#481 Packers Unscripted: Snowy success

weather day in East brother first, so this was really interesting. Afterwards, Tremont Williams was talking with the media and he mentioned for him, you know, thirty six years old, however long he's playing this league now, he'd never been a part of a game quite like that. In terms of you and I were doing the periscope before the game. It's sort of like hailing on us. It was rain, to hail, back to rain, to snow, and then it ended in rain.

As we were leaving the stadium, it was like, yeah, it was pouring in Jersey as week as we were getting on the buses to go to the airport. But it was also you know, it's a unique playing surface though too right, because it's a turf field that it's an outdoor turf field, so unlike Lambeau Field, if there's snow that falls, it just stays there. They have to shovel it off. And I mean, I actually got to be thankful that they didn't get more snow because then

they would have really had problems. Um, but yeah, take that all away. A very fun game to watch in terms of adding an additional element to it to kind of ramp up some of the excitement. Well, it wasn't the prettiest victory by any means for the Packers, and

it was tight for a while. It was seventeen to thirteen late into the third quarter, but the Packers got the drive that they needed and uh, as I wrote about in my postgame editorial on the plane coming back, it's a little bit of Aaron Rodgers magic that the Packers needed to get that touched on drive seventeen to thirteen, you need a fourth and ten conversion to Geronimo Allison with Marcus Golden bearing down on Aaron Rodgers, he gets to pass away for the completion and the first down

and then a first and goal at the one turns into third and goal from the seventeen after a couple of tackles for loss and a penalty in there, and Aaron Rodgers catches the Giants with twelve men on the field, catches him in a substitution, gets the free play. Davante Adams is open in the end zone, touchdown, and the Packers are back up by two scores, and they were in control the rest of the way. So this is what you know. Sometimes we'll sit here and we'll talk

about an incredible throw. Aaron Rodgers made you think of the Aaron Jones one earlier this season. You think of Jake Kumero along the sideline, You think of all these different moments that he's had. The reason that Geronimo Allison place stands out to me, though it's not like he made the world's greatest throw, but his vision and his ability to see Allison come open in the middle of

the field a critical fourth and tent situation. The Packers they actually were pretty good on third downs, and it was because, you know, in some cases they did have favorable down and distance. In other cases, Aaron Rodgers just made it work. Uh. I think one of the DeVante catches was in that they converted on a couple of

defensive pass interference penalties. But with the running game kind of being held in check against the Giants, and the Giants, if you watched the way those inside linebackers are playing, they were selling out to stop the run, especially up the middle. Yeah, that defensive front came as advertised against the run. They shut down the run, but they didn't get a whole lot of pressure on Rogers, and Rogers

was very well protected. The offensive line had a really good day in past protection, but they did struggle to generate some things up front and the running game. So if you don't if the running game isn't consistently moving, the pylon isn't consistently moving the sticks for you, you have to be able to throw the ball. And although it was not advantageous conditions for that, Rogers made at work. Al Lazard comes out forty three yard catch right off

the beginning of the game. In Lazard had two of those catches in this game, like both in the first quarter, the ones where I say I always I call those the you verse you catches where there he's completely wide open It's like the Randall Cobb catch against the Bears back in thirteen. Yeah, nobody's defending you. There is no threat of imminent danger from a safety. You just have to make the play in Lazard did that on the

forty three yarder. He also did on the thirty seven yard touchdown, ends up resulting in his first hundred yard game. I am so thankful. If there was anything that I was so pleased about with this game, Davante Adams had two touchdowns, So we can throw out this terrible narrative about, oh, he doesn't have any touchdowns at all. Okay, Davante Adams has. He has thirty se in his career. Now at this point, I mean, he's gonna score touchdowns. Just fill your columns

the way you need to fill them. But the time's gonna end there that that that that's gonna go away. Adams played well, Alison made. It was just those two catches, but they were credible important the one on fourth and ten,

the one on third and five. The receiver stepped up and then, certainly, as Roger said after the game, a meaningful touchdown, a special touchdown, being able to get his first connection with with Mercedes Lewis and the end zone his thirty eight different receiver now to catch a touchdown from Rogers. They lifted him when they needed to be lifted. Yeah.

I mean, the reason I keep going back to that drive that spanned the end of the third beginning of the fourth quarter is you know, if you don't convert the fourth and ten to Allison, the Giants are getting the ball back at seventeen. If you don't get the touchdown on third and goal from the seventeen and you tack on three, it's still a one score game. It's twenty to thirteen and the Giants are getting the ball back only down by seven. That drive, that drive was

so critical. And then after that the Packers came back defensively. On the next two possessions back to back, they get interceptions of rookie quarterback Daniel Jones the second and third picks of the game. Kevin King had one in the first half. Then Darnell Savage and Tremont Williams get the

airs in the second half. And I had talked about this last week West and I don't remember if it was on this show or on Final Thoughts or which one of our video productions it was, but now we're up to four times this season that the Packers defense has not generated a turnover in a game. San Francisco was the fourth time that had happened, and now all four times the next game when the Packers have not had a turnover, they've had multiple takeaways. Defensively, this defense

has its issues. Again. They gave up a few too many big plays, especially to a rookie quarterback. In my opinion, they did hold see Kwan Barkley pretty well in check given those conditions. But this defense, it's it's there. They're a takeaway defense. West, I think, I think you know they are what they are at this point. And when they can make those kinds of plays when they can force a bad throw from a quarterback with pressure. Packers didn't get any sacks, but the pressure led to at

least a couple of those three interceptions. Sure, when they can make plays like that, the Packers become a complimentary team. You know, the defense does it's part, The offense does its part when the defense doesn't make those plays, because they're going to give up plays. They've shown the pattern now for a long time. They're going to give up plays and and some things like that are going to happen.

But if they don't make those plays going the other way, then it just all sort of falls on Aaron Rodgers and then the Packers are in trouble, right And there's a couple of key points to this. The first one is there have been times in recent weeks where the Packers could stop drives with an interception. They haven't been able to catch those balls where they were inches away

from making a play. Kyler Facral had an opportunity at a strip sack late in That ball would take like ninety total yards off of the Giants total if he's able to make it, But be that as it may, missed it by an eyelash. Kevin King and Darnell Savage had again give me interceptions where the ball is thrown directly to you. The pressure was in Neil Jones face. It forces the rookie quarterback into making a mistake, and they made him. Tremon Williams I tweeted this during the game,

that interception he made. That is is close to those defensive back pass catching drills that they run during training camp. You have the two defensive backs going against each other and the guy just has to go up and high point the ball down the sign like Truman Williams did

that to exactly the point that he should have. The remark was made afterwards about his leaping ability, his vertical all of that is still relatively intact for a veteran defensive back, but Trumon Williams absolutely high pointed it where he needed to be to get that ball. The three takeaways, as you said, that is the bread and butter of

Green Bay. You and I. One of our big emphasis going into this game was being able to take the ball away against an offense that has given it away as much as they have this season, a rookie quarterback who's had trouble protecting the ball. That's been Daniel Jones's biggest problem as a rookie, and he fumbled again one after they boarded play. And here's the deal, Mike, you can flash it back if Marvin wants to bring it

up by all means go ahead. From final thoughts when we talked about this on Friday, the Packers need to stop, say Kwon Barkley. They mostly did. He did not have an explosive gain on the on the ground. He only averaged four point four carry you'll take that against q qu especially on a day on a day like that, and if you're going to give up yards, okay, be that as it may, but that makes the common denominator in all this takeaways and Aaron Rodgers is not going

to give the ball away. The Packers protected the football and those elements and the Giants had three of them, and if you look at the final score and the way that the passer ratings worked out, that was the difference. Yeah, that was the difference in the game. I don't want to forget here. Were so a little bit sponsor business.

Select Cousin Subs locations are now offering delivery. Whether you're ordering catering or your favorite sub, they're delivering right to you when you order online at Cousin Subs dot com. Cousin Subs. We believe in better. Okay. I want to go back to Alan Lazard for a second because you had mentioned it his first hundred yard game of his career. He did it on three catches forty three yards thirty seven yards and what was three of my sports math, Yeah,

three explosive plays. He gets his first career hundred yard game. Turns out, I guess I was a week early on Alan Lazard because coming out of the bye week, if you recall, I wrote about him on the website, I talked about him on this show, I talked about him on Final Thoughts. I called him my player to watch. I really felt heading into the bye week that Alan Lazard was showing that he he is evolving into the number two receiver in this offense. And yesterday against the Giants,

it didn't happen for him in San Francisco. I was a week early in all of my hype for him, but he came up with his second really really big performance of the season. Um and uh against the Giants. He was the guy really that that got the Packers going early and uh. I have to believe after a performance like that that he the snaps the opportunities he really is going to merge. I think as as the number two option behind Davante Adams, as far as the

wide receivers are considered. Yeah, I agree with you. I'm just trying to look quickly to see how he played thirty seven of the sixty seven snaps forty two for Toronto, Allison and obviously DeVante leading that group with fifty two. So yeah, he's playing more and more and you want to see that just because of what he offers and what he brings to the table. The thing that I continue to be completely awe struck by is that this guy went undrafted. I mean, Iowa State is not the

Iowa State of ten years ago. Remind you he did go through some losing years, but he was a part of the uptick over there. And you know, there were so many people that got fixated on his speed and as I mentioned to you last week, even in San Francisco on the end a round, he had the second fastest next gen speed that was timed. Now he's made a series of changes with his diet. I think that's enabled him to be able to pull that out of himself.

But six ft five, this is a prototype receiver in terms of what you want to have in what he offers to an offense. And Aaron Rodgers picked up on that really early in camp uh when we're all the discussion was still on the three rookies from last year and in Coumero and everybody else, and rightfully so, they all had their moments. Alan Lazard was the most consistent

throughout that entire summer and it enabled him to. I mean, you gotta remember this guy was cut on final cuts, but he came right back much like Geran wo Allison did in sixteen and has just been, uh, you know, a godsend for this offense and and what he's been asked to do. So I just the thing that stands out to me from the very beginning with him is, and Roger spoke on this two weeks ago, there isn't a deer in the headlights thing with him. He doesn't

care that he was undrafted. He doesn't care that he spent last year on a practice squad, he doesn't care that he started this year on a practice squad. He just wants to play football. And if you put him in that predicament, if he gets himself open downfield, he's not going to drop the ball. He is going to be up for it. And the amount of big plays that he's made this year averaging fifteen yards of catch.

Right now, Alan Lazard is a problem man, and offenses are gonna have to start scheming for him because it isn't just Davante Adams. And Adams said he said this to guys in the huddle, you know, and I wrote about this in the game notes. So many years it was Jordy Nelson, Cobb and then Adams or and or James Jones. Pick your your poison. That the last year, it's showing that this when this offense is at its maximum, there are multiple guys that you have to account for

because any of them can step up at a given time. Now, are you gonna put any of them right now in the category of Nelson and Cobb. No, But when you have that many different guys that after that many different skills, it is what enables you in any given week for it to be Al Lazard's day. You picked last week. The main reason you picked last week is because you can't just dictate and predict that he's gonna play sixty snaps and have ten targets. This was Alan Lazard's game.

It was his chance to make an impact early. He did. The Packers got the fast start they needed, they got a three and out on defense, and while it was tight there for a time, the momentum in this entire contest was in Green Bay's favor. Yeah, well, Aaron Rodgers ends up with four touchdown passes. You do that, you up pass rating in those kind of conditions that that that's a heck of a day. The fourth touchdown pass goes to Marcedes Lewis, the big dog at tight end.

He gets his first touchdown as a member of the Packers. Aaron Rodgers gets to add another player to his list of guys on the receiving end of his touchdown passes, and it sounds like Rogers might have to come up with another nickname for him, at least at the line of scrimmage, because he he called his shot apparently, UM. The TV mikes picking up the big dog, big dog call right before the one yard touchdown pass to Marcedes Lewis,

UM a fun one. Rogers enjoyed it, celebrating it. Heck of a play by Rogers to actually get that throw off and make it accurately with with that pass rusher draped on his shoulder at the time, but it becomes the one that caps the scoring for green Bay, puts him up by three scores and put this one to bed. You know what's great about that play and really this entire season from Marcedes Lewis, and this speaks a lot

to Lewis and his character. Mercedes Lewis thirteen years ago as a first round pick, and he was a pro bowler in two thousand and ten. He's been to the highs and for guys, it's not always easy. In years eleven, twelve, and thirteen, you see a lot of guys just retired because they don't want to accept a secondary role. And he was close to retire, and he was close, but it wasn't because of a lack of production. It was just a question in his mind, like, hey, do I

still want to do this? And he did because of the idea of team and the fact that he enjoyed the relationship he has with Jimmy Graham and Rodgers in this offense, for Louis to be willing to accept the role that he's been in the last two years, and you heard Rogers talk about it al Lazard. I was asking him about it after the game. It is incredible to see the selflessness that's involved with that because he knows he's mostly there for blocking. He knows he's mostly

there for type packages. And then there's the external threat this year that he can still catch the ball. They've used that more and I think that's helped make him a little bit less predictable when he's on the field. The best part about looking back at that play was just how adamant Rogers was. And you can talk about the words and you're right, big dog, big dog, big dog, that's a giveaway. But once that ball was was was

you know, snapped. Does that not remind you of like the kid in school that's like, I gotta get the ball to my buddy over the the hop and the skip and everything else. In Rogers that was just I mean, he's dipping his shoulder trying to stay elude the rush. He was getting that ball to Mercedes Lewis. They're able to connect on it. And as Rogers talked about it and Lewis talked about it too, this goes beyond football

for those two. You don't see a lot of the impact that Mercedes Lewis has had on this locker room. A lot of it is within those doors. But this is a beloved player. He's an emotional he's a verbal leader, a vocal leader. And there's a reason why Lewis plays as much as he does, the accountability that he has and just being able to make the impact that he's

had in a very short time here in Green Bay. Yeah, Well, with the wind, the Packers get to nine and three, they temporarily move into sole possession of first place in the NFC North the Minnesota Vikings at eight and three.

They're playing Monday night football in Seattle. So we'll talk about the whole picture and where things stand and all the other results from week thirteen in the NFL on tomorrow's show, because then the Seahawks Vikings game will be in the bank and we'll we'll really have a sense of where everything is. So we'll delay that discussion for tomorrow, but before we go today, we definitely do need to talk about Packers kicker Mason Crosby and the game that

he had. Finding out on Friday morning, I believe it was that his sister in law, Brittany, his brother Reese's wife, passed away after a battle with ovarian cancer. And um, you wrote a story on this, a great story on our website a while back west as Um, the Crosby's were going through this and Mason Crosby's wife, Molly also

had a medical situation UM this past summer as well. UM, this is this has been this has been some year in the Crosby family and uh boy, for for Mason to go out and do what he did on Sunday afternoon, making making all of his kicks, including a big forty seven yard or when actually the snow was at its worst at that point, and he drills that forty seven yard field goal when uh, to give the Packers three

points there in the first half. Just a just a tremendous effort by a veteran kicker, the franchises all time leading score and one of the most respected and beloved players in that locker room. Yeah. First off, I mean, you gotta hit your captain, Mason. So they find out about this on Friday morning, him and Molly and his family. They fly down to Austin, Texas, get to Georgetown where

you know recent and they're all from where Brittany was. Yeah, that's that's uh, that's Mason Crosby's hometown for those who don't know, Georgetown, Texas. So he goes down there, he spends the day with them, He flies in on Saturday to New York, does his whole pregame preparation and then, um, I mean it's incredible you look at it for him to step up the way he has and he's done it before. But you know, he said he's having a career year in spite of everything that happened with Molly

during training camp. He's in a battle with Sam Ficken for the kicking job. She undergoes surgery. At the end of August. When she has a surgery, Reese and Brittany come up to spend the week with her, while Mason is getting ready for the first, you know, game of the year and finding out if he still has his job with the Packers, and for him to do what he's done. I think it speaks volumes about Mason. I

think it speaks volumees about their family. And you know, if you were introduced to brittany story at all, and it doesn't matter if you read my story, if you read Matt Sneidman's, Rob Amowsky's, Tom Silverstein, a number of people have covered this topic, you are being welcomed into

the world of a truly amazing person. And I wrote that story back in um late two thousand seventeen, and I knew Reese a little bit, and I knew of Brittney's story because Brittney she wasn't able to be there when Mason made those big kicks at at and T Stadium, and she was nine days out from her first surgery after being diagnosed at seven years old with ovarian cancer, and it if it's tough, it's it's one of these deals where she was so strong through this entire thing.

And if you followed her on Instagram, you followed her on Facebook, her mentality throughout all of this and the positivity that she put out there. I can only hope if I ever encounter something like this, I can be as strong she was. Because there are people that win the lottery in this life, and there are people that get stricken with something like she was stricken with and it is not fair, but she came back. She was there. Later that year, Mason makes the two biggest kicks of

his life. He's wearing that teal brist band for her. She makes it. She climbs those stairs at a T and T stadium to watch him play eight nine months later, whatever that was. And I asked Mason for permission to write that story on her on their battle, and I talked to Reese about it, and the thing that if you watch Britney's videos, if you watch her speak, she is so eloquent. She is an amazing just aura about her energy, about her. She wasn't always comfortable with that though.

She wasn't always for sure that she wanted to do it, but she felt compelled to because if early detection is so critical with cancer, especially something like she was dealing with. There was no scans that we're going to tell her that she had to listen to her body, and if she would have caught it sooner from stage three see for you know, she might have had a better shot with this thing. But she wanted to get that message out to people it doesn't matter male female, to to

stay up on that stuff. And getting to know her and getting to know Reese over the last two years, it has been an incredible journey. I cannot say enough about either of them and what they've been through, in

the impact that they've made on people. And for Mason to be able to compartmentalize everything that he's dealt with with Molly, with with Brittany, with everything they've dealt with as a family, the jet leg that comes with that moment, and being able to keep your emotions out of it in that moment, it says a tremendous amount about his character. And I just got to say, I mean, I love

you Reese, your family loves you. The impact that Brittany had is going to go so much further than what her thirty years on this earth is going to be able to encapsulate. So I uh that that story I tweeted this last week, that story changed me. Had changed the way I look at life. Uh, the way you see your everyday life. Um in the positivity she attacked that thing. They went on vacations. I remember the week

after my story ran. In between the time in which I talked to them and when the story ran back in seventeen, she was in remission. Then she's out of remission. They still went to Disney World because they had to plan a trip planned for Disney World in December of seventeen. The the adventures that her and Reese went on, it

was inspiring. And I apologize for rambling. I apologize for going on and on about this, but it is a it is an emotional roller coaster for someone that is just an onlooker for Mason and everything their family deal with. I my heart goes out to them, my thoughts and prayers go out to them, and I just hope for the very best because at the end of this, when

it's all said and done. We only have the time we got Mike, you know, And I really hope if if anyone's been touched by her story and read about it, heard about it. I don't want just to make sure you appreciate it, because it doesn't last forever. Yeah, that's for sure. Well, with that, we will 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. You can like us, subscribe to us on iTunes and other podcast services, and be sure to check out the new Packers YouTube channel. All kinds of content out there for you. For West, I'm Mike. Thanks for tuning in everybody. We'll see you next time.