Transcript
Speaker: Aloha and welcome back to the Ohana Packers Edition podcast. We are here for our week 7 opponent preview as the Packers at 4-2 look to take on the Detroit Lions who are three and two coming off their bye week. The game is in Detroit at Ford Field.
Speaker: Pretty sure that's what they still call it at this point. And it's too late for me to correct that. So we are going forward with Ford Field. Joe is doing some housekeeping, um getting us set up for stuff later in the show. But right now, just like the Packers, we're sitting pretty well in the division. and all All that's up in the area is keeping pace with the Vikings who, you know, I've said it a couple weeks in a row, but they've just decided they're not going to lose games for a while. So you just have to keep pace as best you can and make it so that, excuse me, that game against Minnesota in a few weeks matters in terms of catching them in the division race. And to do that, you have to keep pace with them. Also, it gives us a chance if the Packers win this week to further distance themselves from the Lions.
Speaker: So Joe, um I know we've said this the last few weeks, but big things are on the table for the Packers. And it's another game where they're they're going to have to bring their A game. I mean, yeah I know we say that every week, but division opponent on the road.
Speaker: um Lines are smarting from last season where we swept them for the first time since 2020. it's a big It's a big week coming up for the Packers.
Speaker: Well, and I've said this the last couple weeks that we've had three straight ah rivalry games. Now, I know the Cowboys aren't a division rival, but you know it's still a longtime rival.
Speaker: So, you know, what it has been interesting there um as I mess with technology here. ah But, yeah Lions are are... You hate to say that Losing i mean any coaching staff that loses loses coaches struggles a tiny bit But they're able to have at least a little bit of turnover, but you can see the the Lions have really lost their way after losing Ben Johnson and and Aaron Glenn and Of course player injuries player turnovers and all that stuff uh
Speaker: you know they're they're not the same lions that dan campbell took over so yeah it's gonna be an interesting game yeah we'll get into that a little more when we start to do the uh the matchups but we'll do our usual we'll recap um so neither team practiced on wednesday um which is odd for the lions since they are coming off their bye week um That is a rather odd development because you figure the team coming off their bye week would want to, you know, knock the proverbial rust off. Who knows if they... Yeah, because um the way the NFL structure is, you only have to report the three official practices of the week. And there's some, like, gray area where if you're coming off your bye, you can have an extra, like, Monday practice kind of thing. It's sort of that, like, there's, like, a gray area where you can work in some extra workouts and stuff like that. But...
Speaker: Suffice it to say, neither team did a practice on Wednesday. um But the Lions had a much shorter injury report than the Packers did. um Two full participants being two guys coming off of IR in safety, Brian Branch and center Cade Mays. Mays was expected to be a, ah um excuse me, a a keystone item, a keystone addition to their line with... um Oh, bloggers, what's-his-face?
Speaker: Well, Glasgow retired, but Ragnall, they just never replaced Ragnall's retirement from a couple of seasons ago, and you know they tried to woo him out of retirement last season, and he subsequently immediately failed his physical. And Mays is a good player, but he's this is going to be his first game back, and the Packers are going to have to take advantage of the rust there. And same for Branch, who...
Speaker: um is coming off an Achilles tear, has really been one of the heart and souls of that Lions defense, and they have sorely missed him in his absence. But at the same time, Branch was already a smaller defensive back with relatively limited athleticism, and he's coming off an injury that saps explosiveness and athleticism, so it'll be really interesting to see how he comes back. I believe he's under a calendar year since he suffered the injury. I...
Speaker: thought he suffered it right around Thanksgiving, but i don't quote me on that. Thanksgiving was also late last year, so... Coldly in a loop. And then cornerback Rakia Sin is nursing a hamstring injury, but those are the only three on the injury report for the Lions.
Speaker: For the Packers, they only had one DNP in Bo Melton. This is a walkthrough setting, so these are very loose estimations.
Speaker: And everyone else on the practice report was limited. The most... You know, surprising, alarming, disturbing of those being Jordan Love added with the back, which came with subsequent jokes about him being having a sore back from carrying this team's offense and shouldering the figurative and literal load because no one is blocking correctly for him.
Speaker: And, um, but he said there's no way he's missing the game on Sunday. Joe has said it many, many times where the team just is going to over-report to make sure that they are compliant with the NFL ah injury report rules.
Speaker: And outside of Jordan Love, the ah ever-present, ubiquitous Aaron Banks is still on the injury report. Defensive tackle Anthony Campbell still nursing the ankle. Brandon Cisse with the shoulder neck. He did say he expects to play on Sunday, but I'll try to monitor better which Sting... It was his right arm this time, and I'll try and keep a better track of um how that persists moving forward because Stingers are one of those...
Speaker: um you know I liken it to soft tissue injuries where once you get one it doesn't go away overnight. kind of thing that That nerve stays tender for a while. Golden has a shoulder.
Speaker: um jordan ri got tooth Jordan Riley continues to work his way back from um the PUP list. The murmurs around the team seem to indicate that he expects to be up this week. Benjamin St. Juice returned from his hamstring. Christian Watson is dealing with an ankle that deserves to be monitored. And Savion Williams...
Speaker: continuing to work through the ankle, which got him on the IR list to open the season. One notable um exclud or person who has graduated from the list is Devontae Wyatt. I kind of noted on Twitter that, you know, I expected him to be on the list all season because that's generally how the Packers have handled guys who come off of IR or PUP when they...
Speaker: sustained a season-ending injury the sea the year before. They just carry them in a limited capacity to you know work them fully back. And we're absolutely within one year because Wyatt suffered his injury in the Thanksgiving game last season. So he is 11 months from being put on IR last season. So, I mean, nothing super surprising, like I said, outside of the Jordan Love back issue. And you just hope that That could be anything.
Speaker: Yeah, it could be a boo-boo. You just hope it's not something that's really going to dog him the rest of the season because um and take it from two guys who deal with back stuff, you know you just never know when that thing's going to lock up on you. And you know some guys just carry it, the whole you pun intended, carry that designation the whole season.
Speaker: And then you have other guys like, and obviously very different positions, but like Jair, when he played through a back issue in 2023, And you could tell when he was playing in some of those games that it's like he is counting every step. He is mapping out his route to anything and everything to make sure his steps are correct. He's not overextending himself. So you just hope that in Love's case that this is just um like we like Joe and I said, this is more of a, um,
Speaker: you know, being judicious and like overreporting than it is actually sort of any sort of um issue that truly needs to be addressed or taken care of. So we'll keep an eye on it. hopefully How old is his kid now?
Speaker: Oh, like eight months or something like that, I think. I think Ronica had her a month or two after the season ended, I believe. So, yeah. Okay. Because it could be just something as simple as he bent over to pick up his kid and, you know, tweaked his bag. yeahp ye Or, you know, ah this would be about the time that, you know, that love life is back in order. Maybe, you know, they got a little kinky or something, but...
Speaker: um Just kidding, Joey. Who knows? um But yeah, back injuries are just so weird that they can just pop out of nowhere. And, you know, I herniated a disc.
Speaker: Obviously, I've ah not obviously, but I've had tons of box problems over the years. But my disc didn't get fully herniated until I went to pick up my little beagle.
Speaker: to take her to the vet so you know it just weird shit happens and and and that but you know otherwise the rest of these guys ah same with bo melton but if he doesn't play this week i don't think that's much of a loss uh you know i think they'll bring they'll do another activation of either that uh Owen.
Speaker: Probably Owen. Yeah, Owen. Or maybe Isaiah Naylor's still on the practice squad. Maybe that's a call-up. i think I think if anything, you're going to see... um and ah That's the one the one practice squad adjustment they made is they released Bankston again and signed Mozzie Smith to the practice squad.
Speaker: Kind of a... more for the position, a no brainer move because they still only have four guys on the act for D tackles on the active roster. And, um, You know, like I mentioned earlier, Jordan Riley, the murmurs are that he will be ready to play this week, but he is coming off PUP, so he'll be limited in the number of snaps.
Speaker: Smith has, to this point, been, you know, a bust in terms of his drafts, where he was drafted. You know, he's been on two teams and cut from the Dolphins practice squad earlier this, ah you know, a couple weeks ago. But, um...
Speaker: There is a pedigree there, you know, he was a good nose tackle and that's kind of what they're looking for right now because the the body type that they're missing mostly right now is, you know, they put Ford on IR.
Speaker: What's it called? Riley is another D tackle or nose tackle type and having a, you know another nose tackle type allows McClellan to play more of like the Three technique penetrator rolled in a, you know, a hold the point one tackle nose tackle. So makes them a little bit more flexible, gives them more options. And like you said, if Melton can't go, honestly, there's a part of me that i don't want to say excited about that, but it opens the door to more Sturdivant at receiver. Obviously we saw Savion be
Speaker: fully reincorporated into the offense. I think Jordan's found his new safety blanket in Savion now that Romeo's not on the team anymore. Yeah. So you've got Savion, Sturdivant looking for more snaps. And then in terms of Gunner, they have options in, what's it called? Oladapo has played Gunner.
Speaker: um I believe St. Juiced has played Gunner at times and stuff. So they have options there. So They have guys on the 53 who can take the special team spots. And then in terms of covering the receiver spots, they have other receivers who can step up their roles and, you know, fans should be excited to see them get more opportunities. But, um, yeah, suffice it. And that's the thing is like the roster is still at 50 players. They have not added anyone to the 53 man roster. So they will not have to be sub.
Speaker: Because of what, you know who being brought off the exempt. So it's weird. So he he will not count against the 53 until at earliest next week because he has that one week exemption thing or whatever i and i don't remember if he has to be added to the 53 man before saturday's deadline to be eligible to play in the game but as of right now he is allowed to fully participate in practice and he is not on the 50 he's in limbo between the exempt list and the 53 man roster i'm not sure what the exemption allows for in terms of him playing in the game but um
Speaker: So yeah, they'll at minimum add one or two players, one being Jacobs, the other being likely Riley by Saturday's deadline. And um they'll still have the ability to elevate two players like he's Owen is almost a dead get giveaway for one of them because they need the punt returner. um Especially with Golden on the injury report. Like we said, we don't know to what extent that truly is, but you don't you just don't want Golden back there at this point. And, um you know, like maybe Mozzie Smith gets the call up. Maybe it's Bley, but I feel like if they were going to call up Bley, they would have called him up last week when they were really short.
Speaker: defensive tackles and instead they just called up Mosby, Aaron Mosby and kind of rolled with Lucas getting some defensive tackle snaps. But um anything else on how you see us lining up roster wise or you ready to move on to Detroit's depth chart?
Speaker: ah We can move on here. I was just looking at something real quick because they do they did sign that Quincy Skinner a couple weeks ago, so they he could possibly be brought in. Because, you know, they don't want to blow through Coleman-Owen's elevations too soon.
Speaker: They've used one. They've got two more of them. uh so it'll be interesting yeah that leaves a one short of um the four weeks that uh more will have to be on ir so it'll be interesting see what they do oh but i was just looking at the practice squad i mean domani jackson could be a possibility ah ah Elijah Culp was just signed last week. He's a possibility as maybe a special team type to be brought up, you know, as as a call up.
Speaker: I think it's too early for Mozzie. ah i would if he was already on the practice squad for like a week or so, I would say, yeah, but I think it's a little early for Mozzie.
Speaker: I can't tell you a lot about Mozzie. I know you know a little bit more because he is the Michigan guy. i do know that when he was drafted by the Cowboys, Micah Parsons was pretty damn hype about it.
Speaker: So maybe it's one of those things that if, if Micah gets into Mozzie's head and says, Hey, this may be your last chance. Get out there. Let's, let's get some work in you know, and yeah.
Speaker: we'll see what happens with that but i think i think think it's a little early for mozzie to be brought up uh i look at it this way because he's uh he's a nose tackle type and it's like you just need to know if we're slanting one way or slanting the other way kind of thing so like He could be active and you're looking for him to get like eight snaps, maybe kind of thing. You're right. It's soon.
Speaker: But, you know, they trained Howard Green into the hotel ballroom before a game. They were that desperate for D tackles at one point. So this, he would literally be the sixth D tackle. And it's like, we're going to put you in only in short yardage, goal line situations. And you're literally here to stop, you know, hold a two gap situation kind of thing.
Speaker: But, um... Yeah, but I think Mozzie is going to end up being like the Mekhi Becton signing. It's going to be break glass and use in case of. That's true. That's true. But also, i bring him up only because of who the opponent is, because um Detroit wants to run on us. Like that that is part of Campbell's makeup. You know, even if we weren't Green Bay, he would want to run the ball. And that especially because it's Detroit against Green Bay,
Speaker: Campbell has really wanted to establish the run and sort of take the physical tone of a game when he faces off against the Packers. So before we move on, i have to ask this and I asked this on Twitter one time and I asked a couple of ah the beat writers if if they could talk to somebody or whatever has ah Luke Musgrave like dropped off the face of the earth.
Speaker: We have, we hear nothing on him. I know he's on PUP and I know he's all that, but you hear, you hear updates of Mikey, you hear updates of Jordan Riley. You haven't heard anything about Colin Oliver for a while, but, uh, like Luke Musgrave has like zero, ah you know, he's starting to end up like Zane Anderson a few years ago, you know, isn't even a real person anymore.
Speaker: And I know it was a really weird injury that he suffered to get put on. pup, but it's just really, and not saying that he needs to be brought in, you know, I'm all for cutting ties with him because of whatever, but it's just really super weird that you have literally heard zero on Luke Musgrave.
Speaker: and Like you noted, the two that I'm kind of like between the two, Oliver is the one that I was hoping they would be able to get back sooner than later kind of thing. Because I know they said like it was kind of a rough injury he suffered at the end of training camp, but it's been a month or it's been more than a month at this point. It's been a month. And we have no idea what's going on with that either. It could be something like Savion where all of a sudden he's practicing. And, yeah you know, whereas Luke Musgrave, we've like seen nothing.
Speaker: I think I've seen him on the sideline. Like, I think there was a shot of, like, the camera panned the sideline, and I swear I saw him in in a gray sweater. But you're right. Like, you know, they were asking him towards the end, you know, through training camp because it's like, okay, like, is he going to, you know, be able to go before, you know, preseason's over?
Speaker: And from what I recall, I believe there was a point in, like, week two or three where was, like, the last time... Musgrave was asked about. And I think it was because, you know, they were nearing that point where it's like the new two weeks, you know, you can, you can start to activate guys two weeks, but they can't play for four weeks kind of thing.
Speaker: And at that point, um, LaFleur was like, yeah, it's gonna be a while and we don't have a feel for it. It was a kind of dour and like I don't want to say dismissive. you know Different people on the beat will give you different impressions of what LaFleur's tone was. I can tell you, Dorf, you know, he's not on the beat, but he's, like, adjacent to the beat. And he said, like, the... of And I don't want to quote-quote him, but, like, he's, like, the feeling he gets is he's just not part of the picture at all right now. Like, they're they're just... that He's... And I take it in the terms of he's such a question mark, they're, like, we can't... that We're not even going to bother worrying about it. It's, like, it'll be a nice surprise if
Speaker: the thing checks out medically and he can give us some kind of vertical threat in late November, December kind of thing. But I think that there's just so much up in the air with whatever it is that's up with his neck or back or whatever that they're just like, like there's there's no point in investing time or like concern. i don't want to say concern, just time or like sort of like preliminary game planning effort in Musgrave being part of the formula because it's like they have no clue what's going to happen with him. But like but you don't even hear like any of the in the press conferences anything being mentioned like, hey, you know we're this far out. What ah what are we hearing on the Luke Musgrave you know situation? And you don't even hear those random questions. It's just like nothing.
Speaker: Right. and And I'm not saying... i was again i'm not saying yeah go go for it well i was just gonna say and i'm not advocating for musgrave to be put on the roster you know they've got johnny smith who's filling that kind of they're not even using john who really uh for the most part they've got redmond who's kind of filled in that blocker role and of course they got tucker who again hasn't really been overly used has had a little bit of use But, you know, it just it's weird that this guy ended up on Pup weirdly, and now he's just, like, gone.
Speaker: and And, yeah, it's just weird. oh Okay, now you can talk. Oh, no. and Yeah, I was just going to say that i it's one of those where I wonder if...
Speaker: They're like, you know, because they just have other insiders who are just like, yeah, don't bother asking about that. Because it just doesn't, you know, like it's one of those, it just doesn't matter kind of thing.
Speaker: um Because it's it's not close. So that's where, that's the... um that's the the That's the way i'm looking at it. But i yeah, it is kind of odd that you just, like you said, you hear nothing about it. Like, it's just not even mentioned at all. So...
Speaker: um Yeah, like I said, the one that I'm more curious about is Oliver because i know he you know didn't have the greatest preseason you know in terms of the games, but like the stuff that you're eatinging out hearing out of the training camp practices, they're like, oh, there's like something we can use there.
Speaker: And I bring him up more like I like the theory of Colin Oliver, but especially in what is the Packers status quo now where Edge Cooper is off the table.
Speaker: And, you know, there was like, oh, do they have too many edges to keep a Colin Oliver type around? But it's like you only kept four on the opening day roster. And then on top of it, you lost your other, like your off-ball linebacker who could function as a linebacker ah edge hybrid player.
Speaker: And so now there is like a, oh shit, like we have, there is a, there is a void that Oliver hypothetically could fill on this roster kind of thing. So that is where I do wish that he could come back and, you know, who knows, like he's just been injured like 80% of his career to this point. But at the same time, like if they can get him right and get him back on the field,
Speaker: Between him and Hopper, you can Frankenstein together, you know, 90% of what Edge would give you on a, you know, on a specific down-to-down basis. So, remains to be seen, but, you know, just in terms of, like, giving Ganon one more, like, one more wild card to throw around the board would just be something that would be really enticing for this defense.
Speaker: But as we said, we you know, those are wistful thinkings for another day because neither, like we said, Musgrave hasn't been heard from since he was put on PUP.
Speaker: I'm thinking aliens. And Oliver, like like you said, Oliver, I put more in the bin of like, I do wish someone would ask about him, but I do think it's a matter of like, he's just going to pop up at practice one day, kind of like he did last year. and You know what's going to be funny? later is you know how they were nicknaming him Baby Micah.
Speaker: What's going to happen is the same week both of them are going to return to practice. and It's going to be funny. Yeah, that would be hilarious for all of irony's sake, but that'll do it for the Packers roster situation, injury updates, all that kind of stuff, roster additions. But now we'll get into Detroit's lineup. So...
Speaker: for all intents and purposes this is like 90 the same lineup for the lions outside of a few um a few key replacements so um on offense it's the same skill position players jared goff jameer gibbs um we'll talk about him in a little bit uh and wide receiver you have amin ross st brown jameson williams the extremely hyped up isaac tesla who has you know After we were told that the Lions stole him for nothing, has done relatively nothing at the past two seasons after they were like, we we got our own Christian Watson kind of thing.
Speaker: um Maybe in a way, I'm looking at her right now, nine receptions on 19 targets. yes tight end Sam Laporta who is in the news is pissed yeah I made the joke that Goot has the chance this offseason to do the funniest thing but I love it I would too, because I do think he was the guy that they were hoping to fall to them in round two of the 2023 draft. Like, he was my top tight end prospect that season.
Speaker: um But basically, i think Laporta, rightfully so, is looking at, you know, we'll this will be a quick detour, but... The Porter situation is he came out on Wednesday, addressed media and said, like, yeah, I'm fucking pissed off that the team basically told me to to take a backseat in terms of contract negotiations. And, like, the kind of funny, ironic, funny thing is, like, yes, he...
Speaker: He was his 2025 season was just screwed up by injuries, um like a bad back injury kind of thing. And instead of saying, like, you know, I'm sure the team is like, we want you to see how you do through the injury, blah, blah, blah, that kind of stuff.
Speaker: Laporta went the opposite direction and was like, I broke my fucking back for this team. And they're not, you know, they're not in good faith even. like I think don't think he's saying, like, I need the contract now. But he's like, they're not even talking about it.
Speaker: in Like, they're not even having conversations kind thing. And I'm sure Laporta is looking at what the Packers did for Kraft and said, get it. No injuries are the same. I have a back. He has a knee. But the Packers said,
Speaker: we're willing to bet on you being the guy that we believe you to be and have seen you to be. And the Lions are like, meh. And I do think the back thing that Laporta had last year is, at least in terms of of how ACL repairs and returns go, is more concerning than an ACL, like, k craft is coming back from.
Speaker: But I do fully comprehend and understand and sympathize with Laporta and being like, hey, like... Are you serious? Like, you seriously are going to leave me out to dry? But that's for the Lions to worry about. Like I said, we can we can joke and have fun with it, but that reality won't come to pass until next offseason if it's even remotely possible for the Packers to do so.
Speaker: um On the offensive lines, so kind of mentioned Cade Mays earlier. Campbell said he is all but expected to start this week, so he will be back. That's their preferred starter at center. The other big change is um Taylor Decker retired in the offseason. Panay Sewell moved to his natural left tackle position after being a stalwart at right tackle. Christian Mahogany and Tate Ratledge returned at the left and right guard positions. And rookie first, second round pick Blake Miller is the starting right tackle.
Speaker: So... A lot of familiar faces. um The big key for this game, kind of alluded to it earlier, you know,
Speaker: Campbell is going to want to establish the physical dominance in this game. He's going to want to be able to run the ball. And honestly, like, the Packers don't need to give the Lions bulletin board material, or at least their offense, because the Lions and Jameer Gibbs are going to look at how last year's two games went, and that should be enough bulletin board material for them, because...
Speaker: I believe the two Packers-Lions games last year were, like, Gibbs' worst productive... Like, from a production standpoint, they were his two worst games as ah as ah as an NFL player because, like, they limited him to so something like one yard per touch in the Week 1 game. And then he had a little more success in the Thanksgiving game, but it was still, like...
Speaker: half or well below his um his his career averages. So I'd be really curious to see if the Packers can have that kind of success. You know, both the Lions games, they had Micah Parsons, they had Edge Cooper for both those games. So...
Speaker: um We'll have to see how Zaire, McStuffy, Hopper all hold up in run support this week. But the Packers also do have a much better defensive line this year, which was one of the shocks of when they like blanketed um Gibbs in week one of last season. is That was the like, oh, God, who are the D tackles on this team and what are they going to do and stuff. And you know Kobe Wooden was a sensation in week one last season. So...
Speaker: It remains to be seen, but that really is where it's going to start is up front for the Packers, and it's stopping Gibbs and making Goff have to beat you.
Speaker: Yeah, I was just looking it up real quick. Last year, he rushed for 19 total yards on nine attempts in week one, and then it was 20 attempts the second matchup.
Speaker: So... in the second matchup so second one he did a little bit better. um his Pittsburgh game was the worst one last year because he only had seven attempts for two yards.
Speaker: Yeah, that was a big game. Yeah, so, ah and then Minnesota held him to 25 in week eight, or week nine.
Speaker: So, yeah, he struggled a little bit last year with some of these games. But I think there was also injured. So like, yeah. And their offensive line was a weird last year too, wasn't it? And it's still, it's still unsettled. Cause like, you know, the, the sure thing is Sewell at left tackle, but even, you know, and I think by this point he should have resettled into playing left tackle. And I do think,
Speaker: He had played some games at left tackle when Decker had missed time in the past. um But I'm still not a mahogany believer. I think, um you know, the Lions are, they're like, it's sort of like their version of like the the Royce Newman situation here where it's like, we really believe in this guy and all that kind of stuff. But he just makes mental and physical mistakes every game and doesn't play to his size, in my opinion.
Speaker: Cade Mays is really good, but this is also his first game in like 10 months. So, you know, that, you know, you you don't want to see him be really good right off the bat. You hope that the Packers interior D-line can get to him a little bit.
Speaker: And Tate Rattledge, I think, has the chance to be a solid to pretty good player, but he's still just a second-year guard who makes a lot of mistakes and has technique issues with his game, but the upside is visible on film with him. And then Blake Miller's a rookie.
Speaker: So, like... The Lions still have issues on their O-line, in my opinion. This is not the group from three years ago where they could just physically dominate a game and take the will of their opponent.
Speaker: And just like I said, going into that Cowboys game last week, like it's imperative for the Packers to set the tone at the line of scrimmage, especially our defense against their offense. And you look at the defenses that the Lions have faced and...
Speaker: haven't faced any really stout units so far. So it's gonna be on um it's going to be on the Packers defense to continue to hold them down.
Speaker: Yeah. um The one thing that Lions have been able to do is score points because I'm looking 31, 31, 31, 26, 45. that's been all their games this year. so they've been able to score some points and you know Like you said, or like they've been talking about, this is ah the last three weeks, the Packers' defense have held teams under 14 points. So it'll be interesting to see how that matches up.
Speaker: like Like anything else, if you can limit Gibbs' contributions and get Jared Goff flustered, you can control the game.
Speaker: But as we saw with Atlanta and Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson, this Packers team can get dominated by the run game. And, you know, then you don't have to worry about golf because then you just hand off and then you're having visions of Barry Sanders all over again.
Speaker: and so it's going to be on them and that's where we go back to the conversation are who are they going to bring up who are they playing at nose tackle who are they playing at uh and you know does do you play lucas a little bit more on the inside than from his rush position ah i would on you know who's gonna cover gibbs out of the backfield which i would think I, you definitely don't want to see a McDuffie out there.
Speaker: ah Zaire would be your next, but I think he put Javon Bollard out of the slot there. Have him cover Gibbs because Javon has been playing solid football this year.
Speaker: You know, he, he's had his mistakes, but he's looked damn good out there and he's flying around and, and really he's looking comfortable.
Speaker: yeah and that's what you really want from a third year player and so yeah it's it's going to be interesting what they do with them but i i think you have javon cover him for the most part maybe add in a ah evan williams up on the line and sure rushing uh downs but yeah i i think that's what you would that's how you limit Put talent on talent.
Speaker: And Javon Bullard has oh has all the physical talent to do it. yep Hopper's going to have to be involved as well. The only problem with Bullard is if the Lions are in three wide, you know, 11 personnel, you're going to need Bullard in the slot because it's 90% going to be Amon Ra. However, so yeah let me throw this at you.
Speaker: we saw them do kamal haddon for the longest time as a slot guy and he was having a lot of success out of it too now i get it you wanted you would rather have javon on on amon raw than than hadden but that's a thought there too is if you need to you know kamal could come in and be your slot guy yeah And that's where it all comes down because, you know, if Kamal comes in, that means you're in dime likely. And it all comes back to winning first and second down and stopping the run. And like, even when you're in dime, because Detroit has shown they are willing to um run on third and medium to long out of, you know, if you're putting a light enough personnel package on the field.
Speaker: One more little wrinkle for the Packers' defense against the Lions' offense is um the match the coaching matchup. So Gannon is obviously our defensive coordinator.
Speaker: The Lions' offensive coordinator is Petsig. Drew? I believe Petsig. But that was Gannon's offensive coordinator in Arizona.
Speaker: So it's a little bit of an interesting twist because Gannon got to see... Petsig's offense, granted with not the same players, that not the skill position players the Lions have, but schematically, idealistically, he understands what Petsig likes to do, wants to do.
Speaker: Meanwhile, Arizona's defense was not Gannon's defense. Gannon had... that the The defensive coordinator is still in Arizona. Mike LaFleur retained him as the defensive coordinator in Arizona. So that scheme that they are running is not LaFleur's scheme... Or is not Gannon's scheme.
Speaker: And the cause for, quote-unquote, concern is the fact that, you know, the trump card you had last year was you had Parsons and you had... um and you had edge Cooper in both games, you know, to, to put pressure on golf and you saw it in, um,
Speaker: Week one and in the Thanksgiving game, like, anytime Parsons was on the field, Goff's, like, his clock sped up four times its normal so rate and stuff. And I do think Gannon is going to basically have to and will do what he did um against Dak, which is we're going to mug the double-A gap, we're going give you the double-A mugged look, and we're going to heat you up, Goff, because that's how you get it, is you... show the ability to shoot guys up the a-gap and Goff just turns into the worst versions of a a chuck and duck guy in terms of just like he doesn't want to get lit up from up the gut pressure so that'll be paramount for the Packers to utilize but anything else um on this side of the matchup or you were ready to move on to the Lions defense The only thing I got to say is it's so funny when you go through lions, uh, coaching staff, I was looking up to see if that was who you were talking, who you're talking about and petzing or whatever it is.
Speaker: Um, And it's like, if you turn legends on and Madden or, you know, whatever, cause you've got Mark Brunel as your quarterback's coach to shard choice as your running backs coach, Bruce Gretkowski as assistant wide receivers coach.
Speaker: Mike Kafka is your past game coordinator. David Shaw is your past game specialist, Dan Skipper, offensive assistant. Mark has two. So Sopo ah is your offensive assistant.
Speaker: Kelvin Shepard is your defensive coordinator. uh, let's see. There was one other one that, um, And then the other funny one is Thaddeus Jackson is one of their assistant strength and conditioning coaches.
Speaker: And if anybody thinks that sounds familiar as he was the PA he was on the Packers strength and conditioning team for the longest time. So, but it's just, and then Dan Campbell is a former player. So it's just funny going through all of those because like, okay, yeah, I remember. And there's probably others like Hank Fraley looks like he probably played in the league for a bit. I just can't remember him.
Speaker: Yup. Um, and but and they're I'm sure there's other ones on there that I just can't remember. Like their defensive side, none of their names sound familiar, but I'm sure some of them played. But yeah, it's just, it's like, who can we assemble that used to play in the league that's going to give us a damn good coaching?
Speaker: ah Legitimately, for um a bunch of them, I think, played with Campbell at some point in time. So I think probably. Yeah. But. Other than that, no, I'm good. Yeah.
Speaker: So move on to the Lions defense and how they match up against the Packers offense. So this centerpiece is Aiden Hutchinson. So this will be a big test for really the entire Packers offensive line because while Hutchinson is listed as the starting left defensive end, they will move him all over the defense. He'll rush from both end spots, he'll rush from the interior.
Speaker: um Again, he and Ali McNeil are the big reasons why it's time for the Travis Glover experiment to end and it's time for Kevin Zeitler to start games. um You just need the experience, especially because you this game is being played in Detroit. It's going to be loud. It's going to be hostile.
Speaker: And Glover has, you know, he's shown that he could be a starter in the NFL. We know Zeitler is a starter and a damn good starter. And it's it's just time. It's time to make that change.
Speaker: Um, At the other defensive tackle spot, you have their first-round pick from last year, Tyreek Williams. He is pretty much a pure nose tackle type. um If he gets anything in the pass rush, that means that our interior O-line has fucked up royally.
Speaker: And the other starting defensive end is Tyler Lacey, who I'm not going to even try and lie to say I know much about. I know more about their backups in DJ Wanham, who was a um who was a Viking for a while.
Speaker: And the other top end is rookie Derek Moore. Michigan Wolverine. So, um, speed to power guy. um
Speaker: You know, productive pressure guy, but didn't always finish sacks super well. Linebackers, um Jack Campbell, former Iowa Hawkeyes, the middle linebacker. um Malcolm Rodriguez, I think he was the one that went to Army or something like that. And then weak side linebacker is Derek Barnes.
Speaker: No, Rodriguez went to Oklahoma State. Yep. But he's short, throw over the top of him. Like, he's listed 5'11". That means he's probably closer to my height, five nine but um um So there will you know this is a week where it's like, Tucker Craft, come on down. like We need you to... yeah Hopefully he plays a little faster on the turf. um And you know and it's good that's one that he wasn't listed on the practice report after he went down in a heap and kind of gave everyone a reason to hold their breath on Sunday night. So good to see that Tucker wasn't listed. it is hopefully the contusion we were assuming it was. So good to see him not listed.
Speaker: And then in the secondary, um
Speaker: It's not great. next It's not great. Yeah. Like I said, he expects Branch to be back, but and he would be the centerpiece of their secondary at this point.
Speaker: But like I said, Branch is a guy who was a limited relatively limited athlete already. it was a very you know He made a lot of play on instincts and feel.
Speaker: And it remains to be seen how he's going to move coming off an Achilles tear now. I know they wouldn't medically clear him if he couldn't move well and all that kind of stuff. But if he lost any level of explosiveness, that's just going to hamper his ability to stay with the Packers, especially when they put Watson or Golden in the slot. If he isn't close to having the movement skills that he had before the injury,
Speaker: They're going to be a world of hurt because Golden and Watson are going to, in different ways, leave him in the dust. And and even if he were fully healthy, they probably still would. And on the outside, their corners are DJ Reed, who a lot of Packers fans wanted. He's been solid, but he is 5'9".
Speaker: And then Enes Rickstraw of the fighting Mizzou Tigers the
Speaker: let's joyy van zumer the fighting Joey Van Zoomerans is the other cornerback. um He was a highly touted player, but has had a bunch of injury issues. Hasn't had a ton of ball production so far.
Speaker: And um the Packers should have success here. And then, you know, I'm assuming that Branch is going to play in the slot when they're in sub package, which means that their safeties are the well-traveled former Raven Chuck Clark and Keith Abney, the second. kid So big downgrade from, you know, the tandem of what used to be Joseph and Branch. Are they...
Speaker: Are they playing Abney as safety? That's what he's listed as on the... um Oh, no. on there On their um website, they still have him listed as corner.
Speaker: Oh, there you go. Yeah, for whatever it's worth, I'm looking at ESPN's one. So if their site is saying corner, then he's corner. But
Speaker: leave it to say the Packers are going to have places to attack. That's my point. Yeah, yeah. it's all about oh i just was curious about that because you said safety and this is corners like i remember him as a corner i do too and you know but like i said i'm going off espn's thing and stuff but um well espn's wrong damn it
Speaker: and we're going to say it for the seventh time this season. It's going to come down to what the O-line can do. So they're, you know, they're playing better the last three weeks than they did the first three weeks of the season for obvious, clear reasons.
Speaker: And at the same time, You did start to see so leaks spring up this past week against the Cowboys that you know they had sort of shored up the previous two weeks.
Speaker: And like I said, that's part of my reasoning for why it's time to end the Glover experiment. like It's great that you might have found a starter for next year and potentially someone you may think of extending after next season.
Speaker: But you're playing games for this season. And Zeitler, unless he forgot how to play football between last January and now, he is probably the best O-lineman on this roster. Like, bar none.
Speaker: So, there's he's had three weeks. You know, this is four weeks of um practice and ramp-up. So, it's time it's it's just time for him to play at this point. um You're paying him to be a starter. You need him to be the starter. So, it's time.
Speaker: And you can't afford to piss him off either. And it were was it you that were taught was talking about it? Or was it somebody else that was talking about it that he supposedly had went to the coaches and said, ah you know, hey, That's what had heard.
Speaker: That's what I had heard. I can't remember... Whose show or if it was in one of the pressers, but it was one of the beat guys that said um he had gone to LaFleur. And I don't know what tone necessarily, but and I don't know if it was more of like a, hey, like, I'm here ready to do what you brought me here to do. Or a, if you need me to go, I can go kind of thing. You know, like, and there is a very big difference between those two.
Speaker: I, based on how they've handled it, I want to say it's the latter and not the former. But because I don't see them looking at a 14-year veteran and being like, we're paying you, so just sit down and wait your turn kind of thing. Right.
Speaker: yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're absolutely right. like they like I know that they're paying him a nice sum of money to come in and save the O-line, but also like just because he's on your roster doesn't mean you go and piss him off because that fucks you up for future free agency kind of thing. Yeah. um and well not just future free agency but just this season because what happens you piss him off he's gonna demand his release and then later on in the season you're gonna be like oh shit Travis Glover isn't it and well we can't go back to Zeitler now can we exactly
Speaker: So yeah, that that's where we stand on that one. I think I do agree that Zyler has to, has to definitely start and you can look at the, uh, revisit Travis Glover again, next season, next off season, uh, and, and go from there. But Zyler definitely has to be playing this weekend. Just not only.
Speaker: because of leaks that and i'm rambling because mike yeah ah is having issues but uh not only because of the leaks but because of the place that they're going into and zeitler knows it a little bit better ah even though he's coming in on the opposite side that he was normally but yeah you just can't afford to piss him off right at this moment
Speaker: Thank you for holding the floor down. um But yeah, it's going to come down to this O-line playing well. Like the the fatal flaw for this Lions defense is it is Aiden Hutchinson and who else, especially with the injuries to their two safeties.
Speaker: McNeil, you know, he's got three and a half sacks. I haven't, gotten to watch a lot of Detroit's games this season so I can't tell if he's you know really producing or if those three and a half sacks are kind of like Wyatt's two sacks against the Bears where it's like he just happened to be the guy in position to make a couple coverage sack plays because before McNeil was this like really good you know one gap penetrator three technique type and they absolutely need him to get back to being that kind of player because they just have nothing else nothing else proven up front with Hutchinson They've tried signing like Marcus Davenport. They've tried um drafting. you know They invested in Derek Moore, another second-round pick and all that kind of stuff. So they're trying to do things, but um you know kind of like talking about you know the situation with the Packers starting Zeitler, it's like the Lions don't have time for guys to come along and develop. They need impact now.
Speaker: And that's why I think it is kind of good that they're we're catching them on the road earlier in the season because it's like maybe before they kind of really get these younger guys acclimated into their roles you're able to catch them uh before they're really ready to go and then by the time you play them again the game is in lambo instead so um you kind of hope that that's the situation for the packers but You've got to be able to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of this game. I know that's not the most sophisticated game plan, but if you can limit Hutchinson's effectiveness, and he's going to get his pressures and QB hits, but you cannot let him have a three-sack, ten-pressure day kind of thing, like...
Speaker: that you cannot let him have the kind of pressure impact that Rashawn Gary had on Sunday because unlike Gary Hutchinson is going to finish those plays. You know, he has, he's always been the better change of direction player. And so if he gets the opportunities that Gary kind of created for himself on Sunday, Hutchinson is going to finish 50% or more of them that Gary kind of like was ah allowed love to get out the back door on kind of thing. So, um O-line has got to be a lot better and again that just further pushes into why Zeitler needs to start this game.
Speaker: Yeah and you know if depending on the type of back injury Jordan's suffering from this is they definitely need to start leaning on the running game a little bit more and you know it's obviously hasn't been working well the last few games with what they've been throwing out there And I know they're supposedly getting, it's a wait and see. They keep, you know, he's eligible to come back, but how are the Packers going to handle everything? Are they going to bring him back or are they going to let him set another game?
Speaker: So the way I look at it is. both the way LaFleur and Steno talked about it in their separate pressers, they are of the mindset that if Jacobs doesn't get further suspended from the six weeks, you know, like the NFL...
Speaker: i'm kind of curious because usually Wednesday is their suspension announcement day. They may wait until Saturday because they're on their own prerogative to do as they please.
Speaker: But I'm under the belief that, you know, the not I'm under the belief, but I think the Packers are working with So long as there is no suspension levied or if the suspension levied is six weeks, then they'll have Jacobs for this week.
Speaker: And they're expecting that if he is eligible to play on Sunday, he will play on Sunday. How much that is remains to be seen. so Him being suspended, his ability to be in the team facility is the same as someone who's on PUP or IR. He can go to the facility, he can attend meetings, he can go in the game planning sessions, he can work out with the trainers, he can be with the strength and conditioning coaches.
Speaker: the only thing he couldn't do was practice and be in the game and and play in the game so he should be in football shape he should be well over the like groin or whatever the hell it was he was dealing with in the preseason but he's not in football shape in terms of like getting hit the contact and all that kind of stuff so You know, if he plays, I expect him to get 15 to 20 carries because they're just going to say, you know what?
Speaker: We've weathered the issue. We were going to probably cut this guy at the end of the season in a cost-cutting move. So it's like, now with what has transpired, we're just going to drain the tank.
Speaker: and we're going We're going to just fire all the bullets. And at the end of the season, we will say thank you for your service. This is a cost-cutting move. Thank you for your time, Josh. But we part ways here kind of thing. so um and And for Jacobs, you know for people you know wondering like what's his mind... His mindset is he's got to play well because he has...
Speaker: this whole saga sitting over his head his best way to get another contract is to play well this season and he had a down season in 2025 um he was already nursing an injury in preseason he's got 11 games maximum to to make the most of and sell himself as a still viable starting running back in this league so both sides have outcomes have desired outcomes in this that benefit the packers you know standing as a as a contending team so as long as he's eligible and i don't want to step on over-unders too much i expect him to play and i expect him to get 15 to 20 carries yeah it'll be interesting
Speaker: um And I fully believe that if, if the league was going to hand down any more of a suspension, they would have done it by now, just because of the way the exempt list works.
Speaker: you know because that counts towards any suspension that he's going he would have got and he's already been done for six games so it and that's usually not saying it's right or anything but that's usually the suspension that you get in these types of sense situations so i i would think if there's going to be a suspension it would have been handled right unless It's a punishment for trying to get the video not to be viewed by the NFL.
Speaker: And I could see the NFL being vengeful vengeful like that. Yeah. the The one thing that I think Jacobs has in his corner is his reasoning for blocking it is like...
Speaker: You can say like he has ulterior motives, but he gave like a a reasonable explanation for like, it's the camera's inside my house. I don't want that footage getting out so people can see. you know There has been an increase of NFL players getting their homes broken into when their teams are on the road and yada, yada, yada. It's not him just flippantly putting two birds up to the NFL and saying, like you're going to take my word or the high road kind of thing. So... um I totally and i agree with what you're saying, but I don't, like you said, i think if they were going to go that road, they would have stated they're going that road already that, you know, they would have done the, you're being non-compliant or, um,
Speaker: you know, you're, you know what do they call it? You're, you're not, us you're being um confrontational in the investigative matter kind of thing and stuff. So. Obstructing justice. Yeah.
Speaker: You're being obstructed destructive to their process, but going from things that we speculate blindly on to things we think we can speculate on with a certain a level of gravitas and understanding over unders.
Speaker: What do you got for us this week, Joe? Yeah. Uh, We'll try to bust through these pretty quick. ah Golden, Watson combined 225.5 receiving yards.
Speaker: i and I know this is going to be weird for people. I'm going to take the under on this because I think there is going to be a need to incorporate Sturdivant. And you know like I said earlier, Savion is kind of becoming that safety blanket for Jordan.
Speaker: And so that's why I'm going under now. I'm not saying either one of them are going to get completely skunked or whatever, but I don't know if we're going to see another week of Golden and Watson both hitting 100 yards in the same game and for this game. But, you know, I i see one of them hitting the 100 mark and the other one coming in at maybe like 80 or 90, you know, there.
Speaker: So that's what I went with. going with over i agree with you i don't think this will be like the 260 or 70 that they got against the bears i even though i did put 250 but i think it's just because i have no faith in that detroit secondary whereas in the and the the you're absolutely right the the speed bump to this outcome is the fact that i do think craft has a matchup advantage against their second level defenders and like you said sturdivant and even just if jacobs does get 15 to 20 carries that totally changes the complexion of what this offense looks like so um yeah go figure but i think that their secondary is so bad and makes so many mistakes and then like
Speaker: ah You know, are they going to tell are they going to try to match Reid on Golden because of the height disparity if Reid is trying to cover Watson 40 yards down the field? So I just don't know what they're... I don't think they have good answers in the secondary for us.
Speaker: And I agree with that part of it. I just think that there's so many other things guys on the team that are... Yeah, so I just I wonder if this is going to be one of those weeks where maybe Savion gets, you know, 50 60 yards.
Speaker: Tucker gets in there with another 70. So it just kind of the ball gets spread around a little bit more. um Does Josh Jacobs play this weekend?
Speaker: I think we both kind of alluded to that we think that he's going to play this weekend. Like, I think the overwhelming thing is like the his suspension is over whether they deem he is suspended the six games or if they just kind of say it's a wash at this point. I do think the NFL will to hold up the guys that they care about domestic violence. They'll say he was suspended six games for his incident kind of thing. And he served his time.
Speaker: But um I do think he's going to play this week. I have yes, but I could see some weird situation with the, not the league, but the team saying, oh yeah, maybe we we weren't ready for him yet.
Speaker: So i and I just, the way these guys are with a lot of the things that they've been doing lately, I could just see something weird happening and he just doesn't play this week. ah So that leads into the next one, 65 and a half total rushing yards.
Speaker: I'm taking over just because I do think Jacobs is going to play.
Speaker: I would lean a little bit more towards it, even if he doesn't just because if Zeitler does play that helps out the run game a little bit more, but I think because of Jacobs play and I want to put this here, I still do not have a good reason as why Caleb Johnson is getting treated the way he's getting treated.
Speaker: Yep. yeah
Speaker: What you got? yeah I'm going over as well for a lot of the same reasons that Jacobs is playing. I'm expecting Jacobs to play, so they're going over that. We got to put it on record so you can't not answer it.
Speaker: yeah it's on the It's on the Google Doc. Yeah, but the Google Doc can be edited. yeah All right. DDS gets half a sack or over under half a sack.
Speaker: Does he get one or does he get none? I'm saying over because he's gotten pressure against a line that I think is better. ah And I just think that they're going to rush him outside and inside. And against these guards, he's going to have success.
Speaker: I am going to take the under. And the only reason I do that is because of something that I've been saying the last couple weeks. He has been doing great at getting the pressure. He's not been as great getting the finish after the pressure.
Speaker: So until he starts working on finishing the pressure, I'm going to go under on these, but I still hope the best for him. You know, I won't claim like a lot of people that I had a second round grade on him um and all that stuff.
Speaker: But, you know, I did like what I saw out of him. I just, you know, I do think that there's going to be a
Speaker: there's still a lot of work to be done with him even though he has had good showings on tape home all right sorry my it's it's that time of year that i absolutely hate where they're all in the fields and then people are burning and so all my shits getting messed up uh cc over under half an interception I'm going under just because i don't think he'll be the guy that um he'll be in position for one of Goff's Chuck and Duck interceptions. that's That's my thinking there.
Speaker: I'm taking the over because I have a feeling he's going to be the guy that sees a lot of Jamison Williams. And so, ah there are going to be chances there.
Speaker: He's, you know, he's, I'm going to call him the shark in the ocean. He's already tasted a little bit of the blood. Now he's wanting a little bit more of it. Uh, he, he almost had two last week against the Cowboys.
Speaker: So I think that He's got a good shot this week. Unless he starts playing a little bit of conservative because of having two different stingers so far this year.
Speaker: Savion Williams over under half a TD. I got the over. I took the over ah just because, like I stated earlier, I think Jordan's going to spread the ball around a little bit more.
Speaker: Savion has become that safety blanket, so yeah. Safety blanket, and also I think that, you know, we didn't run a lot of red zone plays last week, but I get the feeling that as he gets more and more incorporated, the Savion, like, horizontal shit is going to be part of the red zone package. Kind of like how he scored his first touchdown last year against um Pittsburgh.
Speaker: Yeah, so i I can see it. That's all I got. All right. Well, we'll put a ball on it there. um Joe will go live after the game this time. i will not be following this one as close. Jalen has a basketball game in the middle of the game. so Damn, kids. Yeah.
Speaker: yeah yeah um So I'll be following along, you know, at the very beginning of the game, and then I'll be leaving, like, probably, like, second quarter-ish kind of thing. And then, you know, be hopefully following it right after halftime. So hopefully, you know, the Packers will do their thing, and it won't be the most stressful of games. But division opponent, anything can happen. And...
Speaker: and You just got to keep yeah like every week is a new test. So like, you know, last week the whole talking point was, Oh, they haven't played any good or real quarterbacks to this point.
Speaker: Then you so like just ruined Dak Prescott's day on Sunday night football. Now it's back to back, really good pre-snap quarterbacks. Really interested to see what Gannon can cook up for Sunday against golf this time around. And, um, um,
Speaker: Yeah, just really hopeful that the Packers can continue the momentum they're on. Basically, after weeks set after playing seven games back-to-back seasons, you end up with five wins because last year there were five 1-1 coming off the Pittsburgh win. This week year, you would be 5-2 coming off a Detroit win.
Speaker: and hopefully they can springboard that momentum much better than they did last season. So, um remains to be seen, but for Iowa Joe, I'm Mike. Go Pack Go, and Aloha!
