WEBVTT - #411 Packers Unscripted: More from OTAs 0:00:00.840 --> 0:00:20.759 Hi, everybody. Welcome to Packers unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:20.800 --> 0:00:24.800 I am Mike Spofford, sitting alongside my trusted colleague West Hodkowitz. 0:00:24.840 --> 0:00:27.560 We're coming to you here from our studios at lambeau 0:00:27.600 --> 0:00:32.000 Field West. We had an opportunity yesterday to attend a 0:00:32.159 --> 0:00:34.959 second O t A practice for the Green Bay Packers. 0:00:35.400 --> 0:00:38.120 I want to go back to something though, from about 0:00:38.159 --> 0:00:41.520 a month and a half ago, when Aaron Rodgers spoke 0:00:41.560 --> 0:00:44.560 to reporters at the start of the off season program. 0:00:44.600 --> 0:00:47.320 He made a comment, kind of an off handed comment 0:00:47.360 --> 0:00:52.280 in a way, mentioning that he thought Aaron Jones came 0:00:52.320 --> 0:00:57.600 back looking physically like a different player. Okay, so, now 0:00:57.720 --> 0:00:59.720 the O t A practices, we got a chance to 0:00:59.760 --> 0:01:03.480 see him. You can definitely see he does look different. 0:01:03.520 --> 0:01:07.919 He's done something different with his body. Yesterday you found 0:01:07.920 --> 0:01:11.800 out exactly how he did it. So give us the story. 0:01:11.840 --> 0:01:13.759 Well here's the thing. Okay, So I made a vow 0:01:14.080 --> 0:01:17.240 two years ago to myself. This was for my own credibility. 0:01:17.280 --> 0:01:20.760 I felt everybody writes the story about how so and 0:01:20.800 --> 0:01:24.479 so changed their body during the off season. They put 0:01:24.520 --> 0:01:27.360 on five pounds, they took off five pounds, They cut 0:01:27.400 --> 0:01:30.280 down their body fat, this, that, and the other, and 0:01:30.959 --> 0:01:33.240 it's something to fill the time during the spring and summer, 0:01:33.280 --> 0:01:37.920 but realistically, does anything really change. So I made a vow, 0:01:38.040 --> 0:01:39.400 is like, I'm not going to do that this year. 0:01:39.600 --> 0:01:42.160 Well then you see Blake Martinez come back looking like 0:01:42.240 --> 0:01:46.919 he's been lifting tires all off season and looks noticeably bigger. 0:01:47.600 --> 0:01:49.760 And then you hear these comments from Aaron Rodgers. And 0:01:49.800 --> 0:01:52.800 at that time, Michael, we had not seen Aaron Jones. 0:01:52.920 --> 0:01:55.400 There were no public practices or anything of that sort. 0:01:55.720 --> 0:01:58.520 But we had that mandatory minicamp the day of the 0:01:58.600 --> 0:02:01.600 draft where we got to see the Packers players out there, 0:02:01.840 --> 0:02:04.960 and immediately my eyes went to Aaron Jones and immediately thought, 0:02:05.280 --> 0:02:08.480 this kid looks different. As you said, the big thing 0:02:08.520 --> 0:02:11.800 for him, it's obviously training his weightlifting program. He split 0:02:11.840 --> 0:02:14.960 his time between I should say Phoenix and also with 0:02:15.080 --> 0:02:18.440 El Paso, where he's from. But the bigger sacrifice was 0:02:18.480 --> 0:02:22.000 his diet. He loved eating cookies, He loved eating gummy bears, 0:02:22.040 --> 0:02:26.040 that was his number one thing. Twizzlers, skittles, every type 0:02:26.040 --> 0:02:28.079 of junk food that you and I after a hard 0:02:28.160 --> 0:02:31.280 day's labor like to sit down and enjoy or even 0:02:31.320 --> 0:02:35.519 after a hard day's half half day's labor exactly. But 0:02:35.639 --> 0:02:38.080 Aaron Jones said, I can't do that anymore. I gotta 0:02:38.120 --> 0:02:41.919 make changes. So he always enjoyed eating healthy. He said 0:02:41.919 --> 0:02:43.400 it wasn't a stretch for him to have to focus 0:02:43.400 --> 0:02:46.160 on chicken and rice and in steak and keen wa. 0:02:46.360 --> 0:02:49.480 He's done all that stuff before. But it was the snacking, 0:02:50.040 --> 0:02:52.640 so he cut down on that. He mentioned some of 0:02:52.680 --> 0:02:56.280 these things. I mean almonds, I like almonds, uh, apples 0:02:56.280 --> 0:03:00.239 with almond butter. Not as high on that. Rice cakes. Yeah, 0:03:00.240 --> 0:03:03.079 I don't even throw those at me. But for him 0:03:03.120 --> 0:03:05.000 it made a difference. He heloped a taste for it. 0:03:05.000 --> 0:03:07.519 He came back. He was at about eleven body fat 0:03:07.560 --> 0:03:10.080 at the end of last year, reported back at five 0:03:10.160 --> 0:03:12.399 point three. And if you just look at the young man, 0:03:12.919 --> 0:03:16.000 there are significant changes in his body structure. Yeah, and 0:03:16.160 --> 0:03:19.840 he's taken it seriously. Really both of his off season 0:03:19.960 --> 0:03:23.079 since his year in the NFL when because he's had 0:03:23.240 --> 0:03:27.000 he's had injury issues, primarily with his knees. He's been 0:03:27.040 --> 0:03:30.280 forced to miss games. He's been very frustrated at the 0:03:30.320 --> 0:03:34.640 games that he's missed. He has spent his two full 0:03:34.720 --> 0:03:38.480 off seasons as an NFL player, working on his body 0:03:38.560 --> 0:03:42.680 and building his body to withstand the long haul at really, 0:03:43.000 --> 0:03:45.800 let's be honest, is the most in my opinion, the 0:03:45.840 --> 0:03:49.880 most physically punishing position there is in the NFL. So 0:03:50.840 --> 0:03:52.800 he knew from his rookie year that he that he 0:03:52.840 --> 0:03:55.000 needed to make changes. He made some going into his 0:03:55.040 --> 0:03:58.320 second year. Unfortunately, he had another knee injury that cost 0:03:58.360 --> 0:04:01.200 him a few games. Nothing serious in terms of those injuries, 0:04:01.240 --> 0:04:03.480 but they do keep him out for a couple three 0:04:03.520 --> 0:04:07.480 weeks at a time. So his goal, in addition to 0:04:07.760 --> 0:04:10.320 other things we talked about this offseason about wanting to 0:04:10.360 --> 0:04:12.960 be more involved in the passing game and being that 0:04:13.160 --> 0:04:15.520 reliable three down back that doesn't have to come off 0:04:15.560 --> 0:04:19.200 the field, and all that, he's got that sixteen game 0:04:19.560 --> 0:04:21.640 schedule in his mind that he wants to be on 0:04:21.680 --> 0:04:24.560 the field every single week for this offense. Three things 0:04:24.600 --> 0:04:26.480 I want to point out. One, when he said he's 0:04:26.520 --> 0:04:27.920 had some issues, I thought you were going to say 0:04:28.000 --> 0:04:30.320 Soldier Field, and I honestly didn't know if you're gonna 0:04:30.320 --> 0:04:33.280 say that that is that is true if you take 0:04:33.320 --> 0:04:35.920 away Soldier Field. He's not missed the game yet for injuries. 0:04:35.960 --> 0:04:39.479 There are, Yeah, there aren't necessarily just coincidences in life, right, 0:04:40.000 --> 0:04:42.560 But be that as it may, it is interesting, and 0:04:43.000 --> 0:04:44.279 you know what, it was sort of an eye open 0:04:44.279 --> 0:04:45.640 I mean, this is kind of turning the topic a 0:04:45.680 --> 0:04:49.279 little bit. But this year the Packers draft Dexter Williams 0:04:49.400 --> 0:04:52.839 in the sixth round, right if notre dame. I was 0:04:52.880 --> 0:04:55.360 going through his bio on NFL dot com. They list 0:04:55.400 --> 0:04:58.080 the strengths and the weaknesses. One of the strengths that 0:04:58.240 --> 0:05:00.440 scouts had for Dexter Williams, I never he's seen this. 0:05:00.480 --> 0:05:03.960 Maybe I wasn't reading closely enough. They said a light 0:05:04.040 --> 0:05:07.400 workload in college, not a lot of wear and tear. 0:05:08.200 --> 0:05:10.039 They believe that that will be a positive thing for 0:05:10.120 --> 0:05:12.960 him going in the NFL. That's becoming a strength now 0:05:13.200 --> 0:05:15.960 of players. The reason I bring that up is Aaron 0:05:16.040 --> 0:05:18.320 Jones has had two knee sprains. He wants to put 0:05:18.320 --> 0:05:21.120 those in the back, but he only has two fourteen 0:05:21.200 --> 0:05:24.680 carries in the NFL so far. It's not it's not 0:05:24.760 --> 0:05:26.880 a lot for two full years in the league. If 0:05:26.960 --> 0:05:29.719 he can stay healthy here, if the changes he's made 0:05:29.720 --> 0:05:32.080 with his diet, with the changes he's made with his workout, 0:05:32.080 --> 0:05:35.680 regimen to develop his lower body strength, his leg strength. 0:05:36.040 --> 0:05:39.080 If all of that lines up for him, this is 0:05:39.120 --> 0:05:42.520 a guy that can be a force for years to come. Yeah, 0:05:42.560 --> 0:05:45.120 the game has changed. It's not two and fifty touches 0:05:45.240 --> 0:05:47.560 a year for these guys, four d touches the year. 0:05:47.560 --> 0:05:49.880 When you think of like Larry Johnson back in the day, 0:05:50.080 --> 0:05:54.479 Sean Alexander, Sean Alexander, there is more longevity with these players. 0:05:54.480 --> 0:05:57.400 And I just I think Aaron Jones also understands, and 0:05:57.400 --> 0:05:59.640 in Jamal Williams does two. Jamal Williams talked about this 0:05:59.680 --> 0:06:02.719 as well. He came back looking very lean. If those 0:06:02.760 --> 0:06:06.320 guys can put their body in the best physical position possible, 0:06:06.600 --> 0:06:09.719 if they're going to have platoon situations, you want to 0:06:09.760 --> 0:06:11.839 be able to extend your career. You want to be 0:06:11.920 --> 0:06:15.120 able to make sure that your agility, your quickness, your speed, 0:06:15.200 --> 0:06:19.760 your strength indoors. And these are the type of decisions 0:06:19.800 --> 0:06:22.400 you want to see third year running backs making. So 0:06:22.480 --> 0:06:25.159 from that perspective and with everything else that entails with 0:06:25.200 --> 0:06:27.800 this Packer season coming up, in the emphasis that there 0:06:27.800 --> 0:06:29.960 appears to be on the running game under Matt Lafleur, 0:06:30.320 --> 0:06:32.120 I think both of those guys have put themselves in 0:06:32.160 --> 0:06:34.279 a position for success. Yeah, and it's good that you 0:06:34.320 --> 0:06:37.200 mentioned Williams too, because he certainly came back with a 0:06:37.200 --> 0:06:41.159 little bit of a reshaped body. He did it, you know, 0:06:41.240 --> 0:06:43.600 somewhat for different reasons. I think he did it in 0:06:43.720 --> 0:06:46.760 part to maybe try to fit this outside zone scheme 0:06:46.800 --> 0:06:49.400 a little bit better, because durability has not been an 0:06:49.400 --> 0:06:51.880 issue with Williams. This is a guy who has been 0:06:51.880 --> 0:06:54.080 out there all the time, and whether it's been in 0:06:54.120 --> 0:06:57.240 a complimentary role or being the feature guy in certain 0:06:57.279 --> 0:07:00.240 situations and in certain games, Williams is a guy who's 0:07:00.279 --> 0:07:03.240 answered the call throughout his his two years in the league. 0:07:03.320 --> 0:07:05.800 So far, he has. And the thing is is that 0:07:05.920 --> 0:07:07.560 we don't know how this is going to shuffle out. 0:07:08.080 --> 0:07:09.640 Is there going to be a platoon, are they gonna 0:07:09.640 --> 0:07:11.120 look to have one guy. Those things are gonna have 0:07:11.120 --> 0:07:12.640 to be sorted out in training camp and then going 0:07:12.680 --> 0:07:15.480 into that opener against Chicago, which is in Chicago, by 0:07:15.520 --> 0:07:18.680 the way. But you did have to mention at least 0:07:18.680 --> 0:07:20.320 you get that out of the way though right off, 0:07:20.480 --> 0:07:22.320 that the grass is going to be in as good 0:07:22.320 --> 0:07:24.080 as condition is it's going to be in at that point. 0:07:24.320 --> 0:07:27.440 Let's hope for Aaron's sake. But the bigger thing is 0:07:27.480 --> 0:07:29.240 that they're going to need all these guys to be 0:07:29.280 --> 0:07:31.000 able to play. And the other thing I took away 0:07:31.000 --> 0:07:32.880 from listening to Jones a little bit as well as 0:07:32.880 --> 0:07:35.680 the fact that you know he understands the long game. Here. 0:07:36.240 --> 0:07:38.280 He knows that in order to not only just stay 0:07:38.280 --> 0:07:40.160 on the field, but to break away from tacklers, he 0:07:40.200 --> 0:07:42.600 doesn't want anyone chasing him down. And if these are 0:07:42.640 --> 0:07:44.640 the things that he had to do to make himself 0:07:45.080 --> 0:07:48.240 not just a really strong, explosive football player, but a 0:07:48.240 --> 0:07:50.480 guy that can play all three downs, he was only 0:07:50.520 --> 0:07:52.560 to make those sacrifices. Yeah, I think we're all really 0:07:52.600 --> 0:07:55.200 excited to see what Aaron Jones is going to do 0:07:55.240 --> 0:07:57.520 in this offense, provided he can stay healthy and be 0:07:57.600 --> 0:08:00.680 out there for the long haul. Quickly here the powerful 0:08:00.720 --> 0:08:04.960 noise canceling technology that helps NFL coaches block out eighty 0:08:05.000 --> 0:08:07.800 thou screaming fans can get you closer to the music 0:08:07.880 --> 0:08:10.920 you love. Learn more at www dot bows dot com, 0:08:10.960 --> 0:08:15.360 slash Packers Bows the official headphones of the Green Bay Packers, 0:08:15.360 --> 0:08:17.280 and at Homer Here in the stands. We all know 0:08:17.320 --> 0:08:19.120 that Green Bay fans give it their all and that 0:08:19.160 --> 0:08:21.160 takes a lot of energy. So grab a warm bowl 0:08:21.160 --> 0:08:24.679 of Campbell's Chunky Soup. It's meaty goodness fuels the greatness 0:08:24.680 --> 0:08:28.320 of Packers fans everywhere. Try the delicious classic chicken noodle soup. 0:08:28.720 --> 0:08:31.559 Just visit your local supermarket and ask for Campbell's Chunky 0:08:31.600 --> 0:08:35.160 Sup Official Sup partner of the Green Bay Packers. Okay, 0:08:35.160 --> 0:08:38.440 moving on to another area of the offense um. The 0:08:38.520 --> 0:08:42.160 first Open O t A practice last week, Davante Adams 0:08:42.200 --> 0:08:44.840 was not on the field for the Packers. He was 0:08:44.920 --> 0:08:49.760 back on the field yesterday, and we saw a little 0:08:49.800 --> 0:08:52.720 bit of an interesting dynamic here. And as you wrote 0:08:52.720 --> 0:08:55.000 about Aaron Jones on our website, of folks want to 0:08:55.040 --> 0:08:57.880 check out that story I wrote about Davante Adams, and 0:08:57.960 --> 0:09:02.400 that story is available as well. There was a play 0:09:02.880 --> 0:09:05.720 and I don't even remember the specifics of it necessarily, 0:09:05.720 --> 0:09:08.280 but right after the play was over, as Adams is 0:09:08.440 --> 0:09:12.280 walking back towards the huddle, Matt Lafleur is walking alongside 0:09:12.280 --> 0:09:16.680 of him, talking into his ear, and you know, the 0:09:16.720 --> 0:09:20.000 two of them kind of acknowledge whatever the conversation was. Okay, good, 0:09:20.000 --> 0:09:23.280 you know, we we move on. This is a first 0:09:23.360 --> 0:09:25.480 year head coach kind of in the year of a 0:09:25.520 --> 0:09:30.520 Pro Bowl wide receiver, and Davante Adams didn't flinch. Not 0:09:30.640 --> 0:09:35.160 only did he not flinch or um show any you know, 0:09:35.320 --> 0:09:38.760 displeasure with being singled out like that by the head coach. 0:09:39.200 --> 0:09:43.559 He talked to reporters afterwards. He welcomes it. He says, hey, 0:09:43.600 --> 0:09:47.000 he's told Matt Lafleur, He's told the other offensive coaches. 0:09:47.280 --> 0:09:49.960 If you see something with a route, something that I'm 0:09:50.000 --> 0:09:52.160 not doing right in this offense as we're trying to 0:09:52.240 --> 0:09:54.400 learn things, I want you to tell me, just because 0:09:54.440 --> 0:09:57.880 I'm the elder statesman, the veteran in the wide receiver room. 0:09:58.080 --> 0:10:00.560 You know, he takes that very seriou lee in the 0:10:00.600 --> 0:10:03.960 sense that that it's not for any kind of special treatment. 0:10:04.240 --> 0:10:06.920 It's because he knows he's the example setter for all 0:10:06.960 --> 0:10:10.559 of these other guys and if he if he needs 0:10:10.559 --> 0:10:12.200 to be told to do it right, then he's going 0:10:12.240 --> 0:10:13.960 to be able to pass that down to the rest 0:10:13.960 --> 0:10:16.960 of the guys. It's an interesting dynamic here that's developing 0:10:17.000 --> 0:10:20.360 West Because my point is that we've seen Davante Adams 0:10:20.480 --> 0:10:24.360 very naturally and smoothly progress into a leadership role as 0:10:24.440 --> 0:10:28.800 Jordy Nelson departed, and now Randall Cobb has departed, and uh, 0:10:29.160 --> 0:10:32.720 this is a guy who's really coming into his own 0:10:32.800 --> 0:10:36.320 in so many facets here as an NFL player, as 0:10:36.360 --> 0:10:39.280 a leader, as a guy that a lot of people 0:10:39.280 --> 0:10:41.160 in that locker room are looking up to. What I 0:10:41.200 --> 0:10:43.400 thought about when I read your article and saw that 0:10:43.520 --> 0:10:46.440 quote in his thoughts about this and and seeing the 0:10:46.440 --> 0:10:48.400 big picture there with listening to the floor and his 0:10:48.480 --> 0:10:52.520 coaches in that regard, Elvis Wooded obviously a well accomplished 0:10:52.520 --> 0:10:55.320 guy that spent nine years in this league. It goes 0:10:55.360 --> 0:10:56.840 back to obviously, you know, there's not a lot of 0:10:56.880 --> 0:11:00.000 route runners out there in the population. Okay, there are 0:11:00.000 --> 0:11:02.000 a lot of golfers though, And one of the things 0:11:02.080 --> 0:11:04.320 I thought about it almost reminded me of when you 0:11:04.360 --> 0:11:07.000 when you know, you do a stroke or you know, 0:11:07.040 --> 0:11:09.880 you have your drive time after time after time, and 0:11:09.880 --> 0:11:11.840 then you start to develop that hitch and you start 0:11:11.880 --> 0:11:13.600 to maybe get a little bit of a slice in there. 0:11:14.000 --> 0:11:16.000 You get that golf prow behind you. Sometimes it's even 0:11:16.000 --> 0:11:18.680 your dad for that matter, and they kind of tell, yeah, 0:11:18.679 --> 0:11:20.480 you're leaving your club face open, your your you know, 0:11:20.480 --> 0:11:22.800 your hips aren't quite where they need to be. You 0:11:22.840 --> 0:11:25.480 can get into such a regiment, in such a routine 0:11:25.760 --> 0:11:28.400 that sometimes those fundamentals, even when you are honing them, 0:11:28.840 --> 0:11:30.600 can start to slip off, and you don't want to 0:11:30.679 --> 0:11:33.480 let that continue to slide. That's kind of what I 0:11:33.480 --> 0:11:36.440 took away from that conversation is Davante Adams knows what 0:11:36.480 --> 0:11:38.040 he has to do, he knows what's going to be 0:11:38.080 --> 0:11:40.439 expected of him, and he's always up to that challenge. 0:11:40.960 --> 0:11:43.200 But there are so many things mentally you have to 0:11:43.200 --> 0:11:46.160 think about, especially when you're learning a new offense, that 0:11:46.320 --> 0:11:48.800 those moments I think are important for Matt Lafleur to 0:11:48.800 --> 0:11:50.560 step in and say, well, this is what we're looking for, 0:11:50.559 --> 0:11:52.880 for Elvis Witted to say this is the player you 0:11:52.920 --> 0:11:54.880 need to be. But as you also pointed out the 0:11:54.960 --> 0:11:57.360 article that I thought is so important is by setting 0:11:57.440 --> 0:12:00.199 that example, by being open to those ideas and being 0:12:00.240 --> 0:12:03.680 open to those conversations. There is a roster of young 0:12:03.760 --> 0:12:06.640 receivers there that are going through the same thing. If 0:12:06.679 --> 0:12:10.440 I'm a young guy, a young sportswriter, and there's somebody 0:12:10.480 --> 0:12:13.480 else that's on my list, you know, my employment list, 0:12:13.960 --> 0:12:16.200 a guy that's been there for ten, fifteen years and 0:12:16.320 --> 0:12:19.320 has written award winning pieces and there's things that he 0:12:19.400 --> 0:12:21.720 needs to work on. Yeah, I mean that tells you 0:12:21.760 --> 0:12:25.480 that you can't ever get complacent. That's way. So I 0:12:25.559 --> 0:12:28.680 just think that's very important with with his open mindedness 0:12:28.720 --> 0:12:30.559 to be in a situation where he's willing to take 0:12:30.600 --> 0:12:34.120 that coaching, but also understanding he's the number one guy 0:12:34.160 --> 0:12:35.440 in the depth chart, there's a lot of young guys 0:12:35.480 --> 0:12:37.000 are gonna be looking up to him. Well, in the 0:12:37.040 --> 0:12:40.640 other understanding part of it, Davante Adams is no fool. 0:12:40.840 --> 0:12:43.120 He knows he's going to get the ball. He knows 0:12:43.160 --> 0:12:45.000 he's going to get his numbers. Now, whether he's going 0:12:45.080 --> 0:12:48.480 to have a hundred eleven catches plus yards and double 0:12:48.800 --> 0:12:51.920 touchdowns again, I mean, who knows what it ultimately is 0:12:51.960 --> 0:12:53.960 at the end of the season. But he knows he's 0:12:53.960 --> 0:12:55.440 going to get the ball, and he knows he's gonna 0:12:55.480 --> 0:12:57.840 put up the stats and all that. But he also 0:12:57.920 --> 0:13:02.439 knows that the wide receiver group a whole, the success 0:13:02.480 --> 0:13:05.719 of the group is going to be more defined by 0:13:05.840 --> 0:13:09.040 what Valde is Scantling and st Brown and Jamon Moore 0:13:09.080 --> 0:13:11.720 and Jake Kumero and maybe Trevor Davis or you know, 0:13:11.880 --> 0:13:15.199 all those guys. Whoever makes the team out of training camp, 0:13:15.320 --> 0:13:17.000 the success of the group is going to be more 0:13:17.080 --> 0:13:20.440 defined by what they produced. Geronimo Allison obviously in that 0:13:20.559 --> 0:13:22.840 in that mix as well, then by what he does 0:13:22.880 --> 0:13:25.000 and whether he makes the Pro Bowl again or not. 0:13:25.120 --> 0:13:29.679 So that's where the taking the leadership part of things 0:13:29.800 --> 0:13:34.480 very seriously is is. Uh, it's an honest approach on 0:13:34.640 --> 0:13:38.080 his part, and it is big picture thinking on his 0:13:38.200 --> 0:13:40.520 part as far as what is best for the team, 0:13:40.600 --> 0:13:43.280 not just what is best for Davante Adams to maybe 0:13:43.280 --> 0:13:45.679 try to break Jordy Nelson's records this year, to get 0:13:45.679 --> 0:13:47.920 to another Pro Bowl or make get an All Pro 0:13:48.040 --> 0:13:51.200 recognition or whatever it might be. He's looking at that 0:13:51.240 --> 0:13:53.160 receiver group as a whole and how it's going to 0:13:53.200 --> 0:13:55.040 be viewed. It's such a great way to look at 0:13:55.040 --> 0:13:56.640 it too, because if you if you look at the 0:13:56.640 --> 0:13:59.800 two thousand eighteen season, Davante Adams was as sharp as 0:14:00.000 --> 0:14:02.280 a receiver could be. I mean, he came into his own, 0:14:02.320 --> 0:14:05.240 lived up to that contract, and was everything that Aaron 0:14:05.320 --> 0:14:07.880 Rodgers needed him to be in this offense. The results 0:14:07.920 --> 0:14:10.440 are still what they were from a team perspective, though 0:14:10.760 --> 0:14:13.840 there weren't enough wins. There wasn't enough production and changes 0:14:13.840 --> 0:14:15.960 had to be made. So yeah, it goes back to 0:14:15.960 --> 0:14:18.080 that old adage of you know, you are only as 0:14:18.080 --> 0:14:20.880 strong as your weakest link. They need Marquez Valdes scant 0:14:20.920 --> 0:14:22.720 link to be making big plays. We saw one of 0:14:22.760 --> 0:14:26.160 them in the first team period during Wednesday's practice when 0:14:26.160 --> 0:14:28.880 he was able to beat the cornerback down the sideline, 0:14:28.920 --> 0:14:30.880 beat the over the top safety help and have a 0:14:30.960 --> 0:14:32.640 nice connection with Aaron Rodgers for it would have been 0:14:32.680 --> 0:14:35.720 like a fifty five yard touchdown. They need Geronimo Allison 0:14:35.800 --> 0:14:38.400 to be the player they think he can become. Uh, 0:14:38.440 --> 0:14:44.760 you know, versatile, accountable, explosive. Those are the fixtures of 0:14:44.800 --> 0:14:48.200 this offense. It's multiplicity. It's being able to go three 0:14:48.280 --> 0:14:50.440 or four deep on your depth chart at receiver. They 0:14:50.480 --> 0:14:52.880 need young guys to step up. There's a good competition 0:14:52.920 --> 0:14:55.600 brewing there. The more guys that are pushing for those snaps, 0:14:55.600 --> 0:14:58.040 that are pushing for those targets, the better it's gonna 0:14:58.040 --> 0:14:59.680 be for this offense in the long run. Yeah. Well, 0:14:59.720 --> 0:15:02.440 another guy I want to talk about from a leadership standpoint, 0:15:02.480 --> 0:15:04.880 and this is a little bit different conversation because he's 0:15:04.880 --> 0:15:07.520 in a different place in his career. But we've talked 0:15:07.520 --> 0:15:10.120 a lot about Tremont Williams since he came back to 0:15:10.160 --> 0:15:13.800 Green Bay last season after spending three years in a 0:15:13.800 --> 0:15:17.440 combination of Cleveland and Arizona, comes back to the Packers 0:15:17.560 --> 0:15:20.440 and as actually last week during the open locker room session, 0:15:20.560 --> 0:15:24.480 I just decided to walk up to him and ask him, Okay, 0:15:24.920 --> 0:15:27.960 so why are you still doing this like you don't 0:15:27.960 --> 0:15:29.800 have I mean, he's got a Super Bowl ring, he's 0:15:29.800 --> 0:15:32.920 been to a Pro Bowl, he's got twelve years of 0:15:32.960 --> 0:15:38.560 service under his belt. There's there's no there's no practical reason, 0:15:38.720 --> 0:15:40.560 so to speak, that he needs that he needs to 0:15:40.640 --> 0:15:44.400 keep doing this. And it turned into an interesting conversation 0:15:44.480 --> 0:15:47.600 because he mentioned one of his one of his primary 0:15:47.680 --> 0:15:50.560 motivations right now that and you could see the smile 0:15:50.640 --> 0:15:52.840 that it brings to his face. And Tremont smiles a lot, 0:15:52.960 --> 0:15:55.720 but it brought maybe a little bit bigger smile to 0:15:55.800 --> 0:15:57.960 his face as he was talking about his kids and 0:15:58.000 --> 0:16:01.400 specifically his son, Tremont June Year, who is going to 0:16:01.480 --> 0:16:04.320 turn nine years old this fall, and he started talking 0:16:04.320 --> 0:16:08.560 about how his son now understands the game of football, 0:16:08.640 --> 0:16:13.359 understands what dad, does you know? Talks to dad about 0:16:13.400 --> 0:16:16.000 this and that with the defensive scheme and you know 0:16:16.040 --> 0:16:17.680 what you did on this play or what you did 0:16:17.720 --> 0:16:21.239 on that play, and Tremon just absolutely loves it. He's 0:16:21.320 --> 0:16:24.520 just he and you know, as anybody would, you know, 0:16:24.960 --> 0:16:28.120 he loves the fact that his son now is to 0:16:28.120 --> 0:16:30.800 the point where he can have those conversations at home 0:16:30.800 --> 0:16:33.320 and it it puts him in a different place in 0:16:33.400 --> 0:16:36.400 his career when you look back at the fact that say, 0:16:36.440 --> 0:16:39.840 the most famous play that everybody's going to remember Packers 0:16:39.880 --> 0:16:42.240 fans as far as what Tremont Williams did, the pick 0:16:42.280 --> 0:16:44.600 six in Atlanta in the playoffs in two thousand ten. 0:16:44.840 --> 0:16:47.240 Tremont Jr. Was just a couple of months old at 0:16:47.280 --> 0:16:50.640 that time, you know. So he's in a completely different 0:16:50.640 --> 0:16:55.160 place now, and he's absolutely relishing the relationship that he 0:16:55.200 --> 0:16:57.720 has with his son and with the game of football. 0:16:57.800 --> 0:17:01.040 Because he's in his mid thirty's, he's still able to 0:17:01.080 --> 0:17:03.360 play right now and and is a guy who's going 0:17:03.400 --> 0:17:06.320 to play an important role on this defense. It was 0:17:06.320 --> 0:17:08.880 funny too, because another point of he talked, He's talked 0:17:08.920 --> 0:17:11.480 in his first two locker rooms for an extended amount 0:17:11.520 --> 0:17:12.800 of time. One of the Huddles that I was, and 0:17:12.920 --> 0:17:15.400 he was even asked about, you know, you ever run 0:17:15.400 --> 0:17:17.760 a Ford anymore? Just for funny. He's like, no, but 0:17:17.840 --> 0:17:20.000 I don't need to because I'm running with Jackie, Alexander, 0:17:20.080 --> 0:17:22.639 all these other cornerbacks and I know I'm still fast. 0:17:22.720 --> 0:17:25.240 So he says he can keep up the way he's 0:17:25.280 --> 0:17:27.639 invested in himself. And I've written about it numerous times 0:17:27.640 --> 0:17:29.440 now I give it again last season when he played 0:17:29.440 --> 0:17:32.120 all but five snaps in that defense. Is the fact 0:17:32.160 --> 0:17:35.600 that he just puts such a heavy emphasis on his 0:17:36.000 --> 0:17:38.520 body making sure he's in the right spot. But let's 0:17:38.520 --> 0:17:42.040 be honest though, too, Mike. You can do everything right physically, 0:17:42.720 --> 0:17:46.359 if you don't mentally evolve with the game, you're not 0:17:46.400 --> 0:17:48.880 going to last. That's why Truman Williams is still here. 0:17:49.440 --> 0:17:52.040 He's smart, he's intelligent, and he's proven that he can 0:17:52.080 --> 0:17:54.000 do a number of different things in this defense. I 0:17:54.040 --> 0:17:56.520 just felt from day one it was the right move 0:17:56.600 --> 0:17:58.440 for the Packers to get him back when he had 0:17:58.440 --> 0:18:01.520 the resurgence he did with Arizona in two thousand seventeen. 0:18:01.920 --> 0:18:04.320 That's the type of player this team was missing when 0:18:04.359 --> 0:18:06.359 they didn't have that older veteran that can you know, 0:18:06.440 --> 0:18:08.680 kind of guide and bring guys along. But the great 0:18:08.720 --> 0:18:10.760 thing was is he was still motivated to compete with 0:18:10.800 --> 0:18:13.440 those young guys, that he still wanted those snaps. He 0:18:13.480 --> 0:18:15.480 still wanted to be out there, and here we are, 0:18:15.880 --> 0:18:18.600 you're thirteen or fourteen for him now, he's still taking 0:18:18.640 --> 0:18:21.560 snaps with the number one defense. Truman Williams is going 0:18:21.600 --> 0:18:23.280 to help this defense get to where it wants to be. 0:18:23.320 --> 0:18:25.919 He's going to help this secondary be the secondary that 0:18:25.960 --> 0:18:28.000 the Packers field, that the potential is there to be 0:18:28.760 --> 0:18:31.320 the big thing. I think that special is that the 0:18:31.440 --> 0:18:35.040 longer that he can continue this on. Truly, I mean this, 0:18:35.160 --> 0:18:37.919 and I don't want to sound somewhat you know, cheesy, 0:18:38.000 --> 0:18:40.640 but the memories that that's going to form for for 0:18:40.720 --> 0:18:44.400 his kids, for his family, you don't get that a lot, Mike. 0:18:44.440 --> 0:18:46.800 We see it so often, especially in this game. It's 0:18:46.840 --> 0:18:49.080 these guys don't play twenty years. It's not Lebron and 0:18:49.160 --> 0:18:51.200 Kobe and things like that. And his his daughter, his 0:18:51.640 --> 0:18:54.320 daughter Trinity just turned seven years old too, so she's 0:18:54.359 --> 0:18:57.040 getting to the point where she's gonna start she's starting 0:18:57.040 --> 0:18:59.760 to understand what's what what dad does for a living 0:18:59.760 --> 0:19:02.359 now and everything and and all of that. That dynamic 0:19:02.400 --> 0:19:05.520 with his kids is is completely different and he wants 0:19:05.520 --> 0:19:07.080 to keep it going as long as he can. It's 0:19:07.080 --> 0:19:09.320 always baby pictures, right when you see the family night, 0:19:09.320 --> 0:19:11.640 it's it's guys with their for one and two year olds, 0:19:11.640 --> 0:19:13.720 and those are going to be great someday. But the 0:19:13.720 --> 0:19:16.000 fact that Tremon Junior can enjoy that ride too with 0:19:16.040 --> 0:19:18.720 his dad, I think it's exceptional and it probably sets 0:19:18.720 --> 0:19:20.280 a little bit of a standard for him too that hey, 0:19:20.280 --> 0:19:22.040 maybe I want to be able to do that someday 0:19:22.080 --> 0:19:24.639 as well. So I just think it's great. You know, 0:19:24.680 --> 0:19:26.880 listen to Jaire Alexander and Kevin King and these guys 0:19:26.920 --> 0:19:29.920 talk about what Williams has meant to that locker room. 0:19:29.960 --> 0:19:33.840 At some point, Father time is undefeated, collects us all. 0:19:34.400 --> 0:19:36.439