In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, the Packers had their first preseason game this past weekend, and Lucas and Oates have a lot of thoughts. But no questions about the Packers’ Number One WR, or LaFleur might vomit. He says he’s sick of that question, and there’s little question why. One of the few issues Aaron Rodgers had when he was still with the Packers was that he focused too much on Davante Adams and not enough on anyone else.

Instead, the Packers have several “top” guys, which helps in a lot of ways, Oates says. First, you aren’t paying any one of them quite as much as you would a Number One guy. But it also opens up the offense when the defense doesn’t know where you’re going to pass to.

Moving away from the receivers though, Oates was pretty impressed with their new defensive line. They're talented and explosive, which is not something they’ve seen quite as much in recent years. The Packers old defense wasn’t playing to their players strengths, but if they stay as they looked on Saturday, that might not be the case this season. It might not be fancy and exotic, but it will be aggressive.

Moving away from football, Team USA won the gold in basketball, thanks in no small part to Steph Curry. It was another great moment for him, in a career of great moments. Steph’s changed basketball, Lucas says, and probably won’t be the same for a long time. Also on Team USA, and not to be discounted, is Jrue Holiday. If you look at the paper, Jrue probably wouldn’t be considered a hall of famer. But if you look at the court, and the results? There’s no question, and this gold medal just cements that fact.

The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Lucas and Oates spend a little bit of time having old man flashbacks before tackling a big question everyone watching the beginning of the NFL season: what’s going on with these new kickoff rules?

They’ll be tested out for a one-year basis, but they are very confusing. Onside kicks are only allowed in the fourth quarter, and only if the team is trailing, and they have to be declared first? Touchbacks can be at the 20, 30, or 40 yard line? Sure, keeping the kickoff is a good thing, it should stick around! But this is confusing.

There’s only one way to really know how they will turn out - watching a game. Still, the Packers were one of only a few teams to vote against the rule change. The first team to really figure out how to make the new rules work to their advantage might still be able to make some real big plays.

Speaking of Packers games, they play their first preseason game this Saturday, and Love will be on the field. Probably not for the full game, but Oates says it’s a good thing. The Packers are a young team this year, and Love is still a young quarterback. Getting some snaps in before the regular season could help them in the long run.

The Packers first regular season game this year? Against Philly, and playing in Brazil. Lucas doesn’t like it, and neither does Oates. Lucas doesn’t like it because it’s not fair to the fans. It’s the opening game of the season, and very few hometown fans will probably be able to attend. Oates doesn’t like it because it’s not fair to the players. Any time any team plays overseas, it’s going to take more than a week for them to recover.

Finally, the Memorial Shell at UW Madison is coming down, and Oates has a lot of memories playing pickup basketball there, going back decades. He’s played against everyone from football coaches to a cavalcade of players, to even a former Wisconsin governor…

The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Lucas and Oates pick up on last week’s conversation on Jordan Love. After some speculation on his contract, Love is walking away with $55 million a season. Is that a big bag? Yes, but it’s still friendly to the team, thanks to slightly lower guaranteed money.

While the deal was inevitable, Oates says, the Packers at least have some protection in case Love doesn’t turn out to be as good as he was the last 10 games of last season. The Packers weren’t getting out of this cheap, not without Love, and Oates says that this is a decent deal, and everyone can come out happy.

That means that Love joins the $50 million + club, which means that now we have to ask: which $50 million + quarterback is going to play in the super bowl this next year?

Meanwhile, the MLB trade deadline has come and gone. There was some concern that Yellich could see his replacement come through after his latest injury. But the Brewers have bigger fish to fry, namely their starting pitchers. The Brewers need someone with length, Oates says, considering how much of their bench has been on the DL this year.

Finally, the Badgers have started practice in Platteville. It’s no use to try and decide if they’ll be a great team or not this year, Lucas says. At least not in this heat.

The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.