inbox headline for Tuesday, 0:03:36.360 --> 0:03:38.800 and that it's all you can really ask for right now. 0:03:38.840 --> 0:03:41.560 I mean, the Packers have put themselves in this position. 0:03:41.600 --> 0:03:44.320 You are five, seven and one, you're on the outside 0:03:44.360 --> 0:03:48.120 looking in. But it's just strange to me how many second, third, 0:03:48.160 --> 0:03:50.320 now fourth chances they appear to have at trying to 0:03:50.360 --> 0:03:53.040 make a postseason run. Here's what stands out to me 0:03:53.080 --> 0:03:56.600 the most, Mike, You're absolutely right. The Chicago Bears defense phenomenal. 0:03:56.840 --> 0:03:58.800 Getting a chance to watch some of those highlights of 0:03:58.840 --> 0:04:01.720 that game these past two days, incredible what they were 0:04:01.760 --> 0:04:04.240 able to do against Jared Goff and just the the 0:04:04.280 --> 0:04:08.040 mayhem and dysfunction that they caused for the Bears offense alright, 0:04:08.040 --> 0:04:11.240 for the excuse me, the Rams offense. Uh. But the 0:04:11.280 --> 0:04:13.080 thing that's funny about is on the other side of things. 0:04:13.480 --> 0:04:15.920 Mitchell Robinsky was the winning quarterback in that game with 0:04:15.960 --> 0:04:19.120 a thirty three passer rating. Now they finally were able 0:04:19.160 --> 0:04:21.320 to get Jordan Howard going. He had a hundred yard game, 0:04:21.640 --> 0:04:26.880 but Mr Robinsky sixteen yards, one touchdown, three interceptions. This 0:04:26.960 --> 0:04:29.560 is not an impenetrable force either. Now we're gonna be 0:04:29.560 --> 0:04:31.400 taking some time these next couple of days to preview 0:04:31.400 --> 0:04:33.000 the Bears, and we'll get into all of that, but 0:04:34.200 --> 0:04:36.560 it is it's this game to me. As we lead 0:04:36.600 --> 0:04:39.360 into these days, it's gonna be Joe Philbin and Aaron 0:04:39.440 --> 0:04:41.960 Rodgers and this Packers offense that is now coming off 0:04:41.960 --> 0:04:44.200 its highest scoring game of the season, thanks in part 0:04:44.240 --> 0:04:48.440 to bust, but thirty four points against the Bears defense 0:04:48.480 --> 0:04:52.760 that every single week just gets better. The storylines build themselves. Yeah. Well, 0:04:52.800 --> 0:04:55.359 and we didn't really get an update from Joe Philbin 0:04:55.440 --> 0:04:58.479 on where the Packers are health wise on their offensive line. 0:04:58.520 --> 0:05:00.440 But really, when you look at this game, the fact 0:05:00.520 --> 0:05:03.960 that the Packers were missing three starters on their offensive 0:05:03.960 --> 0:05:07.320 line for the Falcons game and what this Bears defensive 0:05:07.400 --> 0:05:09.840 front is doing two people both against the run and 0:05:09.920 --> 0:05:13.000 the past. I watched the second half, pretty much the 0:05:13.040 --> 0:05:16.000 whole second half of that Rams Bears game, and it 0:05:16.120 --> 0:05:19.440 was amazing because the last night checked Todd Gurley's The 0:05:19.480 --> 0:05:23.279 Reigning NFC Offensive NFL Offensive Player of the Year. The 0:05:23.360 --> 0:05:25.039 Rams just didn't even want to give them the ball. 0:05:25.120 --> 0:05:27.719 They gave up trying to run the ball against that 0:05:27.760 --> 0:05:30.360 Bears front, and then the pass r us just made 0:05:30.400 --> 0:05:32.560 life miserable for Golf. Not that they sacked him a 0:05:32.600 --> 0:05:35.520 whole bunch of times, but the four interceptions were largely 0:05:35.560 --> 0:05:37.400 the result of all the pressure and him having to 0:05:37.480 --> 0:05:40.280 run around and and everything. I don't know where the 0:05:40.320 --> 0:05:43.040 Packers will be on the offensive line, if Brian Blaga, 0:05:43.080 --> 0:05:45.520 Byron Bell and or Lane Taylor will be able to 0:05:45.560 --> 0:05:48.440 get back into the starting lineup. But this game for 0:05:48.480 --> 0:05:51.680 the Packers offense comes down to what they do up 0:05:51.680 --> 0:05:55.159 front against that Bears defensive front. Because the Bears have 0:05:55.240 --> 0:05:58.080 a whole bunch of interceptions, but it's that defensive front 0:05:58.120 --> 0:06:00.240 that sets the tone. Yeah, I mean, they definitely gonna 0:06:00.240 --> 0:06:01.800 have to protect the football. The Bears I think are 0:06:01.800 --> 0:06:04.200 already north of what thirty takeaways or something like this 0:06:04.279 --> 0:06:06.039 on the season. I saw a stat that they have 0:06:06.200 --> 0:06:09.359 twenty five interceptions I believe on the season, and in 0:06:09.360 --> 0:06:13.680 the last three years combined, the Bears had twenty four interceptions. 0:06:14.000 --> 0:06:16.240 Kyle Fuller, I mean, people want to talk about the 0:06:16.240 --> 0:06:19.359 Packers in the off season. Everything Brian Goodkins trying to 0:06:19.400 --> 0:06:22.560 sign Kyle Fuller looks better and better every single day 0:06:23.000 --> 0:06:25.159 with him now up to seven interceptions on the season. 0:06:25.240 --> 0:06:28.440 Eddie Jackson, the former safety out of Alabama who broke 0:06:28.480 --> 0:06:32.159 his leg, has now become a phenomenal player in their secondary. 0:06:32.200 --> 0:06:34.160 So yeah, you're right, there are a lot of guys 0:06:34.160 --> 0:06:36.680 that can take away the football. But much like Vic 0:06:36.720 --> 0:06:40.599 Fangio's defense in San Francisco years, this thing is being 0:06:40.640 --> 0:06:42.720 one for them right now in the trenches and it 0:06:42.800 --> 0:06:45.039 was you know, you could talk about Cleil mac in 0:06:45.120 --> 0:06:47.720 no question, Kleil Mack is a big piece of that, 0:06:48.200 --> 0:06:50.080 maybe even the one that put them over the top. 0:06:51.120 --> 0:06:52.600 But I think you gotta give a lot of credit 0:06:52.920 --> 0:06:56.400 to Ryan Pace what they've brought in. You know, Danny 0:06:56.400 --> 0:06:59.440 Trevathan has now become a big part of that middle 0:06:59.440 --> 0:07:02.160 of that defen ends. But then you know ro Quan 0:07:02.240 --> 0:07:05.120 Smith comes in. There are just so many different guys 0:07:05.160 --> 0:07:08.279 at so many different levels that are stepping up for 0:07:08.320 --> 0:07:10.800 the Bears this season, and it's allowing them to to 0:07:10.880 --> 0:07:12.920 put together performances like this. I have to throw out 0:07:12.960 --> 0:07:14.640 one more thing, Michael before I let you get to 0:07:14.680 --> 0:07:18.360 your advertisement too, thank you to the Bears defense, You're 0:07:18.360 --> 0:07:20.640 gonna be like, why are you saying thank you? Every 0:07:20.680 --> 0:07:22.960 single person that has asked over the last few weeks, 0:07:22.960 --> 0:07:25.440 why aren't the Packers running more jet sweeps? Why isn't 0:07:25.440 --> 0:07:29.000 there more misdirection? Watch what happened to the Rams in 0:07:29.040 --> 0:07:34.240 that game. Good defense and good discipline will always beat misdirection. 0:07:35.040 --> 0:07:38.640 You know, it's it's it's the it's as long as 0:07:38.680 --> 0:07:40.800 the NFL has been around, that has been the case. 0:07:41.200 --> 0:07:44.320 If that wasn't the case, you'd run jet sweeps every 0:07:44.320 --> 0:07:47.800 single play. The Bears blew them up. There was nothing 0:07:47.840 --> 0:07:49.560 that the Rams are gonna be able to get away with, 0:07:49.640 --> 0:07:51.600 and it ended the way up with them having was 0:07:51.640 --> 0:07:55.480 a thirteen carries sixty two yards. They couldn't they couldn't 0:07:55.560 --> 0:07:57.480 run the ball. They couldn't run the football, and that 0:07:57.480 --> 0:08:00.160 that just completely set them up for for failure in 0:08:00.200 --> 0:08:02.240 that game. You mentioned Mac, and I know we'll use 0:08:02.280 --> 0:08:04.640 tomorrow show to talk even more about the Bears, but 0:08:04.760 --> 0:08:07.200 I think and I take nothing away from Mac and 0:08:07.240 --> 0:08:09.400 what he did in Oakland, But I don't know in 0:08:09.440 --> 0:08:11.760 Oakland if he was ever on a defensive line that 0:08:11.880 --> 0:08:13.960 had a guy like a Keen Hicks, and I think 0:08:14.000 --> 0:08:16.360 those two, you can say what you want about Aaron 0:08:16.400 --> 0:08:18.840 Donald and Dominican Sue a great pair for the l 0:08:18.880 --> 0:08:21.400 A Rams. I don't know if there is a more 0:08:21.560 --> 0:08:25.280 disruptive and dangerous pair of defensive linemen on the same 0:08:25.320 --> 0:08:27.960 team right now than Khalil Mack and a Keen Hicks. 0:08:28.000 --> 0:08:31.520 Those guys, those guys are just downright nasty, I guess, 0:08:31.520 --> 0:08:33.400 for lack of a better word. It's an excellent point 0:08:33.440 --> 0:08:36.200 you make, because when they drafted Mac, he was there, 0:08:36.320 --> 0:08:39.160 he was their playmaker, but he was young. In all 0:08:39.200 --> 0:08:41.679 of the veterans on that group, on that unit that 0:08:41.920 --> 0:08:44.199 the Raiders had, they were all free agent signings. There 0:08:44.240 --> 0:08:46.920 were no hicks Is out there that were just like 0:08:47.120 --> 0:08:51.120 bona fide starters that were already causing disruption in their defense. 0:08:51.520 --> 0:08:53.839 They were trying to mix and match veterans with their 0:08:53.880 --> 0:08:56.880 young guys. Whereas you take Vic Fangio, what he's done. 0:08:56.920 --> 0:08:59.080 He's had playmakers in place, he's had a top ten 0:08:59.120 --> 0:09:01.360 defense before, and now you just added one of the 0:09:01.400 --> 0:09:04.680 top young pass rushers into the league into that unit. Yeah, 0:09:04.679 --> 0:09:06.320 all right, Well, before it gets away from me, here, 0:09:06.360 --> 0:09:08.960 what's a little sponsored business. So Packers fans stop in 0:09:09.000 --> 0:09:11.920 at your local Quick Trip and pick up your Packers 0:09:11.960 --> 0:09:14.800 cup today. Get eighty nine cent refills on your Cafe 0:09:14.880 --> 0:09:18.440 Cruba coffee all season long. And the deadline here is 0:09:18.440 --> 0:09:21.400 coming up West. Only one home game left to enter 0:09:21.440 --> 0:09:23.760 the Cousins Subs Best Seats in the House promotion. You 0:09:23.800 --> 0:09:25.560 and a guest could win a chance to kick back 0:09:25.920 --> 0:09:27.959 on the fifty yard line in style. Two pairs of 0:09:28.000 --> 0:09:30.480 lucky Packers fans will be chosen prior to each home 0:09:30.520 --> 0:09:33.520 game for this v I P Experience Center daily now 0:09:33.559 --> 0:09:37.320 through December sixteen. By completing the entry form and submitting. 0:09:37.320 --> 0:09:39.840 For complete rules and eligibility, go to Packers dot com 0:09:39.880 --> 0:09:43.600 slash Best Seats Cousins Subs. We believe in better all right. 0:09:43.640 --> 0:09:45.800 Another thing I wanted to get to West because I 0:09:45.880 --> 0:09:49.360 had the pleasure on Monday of going through the Packers 0:09:49.400 --> 0:09:52.920 defensive film because I wanted to see just how this 0:09:53.000 --> 0:09:57.439 whole matchup between Jaire Alexander and Julio Jones went. And 0:09:57.920 --> 0:10:00.840 I take nothing away from what alexand Or did against 0:10:00.920 --> 0:10:03.720 Jones when he was matched up with him one on one, 0:10:04.200 --> 0:10:07.640 but what I found, and this is why I ended 0:10:07.720 --> 0:10:11.720 up centering my entire What you might have missed weekly piece, 0:10:11.800 --> 0:10:15.440 which which will be up on the website Tuesday around 0:10:15.480 --> 0:10:19.160 this is it wasn't just what Alexander did against Jones. 0:10:19.320 --> 0:10:22.320 And don't get too carried away with the narrative that 0:10:22.360 --> 0:10:25.320 this was, you know, sixty snaps or sixty five snaps 0:10:25.360 --> 0:10:28.640 of Alexander just lined up across from Julio Jones every play, 0:10:28.679 --> 0:10:31.040 because that wasn't the case. There was some mixing and 0:10:31.080 --> 0:10:34.240 matching with some zone calls and other types of coverages. 0:10:34.800 --> 0:10:38.080 But man, when I was watching Alexander snap after snap 0:10:38.120 --> 0:10:44.160 on the All twenty two, his anticipation defensively really really 0:10:44.200 --> 0:10:47.240 stands out. And I'm talking about plays where trying to 0:10:47.679 --> 0:10:49.920 you know, flare out passes to the running backs or 0:10:49.960 --> 0:10:52.800 even on design screens, whether it's a checkdown or or 0:10:52.840 --> 0:10:55.280 a screen a design pass to a running back, he 0:10:55.440 --> 0:10:58.720 is charging up from that cornerback position. He is right 0:10:59.160 --> 0:11:01.000 in the thick of all those plays. And one of 0:11:01.000 --> 0:11:02.679 the things that really jumped out at me is you 0:11:02.679 --> 0:11:06.920 remember the play where I believe it was Atlanta's second possession, 0:11:07.080 --> 0:11:10.320 third down there nearing the red zone, and Matt Ryan 0:11:10.400 --> 0:11:13.040 kind of pump pump fakes or tries to stop throwing 0:11:13.080 --> 0:11:14.960 the ball and it comes out of his hand and 0:11:14.960 --> 0:11:16.800 and they lose. They lose a whole bunch of yards. 0:11:16.920 --> 0:11:19.600 When you look at that on film, he's trying, he's 0:11:19.679 --> 0:11:23.200 looking to swing it out to Tevin Coleman, leaking out 0:11:23.200 --> 0:11:26.680 of the backfield. J You're Alexander was charging up. And 0:11:26.760 --> 0:11:30.080 I'm convinced from watching the film that when Matt Ryan 0:11:30.200 --> 0:11:33.400 saw Alexander's anticipation of that play is when he tried 0:11:33.440 --> 0:11:35.240 to stop the throw, and then that's why the ball 0:11:35.280 --> 0:11:37.400 comes out. So it looks like a terrible play on 0:11:37.480 --> 0:11:40.520 Matt Ryan's part, But give credit to Alexander. I think 0:11:40.559 --> 0:11:44.000 he's the one who forced the fumble. Yeah, yeah, it's 0:11:44.080 --> 0:11:46.040 he's had a great year. I mean, you look at 0:11:46.080 --> 0:11:49.520 where he came from as a twenty one year old rookie, 0:11:49.559 --> 0:11:53.560 eighteenth overall pick, high expectations, and he's, you know, really 0:11:53.640 --> 0:11:55.640 risen to every challenge and he's been given this year. 0:11:55.679 --> 0:11:58.920 I mean, yeah, you know, whatever your definition of matching 0:11:59.640 --> 0:12:02.360 however want to look at it. The Packers have made 0:12:02.360 --> 0:12:04.959 it pretty clear, especially in the time in which Kevin 0:12:05.040 --> 0:12:07.800 King has been out with these lingering lower body issues. 0:12:08.200 --> 0:12:11.839 Hamstring issues that JayR Alexander is their quote unquote number 0:12:11.840 --> 0:12:14.679 one cornerback. Uh. He can play the slot, he can 0:12:14.720 --> 0:12:18.360 play the boundary. He's versatile, he's quick, he's a ball hawk, 0:12:18.960 --> 0:12:22.439 and he has a short memory and his confidence never weighing. 0:12:22.600 --> 0:12:24.840 So for him to be able to step up to 0:12:24.880 --> 0:12:27.960 that challenge but then also be accountable um to those 0:12:27.960 --> 0:12:30.880 other situational football type things, because in a situation like 0:12:30.920 --> 0:12:33.200 that where there is a dump off pass, I can't 0:12:33.200 --> 0:12:36.920 imagine there was any situation where that was quote unquote 0:12:36.960 --> 0:12:39.640 his guy. You know, that's just a guy trying to 0:12:39.640 --> 0:12:41.360 step up and make a play track in the eyes 0:12:41.400 --> 0:12:44.200 of quarterback and being aware of his surroundings. And then 0:12:44.559 --> 0:12:46.840 a byproduct of that is you end up causing what 0:12:46.920 --> 0:12:49.880 it was at a sixteen yard loss. Sixteen yard loss, 0:12:49.880 --> 0:12:51.880 and then the Falcons missed the field goal has ended 0:12:51.960 --> 0:12:54.000 up being a fifty plus yard field goal that came 0:12:54.040 --> 0:12:56.559 up way short. The two biggest plays for the Packers 0:12:56.600 --> 0:12:58.800 defensive the day. We're both set up on you know, 0:12:58.880 --> 0:13:01.520 one two situations when it was that and then Bryant 0:13:01.600 --> 0:13:05.200 missing badly on the field goal, and then also the 0:13:05.200 --> 0:13:08.160 the kickoff return that was botched ends up being putting 0:13:08.200 --> 0:13:10.559 them at the eight yard line and then comes back 0:13:10.559 --> 0:13:12.600 and gets the pick six. Those are the type of 0:13:12.600 --> 0:13:15.559 things you need, though, you need to have for the 0:13:15.640 --> 0:13:21.360 defensive perspective, positive momentum building plays because the other side 0:13:21.360 --> 0:13:23.160 of that is it's going to tilt this, you know, 0:13:23.440 --> 0:13:25.440 the momentum of a football game. Yeah, I tell you 0:13:25.800 --> 0:13:28.840 number twenty three. This rookie Alexander for the Packers. He 0:13:29.320 --> 0:13:30.960 is just fun to watch. And I know the fans 0:13:31.000 --> 0:13:33.839 watching at home on TV, you can't focus on a cornerback. 0:13:33.880 --> 0:13:36.360 He's not in the screen. And that's why I took 0:13:36.360 --> 0:13:39.199 the time to sit down and watch an entire game 0:13:39.480 --> 0:13:43.000 simply focusing on him on the AL twenty two and 0:13:43.000 --> 0:13:45.800 and he he really, he really is a special player. 0:13:45.800 --> 0:13:47.800 And he doesn't look like a rookie. I guess that's 0:13:47.800 --> 0:13:50.959 maybe the biggest compliment I could I could give him, 0:13:51.000 --> 0:13:53.680 because yes, Julio Jones is going to make his plays. 0:13:54.120 --> 0:13:56.600 Julio Jones had one big play that was called back 0:13:56.679 --> 0:13:59.920 on an offensive holding penalty, another play where he beat 0:14:00.000 --> 0:14:02.839 Alexander deep but the ball was overthrown. That kind of 0:14:02.880 --> 0:14:05.600 stuff happens as well. But man, you talk, you talk 0:14:05.640 --> 0:14:08.320 about a competitor, who is not going to back down 0:14:08.360 --> 0:14:12.200 to anybody, and who's who's energy and enthusiasm and everything 0:14:12.520 --> 0:14:14.840 fires up everybody around him. Yeah, and if you could, 0:14:14.880 --> 0:14:17.080 just if for the Packers sake, if you get three 0:14:17.120 --> 0:14:19.520 more weeks here the rest of this regular season where 0:14:19.520 --> 0:14:22.800 you can get keep Alexander and Brelan and Jack's and 0:14:22.880 --> 0:14:26.160 Tony Brown, you know, keep the rest of that secondary healthy. 0:14:26.200 --> 0:14:28.080 They've had a weather a lot of injuries this year. 0:14:28.120 --> 0:14:30.880 But I think you even saw with Briland the dimension 0:14:30.920 --> 0:14:33.200 that he adds when he's sort of thrown in there 0:14:33.240 --> 0:14:37.000 as well, because he has inside outside versatility. He he 0:14:37.040 --> 0:14:39.040 said it after the game, he really stressed over the 0:14:39.120 --> 0:14:42.760 last few years, his playmaking ability, his ball hawking ability. 0:14:43.040 --> 0:14:46.560 Truman Williams, Kentroll, Bryce was back in that game. I 0:14:46.680 --> 0:14:50.160 just think from Mike Petton's perspective, moving these chess pieces around, 0:14:50.200 --> 0:14:53.200 the more of them, the more guys that you give him, 0:14:53.240 --> 0:14:55.360 the better his defense can be, the more plays that 0:14:55.400 --> 0:14:58.560 they can make. The exciting thing about Alexander's getting back 0:14:58.600 --> 0:15:00.240 to him, though, is the fact that he is only 0:15:00.600 --> 0:15:04.080 one years old. He has a long future, bright future 0:15:04.080 --> 0:15:07.920 ahead of him in this league, and every single repute 0:15:07.920 --> 0:15:11.840 takes against Julio Jones or Brandon Cooks or Larry Fitzgerald, 0:15:12.280 --> 0:15:14.800 all these guys he's seen over the last couple of months. 0:15:15.360 --> 0:15:17.680 I mean, the byproduct of that, that the benefit of 0:15:17.720 --> 0:15:19.480 that down the line is just going to be out 0:15:19.480 --> 0:15:21.920 of this world. Yeah, I totally agree with you. Well, 0:15:21.960 --> 0:15:24.000 I promised at the end of yesterday's show that we 0:15:24.040 --> 0:15:27.080 would look back at the week that was in the NFL, 0:15:27.240 --> 0:15:30.560 and with that result on Monday Night Football, with the 0:15:30.600 --> 0:15:33.000 Seahawks beating the Vikings, that is what has set up 0:15:33.040 --> 0:15:36.520 now that the Bears are in position with one more victory. 0:15:36.600 --> 0:15:39.560 All Chicago needs is one more win to clinch it's 0:15:39.600 --> 0:15:43.440 first NFC North title since two thousand ten. But now 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:45.920 the Vikings are sitting there at six six and one. 0:15:46.880 --> 0:15:49.680 There are three other teams I believe that are six 0:15:49.720 --> 0:15:53.000 and seven, the Packers then behind that bunch at five 0:15:53.080 --> 0:15:58.320 seven and one, This whole cluster fighting for the what 0:15:58.320 --> 0:16:00.600 what right now would be the number six seed in 0:16:00.600 --> 0:16:04.720 the NFC, the wild card spot. You know, it's tough West. 0:16:04.720 --> 0:16:07.040 I mean, the Philadelphia Eagles look like, okay, are they 0:16:07.040 --> 0:16:08.600 going to make a run, but then they end up 0:16:08.640 --> 0:16:12.680 losing in overtime to the Cowboys. The Carolina Panthers were 0:16:12.720 --> 0:16:15.400 six and two. They've lost five games in a row 0:16:15.480 --> 0:16:17.760 to drop to six and seven, and now they're hanging 0:16:17.800 --> 0:16:22.840 on for their playoff lives. Um. And obviously the Washington Redskins, 0:16:22.920 --> 0:16:25.800 with their quarterback situation and the injuries, they've gone from 0:16:25.840 --> 0:16:28.120 six and three I believe they were to now six 0:16:28.160 --> 0:16:31.680 and seven with four straight losses. Um, it's kind of 0:16:31.680 --> 0:16:34.840 got it's you know, quite frankly gotten crazy in the NFC. 0:16:35.280 --> 0:16:38.680 And if one other thing happened as a result of 0:16:38.720 --> 0:16:43.400 the Bears beating the Rams on Sunday night, the Bears 0:16:43.480 --> 0:16:47.040 might have just sent the NFC road to the Super 0:16:47.040 --> 0:16:49.800 Bowl through the Super Dome in New Orleans. Because now 0:16:50.000 --> 0:16:53.280 the the Saints, who have the tiebreaker on the Rams, 0:16:53.600 --> 0:16:55.840 are back in the number one spot. And I know 0:16:56.200 --> 0:16:58.320 the Saints have had their ups and downs here over 0:16:58.320 --> 0:17:00.480 the last couple of weeks, but boy, come g Nanuary. 0:17:00.560 --> 0:17:02.800 Having to go into the Super Doom in New Orleans, 0:17:03.160 --> 0:17:05.240 I'm not sure if anybody's going to be able to 0:17:05.280 --> 0:17:07.000 go in there and beat that team. Yeah, if they 0:17:07.000 --> 0:17:08.960 can just stay at a T n T stadium now 0:17:09.040 --> 0:17:11.199 from the here until the Super Bowl, they might be 0:17:11.240 --> 0:17:14.000 all right. The very interesting thing about them though, I 0:17:14.000 --> 0:17:15.640 was thinking about this before and I was just looking 0:17:15.640 --> 0:17:18.160 at the schedule now. They do have that that quirky 0:17:18.200 --> 0:17:20.719 part of the schedule where they get Carolina twice in 0:17:20.800 --> 0:17:24.000 three weeks. Caroline is having a boatload of issues right now, 0:17:24.240 --> 0:17:26.800 trying to figure out what's going on there in Pittsburgh's 0:17:26.800 --> 0:17:29.760 coming off a really demoralizing loss as well. So yeah, 0:17:29.840 --> 0:17:32.240 things are setting up pretty well for Sean Payton's team. 0:17:32.720 --> 0:17:36.360 Uh as far as that game though, with the Minnesota 0:17:36.400 --> 0:17:40.960 and Seattle, the game right there basically to be had 0:17:41.720 --> 0:17:44.080 for the Vikings and offensively just can't get it done. 0:17:44.119 --> 0:17:46.800 I I know, the main storyline this year has been 0:17:46.840 --> 0:17:49.080 with Kirk Cousins and the fact that the Vikings have 0:17:49.119 --> 0:17:51.960 had the issues they've had. Totally get that they dished 0:17:51.960 --> 0:17:55.320 out a ton of money to them that creates expectations, 0:17:55.880 --> 0:17:58.000 but their inability to get the running game going this 0:17:58.080 --> 0:18:00.720 season has really just caught me by some rise. I thought, 0:18:01.119 --> 0:18:02.760 you know, I know, Delvin Kick was coming off of 0:18:02.760 --> 0:18:05.560 an injury, but I thought getting him back this year 0:18:05.560 --> 0:18:08.040 and pairing him with with Cousins and what they did 0:18:08.080 --> 0:18:12.000 without him, I thought, I thought I thought so too, West. 0:18:12.040 --> 0:18:13.960 I really I really thought Dalvin Cook was going to 0:18:14.040 --> 0:18:16.080 be the answer for them in the running game. And 0:18:16.080 --> 0:18:19.639 I'm not sure why that is. But uh, and I again, 0:18:19.680 --> 0:18:21.520 I don't want to go into a whole referendum on 0:18:21.560 --> 0:18:24.320 the officiating in the NFL, but I don't understand how 0:18:24.359 --> 0:18:26.600 you pick up the flag on Bobby Wagner on the 0:18:26.600 --> 0:18:29.400 blocked field goal. It's the it's the letter of the law. 0:18:29.560 --> 0:18:32.679 You threw the flag. Then suddenly you think you didn't 0:18:32.720 --> 0:18:35.040 see what you thought you saw, when actually the video 0:18:35.119 --> 0:18:37.960 shows that it was a penalty, and that was the 0:18:37.960 --> 0:18:41.360 difference between a fifteen yard penalty that gives the Vikings 0:18:41.400 --> 0:18:43.760 a first down in the red zone down six to 0:18:43.800 --> 0:18:46.280 nothing in the fourth quarter. Yes, they had just gotten 0:18:46.320 --> 0:18:48.600 to the two yard line and went forward and didn't score, 0:18:48.680 --> 0:18:51.920 but still the game is only six to nothing. They 0:18:51.920 --> 0:18:53.760 have a first down in the red zone if they 0:18:53.760 --> 0:18:57.399 get that personal file on Wagner instead, the blocked field 0:18:57.400 --> 0:18:59.560 goal stands. The Seahawks drive the other way and get 0:18:59.600 --> 0:19:01.240 a touched on and go up to scores and put 0:19:01.240 --> 0:19:05.000 the game away. These games are hinging on officiating, West, 0:19:05.080 --> 0:19:06.879 and I'm not sure what the league is going to 0:19:06.920 --> 0:19:10.400 do about it, if anything, But it just seems like 0:19:10.680 --> 0:19:13.240 you can't go a week, and now that we're late 0:19:13.280 --> 0:19:15.240 in the season and these games mean that much more, 0:19:15.560 --> 0:19:18.159 you can't go a week in this league without high 0:19:18.200 --> 0:19:23.840 profile officiating discussions deciding some big things happening in the NFL. 0:19:24.000 --> 0:19:26.239 Here's the problem that the NFL is going to have. 0:19:26.800 --> 0:19:30.159 It's one thing to get Clay Matthews calling him for 0:19:30.760 --> 0:19:34.200 wait on the defensive player, defensive player or whatever. It's 0:19:34.240 --> 0:19:36.840 one thing to to mention this Bobby Wagner play with 0:19:36.920 --> 0:19:39.919 the with the field goal. It's another thing, you know, 0:19:39.920 --> 0:19:42.359 when you look at how these things have gone against 0:19:42.440 --> 0:19:45.560 Aaron Rodgers and over the past couple of years. But 0:19:45.600 --> 0:19:49.000 when a pattern develops, what does that tell you? Tells 0:19:49.040 --> 0:19:51.840 you it's not going away. I'm not even looking at 0:19:51.880 --> 0:19:55.399