#624 Packers Unscripted: Always something new

But I think you're The message you sent out on Twitter a day later probably says it all, in which you indicated every time we leave the stadium, since we're covering both the home games and the road games from the stadium during this pandemic era, it seems like every time we walk out of here, we're saying to each other, boy,

haven't seen that before? Well, and I mean, honestly, if we're gonna go back and talk about this, let's also mention what you mentioned with your one Last Look column that's something crazy was gonna happen, and hey, loimhold, something crazy did happened in Arizona for the Packers. I don't even know how to quantify this stuff anymore, Mike, because there's so many times when you know, you cover this team long enough and you have Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.

Not that it doesn't get surprising, not that it isn't thrilling,

it's certainly both of those things. But you get done with a game like that and I'm sitting there waiting for the zoom calls afterwards from the ever our meeting room there, and I'm just like, it's incredible how frequently this stuff happens where whether it was the ending in San Francisco or just how crazy this the whole you know, second half of the since he game was for the Packers to apparently have everything rolling against the momentum wise, and then that passed to get thrown a j Green,

one of the best of his era, not on the same page with Kyler Murray and Russeul Douglas who was on the Cardinals practice squad a month ago, ends up getting the game ending interception. I don't know. In some ways, it's sort of mind me that that Chargers game with Casey Hayward many years ago, probably in two thousand fifteen, I think it was where Casey I think had the interception whatever it was near the end zone. It's the drama.

It's the drama football. It's the pageantry of football, and for the Green Bay Packers it means they've won seven of their first eight. Yeah, it's a it's incredible. The Packers on a seven game winning streak. They hand the NFL's last unbeaten team in one a loss. And this is one of those West where I guess much like the Cincinnati game in the sense that this one wasn't

about the kicking, but it was. You think the game is one, then it's from the Packers perspective, it looks like the game is certainly lost, and then suddenly the Packers still come out with a victory. Just the back and forth at the end. Obviously, I'm referring to the fact that the Packers just needed to punch the ball in from the one yard line to take a two score lead with three or four minutes to play in

this one. They weren't able to get that. They thought they got it done, then the replay reversed it, then they weren't able to finish it off. And then with the Cardinals trying to keep their undefeated season alive, they drive from their own one yard line all the way to the opposing five yard line. So if my math is right, that would be ninety four yards. And then that ninety four yard drive does not result in anything as the Packers get the interception, Douglas makes the pick

against Green with twelve seconds to go. Um the way things that I know, we'll talk more about the bigger picture later, but you look at the way this thing is going west, with what Arizona is doing, with what the Packers are doing, with what the Rams are doing, with what the Cowboys are doing. And yes, the Buccaneers just took a loss on Sunday, but they are the

defending Super Bowl champions, right. I mean, this is this is just the first of many many games we're going to see in the NFC here one amongst these contenders that could absolutely go either way at any time. Yeah, and and it's a credit to Matt la Floor because he's never wanted to take any credit for this. But

I'm gonna tell you something, Mike. When you see for the last two and a half years now at this point where the Packers are able to win this many down to the wire games, yes, sometimes it absolutely is Aaron Rodgers brilliance or a guys stepping up, But you got to give credit where credits due. Matt Lafleur has these guys mentally, physically, and even emotionally ready in those moments, in the winning time moments, right the Reggie Miller winning time.

The Packers know how to excel in that time because you can't always do it, but when you do it with this amount of success, that's more than just a fluke. I know, there was a thought of voted the Packers get lucky. When you get this lucky that many times, that's not fortune, that's preparation. In the Packers have been ready to capitalize on those opportunities. And this one, this one, the preparation was all about all of the limitations, right,

I mean the short week. And yes, Cardinals run a short week as well, and they found out they didn't have J. J. Watt. But the Packers are on a short week and there they suddenly are heading into this game on the road, traveling two thousand miles without their top three receivers. You're all pro. Left tackle still has

not returned. And yet the the commentary from both the head coach and the players after the game is it's just there's a there's an attitude that permeates in this team that no matter no matter what players you're putting out there, they believe there is a path to victory. They believe they are going to win every single game.

It doesn't matter if it's if it's in San Francisco and Elton Jenkins can't go and you're putting yash Naiman in at left tackle for his first NFL start, right, you know, a primetime game against a big time team, long road trip, all that, it doesn't matter these guys. These guys go out there believing that they're going to win. Now. As as I said an insider inbox on Friday, the morning after one of these close games, is not is going to go against the Packers eventually, that's the nature

of this league. You're not gonna win all of them like this. But as you said, the way the Packers seem to find a way and to come out on top in these situations more often than not, it does speak to the leadership, both from the coaching staff and the leadership within the locker room. I think that that this team has going for and you can't discount what those victories do in terms of a confidence standpoint. It's one of the biggest cliches in sports media is confidence.

I don't want to go down a confidence road here, but let's be honest, Mike. You mentioned all the Packers won't win all those games, and I understand the point you're making, But look at the Minnesota Vikings, how many tightly contested games they were playing so far this season, and where their season is at. The Detroit Lions played a number of teams tough. You saw what happened to them last week. The Green Bay Packers. When you keep getting those wins together, Man, it's kind of like your

fantasy football league. If you're at home, it doesn't really matter how you win them. As long as you win them, you're still up in the standings. Uncle Eric, he's done, it's over. He's back at three and four. You're focused on the postseason. He's wondering how much money he's gonna owe you at the end of the year. But be that as it may. The Green Bay Packers, Mike, they are three and a half games up in the NFC North right now, and I'll be interested if we have time.

I'd love to talk to you about the thing you and I were discussing last week. When you look back at the Minnesota and Dallas game, who you wanted to see, you know, prevail. But I think so much of it. We spent so much time in the last three or four years talking about, Okay, well there's this team and that team, and do the Packers want this team to lose?

Green Bay Packers might be that team now the team that it's like, you know what, it doesn't matter what everybody else does, as long as they take care of business. The people they're talking about green Bay in that fashion now to be seven and one through eight games. With the season and the schedule that you and I were talking about two months ago, it doesn't even matter what happened against Jacksonville or in Jacksonville anymore against the Saints.

Greenbay Packers have real off seven in a row, and that means it puts them in pole position for not only a division but also the NFC. Yeah. Absolutely, And when you talk about the schedule, obviously it's not as though it gets any easy, right because this week it's a trip to Kansas City Arrowhead Stadium. Uh, certainly one of the louder ones in the league, and and uh up there with Seattle in terms of the loudness of

an outdoor stadium in the NFL. And then I know we're mostly going to talk about Kansas City, but you're still talking about a road trip to Minnesota, where with what's going on with the Vikings, that is essentially going to be the Viking season on the line. I think when the Packers visit there and uh, excuse me, you have you have the Seattle Seahawks coming in again. Russell Wilson maybe is going to be back for that game that they will be essentially playing for their season perhaps

as well. And then on Thanksgiving weekend, before the Packers finally get to that the full week by, you have the Los Angeles Rams, another one lost team that's going to be coming to lambeau Field. So this this next stretch of four games, the Packers have had their mini by, like we talked about it. You get through the Thursday night game, you get a few days off, a chance to to regroup and refresh a little bit. Now you've got this four game stretch before you get to the

full week by that will proceed the stretch run. But but the schedule here, I don't I don't care what the records are. It's all about when you're playing certain teams, right, And this Uh, this next four game stretches as big gauntlet as as the Packers have faced so far this season. Yeah. And it's interesting too though, right because, as you and I mentioned and I wrote about an insider inbox today at the time in which we're taping this, everything in

that month of October was leading up to that Cardinals game. Yeah. Okay, if the Packers beat the Cincinnati, if they take care of business against Washington, it's Washington a trap game. You know, are they able gonna you know, in a short week with without Davante Adams, without Mark was Velda Scantling, without Alan Lazar Jr. Alexander's, Zadarius Smith, Ray Nichky, you know, Jerry Kramer, with all all the these guys, are they going to actually be able to stack up against a

seven and oh Arizona Cardinals team. And they came out and punched them in the mouth. It wasn't a full four quarter game. You wouldn't imagine it to be against a team that hadn't freaking lost this year. But they came out, set the tone early and we're able to position themselves in the second half once they got up seventeen to seven to be able to be the team out front. They weren't catching, they were they were they were leading. So I look at this November stretch very similarly.

This Kansas City game is going to be difficult. Seattle is going to be a game team regardless of whether or not. You know, you're gonna see Russell Wilson. You're going into Minnesota. That's never fun. And then you also have that matchup at the end of the month against that juggernaut in the Los Angeles Rams, the playoff rematch from last year. The Rams are going to be coming

here where they saw their season end last January. Correct, And the fact is is that the Packers by picking up seven of eight, much like that same thing you and I were saying going into Arizona. Mike, Okay, they've taken care of business here. You flip the coin. See what happens at State Farm Stadium. They won that football game there, won seven in a row. Now at this point, see how long this road can take you? Yeah? Absolutely well.

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short practice on Monday. Good news, both al Lazard and Marquez Velde Scantling um MVS still on injured reserve, has not been placed back on the active roster as if yet, but both of those receivers were on the practice field Monday, so that is a good sign here as the Packers will um begin in preparing for this trip to Kansas City. But Davante Adams not on the field yet, um Matt Lafleur suggesting maybe he'd be back Thursday later in the week,

so that's something to keep an eye on. And then we're still waiting to kind of see what's going to happen or not happen with David baktr Um Matt Lafleur saying telling the media there's been a decision made as to whether bok tr will play against Kansas City, but he's not going to reveal it. Obviously doesn't want Kansas City to know exactly what the Packers are doing there.

From a logistical standpoint, the Packers have to decide by the middle of next week, UM to put David BAKTIERI back on the fifty three man roster, to activate him for the rest of the season. That deadline, UM, that deadline is next week, I believe UM. That being said, UM, Matt Lafleur also left open the possibility that the Packers could activate bok tr E. But if he's still not quite ready to play, UM, he may not play right away once he once he is put on the fifty

three man roster. It sounds like it's heading toward David baktier being activated here at some point. We just don't know when he's going to. David David spoiler alert, David Botr is going to be activated here the next week and half barring some kind of like catastrophic setback. Because the thing is is now with the practice squad elevations, I mean, Mike, the Packers I think have fifty one guys on the roster as we're speaking right now. With

the practice squad elevations. You can bring a guy up and stash him on your game D and actives and still be just fine. So the floors playing the right cards in that regard. It really is going to come down to how the training staff and the doctors feel about, Okay, this mini preparation that box tr has had, is it enough? Are we ready to let him go? Because certainly, as Lucas Patrick was talking about, just the energy that he's brought to the practice field, just imagine what that would

do for that unit once he's back out there. It's like, Okay, he went seven of eight without David Bok. Try you play as well as you did at left tackle for half a season without a future Hall of Fame left tackle. What a job that that group has done. And I think it's gonna be something that really carries them down the stretch. The very fascinating thing about how this week lines up for Green Bay is they're going to have to figure out what this life looks like without Robert Tonyan, Right,

you lose him for the season. He is by far your most versatile, you know, inline perimeter receiving threat. In addition to a guy that has really improved himself as a blocker over the years. There's so many things that he brings to the table they're just not going to be able to replace. But they're gonna have to try to write. So whether it is you know, from a receiving standpoint, getting back mvs you for sure we'll have

al Lazard back. That's a huge you know, that's a huge boom I think for this Packers you know, passing game, and then as far as a tight end perspective, Mike, it's gonna have to be all those guys picking up their work pails and getting to it because Mercedes Lewis, you know what you got there, you understand, you know, heck, he's gonna end up having the most receiving yards that

he's had as a Packer this season, regardless of Tonyan's injury. Right, you know, Josiah Deguars back, the third round pick, He's had a full season to work himself back. You know,

Dominic Daphne's healthy. There's so many young guys here that are going to have to carry that load for for Tony in and it's gonna be pretty exciting, I think to see exactly what that plan is going to be like without Bobby Well, if there's one thing we know about this Packers coaching staff on the offensive side, in particular now in their third year together, talking about La fleur Um, Nathaniel Hackett, Luke Getzi, Adam Stanovich, Luke Buckis,

all these guys Ben's Ben Sermons, Jason varabel Um is that they know how to adjust an offensive game plan and how you go about attacking somebody based on the personnel you have. Unfortunately, now the absence of tonyan Is

is permanent for two thousand and twenty one. They won't have him for the rest of the season, but it will be it will be interesting to see with regard to guys, we we know what Marcedes Lewis is going to do and where he is, but with guys like Daguara and Daphne, I think in particularly we saw what daft He did when he was given an opportunity late last season. Deguire is a guy who you know, all signs were pointing to him being such a big part of this offense in and then he goes down early

in the season with the knee injury. These these Packers coaches will figure out, We'll figure out a way to get the most out of these guys, I think everybody needs.

Everybody can be confident in that. And then when you've got that one two punch in the backfield, not to mention obviously a three time m v P quarterback, but when you have that one two punch in the backfield, Aaron Jones and a J. Dillon, and what these guys are bringing to the table every week, as we've continued to talk about on the show, that's the that's really the crux and the foundation of of this offense and where it can go and and you can figure out

the rest of the pieces. And obviously you hope to get Davanta Adams back in this mix as soon as possible. You really do, Mike and I love the way that the offense has built. You know, with all due respect to Mike McCarthy, he's done so many great things. He's doing great things right now in Dallas. But it did seem like at times, you know, in the mid two thousand tens, you know, you lose Jordy Nelson, you lose a Davante Adams. It was difficult to try to kind

of structure an offense without those guys. It was just so built into that, you know, kind of thirteen personnel. It's a much more malleable thing. And that's not just a reflection McCarthy. I think that's the league now, right. It's more versatile. You you have tighter bunch formations, You're able to use guys in different various spots. That's going to be imperative for Green Bay right now because you're,

as you said, you're not getting Tongy in back. That weapon has gone for a potential Super Bowl type run. So how do you replace that production the same way that they had to figure out on defense, how to you know, pursue a pass rush without Zadarius Smith, how to lockdown receivers without Jaire Alexander, Packers have to figure out that same type of menu now without Tony in Yeah,

and this is interesting West. You know how things, you know, how things work in this league, how things sort of happen in bunches or or or happen as trends and whatnot. And I do want to we'll talk more about the Kansas City Chiefs on our next show, but before we go today, I just wanted to wanted to mention as much as uh, you know that Packers victory on Thursday in Arizona with so many odds seemingly stacked against you,

and they pull it out. Look at what the Dallas Cowboys in the New Orleans Saints did this past weekend. The Saints, they lose. They lose Jamis Winston in the middle of that game to Tampa Bay. Now, yes, the Saints were playing at home, but they have to throw Trevor Simeon and then it turns out now that Jamis Winston is out for the season, unfortunately for New Orleans.

But with their backup quarterback going against Tom Brady, they find they find a way to pull that um pull that game out right because Tayson Hill was not available. And then the Dallas Cowboys Cooper Rush has to make his first NFL start in place of Dak Prescott, and the Cowboys are on the road in a primetime game at Minnesota, seemingly a lot stacked against them, and they're down ten to three I think it was at halftime there.

You know, the replacement quarterback had only put three points on the board in the first two quarters, and yet the Cowboys found a way to to remain a one lost team in the NFC. They pull out a big victory on the road in Minnesota. What what some of these teams and these coaching staffs and everything are doing when it seems like you shouldn't be able to win the game, Right, It's it's a it's a credit, it's a credit and a statement to just how ultra competitive

this league is there. I mean, yes, you're occasionally you're going to have the Eagles beat the Lions forty four to six. That happens. The Saints beat the Packers thirty eight to three. Right, that's gonna happen every once in

a while. But the vast majority of the time, these are the kind this is the kind of competition that um that this league is built on, and it makes absolutely every week not only unpredictable, but incredibly entertaining, incredibly entertaining and rewarding because they have to imagine as difficult as it was, the lowest tonying in to seek Hiland

Hills suffered that knee injury. That was awful for him, But when you look at the totality of the victory, like I hope Matt Lafleur, Jerry Gray, especially Kirk liv Datty, they were actually able to sit back at some point the weekend and appreciate what they actually did. They don't need to talk about in a press conference. They don't need to pat themselves on the back publicly. But to be able to put your your team in a situation to win under those adverse situations, that's what football is

all about, right, Mike McCarthy did it again? I tip your captain McCarthy, the game plan they developed, the way they rallied against Minnesota to get a much needed victory, with the idea of, Okay, we need to get our quarterback healthy, but we also need to win this game. I want to throw it back to you though, Mike,

because you saw my response and insider inbox. It's probably been the number one question in relation to the league that we've been asked over the last week that were you rooting for a Dallas win or were you ruling for a Minnesota win. My thought on it is that the divisions, the division and the Packers now of a three and a half game lead, you have to win

the division before any of this other stuff matters. Yes, would it probably have helped the Packers in the long run if the if the Cowboys take a loss there, you don't really have to worry about the space with the Vikings. Yes, but there's also nine regular season games to go. Yeah, there's a lot of stuff that's going to happen. I think it's way too early to be talking about implications. So for the Packers to have a three and a half game lead eight games into a season,

that's not too shabby. Well, I think I said to you before the game kicked off on Thursday night, as we were getting set up in the conference room to watch it and to cover it, provide all the updates and all of that, my feeling on Thursday night before kickoff was if the Packers win this game, then maybe it would be good to see the Cowboys lose another one. But if the Packers would lose to Arizona, then you're obvious,

you're definitely rooting for Minnesota to take another loss. I think the reason I felt that way is just knowing that, knowing that the Dallas Cowboys schedule, I think when you look at when you look at you know, the Rams, the Cardinals, the Packers, the Buccaneers. I think the Cowboys have the quote unquote easiest schedule, if there is such a thing in this league. So that why my feeling was okay, especially if you know the Cowboys are going to be playing a game without Dak Prescott. Okay, give

them another loss, um. But the good news is for the Packers in that whole scenario is you had the Cowboys and the Vikings playing and both couldn't get a win, right, I mean somebody, somebody was going to take a loss. There. One last thought before we go, getting back to kind of where we started the show. You mentioned Jerry Gray and he he was calling the defensive plays obviously, so and you and I have never called plays, right, I mean you've played Madden, I guess, so. Yeah, I'm I'm

not a mad I'm not a Maden guy. But my question to you, my question to you is your team's ahead by three points. The other team with a with a quarterback playing at an m v P type level, has just driven the ball ninety four yards to your five yard line. Do you have the guts to call an all out blitz a seven man pressure? I mean, we don't see seven man pressures very often. Jerry Gray dialed it up and and that blitz call is what led to the whole miscommunication between Murray and a j Green,

do you have the guts to call that? Well? And then the other thing you gotta remember, too, is the play before that, you had Darniell Savage basically rushing the quarterback as an edge rusher, which ended up you know, you don't want to see Murray get hurt, But it was that tackle that Murray ended up tweaking his ankle, right, I mean, Jerry Gray wasn't leaving anything left in the holster. And and to be honest with you, I actually really

appreciate that. I've just I've always as conservative as I am, as much as I am. A bird in the hand guy, I really think you got to go out on your shield. And if the Packers would have lost that game, they would have went out on their shield. And but but what ended up ultimately happening was Murray end up throwing an ill advised pass. Green wasn't looking, and the to the victor went the spoils and the Packers got that

much coveted seventh victory. Yeah, I just say I think it was just such a It was such a gutsy call, especially since just a few plays earlier, Grade called for the blitz. The Cardinals had blocked the whole thing up and a short pass to the running back Edmonds. Because there were fewer guys out in coverage, he's able to kind of weave his way, you know, ends up being like a twenty yard game and gets the Cardinals in

position for the touchdown. But yet it didn't deter him, and on the five yard line he sent the house at Kyler Murray and it forced the Cardinals into a mistake and it was the mistake that won the game for the Green Bay Packers. So, um, just remarkable. We're we've got i mean officially we're not quite halfway through the season right yet, and some of these games that we've been talking about, um, absolutely remarkable. But I've never

I've never gotten more like depressed. When we were talking with A. J. Dillon after the game and he's like, you know, we're we're halfway ish through the season. It's like, yeah, it should be halfway, but now thanks to the seventeen game, uh, we are now halfway ish through the season. So well, it's been Hey, we got the Kansas City Chiefs this week, a game that wasn't really supposed to be on the schedule, but hey, it just kind of popped up there, Game seventeen,

the new, the new seventeenth game. Here it is. The Packers are going to be traveling to face the two time defending a FC champions here in game number nine. We will talk more about the Chiefs on our next show, but with that, we're going to call it a rap on this edition of Packers on Scripted. Be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team. We've got stuff every day for you on Packers dot com. For West, I'm Mike. Thank you for tuning in everybody. We'll see you next time.