00:02Good morning 97.1 time for our weekly check-in with Ross Tucker NFL insider call presented
00:08by Nationwide for your insurance and financial needs Nationwide is on your side Ross good
00:13morning morning guys how are you we're doing all right I want to go back to this past weekend
00:19obviously the Lions take down the Packers what did you learn about either team in that
00:26matchup I learned that the Packers need a better kicker I mean that that was one that certainly
00:39jumped out by the way that's got like what a crazy game that that's got to be up there among
00:47the most
00:47times teams have gone forward on fourth down you know you think about the amount of fourth down
00:53attempts in that game and you know that that went both ways and could have been the difference in
00:59the game very evenly matched certainly it felt like it helped the Lions defense to get Brian Branch back
01:07you know that's about as good as the Lions defense has looked all year and that was highly encouraging
01:14still impressed by Jordan Love and what he's done so far this year but yeah that was just a massive
01:21win for the Lions because it felt like it really could go either way there were points where you
01:26felt like the the Packers were going to win the game so for the Lions to be able to bring
01:31that one
01:31home especially against the divisional opponent was just massive we have a bunch of stuff that we want
01:37to get to with you but one more on the game Dan Campbell's fourth down decision which side of the
01:43aisle are you on with that Jared Goff told our midday show people have been exposed with the way
01:48they've answered that question how would you have handled it what did you make a Dan Campbell's call
01:55um well exposed uh I think that that that would be a little bit strong from Jared there uh you
02:02know
02:05I guess what I will say about it is if you're going to have a philosophy and you're going to
02:12have a
02:12mindset then I can appreciate you sticking with that and and making sure the guys know hey I believe in
02:22you we're going to go for it in these situations that that was a little bit extreme in my mind
02:29um
02:30I hope I'm not being exposed but um I I think I I think there's a lot there um it's
02:41a much longer
02:42conversation about analytics it's a much longer conversation about uh all the factors that they
02:50should take into account because there's a lot that they take into account I don't think it's
02:55hindsight I think in the moment you could have said wow this is this is a pretty big risk because
03:02of where they were on the field I I mean I agree I I understand the philosophy of going for
03:08it if you
03:09don't get it you know what you're giving up but you also know that you're going to get the ball
03:11back
03:11right I disagree you're going to rebuttal you get the ball last yeah I disagree with the philosophy
03:16it sounds like maybe Ross you do as well but I do want to talk about not necessarily the matchup
03:21this
03:22weekend yet we'll get to some of those questions in a moment but the Minnesota Vikings are the only
03:27undefeated team left I think we're all a little bit shocked that maybe not that they're undefeated
03:32but that they're the only ones that are undefeated are they real and it how real is this Minnesota
03:38offense well the offense is not that real um I did the Vikings Colts on Sunday for CBS and the
03:49offense is still a work in progress the positive is they got Hawkinson back they got Jordan Addison back
03:56you know Jordan Mason back as a runner so they started to incorporate some of their guys back
04:03into it they're just a little off you know they'll have a nice play but there's a holding penalty or
04:10you know uh Kyler Murray will miss a few throws that he just can't miss um and it really hurts
04:18it's hard to
04:19move the ball in the NFL and if you miss the layups if you miss throws that should easily be
04:27completions
04:27it's going to be hard to sustain offense I think that's just kind of where they're at right now
04:32the thing is their defense is so good and I I don't say this guys as hyperbole and I'm really
04:41looking
04:41forward to that game to see what Drew Petsing and the Lions offense and golf what they're able to do
04:50against this Vikings defense but this Vikings defense is giving off and I'm they don't have this many
04:58Hall of Famers and I'm not saying they're as good but it's giving me like 85 Bears-ish vibes
05:07in terms of a scheme that overwhelms with pressure that people just are not able to handle
05:17it's every week I watch every game it's every week they have guys coming free every play if they're
05:26not coming free they're one-on-one with the back and the backs have not been able to block
05:31either one of their linebackers Cashman or Eric Wilson they destroy play action because they
05:39under center play action because they bring pressure off both edges it is fascinating to watch what the
05:47Vikings are doing other teams are trying to replicate it with you know the overload fronts and guys up
05:53front but they're not really committed to it Flores is like a madman he lets his guys audible till
06:01the very end this is as good of a schematic chess match as you will see all year to see
06:08Petsing and
06:09the Lions against Flores and the Vikings it I mean the potential is there to put up a bunch of
06:15points
06:15you just got to catch them you got to catch them right when they're bringing these pressures yeah that
06:21was going to be my question how do the Lions match up in the cat and mouse game when Minnesota
06:25comes to
06:25town well so there's there's so many different things the Vikings do but ultimately there are
06:35openings there there you know when they're bringing this many guys there are opportunities there if you
06:42can get it picked up then there's opportunities for big plays I think if you can get Gibbs in space
06:51underneath like I wouldn't even have Gibbs try to block their linebackers one-on-one that much
06:57I'd have him bluff and just leak out and have golf just throw him a check down and let him
07:05run wild
07:05because they don't have as many guys behind it I think you know even the Colts they kept having to
07:11have
07:11John and Taylor you know he gave up back-to-back sacks where he's trying to to pressure these or
07:17trying
07:17to pick up these guys in blitz pickup it just doesn't go well that's not the right plan I don't
07:23think I'd rather see you run a screen I'd rather see you just have the running back slip act like
07:29bluff act like he's gonna block the linebacker just turn around and throw it to him as opposed to
07:35actually trying to block the guy does Jared Goff have enough pocket presence mobility in the pocket
07:41no one's going to sit there and say he's going to outrun any blitz or he's going to get outside
07:45the
07:45pocket but does he have in your estimation enough awareness and ID of the blitz to be able to move
07:53around to be able to buy enough time so if Jameer Gibbs does slip he can get him the ball
07:58yeah I mean
08:00I think I think you got to beat him with your brain anyway I think there will be times where
08:05perhaps you
08:06can buy a little time by drifting back and still throwing it you know if the running back or whoever
08:11does a decent enough job that Jared can slide one way or the other you know doesn't have to be
08:18a
08:18great block if you just stay on the guy then Jared can slide one way or the other because the
08:25thing
08:26that's crazy is they're bringing these overload pressures but then they play zone behind it so then
08:34you got to find where those voids are in the zone because they're bringing extra guys they're not going to
08:39have every zone covered they're kind of betting that their pressure is going to get to you
08:45before you happen to find out where the void in the zone is and have a guy that's in that
08:51void
08:53he's Ross Tucker joins us every week it's brought to you by Nationwide Nationwide more than a great
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09:02your side Ross tonight we've got Green Bay we're always looking around the division how do they pick up
09:08the pieces from the Detroit game they've got Carolina well they can start by trying to run the
09:14ball because the Bucs ran it for 250 yards against the Panthers on Sunday which is a stunning number
09:23you just never see that in the NFL especially by the way Baker Mayfield's coming off a broken thumb
09:28okay and he's wearing a glove which he never has before he threw the ball 11 times for 60 yards
09:37how the Panthers allowed themselves to get run over like that is beyond me I would imagine that the
09:45Packers will start with Jacobs and trying to get their run game going especially since the Packers keep
09:51losing offensive linemen I don't think they want to just sit back and try to throw it all game
09:57do they even have that ability though to run the ball because they are the worst rushing offense in the
10:03NFL
10:05it's hard to believe uh well the good news is like uh so they're going against the Panthers run defense
10:12though
10:13so if they can't do it tonight yeah then they're never going to be able to do it but second
10:17game back for
10:18Jacobs against the Panthers although the Panthers do not want to be embarrassed like that again I don't think
10:23the Panthers are going to allow that but you don't want to be in single high and playing man-to
10:28-man
10:28against Jordan Love and these receivers so it's it's it really will be fun to see which way they go
10:35about it but yes I mean the Packers they have to make they have to make the Panthers prove that
10:41they
10:41figured out how to stop the run is this a referendum game for the Detroit Lions dude is this one
10:47of those
10:48games where they have to win for anybody to really take them seriously I think they have to win to
10:55have a
10:55serious chance to win the NFC North you know forget referendum forget how people talk about them
11:01you can't you know lose three games and then and then have a team the Vikings at that point
11:07would be essentially three and a half games up on them I mean that's not insurmountable but that's
11:13pretty hard to overcome you can't have the Vikings 7-0 Lions 4-3 including a head-to-head loss
11:20so
11:21this is again and by the way I think the Lions are going to win the Vikings are good but
11:25the
11:25Vikings are not they're not going undefeated they're going to lose a game at some point this
11:30would be a game they would lose on the road at Detroit this would be a game the Vikings will
11:34lose I like the Lions to win the game that's what I was going to ask you before we got
11:38you out of
11:38here was who you thought was going to win because you did take the Lions last week you're taking them
11:42again to take care of business at home in the division yeah they have to and I think they will
11:47and
11:48by the way super you know speaking of referendum John if the Vikings win this one then then no one
11:55can question anything they've done that would be super legit because then they would not only be 7-0
12:00still undefeated but then they'd also have wins over all three divisional opponents yeah good point
12:05it's a big narrative game I know like you're right about the numbers being the numbers and the games
12:10back being the games back narrative for both sides you know we've been locally talking golf should he be
12:14in the MVP conversation if you do it against that defense right if you rebuilt your offensive line
12:19you couldn't beat Minnesota last year in both meetings but now you do when they're undefeated
12:23the narrative starts to swell one way or another a thousand percent and people will say the Vikings
12:29aren't for real if the Lions win and the and the Lions are for real this is your there's no
12:34question
12:35he's Ross Tucker look forward to the conversation every week Ross thanks so much
12:39see you guys NFL insider calls presented by Nationwide for your insurance and financial
12:43needs Nationwide is on your side it's 97-1
