#382 Packers Unscripted: Motivations

from Aaron Rodgers. Obviously, he brought up his disappointment that some players like David back, Try, Corey Lindsley, Kenny Clark, Blake Martinez didn't get more recognition throughout this process. We talked a lot about that on yesterday's show. But one comment, if there was one comment from Rods that really stood out to me. When he spoke to reporters at his locker about the Pro Bowl selections, in talking about Davante Adams and how much he deserved it, he then threw

this one at us. The beauty of his game is that there's still room for improvement, and he called that a potentially scary thing for defenses and a great thing for the Packers offense in the future. If he's right West, if he's correct about that that Adams still has room to get better in his game. Boy, this could really be Uh, we could really be on the verge of

of watching something special. Yeah. I think we are already and seeing the maturation of Adams as a receiver, as a playmaker and as a leader in that locker room has been on full display this season. The thing that I liked the most right now about Davante when you look at his skill set a hundred catches, as we said, yards, twelve touchdowns, chasing down numerous franchise records right now with two games left in the regular season, is the fact

that he's never been word on confidence. Even going back to two thousand, fifteen, sixteen seventeen, he has always felt very confident in what he can do. But now he's starting to see the fruits of those labors on the field, both in the terms of what the production has been and also the outside recognition and accolades. If you stack that on top of the confidence he already has and the tools he already has, I think that makes him a very dangerous receiver in this league for years to come.

Rogers makes a great point Davante Adams here in a week will turn twenty six years old. I believe it is. Yeah, he is a young guy. He is a guy at the peak of his powers right now in as time wears on, I think, whether you know, you've seen something this year, but I think these next two three seasons, I think the NFL is gonna start understanding and appreciating

what they have in Davante Adams the receiver. Yeah, it's interesting getting a little bit of a glimpse into his psyche and his perspective because this year, this season that he's putting up and he's not done yet with two games to go, this is clearly going to set a new standards toistically and it's not always about the numbers, but with what he's going to finish season with this this is a new standard. But yet every time that we talked to him as reporters, you get into a conversation,

he's always very engaging with the media. You get the sense that the fact that he's setting this new standard that he's almost going to force himself to live up to it doesn't bother him. It doesn't He's not shying away from it at all. He's almost saying to himself, bring it on, here we go. Yeah, And it was funny because you know, he kind of took JayR Alexander

under his wing a little bit earlier this season. And while they play different positions and aren't entirely different athletes, you can see that common trait between the two of them and that they're very comfortable in their own shoes. They're very comfortable with the expectations that come along with the game of football, and you know they excel in those pressures. So I think when you look at Adams right now, you know he knew right from the get go,

Jordy Nelson's gone. You know, he's gonna have to be the face of this this offense. Uh And as soon as he lost Randall Cobb and and Gerontoy Allison, that didn't change his focus at all. He just challenged himself to step up even more. When he's working with young receivers most of the season Mike fourteen games now, Davante Adams has been getting the majority of the attention from defenses, especially more recently here in the last month and a half,

and he's still found ways to be productive. He's still found ways to make plays in a credit to Joe Philbin in the offensive coaches. I know it's been a tough year, but their ability to also scheme him up a little bit too and make sure that you can find ways to get the ball in his hands even when he is getting double coverage, even when he is getting cloud coverage. It's impressive, and it's impressive to see

that Adams has really executed on that. I'm if if he ends up breaking the receptions record, that's the eye. That's the stat I have my eye on because it shows utter complete consistency and that's so difficult to achieve in this game. Yeah, it's funny. I don't play fantasy football.

I haven't played fantasy football for only some years. I happened to catch something on Twitter the other day that said something about of all the skill position players in the NFL, there's only one guy who has scored at least fifteen Fantasy points every single week, and it's Davante Apps and it partly I don't know exactly what that means, but it speaks to your point about consistency, because the

guy has produced every single week, win or lose. He needs thirteen catches to surpass Sterling Sharp's three franchise record of one hundred and twelve receptions, which actually was an NFL record NFL single season. Yeah Sharp, if you don't remember this, three Sterling Sharp set the NFL single season reception record in back to back years. In two, he broke Art Monks record with a hundred eight. Art Monk had either one oh five or one oh six, and then in three, Sharp broke his own NFL record with

a hundred and twelve. Now, since then, other guys have and in the one twenties and even one thirty, I think I don't even know what the record is now. But when Sharp set that franchise record of one twelve, that was actually the second consecutive year that he had set the NFL record for single season receptions. So Marvin Harrison on the Colts, Yeah, so you go, and that was that would have been nineteen years after I'm sorry,

nine years after Sharp in Yeah. It's it's incredible to see where the league has gone here, because if Davante ends up breaking the record, then he'll be tied with Pierre Garson and Rod Smith for in NFL history. Now, the d thirteen receptions, it just shows you. But Yeah, no, it's still a great thing for him. And to get back to your fantasy football question, if you if you're in a PPR league points per reception, you have a hundred receptions and twelve touchdowns, you don't doesn't get much

better than that. Aunte Adams has been a real dream in that way. And then also nine touchdowns in twelve games this year. We talked all year long about his streak of having touchdowns on the road. Um, it's incredible, and especially with some of the issues the Packers have had scoring the football this year, that Davante Adams has been that good. Yeah. Well, the other franchise record he's closing in on is his former teammate Jordy Nelson in

had one thousand, five hundred nineteen receiving yards. Davante Adams right now at thirteen fifteen, which means he needs two oh five to get to fifteen twenty and break his former teammates record. Do you think he gets that one? Well? I do. If if if he gets an opportunity here with Aaron Rodgers the next two games, I think there's a good possibility he does it. I think all he needs one or two big plays. You know and and that two hundred yards in two games can definitely happen.

And you know, if Rogers didn't really say this part of it out front, because he said, when we're gonna talk about this in a minute, all the reasons that he wants to play against the Jets, he wants to finish the season, you know, to be a leader, to be their first teammates. But you have to imagine there's also a part of Aaron Rodgers that appreciates what Davante Adams did for him this year and trying to help him break that record with you. And this is a

Davante Adams had a real special season. And if you know where he came from, what he's persevered through. He had an Instagram post I believe it was last night or the night before. I know you're big on Instagram, uh, where he basically said, and I'm gonna end up messing this up probably, but from you know, counted out to count it on. And you know, when you think about that, it is really good. When you think of two thousand fifteen Packers, how difficult that season was, losing Jordy Nelson.

You know, the way to the world appears to be on this kid's shoulders, and it's really not. He comes back the next year and he does what he does, and he makes sure that he improves the way that he feels like he can improve. And now I mean he is I mean, he's the offensive m VP for this team this year. It's just everything that he's gotten right now through fifteen games. Fourteen games. I don't think you could find anybody who says he doesn't deserve it. Yeah,

no doubt about it. Um. Quickly though, Packers fans, stop in at your local Quick Trip and pick up your Packers cup today. Get nine cent refills on your Cafe Cruba coffee all season long, Wes you had mentioned. We also heard from Aaron Rodgers on Wednesday, his reasons mostly revolving around leadership and those types of topics as far as why he wants to play out the season these last two games even though the Packers don't have a

shot at the playoffs. We heard from David Baktiari, who answered the same questions about the Pro Bowl snub again, but but he also said um. He also said he would like to finish out the season as well because he's like, hey, I'm a professional football player. My contracts says they're sixteen regular season games. The contract doesn't say you play until you're eliminated from playoff can tension. There's

something certainly admirable about that. And then Brian Bulag at the other book end, the other tackle on the Packers offensive line, he's addressed this as well, and not only did he echo some of the things that Rogers and Baker he said, but it goes a little bit deeper and a little bit more personal with bolog as far as his motivations as to why he wants to finish

out these last two games. Why don't you give us the recap on that Wednesday's locker room was really interesting to me in this way because I looked at Rogers, Box tr and Bolog almost as like the football trinity in terms of you want to ask players why they're playing out the season. I thought, between those three guys, you've got a really clear picture in portrait of what this game means to these guys and and why there is that motivation even when you're out of playoff contention

to finish this thing out. With Rogers its leadership, how can he ask people to rally for him if he's not willing to rally for them down the stretch during the most adverse situations. Now, again, last year was a different story. He had the collar when it was still healing. There was a big danger there if he aggravates that, what that could have did to his off season. So it made sense for them to shut him down this year. Yeah,

he tweaked his growing muscle. Yes, he's been dealing with the knee, but those, you know, the knee specifically, are things that he's been able to play through. He wants to be out there, David bat as long as that quarterback is on the field, he's gonna be there, wanting to block his blindside for him. He's had to deal with his own knee injuries, lower body issues throughout the course of the the season. Has started all four teen games. As he said, the contract that he signed, it didn't

say play until you're eliminated from the playoffs. It said play for sixteen games if your body allows you to do so. David baktis hell bent on doing that. Lastly, Brian Blaga, this was the one that I thought was the most eye opening because he really blog in general.

I've said this before, he's been amazing this year in terms of really letting the media, in letting people into his thought process and what this year has been like for him, trying to come back after tearing his a c L last November, getting back on the field a couple of days, I of ten months, which was incredibly impressive, and that's why it is so motivating for him to want to get back out there. He tore his MCL two weeks ago, as he said, you know, against that

game against Arizona. The doctors told him two weeks you got to set this thing out. The two weeks past, he was back on the practice field Wednesday. He feels good to go, and he said, it's about his wife that that sat there for three weeks post stop doing

everything in their household because he couldn't move. It's for the PT staff, the Packers training staff that helped him get to this point, that put in all the hours to get him back on the field for Week one, and this being his second second rehab of his professional football career as well. And as I wrote in the story, some people were wondering a lot of skeptics were wondering whether or not he'd be ready for Week one. He

did him one better. He was ready for that preseason finale, was able to get some work against Kansas City before going into the regular season. He's battled through a lot this season. I think to Brian Bulaga, and I don't want to put words in his mouth, but I have to imagine this has to be one of them gratifying years he's had. He started twelve games, He's overcome a lot of doubters, and the fact of the matter is the Packers need him right now. Jason Spriggs is in

the concussion protocol. Yeah, that was a new injury that that cropped up that that we weren't aware of until Spriggs was not on the practice field Wednesday. So if you're not going to have the guy that had been subbing in for Volaga, then you have to start wondering what's going to happen there. Well, Bolag is back in there. He wants to play. I just think those guys know what the franchise quarterback means to this team. It's their job to protect them and they want to be out

there regardless of what the wind Lost column says. Yeah, I u um I couldn't have been more impressed, frankly with the comments from guys like bok tr and bolog and what they said with regards to Um. You know, at the heart of it West, they were basically expressing what it means to them to be a professional football player. And and I couldn't have more respect for how they're

going about it. The other thing I will say with regards to this game, in particular against the Jets, the last road trips, the last road trip of the Packers

are o and seven on the road. I think there's something and maybe I'm way off base here, I don't know, but I think there's something about when you talk about the transition of young players from the college game to the NFL, and we've seen the Packers get some significant contributions from rookies Jr. Alexander, Josh Jackson, Marquis Velde, Scanling, Equanimius st. Brown. You know, this rookie draft class that looks, you know, showing a lot of promise here for the Packers.

There's something to be said for going on the road and winning a game in your rookie year so that you're not coming back your second year in the NFL and then you start getting on airplanes and getting going

boy this didn't go so well last year. You know, I I think there's something to going to New Jersey and winning this game for those young guys in the locker room to to experience, as Aaron Rodgers said, experienced the postgame locker room, the bus ride, the flight home, and be able to process everything that it took to

go on the road in the NFL and get a victory. Now, maybe that doesn't rank up there as high as some other reasons to play this game to win, but I think for the near future of this of this Packers team and how it's currently constructed, I think it could mean something. I think it means a lot. I think

you look at JR, Alexander and even Mike. You could look at the rookie class from last year that hasn't tasted a win on the road since that game in Cleveland, the overtime game against the Browns, So there is almost I want to call it a cleansing, but I mean, you want to pick up a road victory. You want to know what it's like to get on that plane after a game with the taste of a victory in your mouth. So um, yeah, it's it's a big challenge.

And I think you look at the way the season has gone for for Todd Bowles and the Jets, and you know the writing is on the wall in a lot of ways right now for them. So it really is going to come down to what team wants this more, who wants to dig deeper? And I think there is I wrote it an inbox this week. I think there are a lot of young, hungry guys in this lineup, some that have played, some who haven't, that want to get out there. They want to show what they can offer,

and they want to win football games. I mean, at the end of the day, it's about winning football games. David Batari said it too. This year has been tough because you know, you can talk about accolades and snubs and things like that, but he's like, my my goals, I want to win a Super Bowl. When he got drafted in two thousand thirteen, he felt like he was close to being able to win a Super Bowl right off the bat. And this is a guy that came from a one win program at Colorado the year before.

He wanted to win. That is the thing that pushes everybody the most. Yes you and I get paychecks, Yes we're able to support our families. But if we write crappy stories or we have a terrible episode of unscripted, it doesn't feel that good. So I mean, from their perspective, yeah you can. You can lose these next two games. Doesn't change anything. No, your fate is still sealed. But again, as I mentioned last week after the win over the Falcons, you win these games, you finally get on a winning

streak to end the season. Then you go into the off season with a little bit more hop in your step. Yeah, I agree with you. And uh, last chance for the Packers on the road is at the Big tin Can and East Rutherford. As I like to say, it's a it's maybe the most nondescript of the newer stadiums in the NFL. Are driving through New Jersey and then here's this big gray metal structure that kind of climbs out of the trees and here and bring your binoculars because

that Russ box we're way up there. Oh I got them. And it's fun too, because the thing that's great is it's like, Okay, you look at the diagrams right now for l A. Uh, you know, we were just in Minneapolis, and how that stadium looks and even even Chicago to some regard, all those soldier fields been there forever and it's form. Yeah, they sort of dropped something strange in the midst of a war memorial. But you still got this carry on, you still got the skylight, the atmosphere.

It's so funny. I've only been to New York once and it was for that two thousand thirteen game that Scott Tolzine started, and I remember pulling up to the stadium and being like, I'm in like New York, New Jersey and this is this is the stadium right like like somewhere along the line some architects signed off on this thing, was like, yeah, we got it. So with all due respect to them, it just it is interesting when you think a Yankee Stadium and all these different venues,

Madison Square, Garden. So it'll be funny. I'm excited to get out there, all right. Yeah, Well we will see what happens, and for now we will call it a wrap on this edition of Packer's Unscripted. 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 accout. Thanks for tuning in everybody, We'll see you next time.