#623 Packers Unscripted: Short week, tall order

A very important game here for late November. And the latest with regard to the Packers, Uh, the offense is going to be a bit shorthanded, it appears because not only is Davante Adams on the COVID nineteen reserve list,

but Alan Lazard has been added to that list as well. Um, A real challenge here now for the Packers on offense when you're going up against one of the best offenses in the league and you kind of think, you know, this is going to be one of those you've got to keep up score type of games without question, and you know in first and foremost, as I'm gonna say

every time we address COVID nineteen related items. You hope for the best from a humanistic standpoint for Davante Adams and al Lazard, both genuinely good guys, you hope everything works out in that regard. Shifting back to the business of football, the fact of the matter is that the Packers are pretty depleted at receiver. You also have Malik Taylor on COVID nineteen as well. Mark was about the scantling at the time in which we're taping this, not sure if he's going to be activated or not. All

of injured reserve. So just looking at terms of who the active guys are on the roster, it's Randall Cobb, Econemius st. Brown, you would imagine they'll probably end up activating Jowan were in free off the practice squad for

this game. He was active last week as well. It almost in some ways, Mike reminds you a little bit of that playoff game at the end of the fifteen season, where now they lost Randall Cobb in the course of that game, but they were down to basically their last three guys at receiver and James Jones with the hoodie, Jeff Janis and Jared aber Dais and then nearly one the day game. But it's gonna be about the playmakers in this game. Regardless of whether or not MBS is

back or Taylor is activated. They have to be able to rely on their running backs Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon not just as runners, as playmakers. They're gonna need Robert Tonyan to step up, Mark you know, you know Mercedes Lewis has gonna go to the last couple of weeks. It's gonna take a full throated effort there by the Packers to make this thing go for them on Thursday night, and then obviously the biggest kingpin of all, Aaron Rodgers playing the way that Aaron Rodgers needs to play against

the guy. And Kyler Murray, who had twenty four years old, really looks like he's going to be one of the preeminent quarterbacks here for years to come. Yeah, absolutely, you wonder. I mean for the Packers, this is one of those things where who's it going to be, right? Who is the guy or guys? You hope it's even more than one that steps up and has that kind of big time game. Obviously, Robert Tonyan had a very productive game last week against Washington, got into the end zone on

a twenty yard touchdown pass e hu st Brown. We saw him catch a touchdown against Chicago. Yes it got called back, you know, controversial or close call type of penalty thing there. Maybe rookie receiver Marii Rodgers gets more snaps here. We've seen Randall Cobb have a multi touchdown game this season. And then we all know what the

Packers have in the backfield. Aaron Jones, A J. Dillon the Packers interestingly, and this is a stat that's almost hard to believe, of course, but in the Matt Lafleur era, Davantae Adams has missed six games and yet the Packers are six and oh in those games. And the reason I'm, you know, asking the question who's it going to be? Because you look at how the Packers have won those six games when Adams has been out of the lineup. In Matt Lafleur's offense, we saw Aaron Jones have a

four touchdown game in Dallas. We saw him have a hundred and fifty plus receiving yards at Kansas City, both of those games in in nineteen. Jamal Williams had a hundred yard rushing game in twenty nineteen with Davante Adams out of the lineup in the Packers beat the line in prime time, and then you go to last year, Tony In had the three touchdown game against the Atlanta Falcons. Al Lazard had the big game at New Orleans. So it's been always been somebody right in order to be

able to come out victorious. So the question is, you know, who is it going to be. We'll have to find out. Yeah. The best part about that streak that they've been on is I think the narrative going into every single one of those games was, well they lost Stavante Adams, now what and and it was inevitably somebody always stepping up.

The Ala Lazard one, although they won't have Lazard on Thursday night, is the one that really hits home for me because I thought it was that game that he really showed that this guy can be a guy that can be counted on, you know, when the lights are bright. Unfortunately, he suffers the cm I in that game and then he misses six games. But it's like I said, it's gonna take all hands on deck to beat a team like Arizona. They're the top scoring defense in the National

Football League right now. I mean, we focus so much offensively what they do, but defensively they're limiting teams as well. Cliff Kingsbury that style of offense, the air raid, what ever you want to call it. There's so much focus. Even going back to his time at Texas Tech has been on the offensive side of the ball. They very quietly built a monster on defense though, with you know,

Buddha Baker and as you know, Marcus Golden. They bring in you know, J. J. Watt, Chandler Jones has been one of the top pass rushers, while unheralded, a very productive player for a number of years now. So there's just been reactivated as well, reactivate as well, and there's just there's so many weapons that you look at. Um Isaiah Simmons was a really exciting inside linebacker coming out, you know, and you know Xavi and Collins. There's a

lot that Greeny is gonna have to contend with. And you know, to their credit, Rogers La Fleur, Nathaniel Hackett, they've been able to develop some really brilliant game plans over the years. And you know, as as Dean Lowry kind of said, you know, and talking with the media on on Tuesday, you know, Aaron Jones, a J. Dillon have really stepped up through the course of this season. This might be a game where it makes sense for

those guys to step up again. Yeah. Absolutely. And on the defensive side of the ball, all Packers are planning to be without defensive coordinator Joe Berry, who tested positive for COVID, Matt Lafleur announcing late in the day on Tuesday that defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator on the defensive side, Jerry Gray, will be the play caller for the defense on Thursday, and obviously a natural choice there because Gray has been a defensive coordinator for two

different franchises in this league, a total of eight years, five years with Buffalo, three with Tennessee. This is a this is a seat he has sat in before, right and uh and and and a coach who, in a couple of short years here has made has made quite an impact on this Packers. Oh yeah, I mean you could tell, you know since day one when he came in through the door, just the way he carries himself,

you know, the respect, the credibility. Uh. And in the production I mean, jire Alexander, you know a lot of that credit goes to Jay Are, but you know, he's become an all Pro cornerback now adding to that lineage with Gray and some of the work he did in Minnesota and with the Titans. So there's a lot of history there in terms of his production with with the cornerback position. But it would have always made sense under any circumstance for Grading be the guy that gets the

call if Joe Barry can't be there. But this week in particular, I think is really important because now it is going to be about a tight window that Green Bay has to bounce back off a really good, you know, successful all around team victory on Sunday and now play you know, statistically the best team in the National Football League. You need somebody who's been there. He's done that. Gray has done it, as you said, in two different stops.

Will be very interested to see what the communication processes, Like Matt Lafleur said, right now, Gray will call the plays inside linebackers coach Kirk Oliva Daddy will be the one that will actually relay them to uh Devandre Campbell the Packers, you know, Mike linebacker. So there'll be a little bit of a you know, telephone game going on there.

But that being said, uh, this is a unit that's played really well together and Campbell's made a lot of things work from a communication standpoint this week, this year, this is going to be a big stress. It's going to be a big challenge. But ultimately, I feel like the Packers have to think that they're in a good spot right now considering the way they've built defensively over the last month. Yeah, and it'll be interesting to see on the defensive side as well. With regard to the injuries.

Do the Packers get Preston Smith back for this game? Do they get Kevin King back for this game? And for all the attention on Kyler Murray, and rightfully so, he's off to an m v P type start to his one season. But you look at this receiving corps

for the Arizona Cardinals. Mike Goodness West, DeAndre Hopkins, A J. Green, Christian Kirk, and then you're number four is a young man named ron Dale Moore who I have not watched a whole lot of Arizona this season, but I did watch a good portion of their game against the Minnesota Vikings early in the season because I believe that was week two when the Packers were playing on Monday night, so we we were at home watching games on Sunday. And this Rondel Moore out of Purdue. Obviously I saw

him in the Big Ten as well. If this, if this guy's your number four receiver, like, my goodness, you you you're a matchup nightmare for for any defense. If they want to put all four of those receivers on the field, they can, they can spread you out. They can still have a running back in the backfield to to run the ball out of that spread type of stuff. And obviously Kyler Murray himself is a threat to run

the ball as well. And if they didn't have enough, they went and traded a third round pick for Zach Ertz, you know, just to get to get a tight end if you if you want to have a tight end and instead you know, approven Pro Bowl type tight end instead of one of those wide receivers. There you go. No. But you know the thing is, I just love the balance of their offense. A couple of things. It's impressive.

First and foremost, Murray has been exceptional hundred sixteen passer rating this year, seventeen touchdowns against five interceptions, completing passes at Mike. I remember back in the day that you get to six you percent on your completions, that was a good year for a quarterback. It's trending more and more towards now. Yeah, he's he's putting. I mean, his completion percentages even is even north of Drew Brees, and Drew Brees was was doing that. But you know, you

look at it. The fact is I mean, you know, he's scrambling in terms of just running the ball, he's doing that less this year, but he's still making place happen. These throws. He's you you've been watching of him escaping the pocket and throwing across the hash marks but still finding receivers. The laws of quarterback have steadily been broken, and seems like the last few years with what these guys can do running and throwing against their body and

and Murray exemplifies that. But what I like the most about what they've built in Arizona is the wide array of weapons that they have. I'd like Christian Kirk since he came out of college, and I think you're seeing him break out this year. DeAndre Hopkins is the guy that gets all the headlines and while he is having another productive season. He's leading them in receptions. They have so many different ways that they can go. As you

mentioned Ron del Moore also becoming a your playmaker. And then obviously you know with Chase Edmonds now being the featured back, there are just they have what I think it's five guys over twenty four catches this year, four guys over three receiving yards. They can burn you in a lot of ways. Yeah. Absolutely, Well, a little bit of shout out to our sponsors here West Serious x M NFL Radio delivers hard hitting analysis and up to the minute NFL news that true football fanatics need seven

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Submona Bowl Cousins subs. We believe in better. All right, Well, you alluded to it early in the show that this stadium, which is now called State Farm Stadium, I believe it's been the location of some rather wild and wacky Packers games, right, and of course I'm talking about the two playoff games out there in the Aaron Rodgers era, the two thousand nine wild card game the two thousand if team divisional game, both just nutty crazy games in different ways in their

own way. The first one back in OH nine and the Packers fall behind by three touchdowns, you know, us an onside kick in the middle of this big comeback. They get the score tied a couple of different times, goes to overtime. Aaron Rodgers has a shot down the middle to Greg Jennings for you know, as he said,

could have been a walk off eight yard touchdown. He just misses him, and then of course the sack fumbled, the missed face mask and Carlos Dansby's running the other way, and the Cardinals are moving out and the Packers go home. And then six years later the Packers are back in that stadium in the postseason, and of course that one fans probably remember even more. You've got the fourth and fourth and twenty bomb to Jeff Janis and then he

catches the Hail Mary. A couple of plays after that, and as you had mentioned, this is all after back in the first quarter, Randall Cobb makes an unbelievable catch on a deep ball down the field that doesn't even count because of a penalty, and he ends up getting a punctured lung on the play, and and it is taken to the hospital, and he's watching the second half from a second half and the overtime after the hail Mary from a hospital bed, and Larry Fitzgerald ends up

with the big play and scores the winning touchdown. So now the Packers are going back without their defensive coordinator, with two of their top receivers, one of them obviously an All Pro, not available to play one of those games where you just you just wonder. Okay, So what's the crazy thing that's going to happen now? I mean, this is why everybody's going to tune in Thursday night, right. I have a an epilogue to this whole ring, is

what I'm about to say. So I hope you'll give me the the extended Mike as soon as I finished my answer to your question, because there are two different things I want to go into here. First and foremost, there has been some wild stuff that's happened in Scottsdale over the years, and I wasn't on the beat yet, but I remember that two thousand nineteen games. Is that still the highest scoring playoff game in NFL history. I wasn't sure. Yeah, it ended up ended up fifth one

tot five in overtime. The ninety six points, I believe

is still the highest. I don't remember anything beating I still I believe that's still the highest scoring postseason game in NFL in a wild game because of especially all the craziness that happened in the Packers offense, but the Packers defense, that might still be the best defense they've had pound for pound, you know, since basically Super Bowl thirty one, right, I mean, statistically I think it was what number two in the league and told defense that, Yeah,

and yet Kurt Warner through five touchdown passes and only four incompletions, and it was it was unbelievable football game. Nothing made sense about it. But two thousand fifteen is a weird one. And I remember technically I guess to

be January of sixteen, right right. I remember saying to my colleague Pete Doherty as we left the stadium that night, that was the last game you covered for the press, because it was I also missed my alarm the next morning and was almost the only time I missed a flight I had Pete Doherty and Ryan would calling me at four twenty in the morning. We were supposed to all drive over there quickly, throwing all my clothes and uh. I ended up catching the last shuttle to make my

like six o'clock flight over at the airport. Always stay at the airport hotel. That's the key if you're ever having to go and be a professional football writer. Getting back to the main part of this story, But no, but that game. What I told Pete when we left is that was a hard game to cover because for the first time I felt as as strange as the fourteen NFC Championship game was. But I think there are

a lot of things that worked against the Packers. There are a lot of opportunities missed right that ultimately led it. The thing that stunk about the fifteen playoff game was that the outcome didn't match the story. The narrative of the game didn't actually correlate with the result. It's if that should have been a game the Packers one, not because they played better or not, but because of the Hail Marys. The Janice, a guy that caught more yards I think in that game than maybe the rest of

his NFL career, at least close to it. Jared Aberdaris having to step up that game in particular is one will always stand out to me because it was it illustrates to Aaron Rodgers brilliance, but it also, you know, kind of show just the craziness that can happen in the National Football League. Yeah, and I'll and I'll add on that too because of because of the wild ending with the bomb from the end zone on fourth and twenty and then the hail Mary to get the game

to overtime. It's easy to forget in that game. Also when you talk about things that were working against the Packers, they're not only losing Randall Cobb early in the game. Davante Adams was not in that game because he had gotten hurt in the wild card round the previous week against Washington, So Davantae Adams was not on the field for that game. But Arizona's go ahead scoring drive this

is when Carson Palmer was the Cardinals quarterback. On that go ahead scoring drive, Sam Shields had a chance at an interception right by the end zone pylon just missed it wasn't able to haul it in, and then a couple of plays later, they score the go ahead touched on off a deflected pass. You know, you were you and I were sitting basically kind of. I was in the row behind you in the press box in that

end zone. That pass gets deflected and I don't even remember which receiver caught it, but um, but the Packers play great defense to deny that touchdown, and yet they still come up with the touchdown reception off the deflection um and uh, you know, the Packers almost won that game in as shorthanded as they were in regulation without the hail Mary. They were that close to winning that game and and uh and moving on in the playoffs

that year. So just a wild and crazy game. And as I said, I'm just wondering, given all the circumstances that are going into this one, what wild and crazy thing is going to happen on Thursday night out in the desert. You beautifully sent me back up like a like a volleyball volley right, You got it right back to me, Because this is the point I wanted to make it. Yeah, this game could be played on Thursday night, It could be played on Sunday night, could be played

on Monday night. The Packers are probably gonna be a hurting unit no matter what. You know, they're gonna They're gonna have a chance to get some guys back here. But you don't know what Davante and Lazard, whether or not where all that situation would Oh, my rant, my epilogue, if you will that I wanted to say. And I don't even know if if Marv wants me to speak directly into the camera over here on my single shot.

But to the NFL, if you're watching, if you tuned in today the Packers on scripted, thank you, first off, But secondly, we gotta get rid of these switching time zones on Thursday night football. It's got to stop. There's seventeen regular season games now. This thing is going to January nine. Regardless of the Packers win the rest of their games or lose the rest of their games, January nine is the Packers finale. We gotta keep these Thursday

night games in the same time zone. I understand all the things that go into a schedule, and I don't care that the Cardinals are seven and old Cardinals could be oh in seven, Like it's not about all this is unfair to the Packers. The fact that guys have to turn around on this kind of schedule and then have to fly to Arizona. Thursday night football games are here to stay. It's just the way life is. They make too much money off of it. But we can't do this and more. Green Bay went to San Francisco

on a Thursday night a couple of years back. Remember when that was. That was last year. That was last year. Sorry, it's been a long years going on in the world. But if you want to do Thursday football, fine, But the Packers play Soak Division games games in the Midwest. They played Cincinnaticks played Thursday night game at Seattle. It's time. It's time to keep these Thursday night games in the same time zone in my opinion, But I mean having to fly out to even if Arizona was coming here.

I just I just don't think that's right. I don't think it's right from a player's safety standpoint. Packers could win by fifty, they could lose by fifty either way. I I don't feel like this is the right thing for the nash Football League. So you're right, some crazy stuff is gonna happen, But unfortunately, I don't think all of it could potentially be quote unquote natural. Thank you, Mark, I appreciate the time. Yeah, I totally agree with you.

Last thing before we go, we always do talk about the keys to victory, so let's let zero in on it here. We've talked about a lot of things during the week as far as containing Kyler Murray and what the Packers need to do, you know, with the shorthanded receiving corps on offense and all that. What's the biggest thing that stands out to you as this Thursday night game kicks off, Dean low reset it. I'm not even have an original thought. I'm gonna copy Dean rush lane integrity.

One thing is you very astutely pointed out, Mike with Taylor Heineke, even with some regards to Justin Fields. You know, these guys that have the ability to scramble on you, you can't get behind them. You have to be able to understand that. Okay, you're trying to get them, you're trying to rush him, you're trying to sack them, but you also can't get out of your lanes to do that because they can hurt you with their feet. The dangerous thing about Kyler Murray is with his arm. This

guy can burn you. Yes, he could scramble for fifty yards if he wants to, but he also could hit you for an explosive play through the air. Yeah he can. He can get out of the pocket and and let it rip fifty sixty yards down the field. I mean, he's got that kind of arm strength. Were on the

runoff of one leg, he can let it fly. The Packers are banged up, especially now on the offensive side of the ball, but defensively, the one area that's been a strong suit for them here has been the defensive line. Kenny's having to work through the ankle right now, but for the most part that group is solidified now being able to push the pocket, collapse the pocket on Murray, I think it is going to be essentially you can't let him get into a rhythm because otherwise he's gonna

put up the yards. Yeah. Absolutely, And and for me, if the Packers were at full strength offensively, I would say, Okay, you know, if you're going to get into a shootout, you know, bring it on Aaron Rodgers. Maybe can you know, can can win a shootout here against Kyler Murray without Davante Adams, without Al Lazard. I'm just I just don't think the Packers want to get into that kind of game.

I think the Packers and I'm not saying, you know, you you play Dick Bennett basketball here against the Arizona Cardinals, but you but but I don't think you can. I don't think you can go into this game thinking, Okay, we're just we're just gonna let it rip and and try to outscore him. I think the Packers need to be able to run the football, control the clock, limit limit the number of possessions that that defense is gonna have to chase Kyler Murray around. But at the same time,

obviously you've got to put points on the board. Aaron Rodgers, this is a This is a great This is a great quarterback matchup. Obviously, a three time m v P against a guy that you know at some point is probably going to win an m v P, whether it's this year or some other time. But Aaron Rodgers has to Aaron Rodgers has to be the best player on the field, both in terms of the plays that he makes with the personnel that he has, but also in how he just he has to take command of the game.

In terms of this is this is how the offense is gonna run. We're gonna be efficient, We're going to do what it takes, and we're not going to have to score forty points in order to win this. This is this is where this is where Aaron Rodgers has to essentially control the football game in my mind. And these are where the five star chefs really separate themselves, right.

I mean, you're not you may not have your fla minon, you may not have all the things that you need to to have your typical you know, thousand dollar five of course meal, but you do have weapons yet in this offense, and Rogers has to find ways to utilize them.

And there's been so many times, Mike, I've been covering this team for ten years, you've been doing it for fifteen where you've seen Aaron Rodgers with a depleted resources or not having his top receiver have to find ways to make things work with the other guys in the room. And there's a reason why since April they've been having you know, more than what It hasn't just all been Davante Adams. They've been developing these young guys as well. You have to get the job done with the guys

who are available come on Thursday night. Yeah, well it should be. It should be a fun one to watch, no doubt about it. And 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 and everything with regard to Thursday Night's big game. We'll have it all for you on Packers dot com for Wes, I am Mike, Thank you for tuning and everybody, we will see you next time.