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Transcript: Mike Smith Post-Practice Interview

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**On DT Jonathan Babineaux's, LB Stephen Nicholas' and RB Jason Snelling's participation in practice:

**"Jonathan and Stephen were limited again today. Jason was full participation so we anticipate that he will play in the ball game. We still held Jonathan and Stephen in a limited role today but they made it through very well yesterday. I would anticipate that (they have the) possibility of moving up to full participation tomorrow. We had two guys that didn't participate today and that was Todd McClure and Cliff Matthews. Of course, Cliff had the issue last week in practice and Todd McClure had the issue in the game. We're hoping that Todd, we've rested him two days, we're hoping that he'll be able to evaluate him tomorrow."

**On McClure's injury:

**"It was knee aggravation."

**On WR Roddy White's practice status:

**"Roddy was limited participation today. He didn't take his normal amount of reps but he did take a pretty good workload. We anticipate that he will take his normal reps tomorrow."

**On the difference in this Packers team than last year's team:

**"I think they're very similar. I think the big difference, at least on offense, is they've got TE Jermichael Finley back. He was not in the games that we played last year and he's an integral part of what they do on offense. He's a guy that can create some matchup issues and we're anticipating that we'll see RB Ryan Grant at the running back position. They're playing about as well as any team in the League right now, especially offensively. It's a challenge but I want you to know that we're definitely looking forward to it. Our guys are excited. We had a very good, focused practice yesterday and followed it up with a good one today."

**On how the team is analyzing Green Bay's defensive stats:

**"Stats are very deceiving. The big stat that we're all concerned about is wins and losses. Ultimately, I think the rest of the stats are all discussion points. (Green Bay defensive coordinator Dom Capers) Coach Capers and his staff, I think do a great job in the multiplicity of how they put their packages together and they create issues. I think you can throw all of the stats out; yards per game, all that kind of stuff. They are a very effective defense and they create a lot of issues. They can create havoc on an offense."

**On Green Bay S Morgan Burnett:

**"We're very familiar with Morgan from Georgia Tech. He's playing well for them. He's stepped in and has done a nice job. He's made a number of plays on the ball and I don't see any decrease in productivity from when they lost their starting safety."

**On if there is a player that the Packers have added that has impressed him:

**"Finley, as I mentioned earlier, and I've been very impressed with their draft pick Randall Cobb. He is a guy that has made some game changing plays already. We all saw him on opening night, there on Thursday night. He had that spectacular kickoff return. He's a guy that has great vision, good speed and he's not only a guy that they're using as a return man. They're also using him in the offense as well and they'll run some four and five wide receiver sets at times. They've got an interesting makeup in their roster in terms of how they put it together. They have five tight ends on their roster and five wide receivers which is a little bit different and interesting. Mike (McCarthy) always does a great job and I think Aaron Rodgers, right now, is playing as well as any quarterback can play. When you complete 73 percent of your passes and have a 124 passer rating, you're doing some really good things. Their run average when they do run the ball is in the upper-echelon as well. We're looking forward to it and they're playing real good football right now."

**On Green Bay WR Jordy Nelson:

**"Jordy has got really good size and speed. He's a guy that can body you and catch the ball but can also run by you. He had the real long touchdown reception earlier in the season, I think 84 yards, and again, it wasn't that the ball was thrown that far down the field. He can catch it and he can split you and he can break tackles. He's just another weapon that they have."

**On Green Bay WR James Jones:

**"They're creating a lot of their big plays with the run after the catch. I think they have a great mentality of wherever they get the ball and when it gets in their hands, they have the idea that they're going to try to get north and south. That's going to be important for us this week, to tackle well in space. They've done a nice job of breaking tackles and they've done a nice job with the turnover ratio. They've not lost a turnover battle in the four games that they've played this year."

**On how successful Green Bay's wide receivers are on the slant route:

**"They move their guys around. It's more of a concept. Each one of those guys runs all of the routes in the offense. They run every route in the pass tree and that's one of the things that creates issues is the way that they distribute those guys and put them in different positions."

**On whether the team feels more challenged based on the outcome of last year's playoff loss to the Packers:

**"I think we get challenged every week. It's a new challenge for your team. There's things that you do well, there's things that you don't do as well each and every game, regardless of the outcome. Obviously, we did not handle some things in that game the way that we would like to but I don't think it's any different than any other week. I think the big thing for us is that it's a Sunday night game, we're playing in the Dome and we've got to be excited about that. It's such a great atmosphere for our players to go out and play in."

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