Wisconsin Sports on the go with Trag
Wisconsin Sports on the go with Trag is a podcast aiming at bringing you Wisconsin sports news and opinions everyday! Follow the podcast and find us live Sunday, Wednesday and Friday nights on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Twitch and Kick TV.
Wisconsin Sports on the go with Trag
Can the Packers win in Philly? Badgermbb Basketball win, NFL playoffs and more! – Wisconsin Sports on the Go with Trag & Aaron
How we doing everybody and welcome into Wisconsin Sports on the go with Trage. I'm your host, Trage. It is a fantastic football Friday. I don't know what you want to call it, but it's fantastic. There's college football on right now. There's college football yesterday. We have the NFL playoffs kicking. I mean, this is just a weekend of college football Like this is college football NFL. It is just madness. It is just madness right now. We can't wait to get into it today, but we have our. You know you ever seen? I think it's on, is it on Seinfeld? When they do Festivus? Is that what it is? It's off of Seinfeld, there, A day of grievances, A day of grievances. And today is that day for Aaron Because, well, we mentioned College Bowl playoff.
Speaker 2:Well, Penn State, Penn State I mean that game was there and I said it was going to be one of the better games. Right, that was a fantastic game. Like I have a Penn state fan. I look back at it. I'm like, yeah, we probably should have won that, but I am, I'm not disappointed. Like I'm disappointed, but I'm also like that was a heck of a game that was. I would say you'd have to go position by position. Penn State definitely excels in some areas.
Speaker 2:Notre Dame. Their defense is pretty darn good, Like they have a pretty darn good defense out there, Run defense kind of eh, not so much. But that secondary didn't play bad and I mean it was Drew Aller, it was that kind of game for him. I mean, honestly, I didn't like the pass interference goal that they gave to Tyler Warrens in the end zone there the guy kind of was running backwards and I just they said he never turned his head, but I don't think he actually ever. He was running straight like that. He didn't hit Tyler Warrens, he didn't do nothing to Tyler Warrens. Warrens kind of brought his arm through that guy's hands and that guy has hands straight up in the air.
Speaker 2:I was like I I don't like that call, I honestly don't like that call. And then I mean either way it ended up working out just fine for notre dame, but I don't like that. That's two picks right there. I mean outside of that, it's two picks. It's already telling you warren's is off. James franklin got a little bit greedy. But guess what, if you don't get greedy, then people are yelling at you because he didn't get greedy. I don't know, Aaron, I mean what are your thoughts. I guess I got to get to the Penn State guy. What are your thoughts coming off of that Notre Dame-Penn State game, where it was right there, it was right there and it just all of a sudden just fell apart?
Speaker 3:I mean to me and this is taking my bias completely out of it, I swear to God, I'm taking it completely out there Penn State's a better team. I think they are. I mean the first half. I mean that drop by Singleton. I mean he's wide open. I mean, you know, on the right side there, and I mean Allard didn't make the perfect throw but you got to, like you have to have that. I don't want that's 100% on him. I don't care, it hit both his hands. Nobody's, you know, banging into him right there at the line. That I mean just when you get in the red zone I don't care if it's the Packers, the Eagles, penn State, the, the freaking, the high school down the street you know getting seven on the board in an important game. I don't care what level it is, it's huge. So so you know you go into the half. 10, nothing. I felt good but not great. Or I think what? 10, three? I think 10, three. They got one right before. Yeah, with the backup there, cause Riley Leonard went out.
Speaker 2:That was game changer right there with him. That was game changer.
Speaker 3:I was actually worried that the backup was going to play better because he looked significantly better. Um, I don't know, I I put that game. You know as much as I have, you know, completely said every expletive in the book about james franklin. Uh, I I just I don't know if I can put that on him, I just just Drew Allard, completely, like you know that meme. We talked about Devin Williams, you know screwing the whole state. Yeah, he sold in the biggest moment. I get you know going into that and not to get super long-winded because I'm going to have to do some type of show on that game.
Speaker 3:But there was the receiving core I was worried, worried about all year long. I mean it showed its face against ohio state. They didn't do much then. They didn't do anything in this game. Like those guys were useless. I mean, it's just being honest, outside of warren, outside of the backs, nobody was open.
Speaker 3:Um, do I give our a little bit of like, you know, grievance for that? Not really. I just because that interception at the end you can't have that. You just you can't. You can't force a ball under a minute when a tie game and then flip, you know, basically giving them the ball. I think it was midfield somewhere around there.
Speaker 3:So I mean the defense, I you know they had their lapses. Don't get me wrong that that wide open play in the second half down the the sideline just horrible. Like you can't have that either. They kept dropping Kobe King into coverage, which I don't know if Tom Allen is like drinking alcohol at halftime or what, but that was mind-boggling. The guy can't cover Like he's a run linebacker, that's it. And that torched them.
Speaker 3:But I just, to me Penn State beat themselves more than Notre Dame beat them. I just I will die on that hill because you know, drew Allard just made so many mistakes. He made so many just under, you know, in the fourth quarter, and the defense even like put you in position two or three times to basically save the like. I can't be mad at the defense. They were out there constantly and yeah, this was. I didn't think Drew Eller had that in him to look that bad and apparently does so. Yeah, it's a shame Abdul Carter's gone and Tyler Warren's gone. So best player on defense, best player on offense? I don't know, I'm not going to be optimistic. I think they'll be a good team, but this was kind of the year it came together. For them the path was fairly easy compared to everybody else.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, yeah, I would agree.
Speaker 3:I don't know if I can put it on Today. I almost put some of the play-calling problems on Kotelnicki, though I think in the first half they called some mind-boggling, had some mind-boggling play-calls. People were saying they coached really well. I don't think they coached really well. I think they coached well. They coached decent. They didn't coach outstandingly well, but they were okay. I more so put this on Al or more than anybody and the receiving corps sucked as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it really. We were talking about it before the show and I heard it. It was the truth when I heard. I can't remember I heard it, but somebody said I mean, when was the last time penn state won the national championship? And I think what?
Speaker 2:1980 something like that in the 80s, mid 80s yeah, somewhere in the 80s there, and it was when. Do you stop? Take a look at the program, see which direction, because you're a consistent program right, and I'm talking from a Badger Payton perspective right now, where we're in the bottom feeder right now. But you put it into perspective of where are we lapsing right and you look at the wide receiver core and the wide receiver core was a glaring weakness. I think the secondary for Penn State at times plays well, but at other times I don't like the secondary. I've told you that before. I thought that game that wisconsin played him, if we had a better quarterback than what brayden lock was, I thought we could have actually beat that secondary because the badgers did have some playmakers in that wide receiver core. I thought that could go toe-to-toe right. Same in this game here, riley leonard wasn't having the the greatest game in the world, but makes the throws. Makes the throws when they're there. We had a couple of them. I I think it was that what the heck is the name? Great house had a couple of big catches there. He had the one where the guy fell down was able to house it there, and then there was another one. I believe it went to the back out of that backfield and I mean just a couple of timely throws that set notre dame up and they, they did the little things. That was the thing they did, the little things. They didn't hurt themselves terribly A couple picks here and there, right, but didn't hurt themselves terribly. It was the back-breaking one by Drew Adler, late in this game, that just put it on ice. It just gave Notre Dame the momentum, was all gone. Right, they had the ball, they were driving, they gave it back to Penn State and then all of a sudden, penn State gives it back it. Now we're set up nice and well and you know, first half, I mean the run game wasn't there for notre dame either. The run game wasn't there at all. Second half they made it a point let's get this thing going.
Speaker 2:And that love that, uh, jeremiah love I. He is a fantastic. Back watching him. I know they said he had like six hurdles on the year or something like that and he told them because he was hurt, he wasn't gonna hurdle a guy. And I mean watching him get up. I can't remember who the heck he jumped over the top of, but that was a big guy, that was a tall guy and he jumped, cleared him and landed it too and I was like whoa, I mean, that is an athletic back. So I mean Notre Dame, they might not have been the better team, but they played better on that night and that is all that matters this time of year and college football playoff, that is all that's mattered so far. I mean we got John. John, we've missed you. We've missed you in the comments there, john, I mean Oregon, right, oregon may have been the better team all season long.
Speaker 2:They may have been the better team, but that night against Ohio State they got completely dump trucked Like that was not even a ball game. Ohio State just hit a burner and they were gone and it was like try and play catch up and he's gonna do it. I mean, and that's college football playoff. That's that's this time of year, it's. Just look at texas right now. They just gave up a 75 yard touchdown, uh catch to henderson there before the half with 13 seconds. I mean, that just tells you where we're at right now in college football. It's the big plays, it's all them things that come down a bite. And drew aller. He had a rough game, I mean a rough game, but he's coming back right.
Speaker 2:Maybe some optimism heading into next year, I don't know, but I think, I think it rings true. There has to be some program reflection in penn state. There has to be some reflection of the program where we're going right, because I'm not saying that they're a bad program, because I can't say that as a badger fan, I can't say they're a bad program, but I can't say that as a Badger fan, I can't say they're a bad program. But I think there is still a step that they have to take. They're not there. They've been stuck in the we're three quarters of the way there for a while now. Can they take that next step and get to Ohio State, get to Oregon, right, because I don't know if they're as good as Oregon yet. I mean Oregon's got a boatload of playmakersregon nine, you know, five out of ten. I don't know, I really don't, because that is good oregon team. So it's like, where are they right now in that spectrum? I think it's like 1a and 1b and they're down there. You know, they're down in that middle ground right now.
Speaker 2:It's a question of, if they do that reflection, do they bring in the right recruits and can they get over that hump? And is james franklin and the current coaching staff the one that can do it? I guess that's kind of what we wait and see, right? I mean we got a long off season transfer portal, everything else we got to wait and see. And so Penn State loses to Notre Dame 27 to 24 in that college football playoff game.
Speaker 2:Ohio State Texas at the half right now 14 to seven. That's a pretty good game so far. I mean, that's kind of what we expected. A pretty good game. Texas defense is playing well. Ohio State just hit that big play before the half, and that's what the difference is at this moment. But, aaron, we got to get to the big game of the weekend because there is an even better game that we need to get to. You got one more chance right. You got one more chance to feel great coming out of this weekend. If this one goes wrong too, I don't know, I don't know, aaron might not, he might not be able to, he'll have to wait until a little bit later next week.
Speaker 3:I might have to check out man I might have to check out. He'll be back, He'll be back.
Speaker 2:It'll probably be like February or something like that when he comes back there. But Aaron, I mean, I'm watching all over social media, all over social media. I was on Tik TOK, you know Facebook, everything like that, and I keep getting all the Eagles guys right. I keep getting all the Eagles podcast and talk shows and everything like that. I, when I tell you that there is a team out there or a a fan base that believes that there is not a single soul that can touch them, right now, it is the Eagles fans.
Speaker 2:Right now, there is no chance. They're like no, no, what is Josh Jacobs going to do? Are they going to lean on Josh Jacobs to run? Sure, we'll stop them. They don't have a Saquon Barkley and it's like hold on, settle down. Josh Jacobs is a pretty darn good back. I think they underutilize Josh Jacobs at some points. That's a darn good back in Josh Jacobs and they're like oh wow, what are they going to lean on? Jordan Love? You know all the pressures on Matt LaFleur, all the pressures on this, and I can't remember who it was. What's that show over on FS1? James Jones is on it. It's got like four former, like NFL players on it.
Speaker 3:I can't remember what that show is. Uh, leshawn mccoy on that show or no?
Speaker 2:I think mccoy's on that show. I think he was the one who was telling. Was he the one telling james jones and them about this eagles team?
Speaker 2:he, he's very like homer, he's a homer because I can't remember if it was him or not, but he's like, he's telling these guys, he's like, oh, yeah, you know. Uh, what's? What do you say? Hertz isn't worried and aj brown's not worried and saquon's not worried and Sirianni's not worried, and then James Jones goes. Yeah, neither was Aaron Rodgers or James Jones or Sam Shields or Charles Woodson or you know, the last time the Packers went out to Philly and got that win out there. And it's just like I, the facility, there it is, john, thank you. Thank you, john's.
Speaker 2:In the comments there, the facility is what it's called and I just saw that and I was like these guys are writing off the packers before the games even started, right, and I heard, you know, one of the stupidest ones I heard was matt lafleur did say you know, it's we still. Everybody's zero and zero. Now, right, everybody's zero and zero. It's like starting over, right, nobody records don't matter anymore. And this one group of idiots, they're like what, what do you mean? It's zero and zero. Right, he hasn't beat a good team yet, you're right. You're right, he hasn't beat a good team yet. He hasn't beat the eagles, he hasn't beat the lions, he didn't beat the vikings. 100, everybody agrees with you. But at the end of the day, it don't matter. It matters who shows up on sunday and plays four quarters of football and wins that thing. It's the playoffs now. It don't matter what happened in Brazil week one, it don't matter what happened at the Lions. What matters now is what happens in between the Lions on Sunday In those 60 minutes. Nothing else, absolutely nothing else. So I just find it bad. I'm watching all these Philly social medias and everything, podcasts and whatever and I'm just finding it almost, almost humorous, right, because I'm here telling you as a packer guy, as a wisconsin show here I I'm giving the packers like a 40 chance to win this game 60 40. I'd probably be in that 60 40 range right around that. Like I don't think the packers are gonna get blown out. I don't think that by any mean. I think the eagles are the better team as of right now. I think the eagles are the better team as of right now. I think the Eagles are the better team, but you're heading into playoff time now.
Speaker 2:It's about who gets hot, right, it's about who gets hot. Jordan Love and this offense didn't get hot until the second half last season, and I know we talk about it all the time. We're like, yeah, they went to Dallas. Dallas wasn't that good of a team. Dallas was a pretty darn good team.
Speaker 2:Now, did they have the same caliber of players? You have to look position by position. Right, micah Parsons, yes, you look at like CeeDee Lamb, yeah, but you look at the backfield. Did they have the same caliber of back? No, they had Tony Pollard versus Saquon Barkley. It's not the same. Jalen Hurts to Dak Prescott you could make an argument, you could definitely make an argument between those two guys. Playoff Dak probably not, but I mean regular. If you put the two next to each other, you could probably make the comparison there. But I look at this matchup, aaron, and I'm like why not? Why not the Packers? Why couldn't they go in there? Right, you have the guys, you have this.
Speaker 2:You went to Dallas last season in the playoffs on the road and I know Philly's Philly. But you went to Jerry World and you know these Philly uh socials like I was talking about. They're like you went to Jerry's world. It doesn't count, you're coming to Philly now. Jerry's world is still. I mean, you went on the road, you're still in a hostile environment and you had an even younger team and they didn't blink an eye. You know they didn't. They weren't daunted. They walked in there and they did their thing and they walked out a win right. And then they went out to san fran. Out to san fran and arguably played. I would say that san francisco team is arguably better than any team that they would see in the playoffs right now. Right now.
Speaker 2:Chris mccaffrey, debo brock, purdy, um, nick bosa, fred warner, that defense that they had, that offense that they had, they had trent williams on that line, they had all kinds of pieces. George Kittle was playing well. Brandon Ayuk, they had all kinds of weapons. That San Francisco team was dang good, dang good. You could put them up against any team this season. And the Packers went toe to toe and a bad throw here and a bad throw there and a missed field goal by the Packers we can be talking about. The Packers should have been in the NFC championship game last season, in a season they weren't supposed to be there.
Speaker 2:So when I hear all this, you know well, it's just going to be, it's going to be a blowout. There's no way. There's no way the Packers hang around. I don't think so. Like I'm looking at this game. Do I think the Packers, like I said before, do I think the Packers are the better team? No, I don't. I really don't Like. I think the Eagles are better at certain positions. Right, I think their defense and their secondary is better. I think that their defensive line depending on what Packer defensive line actually decides to show up is better. The wide receiving core. I think that they have more stars in their receiving core. Saquon Barkley, I think, is the better back than Josh Jacobs. Do I think it's like a disparity of you know, a massive disparity between the two? No, like. I think Josh Jacobs is a pretty darn good back Now. Do I think Saquon's better? No doubt, no doubt. In my mind, saquon is better.
Speaker 2:Josh Jacobs isn't like you're not taking a. I'm trying to think of a really bad like an Ezekiel Elliott right now. To freaking Josh Jacobs, jacobs, step down. Like josh jacobs is right there. He's like right there, so not right. You know. You know what I'm saying. Aaron, you go, you guys know he's in the stratosphere of. He's in there. Like you got one a, one b right. You got one a, one b. Saquon's up top. You have josh jacobs in that middle ground. He's right below him like you would taste josh jacobs like if you didn't have saquon right now and you had to pick who's the backs that I could have in the NFL to replace Saquon Barkley. Josh Jacobs is at the top of that list when he's at right now. Where he's at you're like Derrick Henry, josh Jacobs.
Speaker 3:I was going to say I'd probably take Henry over him, but after that, the guys you're looking at, I mean, you're in that realm of backs.
Speaker 2:There he's fourth in touchdowns. He's up there in yards Sometimes. Sometimes I think they underutilize the guy, so it's like he's up there. You've got playmakers Tucker, kraft, and I don't think anybody puts into perspective if Jordan Love plays, like we know Jordan Love can, why couldn't they Everybody's like, well, when Love gets hot, we keep telling ourselves what happens when this Packers team gets hot, what happens when they put a complete game together, what happens when they look good.
Speaker 2:And we told ourselves this for 17 weeks now, 18 weeks technically with the bye. We told ourselves this well, tell us, you couldn't start here. So I don't know. I just I look at all them Philly, like I know, aaron, you're, you're, you're a Philly fan and I don't want to tell you how you're thinking about this game.
Speaker 2:But I, I know you and I know you're sitting there, like this is still a pretty good Packers team. Like, yes, they have some holes, yes, they have some things that the Eagles could exploit. Like, don't get me wrong, I know those things, you know those things. But you cannot be sitting there and telling me like this ain't even gonna be a ball game, it's gonna be 10 plus points like it's gonna be over by halftime. I, I don't. I don't think so. Like I, I really don. I think this Packers team is going to walk into Philly and it's going to be a good game. This might be the best game of the weekend. I honestly think this could be one of the best games of the weekend, right here between the Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Speaker 3:No, I do agree with you. I'm kind of somewhere in the middle, I think, because if Jalen Hurts didn't go through this three-week thing, I wouldn't say it would be a blowout, but I really wouldn't be, I wouldn't pause for like concern at all. Just being completely honest, like I just think where the Packers are right now, where the Eagles have been playing, but these last three weeks have been like no, jalen Hurts, he hasn't been cleared.
Speaker 2:He hasn't been cleared of concussion protocol yet he's back at practice, but he hasn't been cleared Because Romeo Dobbs was in the same boat. He returned to practice but he never was cleared of concussion protocol and as of I believe, yesterday it still said that Jalen Hurts had not cleared it. He was just like Jobs was. I think he did today.
Speaker 2:He can return to practice, but he hasn't been taken out of the protocol, I guess is what I heard, I'm seeing, on NBC four hours ago, nbc Sports Philly, they did clear him finally, yeah, okay.
Speaker 3:I mean if he wouldn't have played. Now I'm like, goodness sakes, like I get it's a concussion, it's serious, but you know, lace him up. I hate to say that, but it's like, come on, man, I don't know, does it really take three weeks to get over? I saw Tua go out there the next week. You know what I mean. So I get, they're all different.
Speaker 2:I'm not going to bash the guy if he didn didn't play, but I would know like dobbs was out for two weeks, three weeks, and we kept asking ourselves we kept talking about on the show. Here we're like why is he still? It says he's in concussion protocol but he's practicing, so what the heck's going on? So I mean, jalen hurts was kind of in that same same boat. I guess you could say right right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean I I'm not like overly concerned, like I'm, I'm, I'm there, like I have a little bit of nervousness to it. It's the playoffs, like that's how I look. If we were playing the falcons I wouldn't, I'd be like whatever, like I think we could take care of the bucks in philly. I still don't even pause that. I know the bucks usually have the eagles number, but I, the packers are like they're a well-run team. It's never like thrown together at the last minute and like there's some of these teams that sneak in the playoffs and like Houston, if they win a game, I'll be kind of shocked Like they just they look like a mess. The Packers don't look great in their current standing but I still trust that Jordan Love, you know, can put it together. I don't know if CJ Stroud can put it together this year, I just don't. This is not his year. You know we talked about how Jordan Love kind of regressed a little bit. There's a lot of reasons, you know we can probably point to, but I still, like you said, I still think this is a good Packer team. You know good running game.
Speaker 3:I think the Eagles are better on a lot of, like you kind of said, I just don't know what Jalen Hurts is going to give you. He could go out there and ball out and go 280 and four touchdowns. We don't know. But he's played good after these games in the past where he missed a couple games and came back. But I don't know. I mean your guess is good. This is one of those. It's a wild card. Nothing's, obviously, nothing's guaranteed in the playoffs. But a guy that hasn't played in three weeks, that's like even less than a guarantee. So until he gets his feet under him in a game, I don't know how good he's going to look. I don't know. I mean, if the Packers would load the box and make him beat you, I don't know.
Speaker 3:I still think the Eagles probably find a way. I just. I mean Vic Fangio is the reason, in my opinion, why this team is a lot better. Without him they're probably a 10-win team. But I just think the defense has gotten substantially better and I don't expect to blow out either.
Speaker 3:I mean people just get wild on, you know, especially Philadelphia media. You can't, you've got to take it with a grain of salt. I guess we're not as bad as Dallas. We don't. You know, every year it's not. We're going to win the Super Bowl, but it's kind of getting that way. But yeah, it should be a good one. I anticipate the same.
Speaker 3:I'll be curious to see, you know, like, how the Eagles' offense looks just because of Hurts, and then on the flip side, I mean no Watson for the Packers. So just a little bit of an adjustment. I mean, they're receiver by committee. You know that, I know that, but it'll, it'll be interesting to see all these teams match up there there's, I think, the Eagles win. I'm not like I'm that whole comment of like they're not scared below the Packers Aren't scared either. Like if you're scared you shouldn't be in the NFL. Like if you're scared you need to, you know, go to the CFL or something like. That's just. That doesn't really to me. I mean, sure, if you're playing the undefeated patriots, maybe, and you're like the lions that didn't win a game, yeah, you're probably like we're gonna lose, yeah, but that's human nature no, and you know the packers aren't walking into this worried, right, they?
Speaker 2:they truthfully believe that they're a couple plays away, and I mean we talk about it all the time. Go back to the philly game. What happened? Free snap penalties, what hurt the Packers in that game? Look at the game against the Lions multiple times. Game against the Vikings multiple times Free snap penalties, slow starts. It's the little things it really is. Yes, on paper the Eagles are the better team. Superstars. Right, we put star to star. They have more stars. At the end of the day, the Packers are not. We're not talking like they're one verse seven here. Right, we're talking, the Packers are the seven seed, but they can beat the top three like, we know that. We watch it, we can see it. We're like when they, if they can put it together, right, if they can finally put it all together, get past the bad coaching decisions in games, get past the inept play sometimes, get past this, get injury, they'd be just fine, but we're still talking about those things. So that's the question of when you go into this game, do those things hurt you? So the injury report you just mentioned a couple names on there For the Packers, I think the big thing that changes this game for Green Bay is the health of Quay Walker and Evan Williams.
Speaker 2:Because if you can get Evan Williams back in there in the safety spot and move JV and Bullard back into that slot, move Keyshawn Nixon back out to the outside and then you add Quay Walker into the middle of the field there with Edgerin Cooper, I mean you have. We haven't seen much of Edgerin Cooper and Quay Walker together on the field, but those are two of the most dynamic linebackers when they, if they put their potential together out there. So that completely flips this game. Because you're not going in this game. We're not man to man. We're not going man to man with AJ Brown and Devante Smith and the rest of these guys. We're not going man to man. They're going to sit zone. We know that. But the question is, when you see when the Packers sit zone, they have to. You can't play relax zone. That's where they're going to get hurt. Letting Devontae Smith, letting AJ Brown catch that ball, have room to move and get that 10 plus yards right. Because the Eagles are okay with walking the ball. They're okay with walking the ball down the field. They want to walk the ball down the field on. You Set up third and shorts and such. That's where the Packers have to play some shallower zones. Don't get beat over the top, right. But when you have guys back to, like McKinney, evan Williams, going back there in that safety spot, I'm not as worried about that. Second, that over the top. I guess McKinney's a ball hog, he knows he gets that feeling where that ball is going. So if you can handle it underneath, I like the Packers' chances with handling this kind of weaponry that the Eagles have.
Speaker 2:Can they slow them down? Heck, no, right, you're not slowing down Saquon. I guess I shouldn't say that You're not stopping Saquon, aj Brown and Devante Smith, you're not doing it. You're not. They have too many weapons. But what you can do is you can slow it down. Right, you can limit what they can do. You can limit what that ability is.
Speaker 2:Look at that first game the Packers had against the Eagles there and if you look at the um Saquon Barkley stats coming out of that game, yes, I mean Saquon had a pretty good day, but you have to chalk that up to. He had a couple of big runs in there. Outside of that it was chunk yardage it was. It was limited. The Packers front was actually, if you let me, jeff Halfley was just speaking on it today the Packers front was actually, if you ask I mean, jeff Halfley was just speaking on it today the Packers front played well. They played well in that game. I know we're talking week one to now week 19, technically, but the Packers front played well.
Speaker 2:It's just a matter of can you slow down Saquon Barkley to the point where you're limiting the Eagles to third and seven right? Third and six, take Saquon take. Because on third down, third and two right. What are the Eagles going to do? There's a chance. They give it to Saquon. There's a chance that it's, you know, something like that. It's not always going to be that. You know, pass route, take that away right. Force some third and longs. Make Sirianni and this offense have to figure something out outside of Saquon Barkley. Don't let Saquon Barkley be the key on third and short because you allow. You know, crack off three yards, crack off four yards. Okay, now it's third and three. The playbooks wide open. Limit that playbook a little bit for the Eagles there.
Speaker 2:I don't, I don't hate the Packers chances If they could do those kinds of things in this game. Get off the field on third down. Right, this game's going to come down to who can get off the field on third down. Who can get off the field on third down because the Packers, they've struggled on third down. The Eagles, I mean you want to talk about slow starts. We talk about slow starts all the time with the Packers. The Eagles are actually worse. They're actually worse. They start out the game slower than green Bay. I didn't know that was possible, but they're actually 24th in the league and starts the games, whereas the Packers are ninth, which is, I mean, we talk about Packers. Usually their slow starts happen in games where they're playing good teams.
Speaker 2:So this game I would be honest with you, aaron this game might be one in the first and the third quarter. It might be one in the first and the third quarter because the Eagles pick it up in the second and they pick it up in the fourth. The Packers are the exact same way. They, they pick it up in the second, they pick it up in the fourth. So who wins the first and third quarters may be the deciding factor in this entire game. I'm just looking at it, looking at the stats, and I'm like that's where these two teams like to thrive. They like to put games on ice, right? We talked about it with the Packers.
Speaker 2:How big of a lead do you have late in the game? Is it a three-point lead? Is it seven? This three point lead, is it seven? If your offense can't move the ball, the seven point lead, you got to give it back to Philly. Or you have a three point lead and you have to give it back to Philly. I don't like the odds. I don't like the odds because we've talked about all year Can this defense get a key stop? So far, no. So it's a question of what kind of lead can you give yourself going late in this game, and I think that is going to be one in the first quarter. I really do.
Speaker 2:Right, packers, get the ball first. You know they love to get the ball first. They love to. You know, take the opening kickoff. Can you take that and walk down the field and put her in the end zone? Right, make a statement right off the bat, because then I mean, I just mentioned it Eagles, they have struggled to start games. We look at that early portion of that. I know like we keep comparing it back to week one, but we look at that game and the Packers had two opportunities in the red zone to put it in the end zone and they walked away with field goals. That's the difference in these games. That's the difference in these games, especially when you go into Philly there. So that's something that I'm looking at in this one.
Speaker 2:Here, but Aaron, I here, but aaron, I mean we got to hit a break real quick. We're at the 30 minute mark already. We got to hit our ad break. We'll come back. John I see in the comments there we'll hit your question. When we come back here we'll talk a little bit more packers, eagles. We'll get into a little bit of other stuff. We got badgers talk about today. We got some brewer talk to get into. So just some quick stuff outside of the packers, but mainly green and gold today. So let's get to the ad break.
Speaker 1:We'll see you guys back here on the show is brought to you by these fantastic sponsors, Pittsville Farm and Home Center. At the store they serve you anything from hydraulic hoses to red roses. Stop in to the awesome crew at Pittsville Farm and Home Center in Pittsville. Next we have Sport and Spine Clinic of Greenwood. Have you been injured recently, Whether it was at work, shoveling snow or mowing the lawn? Stop in and see Chad at Sport and Spine Clinic in Greenwood. He will get you right. Get you back to work, back to shoveling snow, back to mowing the lawn, doing whatever you were doing, feeling better than ever. And then we have Game Day Supply in Onalaska. Do you have a sports club or team? Are you looking for some sweet custom uniforms or apparel? Check out the awesome crew at Game Day Supply in Onalaska to help your team get the sweetest gear.
Speaker 2:All right, there we go. Make sure you get the game day supply. They got all that, that gear that we just mentioned there. That is the sweetest stuff. It's got our logo on the back there. You support us. It's going to be awesome. Right, you got to. You just got to. Wherever you are, you can support us here on the show. Let your friends know that's what we want to hear there. So Support us here on the show. Let your friends know that's what we want to hear there. So let's look into. We got one across text in line.
Speaker 2:The Packers will struggle to stop the Eagles run game. I don't know. I'm more worried. I got to be honest with you. I'm more worried about the passing game than Saquon. I got to be honest with you. Like, saquon's going to give you Saquon numbers, you're not going to stop Saquon Barkley. I know that You're not going to stop Saquon Barkley. The question is can you limit the big runs, can you limit the big plays and can you limit what AJ Brown and Devontae Smith are able to do, because you're not stopping Saquon? Does that make sense, aaron? I don't think you're going to stop the key guy in here because you would have to literally unload the Calvary down the hole just to stop him. But you can limit him, you can take away, like I said, if you can get them stuffed in the backfield a couple of times, set them up on some third and longs. Now you force them into passing situations.
Speaker 2:I think honestly, what makes me feel better and it doesn't make me feel better because I hate that Jalen Hurts has been out. I want everybody healthy for this game, but the thing that makes me nervous, I guess, if I'm an Eagles fan, is what is the status of Jalen Hurts Like? Is he completely ready to go Right? Because what I'm saying is, if the Eagles play like cautionary with Jalen Hurts and you know Jalen Hurts is a big part of his game is his threat to run the tush, push all that stuff? Well, jalen Hurts has been out for three weeks with a concussion. You don't want to get him banged up again.
Speaker 2:So does that put into Sirianni's head like, hey, you gotta, you gotta settle down back there, right, let's do other things to take away to to make up for what you're lacking there? Does that take away from what Jalen Hurts is going to be able to do, which is a part of that run game. Which? So the run game? To me it's they might run all over them. I don't know right. They might run all over them. You're going to do your darndest in the run game, and I think the Packers will be. I mean what? What was it the first totals? Do you have the numbers up for the first game there?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, let me get that up for it real quick I just wanted to see where they were kind of sitting in that first game because, uh, there we go, 109 yards for saquon I. I could see it eerily similar, I really could. I could see it eerily similar with what saquon's going to be able to do in this game. My thing is is going to be I was just going to look up, uh, scoring plays there right here, saquon barkley, where he had a couple of runs 11-yard touchdown run there. He had an 18-yard pass 18, yeah.
Speaker 2:He had. I mean, look at how many touchdowns, look at all the touchdowns for Saquon Barkley in this one game we're looking at. Saquon, saquon, saquon right.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But the run game's not the part that makes me nervous, because that's something that the Packers have struggled with a little bit on the season.
Speaker 2:There I was going to look up what the team stats were uh for for the Packer, for, like the Packers and Eagles, and in comparison there, uh, let's see here defensive leaders, we look yards per game. The Eagles are the best overall there. The Packers 315 yards per game. I mean that's not bad. The eagles, yeah, 278, that's phenomenal. But I mean, either way, it's not a it's not a bad stat to have there. And then you look at the run defense for green bay. They're giving about 99 yards per game. Now, I'm not talking, they're playing consistent. Saquon barkley talent, right, that's besides the point. But in an 18 game or 17 game season that's not bad. That's not a bad stat to have there.
Speaker 2:So the run defense for green bay doesn't make me as nervous, especially with, you know, the, the linebackers that the packers have mcduffie, wilson, if quay walker's back, quay walker's probably better in the past, but edger and cooper, those guys are better in the run. Those guys are a thousand times better in the run. They're not as good in the pass. They're not as good in the pass over the middle we see a lot of bad numbers for the Packers over the middle, which is where what worries me the most is the passing game with AJ Brown and Devante Smith.
Speaker 2:If those guys can hook up for big plays, because this game will be one off big plays, majority of it I really do think that it's going to be be it's gonna be one in the trenches, I do, I I truthfully think it's gonna be one in the trenches. But out of the pass game and run game, I I think I'm more worried about, uh, more worried about the passing game for the eagles, because you can only control saquon so much. It's hard to let both things run wild on you and I think if the pass game goes wild, I think you're screwed, like, like, you have to be able to control one and I think the one that you can possibly is that passing game, avoiding the explosive plays.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, I agree, I think you know if Saquon, if I'm an Eagles fan he gives you a hundred but he's, like you know, four yards a clip, or 3.8, something like that. I mean I don't hate that. I mean I hope, I hope don't hate that. I mean I hope I hope they. I kind of fear that they'll get away from what's been working all year. I just I don't know why I have that in the back of my head, but I wouldn't be surprised if, off the gate, they try and get jalen hurts in a rhythm early just because he's been out, um, which I'm okay with. But if they go like two straight drives and it's just pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, I'm gonna get a little heated. You you know, because they tend to do that. They tend to just overcomplicate things sometimes, or just I honestly think because their owner is so like about the pass. He's talked about that so many times Like we want to be. You know, a team that is known to pass the ball. It's like okay, that's fine, but work to your strength. Like you know, Saquon's one of the best. We've talked about that in nauseam, Like you know. So for Green Bay, I think you want to have that bend, but don't break defense in this game.
Speaker 3:In my opinion that's kind of how the Eagles play. I mean they give up yards. You know what I mean they give. You know. You just said you know they don't give up many yards. You better than most teams, but if you watch them play like they'll, they'll give you sometimes you know those. You know 10, 15 yards slant, whatever. It might be like middle of the field sometimes and we talked to I think the eagles are like 15th in the in middle the field defense. You know like basically your linebacking core yeah, 10 to 19 yards.
Speaker 2:I think we saw the stat of.
Speaker 3:Let me see if I can find that they're like eerily similar to the Packers are 1A, 1B type thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, in the intermediate part of the field. They are 16th in pass 10 to 19 yards. The Packers are 15th in actually throwing it there. So it's a question of will you throw it there and the Eagles, can they stop it if you throw it there?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean, if I'm the Packers going into this, I just I'm, I mean the I. I don't quite know how the pass rush has been. I I think it's scheme more than players. I really do think Vic Fangio has kind of figured something out there because they lost Brandon Graham who was like basically their best, their best pass rusher guys like 50 years old and still better than you know everybody else in that line, basically, um, so I think they've had to do a lot of schematic things to kind of bring that pass rush. I mean, if you're the Packers, if you can control the pass rush, I mean that's key in any game, that's key.
Speaker 3:I don't like high school football or high school college NFL. You control the line of scrimmage, like you said. Win in the trenches, like if you give Jordan Love time, I, you know, I don't. I don't love that for the Eagles, I don't. So it's, you know, if you're the Eagles opposite, you know, get pressure on him. You know he's been a lot more conservative with the ball. I don't know how that's gonna fare this game. Is it gonna be like, let's say, the Packers are down a touchdown late and are they just gonna like let him go completely loose. I think they will. I mean, I would right.
Speaker 2:I would let him loose from the get-go. I would let him loose from the get-go and let him be Jordan Love that is where I'm at with this at this point.
Speaker 3:I mean exactly. Unfortunately, the Packers have slid down to where they're at. I'm not saying playing with house money because you know still good record, you know good team. It's just everybody's right Like as a low seed. Nobody sees you as like a threat.
Speaker 3:So I'm not going into this game like hanging on to every single. Like this play has to be perfect. Like I think that's what Penn State did last night. To a certain degree it was like all right, let's make it perfect. Like no, just go for it sometime. There is no tomorrow if you don't win today. There's no tomorrow if you don't win today.
Speaker 3:That type of stuff. Like if I'm the Packers, just go out there and sling it. Like not obviously don't be like ridiculous with it, but take some chances. Right, like take some. And and like you said, I mean this first Packers game there I gotta give it. It hurts me a little. I've got to give a little credit because at the same time there were guys wide open.
Speaker 3:I remember it. There were guys on the. It was either a drop I can't remember if it was a drop or overthrow but it was just a misplay. That was a lucky. I mean you're going to see that. But at the same time, I think the Packers will have chances to make plays. I don't think this is going to be an all-out domination type deal. It's just you know, will they capitalize or will they squander those opportunities? Because that's you know, in an elimination game that's usually what it comes down to, unless you know. Maybe we'll get into some of the other matchups, but I think most of these games, at least if the team takes care of the football, will be at least competitive. Maybe not the whole game, but two, three quarters will be competitive.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no. And if you're the Packers, get back to what made you successful last season the play-action game, keeping defenses on their toes. Right, they get so one-dimensional, they get so conservative at times and then other right they're. So they get so one-dimensional, they get so conservative at times and then other times they're vanilla and it's like you know what they're gonna do before they even do it. And defensive coordinators are just feasting on that. Right, we talk about it so much how matt lafleur can draw up some crazy plays and he's such a good coordinator and everything. He's such a good coach, such a good coordinator and it's like, okay, but why are we running the play action game? You have tucker craft, right, you have josh jacobs. You have a dominant run game and you have some pretty good weapons out there. Use them. Let them do the work for you. Let them let jordan love use his legs a little bit. Just dump that baby off. Let tucker craft get open in the middle field and make it happen.
Speaker 2:We saw it how many times last season. If you realistically go back and you look at all them plays that matt lafleur drew up late in the season against the chiefs, against whoever it was, how many plays did we see a guy just running down the field wide open all by himself, just because that is just what the play call was. It was a great play call schemed it up all of a sudden. Tucker craft whoever it was was just busting it down the sideline. You're like who the hey has coverage on him like he's wide open? I can't even count on one hand how many times we had that happen. I haven't seen that at all this year. I haven't seen it at all. It's like the play calling has just become. I don't know what you'd call it. I mean just vanilla, vanilla, basic, like predictable, that's. That's what this offense is right now.
Speaker 2:When you go into a game against philly, put it all out there. I don't know if you've been holding back in the playbook, I don't know what it is, but put it all out there, just let them know, slap it on the table and say, boom, that's what we got, this is what we got, this is what we're rolling with tonight. Because if you put this defense into some inopportune spots, what tells you that you can't beat this defense? Yes, that is a solid defense. You look at their numbers across the board. That is a great defense. In the past 174 yards per game, 104 yards on the ground. Not a bad defense at all, actually a pretty darn good defense, top in the league in yards per game. But at the end of the day guess what?
Speaker 2:You watch back to that game in Brazil. There the Packers were moving the football Zill. There the Packers were moving the football. They had multiple times where they were moving the football down the field. You have progressed from that. Now your weapons are still there.
Speaker 2:It's a question of, in this game, who steps up? Is it Romeo Dobbs? Because John did ask the question here. I forgot to get to that one. Is Green Bay missing a piece? Say, like another wide receiver, would you give up a draft pick for Tyree kill? Not a chance in heck. I would not pull Tyree kill up to Green Bay.
Speaker 2:They need a guy in this game to take that step right. That was the big problem. Last season you had a bunch of guys, a bunch of guys who made up one guy right. This season you haven't seen Jaden Reed regressed. Romeo Dobbs has been out and then banged up Christian Watson hurt. It's like who is going to take that next step and be the guy who is going to win in man-to-man right? I don't know. We don't know. Will Romeo Dobbs be that guy in this game? Because if you look I pulled up the next-gen stats Jordan Love averaged 7.3 yards per attempt against man coverage with Christian Watson in the game Only 3.6 yards per attempt without Christian Watson in the game. So I expect a lot.
Speaker 2:If the Eagles are watching this, if they're watching the film, if they're getting the stats and everything like it, they're watching it and they're saying, with Christian Watson not out there, they can't extend the field, let's man-to-man him. We saw what Minnesota did to him. Let's do the same darn thing. The question is, do the Packers figure it out early? Right, because we talked about it after the Minnesota game. Matt LaFleur was like, ah well, we didn't expect him to play so much man-to-man. Okay, well, I'm going to tell you this now the Eagles are going to play man-to-man. They're going to man you up just because they see these stats and they know exactly what you can do.
Speaker 2:You cannot beat man-to-man. You don't have guys who can do it. In quotations, there's guys who can do it. We talked about the separation rate the other day of these receivers for Green Bay guys who were able to break things open. Dontavian Wicks is a guy who can get himself open. Romeo Dobbs is a guy who can get himself open, same with Jaden Reed.
Speaker 2:I mean, it's just a question of, in this game on this night, can they do it right, can they do it consistently? Can Matt LaFleur and Aaron? This is what I'm going to say. This game will be won and lost by Matt LaFleur. If they win, it's because Matt LaFleur coached one heck of a game. If they lose, it's because Matt LaFleur made a boneheaded mistake, like we saw in the Bears game multiple. We saw multiple other times not adjusting to things throughout a game. If they lose this game, matt LaFleur got outcoached. Simple as that to me. Because, at the end of the day, I like the Eagles, I think the Eagles are a great football team. I think they're the better football team.
Speaker 2:But this comes down to can Matt LaFleur win this game? Can he win this game? Because it has happened multiple times now the Vikings game, the Lions game. Because it has happened multiple times now the Vikings game, the Lions game, multiple times now where Matt LaFleur has single-handedly had a handprint on those games with what happened, whether it was play calling, slow starts, adjustments, all those things, getting his team prepared to walk in there and face the fire. It's been Matt LaFleur. So this game to me, yes, it comes down to Jordan Love making throws. Yes, it comes down to Josh Jacobs hitting the hole, the offensive line controlling it, the defense controlling whatever they can control out there. It comes down to all those controllables. But Matt LaFleur is the biggest controllable out there. He can control clock management, he can control play calling, he can control all those things.
Speaker 2:Leading up into this one, your first 15 plays or so are scripted. They're scripted. Going into this one, can you have the first 15 plays, take you down the field and put you in the end zone? Did you scheme well enough for that? That's my question. Now there's some uncontrollables that you can't control, matt. I get that, but I think this game is won or lost by Matt LaFleur. I really do. I think that there's things, the's things the Eagles are going to do right there. There's things. When I look at the whole right, the Eagles can win this game straight up. The Packers could win this game. But I think it comes down to Matt. Lafleur is my biggest key in this game to winning or losing If you're the green Bay Packers, because if he calls a great game, the offense is humming. He calls a great game, he's gotordan love clicking on all cylinders.
Speaker 2:I, I'm sitting there as an eagles fan going shoot, going into halftime like I mean honestly, like aaron, if you're sitting there watching and you see jordan love come out and it's just like you can see it and it's like you know you. Sometimes you watch guys, you can just see it in their eyes, like it just looks like you know this guy's on a mission, and you watch the Packers come out there and they just boom, hit you right off your skis to start this game, and it's just like, oh, oh, boy, we got a ball game now. Folks, this offense we've talked about it, right, you've said it to me, I've said it to you If this offense can figure it out, they could be a great offense and it's just a matter of if they do so. It's just a matter of if they do so. It's just like if they walk in there and Matt LaFleur gets these guys ready to rock right off the bat, right?
Speaker 2:We talked about the slow starts for both teams. First quarter is slow for both of them. The Packers come out and they win that first quarter and they win it. You know, not six to nothing, like they did down in Brazil, but 14 to nothing. You know the flip side of it. If they win that first quarter, you're sitting there like all right, all right, like it's not over. The game's not over. But oh boy, matt LaFleur has got his boys ready to rock and roll, and that's why I think Matt LaFleur is the biggest difference maker leading into this game against the Eagles no, I'm with you, I don't.
Speaker 3:I don't want to say I'm not, I just my thing is with. That is, you know, you can scheme up the best game and then they don't execute. You know, like Jordan Love, like, yeah, it's a collection of like. If Jordan Love is off, right, let's just say he's, then you know you. But I, I totally understand what you're saying. Like, and I, I even think his like decision, like we.
Speaker 3:You know, I constantly crap on Kyle Shanahan because it's like dude, you get to the biggest game of the year and you forget how to manage things. You know, I constantly crap on Kyle Shanahan because it's like dude, you get to the biggest game of the year and you forget how to manage things. You know what I mean. Like that is inexcusable. Like I don't know if I'd fire him because they've had so much success. But like he's another James Franklin to me, like. You know what I mean. What's the difference? He's not winning the whole thing and he gets you there. You know, he gets you to big games and doesn't win them, like Kyle Shannon's. Like that too.
Speaker 3:So if I'm at, like, if there's a, you know, let's say there's seven minutes left. The Packers are down by seven on the Philly 40 or something. Like you got to think sometimes you got to just go. Like you just got to go for it in a game like this. Like you can't, I, I just I don't agree with this playing scared mindset Like I get, you can't do it all the time. I mean, you know, perfect example of that was that game last night. You know, there there was different decisions that could have been made. In my opinion, down the stretch we might be talking about a different result. It doesn't matter, though. Like games over you know you win or you lose. But if you're Matt LaFleur and this and this is a close game like you can't, you can't fumble a decision, right, you can't. You can't make a. If you make a bad decision in the fourth quarter and there's even question marks of like, oh man, matt LaFleur did this to us because if, if he makes, there's always going to be that to a certain degree.
Speaker 3:But if it's like you know if it's like football, one like, come on, man, like I, I, you know some people are, are, you know, quarterbacks at their own house, right? Or they call them armchair quarterback. But it's, yeah, it that is definitely a distinguishing factor is is Matt LaFleur, you know whether it be you know play calling. I even think, like just decision-making when to go, when, not you know, having them ready to play. We talked about that in nauseam too. Like you know, if they're not ready to play, who do you blame for that? Like, at some point, the head coach. It starts with the head coach, so it'll be. It'll be interesting. I think you know where they're sitting right now with like kind of the rough or the shaky end of their season. That doesn't kill you, I don't think, because I mean we saw, like notre dame last night, right, they come out of half, like sometimes, as crazy as this sounds, sometimes it's almost better to be the under, like when you're favored, when you're supposed to win, when you have a lead, like how many times do we see that come back and haunt people like the falcons? 28 to 3, like you know what I mean. The, the who, it, the Chargers a couple years ago were up like 28-0.
Speaker 3:You can't keep your like how you said, settling for three. That loses you games. I'm not saying you've got to go for it every time you're down there, but if you're five possessions and you kicked field goals three of them, usually you don't win that game unless you have have a an all-star defense. So cashing those opportunities in. If you're the Packers or the Eagles or the I don't care the Ravens, the Steelers, when you're in the red zone like in my mind, it's get seven. Every time like we're don't even think that you know there's a chance for a field goal the first three downs, like let's get it in the end zone, it's do or die, like that. That costs teams games. Is settling for three when you could have had seven, when you have the opportunity to get seven yep, yeah, no, I would agree.
Speaker 2:That's why I'm saying, end of the day, there's a lot of other things that go into a football game. Don't get me wrong. Don't get me wrong at all. But if those things fail you, you're screwed anyways, right? What I'm saying is, if the Packers play like we think they can, what could fail them? And that would be play calling and game management, which I think comes back to Matt LaFleur. I think it comes back to Matt LaFleur on that one. Can he execute? Because it starts with him, right, it starts with him. It works its way down to the rest of the guys. Can Matt LaFleur get the boys ready to rock and roll? That's what I'm waiting for in this one. That's what I'm waiting for. I think that's gonna be the biggest thing that I'm watching for.
Speaker 2:Another thing I'm watching for I mean you cannot let. This is gonna be tough, it's gonna be a tough one to say, but the eagles cannot go on 15 play drives because the eagles can squander a clock, like it's that. I mean you look at these drives that they had against the Packers in this first meeting and, like I said, we keep bouncing back and forth to the first meeting there. But you look at that I mean it was about middle of the first half there their touchdown drive to make it 14 to 12 in that first half. Nine plays, 70 yards, four minutes. It took Drive before that. It was the one that made it seven to six 11 plays, 70 yards, five minutes and 23 seconds. Like they can burn some clock and burn some yardage, just like that Field goal drive to end the half. 15 plays, 57 yards, 5 minutes and 11 seconds. That is a long time that you just let the Eagles control the football there on three straight scoring drives. So the question is can you get off the field on one of those drives? You're not holding this Eagles scoreless. You're not holding it Unless theagles shoot themselves in the foot, which would be okay like that'd be okay with me if they shoot themselves in the foot. But I don't think it's gonna be like that. I think this is gonna be one of those. I think this could be a classic. This could end up being a classic like whoever wins or loses, we could look back on this game, be like that was a darn good football game, like that was a darn good football game.
Speaker 2:And I I'm just looking at, I'm like this defense cannot afford to be on the field for 15 plays. They can't. You can't afford that. They got to find ways, like I said earlier, to force those third and longs get themselves off the field, get the offense back on the field. Because, on the flip side of that, you can't let jordan love sit on the sideline for too long. You can't let him sit. On the flip side of that, you can't let Jordan Love sit on the sideline for too long. You can't let him sit on the sideline for too long, because otherwise your offense gets cold, right. So there's all those intangibles that go into that. So I'm looking at the Packers defense and I'm like you got to find a way to get off the field a couple of times, a couple of times, right, if they come away with three, sure, but it's those multiple touchdown drives in a row where it's like, if the Eagles put up 24 points, I think the Packers are in this game If they put up 31 plus, all, right.
Speaker 2:Now I'm a little worried Now. I'm a little worried about this Packers team now. So I don't hate it all. I don't hate like you said, you mentioned it before the Packers, about this Packers team now. So I I don't hate it all. I don't hate like you said you mentioned it before the Packers going into this one, like they've struggled as of late.
Speaker 2:Are we nervous going into it? And I'm nervous, right, I'm a little nervous, but I'm also like I know what this Packers team is capable of. We saw it last season, we, we know what they are. It's just a question of can they be that, can they get to that? And we've been waiting for it. I don't know if it's going to happen. I really don't. I don't know if it's going to happen, but where I'm sitting right now, I'm like all right. I mean, if they get hot, they get hot, and if they get hot they could beat anybody. I don't know about that one. I don't really know about that one, but I do have a question. I want to hit that after our hour mark there. I want to hit that question because that's a great question I had to end it there about the Packers game here.
Speaker 2:But, aaron, is there any, I guess, keys for you going into this game where you're like the Packers got to do this to win this football game. The Packers got to do this to win this football game. The Eagles have got to do this to win this game. For me, I think it's controlling the stars. I don't think it's you can't stop them, but I think it's controlling them. I think it's controlling Saquon Barkley. It's controlling AJ Brown at Devante Smith not letting them get buck wild with the explosive plays right, limiting them, keeping it up there, gang tackling right. That's going to come down to you know what the Eagles did not see when they were down in Brazil Edger and Cooper, which I think he becomes an X factor in this game. A lot of these games, right, I think. Another key for me turnovers. Big games are won with key turnovers, right. Key moments of a turnover in games you had the one of the Eagles, or when the Eagles and Packers played, that was back what? 2011, 2010.
Speaker 2:I can't remember when the last playoff with Mike Vick and oh Gandhi blanking right now and the last time they played in the play.
Speaker 3:I'll get it. Yeah, I'll get it here for you 2011, yeah, 2011.
Speaker 2:2011, 2011. And they had that pick. I think it was. Was it Sam Shields had that pick in the back of the end zone there against Mike Vick? Yeah, yeah, oh, I was it, shields.
Speaker 3:Oh, oh, oh yeah. Was it Shields who had the pick? I'm going to say nothing, like Fick in that era, it's going to be. Let me see. Oh, now I can't remember.
Speaker 2:Let me see if I can pull up the actual. Oh, it's 2010. That's when it was 2010. Who the heck? Oh 2010 season. Yeah, January 9th 2011.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, it was 2010.
Speaker 2:I'm thinking super bowl season here, but who? Who had the pick in the back of the end zone, was it? I don't remember. If it was, it wasn't shields, was it?
Speaker 1:defense uh Trey Tremont.
Speaker 2:Williams yes, yes, that's what it was. It was Williams. Yeah, it was Williams, with the pick in the back of the end zone 2011. That was the, that was the um, wasn't that the fourth and 26? Was that?
Speaker 3:the no that was. That was mcnab, that was mcnab what year was that? I think it was the year they went to the super bowl.
Speaker 2:I think, uh yeah, that was the fourth and 26, that was another living.
Speaker 3:I mean, you talk about miracles.
Speaker 2:That was about as bad as it gets. That was like David Tyree.
Speaker 3:Like you try that you know a hundred more times that ain't happening, hardly at all.
Speaker 2:Can you imagine, Can you just imagine? Yeah, 2011 was the pick by Mike Vick. There we go, 2011. Can you imagine if this game the Packers flipped that? The fourth and 26. It was a flip. The script on it, J-Love completes it over the top.
Speaker 2:Big first down. Oh my God, I would lose my mind. I'd be texting you all left and right there. I'd be texting you all left and right, but Aaron, I mean, oh, we're getting close to that break. There I'd be texting you all up and like but, aaron, I mean, oh, we're getting close to that break. There, we're getting close to that break.
Speaker 2:But you know, I just we're looking at the keys of the game. I got a little sidetracked there. But looking at the keys of the game there, you know it comes down to turnovers. It comes down to turnovers. Who can, who can force turnovers, who can limit turnovers in this one and also for Eagles, hold onto the football. Milk that clock, milk that clock. Keep Jordan love on the sideline. Keep that offense Cool. Keep Jordan love Cool. Keep the Philly crowd engaged Right. I think that hurts. I think that hurts the Packers chances there.
Speaker 2:Another thing I was going to say with the crowd noise. I believe it was. It was that 2011 or 2011 team when they were going into a Lincoln financial field. There they said that they wanted the crowd noise because they wanted to feed on it. Right, because the Philly fans were making more noise. Guess what that meant that they were doing something. That meant that they were doing something good. If they heard the booing and they heard everything like that, like that made them feel good. That's something the Packers need to do in this one. They got to feed off of that. Don't let it hurt you, don't let it get to you. Feed off of that if you're on that defensive side of the football. I don't hate the Packers' chance in this one. I think it's going to be a good one.
Speaker 3:But Aaron, what do you got for keys to this one here? Before we hit the ad break and I got my big question coming out of the ad right there For the Packers, I think trying to I'm not saying, you know, pull a Greg Williams and killed Jalen hurts, but I'm trying to knock him on his backside as much as I can. You know what I mean. He hasn't played in three weeks, you know. Knock him off his spot, get him like rattled a little bit. I don't know how much. Like you said, I don't know how much he's going to run in this game.
Speaker 3:You want to control that, like I just think, like you had said a lot already, is just controlling that pass offense for the Eagles. I think that is the. You know you're not going to stop Saquon Barkley. I don't think anybody really has all year, honestly, you know, over 2,000 yards. I mean that kind of speaks for itself, but it's you know if you can limit the passing game and red zone defense. Like red zone defense is going to be huge in this one. Same thing for the Eagles. I think they're going to allow. I don't expect them to be like massively aggressive on Jordan Love. I think at some point, you're going to see a lot of soft zones and then try and beat us in the 20s. You know, see what they can do there. But I just think if you stop Josh Jacobs, I'm not overly concerned with the passing game, like.
Speaker 3:I just think with the guys they have on the defensive backs and safeties and stuff like that, it's been sound all year. I mean, you know, in exception to a couple games. Like, if I'm the Packers, I'm probably watching that Tampa game. I have no idea what happened there, but it was like everybody's wide open. It was early in the Vic Fangio coaching career in Philly, but that was just. I mean I could have threw a touchdown on that one. But yeah, I just think those are the type of keys. And on the flip side, for the Packers like you, just if you get the running game going RPO with Jordan Love a little bit, just that type of thing roll them out, at least roll them out. You know it's kind of the same thing for a lot of games. You know, just balance the tech on both sides. If you can limit one of those, you have a lot better chance to win, I don't care what team it is.
Speaker 2:So yeah, no, I would agree, and that was going to be one of the things I was going to say coming off yours if you didn't say it. There was that RPO. It was that play action game getting going with Jordan Love, because you have, he has a scramble ability, josh Jacobs is a darn good back and you have some darn good weapons out there in the room. I don't care what anybody says about needing a number one ride receiver and needing all this. Guess what. You use the play action game. As good as Jordan Love is at looking off a defense, if you use that play action game there and he can draw the fake, he's going to bring everybody to him and Tucker Kraft's going to be screeching the middle of the field. So that that is where I'm looking right now.
Speaker 2:I am saying that, matt LaFleur, he's just got to not overthink it. I mean, don't overthink the game, right, just keep it simple. Sometimes those third and longs, right? Or third and shorts, I don't need you to try and air it out. Don't air it out on a third and short. Do something simple. Dump it over the middle, do those little things. Get them first down. Use Tucker Kraft to move the sticks. He's a stick mover. That's what he's there for. Utilize him. Keep it simple.
Speaker 2:That's where we're looking there, aaron. So I'm going to save that. Anybody out there. Make sure you are answering in that question there. Let us know what you're thinking about the Packers game here. Let us know what you think about the Packers game. Packers and Eagles, vikings and Rams whoever you want to talk about, we're going to talk about all those games as we get to our picks here towards the end. So, aaron, we'll come back here Other side of the break, we'll get more into this Packers Eagles matchup and then we'll get into some of the other matchups. We got a little bit more to get to today here before we wrap it up, so we'll see you guys.
Speaker 1:This show is brought to you by these fantastic sponsors, marshfield Motor Speedway, located three miles outside of Marshfield on County Road H. Tons of family fun for all ages, great food, great drinks, great racing. I cannot think of a better way to spend a summer day or night than down at the track. Next is Sports Scene in Marshfield, wisconsin, located at the Marshfield Mall. Get down there and see Al. He has everything you need from sports cards, memorabilia, jerseys, model stock cars he's got it all Sports Scene in Marshfield. And then we have Peggy Sue Bestlick, century 21. Do you want to find your dream home, or maybe looking to sell your current property? Let Peggy Sue Bestlick at Century 21 help you with all of your housing or property needs.
Speaker 2:New year, aaron, like I always tell you, buy, sell, move into that new home, get rid of that old clunker. You know what you got to do this time of year. So, aaron, this is my question. This is my question Before we get to the other matchups and everything like that. To wrap it up here, at the Packers if the Packers lose this game, if they lose this game, is this a failure of the season? Because and this is why I'm going to say because the Lions took a step forward. We don't know what the Vikings are going to be next year, we don't know about Sam Darnold yet, but the Vikings took a step forward. The Eagles took a step forward. The Packers did not. We watched what they do at the end of last season. There we thought, coming back into this season, we're like this could be a Super Bowl contender, and I still think that they could be. Don't get me wrong. I think the Packers could put a run on. But if they lose this game, look back at the schedule, look at what they've done this year. Yes, they have more wins than last season. I will say that they have more wins. They're 11-6 right now. They'd technically be if they lost this game 11-7. They have more wins than they did last year. But look at who you lost to. You lost to the Lions twice. You lost to the Vikings twice and you technically lost to the Eagles twice the three best teams in the NFC. After that, you beat the Rams when they were beat up right. You beat the Texans, but the Texans are down. You beat the Cardinals. Outside of that, you beat the Seahawks, the Bears once off a field goal right, a blocked field goal. Outside of that, you don't beat the Bears at all. You don't win a division game. I mean, to me there's a lot more riding on this game than just advancing in the playoffs.
Speaker 2:For the Green Bay Packers, this is the difference between a successful season and a bad season, like a dud of a season. This is a dud of a season if they lose this game, like in my opinion, because, honestly, I mean you didn't beat. You beat teams right. You won the games you were supposed to win, like great, right, great. But after we watched this Packers team last year, they returned relatively the whole core. After that, you beat the Lions last year. You beat the Vikings last year. You beat the Bears last year. You beat the Chiefs last year. I mean you had how many good wins last year. You obliterated the Lions on Thanksgiving last year, but now this year, not the same story. But now this year, not the same story.
Speaker 2:So I guess, aaron, my thing is, I define a successful and a not-so-successful season on your wins and losses and who you beat along the way, not just beating the crap teams. Right, look at last season they beat the Rams 20-3, lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but then they beat the chargers, beat the Detroit lions, beat the Kansas city chiefs, lost to Tampa and New York, but then they went and they beat Carolina, just completely obliterated the Minnesota Vikings in Minnesota and that beat the bears to wrap up the season, before then going into the playoffs, and completely. I know the score is 48 to 32, but they completely obliterated the Dallas Cowboys in their house, on the road in the first round of the playoffs and then went to San Fran and outside of a missed field goal, that's 24-24. I mean, going into this year I was like you're at the point where it's Super Bowl or bust. At the end of it You're the Green Bay Packers. It's not just making the playoffs, you don't go to green bay and just think you're going to make the playoffs right? Yeah, it's cool to make the playoffs. That's mike tomlin. He's made the playoffs 45 times. When you come to green bay, it's lombardi. It's it's the lombardi trophy, like it's about winning trophies. And when, at the end of day, when you were supposed to take this big step forward, you didn't, you actually regressed.
Speaker 2:So to me, this Eagles game is a huge game because it defines this season. If you go to Philly and you win this game, I would not hold it against the Packers to go on a run. Then I wouldn't, I really wouldn't. If you can go in philly and win, I don't think you're gonna have a problem. Okay, I shouldn't say you're not gonna have a problem.
Speaker 2:I take the lions with less than I take the eagles, to be honest with you, because I think the eagles are the more complete team right now due to injury than the lions. So lions are getting healthy. That anzalone guy came back for detroit against, uh, the vikings there. That dude is a an animal in this, uh in that linebacker court. So like the lions are getting better, but they're depleted. They're depleted right now. So I don't know if you beat philly, I think you can go on a run? I really do.
Speaker 2:But I think that this game has a lot riding on it for the green Bay Packers in defining themselves and defining themselves going into the offseason. You win this game, you go to Detroit. You lose. You feel a little bit better about yourself. You lose this game, you lost to all the top three teams in the NFC and you are the third best team in your own division.
Speaker 2:I don't know if you can end the year like that. I really don't, because you did not take a step forward. You took a step back. And now you're going into next year with Matt LaFleur as your head coach and you're like is he on the hot seat now Because he's winning games? But at the end of the day, aaron, you say it all the time with Mike Tomlin you can win games, you can get to the playoffs, but when you get there, what happens? Right, it doesn't end good. You always lose. You bounce in the first round. Now Matt LaFleur hasn't had that problem yet. Like he's consistent, like last season that was making the playoffs for the Packers.
Speaker 2:Last season was a success. Like that was a success. Like we drew a point blank. Once you do that now you have to take the next step and I think they went backwards. So the question is now, aaron, do you define this as a lose Like? Do you define this as a losing season Technically if they don't win this game? I think I really do think it is like I I struggle to see the positives if they lose this game. I really do. I struggle to see the positives off of this season outside of it was just a dud off of this season.
Speaker 3:Outside of it was just a dud, I agree. I mean, I'm one of those people. I'm never, like you know, take moral victories, this and that. Like there's people last night trying to well, they're getting closer, they're getting. No, I understand that argument. You know, if you're the Packers right, we'll flip it back to its relevancy here. But you know, yeah, you're going to make the playoffs again. You're in the playoffs, that's a guarantee. Okay, cool. Like it's the same thing with the Steelers.
Speaker 3:You said you know you get to the playoffs. Now, what? Now what? Like it doesn't getting to the playoffs? Yes, it's an accomplishment. It's not easy. I'm not going to say it's like, oh, you know, these teams should be shoo-ins because they went last year. No, the Packers went last year. They beat Dallas, beat the breaks off them. I expect, like I was one of those people that, like I don't trust Dallas at home but I'll still give the Packers credit. Right, they showed up. Like I'll take anybody going into Dallas though I don't like, if it was Tampa Bay, anybody that goes into for whatever reason. Like Dallas has found ways to win outside of Dallas for some reason, which doesn't make sense, but maybe it's the sun. I mean, you would think they get used to the sun by now, but you know, I don't know it's that is a beating sun other other teams other teams play in the same environment, but for some reason, just a rod.
Speaker 2:A rod can go down there he's got the special sauce.
Speaker 3:You know, you know we don't know what it is. We might have an idea what it is, but it's no. I think you're right. I mean I I'm on that wave of thinking myself just because when you beat the, is it really a massive accomplishment? When you beat the teams you're supposed to, but lose to every team that you're, you know that you feel like you can beat some of those teams. You know you feel like you're you're a team that's competitive enough to challenge. If you came out, they played six games. What would you say against good teams like upper echelon teams? Would you say that?
Speaker 2:I think they played some great teams. They played some good teams and then they played some not good teams. Let me see there.
Speaker 3:So they lost to the Lions twice, Yep lost to the Vikings twice Lost to the Eagles.
Speaker 2:Arizona's hit or miss. Depending on when you got Arizona, that could be a good team, and when you got them, they could be bad Right yeah, no, absolutely. I think the biggest thing that holds me back is when you look at the wins and we talked about it it's like how many complete games did they put together where they look good from kickoff to the end of the game? How many of those did they put together? Maybe the cardinals, the seahawks was close outside of that third quarter, maybe in the fourth, and then saints.
Speaker 2:Were the saints right? I mean, you should have been able to put a complete game together. So it's like, how many complete games did you put together? San francisco was close, miami I wouldn't say miami the Bears definitely not.
Speaker 3:Houston was a nail-biter.
Speaker 2:Houston was a nail-biter. Mcmanus won it with a walk-off. Jacksonville was close, the first two you had. I mean there was some uncontrollables right. Jordan Love gets hurt. You can't control that. I think it derailed part of the season with Jordan Love getting hurt. Why do you say that? Because you know your offense is still trying to grow together Without Jordan Love. They have Malik Willis. Malik Willis did fine in that time but with Jordan Love out and then when he came back he's still technically hurt, like he's not moving around like he should be, which limits the playbook limits what guys are able to do changes everything.
Speaker 2:I mean it's one of those kinds of years but we did have one across the text in line. That said, I would not call it a failure. I'd say more of a growing year. I I do agree, but at the same time, what we're saying is like, yes, they're young. I've heard, we've talked about that. There's the excuse of they're young. They're young, they're young. But being young and being young, or two different things. Adrian Cooper's young. He's a rookie, he's young.
Speaker 2:These guys are in their second year. They've played a lot of snaps already. They've been to the playoffs. They understand the playoffs. They've played in big games. They played the Chiefs, they played the Lions last year and picked up a win on Thanksgiving. They've done those things, they've been there. So if this is a growing year, how many more growing years are there? Because if this, you can't go from last year going to the divisional round and dang near should have if you would have placed you know should have, could have, would have right. But if you put it together against san fran and gotta stop, or you know, andrews carlson hits that field goal you could have walked to the nfc championship game, went up and played the lions, who you just beat the brakes off of on Thanksgiving, and then who knows, right. But then we're talking about this like, yeah, it's okay, they, what are we calling last year? Then are we calling it?
Speaker 2:I'm not going to say, are we saying that it was a fluke? Because that's the way that it makes it seem that if this was a growing year and last year was a growing year, then going to the divisional round last year was it a fluke? Were we not supposed to be there? No, we weren't. We weren't supposed to be there. But guess what, we got there, why? The talent that was on the football field, the talent that was there, the drive that these guys had. So now I look at thising was tough this year.
Speaker 2:Right, look at the NFC North. I mean my Gandhi. The Vikings are getting a five seed and they're going on the road and they have 13 wins. Like that's nuts, that is absolutely nuts. But I look at it and I'm like if you lose all your big games in one year, how do you count as a win? Right, luke Fickle, I'll bring it back to luke fickle for one second. Aaron, I'll bring it back to luke fickle.
Speaker 2:What is luke fickle's worst problem? He has no signature win. He can beat all the crap teams, but he doesn't have that signature win. No, penn state, no, ohio state, no, michigan, no, nobody iowa no, nothing of that they have. He has no signature win. That's the problem.
Speaker 2:The packers, what's their? I mean, look at their schedule. Where's their signature win? Like, honestly, that one win when you look back on this season. If they lose to Philadelphia in the first round of the playoffs, look back at their schedule and show me where the signature win is. I don't see it. I don't Because Sam Fran would be, but guess what? They had nobody. The playmakers were all out. Christian McCaffrey hurt. Debo was, I mean, kind of there, but kind of not. Brian Ayuk out, I mean, george Kittle half of himself. Brock Purdy half of himself because he doesn't have half his weapons. The defense banged up. Trent Williams gone, like they didn't have their guys. So where is the signature win? And John does bring up a good point Rams at the Rams. Guess what? John and my computer just froze on me, aaron, so I can't bring up that comment there, but I don't know if it brought it up.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, I see it and your face is frozen, but I hear you.
Speaker 2:Okay, perfect, perfect. My face always freezes at a terrible point.
Speaker 1:I can see my face right now I like it.
Speaker 2:The Rams game. The only thing I will say no Puka Nakua, no Cooper, neither one. They did not have those two guys in that. In that game against green Bay, their number one receiver was at well in that ball game and I think Whittingham actually, uh, let them in receptions or yards in that game, but they had at well and they had Whittingham outside and you didn't have the weapons. You didn't have the weapons yet the defense was still trying to figure it out. I mean, I don't know if you can call it a successful season. If you look back on it, you say to yourself they didn't have a signature win.
Speaker 3:I know, I agree. I agree because, like, how good are you if you like I said like if you only beat the teams that are you're, you're destined to be like? I'm not saying you play the game on paper, but you know what I mean. You go into some of these games. Miami in Green Bay, I was like there's no way Green Bay loses. That Miami doesn't play good in the cold weather. Green Bay is a better team overall. Miami had their problems this year, that's for sure. Go on and beat the Titans. The Titans aren't good, the Colts aren't good, the you know the Texans have had a down year. I mean that was a, that was a squeaker, but it's, yeah, it's one of those things you gotta. You gotta have it Like, if you're going to have a good season, to me you gotta have a signature.
Speaker 3:Like, if the bucks go out and lose in the first round, that's not a good season. You played in a crap division, you know. Yeah, you put it together and made the playoffs. But like to me making the like, where are we at? What's the standard right? And you already kind of said that the Packers it's Lombardi or bust, I mean last year, I'm not going to say they peaked too early but they weren't supposed to be there. I'll put it that way. And, like you, love seasons like that, but you want to build on a season. Like you said, you want to come back to the same point and go forward. You don't want to just regress. So I mean, yeah, if you count the Seahawks.
Speaker 3:What do you think?
Speaker 2:about the Seahawks. Like I said, I'm not discrediting the wins that the Packers have. You have to beat the teams. That you beat the Seahawks is a good win you won in Seattle. But what did we say about complete games, putting complete game together? I don't think they put a complete game together in Seattle. I thought that the play calling and in that third quarter I thought that they left meat on the bone and they did that multiple times this year.
Speaker 2:I can look back at some of these good teams, like like the eagles, like the vikings, like the lions right, I can look back at those, some of their games, and I can say they left nothing left to be desired. Like they put teams away, they buried them. Look at the lions against the vikings, right, this last time out and the vikings coming in, they were like we got a shot for the division, this is for it all. And the lion said here's my foot, I'm gonna turn it sideways and I'm gonna put it straight up, right, just like. Like that is exactly what they said to him. And then you know dan campbell playing his mind games. Then he said you know kevin o'connell at the game. He's like hey, we'll see you guys in two weeks. Right, the rams now have a picture in their locker room. That's of that. That says we'll see you in two weeks.
Speaker 2:Because the Rams are using that as fuel Dan Campbell's playing mind games right now with the Rams to say, hey, go beat them so we can play you, instead of having to play the Vikings. Like that's Dan Campbell, he's just three steps ahead. But I look at those good teams and I'm like, well, I mean the Lions. Defining success this season will be Super Bowl. Vikings would be probably NFC Championship. Super Bowl I mean nobody expected to be here, so getting to the NFC championship will be a big boost. The Eagles I think at this point it's Superbowl, right, kansas city chiefs, superbowl the Packers, it what? Where's your definition right? Where's your definition? What's going to define Lions and the Vikings? They took steps forward. It seems like you took a step back.
Speaker 2:You technically, in all technicality, should have lost to the Bears twice. You are almost 0-6 in division play. I don't find it to be a successful season unless you beat Philly. It's honestly to me, unless you beat Philly, where's your? I mean yes, I agree, john like a notable win.
Speaker 2:You could go through the schedule and look at notable wins Like what defined their success this season? I mean notable wins. Okay, the Colts, right, they beat the Colts with Malik Willis. That's a notable win. Right, did a lot for him. Same with Tennessee beat Tennessee with Malik Willis. I count those as notable wins. I would agree Like those were defining moments in this season to prove like, hey, we can win these games with our guys being banged up. Same with that game against Arizona. I mean they played a great game against Arizona. The Ram are that the Rams like that? Yeah, they beat the Rams solid, but I don't know I I did when. I don't know when are the Bucs' notable wins? Eagles, lions, both just have earable games. I mean they're good wins. Eagles. I mean where's their notable wins? I would say Commanders, first time around, ravens 24-19.
Speaker 3:I think he's saying because the Eagles and the Lions both played down to them. Basically, are those wins notable, like, but you got to? I mean you got to give credit, like if the Bucs pull off a win like they beat the Eagles the Eagles' defense was horrible that game, like, but it doesn't matter Like they won. You know what I mean? They won. You either won or lost.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a notable win by the Bucs and the Lions too.
Speaker 3:They beat the Lions. You know what I mean. You go and beat Detroit, detroit what they had? Two losses or three losses all year they're the number one seed. I mean I don't know how you, just because they had a terrible game, doesn't mean the Bucs. I'm just saying if the Bucs lose in the first, like these teams that just spin their tires in the first round, like the bucks. I mean, how many times has houston done that? You know, over the years with with watson, you know they did it last year with, I know they. You know last year was, you know no one expected that was shroud.
Speaker 3:But like these teams that just you get into the playoffs just to go right out, and that is to me that how is that a success? The steelers how is that? And especially on a team like the steelers, where I mean super bowl or they're tied for the most Super Bowls of all time and and there's fans out there saying Mike Tomlin's a goat, it's like it doesn't make sense to me. And then the Packers you know your Super Bowl or Bucs. I even think the 49ers outside of this season it's been Super Bowl or Bucs, like if they don't make the Super Bowl, it's at some point you gotta either you're a team that's like we we're ascending, or we're just here. The Falcons are just here. They're just existing in the playoffs, unless they pull.
Speaker 2:To me you define success off of if you took a step forward or if you took a step back. Now if your whole roster gets imploded, okay. Different story If your whole roster is gone from the season before you're rebuilding, right, but the Packers aren't rebuilding.
Speaker 2:They're not like. This is. The offense is relatively the same as what we saw last year, outside of Aaron Jones and Josh Jacobs taking a flip right and I would say Josh Jacobs is just good of his back. The offensive line same right, relatively. Actually. I thought the offensive line has played better at times this season. And then I look outside of that wide receiver core. I thought they regressed, I think they went backwards.
Speaker 2:So yeah, buffalo, are they spinning tires Until they take that next step? You could say that they're spinning tires. You could say that they're spinning tires until they take that next step. That's why people are calling for Sean McDermott's job. If they don't win the Super Bowl, if they don't get over the hump. I mean when's the time you move on? Right, because I mean, john, 100% with you. We agree, like Buffalo has success, right. But how do you define success after a long time? Penn state we just talked about them earlier. Success, right, they make it to the college football playoff, they're always in the talks, they're always near top of the big 10, but at what point are you going to take the next step? Right? The Packers have got to take that next step this season. I don't know if they've taken that next step yet because they've left a lot to be desired.
Speaker 2:What could have been? What could have been if the offense would have figured it out? There's so many of those little things where they beat themselves in games, where it's like, why are they not growing out of this? Right excuses, they were young, get it, got it this season, 17 games in. Why? Where's the excuse? Why is there still that excuse of they're a young team? You have to be able to grow out of that, otherwise you got to find somebody to replace it. You got to find somebody to replace that player because if that player continuously messes up or continuously gets called for those pre-snap penalties or is dropping passes or is doing this or doing that, you wouldn't get brought back to your job every single week, every single year if you fail to give them success.
Speaker 2:And what defines success for the packers, for the eagles, for some of these bigger, better franchises out there? It's lombardi's, it's not. It's not divisional crowns. Yes, divisional crowns are cool, but at the end of the day, you got to take the next step. And if you just paid Jordan Love all this money, you expect this team to take the next step. That's what you expected when you paid him all that money. So now it's a question of can the Green Bay Packers take that next step? So that's why I say this game has a lot more riding on it than just a win or a loss and a go home or not scenario.
Speaker 2:This has a lot to do with defining what was this season for the green bay packers. So I mean, I expect a good one. I really do. I expect a great game there. We're gonna be back, we're gonna recap that on sunday after that game goes final, pretty soon after the game goes final there. We don't want to interrupt bill. Right, because I gotta watch bill. If the packers win or lose. I gotta watch bill freak out or, you know, be happy for a little while. So I gotta watch bill after that game there.
Speaker 2:But, aaron, I want to get let's check the brewers out real fast. Let's check the brewers out real fast. I saw their starting payroll for their starting pitchers. I just my wife, she's the producer of this show. I know a lot of you guys don't know her. My wife, she's great, great, great with helping with the show and everything. She writes most of this for the show. Here we just wing this crap. She just throws it at us stuff. I mean, aaron knew it before the show even started tonight. She's down here, she's telling me all this stuff that we need to talk about tonight. She sent me this, uh off of facebook there, uh, the brewers starting payroll currently for their starting pitchers.
Speaker 2:So, aaron, this is I mean you look at some of the numbers for other teams and you look at the Brewers, right. Freddie Peralta $8 million. Aaron Savalli $8 million. Nestor Cortez 7.6. Tobias Myers 800,000. Aaron Ashby 3.4 mil. Dl Hall 800,000. Robert Gasser he's injured right now but should be back 800,000. Brandon Woodruff $8.75 million. Right now You're spending, I mean, less than $40 million on your starting rotation. I would love to go look at the starting rotation.
Speaker 3:I was just going to scroll up the Yankees because they are free.
Speaker 2:Yankees Diamondbacks now. I look at the Diamondbacks now with Burns. That is baffling when you look at what the Brewers have got right now and we're also in disputes right now. So, william Contreras we're in arbitration right now with William Contreras. He wants $6.5 million. That's what he wants. That's what he put out there. The Brewers want to give him $5.6 million, $5.6. 5.6. We're arguing over that with William Contreras, arguably possibly the best catcher in baseball. Possibly, arguably, arguably, possibly.
Speaker 3:Top catcher? Yeah, top three, top two what do you know what I mean? Yeah.
Speaker 2:And we're arguing with him over.
Speaker 2:I mean like $1 million. We're arguing with this dude over one mil right now. Are you kidding me right now? Like, are you kidding me? Like we should be talking about, with this dude, extensions. We should be talking about locking this guy up long-term and keeping him in Milwaukee and we're arguing with him over $1 million. Guess what happened when we took Corbin burns to arbitration court. Yeah, I mean, matt arnold loves to take dudes to arbitration. Like loves to take arbitration. He loves it over there. I see, after my freeze I click out of it. Now it works. So we're good now we're good. He loves to take guys to arbitration, loves to take him to court.
Speaker 2:But at some point one million just needs to be one million. You just got to spend it like. You just got to spend it. Like you just got to spend it.
Speaker 2:I saw a report the other day we were talking about it that night about the Brewers getting the FanDuel. They were getting that new FanDuel, being out with FanDuel Sports and getting more money and everything like it. And I believe, just looking at it, one of the guys from a brewer fanatic, great place. If you want to find anything, brewers to go search. You know what's going on with Milwaukee and they said that the brewers have found themselves between the fan duel and between money coming over from the luxury tax, because that kind of gets distributed among teams there. They have about 12 to $14 million to spend now an extra 12 to 14 million dollars, which is a little bit more than what we had before.
Speaker 2:So I'm looking at now I'm like one mil, like pay this dude, just pay him, just give him his one mil, keep him happy. Let's see if we can work an extension out with him and then go out and sign somebody else. I don't care what you got to do, but keep william contraris happy. This is one of your big bats, this is your future right here. Keep him happy. It's just ridiculous sometimes with this brewers team why they can't buck up one million dollars to keep william contraris happy yeah, penny, pinching to the max, right, penny, it's some of these organs drives I don't get.
Speaker 3:And even like at six million, like that's a value, right, like that's, oh you'll. I forget what jt is like regress, I mean that guy you talk about regression, that guy is the definition of regressing. I mean it's like wow, yeah, he's making, I think like 20 mil and it's like right now I'm taking contraris by like a landslide. I mean I know ruto can run, like he can run and stuff, but you know, 266 on remuto last year, 14 home run. He gets injured constantly. Now, oh, I guess that was back in 2019. He was making six mil, but you know, I tend to think he's making more than that. I tend to think he's making significantly more than Contreras.
Speaker 3:Like is it really worth pissing a guy off? You know what I mean. Like the guy's going to be like, yeah, do I do? I really want to? Like I know it's not all about money, but it's a slap in the face when you're asked like when there's a nine hundred thousand dollar difference and you're just like steadfast as an organization to save, like that's all that is. It's not saying he's not worth it, they're just saying we can get you for less, because that's what. That's how we run things. You know, it's like the a's and money ball. They're trying to, you know, make things where it's like oh well, here we go and we're giving these guys the yankees, giving these guys to whoever, so it's, yeah, I mean, you gotta hope that things change.
Speaker 2:It's just it doesn't look like right now I don't know who does it at mlb trade rumors, but they had his projected salary at 7.6 million for 2025. So brewers want to give him 5.6, he wants 6.5 and the projected was at 7.6. Just give him 6.5 and walk away like it's not. Before arbitration, he was making 766 000. This dude wasn't making nothing to play for you at this point and now he's one of the best catchers in the game of baseball and you want to lowball him. You want to lowball this guy. I don't know they did agree Outside of William Contreras, the other guys who were arbitration eligible and they got him signed up there.
Speaker 2:Yoel Pajops he was estimated at 2.8. They're gonna give him 2.9. Trevor mcgill was estimated at 2 uh, they gave him 1.94. Uh, nick mears was estimated at 900 000. They gave him 960. Aaron savalli was estimated at 8 they gave him 8. So I mean, the rest of the guys are kind of figured out. It's just the big bad, right. The big guy. William contreras we can't figure him out for some reason. Somehow, some way, we're gonna lowball him and piss him off, that's. That's basically where we're at with william contraris there.
Speaker 2:Uh, colin ray he's with the cup brewer legend brewer legend and craig council favorite, I guess, because all these former brewers. Craig council is just getting Milwaukee South. That's what he's trying to work through right now. He's going to get Milwaukee South, we're going to have the brewers out to the east there with the Mets, with David Stern, and then Craig Council is trying to get the rest of the scraps and bring them down to Chicago there and see what he can do with them. So Colin Ray ends up in Chicago. I mean you weren't going to utilize colin ray? They have a lot of pitchers in there right now. But I mean, I don't know, aaron, this, this whole thing with, uh, william contraris, it's driving me up a wall god.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's understanding.
Speaker 2:I mean you're not seeing the brewers.
Speaker 3:Low ball a guy yeah, you're not and you're not asking them to. Like they didn't go out and get soda or something. You know. I mean like if they made a move like that and you're trying to, you know, you know I don't know just kind of penny pinch, right, everybody else like, okay, I understand it, but they didn't go out and sign. You know, one of the top free agents in the MLB, like come on, at some point it's like give me a break. Like you're selling, you're selling tickets. I know the TV deal went down, but you got to think these teams are making enough money. Like there's no way they're not. I didn't look at like you know, are they in in the red or whatever, but there's no. I just don't see that. There's no way that they're that hard up for cash. Like there's just like if the A's are going, I mean the A's went out and got who? Who was it? A couple of guys that I'm like how in the world did they pull that off?
Speaker 2:They signed Brent Rooker to really cheap too. I think Brent Rooker is not making a lot. He's like five years for like 50 mil or something like that.
Speaker 3:I don't even know.
Speaker 2:Some stupid deal that I did not. I don't know how they got him.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I did see that. I mean I can respect him for staying there, though that's loyalty. I mean he could have got more money somewhere else.
Speaker 2:There's no doubt. Um oh boy, texas is gonna drop this to ohio state. Jack sawyer losing his mind he should have been. I don't know how that son of a gun didn't get suspended after that game against michigan, but but he just took one to the house. Quinn ewers fumbled, that, took it to the house. It's now 20, it's's now 28 to 14 there. So Ohio State will advance there. But, aaron, we're woefully towards the end of the show here. Holy crapola, we're already six minutes over there. I don't know what's going on now. I almost just lost the whole screen there for a second.
Speaker 2:But before we just completely go haywire here, let's get to our picks for the weekend here we got a big weekend of NFL games. Let's get to our picks for the first round of the NFL playoffs, the wild card games. So let's start over at the AFC. Let's start with them. Saturday games work into our Sunday games, then to the Monday game. So let's start with that first one there. The 330 texans and chargers that one's gonna be in houston for that game, chargers coming in, I would imagine they're the favorite right now. They're three point favorites on the road there. Give me a shocker. I don't hate cj stroud, I'm rooting for cj stroud. Give me the shocker there. Give me the. Give me the texans to pull it off. They're gonna win that game. I, I like, like the Texans to win that game. I think they flip it. I think it's going to be three. The other way, I like the Texans in that one.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I got to oppose you there. I think just Chargers are playing better football. This Houston team I haven't trusted really all year, and this is one of those. I just think they're limping in. I trust hardball more than I trust amico ryan's right now. I just the guy's been there, done that as a head coach in the playoffs, so but I think this will be a good one too. I mean, three point spread, that's. That's what you like to see in a playoff game. That that's really like a coin flip, because you know it. Being at home for houston, um, yeah, I I do think the chargers, though, but I would not be surprised if houston pulls it out. Um, it'd be shocking. If they went on a run, though in the postseason, that would be like wow.
Speaker 2:But some crazier things yeah yeah, john says chargers by 10. We'll throw john in here too. On my, on my tally sheet. John, we'll throw you on there. We'll let you be involved in the picks there. Aaron's got chargers and john's got chargers also. Um, okay, next up we have the next saturday game ravens steelers. That game's going to be in baltimore. Baltimore's favored by nine and a half. That is I mean for this kind of rivalry. Nine and a half's a lot like this game's gonna be closer than that. I just got that feeling this game's gonna be closer than that. Give me the ravens, but I there's. I don't think that the Ravens cover the spread. I think the Ravens win. I just don't think they can, not in this rivalry, not in the playoffs, not in this rivalry. I think they keep it close. I just Pittsburgh just doesn't have enough weapons. They don't have enough weapons.
Speaker 3:They have pickings, but outside of that they don't have enough weapons to beat the ravens, so give me the ravens, but I don't think they cover the spread. Yeah, I'd love to see pittsburgh pull this upset. That would be, uh, just awesome. I I think this that would really break it up in the afc a little bit better, um, than your like usual suspects with, like chiefs, ravens, uh bills, like it's literally like locks no zay flowers yeah, no zay flowers.
Speaker 3:Yep, um, I'm with you, though I'm on the same wavelength too. I I think this is a closer that that spread. If I'm mike tomlin, I'm like blowing a poster size piece of paper up and printing that out like that is a slap in the face, to say the least. I know they beat the brakes off them, like, like you know, this was a couple of weeks ago Now the Ravens did beat the Steelers there, but I think that was no George. Yeah, there was no George Pickens. I don't think in that game he's obviously good to go. I think the Steelers make it a game. It's a divisional rivalry, like you said. I just Baltimore is is too much with Henry and the boys there, but I hope the Steelers make it like a nail-biter. That would be fun.
Speaker 2:John says matters what? Russell Wilson shows up Ravens going to run, run, run. Can Steelers slow, run down? Zay Flowers out gives me Ravens by two. So John's got the Ravens there. Aaron's got the Ravens. Hold on, hold on. I got my wife in here there. Aaron's got the Ravens, hold on, hold on. I got my wife in here now. She's hitting me up, she's hitting me up through the text. She's watching. She's like give me the Chargers, give me the Ravens. So she's got the Chargers, she's got the Ravens. I'm the only one with the Texans, I'm the only one with the oddball pick right now.
Speaker 2:I would be anybody else out there who is watching.
Speaker 1:If you want to comment in.
Speaker 2:Yeah, if you want to comment in, you want to let us know what you're? Pick the games, pick the games. We'll put something on this. If you want to bet with us on games not, we're not going to bet your money, but we'll bet you like a pie to the face, like we'll bet you, we'll bet you something like that. If you want to comment in who you think is going to win one of these games, you want to take a bet with us, you let us know through the comment section there. So next up we have the sunday slate. Let's get on to the sunday slate here. Aaron, first game out of the chutes bills. Broncos. I really want to shock the world. I really want to shock I.
Speaker 2:I I don't hate bo nicks. I've actually bo nicks playing. I think it was in that uh, they played not a pointless bowl game when he was with uh, oregon there and I don't like oregon, john knows that. But he played in that pointless bowl game and I just gained this utmost respect for him because you don't see guys playing bowl games anymore. I just gained that utmost respect for that guy and he's played well. He has played really well this season here right now, buffalo's favored by nine and a half.
Speaker 2:I think that is absolute blasphemy. Like I, broncos defense is good, like nobody gives them credit, but that is a good defense. I don't like John just said their bills but they won't cover. I don't think the bills cover. The Broncos have a darn good defense. That is going to be a tough. That's gonna be a tough game for the bills, straight out of the chutes. I like the bills, but I I, if there's gonna be an upset over the weekend, I don't try. I don't count chargers texans as an upset. I don't. I don't. Steelers ravens, I really don't either, because that's divisional. That's, that's rivalry. That's not an upset to me. That's like two, two brothers going at it there and just see what happens out the other side. That's how I see that game. I think the Broncos could beat the Bills. I really do. I think they could beat them. I like the Bills. I think they win this game. I think they're the better team. I think the Broncos do keep it close. I don't think the Bills cover.
Speaker 3:That spread is a little too large. I think the Bills win by seven, though I don't think it's a field goal, I think it's more than that. I think, eventually, a good game. Yeah, yeah, a decent game, for sure. I don't think it will be a blowout, but I do think Bo Nix will come a little unglued in this one. I just think at some point it will be too like. You know, buffalo at home it's just going to be too much like they're not, they're, they're good the rookie's gonna come to life.
Speaker 3:It'll be like one of those moments where it's like whoa, like you know, he just hit a wall, like it's it's too much. But, like you said, I mean you never know. Um, I, I don't always trust buffalo either, I mean given their track record, but it's not, it's not the bangles or it's not the chiefs. So I give them the upper hand and, like I said, I think the broncos are ascending the right way, which I I'm kind of a one foot in, one foot out. That I like it, because I just sean payton to me is like one of the people I root against so heavily, but I'm with you on the bow. Next take I mean he's been, he's been solid, um, kind of you know people said he was going to be a good prospect. He was you, you know he's fulfilled that so far. So give me the bills as well, but probably all three of us. I don't I feel like they might cover, but I feel like they won't, like I don't feel great about them covering. I don't think it's going to be a three.
Speaker 2:I think the Ravens could cover. I think the Ravens could cover that game with the Steelers. I just don't think they will. I think it's going to be closer and I think the Broncos defense is good enough to hold them in a game with Buffalo. I really do. I think Buffalo is going to be too much at one point, but I think Broncos defense is pretty darn good. Autumn says the Bills too, so she's in there with the Bills Next up. Do we think the Lions make it through round one? Do we think the lions will make it to right?
Speaker 3:they might.
Speaker 2:Somebody might get injured I mean that somebody might get banged up getting through there. The lions are the team that needed this. They needed that buy because hopefully they can get somebody back right. Anzalone coming back was huge. That was a huge comeback. Getting him back in there against the vikings, you saw it, I mean he is. He is phenomenal, so getting him back was huge. Maybe they can get a few more guys back there.
Speaker 2:Um, next up, rams, vikings, hold on. Oh well, john's flipping ahead of us here. Slow down, john, slow down. He says washington, tampa only issue I have is the only issue I have with washington is they play to their opponents barely squeaking games. Tampa is going to have foot on the gas and blow them out. Okay, okay, john's taking the bucks. John's taking the bucks to blow them out there. What do you got, aaron? Let's go to that one, then we'll flip, we'll go to that game and then we'll come back. Oh no, rams and vikings. That's monday night. John's ahead of me. That's why, john's, I'm going ahead of john right now. I'm sorry, I'm sorry for that one. We got bucks and commanders. I'm gonna take the commanders. I like the commanders to win that game. I something about jane daniels. I just I love that one. I love watching jane daniels play.
Speaker 3:Give me commanders to win that game against the bucks I might sound like I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth now, and I am, but the, the commanders there, they won five in a row. I mean that's a good, I mean good way to end the season. Right, marquee win. I mean Eagles I think I forget who else um, they beat there. But um, buccaneers, I mean outside that Cowboys weird game. I mean they, they've tried to like, even they tried to water without the receivers there. Um, you, godwin and Evans being out, like they found a way.
Speaker 3:Just Tampa at home is a little different to me. Always I'm going to take Tampa. I think Washington plays well, but it's just going to be one of those. Once again, it's a rookie, like I do like Daniels a lot. I wish he wasn't in the NFC East, but I just feel like Tampa's going to make like Baker's got that experience level on them. I just feel like they make more plays down the stretch. But this game is really interesting. I think it's going to be a good one. I'd be shocked if it gets a blowout on either side, for me personally, but I think the Bucs pull it out in a close one, in a wild one. I think this is a potential to be very wild game. Weapons on both sides, good quarterbacks on both sides.
Speaker 2:You guys are just all basic and I'm just throwing out the randos over here because Autumn goes Tampa too. So now, basically, it's just me against the world with all these picks. John's got the Rams over the Vikings. We'll get to that one first. We'll come back to the packers eagles. So rams, vikings, I don't know. She okay, okay, autumn says that that game could go either way. She's telling me that. She's telling me the buccaneers commanders could go either way. We agree it could go one.
Speaker 2:I mean, I I don't see it as a blowout, like john's telling me. It's just going to be put the gas pedal down and just blow them out. I ain't seeing that. I think jane daniels can duel. I think he can duel with the best of them. So we'll see. I mean, they do play down to opponents. I will give you that. They do play down to opponents at times and you know they hurt themselves in games that they win. Look at the game against the eagles, where they're throwing picks left and right but still ended up winning the football game like they. They were trying to lose. They just couldn't do it. The Eagles wanted to. They wanted to lose more than what the commanders did that day. Uh, rams, vikings.
Speaker 2:I'm going to take the Rams. I like the Rams. Right now it's technically a home game but it's technically not. They had to move that game down to Arizona for that one. But I don't know if the Vikings have the answers in secondary for all that weaponry Rams have. Stephon Gilmore ain't keeping up with Puka Nakua or Cooper Cup. He's not, he's old, he's not keeping up with them. Mattelis in that slot is not keeping up. I think the weaponry with Matthew Stafford takes over in that game and I think the Rams win that ballgame against the Vikings there. Though if Sam Darnold, if that was just a fluke game against the Lions and he steps up, this could be a great game. But I like the Rams pulling off that win. So does John Aaron. What do you got Rams Vikings Autumn. She's a Vikings fan. I can't wait to see what she says.
Speaker 3:See, now I sound like I'm following the crowd again because I was thinking like I feel way more I went against the crowd every time you could go with the crowd.
Speaker 2:Autumn's going against the crowd here. I'll give you hers. She said I have my many doubts, but I'm going to stay true and I'm going to go with the Vikes in this one. So she's got the Vikings winning that one. She's a Vikings fan, though she has to Either that, or she works the reverse psychology and is like give it was like give me the Rams, because the Vikings will win that.
Speaker 3:Man, just wouldn't it be something if the way the Vikings lost to Detroit just not looking like the team that we think that they are, and then losing in the first round All this good season it just crashes down real quick on you and boom, it's over, like that in the first round. I kind of see it, though. You know me, I've been calling for Sam Sam Donald to implode all year. This would be your chance.
Speaker 2:This is your chance, right here.
Speaker 3:It's a kind of like you know under all the lights, spotlight everything else playoff time. I just I don't trust them to go and win that game. They can win that game. It's not like I give them zero chance. I just Stafford McVay like not to say take anything away from McConnell, but it's. I just feel like Stafford's gonna go off in that game. I just have that. This is. You know how many more times we're gonna see Stafford like he's. His days are numbered. Like in the league, he's been banged up a lot, a lot. So yeah, give me the, give me the Rams. I think the Rams are kind of a force to be reckoned with if they get hot for sure, um, which they have the potential to. So, and I like the rams front too.
Speaker 2:So I do. I mean too I agree with that verse has been fantastic. He's come along. And that's where I mean, early on in the season you were like skeptical about that defensive front no aaron donald anymore. It's like what's gonna happen there. And then all of a sudden they just flipped the switch and it was back on there.
Speaker 2:So last up, we did not pick this game, but this is the one that holds the most true to our hearts here on the show packers eagles, sunday afternoon. There, the eagles, favored by five at the moment. I'm gonna tell you this now, give me the pack. Give me the pack to win this game. It'll be a touchdown game. The pack is going in there and they're going to say, eh, we're not worried, we're going to take care of our business. They're going to put a complete game together. Matt LaFleur is going to look good and it's just going to be one of those days. And then after that, I don't care what happens If they win this game, I don't care, but I like the pack to win that one. I think the world doesn't think it. So I think the packers will win this game. I just think that's how it goes sometimes. The world's against you. They're like you ain't gonna be able to do it. It gives you the fuel, it gives you the fire, it gives you the energy. You go in there, you knock off philly, philly. Jalen hurts hasn't thrown a pass in three weeks. I mean, he's got four passes in the last three weeks. I don't like that. I don't feel comfortable with that.
Speaker 2:If I'm a Philly fan, I think the Packers take advantage early. They put the score. It's not going to be out of reach. This is what I'm going to tell you. This is what I'm going to tell you. Prediction for the game. Prediction for the game. Packers come out, they get hot. They put the big lead on again. Eagles come back. Packers hold true. They're up two possessions late in the game. Eagles go down, kick a field goal, get it to a one possession game. Jordan love, but bam gets a completion. First down game. Bam, give me the packers to win that one. I gotta love it. I, I, just I have to. I have to. If we're gonna go coach to coach, player to player in this one, give me the pack, just give me the pack. They got the fire, they got the fuel. They're gonna go in and win this one.
Speaker 2:I don't trust sirianni. I don't know what everybody's like. They just love this guy. All of a sudden, they had him on the chopping block and then, all of a sudden, the eagles started winning and they're like oh my god, sirianni is the greatest coach in the world. Matt lafleur is so worried about sirianni. It's just like where did that come from? Like three months ago, we were putting this dude out on the we're kicking him the curb and then, all of a sudden, they started winning and it was like hold on right, sirianni is the greatest coach in the world. Now all these Eagle podcasts and everything are like Sirianni is going to lead the Eagles to the Super Bowl. It's like hold on, shut up. Three months ago, you were telling about sirianni and they're just like now, all of a sudden, he's a good coach. Like where did that come from? He sucked and now he's good. You can't do that. You can't have both trades.
Speaker 3:And you gotta, you gotta, uh, you gotta tap into some philly coverage more often, because that's how I got it, drives me that's that Like I remember when Alec Boe made three errors in one game and he's like I effing hate this place because they're built. Like they gave him a standing ovation basically for making a routine ground ball, which I mean I like that type of stuff. Like you get paid millions to play the position. Like maybe it's just the Philadelphia fan in me.
Speaker 2:Oh, I'm good with that, I'm good with that it's just this sirianni thing it's like we were sending him out. And now he's the greatest thing that ever happens in sliced bread, like I mean.
Speaker 3:You can't have both literally that was the same thing with bohem, though at the all-star break, like because you know he goes in a home run, derby, it was like oh my god, this guy has power. Like yes, you know he's the second.
Speaker 3:he's the second coming of mike schmidt, like you heard all I mean everybody was like, oh my God, alec Boehm was like the best, he's better than A-Rod. It was just going on and on and on. Then the playoffs come. He gets benched for a game All of a sudden. Oh well, you know, alec Boehm's a cancer. He sucks, he can't play third base, he doesn't hit home runs as much as he should. It's the same, like I'm telling you, if you, you're, you're, you know you can do anything, you're invincible. The second you struggle like they lose this game, you know, against the Packers, oh my god, it will flip script so fast like it's Philadelphia is. What have you done for me lately? What have you?
Speaker 3:done if, if you're hot, you're the man, you I never doubted that guy. He's the man, he's the best of the ever. Like I love Syriac. If they lose this game, you're gonna be like oh, I knew that's the reason we were going to lose. Sirianni sucks. He has no idea what he's doing.
Speaker 3:So it's so, jekyll and Hyde, I'm telling you, like Reese Hoskins, you know how he talked about, how you know the Midwest is different than, like, philadelphia. It's the same thing in New York, though, if you're a Yankee and you're like people hated Aaron Judge after he dropped that ball. Yeah, they hated him. Like get him out of here, type, you know, and that's a horrible mistake. But, um, you know, getting it back to the game there, I think you know, I think the Eagles do win. Uh, five points is not that many. Really. It's not NFL game. Um, less than a touchdown, more than a field goal, it's a weird, weird spread to come to. I guess. Um, but yeah, I, I'm not overly worried, but if they take, if, if I don't care what oh, aaron, be worried, don't tell me that be worried we can sense it in your voice.
Speaker 2:You're like. I just watched penn state lose to notre dame I?
Speaker 3:I'm more worried. The eagles beat themselves, which that's every team I like does that so that's all it takes.
Speaker 2:That all it's all it takes. And jalen hurts is coming back from a concussion. We don't know what he's all about at this point. Like there's a lot of, there's a lot of negative that people are not looking at heading into this game for the eagles, like they're not looking at that and that does happen.
Speaker 3:um, like we see it all, like it'll just be the one of those games, but I I mean shoot, maybe I'm trying, can you pick?
Speaker 2:it out there. No, I'm just kidding that.
Speaker 3:McKee guy.
Speaker 2:I like that McKee guy. He can swing around a little bit.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he might be a little trade piece in the offseason, but yeah, I literally on Twitter on X last night, I picked the Penn State score exactly right, but it was Penn State, whatever. It was 27-24. I think it was 27-24. So I think the Eagles do win. I watch it will be the Packers score, though, because I picked the exact points to a tee, but I'm going to say it's the Eagles 36, packers 28. I think they cover.
Speaker 2:Oh oh, oh, come on now. Come on, cover your crack. The Pack is back. It's coming back tomorrow night here, or Sunday, sunday.
Speaker 3:Sunday you got to wait a whole another day Sunday. I miss college football Saturdays too. I already miss it.
Speaker 2:Now that I just watched Ohio State beat Texas. You texted me last night after that Penn State game. You're like I'm done watching college football.
Speaker 3:I just can't, I can't. And now I have like a little bit of hatred for notre dame, even though they didn't really do anything no, now you have to cheer for notre dame, but I have to yeah, that's what, but it goes. It's like the world series. For me, it's the last of the two evils. Once again, I'm rooting for the left.
Speaker 2:It's like when kansas plays duke in college basketball, I hate kansas, I hate duke, but when they play each other, I cheer for kansas. I just have to. That's just how it goes john you never picked who's gonna win the game between packers and eagles. You just asked us if the packers win, do they fire him?
Speaker 3:you have, to tell me, john, john, what a patriots fan or something. Patriots, yes, yes big patriots guy big patriots, and john do the patriots win this week?
Speaker 2:that's my, my question Do they win? Well, we got to wait for John. John's got to come back. I got one across the text in line that says that Anakin Skywalker looks like JJ McCarthy. No, no, no, no, no, no. First off, first off, there is no. Anakin Skywalker looks like JJ McCarthy. If anything, jj McCarthy would look like Anakin Skywalker. You cannot say that one guy. No, there, you cannot. You cannot say that one guy. No, no, no. Uh, let's see here I got the picture pulled up. I was looking that up before here. Um, here we go. They got a side-by-side image of those two. Yeah, yeah, I could see it. I don't know jj mccarthy kind of looks when he kind of got that long hair going on. I don't like him anymore. I don't like that face. He looks kind of like one of those guys that didn't get the frat party.
Speaker 3:Oh, absolutely. He's the guy that says you know girls get in free, but I don't know who you are. You know what I mean. He's that guy. Yeah, I don't like that look.
Speaker 2:I don't like that. Look, when he was at Michigan, he looked like an innocent dude that I don't like that. Look, I don't like that. Look, when he was at Michigan, he looked like an innocent dude that I didn't hate so much.
Speaker 3:And then I look at him now and it's like, eh, he looks like he should be at the skate park, like this guy. How is this guy an NFL quarterback? I'm not saying you've got to look, look at Purdy. If I saw that guy, I'm like, oh, he probably works for State Farm. But I'm like, come on, man, really, yeah, have you gone through puberty yet? That would be my question to Jay. You are not us man. You are not us.
Speaker 2:Isn't that something, though he's only 21. Like this dude's in the NFL that baffles me sometimes with Jackson Churrio and those guys in the MLB, when the Brewers got into the playoffs and they had the champagne and everything, they had the non-alcoholic over in the corner for Jackson Churrio. That just baffles me. That guys are in the big leagues or in the NFL and they're like these guys are barely drinking age. That's nuts. That is nuts.
Speaker 3:They're out there full-grown man and they're barely drinking age at this point there and and I'm not trying to like rain on, like I don't, necessarily I don't want him to do well, but I don't root again, like I just I'm indifferent, because he went to michigan and it was annoying. It was annoying when they won it was, but he, uh, I mean to start his career, what? Both knees, or the same knee twice. Yeah, I'm not saying I'm writing them off, but, man, show me a tougher start to your NFL. As a quarterback too, as a quarterback in the league, that is brutal, to say the least.
Speaker 2:Did you see that Deshaun Watson underwent surgery? He tore his Achilles again.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he's probably out all year again, Like that is the worst contract ever written.
Speaker 2:Oh my God, like I don't like that guy. What he did that's not great at all, like he's a terrible dude, but like holy crap if you, if you're a believer in karma.
Speaker 2:It has come full circle on him if all them court cases were the truth. He's got 20, 20, some more times of karma coming back to bite him yet and this is only number two. So we got 23 more times. This thing's going to bite him there. John says that the Patriots. I asked him if the Patriots are going to win. He said the Patriots can't win without getting help with that O-line and a legit wide receiver. We got to wait for the draft, john. We got to wait for the draft. It's coming. It's coming. The Patriots are. I think they took a good growing step. The whole Mayo thing was the dumbest thing I've ever seen in my entire life and Kraft coming out afterwards saying I hated to do this to a guy was the dumbest thing I've ever seen.
Speaker 2:That was so stupid. But what I saw out of them this year, I think they took a step. I think they took a step in the right direction to rebuilding. They got their guy. I think Drake May played well. I don't think he had a lot of weapons there, I don't think he had an offensive line, but for what he had I thought he played well and I think their defense took a good step. So I mean, patriots are heading in the right direction. It's just a matter of how long it's going to be before they get there. So we'll kind of see. There, aaron, we're way, way past the finish line, holy crap.
Speaker 2:I got to bring up one thing, though I was just about to ask you if you had one more thing before we wrap it up. One more.
Speaker 3:Only one more. It's pretty, I don't know, I don't even know how to explain it, but if you remember the World Series, you remember those Yankee fans interfering with bets Mookie Betts down the line. Not that this is huge news, but it's always fun when the fans are involved in me, um, because it's like one of us almost basically making them, they, uh, they suspended those fans I don't know if it's one or a group, I didn't get to see that much of it but, um, they're banned indefinitely from from going to baseball, not just yankee stadium, like going to baseball games. I, I don't know what side of the fence I'm on on that. It's hard to if you're in the moment and you're trying to get a baseball, especially if you had a couple in you too. I mean, if you're sauced and you're trying to reach for a baseball at a playoff game, can I really? It's not like they completely.
Speaker 2:I don't know, was that the one where they grabbed him, though?
Speaker 1:yeah I forgot.
Speaker 2:There was a line that was crossed, they grabbed his glove and when you do that, you could hurt guys like that's right yeah, by a thread there um that's a very good.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm banning him I'm banning him.
Speaker 2:Like you, you can have the try to grab balls. I get. If it was an interference thing, like I get that. Like the interference it happens. We've seen it happen way before that. But when you start grabbing players, that's how long you're lucky you're giving them your mom?
Speaker 3:you're rob manford. How long you giving?
Speaker 2:them. I'm giving them a year, I'm giving them a year.
Speaker 2:That's not bad, that's. I thought it was like five. I'm giving them a year. Like you, you figure it out and if we hear any even like rumblings that you did anything ever again, like done, done with you, like we will ban you from ballparks, like that's just how it is, like you're putting player safety on the line. These guys I mean just imagine mookie betts breaks his hand, like holy crap breaks his hand, like just something silly. I mean it's, it seems like it won't happen, but we've seen crazier injuries. He breaks something doing that. Now Mookie Betts can go after them with lawsuits that would, and then you have a whole different mess to deal with.
Speaker 2:So I think a year would be justice. I think that'd be justice, but I think those two fans should be suspended for a long time there. Um, we didn't get to the Badgers tonight. I meant to get to the Badgers Minnesota. We didn't get there. We had a lot of talk about Packers. Wise, we'll get to the badges minnesota. I want to recap that game on sunday there. I didn't get to watch a whole lot of mess of a day service call practice, everything like that. Didn't get to watch the full game. I have a whole saturday now I get games tomorrow morning, but after that, after that, yeah, I'll sit down, watch that game. We'll recap that game on sunday here, along with the packers, along with whatever else we got to recap. So we got lots to get into.
Speaker 2:Uh, one last thing from john there, banning you indefinitely from all and mlb stadiums, offices and other facilities. The letter said you are also hereby banned indefinitely from attending any events sponsored by and or associated with the mlb. So yeah, I mean, I, I'm, I'm with it, I I don't see why that's a problem. Manfred ain't losing money. He ain't losing money off of it, so he'll get over it at the end of it and I think they got with these.
Speaker 2:You know, it's like that lions fan that like was given the threats at matla floor when he was holding the flag, down on the field and like was giving them, you know, like the cutthroat sign and everything like that like and then they took away his uh season pass or his, um, his season tickets and I was like, yeah, that's, that's the way it should be. Like you're down there on the field, you're holding the flag shut up. Like you're out there to hold the flag, not taunt the sideline, not taunt players, not taunted coaches. Like your job is to hold the flag. And if you can't do that, guess what? See you later. So I'm glad I did it to him. Like that was just a stupid look, a terrible situation and just terrible on that fan. Like that made a fan base look bad for a little while. So I didn't like that at all. But yeah, I mean, like I was saying, we didn't get to the badgers minnesota game badgers got the big win over the minnesota gophers in what could have been probably the least watched I mean, and big 10 basketball game in a long time there on Peacock.
Speaker 2:Like nobody really cared 80-59. There was the big winner for the Badgers there, steven Crowell 18 points in that one. John Tonje had a good night. He had 16 points. 15 for Kamari McGee in the starting lineup, john Blackwell at 9. 8 for Nolan Winter. No, max Klesman, though he was out for this game here, I still think Rutgers, that guy from Rutgers, should have been suspended, but guess what? He didn't get a flag or nothing out of that. So I guess we can just walk underneath the guys now while they're shooting. So Max Klezman was out for that one. But outside of that, dawson Garcia had a great day for Minnesota 22 points. Their Badgers, like I said, big win 80-59.
Speaker 2:I don't want to talk any more on it bits and pieces of the game, so I want to get sit down. I can watch the whole game in total. We'll get to recap. We'll talk about that Sunday here on the show. We'll talk about the Packers Eagles, hopefully talking about a Packers win, not an Aaron sake but all the rest of our sake. We're talking about a Packers win come Sunday. Here we got lots to get into Wisconsin Sports on the go with Trage. Thank you all for tuning in. We'll catch you guys back here on Sunday, but until then see ya.