#369 Packers Unscripted: Taking care of business

to in the past, we've gotten to this point. The records are what they are. Out of any game I think the Packers have played this season, maybe with the exception of the Buffalo Bills, it's a pretty clear and defined path to victory and what they need to do. When you look at the lines in this game coming out of Vegas, you look at you know what the outside perception is, regardless of all what the narrative is.

There's a reason why the Packers are favored in this The Arizona Cardinals are in a tight spot right now under Steve Wilkes, and in speaking with the media this week, he acknowledged, you know, some of the things that they've been working through him as a first year coach. Josh Rosen is a rookie quarterback. All that being said, the Packers have to take care of business in this game. You asked me what the key to victory is. Everything is the key to victory. Aaron Rodgers needs to play well.

The defense needs to take the ball away, Aaron Jones needs to get involved. Davante Adams needs another hundred yard performance. Whatever it takes to get that victory. The Packers need to get it because at the end of the day, while Mike Petton mentioned it, everybody in the locker room talked about it. You're not looking past the Cardinals. You cannot. You're not in a position to look past the Cardinals.

The facts are what they are. The Cardinals are two and nine right now, they're on a three game skid. They have the worst ranked offense in seventeen of the top nineteen categories. That's just the facts. For the Green Bay Packers. They need to pick up this win. They need to get on a winning streak here to to make this you know, potentially interesting here down the stretch. Yeah, I mean, as you said, this one all points to the Packers being so heavily favored because the Cardinals have

struggled as much as they have. Obviously, the Packers are undefeated at lambeau Field this year. I said it earlier this week. I said it on our Final Thoughts video which is on our website, which we shot just before we came and sat down here and turned the cameras on. This is one of those games to me, all the circumstances and everything surrounding it, that this is a team you have to jump on them early, break whatever spirit they might have in terms of trying to pull the upset,

and then you have to protect the football. And I think if you do that, the combination of the fact that the Cardinals are two and nine, they've had a really rough go of it year with their rookie head coach. They're a team from the southwestern corner of the United States that plays in warm weather, that plays in a dome.

Coming up to lambeau Field where it's gonna the temperatures are going to be in the thirties, don't give them any idea, any sense that they can win this game and where they'll get a sense of winning this game is if the Packers don't start fast, and if the Packers turn the ball over, that that's that's how you give a team like this life in a situation like this, And to me, it's as simple as that. That's what

the Packers have to do well. And it's kind of stunning in some ways with the Cardinals because we're there. Through eleven games here right now, Mike, they've only scored more than three touchdowns, more than twenty one points in one occasion, and it was victory over San Francisco, who just so happens to be the only team they've beaten this year. They did it twice to victories over the Ers. So yeah, the main reason you always want to start fast,

You always want to stop on them early. But they're coming off a forty I have to tend loss against the Los Angeles Chargers. The thing I think a lot of people aren't talking enough about in that game is it was forty five on answered by the Chargers to win that game. Right. The Cardinals had the lead earlier, they led after the first quarter, tended nothing in the child. I believe they missed a field goal somewhere in there too, where they could have even pushed their lead a little

bit higher. So I mean, if you're looking at it from the last three quarters perspective, this is a team that's really reeling now. As I mentioned in our previous show Mike on Wednesday, they still have a lot of playmakers. They still have a lot of people that can disrupt the game on both sides of the ball. Chandler's Jones, Patrick Peterson, We'll see whether or not, Buddha Baker's and the Plans. But on the other side of it, the Green Bay Packers have played with some really good football

teams in the last over the last month. I understand what the record is. I know they didn't win those games, but there's a there's levels to this, right the Rams, Patriots, and heck even to some extent, the Vikings in the in the Seahawks. They're on a different level right now than Arizona is. You can't play down to that. You have to come out, you have to look strong, you

have to defend your home turf. Yeah. I did a little bit of statistical searching this week with West with regards to uh Steve Wilkes being a rookie head coach coming in here into lambou Field. I took a look at the entire Mike McCarthy era, dating back to two thousand six and when the Packers have faced a rookie

head coach. Now, to define that, what I'm talking about is a head coach who's in his first season as a head coach in the NFL anywhere, So a coach who is in his first year with a team but has been a head coach somewhere else previously, not a rookie head coach. That doesn't doesn't count. So yeah, the North Turners, the John Foxes, you know, those guys who have switched teams and whatnot and faced the Packers. That

doesn't count. Interesting thing that I found is that Mike McCarthy actually has a pretty darn goood record against these rookie head coaches. He's over his thirteen seasons now he is twenty four and nine. And the interesting thing to me about that nine in the lost column is that three of those nine losses came in McCarthy's own rookie head coach season of two thousand and six. So if you start at two thousand and seven, when McCarthy was No.

Longer a rookie head coach. He's only lost six times in twelve years, including this year to a rookie head coach. Now the loss to the Lions and Matt Patricia that's the most recent one here, but not including this year. You actually have to go back to when Aaron Rodgers was injured and the Chip Kelly Carter chip Kelly Eagles excuse me, came into lambeau Field and beat the Packers in a game that Sonic Wallace started, and then Scott Tolzene came in after the first series of the game.

McCarthy had actually gone a handful of years without losing to a rookie head coach until until the loss in Detroit earlier this year. So Steve Wilkes having a rough go of it's so far in in Arizona, and the track record for the Packers under Mike McCarthy that this is the type of game that they win well. And I want to set this all up is just everything's all doom and gloom with the Cardinals. They've had some

things go well for them. I think David Johnson has re emerged in this offense over the last three games. So you have to be cognizant of him. There's talent on the roster, there's no question about it. We talked about Chandler Jones with his eleven sacks, and he's a premier pass rusher in this league. The news sounds pretty good at this point on David bak Try at left tackle being able to play for the Packers. He actually

did more in Thursday's practice than was anticipated. As long as his rehab and recovery and everything goes well, it sounds like he's going to play. But if he's not at a hundred percent, you are going up against an all Pro caliber rusher. Yeah, absolutely, and you look offensively Larry Fitzgerald. We've talked about him this week and and how savvy he is and what he could potentially do

to you. But at the end of the day, there was a reason why I think a lot of people view the Cardinals being a somewhat rebuilding mode and the post Bruce arians era in the Packers to initially be a title contender this season. It's the makeup of the roster, it's the overall depth of the team, and while the Packers are working through some injuries right now, I think stud for stud playmaker for playmaker, there's the tilts to

their side of the field. So for me, I mean, I understand these last couple of weeks have been tough and they've taken some on the chin on the road as difficult that is, you have to flush it. You have to remember what you did to the Miami Dolphins here three weeks ago, and what exactly went well in that game for the Packers too, for the most part,

control the tempo of that entire contest. For Josh Rosen, one of the things I brought up in our final Thoughts video that you referenced six centers or eleven interceptions eleven turnovers. Excuse me and keep messing that up. Over the last six games, nine interceptions, two fumbles lost the Grimmy Packers have wanted to go get the football. They wanted to turn over the football. Mike Patton's big headline type statement on Thursday night when he met with the

media was we have to take the football away. It's what his best defense is. In addition to be top ten units with the Jets and the Bills, they also took the ball away a lot. That's the one thing that's missing Rosen having the issues that he's had this year. As you've mentioned before, Mike, when they took on Josh Allen earlier this year, that turned out to be a

recipe for success. They need to do that again. Yeah, and when you talk about the turnovers on defense, I'm sure everybody's getting tired of us talking about it and

it being mentioned so often. But you can't you almost can't harp on it enough because all you have to do is look a few hours south at the Chicago Bears and the fact that in the span of five days, with two division games on the docket a Sunday night game followed by Thursday afternoon game, the Bears got two picks sixes from Eddie Jackson against Kirk Cousins and against Matthew Stafford that both proved critical to winning those games. The Bears are doing it with defense and takeaways. They

lead the league in turnover margin. And yes, there is nothing that is necessarily spectacular about the Bears offense. Mitch Drabinski is now injured. They're dealing with Chase Daniel as a backup quarterback. The Bears are inning with defense and turnovers. They're sitting there at eight and three in the in the catbird seed in the NFC North because they take

the football away. And I was doing our Packers pregame radio on Sunday night before that game against Minnesota, and one of the things I said, not I'm not trying to disrespect anybody here when I say this, but in a lot of ways, the Bears kind of do remind me of I believe it was that two thousand one team where Jim Miller was their quarterbacks they and I think Anthony Thomas was their running back still at that time, I think, yeah, they were They did what they had

to do offensively, and that defense was just so overpowering, and I believe they wrote it to a thirteen and three record that year. The train eventually stopped for them, but that was the year where Dick Geron really got that team going. To a certain extent, this team reminds me of that a little bit, just based on how defense has controlled the temple of things. But at the

same time, I still don't think they're unbeatable. I still think the Packers have a very realistic chance with Aaron Rodgers go went into Soldier Field they've done in the past and winning, but none of that matters if you can't get past Arizona in Atlanta. So the big thing we've talked about, Mike, and it's been almost three months now, is that you have to get on a winning streak. This is Taylor made to start a winning streak for them. It's Taylor made to start building some momentum and you

have to capitalize on it well. As we usually do. On our final show the week, we take a look at other games around the league, and while we're talking about the Bears, they have the New York Giants this week, and that's a game that on paper a few weeks ago, everybody's already chalking it up as a Chicago Bears victory. But the Giants are playing better. They took the Philadelphia Eagles to the wire last week and probably should have beaten them. Quite frankly, they had the lead the bulk

of the game. Sae Kwan Barkley an incredibly dangerous player, and it doesn't sound like the Bears are gonna have Mitch Rubinsky again. For all the talk about last week, the short week, it was on a Thursday, and if the game had been on a Sunday, Trubisky probably would have played well. Here we are. Now he's too weeks into his injury, and they're still talking about starting Chase

Daniel in East Rutherford on Sunday. This is I mean, I know the Giants are three and eight, This is no gimme for the Bears, and and with the Vikings coming off of their win over the Packers, the Bears, the Bears don't want to lose that catbird seat that I just mentioned in the NFC norm Yeah, it's funny. One of the things I've kind of always said. I've never really said it on air, but I've always said

it to people on the beat. You know, you can talk, but it's really that final inactive list that really speaks, right, you know exactly. You know, Matt Nage can say, yeah, you know, if it was you can put anybody questionable on the court, right, I mean, you can't get fine, you can't get fined if a guy is questionable. Whatever. The ultimate decisions Bill Belichick, right. But I mean, but that's the thing Nay said, you know, if it was a full week, he'd play. You just never know, because

these are human beings and injuries are very real. So I've paid I've paid attention to the Giants. I mean, I still think there are some glaring weaknesses in that team, but you know, with Barkley, with you know, Odell Becky Coom Jr. Seems to be in a groove right now over a thousand yards again on the season. Evan Ingram is healthy again for them, or at least you know, was able to return, so potentially being able to to

build some momentum there. I think this whole week though, Mike, when you look at the NFC race, you know the Vikings have to go over to New England. I mean, yeah, that was the next one I was going to ask you about the Patriots hosting the Minnesota Vikings. That game will be right after the Packer games. It's the late afternoon kind of national TV spotlight there with with Minnesota

going to Foxborough. They're count off their win over the Packers and uh and the Patriots Suddenly everybody's talking about them getting the number one seed in the a f C again because of the because of the Steelers losing and the fact that they have the tiebreaker over the Chiefs because because they beat him head to head. So the door is still open for New England to get the top seed in the a f C, and you look at it. Washington's traveling to Philadelphia. Somebody's going to

take a loss there. Caroline has been up and down there going up against the Tampa Bay team that seemed to gain him a little bit of momentum last week. And then certainly you see how this thing lines up with the Cowboys yesterday getting a much needed victory over the Saints. So yeah, there definitely isn't any given Sunday approach right now to this conference, and we saw it. You outlined at what this is gonna be like for

the Packers to get where they need to be. You have to win five games and you have to see how the rest of the thing plays out. But the one thing that's underrated, Mike, and I've seen this in my own fantasy football league, if you win five straight games, it's amazing sometimes how the rest of the pieces start to fall in place for you. The Packers saw it in two thousand thirteen, they saw it in two thousand

and sixteen. The Bears still out from front with that division, with how log jam this conference is right now, the door is still there. Yeah, what are your thoughts quickly before we go on that Thursday night game, the Dallas Cowboys holding the most explosive offense in the NFC. In the New Orleans Saints a ten game winning streak, it comes to an end at Jerry's World thirteen to ten.

The Saints had three first downs and fifty nine yards of offense getting shut out in the first half, and then they just couldn't quite muster enough in the second half when they shut out the Cowboys themselves, because the Cowboys are up thirteen nothing. Your thoughts on how that played out and what that means now in the NFC playoffs, Well, if you know, Matt Arvan up in the studio would

have our ability to play back video. I said the day before this was going to be a supreme test for for Dallas defense and to show if they're legit or not. They're very legit. Amari Cooper has changed the structure of that offense. I mean Dak Prescott, he had Dez Bryant, before he had Jason Witten. There was a

dearth of options for him perimeter wise. They went and got to Marie Cooper and I know it was only eight catches for seventy five yards, but possessions stuff like that and watching him the way he moved the ball underneath there just with so much more rhythm with that offense. Despite the fact that Zeke Elliott didn't have this monster game, he only had seventy three carry or seventy six yards on twenty three carries, and offensively, the Saints just couldn't

get anything going on their end of things. So, yeah, the Dallas is right back in this thing in Washington dealing with what they're dealing with injuries wise, it puts them in a tough spot as well. That's what I was gonna say is is now things kind of are

setting up for Dallas just the way you would. I know, everybody was writing them off at three and five, and what's wrong with the Cowboys and his Dak Prescott really the quarterback of the future will Suddenly They've now won four in a row, the fourth win coming against the top team in the NFC that was riding a ten game winning streak in the Saints and then their strongest competition in the NFC East, has a backup quarterback for the rest of the season because of that unfortunate and

horrific injury to Alex Smith. While the Super Bowl champion defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles just haven't quite found their footing yet and are still trying to get back to five to say that, yeah, yeah, we're still in this. Yeah, it's it's still right there for everybody, and it's gonna be interesting to see how it plays out. Um. As we begin to wrap up the show, Mike, am I allowed to potentially add another segment to this thing? Sure,

I know you're the show. Here's um. I do want to make notice that this is the My Cause, My Cleats weekend for the Packers. Now, the way it works is you can do it basically any week time between week thirteen and week fifteen goes open. A majority of the players, though wearing cleats for certain causes. Davante Adams cystic vibrosis, Reggie Gilbert, a number of different guys, Aaron Rodgers,

I believe doing the Wounded Warrior fund um. But also I want to mention jire Alexander, who had a chance to in bed with earlier this week at a event he hosted for the Boys and Girls Club of Green Bay. Wrote a story for that on our website. Also some great multimedia things we did as well. It's a really good piece. By the way, you should definitely check it out.

Kind of gives you a little bit more of an insight into Alexander's background and and just kind of the personality that he is off the field, because we've seen so much of what he's like on the field. And and my biggest takeaway, if you get a chance to check it out, or even if you don't, is kind of getting understanding for how something like Boys and Girls Club what kind of lasting impact that can have on an individual. In jire Alexander's case, um, you know, he

he had some very humble beginnings. Football wasn't immediately presented to him as an option. There were some things that his family had to overcome. Well, it was actually through the Boys and Girls Club down in his hometown of Charlotte that he got introduced to it. Was able to play pop worn or foot ball through it. Um he said, it wasn't, you know, always glamorous. You know, the fields that they played on had thorns and holes and things

like that. He'd go home and he'd be scratching and itching. But it was there that he developed the love for it. And then as time went on, he realized this is something that I can actually do to potentially help improve my family situation, you know, and had a chance to bring twenty kids out from the Green Bay Boys and Girls Club. Uh, they went to flow yoga. UM. If you know anything about Ryan Cunningham, she works with a lot of packer players, Tremont Williams being one of her

main ones. Um and being able to just sit down with kids for forty five minutes an hour, did all the yoga poses with him, did the meditation, then had probably the biggest most interactive Q and A session I think I've ever witnessed from seven to twelve year olds. I mean, it was incredible how engaged they were with it.

Jaire Alexander has a real interesting personality, as we've talked about in the past, extremely extroverted, very confident in himself, but also has a real tremendous ability to get on the level of anybody. And in this case, it was interacting with kids that he never met before but made a point to learn their name and be able to have that kind of relationship and talking to the organizers

of it. Just something that those kids are gonna remember forever. Yeah, he's very relatable certainly, and I think If I were to pick out a favorite part of your story which I really enjoyed reading, it was when you were talking to Jaire about his reaction to seeing one of the kids from the Boys and Girls Club wearing his number

twenty three jersey. And when you're talking about a kid who was part of a boys and girls club, as you said, back in Charlotte, and playing learning the game and falling in love with the game on these bumpy fields that you know, wrecked, you know, bruised up his body and all of that kind of stuff because because there just weren't the great parks to play in where

he grew up. His his reaction to seeing, you know, a young boy at the at the Boys and Girls Club of Green Bay wearing a number twenty three jersey kind of a touching part of the story, to say the least. And he said, I mean money, you know, doesn't matter where you come from. A hundred dollars is a hundred dollars just spend on jerseys. And when he was a kid, he had one jersey. It was Michael Vick number seven. He got it for his seventh birthday. He treasured that thing. It means a lot to him.

So it doesn't matter if it's a young boy, you know, sitting in the Boys and Girls club and he wants to go over and have a conversation with him. We saw it at Century Link Field and we're in Seattle. There was two fans sitting in the crowd during warmups.

He went over there and sought him out. I mean, it means a lot to him to get that kind of a support and appreciation, and it's interesting to hear the paradox between you know, he doesn't pinch himself if he's lining up across from Larry Fitzgerald or or if it's a you know, Adam Feeland are one of these

top receivers. But there is an aspect to seeing a kid or a person, you know, having his jersey that that sort of brings him to in understanding how far he's come and everything that played into him getting to the position that he's in right now. Yeah, well, a great story and hopefully a guy who's going to be with the Packers for a long time to come. So with that we will call it a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscript would be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team and of Sunday's game

against the Cardinals 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.