Mason Crosby on Green Bay Packers' 6-1 record, chemistry: 'This is the way you want to start a season'
GREEN BAY -- It took Mason Crosby 13 seasons to perform his first Lambeau Leap. The 35-year-old kicker nailed a 23-yard field goal as time expired and jumped into the crowd with a boost from long snapper Hunter Bradley after he finished off a rally for the Green Bay Packers, who benefited from some questionable officiating to edge the Detroit Lions 23-22 on Monday night, Oct. 14. Crosby on Monday, Oct. 21 sat down with FOX6's Kaitlin Sharkey to talk about that, the team's chemistry, and 6-1 start, and QB Aaron Rodgers' perfect game Sunday, Oct. 20 as the Green Bay Packers faced the Oakland Raiders at Lambeau Field
The Green Bay Packers on Sunday at Lambeau gave the rest of the NFL its first true glimpse of what Matt LaFleur's offense can look like with Aaron Rodgers at the helm -- and it was scary. Rodgers had his best game by far under the new Packers coach, throwing for 429 yards and five touchdowns and running for another as Green Bay beat the Oakland Raiders 42-24 on Sunday. Rodgers completed 25 of 31 passes to eight different targets and finished with the first perfect passer rating of his career, leading LaFleur's offense to a season-high in points. Even with top target Davante Adams sidelined for the third straight game with turf toe, Rodgers threw for his most touchdowns in a game since Sept. 28, 2015, against the Chiefs.
Afterward, Rodgers called it "the most complete that I've played."
"This is the way you want to start a season," said Crosby. "You know, as we got into training camp, and, you know, as we kind of started becoming the team and started to see those pieces, you could feel, kind of, that chemistry and that stuff building, but you never really know. You don't know until you step onto the field in that first game, and how we won against Chicago, and then we won against Minnesota. It was like, 'All right, this team is special.' We're finding ways to win, and it doesn't always look pretty. Like, you know, we still have a lot to give, but yeah. It's fun to be a part of something where guys don't make excuses. They're just stepping up to the plate every day and making sure that we are getting better every week, and going out and performing on Sundays."
FOX6's Kaitlin Sharkey: "You've played with Aaron Rodgers for a long time. You've seen his great games, great moments, and then he comes away with, Sunday, six touchdowns, are there any of these games or any of these times when you go, 'Like, is this really happening?' Because he's had so many of these great moments, how does a game like Sunday stand out?"
"Yeah, I mean, he's not gonna have too many more opportunities to have records. Like, you know, it's like, he just seems to have set, you know, pretty much all of them, so I didn't realize that hadn't been happening, or he hadn't done it. You know, I guess I would've assumed that he'd probably had a perfect game at some point, or a perfect passer rating, but I mean, what a great teammate. What a great example of what it is to lead a team. Just goes out there and performs every game, every day, and you know you can count on Aaron to have a good game, and put it all on the line, so."
FOX6's Kaitlin Sharkey: "And then looking ahead, the rhythm you guys have had on offense, just the way the team is playing, the chemistry, do you really feel like the sky is the limit for this team because things are starting to click? Everyone's getting more comfortable with where they're supposed to be, their roles, play calls, things like that?"
"I do," said Crosby. "I mean, I don't think we've had a complete game on all three phases, and, you know, we'll all admit that we have a little bit more, we can tighten it down just a little bit more."
FOX6's Kaitlin Sharkey: "Finally, were you disappointed you didn't get a Lambeau Leap on Sunday?"
"Yeah, you know, I kind of, honestly, I will look back at the film," said Crosby. "I did take a dive, you know, on the extra point right before half, so, you know, I'm trying to add a lot to, you know, my resume here, you know, as far as what I can do, but I'll take a 42-point game where, you know, I just have extra points all day. That's OK with me.