The Camp: Sept. 23, 2021
The Badgers are getting ready to head to Chicago to face Notre Dame. Zach and Jesse breakdown the game, talk about what a win would mean for Wisconsin's program, play some Fact or Fiction and give their game predictions.
Brewers blow 5-0 lead to St. Louis, lose 5th straight game
The Milwaukee Brewers late-season skid continued Thursday in an 8-5 loss to St. Louis as the Cardinals finished off a four-game sweep.
The Crew led 5-0 after four innings thanks to a pair of home runs from Tyrone Taylor. He hit a grand slam in the first inning off Adam Wainwright and added a solo shot of the St. Louis starter in the fourth inning. The lead was still 5-1 after six innings before things fell apart in the seventh.
After striking out the first batter, Jake Cousins gave up a single and then issued walks to the next two hitters. That was it for Cousins, who was replaced by Brad Boxberger. He allowed a run on a fielder’s choice to make it a 5-2 game and then gave up another run on an errant pickoff attempt at first. Paul Goldschmidt would follow with a two-run homer to tie the game.
Things did not get better in the eighth and ninth innings, with Aaron Ashby giving up three runs, including another Goldschmidt home run.
Milwaukee's offense produced some opportunities outside of Taylor's heroics, including loading the bases in the fifth inning with one out. But Eduardo Escobar flied out to right field and Luis Urias grounded out to third base, keeping the Brewers from adding any more runs to their lead.
The collapse was just the latest disaster since sweeping Cleveland 11 days ago. Since then, the Brewers have lost seven of their last nine games and been swept twice, while the Cardinals have won 12 in a row. Milwaukee's lead in the NL Central stands at 7.5 with nine games to play, including three more against St. Louis next week.
Milwaukee will welcome in the New York Mets for a weekend series starting Friday, while the Cardinals head to Chicago to face the Cubs.
Brewers skid continues in blowout loss to St. Louis
Milwaukee is almost certainly going to win the NL Central, but the Brewers are not even close to playing the best baseball of the teams that make up the division. That distinction belongs to St. Louis, which hammered the Crew 10-2 Wednesday night to earn its 11th straight win.
In his first game off the injured list, Brett Anderson got lit up by the Cardinals. He served up a two-run homer to Tyler O'Neill in the first inning and gave up four more in the second, though none of those were earned thanks to some shoddy defense. Anderson was pulled with two outs in the second, his shortest start in which he was not removed due to injury since May 6, 2017.
The bullpen was not much better, allowing the Cardinals to tack on four more runs. That included Hunter Strickland giving up a two-run homer in the eighth inning to Paul Goldschmidt.
As it has for much of Milwaukee's slump, the offense was nowhere to be found. Miles Mikolas was a big reason for that. He went seven innings, giving up two runs on four hits and striking out three. The righty improved to 2-2 on the season.
A double from Omar Narvaez and solo home run from Avisaíl Garcia proved to be the only offense the Brewers could muster. The top of their lineup -- Kolton Wong, Eduardo Escobar and Christian Yelich -- went a combined 0-for-11 as Milwaukee lost for a fourth straight time and its sixth loss in the last eight games.
The Brewers lead in the division stands at 8.5 over the Cardinals with 10 games to play, leaving the Crew's magic number at three.
The two teams will face each other four times over the final week and a half of the season, including the series finale Thursday afternoon at American Family Field.
Packers: LT Elgton Jenkins dealing with an injury, misses practice
The Green Bay Packers are dealing with a bit of a nightmare scenario along the offensive line.
Elgton Jenkins, the versatile third-year lineman that has filled the void at left tackle for the injured David Bakhtiari, is now dealing with an injury of his own. Jenkins was not at practice Wednesday afternoon as the Packers started preparing for this weekend's game at San Francisco.
"He's got an ankle (injury)," coach Matt LaFleur said after practice. "Just like we do, we're going to give him the full week to prove he can play. If he can go out there and feel confident playing on it, we'll let him go."
Jenkins was injured during Monday night's win over the Lions but was able to stay in the game and didn't miss a snap.
"Elgton's one of the toughest guys we have on our football team," LaFleur said. "He's so reliable. Does a great job no matter what we ask him to do. He never blinks, he doesn't flinch. Whether it's center, guard, tackle, he just goes out there and does a great job."
Jenkins has started the first two games of the season at left tackle for Bakhtiari, who is still recovering from a torn ACL and is on injured reserve for at least the first six weeks of the season. If Jenkins is unable to go against the 49ers, the Packers could move right tackle Billy Turner to the left side and insert veteran Dennis Kelly on the right. Or they could go with Kelly at left and leave Turner on the right side.
"We've got a couple different options," LaFleur said. "You guys (the media) know our roster pretty well, so I'll let you guys decipher what we may do and then we'll show you on Sunday."
Tight end Josiah Deguara did return to practice after missing last week with a concussion.
After months of anticipation, the Jack Coan-Wisconsin game is finally here
Wisconsin taking on Notre Dame in Chicago was always going to be a marquee event. Two perennial top-20 programs facing off for the first time since 1964 and doing so at an iconic venue like Soldier Field was guaranteed to put butts in the seats and draw strong TV ratings. But then a nine-word tweet on Jan.4 sent the hype and anticipation around the game soaring to new levels. It was on that day that former Badgers quarterback Jack Coan announced he would be transferring to play his senior year for the Irish, putting his former team on a collision course with his new team. After months of waiting, the end result of that decision will finally play out near the shores of Lake Michigan late Saturday morning.
https://twitter.com/jcoan17/status/1346274925561188354
"It's a little bit strange, nothing too crazy," defensive lineman Matt Henningsen said Monday when asked about facing his former teammate. "We knew this was going to happen when we found out he was going there. We're all friends with him. We understand and we're looking forward to the challenge. It's going to be fun."
Saturday will mark roughly 22 months since Coan took a snap for Wisconsin. It was the final offensive play of the 2019 season, an incomplete pass intended for Quintez Cephus in a Rose Bowl they would eventually lose to Oregon 28-27. It was not the ideal way to end the season, but no one could have predicted, especially Coan, it would also mark the end of his game action at Wisconsin.
After throwing for 19 touchdowns and being a team leader in the run to another Big Ten West title, Coan was poised to be under center last season. But a broken foot during fall camp threw a wrench into those plans and led to the highly touted Graham Mertz getting his chance to start. He took full advantage, throwing five touchdowns in his first start against Illinois.
Coan eventually recovered from the injury in time to dress for the final three games of the regular season, and even though Mertz had largely struggled after his remarkable debut, coach Paul Chryst never gave his former starting quarterback a chance to regain the job. Days after Wisconsin beat Minnesota in the regular season finale, Coan entered the transfer portal.
It has proven to be a wise decision for the New York native. He has thrown eight touchdowns and just two interceptions as the Irish have started the season 3-0 and are ranked No. 12 in the country. As you would expect, Wisconsin fans are keeping a watchful eye on his performance, especially after Mertz and the Badgers offense floundered in a season-opening loss against Penn State. For those in the stands, Saturday's biggest storyline will be about the quarterback matchup. Those involved, though, say it is not a big deal.
"I'm not lining up across the ball from (Coan) every play," Mertz said. "It's like coach (Paul Chryst) said, it's Wisconsin versus Notre Dame. I'm prepping for their defense. I'm not prepping the play him in a one-on-one basketball game, but obviously you know what it is. It's out there. But, for me, it's just Wisconsin versus Notre Dame, just another game."
Coan has never spoken publicly about his reason for leaving Wisconsin, though it seems obvious. By not playing him when he got healthy -- and even using backup Chase Wolf when Mertz went down against Minnesota in the regular season finale -- it was clear the Badgers had handed the keys to Mertz, and they were going to roll with him through the ups and downs. That had to be a gut punch for a guy that was such a huge part of the team's success and there is almost certainly a fire burning inside of him that wants to show Chryst and everyone else that it was a mistake to choose Mertz over him. Of course, you would never hear something like that from Coan.
"At the end of the day, it's just another football game and I'd like to think I don't get more excited for one game than the next," Coan said. "A lot of people ask me if I'm taking this game personally. Not really. There's no reason why I should take one game more personal than the next."
But it is personal, even if you throw out the Mertz vs Coan drama. Coan spent four years in Madison developing relationships that will last a lifetime, including with safety Scott Nelson. He said Coan was among the reasons he came to Wisconsin, was his roommate for a few years and was one of many teammates that helped the quarterback move out this past spring as he left for South Bend.
"Anytime you're with somebody for so long and you're so close with somebody and they leave and you're not going to see them as much, it's definitely emotional," Nelson said. "It was tough, but he had to make the best decision for him. We were just supportive of whatever he decided to do."
As familiar as Nelson is with Coan off the field, the two also know each other quite well on the field. It is the same case for the likes Matt Henningsen, Jack Sanborn, and Caesar Williams. All of them faced Coan on a daily basis in practice for four years. But Coan also went against Wisconsin's defense every day. So, does either side have an advantage?
"You could probably say both, I think," Nelson said. "Jack knows us and we know Jack and were both in two very different positions now. He's in a new offense, and we do a lot of different stuff on defense. So, I don't think it'll be as cookie cutter as it may have been when we were both going against each other in spring ball for 15 straight practices. But yeah, we're familiar with him, and he's familiar with us, so I wouldn't say there's a huge advantage either way."
Mertz has said in recent weeks that he feels prepared for almost anything he sees in a game because of the looks defensive coordinator gives him in practice. That would seemingly be the same for Coan.
"I wouldn't say he's seen everything," Henningsen said. "We've got a special type of defense that we throw different things out there every single play. Our defenses are complex enough so that it's difficult for people to figure out and help to make others understand it. So we're essentially taking that same approach. Just doing what we can to put their offense in uncomfortable situations. Throw things out that they're not necessarily expecting. Give them different looks every play so that they're always on their toes and not necessarily understanding what they're going to see each and every play."
Coan told reporters he will try to take his knowledge of Wisconsin's defense and apply it to Saturday, though he admitted he rarely went against them when they were game planning for an actual opponent. In the end, all believe it will be what happens on the field Saturday as opposed to what they know from the past.
"I think it's gonna come down to who makes the least amount of mistakes and who executes the best come Saturday," Sanborn said. "That team will win."
Wisconsin players and some of the coaches have enjoyed watching the success Coan has had this season. That includes Leonhard, who said he had a good relationship with the quarterback and the two routinely talked about football.
"He was a guy who could see it on tape, who could talk it and then apply it on the field. That's what I see," Leonhard said. "I'm excited for him. He's got to just have one bad game this year. Outside of that, I wish him all the best."
Milwaukee offense a no-show in another loss to St. Louis
Milwaukee's lead in the NL Central is down to single digits after the Brewers fell 2-1 to St. Louis for a second straight night at American Family Field.
Once again, the Crew could not get anything going offensively, a troublesome trend during this stretch in which they have lost five of their last seven games. A big part of the most recent quiet night was Cardinals' starter Jake Woodford. He gave up just two hits and struck out five to get the win. The St. Louis bullpen held up its end, allowing just the one run -- a sac-fly from Willy Adames in the eighth inning -- over the final four innings of work.
Milwaukee did load the bases in the bottom of the ninth against Giovanny Gallegos but the closer struck out Pablo Reyes to end the game and give the Cardinals their 10th straight win.
Brandon Woodruff took the loss (9-10) for the Brewers, though he was not bad by any means. He gave up just one run on two hits and struck out 10. That latter figure helped him become just the seventh pitcher in team history to record at least 200 strikeouts in a season.
The loss dropped the Brewers lead in the NL Central to 9.5 games on the Cardinals and their magic number to clinch the division remained at three. The two teams will continue the series Wednesday night, one of five games they play against each other in the final two weeks of the season.
Packers: Aaron Rodgers responds to criticism from former tight end Jermichael Finley
Jermichael Finley's name never came out of Aaron Rodgers' mouth Tuesday during his weekly appearance on the Pat McAfee Show but it was clear to anyone listening that the Green Bay Packers quarterback is tired of hearing his former tight end's opinion whenever he struggles in a game.
Finley, who last played for the Packers in 2012, has routinely hit the media circuit when the three-time MVP does not play well and he was back at it last week following a nightmare of a performance by Rodgers and the Packers in a 38-3 blowout loss to New Orleans. Finley said Rodgers no longer had the fire to win a championship, he looked tired and that the team should transition to Jordan Love if it continued.
Following a four-touchdown, zero interception effort in a 35-17 win over Detroit on Monday night, Rodgers came out firing when asked about the overall noise around his performance a week earlier.
"I mean, on one hand, it's absolute horseshit to give a platform to people who have no idea what they're talking about as far as my mental state, and my focus and my work habits," Rodgers said. "People that have not been around me, they're not in my life, I don't have communication with them, they're not in the locker room, that's just chicken shit. It's so ridiculous that people can get a platform to do this and it's the same type of people.
"I don't think I need to defend myself and people aren't worth spending time on, but I'm always gonna give a reminder that listen to the source of some of these things and then be reminded, it's often the same people in the same tired rhetoric.
"I was just surprised after week one there was such a story out there, but what's crazy to me is to let one storyline, by a person who has no contact with me and zero relationship. That becomes some sort of narrative that's out there, that now I somehow don't care about ball because because of my zen attitude in the offseason. That's the bullshit I was talking about last night."
https://twitter.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1440384254664269824?s=20
Packers release tight end Jace Sternberger
The Green Bay Packers are moving on from Jace Sternberger.
As first reported by the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the team is releasing the tight end after just two seasons. Sternberger was suspended for the first two games of the season due to violating the NFL substance-abuse policy. The team either had to add him to the active roster or release him and they chose the latter.
A third-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Texas A&M product was supposed to give the Packers the receiving threat they had been lacking at the position, but that never materialized. He played in eight games as a rookie, including two in the postseason. He had three catches and a touchdown in the NFC title game loss to San Francisco. He played in 12 games last season, catching 12 passes for 114 yards and a score.
But Sternberger could never turn the corner and make the impact many thought he would. With Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis, Dominic Dafney and Josiah Deguara, there just wasn't room for Sternberger to be added back into the mix.
"It's always a tough decision when you have a competitive room like that," coach Matt LaFleur said. It was just one of those deals where we appreciate everything Jace has done. It was a tough decision."
Packers 35, Lions 17: 2-minute drill
Green Bay outscored Detroit 21-0 in the second half to earn a 35-17 win Monday night at Lambeau Field.
Game Balls
Offense: Aaron Jones
After getting just five carries for nine yards in the season opening loss to New Orleans, the Packers fed Jones early and often. On their first two scoring drives, Jones touched the ball 13 times for 76 yards and caught a pair of touchdowns. He was not done, though. In the second half he scored twice more, giving him four touchdowns in a single game for the second time in his career.
His big night, that included 115 total yards on 23 touches, came in his first home game since his father passed away in April due to COVID-19 complications. Jones wore a neckless with a black football on it that contained his father's ashes and he lost it when he scored his second touchdown. The ground's crew was still searching for it after the game.
"If there was any place to lose it, that's where my dad would have wanted me to lose it," Jones said.
The fifth-year back had 15 or so family and friends at the game for him. That included his son, who was on the receiving end of the ball after one of his touchdowns.
"I really appreciate them being here. It did a lot for me," Jones said. "I'm normally used to turning around and seeing my dad in the stands, just smiling, knowing everything is OK. When I saw them, I was good."
Defense: Eric Stokes
This isn’t about the game Stokes put together – he had just one tackle. But he made the play of the game on defense for the Packers. With the Lions trailing 21-17 and facing a fourth-and-1 at Green Bay’s 25-yard line. Quarterback Jared Goff tried to go to throw a stop route to Quintez Cephus on the outside. The former Wisconsin receiver had it in his hands, but Stokes was all over him and forced the incompletion. The Packers would score on their next two possession to put the game out of reach.
Best Video
https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1440153144231534594
https://twitter.com/packers/status/1440121324492533760?s=20
https://twitter.com/brgridiron/status/1440138752601432066?s=20
Best Tweets
https://twitter.com/Manruss/status/1440134518535450629
https://twitter.com/DWhitti/status/1440147106631614468?s=20
https://twitter.com/Nate_Tice/status/1440148639435792390
https://twitter.com/NFL_Memes/status/1440145930712346634?s=20
https://twitter.com/CharlesWoodson/status/1440145680345952261?s=20
https://twitter.com/TomSilverstein/status/1440153098203262986
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1440163725785264135?s=20
https://twitter.com/CBSSports/status/1440158745238007814?s=20
What They Said
https://twitter.com/ByRyanWood/status/1440165875756138500
https://twitter.com/BigMack_4/status/1440165163198341134
https://twitter.com/RobDemovsky/status/1440162740358705158
In Case You Missed It
-- The name of former Packers GM Ted Thompson was unveiled on the Lambeau Field façade during a ceremony at halftime. Thompson led the team from 2005 to 2017, helping them to the playoffs in eight straight seasons and a Super Bowl title in 2010. Thompson passed away earlier this year.
https://twitter.com/ZachHeilprin/status/1440129136450838529
-- Jon Runyan got the start at left guard in place of Lucas Patrick. The latter was active but practiced just once this week due to a concussion.
-- Former Wisconsin wide receiver Quintez Cephus had four catches for 63 yards and a touchdown. The catches were the most in his career, while the yards were tied for the most.
Inside the Numbers
7-0 -- That's what the Packers record is after a loss under coach Matt LaFleur. He also moved to 5-0 all-time against the Lions and 12-1 against the NFC North overall.
13 -- That's how many tackles linebacker De'Vondre Campbell had. The free agent addition also snared his first interception with the Packers. Green Bay forced two turnovers on the night after not generating any against New Orleans.
121 -- That's how many yards receiving Davante Adams had in the game. It was his third 100-yard game against the Lions in his career.
131.5 -- That's Aaron Rodgers' passer rating in games after he has a passer rating of 50.0 or less. He has thrown 13 touchdowns and zero interceptions in those four games and Green Bay is 4-0. Rodgers went 22-for-27 for 255 yards and could have had more. He lamented afterwards several misses on deep shots to Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
What’s Next
Green Bay (1-1) hits the road to face San Francisco (2-0) on Sunday night.
The Camp: Sept. 20, 2021
It's Notre Dame week for the Badgers. Zach and Jesse talk about Jack Coan vs his former team, which QB has more pressure on them and potential X-factors in the game. The guys are also joined by The Athletic's Pete Sampson to get a look at things from Notre Dame's side.
