October 31, 2025 • 10 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's talk to the longtime voice of the Green Bay Packers.
He's back for the first time on the show, I
think since three years ago. Wayne Lairvie is with us
for a football Friday conversation. Wayne, we appreciate the time,
my friend.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
How are you good to be with you?
Speaker 1 (00:14):
So let's just five, one and one. The only real
blips there are a loss to the Browns and a
you know, notable tie against the Cowboys on Sunday Night football. Otherwise,
it seems like things have gone swimmingly up there in
Green Bay. How have you seen it from your view
in the booth.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Well, they've gotten off. They got off to a great
start with the win at home over Detroit opening week,
and then five nights later they followed up with a
win over Washington and you know, that was a great start.
And then the Cleveland game was, like you mentioned, a
bump in the road. A couple of plays here and there,
special teams play kind of turned that thing around. And
then the following week in Dallas, same thing. Got a
(00:53):
block pat return for a you know, defensive two point
to score, and all of a sudden, that game that
Packers had in hand turned into a real track meet,
and so they were fortunate to get out of there
with a tie. But since then, they you know, they've
done what they've had to do to get wins. And
(01:15):
the last two weeks, you know, the Arizona game was
a good win in the desert because so many things
went wrong on that trip. And then you know, a
week ago at Pittsburgh that was a pretty important game
for both sides with Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love going
up against one another, and they put together a great
second half. So they seem to be a team that's
getting better building. Not quite at the ceiling yet, though.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Well that's yeah, ceiling is where I want to go.
Specific to the quarterback, I've watched a good bit of
Jordan Love this year, not as much as you obviously,
but you know, I do see a guy who is
still climbing toward the ceiling. And I mean that in
a complimentary way. Thirteen touchdowns, two interceptions, I believe, a
passer rating of one twelve point eight so far this year,
nearly eighteen hundred yards. I mean, it seems like he's
continuing to grow up in front of us. Where is
(01:58):
he in the evolution of being a franchise quarterback.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Yeah, he's really developed from the standpoint of his mechanics
are much better than they were two three years ago.
His accuracy as a result much improved. I mean, he
completed twenty passes in a row in Pittsburgh and that
set the franchise record. And you have to understand, this
is a franchise that includes Bart Star, Lynn Dickey, Brett Farr,
(02:25):
and Aaron Rodgers. None of them ever completed twenty consecutive
passes in an NFL game, and Jordan Love has done that.
So you know, you see the potential there, you see
the ability level there, and you know the kid is
a hard worker and he doesn't let things get to
his head. Very cool, calm and collected. I think where
he's made his biggest improvement is justin handling the huddle
(02:48):
and handling things on the field. And you know, this
is where he's starting to really grow up as a quarterback.
The talent has always bet there.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
There's this, you know, perpetual conversation with quarterbacks. We're certainly
having it around here with Bryce Young, We had it
about Cam Newton. It happens all over the league. You know,
is the quarterback elevating people around him. Is the quarterback
the beneficiary of great talent around him. I look at
Green Bay and I see Romeo Dobbs, and I see
Josh Jacobs and Tucker Craft, like I see good players.
(03:18):
Where do you like, is Jordan Love elevating these guys?
Does he have you know, one of the better groups
of weapons as you see it? What's the dynamic there?
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Yeah? I think he's elevating people. This is a very
still a very young football team, right They got Christian
Watson back, who's really the leader of that wide receiving corps,
and they have so many mouths of need that it's
really hard for anyone to really get on track, you know,
to put together three or four great weeks like a
Justin Jefferson would because this offense, they spread that ball
(03:47):
around and they're so deep at this position. I mean,
Jayden Reed, their leading receiver each of the last two years,
has been out for a month, and nobody's fissed them
because they have people who can pick up the slack
that regard. And I don't mean that in a damaging
aspect with you know, Jade Reed. I mean he's missed,
but the fact is his production is being accounted for
(04:10):
by other people who are talented as well. So to
say that Jordan is lifting them, yeah, I think he
is to an extent, but he's also got good talent
around him.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Wade Larvie, longtime voice of the Green Bay Packers, hanging
out with us here on a Friday. What was your react,
I mean, I guess your response to or your immediate
reaction to the mic of Parsons trade. What's the first
thing you thought about what that might look like when
the trade was announced?
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Well, first off, I was shocked. I mean I heard
the rumors and everything and it said, nah, there's no
way that's gonna happen. But when it did happen, it
was like wow. You know, first off, they lost Kenny
Clark because he was part of that deal and he
was a big part of that defense on the field
and off and so they certainly miss him in the
middle of that defensive line. But the MinC of Parsons
(05:00):
aspects and where we all thought it might go was
that this guy, just his presence would make those edge
rushers around him better. And in fact they have, and
in fact, you know, a guy like Rashan Gary is
among the league leaders in sacks. You know, Devonte Wyatt
(05:22):
starting to blossom as an interior defensive tackle and really
taking over as the stud in the middle of that
defensive line. All these things are happening because Micah Parsons
and the attention he draws allows other people to accomplish things.
And Lucas van Nests was off to a great start,
for a foot injury took him out the last three weeks.
(05:43):
So these guys are coming on. They have excellent talent
of that position. What they needed was somebody to kind
of elevate them and that's what Parsons has done. Now.
Mike also is among the league leaders and pressures. He's
also among the league leaders with five and a half sacks,
so he's done his part.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Wayne Lairvy, voice of the Green Bay Packers, hanging out
with us here on a Friday. We were without Bryce
Young here in Carolina last week against against the Buffalo Bills.
Bryce will play Sunday, and you know it was just
two years ago you were there for it. He went
twenty three of thirty six for three twelve and two
touchdowns and that was really the first game and it
didn't sustain, but that was the first game where a
(06:20):
lot of people watch Bryce Young and thought, Okay, he
can do this, he can become a franchise quarterback. What
do you recall about that day and what you thought
of Bryce after the game?
Speaker 2 (06:29):
I just remember that was a very hard thought game
that was not as good as Carolina team as they
have now, and they took the Packers, who were playoff
found at that time, right down to the wire and
it took a couple of big plays made by Jordan
Love to pull that game out. And I do remember
Bryce Young being extremely effective, you know, And I think
(06:51):
this kid has an opportunity to be a very good
franchise quarterback. He's got all the tools. The thing he
doesn't have is the height, the stature, that kind of
thing the NFL prototypical quarterback body. But he's got everything else.
And he seems like a smart kid. And if you're
a good offensive coordinator, as Dave Canalis is, you're to
(07:14):
manufacture offense around this guy and what he can do.
Maybe you're gonna move that pocket a little bit left
and right depending, you're gonna give him angles to throw
the football, and those are the things I see them
doing with him, and quite Frankly, he made a throw
the I was I can't remember, I've watched the last
three games, but maybe it was two weeks ago. He
made a throw in traffic. I said, wow, that was
(07:37):
threading the eye of the needle throw. And so this
kid has great deal of ability and there's a reason
he was drafted where he was drafted.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
Well, if you're if you're Matt Laflor and Jeff Haffley
and you're looking at this offense, they've got a couple
of offensive lineman nicked up. They've already lost two, one
for the season, one for most of it. They are
gonna go with Rico Dawdle as the feature back. It
sounds like on Sunday, according to reports this afternoon, this
team is has run the ball well at times, they've
defended the run well at times, but they're still young
and inconsistent. What do you see Carolina posing in terms
(08:08):
of matchup problems potentially for Green Bay?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Yeah? I think doubtell And I wouldn't count of to
Behobbard either. He's not off to a great start, I
get that, but I think he's still sound and on
any given week he can bust out. There's no doubt
about that in my mind. So they've got a great
one two punch of running back. Etn the rookie gives
them another kind of dimensional runner. And you know Dallas
(08:35):
is DJ Dallas has bounced around a little bit. I'm
very familiar with his game as well. They've got a
nice stable to running backs. I'm curious as to who
they're gonna start at center if Ka Bays can't play
and and you know that kind of thing. But losing
people on the offensive line, and we saw it earlier
this year in Green Bay has a tremendous impact on
(08:56):
the ground game. And you know it's a matter of
your runners get to the line of scrimmage before they
get hit, or do they get hit behind the line
of scrimmage, And that makes all the difference in the
world of production. So I'll be curious to see how
that happens, how they run the football against Green Bay,
because I think that's something they're gonna want to establish early.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
I'll let you go on this way, and just one
fellow broadcaster to another, I've admired your work from AFAR
for a long time and we were just looking at
your resume yesterday and just reminding her. You know, we
were recalled that you've been at this since nineteen seventy five,
Voice of the Chiefs, Voice of the Bears, the Packers,
the Bulls, Big Ten Network, Westwood One. You've done it
all fifty years into an illustrious broadcast career. Just in
(09:37):
talking to you, it sounds like you love it every
bit as much as you probably did when you started.
How do you keep that live?
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Well, yeah, I do. It's a nice way to make
the living up. It's very importunate, and you know, worked
with some good people to be honest with you, But no,
I still enjoyed doing it. And you know, in our business,
we don't have to retire. Somebody will tell you you're retired,
you're done, get out of here. We don't want you anymore.
(10:06):
So I've always kind of looked at it that way.
You know, people say, well, I don't know if I'm
gonna retire or not. I don't have to make that decision.
Somebody's gonna make that for me someday.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
Well, said Wayne Lairvy, voice of the Green Bay Packers,
on the call Sunday is Carolina visits Green Bay. Thank
you for the time, Wayne, have a great call.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Hey, great to talk with you. Hopefully we'll talk again
before three years is up.
Let's talk to the longtime voice of the Green Bay Packers.
He's back for the first time on the show, I
think since three years ago. Wayne Lairvie is with us
for a football Friday conversation. Wayne, we appreciate the time,
my friend.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
How are you good to be with you?
Speaker 1 (00:14):
So let's just five, one and one. The only real
blips there are a loss to the Browns and a
you know, notable tie against the Cowboys on Sunday Night football. Otherwise,
it seems like things have gone swimmingly up there in
Green Bay. How have you seen it from your view
in the booth.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Well, they've gotten off. They got off to a great
start with the win at home over Detroit opening week,
and then five nights later they followed up with a
win over Washington and you know, that was a great start.
And then the Cleveland game was, like you mentioned, a
bump in the road. A couple of plays here and there,
special teams play kind of turned that thing around. And
then the following week in Dallas, same thing. Got a
(00:53):
block pat return for a you know, defensive two point
to score, and all of a sudden, that game that
Packers had in hand turned into a real track meet,
and so they were fortunate to get out of there
with a tie. But since then, they you know, they've
done what they've had to do to get wins. And
(01:15):
the last two weeks, you know, the Arizona game was
a good win in the desert because so many things
went wrong on that trip. And then you know, a
week ago at Pittsburgh that was a pretty important game
for both sides with Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love going
up against one another, and they put together a great
second half. So they seem to be a team that's
getting better building. Not quite at the ceiling yet, though.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Well that's yeah, ceiling is where I want to go.
Specific to the quarterback, I've watched a good bit of
Jordan Love this year, not as much as you obviously,
but you know, I do see a guy who is
still climbing toward the ceiling. And I mean that in
a complimentary way. Thirteen touchdowns, two interceptions, I believe, a
passer rating of one twelve point eight so far this year,
nearly eighteen hundred yards. I mean, it seems like he's
continuing to grow up in front of us. Where is
(01:58):
he in the evolution of being a franchise quarterback.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Yeah, he's really developed from the standpoint of his mechanics
are much better than they were two three years ago.
His accuracy as a result much improved. I mean, he
completed twenty passes in a row in Pittsburgh and that
set the franchise record. And you have to understand, this
is a franchise that includes Bart Star, Lynn Dickey, Brett Farr,
(02:25):
and Aaron Rodgers. None of them ever completed twenty consecutive
passes in an NFL game, and Jordan Love has done that.
So you know, you see the potential there, you see
the ability level there, and you know the kid is
a hard worker and he doesn't let things get to
his head. Very cool, calm and collected. I think where
he's made his biggest improvement is justin handling the huddle
(02:48):
and handling things on the field. And you know, this
is where he's starting to really grow up as a quarterback.
The talent has always bet there.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
There's this, you know, perpetual conversation with quarterbacks. We're certainly
having it around here with Bryce Young, We had it
about Cam Newton. It happens all over the league. You know,
is the quarterback elevating people around him. Is the quarterback
the beneficiary of great talent around him. I look at
Green Bay and I see Romeo Dobbs, and I see
Josh Jacobs and Tucker Craft, like I see good players.
(03:18):
Where do you like, is Jordan Love elevating these guys?
Does he have you know, one of the better groups
of weapons as you see it? What's the dynamic there?
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Yeah? I think he's elevating people. This is a very
still a very young football team, right They got Christian
Watson back, who's really the leader of that wide receiving corps,
and they have so many mouths of need that it's
really hard for anyone to really get on track, you know,
to put together three or four great weeks like a
Justin Jefferson would because this offense, they spread that ball
(03:47):
around and they're so deep at this position. I mean,
Jayden Reed, their leading receiver each of the last two years,
has been out for a month, and nobody's fissed them
because they have people who can pick up the slack
that regard. And I don't mean that in a damaging
aspect with you know, Jade Reed. I mean he's missed,
but the fact is his production is being accounted for
(04:10):
by other people who are talented as well. So to
say that Jordan is lifting them, yeah, I think he
is to an extent, but he's also got good talent
around him.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Wade Larvie, longtime voice of the Green Bay Packers, hanging
out with us here on a Friday. What was your react,
I mean, I guess your response to or your immediate
reaction to the mic of Parsons trade. What's the first
thing you thought about what that might look like when
the trade was announced?
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Well, first off, I was shocked. I mean I heard
the rumors and everything and it said, nah, there's no
way that's gonna happen. But when it did happen, it
was like wow. You know, first off, they lost Kenny
Clark because he was part of that deal and he
was a big part of that defense on the field
and off and so they certainly miss him in the
middle of that defensive line. But the MinC of Parsons
(05:00):
aspects and where we all thought it might go was
that this guy, just his presence would make those edge
rushers around him better. And in fact they have, and
in fact, you know, a guy like Rashan Gary is
among the league leaders in sacks. You know, Devonte Wyatt
(05:22):
starting to blossom as an interior defensive tackle and really
taking over as the stud in the middle of that
defensive line. All these things are happening because Micah Parsons
and the attention he draws allows other people to accomplish things.
And Lucas van Nests was off to a great start,
for a foot injury took him out the last three weeks.
(05:43):
So these guys are coming on. They have excellent talent
of that position. What they needed was somebody to kind
of elevate them and that's what Parsons has done. Now.
Mike also is among the league leaders and pressures. He's
also among the league leaders with five and a half sacks,
so he's done his part.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Wayne Lairvy, voice of the Green Bay Packers, hanging out
with us here on a Friday. We were without Bryce
Young here in Carolina last week against against the Buffalo Bills.
Bryce will play Sunday, and you know it was just
two years ago you were there for it. He went
twenty three of thirty six for three twelve and two
touchdowns and that was really the first game and it
didn't sustain, but that was the first game where a
(06:20):
lot of people watch Bryce Young and thought, Okay, he
can do this, he can become a franchise quarterback. What
do you recall about that day and what you thought
of Bryce after the game?
Speaker 2 (06:29):
I just remember that was a very hard thought game
that was not as good as Carolina team as they
have now, and they took the Packers, who were playoff
found at that time, right down to the wire and
it took a couple of big plays made by Jordan
Love to pull that game out. And I do remember
Bryce Young being extremely effective, you know, And I think
(06:51):
this kid has an opportunity to be a very good
franchise quarterback. He's got all the tools. The thing he
doesn't have is the height, the stature, that kind of
thing the NFL prototypical quarterback body. But he's got everything else.
And he seems like a smart kid. And if you're
a good offensive coordinator, as Dave Canalis is, you're to
(07:14):
manufacture offense around this guy and what he can do.
Maybe you're gonna move that pocket a little bit left
and right depending, you're gonna give him angles to throw
the football, and those are the things I see them
doing with him, and quite Frankly, he made a throw
the I was I can't remember, I've watched the last
three games, but maybe it was two weeks ago. He
made a throw in traffic. I said, wow, that was
(07:37):
threading the eye of the needle throw. And so this
kid has great deal of ability and there's a reason
he was drafted where he was drafted.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
Well, if you're if you're Matt Laflor and Jeff Haffley
and you're looking at this offense, they've got a couple
of offensive lineman nicked up. They've already lost two, one
for the season, one for most of it. They are
gonna go with Rico Dawdle as the feature back. It
sounds like on Sunday, according to reports this afternoon, this
team is has run the ball well at times, they've
defended the run well at times, but they're still young
and inconsistent. What do you see Carolina posing in terms
(08:08):
of matchup problems potentially for Green Bay?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Yeah? I think doubtell And I wouldn't count of to
Behobbard either. He's not off to a great start, I
get that, but I think he's still sound and on
any given week he can bust out. There's no doubt
about that in my mind. So they've got a great
one two punch of running back. Etn the rookie gives
them another kind of dimensional runner. And you know Dallas
(08:35):
is DJ Dallas has bounced around a little bit. I'm
very familiar with his game as well. They've got a
nice stable to running backs. I'm curious as to who
they're gonna start at center if Ka Bays can't play
and and you know that kind of thing. But losing
people on the offensive line, and we saw it earlier
this year in Green Bay has a tremendous impact on
(08:56):
the ground game. And you know it's a matter of
your runners get to the line of scrimmage before they
get hit, or do they get hit behind the line
of scrimmage, And that makes all the difference in the
world of production. So I'll be curious to see how
that happens, how they run the football against Green Bay,
because I think that's something they're gonna want to establish early.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
I'll let you go on this way, and just one
fellow broadcaster to another, I've admired your work from AFAR
for a long time and we were just looking at
your resume yesterday and just reminding her. You know, we
were recalled that you've been at this since nineteen seventy five,
Voice of the Chiefs, Voice of the Bears, the Packers,
the Bulls, Big Ten Network, Westwood One. You've done it
all fifty years into an illustrious broadcast career. Just in
(09:37):
talking to you, it sounds like you love it every
bit as much as you probably did when you started.
How do you keep that live?
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Well, yeah, I do. It's a nice way to make
the living up. It's very importunate, and you know, worked
with some good people to be honest with you, But no,
I still enjoyed doing it. And you know, in our business,
we don't have to retire. Somebody will tell you you're retired,
you're done, get out of here. We don't want you anymore.
(10:06):
So I've always kind of looked at it that way.
You know, people say, well, I don't know if I'm
gonna retire or not. I don't have to make that decision.
Somebody's gonna make that for me someday.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
Well, said Wayne Lairvy, voice of the Green Bay Packers,
on the call Sunday is Carolina visits Green Bay. Thank
you for the time, Wayne, have a great call.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Hey, great to talk with you. Hopefully we'll talk again
before three years is up.
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