WEBVTT - #370 Packers Unscripted: Eye on the future 0:00:00.760 --> 0:00:20.840 Hi, everyone, Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:20.840 --> 0:00:24.919 I am Mike Spofford, joined alongside my trusted colleague Wes Hodkowitz, 0:00:24.960 --> 0:00:27.800 were coming to you here from our studios at lambeau 0:00:27.880 --> 0:00:30.680 Field and West. It is a Tuesday, and in the 0:00:30.800 --> 0:00:33.640 last a little less than forty eight hours, I guess 0:00:33.640 --> 0:00:35.919 I would say there's been a lot going on here 0:00:35.960 --> 0:00:40.280 at Si Lombardi Avenue and cut to the chase. The 0:00:40.320 --> 0:00:44.520 Packers lose at home to the Arizona Cardinals, and within 0:00:44.560 --> 0:00:46.879 a couple of hours head coach Mike McCarthy has been 0:00:46.920 --> 0:00:49.879 relieved of his duties and the Packers are moving on 0:00:49.960 --> 0:00:52.360 and the eyes are on the future. They are Mike, 0:00:52.640 --> 0:00:56.360 you obviously you know Mark Murphy, Brian Goodkins, all the 0:00:56.400 --> 0:00:59.800 primary party spoke on Monday about where things are headed 0:00:59.800 --> 0:01:02.640 and what the eye is with the future and in 0:01:02.720 --> 0:01:05.640 building over these next four weeks. You know, Murphy, I 0:01:05.680 --> 0:01:08.840 thought was pretty candid and explained his thinking well in 0:01:08.959 --> 0:01:11.840 terms of what the thought process. Was certainly a very 0:01:11.920 --> 0:01:17.280 difficult loss the Arizona Cardinals, a team that Murphy go 0:01:17.400 --> 0:01:20.840 to kunst Uh Aaron Rodgers in the locker room afterwards 0:01:20.880 --> 0:01:23.200 said they need to beat that team. They didn't get 0:01:23.200 --> 0:01:25.760 it done, They didn't play well in that contest, and 0:01:25.840 --> 0:01:28.760 Murphy felt like the time was right, time was needed 0:01:28.880 --> 0:01:32.399 to make a change, and it now becomes on Joe 0:01:32.440 --> 0:01:34.440 Philbin will be the interim coach here for the rest 0:01:34.440 --> 0:01:37.119 of the month, and the Packers will get a chance 0:01:37.160 --> 0:01:40.399 to begin their process now of selecting will eventually be 0:01:40.440 --> 0:01:42.600 the fifteenth head coach with the Green Bay Packers. Yeah, 0:01:42.640 --> 0:01:45.680 And I think one thing Mark Murphy made pretty clear 0:01:46.040 --> 0:01:50.960 is that no decision had been made that in as 0:01:51.040 --> 0:01:53.280 much as the Packers had been struggling through the month 0:01:53.320 --> 0:01:56.559 of November, some close losses, tough losses on the road, 0:01:56.720 --> 0:01:59.400 tough venues, all of that kind of stuff, there was 0:01:59.440 --> 0:02:02.600 always the hope and the support to try to turn 0:02:02.680 --> 0:02:05.360 things around, like the Packers did in sixteen when they 0:02:05.360 --> 0:02:08.240 were four and six and ran the table the NFC Championship, 0:02:08.760 --> 0:02:11.519 Like the Packers and Mike McCarthy did in two thousand 0:02:11.600 --> 0:02:15.000 and nine when they lost a terrible game mid season 0:02:15.080 --> 0:02:17.959 to a really bad Tampa Bay Buccaneers team and were 0:02:17.960 --> 0:02:20.640 four and four, and people were wondering then about Mike 0:02:20.760 --> 0:02:23.560 McCarthy's job security. Aaron Rodgers, in his second year as 0:02:23.560 --> 0:02:26.560 the starting quarterback. Where is the franchise headed? They rip 0:02:26.600 --> 0:02:29.120 off seven wins in their last eight regular season games, 0:02:29.120 --> 0:02:30.920 get to the playoffs, and that became the start of 0:02:30.960 --> 0:02:35.560 eight consecutive postseason berths. There were other obviously low moments 0:02:35.600 --> 0:02:38.239 that Mike McCarthy, his leadership Aaron Rodgers that pulled the 0:02:38.280 --> 0:02:40.440 Packers out of it. They weren't pulling out of it 0:02:40.480 --> 0:02:44.200 this year. And essentially, when the decision was made then 0:02:44.400 --> 0:02:46.440 that Mike McCarthy would not be the head coach in 0:02:46.480 --> 0:02:50.200 twenty nineteen, there was no point in hanging on and 0:02:50.240 --> 0:02:52.840 having any kind of a cloud over the franchise over 0:02:52.880 --> 0:02:54.680 the last month of what was going to happen, and 0:02:54.720 --> 0:02:57.440 this and that, it's the decisions made you move on. 0:02:57.800 --> 0:03:01.200 It's Joe Philbins team for the final month. He's auditioning 0:03:01.200 --> 0:03:03.639 in some respects to potentially be the head coach in 0:03:03.680 --> 0:03:08.240 twenty nineteen. But it was also stated pretty emphatically that 0:03:08.280 --> 0:03:10.960 there's gonna be a wide net cast here, no no 0:03:11.120 --> 0:03:14.960 doors being closed, no parameters being put on the upcoming search. 0:03:14.960 --> 0:03:19.600 As far as offense, defense, college experience, pro experience, UM, 0:03:19.680 --> 0:03:22.680 the doors are wide open here. Mark Murphy, Brian gudunts 0:03:22.720 --> 0:03:24.520 are going to go look for the next man to 0:03:24.600 --> 0:03:26.800 lead the Green Bay package. Yeah. Murphy also said that 0:03:26.840 --> 0:03:30.519 he and Brian also were in unison and in concert 0:03:30.560 --> 0:03:33.600 with each other on Sunday night to make the decision 0:03:33.720 --> 0:03:37.480 to remove Mike McCarthy's head coach. It's still somewhat surreal, 0:03:37.560 --> 0:03:39.520 as you said, Mike, it's been forty eight hours later. 0:03:39.520 --> 0:03:41.400 But obviously when you've had a man that's been in 0:03:41.400 --> 0:03:43.720 that role for as many years as he was, Uh, 0:03:43.720 --> 0:03:45.520 it's it's different. I think you felt that in the 0:03:45.520 --> 0:03:49.160 locker room on Monday. Brian Bulaga was effusive in his praise. 0:03:49.160 --> 0:03:51.240 I I give Blog a lot of credit. He's he's 0:03:51.240 --> 0:03:55.040 stepped up and I think at at he's played well 0:03:55.040 --> 0:03:56.600 on the field, but in the locker room he's really 0:03:56.640 --> 0:03:58.280 been a voice in there this season and had to 0:03:58.320 --> 0:04:00.240 talk through some really tough moments. And he said, you know, 0:04:00.680 --> 0:04:03.000 when you look at McCarthy, it wasn't just the coach 0:04:03.040 --> 0:04:04.800 he was. He was a phenomenal coach, but it was 0:04:04.840 --> 0:04:07.400 also the man, and it was that man that steered 0:04:07.440 --> 0:04:10.080 them through a lot of dark times, uh, in challenging 0:04:10.160 --> 0:04:13.760 times over the last ten you know, ten twelve years 0:04:13.800 --> 0:04:15.760 that being said, there is a lot of confidence in 0:04:15.840 --> 0:04:18.719 Joe Philbin. He's been there, a lot of these veterans 0:04:18.800 --> 0:04:21.080 know him. The young players have been impressed by him. 0:04:21.640 --> 0:04:25.040 And although Philbin said this isn't about his future. This 0:04:25.200 --> 0:04:27.640 he's not thinking about that. He doesn't really care to 0:04:27.680 --> 0:04:31.280 speak about what his chances are landing this job. He 0:04:31.360 --> 0:04:33.920 wants to get the team back on track. And while 0:04:34.040 --> 0:04:38.760 he does that, Murphy Goodkins can start looking towards trying 0:04:38.839 --> 0:04:41.640 to figure out what exactly they're looking for the next 0:04:41.640 --> 0:04:43.680 head coach of the Green Bay Packers. One of the 0:04:43.720 --> 0:04:46.719 things I wrote an insider inbox was that when you 0:04:46.839 --> 0:04:49.680 look back at I think specifically the legacy of a 0:04:49.680 --> 0:04:53.000 guy like Ted Thompson. He hired one head coach and 0:04:53.040 --> 0:04:55.920 he drafted Aaron Rodgers with his first pick. That's set 0:04:55.960 --> 0:04:59.200 the future this franchise up. That foundation that they still 0:04:59.200 --> 0:05:02.880 stand on today was solid because of that. Now, in 0:05:02.920 --> 0:05:06.159 this next phase of this thing, Murphy and Goodacounts are 0:05:06.160 --> 0:05:08.279 gonna look to do the same thing. Yeah, and it 0:05:08.320 --> 0:05:10.720 sounds like it's going to be a collaborative effort. Mike 0:05:10.800 --> 0:05:14.920 Mark Murphy questioned pretty fiercely. I guess you might say 0:05:14.920 --> 0:05:17.240 in terms of why he's the one in charge of 0:05:17.279 --> 0:05:20.320 making this decision, not Brian Goudacounts. But he said he's 0:05:20.320 --> 0:05:22.480 not going to hire a coach that Brian Goodacounts is 0:05:22.520 --> 0:05:27.000 not comfortable with. That he used the phrase actively involved. 0:05:27.080 --> 0:05:29.080 I I took it to mean that it's going to 0:05:29.120 --> 0:05:31.919 be a collaborative effort between the two of them, but 0:05:32.000 --> 0:05:34.279 somebody has to have the final say, and the final 0:05:34.360 --> 0:05:38.719 say um the contract offers, so to speak, however that materializes, 0:05:39.160 --> 0:05:42.279 is going to be made by Mark Murphy as the 0:05:42.279 --> 0:05:44.880 Packers move forward here and as I said before, no 0:05:44.960 --> 0:05:48.040 parameters on it at this point, except he did clarify 0:05:48.200 --> 0:05:50.679 that it's not going to be a decision or anything 0:05:51.360 --> 0:05:53.920 happening before the end of the regular season. It's something 0:05:53.960 --> 0:05:57.200 that is going to carry um at least into January, 0:05:57.320 --> 0:05:59.560 and a lot of a lot of other questions obviously 0:05:59.560 --> 0:06:02.640 will come up between now and then, But the Packers 0:06:02.680 --> 0:06:05.960 are in no rush to do this at this moment. Yeah, 0:06:05.960 --> 0:06:07.960 and especially with how attractive this job is going to 0:06:08.040 --> 0:06:10.680 because here's the thing, Mike, and and the question was 0:06:10.720 --> 0:06:13.240 asked a couple of times of Murphy and then also 0:06:13.279 --> 0:06:15.200 to Aaron Rodgers in the locker room about how far 0:06:15.240 --> 0:06:18.720 away this team is. Would you qualify this as a rebuild, 0:06:19.400 --> 0:06:21.400 and Rogers said he really doesn't view it like that. 0:06:21.440 --> 0:06:23.680 He views it as Murphy's mindset is to win now. 0:06:23.720 --> 0:06:26.600 And and with having Rogers, they're having a promising young 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:29.520 running back with with Aaron Jones Davante Adams at the 0:06:29.520 --> 0:06:31.960 peak of his powers. There are a lot of good, 0:06:31.960 --> 0:06:34.200 strong playmakers on this team. I think there are a 0:06:34.240 --> 0:06:37.760 few places the Packers this offseason need to fill some holes, 0:06:38.360 --> 0:06:41.039 need to build some depth. But overall, when you look 0:06:41.080 --> 0:06:43.520 at when you when you set out on a path 0:06:44.160 --> 0:06:46.760 to start building a team, if you're completely rebuilding, you 0:06:46.800 --> 0:06:48.880 want your you want your quarterback, you want your receiver, 0:06:48.960 --> 0:06:51.720 you want your left tackle, you want your cornerback. Packers 0:06:51.800 --> 0:06:54.159 have a lot of those guys, So it's just about 0:06:54.160 --> 0:06:56.880 being finding the right person to bring them along. And 0:06:56.960 --> 0:06:59.440 I was walking around at lambeau Field this morning, Mike 0:07:00.080 --> 0:07:02.479 kind of just thinking to myself and working on a 0:07:02.520 --> 0:07:04.800 story on Joe Philbin and and some other things that 0:07:04.839 --> 0:07:07.120 I've been assigned, and I was thinking about this and 0:07:07.160 --> 0:07:10.360 it really did hit me in that the Packers in 0:07:10.360 --> 0:07:12.720 in the situation that they're in right now, Yes, it's 0:07:12.760 --> 0:07:16.120 difficult and it's a tumultuous time. You don't like upheaval, 0:07:16.720 --> 0:07:20.360 especially in season. But at the same time, this is 0:07:20.400 --> 0:07:22.720 the first time they've really been able to press reset 0:07:22.800 --> 0:07:25.360 in quite a while. And it is a it's a 0:07:25.440 --> 0:07:28.640 year to year league. This wasn't the Packers year, But 0:07:28.760 --> 0:07:30.920 I don't know if that necessarily means that next year 0:07:30.960 --> 0:07:33.480 can't be. I think Mike McCarthy coming in two thousand 0:07:33.520 --> 0:07:35.560 and six and you know, a year after that being 0:07:35.600 --> 0:07:37.760 able to lead them the NFC Championship Games shows you 0:07:37.800 --> 0:07:40.560 how quickly these things can turn around. But it is 0:07:40.600 --> 0:07:42.440 all at this time about finding the right fit to 0:07:42.480 --> 0:07:44.240 make that happen. Yeah, and I want to talk a 0:07:44.240 --> 0:07:46.960 little bit more about what you said about about next year, 0:07:47.000 --> 0:07:49.640 but to take care of some sponsor business. 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Just 0:08:19.960 --> 0:08:22.960 visit your local supermarket and ask for Campbell's Chunky Soup. 0:08:23.440 --> 0:08:27.040 Official sup partner of the Green Bay Packers. I am 0:08:27.040 --> 0:08:29.440 totally on board with you West with regards to the 0:08:29.440 --> 0:08:31.840 fact that and what Aaron Rodgers said that this is 0:08:31.880 --> 0:08:34.960 not a rebuild. There are pieces in place, and in 0:08:35.040 --> 0:08:38.480 this league, things can turn around very, very quickly. The 0:08:38.520 --> 0:08:40.679 Packers are going to be going into an off season. 0:08:40.760 --> 0:08:44.040 It will be Brian Goodakun's second offseason as general manager. 0:08:44.640 --> 0:08:47.680 We saw him make some aggressive moves in free agency. 0:08:47.800 --> 0:08:51.760 Those will be obviously evaluated. Unfortunately one of those ended 0:08:51.800 --> 0:08:56.560 an injury with Mohammed Wilkerson. You know, Um, But the 0:08:56.600 --> 0:09:00.000 approach in the off season is going to we already 0:09:00.000 --> 0:09:03.520 aw in Goudacum's first offseason it was a very different 0:09:03.559 --> 0:09:06.440 approach and he's going to He's also going to be 0:09:06.480 --> 0:09:09.440 going into this next draft with two first round picks, 0:09:09.679 --> 0:09:14.080 both the Packers and the New Orleans Saints. Um, so 0:09:14.200 --> 0:09:15.960 as it looks right now, one of those will be 0:09:16.000 --> 0:09:17.640 in the top half of the first round, the other 0:09:17.679 --> 0:09:19.560 one obviously in the bottom half of the first round. 0:09:19.559 --> 0:09:21.480 But at the end of the day, it's two first 0:09:21.559 --> 0:09:23.760 round picks. It's two of the first you know, two 0:09:23.760 --> 0:09:26.480 and a half dozen players to come off the board. 0:09:27.800 --> 0:09:33.199 The opportunity, the opportunity is here to makeen the anomaly. 0:09:33.240 --> 0:09:36.679 And I know was also a losing season, but when 0:09:36.720 --> 0:09:41.000 you lose your starting quarterback games, okay, that didn't work out, 0:09:41.040 --> 0:09:43.240 that that sort of falls into a different category. But 0:09:43.280 --> 0:09:48.520 the opportunity is here to make um the exception not 0:09:48.640 --> 0:09:51.040 the rule for the Green Bay Packers. And that's when 0:09:51.040 --> 0:09:54.640 when this bad season hit rock bottom with a loss 0:09:54.679 --> 0:09:57.480 to an Arizona Cardinals team that should not be able 0:09:57.480 --> 0:09:59.960 to come into Lambolefield in December and beat the Packers. 0:10:00.559 --> 0:10:03.560 When you hit rock bottom, then it's like, okay, it's uh, 0:10:03.600 --> 0:10:05.840 it's time to move on and and and not wait 0:10:05.920 --> 0:10:08.880 around and uh. And the reason the decision is being 0:10:08.920 --> 0:10:12.840 made now is because Murphy and Goudacount's believe that this 0:10:12.880 --> 0:10:15.440 team is not as far away as a four seven 0:10:15.440 --> 0:10:18.000 and one record might suggest. Well, and it's not going 0:10:18.080 --> 0:10:20.320 to get a lot of headlines because of how things 0:10:20.320 --> 0:10:21.920 have gone this season. I know a lot of people 0:10:21.960 --> 0:10:24.040 like to bring up the two thousand fifteen draft and 0:10:24.280 --> 0:10:26.120 how that didn't really work out for the Packers, but 0:10:26.600 --> 0:10:29.040 you know, two thousand sixteen was a strong draft for them. 0:10:29.040 --> 0:10:31.959 You're seeing Kenny Clark really become his own player, one 0:10:31.960 --> 0:10:34.080 of the top nosed tackles in this league. Dean Lowry 0:10:34.400 --> 0:10:37.199 has three sacks in the last four games. Blake Martinez 0:10:37.440 --> 0:10:40.880 has turned into their every down inside linebacker. I think 0:10:40.920 --> 0:10:43.400 the early returns on this eighteen draft, the first one 0:10:43.400 --> 0:10:46.440 of Brian Goodacunst, have been really good. Alexander like a 0:10:46.520 --> 0:10:49.800 legitimate shut down cornerback in this league. He's twenty one 0:10:49.880 --> 0:10:53.920 years young, carries himself like a thirty year old All pro. Uh, 0:10:53.960 --> 0:10:56.240 there is a lot to build around when you're just 0:10:56.240 --> 0:10:59.160 talking about trying to find more playmakers, find guys to 0:10:59.200 --> 0:11:02.199 build a defense around, find players to potentially be able 0:11:02.200 --> 0:11:04.880 to put around Aaron Rodgers. It's all right in front 0:11:04.880 --> 0:11:07.560 of them in that regard. So yeah, I think getting 0:11:07.760 --> 0:11:10.439 two picks in the first round, I've said it since 0:11:10.880 --> 0:11:14.040 Goodkin's made the trade. You go back to the last 0:11:14.040 --> 0:11:16.640 time the Packers did. It was two thousand nine. Now, 0:11:16.679 --> 0:11:18.200 mind you what happened on the day of the draft 0:11:18.200 --> 0:11:20.360 when they moved up to get Clay Matthews. But when 0:11:20.400 --> 0:11:24.160 they took two stabs at it, Ted Thompson set the 0:11:24.160 --> 0:11:26.520 foundation there for a couple of top five, top ten 0:11:26.600 --> 0:11:29.280 defenses for a couple of seasons with Clay Matthews and 0:11:29.320 --> 0:11:31.880 b J. Rogie. So yeah, I don't I don't think 0:11:31.920 --> 0:11:34.240 it's that far away. The bigger thing for the Packers. 0:11:34.280 --> 0:11:37.559 I think, looking more at the immediate what's in front 0:11:37.559 --> 0:11:40.200 of us as it stands is, and I wrote about 0:11:40.240 --> 0:11:42.600 this an inbox, it's a matter of pride right now. 0:11:43.040 --> 0:11:45.440 There's a lot of prideful people in there that have 0:11:45.559 --> 0:11:47.240 been to the top of the mountain, that know what 0:11:47.320 --> 0:11:49.960 it feels like to be a world champion, that now 0:11:50.040 --> 0:11:52.320 for the first time, are going to be challenged here 0:11:52.400 --> 0:11:54.680 for four or three or four games to play the 0:11:54.720 --> 0:11:58.199 string out too, to not be in quote unquote playoff 0:11:58.200 --> 0:12:01.240 company contention. I understand there's a percentage chance right now, 0:12:01.280 --> 0:12:03.960 but but that I think is gonna be the biggest thing. 0:12:03.960 --> 0:12:06.480 And that's where a guy like Joe Philbin, the way 0:12:06.520 --> 0:12:09.920 he carries himself, I said, he's the epitome of class. 0:12:10.880 --> 0:12:13.480 It's gonna be up to him. Mike Petton runs up 0:12:13.480 --> 0:12:15.280 to be able to rally the troops here, finish this 0:12:15.280 --> 0:12:17.720 season strong, and then, you know, maybe try to find 0:12:17.760 --> 0:12:20.280 some momentum to be able to build into this offseason. Well, 0:12:20.360 --> 0:12:22.280 let's be honest, your west. If you're a player in 0:12:22.280 --> 0:12:25.240 the Packers locker room and you're not a veteran player 0:12:25.320 --> 0:12:27.760 with a secure contract so to speak, just to put 0:12:27.800 --> 0:12:31.400 guys in a certain category, these last these last four games, 0:12:31.840 --> 0:12:36.560 there's nothing more competitive than NFL football and roster spots 0:12:36.600 --> 0:12:39.600 and anybody's future in this league. You're talking about a 0:12:39.640 --> 0:12:42.440 new draft class that comes in every year, undrafted rookies, 0:12:42.480 --> 0:12:47.000 free agent signings, everything else. The guys in that locker room, 0:12:47.040 --> 0:12:49.199 you know, it's what you put on video. Now these 0:12:49.280 --> 0:12:52.040 last four games, there's gonna be there's gonna be new leadership. 0:12:52.120 --> 0:12:55.480 There's been change, but how you finished this season, both 0:12:55.559 --> 0:12:58.640 individually and collectively, is going to go a long way 0:12:58.720 --> 0:13:01.320 towards some of the decisions that are made in the 0:13:01.360 --> 0:13:04.640 off season. And and these players are not are not 0:13:04.800 --> 0:13:07.920 naive to that fact. So while some people out there 0:13:08.679 --> 0:13:10.880 maybe wondering, well, you know, do you just do you 0:13:10.960 --> 0:13:14.120 just sit Aaron Rodgers and you know, play all these 0:13:14.160 --> 0:13:16.280 young guys you know, and and look towards the future 0:13:16.320 --> 0:13:18.560 and play it like preseason games. I'm not saying those 0:13:18.600 --> 0:13:21.000 young guys aren't going to get a certain amount of 0:13:21.040 --> 0:13:23.600 reps and snaps and stuff, but you also have to 0:13:23.640 --> 0:13:26.360 find out if the players that you have in that 0:13:26.440 --> 0:13:31.000 locker room right now, if under some different leadership, if 0:13:31.000 --> 0:13:32.600 there is more to get out of them, and if 0:13:32.600 --> 0:13:34.559 there is and if they are going to be part 0:13:34.600 --> 0:13:37.720 of the future. And that's what Brian Goodakutsen his personnel 0:13:37.760 --> 0:13:40.920 staff are going to be watching over these final four games. Absolutely, 0:13:40.920 --> 0:13:42.800 it's a great point you make, and in looking at 0:13:42.800 --> 0:13:46.120 Aaron Rodgers specifically, Joe Witt said it, to the best 0:13:46.120 --> 0:13:48.400 of his knowledge, he's not in any increased danger right 0:13:48.400 --> 0:13:50.560 now playing through that knee injury that hurt him, you know, 0:13:50.800 --> 0:13:53.080 bothered him early in the season. He even said he 0:13:53.120 --> 0:13:55.640 looked as mobile, as active in the pocket as he's 0:13:55.679 --> 0:13:59.000 been all season in that game against Arizona. So if 0:13:59.040 --> 0:14:01.840 there's no ad at injury concerned there with Rogers for 0:14:01.840 --> 0:14:04.439 the long term, he's going to play, and he's gonna 0:14:04.440 --> 0:14:06.280 play one because he's the leader of the team and 0:14:06.280 --> 0:14:08.760 that's what he's paid to do. But too, I don't 0:14:08.760 --> 0:14:10.439 think it would be fair to a guy like Davante 0:14:10.520 --> 0:14:12.720 Adams to sit Aaron Rodgers at the juncture the season. 0:14:12.800 --> 0:14:15.199 Davante Adams has laid it on the line for you 0:14:15.280 --> 0:14:18.079 every single week, and yeah, he wants to win, Yes 0:14:18.120 --> 0:14:20.000 he wants to be in the playoffs. Yes he wants 0:14:20.040 --> 0:14:21.760 to be able to get a Super Bowl ring. But 0:14:21.800 --> 0:14:24.080 the fact of the matter is Davante Adams put together 0:14:24.160 --> 0:14:27.200 a pretty special season. We talked about it as recently 0:14:27.240 --> 0:14:29.920 as last week, where he's lined up right now a 0:14:30.000 --> 0:14:33.720 hundred yards season, potentially setting new franchise records. You want 0:14:33.760 --> 0:14:35.960 to give him the opportunity to do that, to finish strong, 0:14:36.000 --> 0:14:38.600 to put together that complete season that kind of has 0:14:38.600 --> 0:14:41.200 eluded him in the past for one reason or another. 0:14:41.560 --> 0:14:43.640 You also want to get guys like Jake Kumero some 0:14:43.720 --> 0:14:45.720 snaps here. Listen, Mike, and I said this to you 0:14:45.760 --> 0:14:48.840 earlier this week. It's a great story. It's phenomenal what 0:14:48.880 --> 0:14:50.560 he's been able to do and get to this level. 0:14:50.800 --> 0:14:52.120 We gotta see if he can do it in the 0:14:52.240 --> 0:14:55.200 NFL regular season. Now, you need to give him that chance. 0:14:55.240 --> 0:14:56.920 You need to be able to see exactly what you 0:14:57.000 --> 0:15:00.520 have going into the preseason next year. Robert Tany and 0:15:00.760 --> 0:15:02.600 some of these guys on the defensive side of the ball. 0:15:02.840 --> 0:15:05.920 Tyler Lancaster, how does he fit into a potential rotation 0:15:05.960 --> 0:15:09.120 moving forward. All those things are so critical right now 0:15:09.160 --> 0:15:12.080 because here's the reality of it, Mike, the Packers playoff 0:15:12.160 --> 0:15:14.240 chances could go to zero depending on a couple of 0:15:14.240 --> 0:15:17.520 scenarios after this weekend, and there aren't a whole lot 0:15:17.520 --> 0:15:19.560 of play the teams on this list coming up that 0:15:19.600 --> 0:15:21.720 you're gonna be able to play spoiler For the Jets 0:15:21.720 --> 0:15:24.760 and in Lions, their seasons are pretty much are what 0:15:24.840 --> 0:15:27.000 they are. So it's a matter of being able to 0:15:27.040 --> 0:15:29.240 get up for those contests and show what your metal, 0:15:29.600 --> 0:15:32.080 show what you're made of, and being able to to 0:15:32.160 --> 0:15:34.640 prove to Brian Goodickun's and the guys in that locker 0:15:34.720 --> 0:15:36.400 room that I deserve to be a part of the 0:15:36.440 --> 0:15:38.320 long term pans of the Green Bay Packers. Yeah, I 0:15:38.320 --> 0:15:40.280 totally agree with you. One thing I want to do 0:15:40.320 --> 0:15:42.640 before we go today, though, is just to reflect for 0:15:42.760 --> 0:15:45.680 a few moments on the Mike McCarthy tenure here in 0:15:45.680 --> 0:15:49.200 Green Bay, because there aren't a lot of guys in 0:15:49.240 --> 0:15:52.240 this league who get their first head coaching job as 0:15:52.280 --> 0:15:56.320 Mike McCarthy did in two thousand six. And last, this 0:15:56.400 --> 0:15:59.280 is a guy. This is a guy who is the 0:15:59.360 --> 0:16:02.600 second long is tenured coach in Packers history. Second most 0:16:02.680 --> 0:16:05.840 victories are five in the regular season plus ten in 0:16:05.840 --> 0:16:09.640 the postseason, obviously a Super Bowl championship, mentioned the eight 0:16:09.760 --> 0:16:13.920 straight playoff berths, four trips to the NFC Championship Game. 0:16:15.120 --> 0:16:17.040 But even all that said, West, what I'm going to 0:16:17.160 --> 0:16:22.440 remember about Mike McCarthy are the times that his leadership 0:16:22.840 --> 0:16:28.360 was so sorely needed and he came through to lead 0:16:28.400 --> 0:16:30.840 this team through some tough times. And I'm talking about 0:16:30.960 --> 0:16:33.560 not just four and six and run the table in 0:16:34.840 --> 0:16:38.000 but the failed Merry Game in two thousand twelve, when 0:16:38.040 --> 0:16:43.000 everything could have completely fallen apart um from um, from 0:16:43.040 --> 0:16:46.720 just an attitude and leadership standpoint, amongst many people in 0:16:46.760 --> 0:16:49.400 the organization, Mike McCarthy was the one who stood there 0:16:50.000 --> 0:16:53.760 and gave the most dignified response to the whole thing. 0:16:53.920 --> 0:16:56.320 And what ends up happening, the Packers still go to 0:16:56.320 --> 0:16:58.640 the playoffs. In two thousand twelve, they put they put 0:16:58.680 --> 0:17:01.360 that behind him. I mentioned the Tampa Bay loss in 0:17:01.360 --> 0:17:06.080 in two thousand and nine when Tampa Bay was winless 0:17:06.119 --> 0:17:08.520 and they were having a first year of first start 0:17:08.560 --> 0:17:11.040 for a rookie quarterback, and the Packers went down and 0:17:11.400 --> 0:17:13.800 lost that game, and everybody wondered where that was going. 0:17:13.880 --> 0:17:16.520 And this is the head coach who had insisted on 0:17:16.600 --> 0:17:18.879 Aaron Rodgers was ready in two thousand and eight. This 0:17:18.960 --> 0:17:21.160 was the guy a year and a half into that 0:17:21.200 --> 0:17:23.240 two thousand and eight and half of two thousand nine, 0:17:23.320 --> 0:17:26.560 everybody was wondering where this was going. And then we 0:17:26.600 --> 0:17:29.040 saw where it was going after that. So and I 0:17:29.080 --> 0:17:31.040 could go on and on about the list, but those 0:17:31.080 --> 0:17:34.800 are the things that I'm going to remember about Mike McCarthy. Yes, 0:17:34.840 --> 0:17:38.000 things went south in it happens in this league. It 0:17:38.040 --> 0:17:40.160 happens to the best coaches in this league. It doesn't 0:17:40.200 --> 0:17:42.679 mean that Mike McCarthy doesn't know how to coach. I 0:17:42.720 --> 0:17:45.000 think he's going to get another job this offseason if 0:17:45.040 --> 0:17:47.560 he wants one, and I would expect him to be 0:17:47.600 --> 0:17:52.440 successful again. But but there's things aren't Things don't feel 0:17:52.480 --> 0:17:54.960 good right now, but in time, there's gonna be a 0:17:55.000 --> 0:17:58.400 lot of really really neat stuff to remember about these 0:17:58.440 --> 0:18:00.960 thirteen seasons with Mike McCarthy and Mark Murphy said it 0:18:00.960 --> 0:18:02.479 to and when you look at what Andy Reid has 0:18:02.520 --> 0:18:05.040 done now going to Kansas City, these guys, you know, 0:18:05.080 --> 0:18:08.920 the truly elite coaches find ways to make it work 0:18:08.920 --> 0:18:11.480 in other locations. And Mike McCarthy again, if he wants 0:18:11.520 --> 0:18:14.080 to do that, we'll see exactly where his heart lies 0:18:14.119 --> 0:18:15.600 and what he wants to do. As far as his 0:18:15.680 --> 0:18:18.480 next step, that's certainly available to him. And you you 0:18:18.560 --> 0:18:20.320 raise a great point. I think two thousand eight is 0:18:20.320 --> 0:18:21.840 something that always is going to stand out to me. 0:18:22.320 --> 0:18:25.320 The conviction he had in his system in the development 0:18:25.320 --> 0:18:27.960 of Aaron Rodgers to push forward with that. You know 0:18:28.000 --> 0:18:29.480 what this league is like, Mike. It would have been 0:18:29.480 --> 0:18:32.639 really easy to roll over, just say yep, come back, Brett, 0:18:32.760 --> 0:18:35.760 lose Aaron Rodgers a year or two later, and then 0:18:35.960 --> 0:18:39.880 then you gave up arguably the greatest quarterback in NFL history. Um, 0:18:39.880 --> 0:18:42.199 But him and Ted Thompson stayed true to that. They 0:18:42.200 --> 0:18:44.480 stayed true to themselves in two thousand and sixteen, through 0:18:44.480 --> 0:18:46.679 the ups and downs. They did it in two thousand nine, 0:18:46.760 --> 0:18:50.120 two thousand that regard, I give him all the credit 0:18:50.119 --> 0:18:53.600 in the world. From a personal perspective, mine is a 0:18:53.640 --> 0:18:55.800 little bit different because I was on the other side 0:18:55.800 --> 0:18:57.560 of this thing for a number of years, covered him 0:18:57.560 --> 0:19:00.159 critically for five years. I wrote all the story in 0:19:00.200 --> 0:19:03.880 two thousand fifteen about where is this team heading? Are 0:19:03.880 --> 0:19:06.720 they lose? Is he losing it? How are they falling apart? 0:19:07.520 --> 0:19:09.800 They started six and oh and now you're you're scrambling 0:19:10.119 --> 0:19:12.000 and he brought him back. And the thing that's always 0:19:12.000 --> 0:19:14.200 gonna stand out to me after I got hired here 0:19:14.600 --> 0:19:16.840 at Packers dot Com, set up in his office with 0:19:16.920 --> 0:19:22.160 him and talked for a while a long time about 0:19:22.600 --> 0:19:25.160 my life, where I was at, where my family was at, 0:19:25.160 --> 0:19:28.520 my decision for coming on board. And I gotta give 0:19:28.600 --> 0:19:31.400 Mike McCarthy a lot of credit for how welcoming he 0:19:31.560 --> 0:19:34.879 was too, an outsider uh that asked a lot of 0:19:34.960 --> 0:19:38.480