#500 Packers Unscripted: Special show

Corey Lindsley went out with an injury. Brin Bolago was being evaluated for a concussion, so Lucas Patrick Jared Valdier stepped in. But we didn't know so sort of a revelatory statement was that Billy Turner, the right guard, had turned an ankle in that game, but he was gutting

it out and playing on that bad ankle. Because the Packers went into the game with only seven offensive linemen on the game day forty six, if Turner had needed to come out of the game, they would have had to put somebody completely out of position into the offensive line. So fairly unprompted, which doesn't always happen in press conferences, La Fleur gave a pretty nice shout out to Billy Turner for for gutting it out there on Sunday at Ford Field and keeping the Packers offensive line as intact

as possible. So hours before Matt Lafleur ever addressed the media, I had tweeted out Billy Turner had started all sixteen games led the Green Bay Packers offense and total snaps for this past season only coming out, I believe for two snaps all year one thousand, seventy six. Has just

been a total iron man for them. And it goes back to something that Brian Goodkin said when he signed him and the other three veteran free agency this offseason, the durability history, the ability to gut through things, and the ability to have that availability at all times. And I thought this game really underscored that for Billy Turner. And and he's been such a bright spot for this offensive line because he hasn't been a big topic for

the most part. He goes in there, he does his job, and he's solidified a position that had kind of been going through a lot of upheaval for a number of years since t J. Lang had left for Detroit. So yeah, to be in a position where Corey Lindsley's out with the back injury. That means you're only interior offensive lineman as far as reserve Lucas Patrick has to plug in at center. Then Jared Valdere, who has been predominantly tackle his entire career, he has to go in and suben

for Brian Bulagas. Yeah, you wonder if Turner of wouldn't been able to go through it, if the Packers would have sustained another injury. Does that mean, you know, Tyler Lancaster would have to dust off his old offensive line gear from high school. I mean, there are so many different scenarios the Packers would have had to explore, but thankfully, with Turner kind of pushing through that injury, they didn't

have to do that. And then, by the way, for everything that had happened in game, the Packers offensive line blocked its tail off. It had an exceptional performance given what the circumstances were with the injuries both on the field and and the guys that had to leave back to the locker room. Yeah, I mean that really turned out to be, uh to be quite the story of

the game. And Lucas Patrick I went through the entire offensive film, and for those who want to check out my what you might have missed Peace with some clips. I I focus on about a half dozen plays of Patrick's at center, both run blocking and past protection against various defenders who were lined up across from him. I thought he played an outstanding football game because he came in with about I believe it was ten minutes left or so in the second quarter, so he played the

bulk of the ball game. And then Valdeer making his Packers debut, now he came in very late in the third quarter, so he played just a little bit over a quarter of football. But as we talked about on yesterday's show, this is a guy who hadn't actually stepped on an NFL field for essentially a year, and h

you know, hats off to him. He's only been in Green Bay, you know, a few weeks, and but has the mental acuity that he picked up enough of the offense that it's not like it's not like Matt Lafleur had to take half of the call sheet and throw it in the trash. Because there's a brand new right tackle in there who's only been around for about a month or so, and that's a credit to a veteran guy who's been around a decade and has I believe it's a hundred and thirty plus starts in his career.

You can't you know, you can't, as La Fleur said, you can't put a price tag on that kind of experience in those situations. So a few things that jumped out to me about that performance. One, Uh, it is pretty crazy that his first career star came at center. I've never really really miss that. Raiders played him at center his first game and then after that said you know what your six eight I would say six ft

eight and they played outside. My goodness. But you know, he came from Hillsdale, so there were some questions about exactly where you would fit in the NFL Division two college player, and evidently they looked at him at six

eight and said, yeah, let's start there. But anyway, over the last decade he's had a really you know, great career, first as a left tackle and then moving out to right tackle with Arizona a number of years ago, and here he is one month to the day, I believe it had been since he had been claimed off waivers after he told the New England Patriots that he'd like to return in what a big security blanket that was.

And just listen to him talk in the locker room, both after the game when I had a few chances to speak with him, but then also when he addressed reporters during Monday's locker room. You can tell how much this means to him, not just to be playing football again, but to be playing a meaningful situation and being a chance right now to to actually, you know, potentially make a big run here in the postseason and maybe even

a Super Bowl. Uh. He takes a lot of pride in that, and and he's a very even keeled, you know, if steady as it goes performer. He lined up next to Billy Turner, his former teammate from Denver, and he just did his job. Now, the Packers are going to have two weeks here to see if Brian Balaga can get through the concussion protocol and be available for that January twelve games. So you never know, this might be it. This might be the one appearance that veil Deer has.

But the one thing I think Green Bay can take a lot of solace in right now and can feel confident about is that when he was thrown into that situation with the game on the line, the Packers need to get a win. These weren't garbage minutes. These were important plays for them to be able to to get that by and and he showed that even with after

the one year layoff, he could step up for it. Yeah. Well, as you said, the Packers will have the buy to try to get these guys healthy Bolago with the concussion protocol, Corey Lindsley with his back injury, it will be interesting to see. Obviously there's a lot of time between now in January twelve, but the Packers do have two other offensive lineman on the fifty three man roster, Alex light who has played some both guard and tackle, and then um Jason leg Lou If I'm saying John Leglu Sorry

I got the first name incorrect there. And he's been here even less time than Velder. Very recent acquisition. But depending on the injury situation and given what happened in Detroit, you wonder if maybe the Packers go with eight active offensive lineman on the forty six for the playoff game.

The reason if you're healthy most of the time, the reason you usually go with seven because because you you know, you've got at least two backups there, but offensive linemen don't really play special teams except for like field goal protection that kind of thing. So if you want to have other you know, the linebackers and the faster guys and what not available for special teams, that's where some

of those last spots on the forty go. So there could be some interesting decisions to make, uh you know two weeks from now. Yeah, and Alex Light has kind of become that sort of Don Barclay type where he can play guard or tackle depending on what the Packers needs. So he could be a little bit of a Swiss Army knife there if they feel like they need a

little bit more security. Depending again, we're gonna have a full week here before we get another injury report to see where Turner and and Lindsley and and all these guys are gonna be at. I know Corey's putting together a plan trying to make sure that he can be ready here for the stretch run as well. Packers were smart about it. I thought when you look at the

entire way that they approached that game. You know, Jamal Williams address reporters in the locker room as well on Monday, and he basically said, I mean, if this would have been a you know, playoff game, he could have played in it. He feels like if they would have need to play this weekend, he would have been available. But you need to be smart and you want to try to get your team as healthy as possible. And for the first time in a long time here Packers are

in a position to do that. They aren't trying to run a table. They're not trying to you know, claw their way to a division title. They had that hay in the barn and they were trying to get a buy and they've earned that by now at this this winning streak they've been on, and it affords them this opportunity now to sit back, relax, take those keep those hits off their bodies, and you know, see what falls

to them now in this divisional round. Yeah. Well, shifting gears to the defensive side of the ball, There is definitely something we need to talk about in the big picture sense, and that is that with the defense only allowing twenty points to the Detroit Lions, the unit actually finished the season on a five game run of allowing only twenty allowing twenty points or less to the opponent. And that's the longest streak that a Packers defense has had in the regular season since it had a six

game streak back in two thousand and ten. And we all know what happened in two thousand and ten, but the other connection to that year is that this Packers defense finished the entire season allowing nineteen point six points per game, and that's the first time a Packers defense for an entire regular season has has had a points allowed average under twenty since two thousand and ten. So

hats off to Mike Petton and the Packers defense. We obviously saw the unit get off to a tremendous start in Week one against the Chicago Bears, just allowing the three points, but I think what really defines this unit season is the way it bounced back from allowing the thirty seven in San Francisco in UH in the blowout loss, to then come back and go five straight games to

end the season. And actually the Lions were the first team out of those five to score more than fifteen because they were on a run of four straight games of allowing fifteen points or less. A really good finish to the season, I thought by the Packers defense, despite obviously a rough first half in Detroit, which they turned around with a pretty dominant second half. This conversation about the Packers and they're, you know, winning ugly and things

like that. One of the reasons they've been able to do this is because of how the defense has performed down the stretch. And I think that's the reason why I keep saying over and over again, that's what ugly wins are, two fans, and to those who want to characterize it is that is is when your defense is tough and your offense doesn't look like anything spectacular, it

just falls into that category of an ugly victory. And and the Packers are just fine with that right now, as much as they'd obviously like to see the offense find another level in January. And that's going to keep you in games here down the stretch too. I mean, they're going to have chances here. And and I go back to something that was actually asked of me an insider in box, and you had to edit this. I'm curious to see what your thoughts were on it yourself.

Somebody had said if this, if if I saw parallels between the two thousand ten team and the two thousand ninet team in terms of the structural makeup of it, entirely different scenarios. The two thousand ten team was banged up. They were very talented, but they were banged up. This team is much healthier. That defense statistically was more dominant

than what this year's team has been. But it is interesting and that I feel like there's a very similar swagger and energy in the locker room, and I also feel their capabilities of winning those close knit games. There's a lot of ties between these two squads. And you know, I'll be honest with you, the Packers finished eighteenth and total defense this season. They could have very easily been a top ten unit had they been able to reduce more of those explosive plays. Because the red zone defense

was exceptional. They did a really good job in certain scenarios and being able to keep teams off the scoreboard. It was just not being gutted for that big fifty or sixty yard game that ultimately, nine times out of ten is going to result in some type of points, and obviously it's going to reflect poorly when you look at a stat sheet at the end of the game. But this team can win football games. And I just think the way that they're using Zadarius Smith right now

has been a revelation for them. It's allowed Kenny Clark to be able to really excel this last month of the season. I know Preston Smith is getting a lot more attention right now, but he's up for it. And to be honest with you, who nobody keeps track of playoff stats, Mike. You know this. We can talk about Tremont Williams and in the interceptions he'd had back in two thousand ten, and those things that stand out to you, but nobody cares about tackles. Nobody cares about individual accolades.

At this point, It's about whether or not your team can win and advance to the next round. And I think when you look at this defense specifically in the parallels that you could run to two thousand and ten, there's a very similar mindset and there just get the job done. Yeah, I think so. I I like what you said just kind of about the swagger in the attitude. There is there is a belief on this defense that they're going to find a way to get the job done when they when they have to, and I think

the two thousand ten unit was like that. The two thousand ten unit went through with with the injuries that happened, with Nick Barnett going I are and other guys, you know, you had Dozen Bishop stepping in. You're signing Howard Green and Eric Walden off the street to come in to

help that two thousand and ten units. So the process of getting to the end of the season was completely different because this Packers defense really other than what Darnell Savage missing a couple of games, I mean, they've had their primary guys, you know, pretty much all the way along, which I think is also a big factor in in how they were able to turn it around after that

rough game in San Francisco. But the other thing too, is that ability, that ability to make you know, and I talked about it yesterday with the offense, but it's making a key play at the key time. I mean Nick Collins getting the interception in week seventeen to close out that ten to three victory over the Bears just

to get into the playoffs. B J Rogie with the pick six and the NFC Championship, Termon Williams at the end of the first half to you know, start to get some separation from the Falcons in the divisional round. Those are the things that stand out to me about the two thousand ten team after they got through all the injuries, that defense just made key plays at key times down the stretch to to fuel that playoff run.

This two thousand nineteen defense is perfectly capable of that, and they made several of those types of plays during the regular season. If they can do that in a playoff, in a playoff game or two, who knows how far this goes. And they got Tremont Williams. Williams number number is still here, so I mean, you got that, boy.

That'd be cool if Packers actually could get on a run this year win a Super Bowl, to actually have a run like that where you had a guy on both of those teams that played in those type of situations that it's one thing to have the quarterback or to have a tackle or something, but it's not easy for its cornerback to stick a round that long, at least as far as the NFL is concerned. But yeah, I think that's why everybody understands why this is such

a special opportunity now too. You know, I've said this a number of times now, but I think it bears repeating. You know, this season started for the today as we do. This is December thirty one, Happy New Year, Mike. This whole thing started in mid April for the Green Bay Packers.

Like they built their roster obviously back in March, and they were able to come back, and they're able to actually, you know, put a team together, build the system, get the offense to buy in, get these new pieces involved in Mike Patton's defense, get them to believe. And here they are, thirteen wins first round by and now it's all up to the next sixty minute game in front of them. So I just think that there is an awareness with this team, and also they definitely understand that

they're mortal. This is not infallible. They've been in a lot of knockdown, drag out games in which of certain swing here, gust of wind there, and next thing you know, you're you're on the losing end of it. They understand what it takes to win and also knowing where their weaknesses have been and where they need to improve. And I still think when we talk over and over again, Michael, but the Packers having that best game out there for them. That's still very much at play here when they go

into this postseason. Yeah, I think so. But you know, you know how this goes in the playoffs to us? I mean, you know, thinking back to the last time the Packers had the first round by in two thousand and fourteen, Obviously everybody remembers that Dallas came to lambeau Field. That does Bryant catch, no catch, you know whatever, But when you even you go back a week, how close it was that Detroit almost beat Dallas. And then it wouldn't have been Dallas coming here, it would have been

somebody else. And and the way the way those playoffs unfolded because of some really close calls in the wild card round. And so who knows what's going to happen here? With Minnesota playing New Orleans and Philadelphia playing Seattle, the Packers have, you know, one of three possible opponents, and you just don't know how this. Obviously, everybody's i think, expecting the Saints to win at home against the Vikings at the super Dome and the three seed the Saints

will come play the two seed in Green Bay. But here's an interesting thing, because I just looked this up before week before. We came in here three previous times before this year, since the NFL instituted the playoff format in with the six seeds and the top two getting the by three previous times, the Packers have been the two seed with the bye one of those times. Only one of those previous three times they did not play

the three seed in the next round. It was after the Super Bowl title when they ended up playing Tampa Bay, who was the four seed. Why because Minnesota was the sixth seed and knocked off the three. Just throwing that out there just in case. But anyway, but that's the madness of the post exactly. That's the thing. You just don't know how. You just don't know how this stuff is going to go. The Saints had to put it all on the line. They were playing for a possible by.

They had to put it all on the line. They blew out the Carolina Panthers. They didn't get there by. They have their home game as the three seed. The Minnesota Vikings rested everybody. The Vikings are coming off a bye week, going into the super Dome and trying to knock off a favorite team. You just never know. Yeah, and the Packers perspective. You just need to look at two thousand and ten for how crazy these things can

play out. I mean that they ended up having to go to Chicago, out of all places to to go to win the Super Bowl, after winning in Atlanta and winning in and after the after the Bears had tried had didn't have anything to play for and played all their starters in Week seventeen to try to prevent the Packers from getting into the playoffs in the first place, and then that ends up being the NFC Championship game at Soldier Field is Green Bay in Chicago, when it's

all said and down and here you are now. And it was a couple of guys that talked to in the locker room after the game. I mean, like Lucas Patrick. Lucas Patrick was on the practice squad when the Packers did the run the table thing in two thousand and sixteen. And then you know, you have Aaron Jones and Jamal Williams to draft classes that don't know what it's like

to play in the postseason. I didn't get a chance to ask him, but I was looking at I don't know if Billy Turner has played in a playoff game yet I don't believe he has because he got to Denver after their Super Bowl and I think he left Baltimole. He's only in Baltimore for a short time, and I don't think he made it with Miami. So there's veterans, there's young guys, and then you look at a guy like Mercedes Lewis that has been to the a f C Championship Game. He was on the doorstep of finally

getting to that Super Bowl. And I'm not trying to turn this into the Julius Peppers. You know, let's go get him a ring thing. But it doesn't matter if you're in the league for fourteen years or if you've been in the league for one year. There was a time in Green Bay where every single guy went through and they all knew what it was like to go

to the playoffs. And that's not like that anymore. You have experience where it counts, but you also have guys that are really hungry to show that they not only can just be a playoff team, they can be a Division of champion, they can be a Super Bowl contender. Because, as the shirt said, the North is not enough. And now the Packers have a chance to prove that they are very capable of taking this entire cake. Yeah, I

mean you mentioned Louis. There's also Jimmy Graham, who just missed the Saints super Bowl in two thousand nine because was a rookie. In two thousand and ten, then he just missed Seattle's back to back super bowls when he went to the Seahawks. He's been in playoff games, been you know, played on a lot of playoff teams, but he's never been to a super Bowl. There is the

hunger there that goes along with that. One other thing I want to get to just to clarify a little bit from yesterday's show, and then we'll sign off, because we were talking about that crazy ending to the Seattle San Francisco game. Just to be clear, neither one of us was advocating or demanding that it should have been a past interference penalty. I honestly didn't even get enough

of a look at it. I think I think you would agree with me that the point we were trying to make is that you, at least in that situation, with that much at stake, you have to stop the game and take a look at the play. Okay, So that was the point we were trying to make it. Hopefully, I hope nobody misconstrued it, because I honestly didn't even see.

I was working on my computer getting ready for whatever we were going to post on the website, and I really didn't even get enough of a look had it to see if I would have called it past interference or not. But that aside, the question I want to throw at you is do you think do you think we're headed for another officiating controversy fiasco in the postseason like we had last year? Is that? Where is that

where this twenty nine season is headed? Are we going to be talking about one of these things again like we were last January? A couple of things here. I want to answer that question. I want to give you a real good answer to that. I want to just add in with my own amendment to to what you just said. I don't even care if they would have just stopped the game and they ate a bag of Cheetos and then two minutes later started redoing the game.

We have the play stands. The optics of it were so bad, Like just just look at the play right, the games on the line, look at the play This wasn't a fifteen point blowout trying to everyone get to the bus. This is for major stakes, and we'll see what happens at the Seattle Seahawks. It could be fatal stakes. And it was an incomplete pass, so it's not as though the clock was running or the clock has stopped, so you have an opportunity to stop the game and take a look at I get what New York saying.

New York saying that, well we had the forty seconds, that was enough time. But come on, man, all right, yeah, I think we are. And the reason I say that is because in this same seat, listen, literally this same seat, this same desk, the same you know, Microsoft surface microphone, Mike Spofford, we sat here last year and I said, there were too many blown calls. There was too much controversy in the regular season to expect they're just not to be any in the postseason. And then lo and

behold the NFC Championship game. You had arguably the biggest blown call of this century. Right now, when you look in terms of postseason play, in terms of how that that that shuffle out, I'm actually kind of curious now if that scenario plays out, if they would even overturn it with the the interference role, they might not even overturn who knows, because they've been finding a way to come through that paper bag all season. They might well,

and they haven't. And they haven't given as much as they've now given the power to say, as I like to say, drop a penalty flag from New York for past interference if they want to. They haven't given them the power to say, like, oh, that's a helmet to helmet hit. That should be a fifteen yard right, I mean, um, But that was also what the issue was in New Orleans in the NFC Championship last year, whether it was past interference or not the receiver took a helmet shot.

But nobody's nobody's got the power to nobody's got the power. I'm just saying, yeah, who cares? Right? No? I mean, but I I said it an inbox. I think it's I think we are headed for another officiating controversy fiasco

in the postseason. Whether it's going to be whether it's going to be roughing the passer, which was somewhat controversial in the a f C Championship last year with the Tom Brady play, whether it's going to be another one of these catch no catch things, whether it's going to be past interference, I just I think we're headed to it, and unfortunately, and it's just a question of which team

is going to feel like they got wrong. Because here's the other thing, Mikhael, when you get playoffs where all these teams, these are your best twelve teams, the NFL has theoretically there's going to be tightly contested matchups every single week all the way up until the Super Bowl. Maybe if you know, Seattle, Denver, thing blow out happens.

But because it's close, that means there's going to be close calls, which means there's going to be close decisions, which means there's gonna be unhappy people on both sides of the party. You just hope that it's unhappy people because it was a bang, bang play and they made the call that they felt was right. And that's something like last year where you know that probably changed the future and maybe even the legitimacy of who should have

been playing in the Super Bowl. Yeah. Absolutely, because it was something that everybody looked at and said, boy, they you know, they nobody was saying that was a bang bang play. It was like, hey, that one, that one was botched and and the wrong team probably won the NFC titles. By the way, very quickly, just to throw this out here, well be before we just sign off, I'll let you do the honors. But this was a very important episode for you and I have Packers Unscripted,

well you especially, you haven't missed one. Yeah, that's true, I haven't missed one this and it's it's actually fitting because you mentioned Happy New Year before. It's New Year's Eve as we're taping this and we're returning the page to this was our five podcast of Packers Unscripted right here on the last day of nineteen, podcast number five hundreds. Maybe we have some confetti or something that was going to rain down mus Marvin didn't didn't rig anything up.

How fun is that, though partner, we haven't been canceled yet. What a tremendous honor. No, it's been a lot of fun. When I actually came on board with the Green Day Packers in April of two thousand sixteen, and we knew that this scenario is gonna happen where Vic was gonna be sliding out and I would probably sliding in with you on the beat, they talked about wanting to do a show, a daily program. We started on Spectrum, we've shifted to Packers dot Com here over the last two years.

What a wonderful ride it's been. I pitched for years. I wanted to do podcasts, I wanted to do video stuff at my previous employer, and then here we are. I get to live the dream with Mike Spofford every single day, and we've hit number five hundred, My friend, all right, here's two thou With that, we will sign

off on podcast number five hundred of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team on Packers dot com, subscribed to us, like us on iTunes and other podcast services starting with number five oh one, and be sure to check out all the great video content on the Packers YouTube channel for WES. I am Mike. Happy New Year, everybody. We will see you next time.