00:00Doug Carr, Scott Anderson, 97.1, open lines, 248-539-9797.
00:06What are you watching Sunday?
00:08Michigan and Michigan State fans, how do you pull off the upset?
00:11What's the path to the upset?
00:12Spartans and UCLA, Michigan and Indiana, 248-539-9797.
00:18The best of what the coordinator said, including a whole bunch of stuff
00:21about the secondary, some Laporta reaction as well.
00:24All that at 10.30.
00:26Let's get to the people.
00:27Jeff, you're on 97.1.
00:29What's up, Jeff?
00:30Hey, guys.
00:31I don't know if this is really a battle within a battle,
00:34because I guess it kind of goes for every NFL game,
00:36but I think it's going to be especially important for Detroit.
00:39Their offensive line to control the line of scrimmage
00:43and not get in any third and long situations,
00:45especially as good as Green Bay is at blitzing in their pass rush.
00:50You know, I took a look, and Jeff,
00:53here's a way that it manifests itself on a Sunday,
00:56exactly what you're talking about.
00:57I took a look at last year when Green Bay swept Detroit,
01:01and the one thing that they did exceptionally well
01:05is they held Jameer Gibbs in check completely.
01:09And I'm going to have to let you go.
01:10There's too much sound there, Jeff.
01:1344 touches, okay, for Jameer Gibbs in the two games against Green Bay,
01:1831 carries and 13 receptions.
01:2144 touches for 142 yards.
01:25I mean, completely ineffective the way we know Jameer Gibbs.
01:29Right.
01:30And that's what Green Bay held Detroit's under,
01:3420 points a game in those two games.
01:36It's like 13.
01:37I think they scored 13 and 24 in the two losses to Green Bay.
01:41And Gibbs, we all know what Gibbs is, right?
01:44They did a great job against Gibbs.
01:47Now they did it with a healthy Micah Parsons,
01:51a healthy Edron Cooper,
01:53and Rashawn Gary is part of that defense.
01:55The Lions will face none of those players on Sunday.
01:57Right.
01:58Jordan Love threw six touchdowns and no picks
02:01in those two games against the Lions last year.
02:03He was very effective.
02:04If I recall the first game when the Packers won to start the season,
02:09I think they had a hell of a first half
02:11and didn't do much at all in the second half, the Packers.
02:14But the Lions just weren't there the whole game.
02:17So something to keep an eye on.
02:20And that's the other part of this, of players coming back.
02:24We haven't touched on Cade Mays too much.
02:26No.
02:26Because we're not – Dan Campbell mentioned earlier in the week
02:29that they plan to rip the Band-Aid off,
02:31so he's going to start and he's going to play.
02:33And doubt that you're going to see a whole lot of subbing in
02:37unless he's hurt.
02:39But expect him to play basically.
02:41I would assume the whole game is what that meant to me.
02:44I don't know what that means for Juice Scruggs
02:46in terms of him playing some guard,
02:48but it's easier to sub out guards in rotation than it is for a center.
02:52So keep an eye out on that.
02:54And this is Cade Mays' first taste of action this year,
02:59and this is what the Lions got them for.
03:00They got them to be the starting center on this football team
03:02and to be the anchor on the offensive line when it starts.
03:06Everything starts in the middle.
03:07Obviously, Penn A. Sewell is the best offensive lineman we have
03:10and maybe the best offensive lineman in the league.
03:12But Cade Mays is an upgrade over what they had last year.
03:16Now they need to be an upgrade over Juice Scruggs.
03:19Do you know what's crazy, too?
03:22Their offensive line, you know who their starting guards might be in this game?
03:26For?
03:27For Green Bay.
03:28Okay, no.
03:28Laken Tomlinson and Kevin Zeitler.
03:32Former Lions.
03:33Oh, let's go to John in Canton here on 97.1.
03:36What's up, John?
03:37Hey.
03:38Happy Friday, guys.
03:39You too.
03:40I just hope that – I'm glad Branch is back,
03:44but I hope he's not too geeked up where, you know, he's kind of a hothead
03:49and he's prone to some stupid penalties if he gets, you know, into it with somebody.
03:57So, John, that's interesting because I thought just the opposite.
04:00I hope he's the same as he always was.
04:03And, yeah, it comes with a downside.
04:07Just volatility.
04:07If you're going to tell me that Brian Branch is going to be in every way,
04:12every bit the way what Brian Branch was, I'll take it.
04:16Well, I just hope, you know, this is, what, his third year in the league?
04:22Is this his third or his fourth?
04:24Fourth.
04:24Fourth.
04:25Fourth year?
04:26Okay.
04:26Well, I just hope he's grown a little bit where he's not going to be taking those stupid penalties,
04:30you know, because unsportsman likes and stuff like that, you just don't need it.
04:34Well, nobody wants a penalty, but also I don't want Brian Branch to lose his edge.
04:42I mean, this is one of those deals where the way he plays the game, you want to be smart.
04:48You want to make sure that, you know, you don't hurt your team.
04:52That's a big part of it.
04:54But I just want Brian Branch to be Brian Branch.
04:57And if you're going to tell me.
04:59150%.
04:59100.
05:00Yep.
05:01150%.
05:02And with an attitude, get out there and be salty.
05:06Yeah.
05:07Yeah.
05:08All right, Rick.
05:08Thanks.
05:09Appreciate it.
05:10Did he just call you Rick?
05:11I think he did.
05:13That guy just call me Rick, Kang.
05:16Yeah.
05:16I mean, I guess if Doug's not going to come back, just embrace Rick.
05:19Yeah.
05:19Well, what about, what about, I got called Chuck two weeks ago.
05:24Which one do you prefer?
05:25Rick or Chuck?
05:26I think you prefer Chuck.
05:28I think I'd probably go with Chuck.
05:30Yeah.
05:30Because if you like the name Chet, you're going to like Chuck.
05:32I do.
05:32I love the name Chet.
05:34Chuck, huh?
05:34What do you guys prefer?
05:35Richard or Charles?
05:40Charles.
05:40They're both very regal names.
05:42Yeah.
05:43Well, the short is like Rick and Chuck, right?
05:44Yeah.
05:46I think I'd go with Charles because I like the alternates better than the Richard alternates.
05:52Yeah.
05:53I agree.
05:55Rick's the nice one.
05:57You want to call me Chuck or Charlie or Charles, that's fine.
06:00Yep.
06:00You're going to call me Rich, Richard, Rick, or Dick.
06:06Go with Charles.
06:07Charles is better.
06:11Paul's in Clinton Township and next.
06:13Hello, Paul.
06:14Hey, guys.
06:15Thanks for taking the call.
06:16Sure.
06:17Calling about Cade Mays coming back.
06:20And I know he was the prized offseason signing, and he was definitely brought in to improve
06:28the offensive line.
06:30But something, part of me says, why are you, why going into really two extremely important
06:38weeks, will you fix what is not broke?
06:41Well, it's not like Drew Scruggs is not, you know, playing, that he's playing poorly.
06:47And he's doing better than playing poorly.
06:50I mean, if you believe everything, he's one of the top couple of centers in all of football.
06:54And the offensive line is, again, rated as one of, if not the best, offensive line in
07:01football, and I almost feel like he is getting put in because of his contract and not because
07:09they're trying to improve the position or need to do something.
07:13And I hope it doesn't backfire on him, especially with the center position.
07:16You know, you've got Goff and Scruggs have obviously, you know, working well together.
07:23He's obviously working well with his guards on either side of them.
07:27I guess I don't see the need to make the switch.
07:32You know what, Paul?
07:32It's funny because I have similar concerns, but then I always step back and go, okay, why
07:38would it make sense?
07:39Why would this move make sense?
07:41And the only thing I can think of that, because there should be some hesitation and some concern,
07:48the only thing I can think of is when they go out on the practice field, it's clear that
07:52Cade Mays is a better player.
07:54Well, then he's going to be in the Hall of Fame then, if that's what they're seeing.
08:03Because Scruggs has played to a level that I know we're all surprised at, right?
08:08It's not like I saw this coming, but the bottom line is he's actually doing it.
08:13And I'm always hesitant to make changes when there isn't a need for a change other than
08:20I think it's money.
08:22You might be right.
08:23Maybe Cade Mays has shown that he is superior.
08:26All I can say is we better see that on Sunday.
08:29That's all I...
08:30Yeah.
08:31I mean, he might not be superior and they still might win.
08:34And he might be superior eventually.
08:37But yeah, I mean, I understand your concern.
08:40The thing is, either one of them being successful is a Brad Holmes flex.
08:44Like, nobody...
08:44Drew Scruggs, when they got him back in the trade for David Montgomery, this wasn't met
08:49with great fanfare.
08:50He's been pretty good.
08:52And if Cade Mays is better than him, that's one of your big signings.
08:55So, you know, you just got to play the right guy.
08:59And the only thing I can think of is that it's clear in practice that Cade Mays, upon
09:03his return, is practicing in a way that is noticeable better than Drew Scruggs.
09:10I don't think it has anything to do with the contract.
09:13Not one little thing.
09:14I think that if they wanted to take their time with it, if they thought that this was
09:19something, hey, we're not sure about it, they could always say delay it a week because
09:22they have four weeks from the moment they activate him from the pup list or whatever
09:27that he can come back out.
09:28So, it's clear that he's playing better in practice, and that's what it is.
09:35It's an upgrade.
09:36You don't think the Ram is going to play Miles Garrett when he's ready to come back, regardless
09:41of how well the other defensive end is playing?
09:44Well...
09:45It might be a little bit of apples and oranges there or different varieties of the apple.
09:48I get your point.
09:49Yeah.
09:49Your starter gets the job back, but you do open yourself up to criticism if it doesn't
09:57go well.
09:58100%.
09:58But, I mean, that's part of the job.
10:00But that's why he's the coach.
10:01Yeah.
10:01Your coaches always open themselves up to criticism.
10:032-4-8-5-3-9-97-97.
10:07All right.
10:07Coordinators spoke yesterday, including what they like about the young defensive backs.
10:13Drew Petsing talks about Sam Laporta a little bit, who was in the news this week.
10:17Perhaps you saw.
10:18We will get to what the coordinators had to say coming up today at 10-30 here on Carson
10:23Anderson on 97.1.
10:24Now let's go.
