Episode Details

The boys are back in town...and if Christopher and David wanna fight, you better let ’em. Fortunately, no blood was spilled, and no drinks flowed, since this particular session was recorded over the lunch hour and even Wisconsin boys understand there are limits to what HR will tolerate before 1:00 p.m.

Yes, Packers Therapy is back for Season 22, which means Chris and Dave have apparently learned absolutely nothing from the first 21.

Or perhaps they have. They’ve matured. Evolved. Grown wiser.

Which is why they spend the opening minutes calling themselves Christopher and David, administering a true-or-false examination about Ticket King, discussing cortisone injections, grandchildren, medical imaging, deodorant accessibility, and discovering that after more than two decades of podcasting they can no longer reliably remember the names of people they watched play football six months ago.

Welcome to the future.

Eventually, actual Packers football intrudes upon the proceedings, courtesy of Green Bay’s first practice game against Pittsburgh. The fellas wisely refuse to perform a Zapruder-level analysis of August football involving men who may soon be delivering your patio furniture, but there were enough breadcrumbs to awaken the dormant football lobe.

Most encouragingly, the defense appeared interested in attacking somebody.

Jonathan Gannon’s group showed pressure looks, defenders crowded around the line of scrimmage, one-high safety formations and the occasional suggestion that third-and-long might finally be treated as an opportunity to assault the quarterback rather than politely escort him toward an 11-yard completion. Lukas Van Ness and Brenton Cox generated pressure, the young secondary flashed some actual tackling, and for several intoxicating moments Chris and Dave contemplated an exotic possibility:

What if the Packers defense became...aggressive?

Naturally, everyone is advised to remain seated until September.

Elsewhere, Keisean Nixon continues his fascinating campaign to become the first player simultaneously annoyed by his best position and determined to make Packers fans nervous at another one. A particularly casual attempt at tackling provides Dave with an opportunity to revisit his theory that Nixon might benefit from being told, very firmly, what his job is. Meanwhile, the Packers appear to have other return options, which could eventually make the entire discussion considerably less theoretical.

Then there’s Trey Smack.

Two 58-yard field goals. Right down the middle.

That’s it. That’s the bit.

The man is named Smack, he kicks footballs extremely far, and Packers Therapy would like to formally request that he remain employed for the next decade so we can wring every possible variation of this joke out of the English language.

The conversation inevitably wanders toward the offensive line, where Chris unleashes the scorching-hot observation that the Packers might be better if the people assigned to block other people successfully block those people. Jordan Love remains lethal when protected and somewhat less lethal when several 290-pound men arrive in his lap. Jordan Morgan has a tremendous opportunity at left tackle, Anthony Belton is moving around, Aaron Banks remains more investment than return, and the entire enterprise carries the faint aroma of something that could become surprisingly good or catastrophically important.

In other words: football.

There’s also Marshawn Lloyd, who remains tantalizing enough to make everyone remember why Green Bay drafted him while simultaneously carrying two seasons’ worth of bubble wrap. Tucker Kraft is back frighteningly early. Matthew Golden, Jayden Reed and Christian Watson give the Packers a beautifully danger