#359 Packers Unscripted: Seahawks and sacks

numbers there. But starting with the Seattle Seahawks, they are four and five after a loss to the Los Angeles Rams this last week, we know the Packers are four four and one. These two teams both very very badly need this victory. And when you start with the Seattle Seahawks, for all the changes in personnel and everything that I've gone on there over the last couple of years, it

still starts with Russell Wilson, it is. And and it's interesting to me, Mike, because with the way things have gone for the Seahawks, you've seen, you know, some things that defense sort of a road here. Some guys got older,

some guys got a little bit more discontent. Whatever it is, you know, it's it isn't the same unit that it once was, but it's still a pretty darn good unit the way they play, and they still have two of the best linebackers in this league offensively though it was Russell Wilson, it is Russell Wilson, and it will continue to be Russell Wilson's team. In Russell Wilson's unit, Uh, they've done a fairly decent job I think of trying to renovate his offensive line. There are a lot of

issues there for a number of seasons. It's still not the best old line in the league. But I think they're giving him a pocket that he can work with. As far as the passing game. Tyler Lockett, they made a big investment to him in the off season and it seems to be paying off for them to this point. He's become their top playmaker and with a kind of a carousel of running backs to this point in the season, it's really Ben Wilson and Lockett show at this point. Yeah.

The thing I think that scares me the most, so to speak about Russell Wilson is that he's just one of these guys that you let him get outside the pocket and start to scramble around. You can have everything defended perfectly well, and he can still run for ten or twelve or fifteen yards on you and just breaks you back. Yeah, I was gonna say nine two yards rushing last week. Now, Rashad Penny was the new running

back who stepped in because Chris Carson was injured. He suddenly goes for a buck eight on just twelve carries against the Rams, and then you add Russell Wilson's two yards. That's suddenly two yards rushing from a backup running back and you're starting quarterback, and they just about knocked off the Rams out in l A. Yeah. I mean, if you know anything about Penny's story, they drafted him, and I think a lot of people all their expectation was

that he'd be there starting running back. They've gone through a whirlwind here the past few years, in the aftermath of Marshawn Lynch. It's been a lot. And then Penny had this really strange narrative throughout training camp in the offseason about where where his weight was at, was he in the shape he needed to be, and it ends up being Chris Carson who takes a job with Mike Davis, the former San Francisco forty Niner being the backup. Well, Penny gets his opportunity. I think when you look at

an athletics standpoint, it's not a surprise. It's just been more about what it's taken to get him to this point. Now we have to see how this week is gonna work out. If Carson is gonna be back in the plans. If he's not, does it end up being Mike Davis again, is it Penny? Do they rotate all of them? A lot of guys to keep in mind, but the fact that they were able to put up a hundred yard game after struggling as much as they have with the run game and having that kind of work off of

Russell Wilson. When you go back and think about those Super Bowl teams and the teams that really gave the NFC problems for a number of years, it was built off that one two punch of Wilson and Marshawn Lynch. They're trying to find that. I don't wouldn't say that they're there yet, but this was at least the promising sign for them after last year being such a grind going through Eddie Lacy and raw and Rawls and just all the different guys that they were rotating at that

trying to find something that would work for them. When you talk about what could be dangerous with a guy like Penny stepping in like he is here we are in the middle of November. This is a guy with some fresh legs. He can be you know, he can be tough to handle. We've seen obviously the Packers have not overused Aaron Jones, and as we've talked about all season long, we're going to continue to see Aaron jones workload get ramped up because the Packers were a little

leery of his injury history from his rookie season. Now we're getting into the stretch run here and and Jones obviously showed what he can do. But when you have a brand new guy like this, like Penny, who jumps in in the middle in the middle of the season and isn't as beat down as a normal starting running back, this can be a tough situation. And for defense, he

could be tough to handle. Yeah, absolutely, Mike. I was just trying to bring up right now some of these stats of how this is playing out for them this season. The thing that it really impresses me though, about Penny coming out of San Diego State, Uh, it seemed like he would be the type of back that would sort of fit that their style. I mean, he's listed at to twenty more of a power type back that has

some explosive tendencies to him. Uh. And I think it was after a number of years of trying to use late round picks and trying to find different pieces that would fit, they tried to go out and not necessarily get Marshawn Lynch, but find a guy that that fit with that running style that they had so much success with with with so many years. Uh. And and now you know, you look at Doug Baldwin, what they have

and Lockett. There's still weapons that you have to be concerned with downfield, but with the moves they made, you know, moving forward without Jimmy Graham basically more towards a blocking type system with what they're looking for from their tight ends and the inside of that. Luke Wilson the other type he moved on as well. Yeah, it just seems to me that they're trying to get back to their

base a little bit more. I you know, again, I'm not following the Seattle Seahawks every day, but as far as the perception, it just comes off like that because you know what Russell Wilson can do. You just talked about it like he's versaal outside the pocket. He can extend plays. Strangely, he is susceptible to sacks. Still he can avoid them, but he still does. He still does get sacked, well, he does. He does hold the ball and try to and try to make plays. But when

he does get the ball off, he's incredibly accurate. He doesn't he doesn't have that whistle of a throw necessarily, but his touch and and and his accuracy, his his ability to put balls in in tricky spots, maybe dropping it in from up above like those kinds. He makes different types of throws than a lot of other quarterbacks, and he's very very accurate in doing so. And what I'm very interested to see is just how he plays and performs in this game the Packers. Yes, there's a

storied history there. You can go back to the fail Mary, you can go back to the NFC Championship game in two thousand, fourteen. But the Packers have won three straight against Russell Wilson and five starts against them. He has a ser rating seven touchdowns ten interceptions for a guy, and I know one of those games he had like

five of them or whatever it was. But for a guy that protects the ball as well as he does, the Packers did have success against him, and I'm gonna be very interested to see that next chapter play out in this game if they can force the ball away from him. Yeah, all right, Well, you had touched on the Seahawks defense a moment ago, and I want to

get back to that in a second. But Packers fans be sure to stop in at your local Quick Trip and pick up your Packers cup today, get eighty nine cent refills on your Cafe Caruba coffee all season long. Seahawks Defense West, the Legion of Boom is no longer. Richard Sherman is gone, Cam Chancellor is gone. Earl Thomas Um no longer there as well. The crux of this defense, from what I can tell, because it is still a very good unit. You're not just gonna roll over these guys.

But those two linebackers, Bobby Wagner, kJ wright those guys are. Those guys really are kind of the heart and soul, not only geographically because they line up in the middle of the defense, but they really are the two guys that kind of make this defense work. And it's funny because now that I'm on this side of things, I'm not really trying to work the phones as much anymore

than get like scout intel. But I remember my last year at the Press because that I talked to one scout for an NFL or an NFC team, and they said to me, Bobby Weaker. The impressive thing about him is he's the best linebacker in the league. And he's been the best linebacker in the league, and it's very difficult at that position. There's a there's a very select few that can stay at the top of that position.

You see guys, and this is not to throw anybody under the but you see the Navarro Bowman's of the world. You see guys that really are They shine for a season or two, but just can't keep up that level play. What's impressive of Wagner's He's been doing this now for seven eight years, and you're right, he is the face of that defense. He is the identity of that defense. And he's done it as as long, if not longer

than even Patrick Willison San Francisco. He's at He's at that level in terms of in terms of the longevity being at the top of the league. And what impress says me too is word a day and age Mike, where everybody just wants to change and you know, transition safeties hybrid players into linebackers, and they're in to some extent. I guess they did do this because they did get Shack Griffin in the draft and he's more of a twinter player. But right in Wagner are just punch you

in the mouth. Linebackers, gritty three down, can play coverage when they need to lineback their throwback types, no doubt. There's just a shortage of them right now in two thousen with the way that this league structure. Yeah, upfront, obviously Michael Bennett no longer they're on the defensive line. The guy who's always intrigued me for them because he seems to be a guy who's capable of always having that big standout game if you're not careful is Frank Clark.

Frank Clark is an interesting one because he is a little bit more of he could be. You could I could see him as a three four outside linebacker. You could see him as a hand in the dirt edge rusher. But yeah, eight sacks at this point in the season, he's sort of Ben the new breed, if you will, with that legion of boom and with with that defense, I mean ten secs two years ago. Over the last three seasons, has become a starter in that scheme. And

I think it was the right time. I mean, they had Cliff Avril and you look at Michael Bennett and some of the things they did with their edge rush, signing players elsewhere, bringing them in and you know, being able to get strong performance out of them at out of a modest rate. Yeah, they had Bruce Ivan and by the way, and I always say this, I think I bring this up every time John Snyder got killed for that draft pick back in two thousand and twelve, and I always like bruserv and I thought he fit

exactly what they were trying to do it. And he's just a consistent guy. That's gonna get you seven eight sacks unless you're in Oakland and you just want to ship them out. But yeah, it was considered a reach at the time because there were a lot off the field concerns with Burvon that everybody was like, boy, you're taking a big chance taking him as high as they did. Well, you know, Schneider turned out to be to be right.

He did exactly what he needed to do there, and for the most part, you know, I was able to keep his nose clean. But now you've got Frank Clark. Now you've got a new uh breed. Like I was saying of defensive pass rusher there, it's a different face in the trenches. But he's been a guy that's certainly

picked up that baton and and really really ran with it. Yeah. Well, with with regards to this Seahawks defense, that one thing I forgot to check before we turn on the cameras here West there their turnover situation, because I know it's a defense that over the years, when they were at their best, they would take the ball away. Obviously the legion of Boom, they would get interceptions, but they'd also hit quarterbacks get the ball out, that kind of thing.

Where is this defense in terms of turnover? Well, this is the tough part for them right now because Earl Thomas is still their leading uh intercepting defensive back. He has three picks. They have ten as a team right now. Uh. Sequiel Griffin is I think a really solid player. Two picks for him on the year. I think he's the guy that sort of jumps off the page. To me, I'd be lying to you if I told you I

knew much about their safety situation. Now, yeah, I'm not too familiar with it, but it is they've made a transition in the set in the back end as well. Uh, and it is going to be interesting to see how they do. But to this point, yeah, ten picks on the year and three of those blong Darryl Thomas. And how are they using the two Griffin brothers you mentioned obviously they drafted uh, um the I guess you call

them the one armed Griffin. But yeah, Shack Griffin and then and then his his older brother um Is is on that defense as well. How are they using those? Well, Sequel is the starting boundary cornerback for them. I mean, he he is a guy in the two years that he's been there has been you know, the dude that they're they're developing. Uh, Sack Griffin has been a little bit different this year because there were some rumblings come out of training camp that Okay, maybe this guy is

gonna start. And he's mostly been on special teams to this point. I think he's played in eight games. I can look up. I can actually bring the stats up in front of me. It was like eight or nine games, has like eight tackles on the year, eight tackles started one contest for them, but for the most part has been on special teams. Um, so yeah, they're both definitely

in the fold. It's gonna be interesting too. I don't know how much it's gonna come up as a storyline, but Marc Uisvelda Scantling has a history with the two brothers. Ran on a relay with them in high school, so you have that storyline as well. And it would be kind of cool too if you see Sequil actually line up against MBS as well, Shaquil Shakim. How does one guy get the nickname Shack and not the other one? Well, for me, it was because until basically the NFL scouting combine,

I didn't know how to pronounce the chem. I didn't know if it's sequam. I wasn't sure right, So yeah, it was shack and then everyone sort of called him that, So I was like, oh, this is cool. Maybe he just won the coin flip. I'm not sure. I've just I've wondered about that. But a great story with those uh, with those two brothers both playing together in Seattle, but West. It is time to enter the Cousins Subs Best Seats

in the House promotion. You and a guest could win a chance to kick back on the fifty yard line in style. Two pairs of lucky Packers fans will be chosen prior to each home game for this v I P experience. Enter daily now through December sixteen by completing the entry form and submitting. For complete rules and eligibility, go to Packers dot com slash Best Seats Cousin Subs. We Believe in Better. Okay, I promised we were going to talk about the Packers defense and the sack numbers

right now. Six sacks last Sunday against the Miami Dolphins give the Packers thirty one on the season. That is tied for the league lead. But maybe the most interesting thing about the Packers being tied with a couple other teams for the league lead in sacks right now is the Packers don't have any one individual with more than five. This is really interesting how this is playing out with Mike Petton's defense in terms of the sacks being spread out amongst so many players. And you looked up some

of those numbers. Yeah, Now I don't have a SPA Stats and Info department like you do, so I was, you know, doing all these things crunching on myself. Uh. The three things, there were three things that stood out there were very interesting to me. One the fact that they do have fifteen individual players who have had a sack this season. Going back too when that became an official statistic, the Packers have never had a defense have more than fifteen players have at least a half sacked

in a non strike year. They actually did it eight seven, but it was sixteen different guys and you had replacement player that was the replacement players for a few games and all that kind of stuff. Yeah, so there's that aspect of it. The fact that they also are tied with I believe it's Kansas City, Minnesota, and I want to say is that Pitts Pittsburgh. Off the top of my head, all three of those teams have have at least one pass rusher that has I think seven or

eight sacks on the year. The Packers top right now is Kenny Clark and Kyler Facker with five. Lastly, and I think the most interesting is to a certain extent, you could expect this if you go back to how Mike Petton ran his defense during his time with the Jets. He tit him across the board approach. You know, Mohammed Wilkerson didn't become a ten sack player until after Petton

had left. But also what's very interesting, they never had more than forty sacks in a season with the Jets ten top or four top ten defenses and four years, but the sacks always ranged from thirty one to forty. The Packers around pace for fifty five. Now, if you go to Petton season in Buffalo, they actually had fifty seven that year. So it's not like he'd be setting a personal best or anything. You know, that was where Jerry Hughes really broke out and things of that nature.

But the fact that the Packers are getting this kind of production, trust me. In The defensive players talked about this, Mike Petton has talked about it. They want to be more consistent in their pressure, but they've been able to get home. And I think when you look at they're only six sacks right now off of last year. You know, with seven games left to play, I think to some extent you are seeing that Mike Petton effect in this defense. Yeah, and I think we're certainly seeing the not only the

depth in terms of the defense, but the creativity. Because if you had said at the beginning of the season, Okay, after nine games, the Packers are going to be tied for the league lead in sacks and Clay Matthews and Nick Perry will have combined for four out of thirty plus sex, I would have said, you know, you're crazy. But this is a different type of system. It's a different type of scheme. And not only is pett And

bringing guys from different angles. You know, you mug up six or seven guys and then maybe only four of them come, or maybe five of them come. That's sort of what his system has done. But also because the Packers have had to tap into their depth, We've seen Antonio Morrison have to step in for Blake Martinez and then he gets the call as the guy who comes

and he gets a sack in New England. For example, we saw last week Raven Green has to step in when kentro o'bryce leaves with an injury, and then on a big third down, he gets the call to go after the quarterback and he gets a sack of Osweiler. So that's partly how this is getting so spread out is because the Packers have had to call on so

many different guys because of injuries and shuffling personnel. But yet when every guy is getting that call and getting that opportunity, he's doing his best to cash in on it. What really stands out to me the most about pet and scheme is You're right, there's guys stepping up, and that's why it's so diversified on where the sacks are coming from. But positionally it's also a part of that.

I mean, yes, the linebackers are leading them once again, but a part of that is the fact that if you go back to his time with the Jets too, I mean, you know you had David Harrison Bart Scott, he would bless those guys, you know, he would send them and he's showed a lot of those double a gap pressure looks in this defense as well. It's what's led to Martinez having four sacks. As you mentioned, Antonio

Morrison stepping in there as well getting one. But you have guys like uh, you know that these defensive backs from the inside that are also being able to get after the quarterback. They're getting pressure with their defensive lineman Dean Lawry getting on the board last week. Previous Adams got his first career sacked last week, So that I

think is a really interesting, you know, aspect of this defense. Also, what really stands out to me the most of anything is the fact that you had Kenny Clark dropping into coverage at one point in that game. Last week, you had an eight man rush with three defensive backs all in cover zero having to stick with their guy hoping that the rush is gonna get to Oswalder before Oswalder

can get the ball out. It's those type of things, being able to show those varied amount of looks at the line of scrimmage in putting it on film that you're not afraid to do just send everybody. You gotta have some get some grapefruits to pull that kind of stuff off. And in Mike pett And I think has showed a lot of confidence in a lot of young defensive players who three or four weeks ago might not

even been playing in this defense. Yeah. Well, that being said with regards to where the Packers are with their sacks. Quite honestly, West, I would be fine if they don't sack Russell Wilson once on Thursday night, because to me, I just don't want Russell Wilson to be able to run for eight hundred yards and and hurt them that way. I would rather and this is no disrespect to Tyler Lockett Doug Baldwin, I would rather have Russell Wilson in the pocket having to beat you with the throws than

to have to be worried about him running around. Because if you you can beat your guy. And yes, Russell Wilson does take his share of sacks, but he can also just get away and kill you. Yeah, and the Packers felt some of that. They've seen that in the past with him. I think of that two thousand fourteen opener against Seattle and when they tried to run that quad defense against Wilson, and they were able to get a lot of stuff working, not just with the read option,

but being able to pass off the read option. The difference I think now for this Packers defense is they're much faster, particularly in the secondary. They have a lot of guys. It isn't just you know, Josh Jones running a four four. They have just guys that can close the distance, and you need that type of approach. With a guy like Russell Wilson, you have to be disciplined, but you have to be athletic too, because he's disciplined

and athletic. I think it's gonna be a great chess match and throwing in that that atmosphere with Century Link, it's gonna be challenging. It's gonna challenge your communication on both sides of the ball and all three phases. But at the same time, I still don't think with the stat that you've pointed out to me this week, it's as insurmountable to go in there and win, maybe like it was four or five years ago. Yeah, I don't

think it. I don't think it is either. I think this is I think this is a Seahawks team that is a little bit vulnerable right now, but they're also dangerous in the sense that they have their backs up against the wall. So our next show, I want to get to our keys to victory and all that. So we will continue that discussion, but for now we have to call it a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted, and be sure to follow all of our coverage of

the team on Packers dot com on Twitter. He's at west Hot I'm at Mike Spofford at Packers for the team account. Thanks for tuning in, everybody, See you next time. M