Packernet Podcast: Green Bay Packers

Pack Nation, we tried to stay on the rails. We really did. But when Uncle Rico calls three times in one night and Bear Mace Plus has a flashbang mode, all bets are off. Packernet After Dark went full chaos tonight, and honestly? Wouldn't have it any other way. Sports Illustrated & the Van Ness Fifth Year Option — Ryan fires back at the haters dunking on the Lukas Van Ness fifth-year option, breaking down why it's smart business at a premium position and why the so-called "experts" don't know what they're talking about UDFA Wave Two & Roster Depth — Drew from Green Bay and Ryan dig into whether signing anyone in the second UDFA wave actually makes sense right now, or if waiting for mid-season need is the smarter play Gutekunst Radio Interview Breakdown — Batman calls in from his coffee truck outside a BTS concert (only on this show) with key takeaways from Gutey's Sirius XM interview: Smack is in, McManus is out, and Sean Ryan is your starting center Uncle Rico's Skydiving Saga, AI Paranoia, and Sala

Brick Lombardi cracks open the vault. Four tracks. Four moods. One very bad night for a Bears fan in Naperville, Illinois. The episode opens on the dance floor with GO PACK GO — an electro-pop, crunk-influenced banger built for the club and dedicated to the women who bleed green and gold. Standards are green and gold. If you don't know that, Brick does. From there, the energy shifts hard into PRESSURE — a cinematic, Queen-interpolated meditation on pass protection collapse and the particular dread of watching Jordan Love disappear into a rush. Heavy. Restrained. Honest. SUPERSTITIOUS brings the groove — a Stevie Wonder-influenced funk anthem for every Packer fan who's never spoken their ritual out loud. Same chair. Same hoodie. Same socks. The commentator jinx as a theological crisis. You know the system. You never talk about the system. Brick talks about the system. The episode closes with LET 'EM CRY — a Southern rock ballad. Organ, acoustic guitar, and a Bears fan alone at a bar in Naperville. Fourth a

Big Sal from Peshtigo is in the recliner, meatball sandwich in hand, and he is FIRED UP. ESPN Milwaukee and ESPN Madison — the hometown guys, the cheese curd crowd — are calling the Lukas Van Ness fifth-year option a bust move. Thirteen point eight million dollars guaranteed, and they're calling it stupid. Sal is here to tell them exactly how wrong they are, receipts in hand, like a man returning a busted toaster oven. Van Ness posted 23 pressures in a half season on a busted foot — a career high — and ten pressures in his final three games. That's not a bust. That's Hercules warming up. The market context is damning for the critics: Kingsley Enagbare just got TEN million for ONE year from the Jets. Van Ness at thirteen point eight for two years is a bargain by comparison. With Rashan Gary traded to Dallas, Kingsley gone, and Micah Parsons rehabbing a torn ACL, the Packers needed Van Ness. The runway is finally clear — and Gutey made sure it wasn't empty. Subscribe, leave a five-star review on Apple, Spot

Pack Nation, Ryan is fired up — and this one turned into something special. What started as a quick take on Lucas Van Ness's fifth year option turned into a full-on intervention for Packer fans who've convinced themselves that nobody on this roster is worth paying. Buckle up. The Rasini Rabbit Hole: Ryan goes deep on the conspiracy theory nobody is saying out loud — could The Athletic's investigation into inappropriate reporter-source relationships be connected to a sudden wave of high-profile NFL executives "stepping away to pursue other passions"? He wants credit if it turns out to be true. Lucas Van Ness Is a No-Brainer: The fifth year option is a bargain. Van Ness is slotting in as roughly the 40th-highest-paid pass rusher in the league. Letting him walk means handing the edge rotation to Baron Sorrell and a prayer. Ryan breaks down exactly why this isn't a debate. Salary Cap School Is In Session: Ryan pulls out his salary cap calculator at packergames.com and walks through why fans are consi

Pack Daddy is stir crazy, the callers are locked in, and somehow the whole thing turns into one of the most unexpectedly insightful nights in After Dark history. Ryan opens with a restless energy he can't shake — bungee jumping, road trips to Maine, a pint of ice cream — but the calls keep coming and so does the football. Daniel from California breaks down exactly how the Packers' 2025 draft class is schemed to attack the NFC's biggest hurdles — Brandon C'Sae as the answer to the Rams' edge-run game and McClellan as the interior pressure weapon Caleb Williams genuinely cannot handle TJ from Alabama veers into a late-night riff on "my truth," personal responsibility, and the libertarian Gen X worldview that apparently nobody under 30 remembers anymore Uncle Rico delivers his definitive NFL loyalty doctrine across multiple legendary call-ins: every player is garbage unless they're a Packer, and the moment they leave, that's it — they're garbage again Garrett from Southern Illinois calls in with high praise fo

Pack Nation, pour something warm and dim the lights — Brick Lombardi is opening the vault. Thirty years in radio, half of them cold, all of them worth it, and tonight Tundra FM is digging into four tracks that lived inside the seasons and knew something before the rest of us did. This is what happens when Packers football gets set to music.

Pack Nation, Big Sal from Peshtigo is FIRED UP — and for once, it's not because Brian Gutekunst did something dumb. It's because the man might've actually done something SMART. Sal cracks open the Jayden Reed extension, sees the sneaky cap-flat structure, and connects the dots to what's REALLY coming next: Christian Watson and Tucker Kraft.

Pack Nation, the gang is back together and the late-night chaos is in full swing! Snacks emerges from his post-Bears-collapse hibernation, an attorney named Don Bryber leaves a cryptic message about Nico, and Ryan walks through the lingering free agent questions facing Brian Gutekunst as the roster crystallizes at 91 men.

Brick Lombardi is back behind the mic and tonight Tundra FM went four deep — four songs, four genres, zero apologies. We opened with "Green Voltage," a German industrial metal anthem about that Pittsburgh comeback nobody saw coming. Down 16-7 on national TV and the Packers ripped the script apart. Then we honored the legend himself — Clay Matthews gets the tribute he deserves with "The Predator," because number 52 earned every note. "Pack Attack" welcomes Micah Parsons to Green Bay with bars aimed straight at Jerry Jones and that Sunday night Dallas showdown — no tribute video needed "Always Meant to Be" is a tech-house meditation on Gute's quiet six-pick draft: McClellan, Sutton, Burton, Jackson, and Trey Smack booting 50-yarders like it's nothing From Rammstein energy to dance floor vibes, Brick proves there's no genre Packers music can't conquer First episode available on both the podcast feed and YouTube — the door's open wider now Whether you've been riding with Tundra FM since day one or this is you

Big Sal did not sleep last night. He was up until two in the morning reading draft grades, pacing the living room in his socks, and now he has something to say about it. Sports Illustrated gave the Green Bay Packers a D for their 2026 draft class, and Sal is here to burn that grade to the ground — pick by pick, stat by stat, slippers and all. Sal makes the case for Brandon Cisse as a Day 2 steal: a twenty-year-old corner who ran a 4.41 and allowed just eighteen catches in coverage at South Carolina — and why calling him "raw" misses the entire point of developmental drafting The picks SI barely mentioned: Chris McClellan's eleven-inch hands and scheme-perfect fit, Dani Dennis-Sutton's 9.96 RAS and fourth-round robbery, Jager Burton's zero sacks allowed and 4.94 forty at 312 pounds Why drafting Trey Smack is not a punchline — it is a direct response to Brandon McManus leaving seven points on the field in a four-point playoff loss Big Sal said what he said. Now it's your turn — subscribe, leave a five-star

Ryan dives headfirst into two stories dominating the NFL news cycle — one that keeps getting more shocking by the day, and one that's completely manufactured nonsense. First up, the Diana Rossini-Mike Vrabel situation has escalated far beyond hotel photos. Ryan walks through the full timeline of new evidence, including a Spotify playlist discovery that connects some very uncomfortable dots, dating back years before the public ever caught wind of anything. The full Rossini-Vrabel timeline: from 2015 GM affair allegations to the latest Spotify playlist bombshell, deleted accounts, and social media sleuthing that points to something far deeper than anyone initially assumed Conception window analysis that has the internet calling for paternity tests on both of Rossini's children The Micah Parsons "controversy" that isn't one — Ryan plays the full unedited clip and exposes how every major account clipped the same dishonest snippet to manufacture outrage A passionate rant on the softening of NFL culture, fake out

The draft dust has settled and Pack Nation is calling in HOT. Tonight's After Dark crew breaks down every Packers pick from the quality-over-quantity approach to the late-round gambles, and the consensus is clear — this might be Gute's best draft yet. Plus, the callers are already handing out nicknames and cooking up Lambeau traditions for the new guys. Beer Cheese Benny kicks things off with love for the Jager Burton pick and his zero-sack streak at Kentucky, while Batman delivers a scorching take on the Bears' disastrous draft and Caleb Williams' regression risk behind a potentially crumbling offensive line Daniel from California breaks down the upside of Brandon C'Sae's Stephon Gilmore mentorship, McClellan's unmovable run defense, and why Deny Dennis Sutton's athleticism and production make his draft fall inexplicable Uncle Rico solves the pronunciation problem once and for all — DDS is now officially "The Dentist" — while Aaron pitches the "What Does the C'Sae?" wave as Lambeau's next great defensive t

Brick Lombardi opens up the vault and the draft week jukebox is stacked. The Packers took a corner — Brandon Cisay out of South Carolina, 52nd overall — and Pack Nation already gave the kid a full tongue twister anthem before he's unpacked a suitcase. 41-inch vertical, 4.41 forty, and a chorus that might require dental insurance to perform.

Big Sal is back to close out the NFC North draft review series, and he saved the easiest roast for last — the Detroit Lions. After falling from 15-2 and an NFC Championship appearance to a 9-8 couch season, Brad Holmes answered with the safest, most vanilla draft class Big Sal has ever seen. Blake Miller at 17 is the meatloaf of draft picks — nobody's mad, nobody's excited, he just exists. Meanwhile the rest of the division is eating steak. Detroit traded UP to take Derek Moore over Zion Young, paying more to get the prospect most analysts graded lower. Two of their first three picks are Michigan Wolverines — that's not scouting, that's a Big Ten alumni mixer with a salary cap. Five of seven picks were defensive players, yet they still didn't address safety or tight end. The secondary got torched in 2025 and Holmes put a bucket under one leak and called it a renovation. One bright spot: Keith Abney, CB out of Arizona State in the fifth round — real value that even Big Sal can't deny. The final NFC North d

Ryan's back and loaded with takes on this episode of the Packernet Podcast. From new jersey number reveals — including Brandon C'Saye rocking #2 and Javon Bullard's switch to #7 — to the bombshell report that 21 of 32 NFL teams want to eliminate the seventh round of the draft, this one covers a LOT of ground. The case for and against cutting the 7th round, including the massive financial gap between late-round picks and UDFAs and what it means for roster-building Why the 18-game season panic is overblown — and why comparing the NFL to the NBA's 82-game grind is flat-out wrong A passionate deep dive into consensus draft boards vs. actual results: Evan Williams, Jaden Reed, Christian Watson, and other "reaches" that worked out just fine A reality check on what a successful draft class actually looks like — hint: two starters and a couple rotational guys is a WIN Ryan breaks down why draft "reaches" don't equal bad players, why the media grade machine is broken, and why Pack Nation needs to pump the brakes b

The draft is done, Pack Nation — and the Packernet After Dark crew is breaking it all down live with the callers. Ryan and the gang go pick by pick through Green Bay's 2026 class, from the defensive tackle trade-up to the Jagger Burton vs. Brian Parker debate at center, and yes — drafting a kicker named Smack in the late rounds. Omar, Kyle from Madison, Beer Cheese Benny, and Nico all check in with their reactions. The case for Jagger Burton over Brian Parker at center, and why the Packers' size preferences made the decision Why kicker Trace Smack is a massive upgrade over the Anders Carlson experiment — and the PFF grades to prove it Running back concerns: Why Green Bay isn't worried about the position and still believes in Marshawn Lloyd Ryan's passionate monologue on why every part of the football calendar matters — stop reducing your enjoyment to "it only counts if it's the Super Bowl" Plus, a quick update on nfldraftgrades.com — the 2027 draft class is now live on the site with 800+ prospects and a f

Big Sal is FIRED UP, Pack Nation — and for once, it's not out of anger. It's pure, unfiltered joy. The Minnesota Vikings just turned in their 2026 draft class and it reads like a parody. A first-round defensive tackle with two foot surgeries who broke his foot AGAIN at the combine. A fullback — yes, a FULLBACK — in the fifth round, in the year 2026. And a quarterback room so shaky their own front office hedged with a $1.3 million flyer on Kyler Murray. Sal breaks down every pick, every reach, and every baffling decision from an interim GM running the show without a map. Caleb Banks at 18: the biggest reach of the first round, with a medical file thicker than his scouting report The Gary Pletcher tangent you didn't know you needed — and his equal career sack total to Minnesota's third-round nose tackle Why drafting a fullback in 2026 is like buying a rotary phone at Best Buy The Justin Jefferson problem Minnesota refuses to solve Smash that subscribe button, leave a five-star review, and spread the word ac

The draft is in the books, and Pack Nation showed up to break it all down live. From the second-round corner to the sixth-round kicker that stole the show, this one had everything — hot takes, tongue twisters, and at least one audible scream when Jagger Burton's name got called. Beer Cheese Benny goes from skeptic to believer on Chris McClellan after watching the film, and the crew debates whether Gutey overpaid to move up or locked in on the only guys worth taking in a weak class Garrett from Illinois drops a See-Say tongue twister for the ages, reveals Richard Sherman's stamp of approval on Brandon See-Say, and delivers his round-by-round predictions Chris from Alabama brings the energy on Deny Dennis Sutton's Penn State pass-rush pedigree and crowns Trey Smack as his favorite pick of the entire draft Pack Daddy makes the case that this was a positional masterclass — corner, D-tackle, edge, O-line, and kicker, all in order of need — and argues the sixth round is where you swing for specialists, not lotter

Brick Lombardi is back in the booth and Draft Weekend just gave him a full album's worth of material. This is Tundra FM's draft special — four picks, four tracks, zero filler. "Deny" — Danny Dennis Sutton, EDGE, Penn State: 17 sacks. 25 TFLs. Four rounds of silence, then Green Bay called. Brick lays down a track built on patience and pass rush violence — Sutton's fall is everyone else's loss. "Moves Like Jagger" — Jagger Burton, IOL, Kentucky: Fifth-round center-guard with 47 SEC starts and a name that writes its own headline. Brick reminds you Corey Linsley came in Round 5 too. Just leaving that there. "Still Running" — Damien Jackson, CB, Alabama: A 10.25 state record at 17, five stars, a Saban retirement curveball, and 201 picks of doubt. One door opened. Green Bay was behind it. "Smack That" — Trey Smack, K, Florida: They traded up for a kicker named Smack. Florida's 50-plus record holder. McManus is officially on notice, and Brick is officially losing his mind about it. Draft weekend delivered. Brick

Big Sal from Peshtigo cannot let it go — and honestly, why would he? The Chicago Bears just walked into the 2026 NFL Draft with a broken pass rush and a prayer, and walked out with three tight ends, a gadget receiver, and a sixth-round defensive tackle. Pack Nation, this is not a bit. This actually happened. The Bears traded UP in Day 2 for their THIRD tight end while ranking near the bottom of the league in sacks — Big Sal has the fishing tackle box analogy that will haunt Ryan Poles in his sleep Ninety-five percent of Bears fans hated the draft — and Big Sal calls it what it is: North Korea numbers, but against your own team Meanwhile, Gutey sat patient with picks 52 and 84, and the Packers get to face this Bears roster TWICE a year with Micah Parsons on the edge and Jonathan Gannon in the film room Ryan and Kullen are LIVE on the Day 2 stream — get in the war room with Pack Nation and watch the real picks roll in It is a beautiful morning to be a Packer fan. Smash subscribe, drop five stars, and go tel