#247 Packers Unscripted: Birds' eye review

game was kind of there for the taking. Minnesota's offense was not lighting up the scoreboard by any means, but the Packers some misfires by Brett Hunley, some good throws by Brett Hunley that we're not hauled in in some crucial situations by his receivers, and when it was all said and done, the Packers unfortunately suffered their second shutout

loss at home. Yeah. I think, Mike, as I went back and watched this game, it goes back to something you and I have talked about numerous times throughout the course this year, that getting on that same page, it just seemed like when Bret Hunley made the throws his receivers didn't come through, and then when his receivers got separation, there were opportunities. Bred Hunley didn't put the ball where

it needed to be. Uh that that isn't a recipe for success, and those missed opportunities really ultimately, especially against a defense like this and an offense that, while it wasn't explosive on Saturday night in the Minnesota Vikings, didn't turn the ball over, it's gonna be tough to overcome

all that. I just think when when the Packers look back on this in some ways, and you and I even said it during the in the press box on Saturday night, and it really did remind you that Baltimore game, where there was an opportunity the defense put them in a position to win that football game. In the offense, while it drove the ball at times, wasn't consistent enough and didn't make didn't take enough advantage of those red

zone oportunities. And what I thought was different about the Baltimore game is I thought against the Ravens, the Packers offense frankly looked rather helpless at times, and this particular game against Minnesota, I thought the Packers just didn't help themselves, because the the most frustrating thing about the drop passes when Brett Hunley did make a good throw is a lot of them were on third downs. They were to

move the chains to keep drives going. Pretty much all of the drop passes, I believe, if if I'm recalling all of them, they would have at a minimum gained a first down. They these weren't you know, little sideways checkdowns where guys are dropping things and things are looking sloppy, but you don't really know if those plays are going to get anywhere. These drop passes were for first downs, to keep drives going, to get the quarterback some confidence, to get him in a rhythm. And it just never

really came together. And and the killer mistake that Hunley made was the one at the end of the first half the it's attend to nothing game. The Packers are driving, you have a tremendous opportunity to get it to ten seven at half time, or a minimum tend to three. It's third and three from about the fifteen yard line, you're in the red zone and Harrison Smith picks him off on a pass over the middle that Hunley knows

he never should have thrown it. He locked onto Kendrick's the tight end early kind of stared him down a little bit, and and Harrison Smith is is going to read that and make the play, and he made Hunley pay for it. Yeah, And I think this is the most frustrating thing because when you as far as the Packers are concerned, because if you do look at the game, there were a lot of positives. The offensive line played

really well, the defense kept them in this thing. It's just in the areas where the Packers needed players to step up, it just didn't happen. And as you said, there Harrison Smith another example of of a Pro Bowl type player, although he isn't currently at safety, making big plays when his defense needed in the most Viking shot out of the gate. I mean they got out, they

got out there, they made the big plays. They got the big defensive pass interference penalty for thirty nine yards, were capitalized on that to put points on the board, and after that really were held in checked for the most part. But it just seemed like that little bit of a hole was almost at times, I don't want to say insurmountable, but the Packers just couldn't find that play to put points on the board to get them back within range again, had numerous opportunities to do so,

but just weren't able to capitalize on those. And I think when the Packers go back and look at this thing, is is Randall Cobbs said afterwards one of the most frustrating UH performances he's been associated with, because I think they understood how close they were to actually being able to not only compete, but beat a team that likely is gonna end up being, you know, a first round

by type of team in these playoffs. Yeah, the Vikings. Uh, it felt to me like the Vikings never got nervous, and that's because the Packers didn't do anything to make them nervous. Even though for the bulk of the second half it was only ten to nothing, then thirteen to nothing. It's only a two score game. One touchdown cranks up the pressure on the other team to respond, and the Packers just never put the Vikings in a position to

do that. Now that being said, you look at the roster, the game day roster, the actors are trying to beat a playoff team with you don't have Clay Matthews, you don't have Nick Perry, you don't have Davante Adams, you don't have Damarus Randall. As the game goes on, you lose Jordy Nelson, you lose Richard Rogers, you lose Jason Spriggs at right tackle, so you're shuffling on the offensive line again. So all sorts of things in that respect were you know, an uphill climb for the Packers to

begin with. But the frustrating thing is the opportunities were there and they just didn't see them. Yeah, and you see guys, and we'll talk about this soon. We see guys like Michael Clark step up, and I thought Jamal Williams actually had a pretty decent day given what he could out of the backfield. But Aaron Jones goes down with another knee injury. Another injury there. I talked about one of the my points of emphasis, one of my keys in this game was getting both of those guys

upward of a dozen touches. They were able to accomplish that with Williams, but Jones and his knee injury, they didn't have that that, you know, that outside threat with him and what he brings the table. And then losing Jordy Nelson and Richard Rogers you're talking about two of the most durable, accountable player is on the entire team. Um, it's just and I saw a lot of people's comments on Twitter throughout the course of the game too, it was like, what next. Jason Spriggs goes out on the

first play. That looks like a pretty I mean, Mike McCarthy said, it's a pretty significant injury. Unfortunately, you know, talking to Justin McCrae afterwards, his entire week is focused on replacing, likely replacing Jerry Evans at right guard. He goes out to right tackle. I just think in some ways it was kind of a microcosm of way that this season has kind of gone from. Yeah, it was. It was kind of a summary of of the entire seen.

But with that, we're going to throw it to a break back with more on Packers Unscripted right after this. Welcome back to Packers Unscripted. Mike Spofford in this year,

West Hodkowits in that one and West. When you look at the Packers defense here from said Urday night against the Minnesota Vikings, is certainly a respectable effort, holding Minnesota to sixteen points, really to thirteen points when with the final field goal being a turnover on downs that was deep in uh in Green Bay territory for an easy

extra field goal from Minnesota. But um, this defensive this young defensive lineman that we've been talking about a lot this year, and I'm talking about the second year pro Kenny Clark, former first round draft pick out of U C. L A. I don't know how many times I've said it, but I thought his season was over when he was carded off the field with that ankle injury against Baltimore. And not only did he come back, he's playing. He's playing as well as any defensive lineman in the league.

If you were to vote, if you were to take the All Pro vote based on based on the last month of the regular season right now, Kenny Clark would be at the top of everyone's list. This is what's interesting to me, Mike, because I wrote about this after the game, that the season he's had, and I think as a whole we romanticize b J. Rogie's final stretch of tooth in ten during that playoff run, and rightfully so. He was a key player and one of the reasons

the Packers got to the Super Bowl. He had eleven tackles in four sacks in the last month, that December stretch of that season. Kenny Clark right now has twenty one tackles in four and a half sacks right now in the month of December. That's with one game yet to play. By the way, this season has not gone how the Packers want defensively. Not gonna sugarcoat that, not gonna say anything that's untrue there. It hasn't worked out. But to overlook what Kenny Clark has done in the

jump he's made in year two. Uh, you know, I think it was Devon host who said this in the locker room afterwards. I mean him and Mike Mike Daniels there the salt and pepper this defense. They really are. And I think when you look at a building plock for where the Packers take this thing in two thousand eighteen, it starts there. They didn't have Claim Matthews, they didn't have Nick Perry, so you know what they needed more

out of their inside rushers. Those were the veterans. As weird as it sounds, twenty two year old Kenny Clark need to be a right yeah, and with two sacks um the way he diagnosed that screen pass, that led to his second one. This guy has the athleticism, he's he can take on double teams, good run stopper. But over this past month he's proven what Mike Turkovac and a lot of these coaches I've known for some time.

He could be a disrupting pass rusher. Yeah, and Turgovac was the one who said he'd been telling Clark, you know, all of it was on film, especially with his pass rush, that he was getting so close to quarterbacks, and Turkovac was saying, just keep doing what you're doing and just be patient. Yeah, early in the season that the statistics

weren't there in terms of the sacks. Well, now all of that hard work, you know, doing what he's doing is paying off, because for all of the sacks that he missed, so to speak, he ends up getting one just by running a quarterback out of bounds, you know, not the fancy, highlight real type of thing, but it counts as a sack because, as you said, he diagnoses was screre passed. It was a really really good play and he ends up getting the quarterback out of bounds

at the line of scrimmage or one yard behind. However, that that turn out to be, but it's a sack and uh and he's for an interior lineman. He's racking him up at a pretty alarming rate. Now, He's exactly what you're looking for in defensive nose tackles in the NFL in two thousand seventeen, going into two thousand eighteen, you want to have, you know, a guy that can stop the run, but he doesn't have to be three

pounds anymore. He can be three fifteen pounds and be just completely country strong and being able to to really dominate in the trenches. I mean, you look for those guys that are just I don't want to say road graders because that's a guard term, but just absolutely gritty football players. Kenny Clark has been that since day one, and he was only twenty years old when he entered

this league. He's become a guy that I think when you look at the way his career trajectory is going, is you're seeing the metamorphosis of a playmaker in a well rounded three down football player. You saw the same thing with Mike Daniels in year two. Daniels is a little bit more situational at that time, but he had those six and a half sacks that got into everybody's radar this last month of the season, I think Kenny

Clark has followed that same path. And if you're looking again, as I said, for for one of the things that really point to when you go into two thousand eighteen for what could be a strength of this defense, I think Kenny Clark is gonna be a guy that that's going to get a lot of notice in the NFL

going forward. Yeah, you wonder now as as we look ahead a little bit toen we saw what happened early in the season with Mike Daniels and that tremendous game he had against the Seattle Seahawks in Week one, and then unfortunately Daniels had some injuries. But we've seen Mike Daniels have to take on double teams and whatnot. The film that Kenny Clark has put out there in the last month, he's the guy who's going to be getting

the double teams in eighteen. And now that's something that personally for him he's going to have to adjust to. He's going to have to deal with. There's going to be some frustrations and some growing pains through that part of it. But then that's also something that his other mates across the defensive front are going to have to take advantage of, because is the one who's He's going to have that target on his back now as offensive

coordinators prepared to face the Packers. And let's be honest, Mike, any three four scheme, really any scheme in the NFL. When you can get that pass rush from a nose tackle three tech position, that's the cherry on top. You need to be able to defend the run. You have to be stout in that area. But the biggest playmakers in this league are guys that can get disruption despite the double team, being able to shed blocks and go back and look at any of his games this year.

Show me any film where he's getting pushed backwards, even on those double teams, he holds his ground. That's where I brought in that strong comment. I mean, it's just incredible to me for a guy that's that young competing against some offensive lineman there's seven eight years older than him. There there's a line of thinking out there that offensive lineman don't hit their prime until years old because of the strength that you develop over those years in the NFL.

And Kenny Clark is standing up to it. Yeah, definitely. Well, I'm sure we're gonna be talking about him a lot in the episodes to come on Packers Unscripted, But for now we'll toss to break back with more right after this, m Welcome back to Packers Unscripted. Mike Spofford here, Wes

Hodkowitz over there, and West. We got a little bit of a glimpse on Saturday night into what could be some of the future for the Green Bay Packers, and I'm talking about two players in particular, wide receiver Michael Clark and outside linebacker Reggie Gilbert, both guys very recently brought up from the practice squad to the active roster, and then they get their first regular season NFL game action against the Vikings. Uh, you can start with who you want to, but both of these guys flashed a

little bit of ability. They did, Mike, and obviously the result was not what the Packers wanted, but I actually thought they did check a box here in terms of getting their young guys playing time. Reggie Gilbert played forty snaps Michael out of as. Nothing like doing that. Excuse me, your first game, yeah, exactly, getting getting introduced, you know, trial by fire, but I asked him that afterwards if he had any inclination that he was going to play

as much as he did. Regie. This wasn't just second half either. Reggie Gilbert was out there on like the second defensive series. He was on the field. The Packers really were counting on him in this football game, and

I thought, that's exactly what they need to do. It goes back to a comment Jay Rone Elliott, who's you know, no longer with the Packers, said to me back during the offseason program, because we're talking a lot about you know, different rookies and undrafted guys and you know players coming off the practice squad that could make an impact, and he said, don't sleep on Reggie Gilbert. This is a

guy that has a lot of ability. Made a huge transition going from a four three defensive end defensive tackle at the University of Arizona to a stand up three four outside backer. Not an easy switch to make. Chris Odom's found that out this year with his his his move as well to that position, and I think you saw his natural tools and assets to be able to get some push those Kenny Clark sacks. He basically was on on both of them all the we obviously wasn't

credited for him. This guy can play, and I think as they go into this game against the Lions, I really want to see more of them because there's a lot of ability they're touching quickly. On Michael Clark, we've seen at six ft seven the catch radius he has. He's raw, he has a lot of room for growth yet, but that diving catch I think really illustrates exactly what he can bring to the table with just how much of a catch radius he has to make a play. Yeah,

that was a heck of a diving catcher. I believe it was for a nineteen yard game. Put the Packers in Yeah, put the Packers in position to potentially get some points there. We know unfortunately that didn't work out. Um, but Clark had a couple of back shoulder opportunities to that. You know, wasn't able to quite connect with Brett Hunley on those are plays I'm sure he would like to have back. They are pretty well thrown balls. I give Hunley credit for putting the ball where it needed to

be and those are the learning opportunities though. That's the next step now for Michael Clark. Because I'm sure he'd like to get another opportunity. And as you said the Detroit game, okay, here's your chance to follow it up, you know. And Reggie Gilbert the same way, here's your chance to follow it up and show that you can, you know, get some pass rush two games in a row. It's not just about can you do it in one game, it's can you can you perform that way on a

consistent basis. I think both of these guys, just by what they've shown already, have put themselves in position to make a serious run out of roster spot in. But that's about as far as I'll go right now, because we're just seeing maybe what they can do and and doing it on a consistent basis game in and game out in the NFL is another matter. And I know Mike McCarthy said during what would be as Christmas Eve news conference that he's not in the business of preseason.

This isn't preseason football that you saved that time for earlier in the summer. But the fact that these guys have gotten on the field. They're on the fifty three there, fifty three man roster, which means they have to play. They're gonna get an opportunity to play. I just I think if you're them, you have to be happy with what you saw, even a guy like Lindsay Pipkins to

their undrafted rookie that they had make the roster this year. Yeah, cornerback, he basically spelled Devon House in this game when House had to come out because of what he was dealing with throughout the contest. And I thought he made a nice showing for himself as well. Without Damarius Randall being available, was sort of the next man up at cornerback. I

mean Trevor Davis, Scott opportunities, Jeff Jani Scott opportunities. UM, A lot of guys that I think people were clamoring for in the inbox when we get comments and questions were able to get out there on the field. Yeah. And I think it says something you mentioned Mike McCarthy's comment about this isn't this isn't preseason football. This is

going out there to try to win football games. The fact that Michael Clark got the snaps that he did and got the opportunities that he did tells you what they think of him, because this this isn't just okay, let's put him out there and see what he can do. It's let's put him out there and try to win a football game, and and that mentality, you know what the coaches are looking for, what they see, what they

expect out of a guy like Michael Clark. They're putting some pressure on him right now to perform, and as you said, I'm very curious to see how he does in Detroit next Yeah, and we're going to get the injury report on Wednesday afternoon, so we'll see a exactly where Jordy Nelson is and if Dabonti Adams has a

chance to play in this game. But if you're missing those two vets, depending on how things shake out, and also depending on what happens with Richard Rodgers at tight end, there's gonna be even more opportunity for those young receivers in this game. So that was a good building block, but I think a lot of them, as you said, contending for spots next year, you really need to finish strong. Yeah, definitely. With that, let's toss to a breakback with more and

Packers Unscripted right after this. Welcome back to Packers Unscripted. Mike Spofford alongside Wes hod Kowitz and West to provide a quick rundown on where the NFL playoff picture stands here heading into Week seventeen, one game to go. In the a f C, the division champions are all decided. You have four teams fighting for two wild card spots. The ray Evens, the Titans, the Chargers, and the Bills. Baltimore and Tennessee are the ones who control it. If

they win, they get the two spots. Los Angeles Chargers and Buffalo Bills looking to win and get some help in order to get in. On the NFC side, it's two teams fighting for one spot. It's the Atlanta Falcons and the Seattle Seahawks. And the Falcons are the ones in the driver's seat. If they can beat Carolina they are in. The Seahawks looking to win and have the Falcons lose in order for them to get in. What do you think is going to happen? Well, first off, I mean the a f C, what a wide open

race this year. I think in some ways, um, you know, the Packers shutout loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Certainly we always view that as a winnable game. But I think not just us, I mean in general, I think people need to show the Ravens a lot more respect. Their defense is legit, and offensively, when they don't make mistakes, they can win football games. I'm not saying they're the most explosive team in the world, but I think a lot of times people saying that was such a bad

loss for Green Bay. Baltimore is a good football team. They've had a solid second half of the real coming off of that bye week, which the Packer game here at Lambeaux was their first game after there by, they played pretty well. Since then, they finished strong and I think they found their identity offensively. The fact that Tennessee has a chance to win and in is incredible to me.

I said to this to you three weeks ago. I couldn't believe they were eating four at one point, and I hadn't been paying much attention because Jacksonville is getting all the headlines and then they're sitting there eating for When was the last time that division produced two playoff teams? Right? But getting back to the NFC race really going to be interesting to watch seeing Atlanta in Seattle after having all these different scenarios with Green Bay in Dallas and

Detroit all looking in. It's pretty finite now and basically who wins is who's in. And I think the interesting thing in the NFC that you have to keep in mind and a year like this where the Packers have their playoff streak at eight years ended not going to the postseason, whoever gets in between Atlanta and Seattle for that last spot in the NFC is the only playoff team from ten in the NFC that's going back. The other five that are all in, they weren't in the

playoffs last year. This is a almost a complete turnover in one year as far as NFC playoff team And this is what life is like in the NFL for teams that aren't the Green Bay Packers, the Pittsburgh Steelers, in the New England Patriots. I think sometimes people really overlook how difficult it is to make it one year to the next. You have teams that rise, you have

teams at fall. That's the way things work in the free agency era, and I think it's some ways with eight straight playoff appearances, you sometimes get desensitized to that fact. And interesting what the NFL did here for Week sevent

team No Sunday night game. Because of all of these games that depend on this team winning they can get in or this team needs them to lose, they wanted those games played at the same time, both in the a f C and in the NFC, so they decided not to have a Sunday night football game for weeks seventeen, so nobody gets a competitive advantage. Kind of an interesting decision, a very interesting decision. We'll see how it plays out. Yeah,

a new way to do things. But with that we'll call it a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team on Packers dot com on Twitter, He's at west Hod I'm at Mike Spofford at Packers for the team account. Thanks for tuning in, everybody. We'll see you next time. H m hm