WEBVTT - #297 Packers Unscripted: Veteran additions, new outlook 0:00:00.960 --> 0:00:20.640 Hi, everybody. Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:20.720 --> 0:00:24.080 I am Mike Spofford and he is Wes Hodkowits were 0:00:24.120 --> 0:00:26.960 coming to you here from our studios at lambeau Field. 0:00:26.960 --> 0:00:31.000 Hope everybody enjoyed their Memorial Day weekend West. A bit 0:00:31.000 --> 0:00:33.760 of Packers news here since the last time we spoke, 0:00:33.800 --> 0:00:36.560 and I'm talking about the signing of a veteran tight 0:00:36.680 --> 0:00:40.480 end in Marcedes Lewis, veteran player a lot of years 0:00:40.479 --> 0:00:43.199 for the Jacksonville Jaguars, now in Green Bay. What are 0:00:43.200 --> 0:00:46.479 your initial thoughts on this addition to the tight end group. Well, 0:00:46.520 --> 0:00:48.760 here's the two thoughts I have on this. One is 0:00:48.800 --> 0:00:52.920 more from a broader perspective the Packers. Historically, when Ted 0:00:53.000 --> 0:00:55.760 Thompson was running the personnel department, they would bring guys 0:00:55.760 --> 0:00:59.120 in for visits. But the one thing I've noticed this offseason, 0:00:59.120 --> 0:01:02.080 in particular with Bryan Goudekunst, is the guys coming in 0:01:02.160 --> 0:01:06.440 for a visit. It's serious. Um, Mohammed Wilkerson visits signs. 0:01:06.480 --> 0:01:11.240 After about another week, Lewis comes in for visits Signs. Um. 0:01:11.280 --> 0:01:13.119 And if you look at and you break it down 0:01:13.200 --> 0:01:15.800 and really look at the whole picture of this thing. 0:01:16.360 --> 0:01:19.360 Louis gives them a dimension that they were missing at 0:01:19.360 --> 0:01:21.960 that tight end position. You know, he was a former 0:01:22.000 --> 0:01:25.440 pro bowler seven eight years ago. He's had some some 0:01:25.480 --> 0:01:28.280 fine receiving seasons, but his bread and butter, in a 0:01:28.319 --> 0:01:31.360 lot of ways has been as a blocker. The Packers 0:01:31.360 --> 0:01:33.920 toyed around with this idea of really having a blocking 0:01:34.000 --> 0:01:36.320 tight end in two thousand and thirteen with Matthew Mulligan 0:01:36.920 --> 0:01:40.080 not nearly as accomplished as Lewis ended up not making 0:01:40.120 --> 0:01:42.600 the roster. But other than that, they've really just been 0:01:42.640 --> 0:01:44.960 trying to make the guys they have into blockers. I 0:01:44.959 --> 0:01:47.720 think Louis gives them a guy that is bona fide 0:01:47.720 --> 0:01:50.160 at that position. And and really, I mean you look 0:01:50.200 --> 0:01:53.080 at in terms of all these guys accomplishments with Lance 0:01:53.160 --> 0:01:55.880 Kendricks figured in there as well, Uh, definitely the most 0:01:55.920 --> 0:01:58.200 decorated group of tight ends of the Packers have probably 0:01:58.200 --> 0:02:00.480 hadn't going back to the late nineties. Yeah, I agree 0:02:00.520 --> 0:02:04.160 with you, and the when I look at Louis, I 0:02:04.200 --> 0:02:08.040 do believe that his blocking is his forte and that 0:02:08.200 --> 0:02:10.400 is what he's going to bring first and foremost to 0:02:10.440 --> 0:02:13.520 this team. But you also can't ignore the fact that 0:02:14.160 --> 0:02:16.720 last season, even though he had only was it, twenty 0:02:16.720 --> 0:02:20.359 five receptions, five of those, if I'm not mistaken, were 0:02:20.480 --> 0:02:24.400 for touchdown. That's that's an interesting percentage. I guess when 0:02:24.440 --> 0:02:27.480 you look at the statistics, you say, Okay, well, maybe 0:02:27.560 --> 0:02:31.360 he doesn't have the big time downfield threat. You know, 0:02:31.480 --> 0:02:33.920 the Packers have that in Jimmy Graham. They don't necessarily 0:02:33.960 --> 0:02:38.000 need another one. He's not the big time downfield threat. 0:02:38.040 --> 0:02:40.720 Maybe he was earlier in his career, but those numbers 0:02:40.720 --> 0:02:42.800 from last year tell you that in the red zone 0:02:42.840 --> 0:02:44.560 he can still be a tough matchup and if he 0:02:44.639 --> 0:02:46.320 catch the ball. I mean, you saw a lot of 0:02:46.320 --> 0:02:48.519 the film that the Packers have, and I think we 0:02:48.600 --> 0:02:50.160 even put up the top ten plays he had in 0:02:50.160 --> 0:02:53.240 two thousand seventeen on our website. Yeah. Uh, he still 0:02:53.240 --> 0:02:56.079 made a lot of plays. And the other thing is too, 0:02:56.120 --> 0:02:58.239 is there were some questions because he'd been on injury 0:02:58.240 --> 0:03:00.480 reserved twice in the last four years, one into two 0:03:00.480 --> 0:03:02.960 thousand seventeen, and whether or not the durability was starting 0:03:02.960 --> 0:03:06.200 to wane. Started all sixteen games for the Jaguars last 0:03:06.280 --> 0:03:08.600 year and then obviously into the playoffs as well as 0:03:08.639 --> 0:03:10.880 they gotten on their run. I think he played somewhere 0:03:10.919 --> 0:03:12.400 around like I think it was like seven or eight 0:03:12.480 --> 0:03:15.720 hundred offensive snaps. So he's more than capable of handing 0:03:15.800 --> 0:03:17.679 handling that kind of workload. But he's also at the 0:03:17.720 --> 0:03:19.880 point of his career having just turned thirty four a 0:03:19.960 --> 0:03:22.600 week ago that you know, he can fit a potential 0:03:22.680 --> 0:03:24.760 niche as well. And if he means he isn't playing 0:03:25.080 --> 0:03:28.120 you know, you know, five six hundred snaps, I think 0:03:28.160 --> 0:03:30.720 he's gonna be okay with that. So adding him into 0:03:30.800 --> 0:03:32.480 the mix of that position, like I said, I think 0:03:32.480 --> 0:03:36.840 it just gives them a more traditional inline tight end uh, 0:03:37.240 --> 0:03:40.640 but also allows Jimmy Graham to to really be free 0:03:40.680 --> 0:03:42.560 to do whatever they want with them. It just keeps 0:03:42.560 --> 0:03:45.520 those two tight end packages alive and well in this 0:03:45.680 --> 0:03:48.680 offense and and really being able to maximize those three veterans. Yeah. 0:03:48.720 --> 0:03:52.680 I got a question in our Insider Inbox column. Somebody asked, 0:03:53.240 --> 0:03:56.320 so does this signing improve the Packers running game more 0:03:56.520 --> 0:03:59.040 or the passing game more? And this is how I 0:03:59.080 --> 0:04:02.160 answered it. I think because of the blocking prowess and 0:04:02.280 --> 0:04:05.880 just the experience that Lewis has, I think on the surface, 0:04:05.920 --> 0:04:08.000 this helps the Packers running game more, you've got a 0:04:08.040 --> 0:04:10.920 blocking tight end. If you want to line up and say, 0:04:10.960 --> 0:04:14.440 here we come, you've got that option. But at the 0:04:14.480 --> 0:04:18.279 same time, if you're improving the running game, you're improving 0:04:18.320 --> 0:04:21.360 the passing game. You're helping Aaron Rodgers because if this 0:04:21.400 --> 0:04:24.760 team can run the ball consistently, Aaron Rodgers becomes that 0:04:24.839 --> 0:04:27.880 much more dangerous a quarterback because of how defenses have 0:04:28.040 --> 0:04:30.640 to respect the run. So if you can improve the 0:04:30.680 --> 0:04:33.400 running game, you are improving the passing game. Whether or 0:04:33.440 --> 0:04:36.719 not Louis catches twenty or forty or fifty passes this year, 0:04:36.760 --> 0:04:39.520 that that's almost irrelevant in some senses. Yeah. And as 0:04:39.520 --> 0:04:41.120 one of the things I pointed out to I mean, 0:04:41.480 --> 0:04:43.800 I think the impact he could potentially have, assuming he 0:04:43.880 --> 0:04:45.719 still has something left. You know, he's gonna have to 0:04:45.720 --> 0:04:48.279 make this roster too. Yeah, but if he does, I 0:04:48.320 --> 0:04:50.320 think his impact is going to be seen more on 0:04:50.400 --> 0:04:53.359 the whole than just an individual stat box. Uh. The 0:04:53.400 --> 0:04:55.360 thing that was very interesting about last year with Mark 0:04:55.400 --> 0:04:57.159 Tellis Bennett and I know a lot of things went 0:04:57.200 --> 0:04:59.760 south there, but he is he was. He's the best 0:05:00.000 --> 0:05:02.440 acker the Packers have had going back to Bubba Franks, 0:05:02.480 --> 0:05:04.880 And you could see the impact he made on those games. 0:05:05.040 --> 0:05:06.880 You know where Aaron Jones was able to get his 0:05:06.880 --> 0:05:10.279 first hundred yard performance and and how that really was 0:05:10.320 --> 0:05:13.680 important to being able to establish that early on in 0:05:13.720 --> 0:05:17.679 the season. We'll see how Lewis matches up in that regard, 0:05:18.080 --> 0:05:21.160 But certainly when you look at time Montgomery and and 0:05:21.440 --> 0:05:25.160 Jones and Jamal Williams all coming back, all underneath twenty 0:05:25.240 --> 0:05:28.280 five years old, all really unique in terms of their 0:05:28.320 --> 0:05:31.120 skill sets, they will really benefit from a guy that 0:05:31.160 --> 0:05:33.520 brings that experience. And to take this one step further, 0:05:33.560 --> 0:05:35.520 because I know some people have asked, well, what does 0:05:35.560 --> 0:05:37.400 this mean for the other tight ends, the younger tight 0:05:37.480 --> 0:05:39.920 ends on this roster. Mike McCarthy said it going back 0:05:39.960 --> 0:05:42.080 to the owner's meetings the Packers. If he had his 0:05:42.160 --> 0:05:44.520 druthers and the Packers had what they want, they would 0:05:44.600 --> 0:05:46.479 love to have four or five tight ends on this 0:05:46.600 --> 0:05:49.599 roster because of what that position lends itself to on 0:05:49.680 --> 0:05:53.400 special teams. So, by no means does this disqualify Manuel 0:05:53.480 --> 0:05:56.239 Bird or Robert Tonyan or some of these undrafted rookies 0:05:56.279 --> 0:05:58.840 trying to make this roster. They still have a very 0:05:58.880 --> 0:06:00.960 good opportunity. It's just the Packers now we are going 0:06:01.000 --> 0:06:02.560 to take a look at an accomplished tight end and 0:06:02.600 --> 0:06:04.480 see what he brings to the table as a blocker. Yeah, 0:06:04.480 --> 0:06:06.760 a guy like Lewis certainly had an impact on the 0:06:06.800 --> 0:06:10.159 career of Maurice Jones, drew on the early success of 0:06:10.160 --> 0:06:13.240 a guy like Leonard Fournett and Jacksonville. So tatersting to see, yeah, 0:06:13.240 --> 0:06:16.039 Fred Taylor back earlier in Lewis's career as well. So 0:06:16.400 --> 0:06:18.280 with that, we've got to go to a break back 0:06:18.279 --> 0:06:39.039 with more on Packers Unscripted right after this, Welcome back 0:06:39.080 --> 0:06:42.360 to Packers Unscripted. Mike Spofford in this chair, West Hodkowitz 0:06:42.400 --> 0:06:44.000 and that one Wes. You brought up his name in 0:06:44.040 --> 0:06:48.080 the opening segment, Mohammed Wilkerson, the I guess more highly 0:06:48.080 --> 0:06:52.000 touted free agent signing. The Packers had this one coming 0:06:52.040 --> 0:06:54.480 on the defensive side and with the defensive line, and 0:06:54.520 --> 0:06:57.279 we've talked about it. This was really a signal in 0:06:57.360 --> 0:07:00.960 my mind, when you already have Kenny Clark, Mike Daniels 0:07:01.000 --> 0:07:03.360 and up and coming type of players like Dean Lowry 0:07:03.360 --> 0:07:06.520 and Montrevius Adams on that unit, you add a veteran 0:07:06.560 --> 0:07:09.800 guy like Wilkerson. Two double digit sack seasons in his career, 0:07:09.880 --> 0:07:12.920 has a Pro Bowl on his resume. You're sending the 0:07:12.960 --> 0:07:17.080 signal that the defensive line is the foundation of this 0:07:17.120 --> 0:07:20.920 new defense under Mike Patton. You get that same impression absolutely, Mike, 0:07:20.960 --> 0:07:23.840 because here's the thing. The Packers strength the defensively is 0:07:23.880 --> 0:07:27.600 their defensive line. It was that way before Mohammed Wilkerson signed, 0:07:27.600 --> 0:07:30.600 and it's certainly re emphasized that after he did sign 0:07:30.680 --> 0:07:33.200 with the Packers, and I think listening to him speak 0:07:33.280 --> 0:07:35.000 both when he talked to the media last week but 0:07:35.000 --> 0:07:36.760 also when he did the Q and A with the 0:07:36.760 --> 0:07:40.320 Packers Twitter account, um the reasons for him coming back, 0:07:40.360 --> 0:07:42.520 it really was two fold. It was Aaron Rodgers, which 0:07:42.520 --> 0:07:44.160 you know we often hear, we heard it from Rickie 0:07:44.200 --> 0:07:48.280 Jean Francois last year. But it's also really being able 0:07:48.320 --> 0:07:50.800 to be the tipping point for this defensive line and 0:07:50.800 --> 0:07:53.440 and maybe give them that veteran presence that not only 0:07:53.480 --> 0:07:55.160 they you know they've had veterans in the past, but 0:07:55.200 --> 0:07:57.880 a guy that can make an impact. This is the 0:07:57.880 --> 0:08:00.000 biggest thing, and and it's the biggest question I've had 0:08:00.000 --> 0:08:02.160 all offseason. Again, I don't think we're gonna get answers 0:08:02.200 --> 0:08:04.960 for it completely until we see week one how these 0:08:04.960 --> 0:08:08.440 guys are utilized. But Wilkerson has a wealth of football 0:08:08.480 --> 0:08:10.800 behind him. He's been incredibly durable throughout the course of 0:08:10.840 --> 0:08:13.080 his career, and the fact that he was able to 0:08:13.160 --> 0:08:15.480 make the impact he did during his first two seasons 0:08:15.480 --> 0:08:18.160 with Mike Petton in New York. That third season is 0:08:18.160 --> 0:08:20.600 where he truly broke out and became an all Pro 0:08:20.720 --> 0:08:24.120 type player. But how productive he was for being an 0:08:24.200 --> 0:08:26.560 end of the first round pick in two thousand eleven 0:08:26.600 --> 0:08:29.120 and then in what he did in two thousand and twelve, 0:08:29.480 --> 0:08:31.200 I mean, he was a guy getting five six secs 0:08:31.240 --> 0:08:33.960 seasons and you don't always see that for defensive lineman 0:08:34.000 --> 0:08:36.200 in this league being able to step in there. There's 0:08:36.240 --> 0:08:39.040 been a couple along the way that they're just impactful, 0:08:39.480 --> 0:08:42.000 high round players that can do it. But I think 0:08:42.080 --> 0:08:45.960 Wilkerson and how easily he was able to get involved 0:08:45.960 --> 0:08:48.080 and immerse himself in that defense, not only does that 0:08:48.160 --> 0:08:50.640 speak well for him now coming back into Petton's defense, 0:08:50.800 --> 0:08:52.640 but I think it also says something too about the 0:08:52.679 --> 0:08:55.400 scheme that Petton runs and how young players can come 0:08:55.440 --> 0:08:58.880 in and thrive immediately. Yeah, and he downplayed a little bit. 0:08:59.559 --> 0:09:02.200 The whole notion of him sort of teaching everybody on 0:09:02.240 --> 0:09:05.720 the defensive line, you know everything about Mike Patton's defense. 0:09:05.760 --> 0:09:07.840 He he even admitted, Hey, you know, it's been a 0:09:07.840 --> 0:09:09.920 few years. There's some things that I've got to you know, 0:09:10.000 --> 0:09:12.520 brush up on here and and uh and catch up 0:09:12.559 --> 0:09:15.480 on because some you know, things change and evolve over 0:09:15.559 --> 0:09:17.880 time in this league. But at the same time, then 0:09:17.920 --> 0:09:20.000 you hear from a guy like Kenny Clark, who really 0:09:20.160 --> 0:09:22.880 pointed out, you know, it's not so much you know, 0:09:23.000 --> 0:09:25.800 Mohammed Wilkerson showing like the xs and os in the 0:09:25.840 --> 0:09:28.080 meeting room or something like that. It's more when they're 0:09:28.080 --> 0:09:31.600 on the practice field in a sense, like hey, you 0:09:31.600 --> 0:09:34.439 know on this certain type of rush package, like this 0:09:34.480 --> 0:09:36.360 is the angle you know that you take, or this 0:09:36.440 --> 0:09:38.600 is how you take on the double team. It's those 0:09:38.640 --> 0:09:42.240 little things that aren't necessarily written in the playbook. They're 0:09:42.280 --> 0:09:44.040 not spelled out. But when you get out on the 0:09:44.080 --> 0:09:46.920 field and a guy like Wilkerson has played for Mike Petton, 0:09:47.200 --> 0:09:50.000 then he can he can just pass along those little 0:09:50.000 --> 0:09:52.000 tips like hey, this is what he's looking for, this 0:09:52.080 --> 0:09:54.760 is how he wants this to look in action, and 0:09:54.800 --> 0:09:57.480 I think the players are going to benefit from that. Yeah, absolutely, Mike. 0:09:57.559 --> 0:09:59.360 And and the thing is too that, you know, you 0:09:59.360 --> 0:10:01.600 look at the Kenny Clarks of the world, a guy 0:10:01.679 --> 0:10:04.480 now twenty two going into twenty three years old, um 0:10:04.480 --> 0:10:06.920 youngest can be, but yet still falling success in his 0:10:06.960 --> 0:10:09.800 second NFL season. It's gonna be interesting to see what 0:10:09.960 --> 0:10:12.240 exactly pett and thinks of these guys, because, as we 0:10:12.360 --> 0:10:15.079 talked about it last week's show, first time Clay Matthews 0:10:15.120 --> 0:10:16.839 is gonna be playing in a defense that isn't Dom 0:10:16.920 --> 0:10:19.839 Capers for the most part, with a couple exceptions here 0:10:19.840 --> 0:10:22.280 and there, the Capers is the only d C a 0:10:22.280 --> 0:10:24.640 lot of these guys have known. Patton is gonna come 0:10:24.720 --> 0:10:27.640 in and, as I wrote an insider inbox on on Tuesday, 0:10:27.880 --> 0:10:29.760 with a fresh pair of eyes to to kind of 0:10:29.760 --> 0:10:31.840 look at this thing and determine, Okay, who can be 0:10:31.840 --> 0:10:34.040 our playmakers, how do we build this defense, and how 0:10:34.080 --> 0:10:35.960 do we get the most out of this collective whole 0:10:36.600 --> 0:10:39.400 into me Again, this is just looking at the board 0:10:39.440 --> 0:10:42.080 as it stands right now, it appears as if defensive 0:10:42.120 --> 0:10:43.920 line is where they're going to have the starting point. 0:10:43.920 --> 0:10:46.280 When you have Mike Daniels coming off his first Pro Bowl, 0:10:46.559 --> 0:10:49.199 the history and lineage of what Mohammed Wilkerson has done 0:10:49.200 --> 0:10:51.640 in this league, and Kenny Clark at twenty two years 0:10:51.679 --> 0:10:53.679 old being able to have the performance he did late 0:10:53.760 --> 0:10:58.440 last season throwing Dean Lowery maybe montrevious Adams taking another step. 0:10:58.600 --> 0:11:00.800 They added some more defensive him in through the draft 0:11:00.800 --> 0:11:04.520 and unrestricted undrafted free agency. It is a complete group, 0:11:04.960 --> 0:11:06.920 and trying to find the best ways to get the 0:11:06.960 --> 0:11:08.600 most out of that is going to be probably the 0:11:08.600 --> 0:11:11.760 biggest task that Petton has, you know, going into this 0:11:11.800 --> 0:11:13.920 training camp. Yeah, and when you look at something that 0:11:14.480 --> 0:11:18.040 Wilkerson has in common, he's from New Jersey, where like 0:11:18.160 --> 0:11:21.360 Daniels is also from New Jersey. But interestingly, two very 0:11:21.440 --> 0:11:24.640 very different personalities here in terms of uh, you know, 0:11:24.679 --> 0:11:28.600 Mike Daniels being very very loud, very outspoken, not shy 0:11:28.640 --> 0:11:31.440 at all, not saying Mohammed Wilkerson is a shy guy, 0:11:31.520 --> 0:11:34.559 but just as I said before, very understated, a little 0:11:34.559 --> 0:11:37.000 bit more low key. I think he's fine with with 0:11:37.120 --> 0:11:40.400 Mike Daniels being the the vocal leader of the group. 0:11:40.679 --> 0:11:43.360 And what I really like about the Wilkerson signing, because 0:11:43.360 --> 0:11:45.400 you've heard me talk about this before, I write about 0:11:45.440 --> 0:11:48.800 it an insider inbox all the time. Never underestimate a 0:11:48.880 --> 0:11:54.680 motivated professional athlete. Mohammed Wilkerson is motivated. He he was 0:11:54.800 --> 0:11:58.439 released in the middle of a large, big money contract. 0:11:59.040 --> 0:12:01.880 He now he's at the Packers. He's still got believes 0:12:01.880 --> 0:12:04.000 he's still got plenty of tread left on the tire, 0:12:04.120 --> 0:12:07.040 so to speak. He's he's looking to revive his career here. 0:12:07.080 --> 0:12:10.680 He's looking to make a statement whether then his future 0:12:10.720 --> 0:12:13.439 is in Green Bay or somewhere else. He's a motivated 0:12:13.440 --> 0:12:15.360 player and I kind of like throwing that into the 0:12:15.400 --> 0:12:17.280 mix here with a new defense. Yeah, and it's been 0:12:17.280 --> 0:12:19.160 a long time since he's been in the playoffs too, 0:12:19.360 --> 0:12:21.760 so I mean trying to, you know, after getting that 0:12:21.800 --> 0:12:24.160 little bit of tastic success the first few years with Rex, 0:12:24.280 --> 0:12:26.560 Ryan and Petton, now trying to, you know, get back 0:12:26.600 --> 0:12:28.480 on that winning ways. It's it's going to be something 0:12:28.480 --> 0:12:30.200 that I think when you look at the opportunity now 0:12:30.200 --> 0:12:32.240 in front of you in Green Bay with Aaron Rodgers 0:12:32.240 --> 0:12:33.839 as your quarterback, if you hold up your end of 0:12:33.920 --> 0:12:35.719 the bargain at the end of the day, good things 0:12:35.720 --> 0:12:37.800 are gonna happen. You're gonna have a chance with that 0:12:38.400 --> 0:12:40.800 we'll go to a break back with Morn Packers Unscripted 0:12:40.880 --> 0:13:02.720 right after this. Welcome back to Packers Unscripted. Mike Spofford 0:13:02.800 --> 0:13:05.800 right here, West Hodko, It's all the way over there, West. 0:13:05.840 --> 0:13:09.920 Continuing our discussion of the Packers defense, Mike Patton's defense, 0:13:10.000 --> 0:13:12.760 what he's bringing. We heard from Clay Matthews last week 0:13:12.880 --> 0:13:17.040 during the first open practice of O T A S. 0:13:17.200 --> 0:13:20.680 And Matthews touched on a lot of different subjects here 0:13:20.679 --> 0:13:22.640 and there, as he often does when he stands at 0:13:22.640 --> 0:13:25.360 his locker fields questions from all angles from the media. 0:13:25.800 --> 0:13:28.200 One of the key things that I took away from 0:13:28.360 --> 0:13:31.160 his words, and I wrote about this on our website. 0:13:32.200 --> 0:13:35.720 I think he he really believes that one of the 0:13:35.720 --> 0:13:38.800 the driving forces, so to speak, behind this Mike Petton 0:13:38.880 --> 0:13:41.440 defense is going to be unpredictability. It's going to be 0:13:41.480 --> 0:13:48.200 about not necessarily the the opposing offense, opposing offensive coordinator, 0:13:48.200 --> 0:13:52.720 opposing quarterback knowing quite for sure what you're gonna be 0:13:52.840 --> 0:13:56.400 running in certain down and distant situations and certain spots 0:13:56.400 --> 0:13:59.240 on the field, red zone, short yardage, whatever that might be. 0:13:59.720 --> 0:14:02.679 There's going to be an element of unpredictability here. And 0:14:02.720 --> 0:14:05.199 I'm really curious to see exactly how it's gonna play. 0:14:05.400 --> 0:14:07.640 I want to just quickly bring up the Mic Zimmer 0:14:07.679 --> 0:14:10.320 defense for a moment um. And again I'm not trying 0:14:10.320 --> 0:14:12.080 to sit here and be like, Okay, that's the standard. 0:14:12.240 --> 0:14:14.800 But but the double a gap blitz scheme that he 0:14:14.840 --> 0:14:18.440 always runs, why is that so effective in this league? 0:14:18.880 --> 0:14:21.000 Would you care to take that question? I think it's 0:14:21.040 --> 0:14:23.840 because when those guys mug up there at the at 0:14:23.880 --> 0:14:26.120 the line of scrimmage on either side of the center, 0:14:26.200 --> 0:14:27.720 you never know if you don't come it or not. 0:14:28.160 --> 0:14:29.600 You don't know if they're dropping, you don't know if 0:14:29.600 --> 0:14:31.400 they're sending both. You don't know if they're gonna go one, 0:14:31.400 --> 0:14:32.880 you don't know if they're gonna come on a stunt. 0:14:33.160 --> 0:14:35.520 A lot of different avenues for what you can do. 0:14:36.160 --> 0:14:38.080 And to be fair to down capers, there was a 0:14:38.160 --> 0:14:40.080 lot of that in his scheme as well. But I 0:14:40.120 --> 0:14:42.920 think what happened the last two years in specific, when 0:14:42.960 --> 0:14:45.120 you have the injuries mount up like they did, and 0:14:45.160 --> 0:14:47.640 we saw this in two thousand thirteen as well, it 0:14:47.760 --> 0:14:51.320 reduces the amount of unpredictability you can do, and especially 0:14:51.360 --> 0:14:53.040 with some of the young guys coming in, we talked 0:14:53.040 --> 0:14:55.400 about the communication issues, some of the problems with guys 0:14:55.440 --> 0:14:58.840 trying to step up. That was ultimately the downfall of 0:14:58.960 --> 0:15:02.000 last season. The challenge for Petting here is that he 0:15:02.240 --> 0:15:04.360 has a lot of pieces on the chessboard here during 0:15:04.400 --> 0:15:07.600 the off season with this, with Wilkerson coming in the 0:15:07.640 --> 0:15:10.760 revamped secondary. But the question is gonna be once you 0:15:10.760 --> 0:15:12.760 get to week eight and week nine, what are you 0:15:12.800 --> 0:15:15.000 gonna do When somebody goes down, somebody else has to 0:15:15.040 --> 0:15:16.920 step up. And the thing that I took away from 0:15:16.920 --> 0:15:18.840 what both what Matthews has said and both what other 0:15:18.880 --> 0:15:21.960 players have said this offseason is it's making sure that 0:15:22.080 --> 0:15:25.480 everybody is ready. Whether it's the undrafted rookie, whether it's 0:15:25.480 --> 0:15:28.520 the accomplished veteran. They need to be in a position 0:15:28.560 --> 0:15:30.360 to come in there and not have a drop off, 0:15:30.440 --> 0:15:32.760 not just at the position, but in terms of the 0:15:32.800 --> 0:15:35.000 group the eleven players on the field. You have to 0:15:35.080 --> 0:15:38.720 be able to keep that chemistry, that fluidity going throughout 0:15:38.720 --> 0:15:41.640 the defense. So, yeah, with Petton, there is gonna be 0:15:41.640 --> 0:15:43.320 a lot of unpredictability. There is gonna be a lot 0:15:43.320 --> 0:15:45.680 of different looks and something. It's not even just like, Okay, 0:15:45.720 --> 0:15:47.920 we're gonna send all eleven guys at the quarterback. It's 0:15:47.920 --> 0:15:51.320 not like that. It's giving them different pre snap looks 0:15:51.360 --> 0:15:53.600 that they can't just sit there and identify the mic 0:15:53.640 --> 0:15:56.160 and identify who's coming on a blitz or where the 0:15:56.240 --> 0:15:59.880 safety is going to be. It's being multiple. That's what 0:16:00.000 --> 0:16:02.200 Petton did in New York and had success. It's what 0:16:02.280 --> 0:16:05.680 he did in Buffalo that one season in two had success. 0:16:05.800 --> 0:16:07.360 And it's the system now that he's going to try 0:16:07.360 --> 0:16:09.280 to bring the Green Bay. Yeah, and as I said, 0:16:09.280 --> 0:16:11.440 I'm very curious to see how it's gonna work out, 0:16:11.480 --> 0:16:14.120 because when you look back when Dom Caper's first arrived 0:16:14.120 --> 0:16:17.040 two thousand nine, two thousand ten, he was working with 0:16:17.080 --> 0:16:19.720 a lot of veteran players. You look at two thousand ten, 0:16:19.840 --> 0:16:22.400 I know there were injuries, the Packers said, guys filling in, 0:16:22.680 --> 0:16:25.240 But who was filling in for Nick Barnett and inside 0:16:25.280 --> 0:16:27.880 linebacker when he went out with an injury Desmond Bishop, 0:16:27.880 --> 0:16:29.960 who had been drafted in two thousand seven. He was 0:16:30.000 --> 0:16:32.840 a fourth year player, Exactly. You know, Dom Capers was 0:16:32.920 --> 0:16:35.400 working with a lot of veteran guys and that's where 0:16:35.600 --> 0:16:39.120 you know the acquisition of of Mohammed Wilkerson comes in 0:16:39.360 --> 0:16:41.400 the Packers have had a lot of young players who 0:16:41.440 --> 0:16:44.240 are now reaching that latter stage of their career. But 0:16:44.640 --> 0:16:47.480 Petton also has to work in there. It's a young 0:16:47.560 --> 0:16:50.560 cornerback group. There's a lot of young players in the secondary. 0:16:50.840 --> 0:16:53.960 You know, Blake Martinez, an inside linebacker now into his 0:16:54.040 --> 0:16:56.880 third year, he's getting to that stage where you start 0:16:56.920 --> 0:16:59.400 to call him more of a veteran player. There's a 0:16:59.560 --> 0:17:02.440 there's a mix here, and you know some of that, 0:17:02.720 --> 0:17:05.760 some of the unpredictability can be based on, you know, okay, 0:17:05.760 --> 0:17:08.800 how much of the playbook can they absorb? Patton has 0:17:08.840 --> 0:17:11.159 to find the right balance with his veteran guys and 0:17:11.200 --> 0:17:13.920 his young guys. How much can how much can they 0:17:13.960 --> 0:17:17.159 really handle so that you don't have the communication issues 0:17:17.200 --> 0:17:19.760 and other things that can happen during the course of 0:17:19.760 --> 0:17:22.080 the season when injuries happen and guys are shuffling in 0:17:22.320 --> 0:17:23.840 and you know what else happens to Mike. You have 0:17:23.920 --> 0:17:26.840 Wilkerson coming at the defensive line, You have Tremont Williams 0:17:26.840 --> 0:17:30.720 resigned at cornerback. What does that do? It challenges the 0:17:30.800 --> 0:17:33.600 young guys on the roster to step up to elevate 0:17:33.640 --> 0:17:35.840 their game. You want to start on the boundary you 0:17:35.880 --> 0:17:38.880 want to start at that nickel star position. Earn the job, 0:17:38.960 --> 0:17:41.640 win the job, take the job, and run with it. Yeah, 0:17:42.240 --> 0:17:44.560 it's all right there for everybody, and I think for me, 0:17:44.880 --> 0:17:47.080 I know there's questions at outside linebacker. People are going 0:17:47.119 --> 0:17:49.520 to talk about that all summer long. But there are 0:17:49.600 --> 0:17:52.280 so many roles, not just starting jobs, but so many 0:17:52.359 --> 0:17:55.679 rolls up for grabs right now on that defense. Patton 0:17:55.760 --> 0:17:57.879 is looking for guys to grab that, to take that 0:17:57.880 --> 0:18:00.520 opportunity and run with it. And it's all there for you. 0:18:00.680 --> 0:18:03.200 If you play well, if you step up, you show 0:18:03.240 --> 0:18:05.960 that you can handle the system in the scheme, you're 0:18:06.000 --> 0:18:08.000 going to have an opportunity in this defense. Yeah, I 0:18:08.040 --> 0:18:09.760 agree with you with that. We're gonna go too their 0:18:09.800 --> 0:18:12.280 break back with more and Packers Unscripted right after this. 0:18:29.600 --> 0:18:33.480 Welcome back to Packers Unscripted Mike Spofford alongside Wes Hodkowitz 0:18:33.520 --> 0:18:35.680 and West. Before we go today, I want to shift 0:18:35.680 --> 0:18:37.600 gears back to the offensive side of the ball for 0:18:37.640 --> 0:18:41.199 a minute. Interestingly, we've talked a lot during this offseason 0:18:41.240 --> 0:18:45.439 about how players are forgetting about two thousand seventeen. It 0:18:45.520 --> 0:18:48.320 was a rough year for a lot of guys involved. Obviously, 0:18:48.400 --> 0:18:51.520 there's been a lot of change front office wise, player wise, 0:18:51.560 --> 0:18:58.240 coaching wise since then. But one guy who definitely has 0:18:58.280 --> 0:19:01.600 a really strong, solid two thousand seventeen to look back 0:19:01.640 --> 0:19:06.080 on is offensive lineman Justin McCrae. But interestingly, he's one 0:19:06.080 --> 0:19:08.720 of the first guys in the locker room who's also 0:19:08.720 --> 0:19:11.160 going to say, hey, I've got to forget about sev 0:19:11.880 --> 0:19:14.520 I can't rest on anything that I did in the past. 0:19:14.600 --> 0:19:17.640 I need to look forward. I think it's his recognition 0:19:18.040 --> 0:19:20.080 that he has an opportunity in front of him. His 0:19:20.119 --> 0:19:24.840 opportunity right now is a completely different one from where 0:19:24.880 --> 0:19:28.520 he was last year at this time. He recognizes it 0:19:28.840 --> 0:19:31.000 and he's really going to try to go after it. Well. Mike, 0:19:31.040 --> 0:19:32.520 And in the last segment you talked about, you know, 0:19:32.600 --> 0:19:35.639 never underestimating a motivated player. And there's two ways to 0:19:35.720 --> 0:19:38.040 do that. I mean, there is the way that Wilkerson has, 0:19:38.160 --> 0:19:40.360 you know, where he's had success, he's two time All Pro, 0:19:40.720 --> 0:19:42.280 trying to show that he's still that guy. Then you 0:19:42.320 --> 0:19:45.440 look at a guy like McCrae, who has been an undrafted, 0:19:45.560 --> 0:19:48.720 you know, under the radar prospects since day one, you know, 0:19:48.800 --> 0:19:50.920 and coming into the league in two thousand and fourteen, 0:19:51.200 --> 0:19:53.239