The Packers' Biggest Problem Is Hiding in Plain Sight

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Today on the Daily Cheese, the Packers
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add another young corner with a pretty
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remarkable story. The real OTAA battles
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are starting to come into focus. The
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defense has one huge stat it has to fix.
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The Lions locked up a key defender.
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Aaron Rogers is saying this is the end.
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And Matt Stafford is not going anywhere
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before the Packers see the Rams on
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Thanksgiving Eve. For all this and more,
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I'm JJ Ley and this is the Daily Cheese,
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your Green Bay Packers news update for
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the Packer Project. Let's start with the
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Marlon Jones signing because I know this
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one is a couple days old, but I have not
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covered it here yet. And it actually
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fits perfectly with where the Packers
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are right now. Green Bay signed
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quarterback Marlon Jones, an undrafted
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rookie who played at Eastern Washington
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and Vanderbilt. He's 6' tall, 190
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pounds, and the production is
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interesting. Across his college career,
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he played in 51 games with 30 starts,
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had 168 tackles, nine interceptions, 23
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passes defensed, and two pick sixes. He
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also missed the 2024 season while ba
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battling cancer and then returned to
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play at Vanderbilt in 2025, which makes
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this one of the better personal stories
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on the roster. Now, let's talk about
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what this is in real terms because Jones
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is not guaranteed to stick around all
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the way to Cutdown Day. But the Packers
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clearly wanted more bodies at corner and
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they have now added Benjamin St. Just,
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Brandon Cece, Deonte Jackson, MJ Devin,
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and Marlon Jones into that mix. This
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team is looking at its cornerback room
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and saying we need competition. We need
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options and we are not just handing
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these jobs out. So when you hear Maron
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Jones, don't think savior obviously, but
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don't dismiss him either. This is
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exactly the kind of player who can make
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a summer interesting if he tackles,
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competes, and gives them special teams
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value. What do you think about the Maron
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Jones signing? Just a nice story or do
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you think he has a real chance to stick
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around? Tell me in the comments. That
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leads right into the bigger Packers
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story because there are two jobs that
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really matter right now. Cornerback 2
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and edge two. That's where OTAAS are
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really interesting. Not because we're
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going to crown winners in May, but
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because this is where the pecking order
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starts to become clear. At corner, the
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Packers have some numbers now. They have
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some young players with upside. They
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have some guys who have experience, but
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they need someone who can actually win a
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starting job opposite Keshan Nixon,
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Carrington Valentine. And at Edge, it's
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a similar deal. We could talk about the
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big names, but the Packers need depth,
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pressure, and someone who can be a
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really dependable contributor until
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Micah Parsons comes back. So, who's
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going to line up opposite Lucas Vaness?
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Well, this is where deny Dennis Sutton,
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Colin Oliver, Baron Serell, Brentton
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Cox, and the rest of that group have to
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start separating themselves. The easy
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offseason take is always, hey, the
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Packers have talent. Great. Now, who
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actually plays? Who earns snaps? who can
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survive when the other team finds a
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matchup it likes and starts picking on
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it. That's why CB2 and Edge 2 are not
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small camp battles. These are going to
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be week one problems or week one
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solutions. Which battle matters to you
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more right now? CB2 or Edge 2? Drop it
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in the comments and let me know. Next
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up, the defense has one number that
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cannot happen again. 14 takeaways. That
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was Green Bay's total last season and it
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was the sing lowest single season total
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in franchise history. The year before
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they had 31. That's not a small drop.
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That's the difference between a defense
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creating short fields and a defense just
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hoping the offense can carry everything.
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And the message from the defensive staff
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is pretty simple. Get in position, do
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your job, and finish the play when the
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ball is there. I like that because
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turnovers are not just luck. Some of it
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is bounce at the ball stuff, sure, but
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some of it is pass rush forcing bad
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throws, corners playing through the
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hands, safeties arriving with a plan,
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and 11 guys attacking the football
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instead of watching the play end. If the
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Packers get back anywhere near that 2024
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takeaway number, this defense can change
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games. If they're stuck around 14 again,
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then we're going to be having a very
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different conversation about this
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defense by midseason. What number would
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you consider good enough this year? Do
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you think they need to get back over 25
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takeaways? Tell me where your line is.
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One more Packers adjacent scheduling
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note. The NFL is pushing harder into
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international games. I know that's
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somewhat controversial. Not all fans are
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into these, but it's going to matter for
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the Green Bay Packers sooner or later
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because the league is expanding the
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international inventory and teams are
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live losing some of the protection they
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used to have over which home games could
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be moved. Translation: Do not assume
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every big Packers home game is
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permanently safe at Lambo forever. I
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know a lot of fans hate that idea and I
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get it. Packers football at Lambo is not
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just another home game. It's part of the
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product. It's part of the advantage. But
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the league wants big brands overseas,
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and the Packers are one of the biggest
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they have. So, at some point, a major
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Packers game going international feels
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less like a wild idea and more like a
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matter of when. Would you obey Would you
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be okay with one Packers home game going
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overseas, or is that a hard no because
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Lambo games should stay at Lambo? Tell
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me in the comments. Around the NFC
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North, the Lions locked up linebacker
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Jack Campbell with a massive extension
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through 2030. The Lions are not going
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away. They are building like a team that
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expects to be in Green Bay's way for a
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while. The Bears also signed former
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Packers safety Anthony Johnson Jr.,
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which is not some huge division shaking
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move, but it is worth noting because
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he's another familiar face crossing over
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inside the NFC North. Of those two
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moves, which one matters more to you?
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Detroit locking up one of their key
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players or the Bears sullying another
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former Packer around the NFL. Aaron
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Rogers says 2026 is for sure his final
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season. He's back with the Steelers,
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reunited with Mike McCarthy, and this is
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the farewell tour. For Packers fans,
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it's not really a football impact story
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anymore, but it is a legacy story.
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Rogers and McCarthy together in
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Pittsburgh is strange, nostalgic, and is
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definitely going to be a national TV
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talking point all summer. And whether
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you are over the Ro Rogers conversation
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or not, he's still one of the biggest
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figures in Packers history. And when he
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says this is his last ride, man, it hits
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me right in the fields. I'm sure it does
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you as well. What about you? Are you
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following Rogers final season, or have
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you totally moved on? Tell me in the
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comments. Lastly, Matthew Stafford and
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the Rams have agreed to a one-year
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extension worth $55 million with
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incentives that can push it even higher.
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This matters because the Packers will
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see the Rams on Thanksgiving Eve, and
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that game looks like a real NFC
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measuring stick. Stafford, McFay,
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Laflur, Love. One of the toughest
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matchups on the schedule, but maybe the
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most fun game of the year. If Green Bay
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wants to be taken seriously in the NFC,
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these are the kind of games they need to
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win. So, circle that one right now. How
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big of a game do you think the Rams
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matchup is for Green Bay? Tell me in the
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comments. For all your Packers news and
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analysis, stay tuned to the Packers
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Project and listen to Packers Derailed
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every Monday night on YouTube. For the
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Daily Cheese, I'm JJ Lehey. Thank you
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for listening. Go pack go.