#248 Packers Unscripted: Detroit debrief

As we break down the Lions here on both sides of the ball, we know offensively it starts with Matthew Stafford,

the quarterback. And I'll say this with what Matthew Stafford did when he came in here in early November in a Monday night game at lambeau Field, I know there's going to be different personnel on both sides of the ball, Lions offense Packers defense, and we can talk about that a little bit, but I think this Packers defense is uh is going to be, you know, out to redeem themselves a little bit, because that performance on Monday night

against Stafford out here was not what Green Bay was looking. No, it really wasn't Mike. And I mean you go back and look at that contest and it's it's kind of fresh in your memory. How well the Packers bottled up a mere abduel on that running offense. I mean, they average one point nine yards per carry, but Matthew Stafford a hundred and thirty two point four pass rating through for three yards two touchdowns. Golden Tate and Marvin Jones Jr. Both had big games. They didn't have to run the

ball because they were able to pass the ball so well. So, um, I'd like to sit here and say that this this secretary is different for Green Bay, but really they're in the same predicament. They were those you know, six seven weeks ago in that really banged up at cornerback. And obviously they do have Morgan Burnett and Clinton Dick's available, but Moore is being asked of them too because of

the domino effect at the cornerback position. Yeah, and when you look at this Lions offense, where the personnel will be very similar to that Monday night game here at lambeau Field, is Matthew Stafford's targets. You have Marvin Jones Jr. He's over a thousand yards this year. Golden Tate is about a hundred yards shy of another thousand yards season for him. Tight End Eric Ebron putting together a season looks pretty similar statistically to what he did last year.

Maybe a few more targets in the red zone for some scores, but a lot of changes in terms of what the Lions are doing in the backfield and also on the offensive line up front because of some injuries. Yeah, Tian Green now is the guy undrafted rookie running back on a Cincinnati that they turned to. Um. I mean we all know the history there of the running game

for the Lions. I think it's now somewhere around sixty consecutive games without a hundred yard rusher by far, the longest streak right now, the longest skid in the NFL without a player you know, crossing that threshold. Um. But I do look at the receivers in this matchup and and certainly you want to make him one Dimentially you want to throw The Packers have to have an answer answer here for Marvin Jones. They didn't last year. He

had another big game this season. UM. So whether it is Devon House, if they could get to Marius Randall back after having the knee injury that he was dealing with over the weekend that he was unable to play with one way or another, you have to contain him, uh, As strange as it sounds, you want to be able to take away those perimeter threats. If anything, you want to see them run the ball a little bit more because I think that plays into the Packers strength, uh

and what they can do defensively. It's gonna be interesting to watch. I mean, Stafford is at a position in his career where he's kind of entering that that Aaron Rodgers Peyton Manning type echelon where he can control things that the line of scrimmage he can you know, just

off of what he's seeing defensively. So those are all things that Packers are gonna have to take into account because as banged up as the Lions are in their offensive line, the perimeter threats are certainly still available for Stafford. I think that's the biggest thing I've seen with Stafford over these last couple of years in terms of, you know, we get to see him twice a year and seeing his game evolve, is he seems to be doing more

and more at the line of scrimmage. This offense with Jim Bob Cooter as the offensive coordinator, really giving him the freedom to to dictate things and run what he wants and and uh and really run the show there. And the other thing he's doing if you've watched some of their games, he's picked up that Aaron Rodgers thing of catching the defense with twelve on the field when they're trying to substitute, and he'll get the snap off

and get a free play. He did it on on Thanksgiving Day against the Minnesota Vikings and through a touchdown pass about a forty yard pass for a TV on a free play when the Vikings didn't get their twelfth guy off the field. So his game, his game as he evolved, he has definitely worked his way into the that upper Echelona quarterbacks. Like you say, he's not Tom Brady, he's not Aaron Rodgers, he's not Drew Brees, but he's

awfully close. Yeah. And and the thing is too. I Mean, obviously they're coming off what I think they would even admit it was a tough loss against the Cincinnati Bengals. That's a game I think they were expecting to win to stay in that play off hunt. Yeah, they were expecting to be playing the Packers this week. It's still a shot at a playoff spot, and that went out

the window with a loss to the Bengal. It went out the window, Mike, And but I mean offensively, eighth and in scoring this year twenty five points per gamete and total yards, they're they're passing game six. It's that thirty second rushing offense that's kind of dragged them down a little bit. But overall the offense has been effective. The seventh ranked defense that we'll talk about in a second, I think it's kind of been a little bit of

a letdown for them. But offensively, I think you got to give Stafford a lot of credit again, especially considering those moving parts on the offensive line. Travis Swanson still in the concussion protocol at the time that we're taping this. Rick Wagner, the big signing and right tackle, has been dealing with an ankle injury. I think missed three or four games now. In t J lang Uh, you know, obviously one of the toughest guys I think you and I have ever probably covered, but he's dealt with a

litany of injuries as well this year. I believe it's the foot right now. He had some issues with this fibula at the shoulder, um so, and then Don Barklay replaced him, and then he's to stand a concussion. So uh, And it'll be very interesting to see what this offensive line looks like on Sunday and if the Packers potentially could take advantage of some of those uh, you know, replacements. Yeah,

really quickly before we go to a break. There are some clips out of coming out of Detroit in the media wondering whether Jake Ruddock, their backup quarterbacks, should play instead of Stafford just because the playoff stuff is out the window. Do you think they're going to go that direct? I don't think so. And listen to Jim Caldwell talk in the conference call. He said, we already play plenty of rookies the way it is, so it's not like we're gonna approach this game any differently. And I think

it's the same thing with Stafford. Stafford has been kind of banged up this year. I think there was a hand injury, some other things he's been playing through. But I would think that they're going to give him the opportunity to still be out there with this offense. Well, you never know. You see how the game situation plays out. But as far as this game starting on Sunday, I really do think that he's going to be the guy

that the Packers are gonna have to go up against. Okay, and with that, we'll toss it to a break back with more on Packers Unscripted right after this. Welcome back to Packers Unscripted. Mike Spofford in this chair, West Hodkowitz in that one in West, shifting gears to the Detroit Lions defense. There's one guy that definitely jumps off the page, and he's got one of the best nicknames in all

of football. They call him Darius Big Play Sligh, the star cornerback, and he's living up to that nickname this year seven interceptions, leading the league all by his lonesome, the only player in the NFL with seven picks this year. You gotta watch out for this cat, you really do. Mike seven interceptions in fifteen games this season, comparatively six interceptions during his first four seasons combined. I'll say this, when they gave him that extension, I was actually somewhat

you know, skeptical of that. I was trying to determine whether or not he was really or could be viewed as one of those top upper echelon cornerbacks. I think him and Xavier Rhodes the pacar Cy two of the best that there are, not only in the NFC but in the NFL now in this division. And really how he's modified his game this year and how he's come on, Yeah, you had that game against the Bears. He got two picks off at Rubiskie. You can say what you want

about that. You need to get the interceptions when they're there. He certainly made those plays, and I think that's probably one of the more I don't want to say confusing, but one of the more confounding things about this defense. I mean, I believe they're twenty and passing in total yards. The passer rating has been affected. It's fifteenth in the league thanks to those seven interceptions contribute to their team

total of seventeen. But I have been surprised when you have it, and we just got done talking about it before the segment, when you have Slay, when you have Glover Quinn, that that hasn't resulted in in a little bit, you know, I guess less production than what it has so far for the for the Lions. Yeah, you're surprised. I certainly, I'm surprised when you look at individually seven

interceptions from Slay Ziggy as has got nine sacks. They've you know, they've had some some pass rush there upfront. I think Glover quinn is is a quality safety in the NFL. But overall, the team statistics haven't really added up to maybe what some of those individual efforts you you think they would so to be as you say, and you know, essentially in the bottom kind of the bottom ten percent bottom of the league and passing yards allowed,

total yards allowed. It's really been the biggest downfall of this team. I know. A lot obviously was put on Matthew Stafford to continue the ascent in his career and he's done that. Although offensively they have had some games where they've fallen short and uh and really that's the reason that they're not playing for a playoff spot now where they expected to be in the hunt here heading

into this final game against the Packers. But defensively, I think if the if the Lions are gonna undergo, you know, any kind of an overhaul in the offseason personnel wise, I think they're going to focus on that side of the ball. Yeah, it's gonna be interesting to see exactly what their thought processes because you have to weigh who they lost. You know, hello, Ti Nadas out for the season, Carrie Hyder was lost right off the bat, Tavon Wilson and who we had a role in that defense in

the secondary. He's gone, so they've had to make some adjustments there. So naturally there's going to be somewhat of a drop off, but um it is. It is confounding because I thought when we saw them earlier this season, I even going back to last year, I thought they were really on the cusp of something special, which is a lot testament to them, you know, after losing nodami Ensue, after having to transition to a different type of defense built around other players, that they were able to do that.

You know, certainly Ziggy Ans is still a part of this equation nine sacks on the season, leading them at their team total of thirty one. But they've had to find production from different spots this year than I think what we've grown accustomed to in years past. Yeah, I'll be curious to see, you know, with the Packers, does Davante Adams come back, you know from his injury to uh to play in this final game, because if he does, then you know that matchup is going to be Slay

against Adams, you know on the outside. If Adams doesn't play, then you know, then what is the matchup that the Lions want to to use with Sligh Because at the end of the day, Um, you know, Slay is going to be looking for any throws from Brett Hunley that come his way. He's going to try to attack. He's gonna he's gonna try to finish his season on as higher note as possible. And he's a guy I think that Brett Henley has got to be careful of. Yeah,

And I don't want to turn this into every single week. Okay, the Packers need to run the ball, but I think there is an opportunity there. Uh. The Cincinnati Bengals had a lot of issues this year with their backfield. They drafted Joe Mixon, things didn't really come together, I think as they hoped. But Giovanni Bernard ends up getting the call last week in that matchup, runs for hundred sixteen yards at five yards per carry, So I think this

is an opportunity for Jamal Williams to get going. Certainly, we're gonna have to see where Aaron Jones is at with that knee injury. But the Packers have shown at times, especially in these dome type environments, that they can run the football when they have to. So to your original point, yeah, Bred Huntley has to be cognizant of where the football is.

He's played well on the road this season. For everything that's been made out of what's happened at lambeau Field, he has been solid, particularly in those those dome type environments. So a lot of things to play into there as far as the passing games concerned. But I really do believe when you look at how they've been banged up on the offense or the defensive line this year, for the lines, there's an opportunity there for Jamal Williams to really finish this season on a high note. Yeah, no

question about it. With that, we'll throw to a break back with more on Packers Unscripted right after this. Welcome back to Packers Unscripted. Mike Spofford here, Wes hod Kuits all the way over there, Um, West a story that that you're posting this week on Packers dot Com, A special story I think, at least in my opinion, on Vetor cornerback Devon House, and you kind of went back into a little bit of the history as to why he wanted to come back to Green Bay in the offseason.

He jumped at the opportunity to do so after two years in Jacksonville. One of the reasons being cornerbacks coach Joe Witt Jr. And the bond that he had with his position coach for four years in Green Bay, and that bond had a lot to do with some off the field things, not just the on the field coaching

part of it. Tell us about it, Yeah, I think that this is a good illustration of what this game does, not only on the field between the you know, the sidelines in terms of Devon House the football player, but Divon House the person. Now, one of the things that that Joe Witz said, and this is a story I've been working on really since the beginning of the season.

You know, a lot of different things happened with how it's with his injuries that it kind of delayed a lot of these processes, But talking to him after the game a little bit. It brought a lot of this back, and it starts really with just his battle with dyslexia.

It's something that he dealt with going all the way back to high school um and and really it was one of the things that was really challenging for him when he went to the college level because he never really got a firm grasped of what he needed to do to overcome it. He said, even in his senior year of high school, he was really reading at a

fourth and fifth grade reading level. He would read the words, they just didn't quite make sense and with it was fascinating talking to him about this because he battles it too, and his parents are pretty proactive with it. He was held back in kindergarten and really I had a lot of resources, a lot of people that helped him out so that he, you know, even though there were some difficulties along the way, he always felt empowered by it. So I think that was the biggest thing for House

when he got to Green Bay. He credits his wife a lot for helping him get through college books on tape, all that fun stuff really helped him and his learning process. But it was when he met Joe Wit in that year that they spent together, that first season, that he really started to gain a deeper appreciation for it, in kind of understanding that this isn't something that necessarily has to define you as a person, and that you can

overcome it and learn in different ways. Yeah. I was really fascinated by some of the stuff you brought out in that story, going back to when House was a fourth round draft pick out of New Mexico State in

two thousand eleven making his way into the NFL. He gets to know his position coach, and I mean right from the get go when Devon House got here, I was impressed with how articulate he was, you know, and same with Joe Wit and getting to know him over the years when he does press conferences, interviews with reporters,

very articulate, very well spoken. You would never know that either of these men had dealt with something like this, you know, a disability for lack of a better word at this point, but something like dyslexia that that can be so difficult to handle it and can be so

difficult to overcome. I had absolutely no idea, and I was fascinated to hear how they You know how House used a lot of tips and tools and and other things from Joe Witt, who would who had gone through much of what he did in his younger days to help him out. Yeah, and it's interesting too because there's numerous different aspects of this story. Like it's not like Devon House just came in and lit the world on

fire either as a football player. With said, I mean he had a lot of natural god given ability, but as he even joked with me and that he was lazy from the get go, and and he said, I mean, as much as you know they had that bond off

the field, he pushes him even to this day. And you know, he even said, I mean, if there was any player that I was ever gonna hate me, it was gonna be Devon House because of how hard he was on him those first two seasons, because he could see the natural ability and House, you know, he didn't really have a chance to get that extended playing time in his time in Green Bay, but he became a better cornerback obviously, had the season that he did with

Jacksonville in two thousand fifteen and came back this year really wanted to be that veteran presence that you know, Trumon Williams and Jared Bush and Charles Woodson were to him to this younger group. So while things on the field might not have gone every way that the Packers wanted to, Devon House wanted certainly wanted to chase that Super Bowl ring. He's really grateful dozen second guess that decision and was very happy to have that opportunity to

be back in Green Bay. And also he mentioned that was one of the reasons why it was so important him to play in that game against Minnesota, despite the back injury had sustained, despite the lingering shoulder problem that might have been. He's a free agent after season. That might have been his last chance again at lambeau Field, and he wanted to take advantage. Yeah, we don't know exactly what's going to happen now with Devon House in the off season. He did just sign a one year contract.

That could have been his last game at Lambeulfield. I give the guy a ton of credit because boy, looking at him, as we talked about last week, looking at him coming off of the field in Cleveland when he got kicked in the back there by Josh Gordon, just an unfortunate collision that was really nobody's fault. But but the way it happened, the fact that he just missed one game and got back out on the field, I

give him a lot of crepe. And he's been dealing to with that hamstring quad injury earlier in the season, he said even last week and he was still wrapping that up. So, I mean there's a lot of things that he's played through because of how much it means to him. Despite the fact that obviously it doesn't matter right now for the Packer's playoff implications, he wanted to be out there. Yeah. Absolutely. Before we go to our break West attention, Packers fans were calling you to fill

up with Campbell's Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup. We're talking delicious, hardy SUP packaged in an exclusive Packers super Fan can. These cans are limited edition for all you football fanatics out there, so don't miss out. Go on, huddle up and fill up with this hearty soup. Chunky Soup, the official SUP partner of the Green Bay Packers, back with more on Packers Unscripted right after this Welcome back to

Packers Unscripted. Mike Spofford alongside West, Hodgkowits and West. Before we go, a roster moved the Packers made earlier this week that we need to mention, and that is that Jason Spriggs, coming off of what Mike McCarthy termed a rather serious knee injury, is officially on injured reserve. He will miss the regular season finale here against Detroit and

Mr Jack of all trades Justin McCrae. Uh, you know, he just raises his hand and goes in wherever he's asked to play, and uh, and for everything that he has done this year, he will now finish the season as the starting right tackle. Yeah, it's pretty incredible how

this journey has played out for Justin McCrae. If you look at his last twelve to sixteen months working at a hotel, playing the Arena Football League, doing whatever he can to revitalize his hopes for the NFL, and then he ends up, you know, likely starting half the games for the Packers on the offensive line this season and playing well too. I mean, this is the thing I think that stood out the most. Mean I was talking with him and also Lucas Patrick who jumped in at

right guard. I don't think people can really appreciate how difficult it is for Justin McCraw to half the game he did against the Minnesota Vikings, against those pass rushers. He spent the entire week preparing to be their starting right guard, which, by the way, one of the only positions he hadn't played this year because Jerry Evans was active in every game, played every snap, he was fully

prepared for that position. One play, Jason Sprigs gets out, gets carded off the field, and McCrae has to go back to right tackle, And Packers have talked about it. Naturally, his best spot is in the interior offensive line, that's

the way he's built. But how he's been able to stem the tide at those tackle positions this year, it's pretty incredible when you look at it, because this is a guy who I don't think a lot of people gave a big chance in the offseason program to make the roster, and now he's become arguably probably the biggest breakout performer for the Packers this season. Yeah, I would agree. I think I think that's the right way to put it,

as a breakout performer. And you wonder now just what the future holds for Justin McCray because Jerry Evans will be a free agent the right guard. He signed just a one year contract. Maybe the Packers bring him back, maybe they don't. Justin McCrae would certainly have an opportunity to compete for a starting job there at right guard

if Evans is not retained. Um, but even if if everything sort of stays status quo in in whatever way that is heading into into Justin MCC's value is is just off the charts here in terms of a reserve guy that they that they've decided and determined that they can they can plug him in just about anywhere and get through a game with with a reliable quality performance.

And he would hate that will end up saying this, but I mean, I think this is also one more reason Alonso Heismith is one of the best in the

business when it comes to finding personnel. I mean, he was at that pro day at u c F. They McCray brothers, the Twins begged basically to be at that pro day with all the other players coming out, Alonso Heismiths there from the Packers, sees him, scouts him, gives the report, the Packers sign him, and he ends up coming in here on a very deep, very talented, big group of offensive lineman this summer and he ends up

making the roster and the rest of history. Yeah, you just never know what's going to happen in this league sometimes. But with that, we're going to 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, you can find him at west hod I am At, Mike Spofford at Packer for the team account. Thanks for tuning in, everybody, We'll see you next time. H m hm