WEBVTT - Drive Time: Robert Hunt Chat, NFC North Preview with Wes Hodkiewicz 0:00:01.680 --> 0:00:04.720 You are listening to the Miami Dolphins podcast Network. 0:00:05.120 --> 0:00:07.600 This is Drive Time with Travis Wingfield. 0:00:07.680 --> 0:00:10.560 Back to throw to a looking clips about. 0:00:10.280 --> 0:00:17.439 A wide Dolphin touchdown, trickquel, uncolievable, just blue by it for. 0:00:17.360 --> 0:00:18.240 A second time. 0:00:18.480 --> 0:00:20.320 Don knew where he was going right away. 0:00:20.560 --> 0:00:21.880 I want to hit that man. 0:00:22.320 --> 0:00:23.040 I'm wanna help you. 0:00:23.120 --> 0:00:24.279 Someone will stup on his man. 0:00:24.200 --> 0:00:28.320 Away Wattle Wadle to a shotgun, back to throw, looking 0:00:28.360 --> 0:00:30.120 at them, it's up Myers touchdown. 0:00:31.000 --> 0:00:34.839 It's Waddle his sixth touchdown, Parados the King. 0:00:35.960 --> 0:00:39.000 Drive Time with Travis Wingfield begins. 0:00:39.560 --> 0:00:41.760 Now check your pulse if you're not of. 0:00:43.400 --> 0:00:46.840 What is up? Dolphins? And welcome to the Drift. 0:00:46.560 --> 0:00:50.200 Time podcast, part of the Miami Dolphins podcast Network, covering 0:00:50.240 --> 0:00:54.600 your team, your Miami Dolphins. How's it going everybody? I 0:00:54.640 --> 0:00:57.760 am your host, Travis Wingfield. And on today's show, another 0:00:57.960 --> 0:01:00.920 edition of the summer preview series, I See North is 0:01:01.080 --> 0:01:04.240 up today with my good friend Wes Hodkowitz from Green 0:01:04.319 --> 0:01:07.399 Bay Packers dot com. Plus we'll hear from Dolphins offensive 0:01:07.400 --> 0:01:09.520 lineman Rob Hunt. All of that and more from the 0:01:09.560 --> 0:01:12.880 Baptist Health Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex. 0:01:12.920 --> 0:01:15.240 This is the Draft Time. 0:01:15.120 --> 0:01:16.800 Pard he fish. 0:01:18.200 --> 0:01:20.880 Let's jump straight away into my interview, my walk and 0:01:20.959 --> 0:01:24.360 talk with Dolphins offensive lineman Rob Hunt. Well, guys, another 0:01:24.440 --> 0:01:26.640 edition of one hundred yards here with Travis Wingfield. That's 0:01:26.640 --> 0:01:28.760 me from my Dolphins offensive lineman Rob Hunt. 0:01:28.760 --> 0:01:28.960 Today. 0:01:29.040 --> 0:01:31.200 Let's go ahead and get going down here, Rob, What 0:01:31.280 --> 0:01:32.640 have you been up to the summer? Man, It's been 0:01:32.680 --> 0:01:34.840 a long off season looking forward to football. But what 0:01:34.880 --> 0:01:36.320 have you been doing to refresh your mind in your 0:01:36.319 --> 0:01:37.039 body a little bit. 0:01:38.440 --> 0:01:39.360 Prior to football? 0:01:39.480 --> 0:01:41.160 I just went I went to Hawaii and got a 0:01:41.160 --> 0:01:42.520 little bit with my own family. 0:01:43.360 --> 0:01:44.119 That was really fun. 0:01:44.200 --> 0:01:46.200 And then I've just been fishing, man, doing a lot 0:01:46.240 --> 0:01:48.440 of fishing, trying to keep up and get better at that. 0:01:48.560 --> 0:01:51.640 So I'm been doing that mainly for this off season. 0:01:52.000 --> 0:01:53.160 Did you get off the fence weekend? 0:01:53.320 --> 0:01:57.200 I did it up. Yeah, that was pretty fun. Caught 0:01:57.200 --> 0:01:59.520 four fis myself. I call two, but my book cut four. 0:02:00.040 --> 0:02:00.680 I thought too of them. 0:02:00.800 --> 0:02:01.440 I know, it was fun. 0:02:01.520 --> 0:02:04.080 My first time ever deep sea fishing, so it was 0:02:04.080 --> 0:02:05.320 a little different, but it was fine. 0:02:05.400 --> 0:02:06.880 Fifty percent of the production coming from you, it's a 0:02:06.880 --> 0:02:07.440 pretty big time. 0:02:07.600 --> 0:02:07.760 Yeah. 0:02:07.840 --> 0:02:09.280 Yeay. What could I say of a fishing. 0:02:10.400 --> 0:02:12.240 You mentioned Hawaii? I obviously have to go to two 0:02:12.280 --> 0:02:13.840 on that. Did he give you any advice on places 0:02:13.840 --> 0:02:14.800 of travel, places to see? 0:02:15.200 --> 0:02:16.440 No, So actually it was Connor. 0:02:16.480 --> 0:02:18.120 So Connor was out there for a while, him and 0:02:18.160 --> 0:02:20.839 his family and they were in Kawaii and he's like, hey, 0:02:20.840 --> 0:02:23.120 this place is beautiful, just like selling me on and 0:02:23.200 --> 0:02:24.800 like you should come out. And then we got up 0:02:24.800 --> 0:02:26.400 and went out and it was it was beautiful, man. 0:02:26.400 --> 0:02:29.560 It was just bread taking magical place. One of my 0:02:29.760 --> 0:02:30.679 one of my favorite kids. 0:02:30.680 --> 0:02:31.720 It's the best I got married in Kawai. 0:02:31.880 --> 0:02:32.040 Really. 0:02:32.120 --> 0:02:34.480 Yeah, it's like the Drastic film Drastic. 0:02:34.360 --> 0:02:36.519 Yes, yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, beautiful. Yeah. 0:02:36.560 --> 0:02:39.040 So last summer at training camp, you'd mentioned and you'd 0:02:39.080 --> 0:02:41.440 played in a similar offense that really prioritized coming off 0:02:41.480 --> 0:02:43.480 the ball and speed on stuff in Louisiana and you 0:02:43.520 --> 0:02:45.959 it's had a comment that I still think about more 0:02:45.960 --> 0:02:47.720 than I should. I'm crazy about this game, so I 0:02:47.800 --> 0:02:49.480 do that stuff. But you mentioned do you want to 0:02:49.520 --> 0:02:51.120 play in this scheme for the rest of your career. 0:02:51.440 --> 0:02:52.800 I was curious to kind of just get like a 0:02:52.840 --> 0:02:55.240 one year refresher and update on how you feel about 0:02:55.240 --> 0:02:56.880 that and how you felt you performed in. 0:02:56.800 --> 0:02:59.560 This new system. I feel the same way, man. 0:02:59.600 --> 0:03:01.280 I think this is the system that I would want 0:03:01.280 --> 0:03:04.119 to play for until I'm done. I think it gives 0:03:04.160 --> 0:03:07.000 me an advantage to run off the football and put 0:03:07.000 --> 0:03:08.920 my big body on another body and try to, you know, 0:03:09.000 --> 0:03:11.400 move them from point A to point B. And uh, 0:03:11.840 --> 0:03:13.480 it's been it's been good, man. I thought I had 0:03:14.040 --> 0:03:16.120 a better year last year, just improving each year I've 0:03:16.120 --> 0:03:17.640 been in the lead, and hopefully I can do the 0:03:17.639 --> 0:03:18.200 same this year. 0:03:18.240 --> 0:03:20.639 How do you feel like all the experience from last 0:03:20.720 --> 0:03:22.240 year and going into the second year in the system, 0:03:22.240 --> 0:03:23.960 how do you think that familiarity can help you? Guys 0:03:24.040 --> 0:03:26.120 get even better? Number six offense last year, but it 0:03:26.160 --> 0:03:26.840 can still get better. 0:03:26.880 --> 0:03:28.480 How do you feel you will help? 0:03:28.760 --> 0:03:31.160 I feel good, man, I think we'll do well. 0:03:31.880 --> 0:03:33.359 We've got a lot of guys coming back on on 0:03:33.360 --> 0:03:35.640 the office side of the ball. Second year in the offense. 0:03:35.640 --> 0:03:37.880 I think we'll I think we all do better. 0:03:37.680 --> 0:03:39.880 Than last year. That's my opinion. Hopefully we can. We'll 0:03:39.920 --> 0:03:41.640 see how I go. But a lot of work to 0:03:41.640 --> 0:03:43.000 be done, but I think we can do something. 0:03:43.080 --> 0:03:43.360 We believe. 0:03:43.400 --> 0:03:44.280 It's already year four for you. 0:03:44.360 --> 0:03:45.360 Isn't that crazy to think about? 0:03:46.160 --> 0:03:48.520 That's really crazy to think about actually get flies by man. 0:03:48.640 --> 0:03:51.080 Like they always say that we haven't fun time flies, right, 0:03:51.120 --> 0:03:52.440 and that's why I'm having fun. 0:03:52.520 --> 0:03:54.800 Man, I'm blessed to be in this position and it's flying. 0:03:54.960 --> 0:03:56.240 We think you can take away from all like if 0:03:56.240 --> 0:03:58.120 you're an experiencer, you're going from a college because obviously 0:03:58.240 --> 0:04:00.480 now you're a grizzled veteran, like, right, well, you learning 0:04:00.520 --> 0:04:02.520 that four years as a man, as a player. 0:04:02.440 --> 0:04:04.760 Right man, as a lot as you learn in those 0:04:04.800 --> 0:04:08.560 four years man from from looking the houses to buying 0:04:08.560 --> 0:04:12.200 the houses, to tax taxes man, to buying car all 0:04:12.200 --> 0:04:14.120 that kind of stuff. Man, family, and then it's on 0:04:14.120 --> 0:04:15.960 the field, just growing man from a young pup and 0:04:15.960 --> 0:04:18.800 it's coming from a sunbeat school. The speed is a 0:04:18.839 --> 0:04:20.839 little different. And then you know, once you get just 0:04:20.880 --> 0:04:22.520 to the game of the speed man, it's it's it's 0:04:22.600 --> 0:04:25.520 it's a fun game. And it's been their journey has 0:04:25.520 --> 0:04:27.560 been a grind. But I'm thankful and I'm happy to 0:04:27.560 --> 0:04:27.760 be here. 0:04:27.720 --> 0:04:31.200 Appreciate, thank you, thank you, and away he goes to 0:04:31.240 --> 0:04:33.320 great Rob Hunt. Let's go ahead and take our first 0:04:33.320 --> 0:04:35.400 break right there and come back on the other side 0:04:35.600 --> 0:04:38.080 and get to my other guest today, Wes Hodkowitz, Packers 0:04:38.120 --> 0:04:41.600 dot Com breaking down everything NFC North. That's next Draft 0:04:41.600 --> 0:04:44.320 Time podcast. Your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by 0:04:44.440 --> 0:04:50.039 Auto Nation and Beck for his second appearance on the 0:04:50.120 --> 0:04:53.239 Drive Time podcast. He helped us preview last year's Christmas 0:04:53.360 --> 0:04:56.120 Day game. A senior writer at Packers dot Com and 0:04:56.200 --> 0:05:00.640 part of the Packers Unscripted podcast, He's Wes Hodkowitz. And Wes, 0:05:00.720 --> 0:05:02.960 you told me before we came on the air here 0:05:03.040 --> 0:05:05.120 that maybe it would have been best sur for you, 0:05:05.120 --> 0:05:06.520 because I had to ask you how to pronounce the 0:05:06.560 --> 0:05:08.080 name after I've met you a few times. 0:05:07.800 --> 0:05:08.920 And you aced it by the way. 0:05:09.520 --> 0:05:11.080 Well, you help me, you walked. 0:05:10.880 --> 0:05:12.599 Me there, you took me to the answer, but you 0:05:12.680 --> 0:05:14.320 mentioned a possible pen name. 0:05:14.360 --> 0:05:16.320 I'm just curious. You got me thinking, what would that 0:05:16.360 --> 0:05:17.000 have been for you. 0:05:17.440 --> 0:05:21.320 My wife's maiden name is Fitzgerald. I would have actually 0:05:21.320 --> 0:05:23.760 considered that. I think Weston Fitzgerald would have been a 0:05:23.800 --> 0:05:25.800 really good one. We weren't married at the time, though 0:05:25.880 --> 0:05:28.640 that probably have been a little controversial. I usually will 0:05:28.760 --> 0:05:32.000 use my middle name sometimes, but that's not great either. 0:05:32.080 --> 0:05:34.839 That's Lee because that was a compromise between my parents. 0:05:34.920 --> 0:05:37.080 My mom wanted to name me Wesley. My dad wasn't 0:05:37.120 --> 0:05:40.800 having it, so, like all good marriages, you find compromise 0:05:40.839 --> 0:05:43.599 in between, so it was Weston Lee instead. So I 0:05:43.640 --> 0:05:45.640 don't know, man, I probably just changed the whole thing 0:05:45.680 --> 0:05:48.240 altogether if I really had to go that direction. But 0:05:48.400 --> 0:05:50.120 I am proud of my family and I'm proud of 0:05:50.160 --> 0:05:52.880 everything else. It's just the uh back in the day. 0:05:53.080 --> 0:05:55.000 I don't know. You don't really get him as much anymore. 0:05:55.040 --> 0:05:56.839 But like telemarketers when I was a kid, it was 0:05:56.839 --> 0:05:58.680 always funny when they'd call up and they'd be like, 0:05:58.920 --> 0:06:02.560 is mister and missus how just available? 0:06:03.000 --> 0:06:03.560 Yeah? 0:06:04.040 --> 0:06:05.040 They just bail on it. 0:06:05.080 --> 0:06:08.359 You know, Well, what Weston Fitzgerald sounds like you belong 0:06:08.400 --> 0:06:10.400 at a great gaspe party, so I think it does. 0:06:10.839 --> 0:06:13.720 You would certainly be a high society if that was 0:06:14.000 --> 0:06:15.320 that was where you went with that direction. 0:06:15.760 --> 0:06:17.920 How co which just sounds like a Green Bay packer 0:06:18.000 --> 0:06:19.400 of me, So I think you're a good company there. 0:06:19.839 --> 0:06:21.320 How's your off season been going, Man, it's been a 0:06:21.360 --> 0:06:22.360 long time to be last talked. 0:06:22.480 --> 0:06:25.080 Yeah, it's been good. It obviously was a lot of 0:06:25.160 --> 0:06:29.080 things that happened April to May. As far as off 0:06:29.160 --> 0:06:31.840 seasons are concerned, Travis. I think this is my twelve 0:06:31.920 --> 0:06:33.960 years I've been doing this now on a full time basis. 0:06:34.480 --> 0:06:37.040 That was the busiest month I think I've ever been 0:06:37.080 --> 0:06:38.880 a part of. And it certainly is going to be 0:06:38.920 --> 0:06:41.520 that way. Right when you trade Aaron Rodgers somebody that 0:06:41.640 --> 0:06:44.000 is gonna be a first future, first ballot Hall of Famer, 0:06:44.480 --> 0:06:47.840 arguably the best player in franchise history, It's going to 0:06:48.160 --> 0:06:51.800 create a lot of stories, news headlines, and everything that 0:06:51.839 --> 0:06:54.200 goes along with that. But when you factor in the draft, 0:06:54.400 --> 0:06:56.920 you factor in schedule release. I'm sure you went through 0:06:56.920 --> 0:06:59.200 that as well, and then now the dawning of the 0:06:59.320 --> 0:07:01.520 Jordan Love air here in Green Bay. It made for 0:07:01.560 --> 0:07:04.719 a very busy offseason, but I think also very exciting 0:07:04.720 --> 0:07:07.440 one too, because we are sort of venturing into a 0:07:07.560 --> 0:07:09.680 new territory that I've never been a part of. I've 0:07:09.680 --> 0:07:13.880 never covered a rookie QB one before our first year started, 0:07:13.880 --> 0:07:16.360 before Aaron Rodgers was already an MVP a Super Bowl 0:07:16.440 --> 0:07:18.200 champion by the time I started covering the team. So 0:07:18.840 --> 0:07:21.400 it was an eventful offseason but also very intriguing one 0:07:21.440 --> 0:07:21.800 as well. 0:07:22.000 --> 0:07:24.080 It's funny to talk to, you know, people like yourself 0:07:24.120 --> 0:07:27.360 because you know not making the comparison to quarterbacks and 0:07:27.360 --> 0:07:30.600 head coaches, but like those positions, there's thirty two of 0:07:30.680 --> 0:07:32.240 us and some teams have a couple of us. 0:07:32.280 --> 0:07:34.560 I guess maybe like fifty of us, but not that 0:07:34.640 --> 0:07:35.240 many of us here. 0:07:35.280 --> 0:07:37.240 So it's always interesting to hear you kind of talk about, 0:07:37.400 --> 0:07:39.960 you know, your schedule, your layout, your content, playing all 0:07:40.000 --> 0:07:41.920 that fun stuff, and it's good to bounce those ideas 0:07:41.920 --> 0:07:43.160 off each other so we can kind of maybe help 0:07:43.160 --> 0:07:45.960 each other in the long run. You mentioned Packers there 0:07:46.000 --> 0:07:48.440 and the transition from the going from Aaron Rodgers to 0:07:48.480 --> 0:07:50.960 Jordan Love, which obviously is a key storyline here before 0:07:50.960 --> 0:07:52.600 we get into the Packers, just want to get your 0:07:52.600 --> 0:07:55.280 thirty thousand foot view, your bird's eye view of the 0:07:55.400 --> 0:07:58.280 NFC North with you know, changing times here in the division, 0:07:58.520 --> 0:08:00.960 your key storylines here heading in the year. Just kind 0:08:00.960 --> 0:08:03.120 of walk us through what you've seen in the NFC 0:08:03.200 --> 0:08:04.200 North this offseason. 0:08:04.320 --> 0:08:06.320 I think the funniest thing for me, Travis, is the 0:08:06.360 --> 0:08:09.360 grim mid Packers traded Aaron Rodgers, and yet I still 0:08:09.360 --> 0:08:11.360 think that that's probably the team that has maybe not 0:08:11.440 --> 0:08:13.360 even had the most upheaval, you know, when you look 0:08:13.400 --> 0:08:16.440 at what's happened with the Minnesota Vikings. When you know 0:08:16.520 --> 0:08:18.960 your thirteen win team and you win the division, and 0:08:19.080 --> 0:08:21.560 yet in some ways they still sort of tore down 0:08:21.720 --> 0:08:22.960 certain parts of it. I don't want to call it 0:08:23.000 --> 0:08:24.920 a rebuild because I think in the major areas they 0:08:24.960 --> 0:08:28.480 still are a very, you know, front runner type team. 0:08:28.840 --> 0:08:30.560 I think they're gonna be a team that sort of drives, 0:08:30.680 --> 0:08:33.160 you know, this this division in terms of their experience 0:08:33.200 --> 0:08:35.960 and everything. But the Delvin Cook moving on from that, 0:08:36.080 --> 0:08:38.800 Zadarias Smith, who we had some experience with in Green Bay, 0:08:38.880 --> 0:08:42.320 him getting traded down to Cleveland. There's and then certainly 0:08:42.360 --> 0:08:45.320 Adam Thielen leaving and now going to Carolina. A lot 0:08:45.360 --> 0:08:49.000 of different moving pieces and for a team that otherwise 0:08:49.200 --> 0:08:50.920 appeared to be right in the thick things for the 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:53.880 Super Bowl last year. So when you factor that in 0:08:53.880 --> 0:08:56.280 in Detroit being on the come up here every year, 0:08:56.320 --> 0:08:59.560 they've taken a step forward. With Dan Campbell Chicago Bears, 0:08:59.800 --> 0:09:02.000 I still have a lot of questions about that team, 0:09:02.000 --> 0:09:05.600 but I think if you ask anyone around that area 0:09:05.800 --> 0:09:07.720 or in the state of Illinois, I think people feel 0:09:07.800 --> 0:09:10.440 very strongly about what their potential could be. In the 0:09:10.440 --> 0:09:12.440 Green Bay Packers for the first time in a you know, 0:09:12.520 --> 0:09:16.160 really fifteen years with some legitimate questions coming into the season. 0:09:16.200 --> 0:09:18.880 So it is probably the most wide open that I 0:09:18.880 --> 0:09:22.520 can remember the division being between either Green Bay. You know, 0:09:22.720 --> 0:09:24.880 everyone focuses so much on the Packers, right, but I 0:09:24.920 --> 0:09:26.720 mean the Bears made a Super Bowl in two thousand 0:09:26.720 --> 0:09:29.160 and six, Minnesota's won plenty of division titles as well. 0:09:29.200 --> 0:09:31.640 Detroit's even made the playoffs a few times. So there 0:09:31.679 --> 0:09:33.959 have been other teams in this division, But in terms 0:09:33.960 --> 0:09:37.120 of the wide open competition before between the four among 0:09:37.200 --> 0:09:40.160 the four, I don't recall anything quite like this. 0:09:40.600 --> 0:09:42.240 Yeah, it should be a fun division to take a 0:09:42.280 --> 0:09:43.680 look at here, and we go ahead and start with 0:09:43.720 --> 0:09:45.719 the Green Bay Packers, like you mentioned, because where else 0:09:45.720 --> 0:09:47.920 would you go in a division? Like you said, that 0:09:47.960 --> 0:09:50.400 seems wide open for the first time in a long 0:09:50.480 --> 0:09:53.080 time because of that change at quarterback, and you know, 0:09:53.880 --> 0:09:56.559 we went through some rough times there after Dan Reno 0:09:56.600 --> 0:09:59.880 retired with the Miami Dolphins. You guys hired the opposite after, 0:10:00.240 --> 0:10:02.560 you know, going from one Hall of Fame quarterback to 0:10:02.600 --> 0:10:05.720 the next. And so I'm curious because and the quarterback 0:10:05.720 --> 0:10:07.360 that we have now that we're super happy with now 0:10:07.559 --> 0:10:09.320 was in that same draft class as the guy you 0:10:09.760 --> 0:10:12.160 will roll out this September to start week number one 0:10:12.200 --> 0:10:15.040 and Jordan Love, but just like kind of touch on 0:10:15.080 --> 0:10:17.720 that topic man of going from Far to Rogers and 0:10:17.720 --> 0:10:20.319 now the next guy, like the pressure on Jordan Love, 0:10:20.360 --> 0:10:22.160 but also kind of how the team feels about him, 0:10:22.160 --> 0:10:24.040 because this is a guy that you know, I think 0:10:24.040 --> 0:10:26.600 a lot of folks forget that man. The arm, talent, 0:10:26.640 --> 0:10:28.319 the way that he can hit the ball around the field, 0:10:28.320 --> 0:10:30.040 and just some of the plays he made at Utah Stay. 0:10:30.120 --> 0:10:31.840 I loved his game out there at college. 0:10:32.040 --> 0:10:34.920 Just kind of give us your I guess you're you're 0:10:35.400 --> 0:10:37.960 connected to the team conversation about Jordan Love and the 0:10:38.000 --> 0:10:40.720 expectation and just kind of what he's facing this upcoming season. 0:10:40.840 --> 0:10:42.439 No Travis here, one hundred percent right. 0:10:42.600 --> 0:10:45.599 I think the most exciting part of this entire thing is, 0:10:45.840 --> 0:10:48.320 let's say Jordan Love actually does you know, work out 0:10:48.400 --> 0:10:50.840 he ends up being a ten year starter. My goodness, 0:10:50.920 --> 0:10:54.240 that twenty twenty draft class could end up being incredibly 0:10:54.280 --> 0:10:57.360 star studded an all timer. It already is there, but 0:10:57.360 --> 0:11:00.000 if you factor Love into that too, especially the first 0:11:00.280 --> 0:11:02.680 and then now Jalen Hurts what he's done in Philly. 0:11:02.920 --> 0:11:04.120 It could be really special. 0:11:04.760 --> 0:11:06.920 The part that I don't know if you ever ended 0:11:06.960 --> 0:11:10.400 up seeing true Detective the first year with Russ Cole 0:11:10.400 --> 0:11:12.280 when he does the time is a flat circle thing. 0:11:12.960 --> 0:11:16.800 That's basically the agreement Packers where it's like, Okay, Brett 0:11:16.840 --> 0:11:20.400 Farv leaves. Aaron Rodgers was a backup for three years, 0:11:20.440 --> 0:11:24.080 becomes the starter, right, Aaron Rodgers is basically here fifteen 0:11:24.160 --> 0:11:27.360 years as a starter. Jordan Love is the first round 0:11:27.360 --> 0:11:29.679 pick waiting for three years. Now he's the starter. It's 0:11:29.720 --> 0:11:31.760 just this pro just the way the process has worked 0:11:31.800 --> 0:11:35.199 in Green Bay. And when you mentioned his arm talent, 0:11:35.240 --> 0:11:37.000 that is the number one thing that stands out to me. 0:11:37.040 --> 0:11:39.240 And we actually have been able to watch him quite 0:11:39.240 --> 0:11:41.679 a bit. The general fan, even Packer fans, haven't been 0:11:41.679 --> 0:11:43.720 able to see him a whole lot. But with Rogers 0:11:43.800 --> 0:11:45.600 not being here for the off season program the last 0:11:45.640 --> 0:11:48.160 two years, for the most part, we saw a lot 0:11:48.200 --> 0:11:50.719 of Jordan Love and watching him grow. And I'm sure 0:11:50.720 --> 0:11:52.640 it's the same thing you went through looking at Tua, 0:11:53.200 --> 0:11:55.720 you know, going from day one to where he's at 0:11:55.800 --> 0:11:59.319 now is it is incredible watching him kind of come 0:11:59.320 --> 0:12:02.360 into his own as a football player. There's so much 0:12:02.360 --> 0:12:04.080 more that goes into it than arms strength, There's so 0:12:04.160 --> 0:12:06.000 much more that goes into it than just size and 0:12:06.280 --> 0:12:09.559 being a first round pick. But the locker room has 0:12:09.640 --> 0:12:12.600 rallied around this young man. He did everything the way 0:12:12.640 --> 0:12:14.600 you need him to do it. He did not raise 0:12:14.640 --> 0:12:16.520 a fuss for the last three years. You know, there 0:12:16.559 --> 0:12:19.520 was a lot of you know, consternation outside of Green 0:12:19.559 --> 0:12:21.599 Bay and with Aaron Rodgers and what his future is 0:12:21.640 --> 0:12:21.960 going to be. 0:12:22.320 --> 0:12:23.840 Jordan just kept his nose down. 0:12:23.880 --> 0:12:25.760 He kept working. When he had the opportunity to be 0:12:25.800 --> 0:12:28.320 the number one, he took it. When he didn't, he 0:12:28.400 --> 0:12:30.000 sat back and he was the number two. And I 0:12:30.040 --> 0:12:32.200 think from that perspective, he earned a lot of respect 0:12:32.240 --> 0:12:34.520 within this building. And there's tons of players now on 0:12:34.559 --> 0:12:37.000 this offense and in that entire locker room that really 0:12:37.000 --> 0:12:38.720 want to play for him and show that he can 0:12:38.760 --> 0:12:39.400 be the next guy. 0:12:39.960 --> 0:12:42.560 In that twenty nineteen college season, I was clipping off 0:12:42.920 --> 0:12:45.880 all the top quarterbacks highlights of every game and talking 0:12:45.880 --> 0:12:48.000 about what I thought was really you know, strong suits 0:12:48.000 --> 0:12:50.080 of their game. So if you go to at Wingfield, 0:12:50.240 --> 0:12:52.320 NFL and type in Jordan Love, you're gonna find a 0:12:52.320 --> 0:12:55.080 bunch of crazy talented clips of him at Utah State 0:12:55.360 --> 0:12:56.480 making all kinds of plays. 0:12:56.679 --> 0:12:58.400 Like I said, I was a huge fan of his game. 0:12:58.440 --> 0:12:58.720 He was. 0:12:58.960 --> 0:13:01.080 I was big on the two much. I thought Tua 0:13:01.080 --> 0:13:01.319 was the. 0:13:01.280 --> 0:13:03.800 Guy that I wanted all along from really, you know, 0:13:03.840 --> 0:13:06.080 going back to that national championship that he won. But 0:13:06.200 --> 0:13:08.000 Jordan Love was the guy that I was really intrigued 0:13:08.000 --> 0:13:10.280 by after that. So A big fan of his game. 0:13:10.480 --> 0:13:13.800 And I'm curious here because I almost feel like maybe 0:13:13.840 --> 0:13:16.760 going from you know, a grizzled veteran like an Aaron 0:13:16.840 --> 0:13:19.200 Rodgers to a guy like Jordan Love who you want 0:13:19.200 --> 0:13:21.440 to support and make sure that he has the proper 0:13:21.440 --> 0:13:23.559 pieces around him to get him going and develop him 0:13:23.559 --> 0:13:26.319 that way, I almost feel like West they could potentially 0:13:26.800 --> 0:13:29.280 maybe transition to the offense to more of what it 0:13:29.400 --> 0:13:31.880 was suited to do in the past. With an age 0:13:31.960 --> 0:13:33.679 j Dillon and an Aaron Jones. I'm a big fan 0:13:33.720 --> 0:13:35.080 of both their games. Do you think we're gonna see 0:13:35.080 --> 0:13:37.000 more of a running game effort behind a pretty good 0:13:37.000 --> 0:13:39.280 offensive line as well up there in Green Bay? 0:13:39.559 --> 0:13:42.600 Yeah, especially if the offensive line can get settled this year, Travis. 0:13:42.640 --> 0:13:44.360 You know, last year, the first half of the season 0:13:44.480 --> 0:13:46.360 was such a grind for Green Bay because you know, 0:13:46.440 --> 0:13:48.640 David Bakhtiari was still working his way back from the 0:13:48.679 --> 0:13:51.800 ACL injury. Elton Jenkins also was unavailable for the first 0:13:51.840 --> 0:13:53.920 two months coming back from his own ACL that he 0:13:54.040 --> 0:13:57.760 tore while he was replacing David the previous season. Now 0:13:57.800 --> 0:13:59.679 both of those guys are back and they both finished 0:13:59.760 --> 0:14:01.599 last season a high note. Elton end up getting to 0:14:01.640 --> 0:14:03.960 a second Pro Bowl. They feel really good about that 0:14:04.080 --> 0:14:07.160 left side. So I think what is going to be 0:14:07.240 --> 0:14:09.440 the most important part of this. 0:14:09.360 --> 0:14:12.320 Thing is going to be the Aaron Jones AJ Dillon. 0:14:12.160 --> 0:14:15.040 Aspect because the Packers have invested so many resources there. 0:14:15.080 --> 0:14:18.040 You saw all the cost cutting that teams around the 0:14:18.160 --> 0:14:20.800 NFL did with their running backs. The Green Bit Packers 0:14:20.800 --> 0:14:22.840 did not do that. They did sort of change his 0:14:22.920 --> 0:14:26.080 contract Aaron's a little bit this season, but they made 0:14:26.160 --> 0:14:27.840 no bones about it. They want him to still be 0:14:27.920 --> 0:14:31.000 the primary playmaker in this offense. And you even saw 0:14:31.000 --> 0:14:33.680 it a little bit last year. When Aaron is right 0:14:33.760 --> 0:14:35.920 and he's getting the ball and he's producing, this offense 0:14:36.000 --> 0:14:39.240 is different. He's going to go. This offense is going 0:14:39.280 --> 0:14:41.720 to go where he takes them. Now that being said, 0:14:41.880 --> 0:14:43.560 I think you look at them bringing in a guy 0:14:43.560 --> 0:14:46.840 like Jaden Reid second round out of Michigan State. He's 0:14:46.880 --> 0:14:48.920 a little bit more of that traditional slot type receiver 0:14:49.000 --> 0:14:50.760 that they've sort of been missing. They can use him 0:14:50.800 --> 0:14:53.680 on some of the jet motions. Christian Watson really came 0:14:53.720 --> 0:14:55.680 on strong at the end of last season. Romeo Dobbs 0:14:55.560 --> 0:14:58.440 has been incredibly consistent so and then with adding the 0:14:58.480 --> 0:15:01.360 two other tight ends to the draft, I think all 0:15:01.480 --> 0:15:04.760 the pieces are there for Matt Lafleur to really execute 0:15:04.760 --> 0:15:08.720 the offense that he wants to play with. And not 0:15:08.760 --> 0:15:10.040 to say they didn't do that in the past, I 0:15:10.040 --> 0:15:12.680 think they very much did. But when you're talking about 0:15:12.760 --> 0:15:15.640 building up, you know, a scheme for a first time, 0:15:15.760 --> 0:15:18.440 first year starter, I think that's what the Shanahan offense, 0:15:18.600 --> 0:15:20.600 with the McVeigh offense, and I think even Matt when 0:15:20.600 --> 0:15:22.600 you look at what he did in Tennessee before he 0:15:22.640 --> 0:15:24.560 came to Green Bay, all of that is on the 0:15:24.560 --> 0:15:26.000 table for him. So I think it is going to 0:15:26.040 --> 0:15:28.560 be a very QB friendly, you know, type of formation 0:15:28.640 --> 0:15:30.760 and scheme for Jordan to get comfortable with this season. 0:15:30.920 --> 0:15:33.200 In addition to his most veteran player on the offensive 0:15:33.200 --> 0:15:35.520 side of the ball at least from the skill position 0:15:35.640 --> 0:15:37.800 standpoint being a Pro Bowl running back. 0:15:37.920 --> 0:15:39.960 One hundred percent, and that I think it also favors 0:15:39.960 --> 0:15:42.680 if those two young tight ends can get acclimated right away, 0:15:43.000 --> 0:15:45.160 you could see lots of twelve and maybe even twenty 0:15:45.160 --> 0:15:46.960 two personnel. Or you have two backs and two tight 0:15:47.040 --> 0:15:49.280 ends out there and you have a good run heavy offense, 0:15:49.360 --> 0:15:51.320 use that play action game where Jordan Love can step 0:15:51.320 --> 0:15:53.000 back there and you know, take his shots down the 0:15:53.000 --> 0:15:55.000 field to a player that looks like the next great 0:15:55.000 --> 0:15:56.240 receiver in Christiana Watson. 0:15:56.280 --> 0:15:57.400 So fun offense. 0:15:57.400 --> 0:15:59.160 Man really team a team that I'm really intrigued to 0:15:59.160 --> 0:16:01.080 watch this year's touch on the defense here before we 0:16:01.120 --> 0:16:03.480 get back to the division champion from a year ago, 0:16:03.520 --> 0:16:06.040 the Minnesota Vikings, because I'm looking at this defense and 0:16:06.400 --> 0:16:09.800 again down the board like pretty good players all across 0:16:09.800 --> 0:16:11.400 the roster here. But I think I starts with the 0:16:11.440 --> 0:16:13.720 pass rush, doesn't it, With Preston Smith and what you've 0:16:13.720 --> 0:16:15.760 got off the edge there, obviously with Rashaun Gary and 0:16:16.040 --> 0:16:17.720 what he's been able to do so far in his career. 0:16:17.880 --> 0:16:19.640 Tell us about this defense and how they're going to 0:16:19.680 --> 0:16:21.600 get back to being this this team that has really 0:16:22.000 --> 0:16:24.200 taken the football away in recent years and just kind 0:16:24.200 --> 0:16:26.040 of been, you know, a pest in the way the 0:16:26.080 --> 0:16:28.160 gyr Alexander is for all the guys that he faces, 0:16:28.360 --> 0:16:30.400 this defense can be a pest for opposing offenses. 0:16:30.600 --> 0:16:33.280 Yeah, first and foremost, everything's going to start with them 0:16:33.280 --> 0:16:36.360 getting Rashawn back, and the Packers lost him last November. 0:16:36.400 --> 0:16:38.800 With that, acl before that, he had six sacks in 0:16:38.840 --> 0:16:39.880 his first eight games. 0:16:40.120 --> 0:16:41.160 He really looked like he was. 0:16:41.160 --> 0:16:43.880 In the middle of a breakthrough type Pro Bowl season, 0:16:44.080 --> 0:16:47.400 a double sack you know, double digit sack season. Green 0:16:47.440 --> 0:16:50.080 Bay actually played better I think down the stretch after 0:16:50.160 --> 0:16:52.280 losing Gary. I think that was almost more born out 0:16:52.280 --> 0:16:53.600 of necessity with what they did. 0:16:53.760 --> 0:16:56.400 Justin Hollins came from LA. He's back this year. 0:16:56.840 --> 0:16:59.040 He's been the guy that's been working across from Preston 0:16:59.080 --> 0:17:01.240 in these offseason pract is with the number one unit. 0:17:01.520 --> 0:17:04.040 But they also drafted Lucas Vanas out of Iowa. That 0:17:04.160 --> 0:17:07.240 was their first round pick, number thirteen overall. He is 0:17:07.280 --> 0:17:09.560 going to be such an important piece for them because 0:17:09.760 --> 0:17:12.000 his body type, it kind of is in that Aiden 0:17:12.080 --> 0:17:15.399 Hutchinson type of role where you can play him in 0:17:15.400 --> 0:17:18.720 a bunch of different positions. Early on this season, he 0:17:18.760 --> 0:17:20.960 can factor into that rotation while you're waiting to get 0:17:21.000 --> 0:17:23.160 Rashaan back. But once he's back, you can move him 0:17:23.200 --> 0:17:26.280 and Rashawan around a lot when Joe Berry's defense. When 0:17:26.320 --> 0:17:28.440 Green Bay's defense is at its best, it's being able 0:17:28.440 --> 0:17:30.280 to move around those edge rushers and not just have 0:17:30.400 --> 0:17:32.240 them stationed at one particular spot. 0:17:32.440 --> 0:17:34.600 That's where I think they could be really valuable this year. 0:17:34.920 --> 0:17:36.399 But as you said, when you go back to that 0:17:36.440 --> 0:17:40.119 game obviously against Miami last season, that's also where Rasul 0:17:40.160 --> 0:17:42.760 Douglas at cornerback kind of got back into his rhythm. 0:17:42.760 --> 0:17:45.040 Packers were playing him in the nickel earlier in the season. 0:17:45.280 --> 0:17:47.320 They lose Eric Stokes in that same game that they 0:17:47.320 --> 0:17:51.399 lost Rashaan Gary, so then Douglas has to go back outside. 0:17:51.440 --> 0:17:54.200 He ends up having three interceptions in the month of December. 0:17:54.480 --> 0:17:56.879 Played really well down the stretch. He's opposite of jay 0:17:56.960 --> 0:18:00.399 r Alexander, who now a two time All Pro. Jaws 0:18:00.480 --> 0:18:03.160 right up there now, I mean the Xavian Howard's those 0:18:03.200 --> 0:18:05.520 type of players in the National Football League. When you 0:18:05.560 --> 0:18:08.000 can be a true shutdown cornerback, it opens up so 0:18:08.080 --> 0:18:11.160 much for your defense and they're going to ride them. 0:18:11.240 --> 0:18:12.880 You know, I think when you look at last year, 0:18:12.960 --> 0:18:15.520 I think the Packers had really high expectations for the defense. 0:18:15.560 --> 0:18:18.159 I don't necessarily believe they met all of them. But 0:18:18.280 --> 0:18:20.800 this year, especially with this transition to Jordan Love, They're 0:18:20.840 --> 0:18:23.080 going to need to rely on that unit. And really, 0:18:23.080 --> 0:18:25.160 when you look at the experience of this football team, 0:18:25.320 --> 0:18:27.440 it mostly resides on the defensive side of the ball. 0:18:27.760 --> 0:18:30.520 Yeah, you mentioned the Vikings having a lot of overturn 0:18:30.600 --> 0:18:31.320 this offseason. 0:18:31.320 --> 0:18:32.480 Not lot for the Packers. 0:18:32.520 --> 0:18:35.120 I mean, but as the quarterback position, can you give 0:18:35.119 --> 0:18:37.560 me some notable acquisitions because I'm looking at their draft 0:18:37.560 --> 0:18:40.200 class year and it's mostly just draft picks, man, And 0:18:40.240 --> 0:18:42.880 they had how many was it? Wes like there's double 0:18:42.920 --> 0:18:43.360 digit draft? 0:18:43.440 --> 0:18:45.720 There was like thirteen draft picks I had. I had 0:18:45.760 --> 0:18:47.560 to write bios on every single one of them on 0:18:47.720 --> 0:18:48.199 draft night. 0:18:48.440 --> 0:18:49.639 That reminds me of twenty twenty. 0:18:49.640 --> 0:18:51.359 We like we like traded a pick out and like 0:18:51.440 --> 0:18:53.280 just didn't have like we traded back twenty twenty one. 0:18:53.320 --> 0:18:54.800 I was like, thank you, I just needed like ten 0:18:54.840 --> 0:18:56.119 minutes to breathe here for a little bit. 0:18:56.119 --> 0:18:57.679 But you guys had four. 0:18:57.640 --> 0:19:00.840 Seventh round picks, two sixth round picks, three man busy, 0:19:00.880 --> 0:19:04.320 busy draft day for you up there. But so, but 0:19:04.320 --> 0:19:06.359 that's at end of yeah, yeah, that was pretty much it, right, 0:19:06.400 --> 0:19:07.480 Nothing in free agency. 0:19:07.160 --> 0:19:09.359 Really, yeah, I mean they did make a couple moves. 0:19:09.600 --> 0:19:11.080 I mean, this is gonna sound kind of silly that 0:19:11.080 --> 0:19:12.960 I'm saying this, but you know, they signed Matt Orzich, 0:19:13.040 --> 0:19:16.960 the long snapper from La green Bay. Though you have 0:19:17.000 --> 0:19:19.640 to understand, as silly as that might sound, Green Bay 0:19:19.640 --> 0:19:20.200 has been. 0:19:20.119 --> 0:19:22.400 Going through a carousel at long snapper. 0:19:22.520 --> 0:19:24.480 I thought Jack Coco did a nice job last year, 0:19:24.480 --> 0:19:26.120 but Jack was an undrafted rookie. He was the guy 0:19:26.160 --> 0:19:28.520 that originally came to Green Bay on a tryout. They 0:19:28.560 --> 0:19:29.960 want to be able to get back to more of 0:19:29.960 --> 0:19:32.840 a veteran type guy. So that really is the biggest 0:19:32.880 --> 0:19:35.040 thing I think when you look at special teams Orzich, 0:19:35.160 --> 0:19:37.840 and then also now Anders Carlson taking over as the kicker. 0:19:37.880 --> 0:19:40.520 Mason Crosby has been here the last sixteen years. That's 0:19:40.520 --> 0:19:42.840 going to be a huge switch as well. He's still unsigned, 0:19:42.880 --> 0:19:46.000 but Carlson is the only the younger brother of Daniel Carlson, 0:19:46.320 --> 0:19:49.199 the only kicker on this roster right now. Other than that, 0:19:49.240 --> 0:19:51.600 it mostly was a lot of bringing back. You know, 0:19:51.600 --> 0:19:54.320 they were able to extend Elton Jenkins at the end 0:19:54.359 --> 0:19:56.359 of last season. That was a huge move for them, 0:19:56.640 --> 0:19:58.439 But because of kind of a lot of these teams 0:19:58.440 --> 0:20:00.520 with twenty twenty and COVID, I had to sort of 0:20:00.640 --> 0:20:01.600 kick the can down. 0:20:01.400 --> 0:20:02.920 The road a little bit with the salary cap. 0:20:03.200 --> 0:20:05.280 Green Bay kind of took its medicine a little bit 0:20:05.720 --> 0:20:08.439 with that this year to various more comes over from 0:20:08.480 --> 0:20:10.960 the San Francisco forty nine ers. He's more of a 0:20:11.000 --> 0:20:14.120 special teams type guy, guy that could potentially factor into 0:20:14.119 --> 0:20:16.600 that starting job, but is not really you know, guaranteed anything. 0:20:17.040 --> 0:20:19.160 And then realistically, as you guys saw in that game 0:20:19.200 --> 0:20:21.879 against Miami, the biggest move that Green Bay made after 0:20:21.960 --> 0:20:25.640 March was re signing Keyshawn Nixon. He is the guy 0:20:25.680 --> 0:20:28.439 that completely turned around the Packers special teams unit. He 0:20:28.560 --> 0:20:30.560 only was the kickoff returner of the second half of 0:20:30.560 --> 0:20:32.440 the season, yet he was still first team All Pro. 0:20:32.520 --> 0:20:35.280 It shows you his value to the Packers and obviously 0:20:35.320 --> 0:20:37.800 how people around the league respect that. He's also going 0:20:37.840 --> 0:20:40.080 to get the opportunity to be the nickel cornerback. So 0:20:40.600 --> 0:20:43.760 a huge, huge chance right now for Nixon to really 0:20:43.760 --> 0:20:46.680 solidify himself as a top playmaker in this league coming 0:20:46.720 --> 0:20:48.640 back in kind of a one year sort of Okay, 0:20:48.640 --> 0:20:50.439 we're going to give you the chance, now, can you 0:20:50.480 --> 0:20:51.920 prove that you're going to be a long term guy. 0:20:52.000 --> 0:20:54.840 But other than that, Travis very much a lot of 0:20:54.840 --> 0:20:57.240 internal growth that Green Bay is expecting from this roster. 0:20:57.840 --> 0:20:59.600 That right there is why you go to the team 0:21:00.119 --> 0:21:02.960 team reporter for the in depth analysis on long snappers 0:21:02.960 --> 0:21:04.240 and special teams right there. 0:21:04.480 --> 0:21:05.359 You love to hear it. 0:21:05.400 --> 0:21:07.320 But I'm a big fan of you know, every year 0:21:07.359 --> 0:21:09.600 I talk about how the best growth a team can 0:21:09.600 --> 0:21:12.240 typically have is it growth from their incumbents. So that's 0:21:12.280 --> 0:21:15.000 definitely the Packers testing that theory out a big time 0:21:15.040 --> 0:21:17.360 here in twenty twenty three. You mentioned the vikings off 0:21:17.359 --> 0:21:19.680 the top of the team that really pivoted from away 0:21:19.720 --> 0:21:22.320 from a lot of you know, high priced talented Maybe 0:21:22.320 --> 0:21:23.600 it was in the back end of their career at 0:21:23.600 --> 0:21:25.960 this point of their career and coming off a thirteen 0:21:26.040 --> 0:21:28.960 win division championship season in a one and done playoff run, 0:21:29.359 --> 0:21:32.320 just a really strange year. And I guess it's to 0:21:32.359 --> 0:21:34.399 me interesting to hear the perspective of how that all 0:21:34.440 --> 0:21:37.399 played out from a Packers fan and a Packers beat 0:21:37.440 --> 0:21:38.080 coverage guys. 0:21:38.080 --> 0:21:40.399 Well, what beat coverage guy was? I mean to beat works. 0:21:40.440 --> 0:21:41.160 I got something. 0:21:41.760 --> 0:21:44.320 You worked with the Packers in some capacity. I all 0:21:44.320 --> 0:21:47.440 agree on that. But just your perspective on the Vikings 0:21:47.760 --> 0:21:50.040 that run last year and then the off season that 0:21:50.080 --> 0:21:51.240 preceded that run. 0:21:51.440 --> 0:21:52.960 Just kind of want to hear your perspective on that. 0:21:53.080 --> 0:21:55.919 Honestly, Trevisa reminded me of the twenty nineteen Packers in 0:21:55.960 --> 0:21:58.840 a lot of way where I don't think it wasn't 0:21:58.840 --> 0:22:00.000 that nobody was expecting them. 0:22:00.000 --> 0:22:01.000 Minnesota won't do anything. 0:22:01.160 --> 0:22:03.840 They still had Kirk Cousins, justin Jefferson looks like he's 0:22:03.840 --> 0:22:07.520 gonna be the next great receiver in this league. Defensively, 0:22:07.560 --> 0:22:09.679 I think they felt really confident about what they had built. 0:22:10.080 --> 0:22:11.800 But I with you have told me they were a 0:22:11.800 --> 0:22:13.439 thirteen win team, I would not have believed you. I 0:22:13.440 --> 0:22:15.320 even said at the beginning of last season, I thought 0:22:15.400 --> 0:22:17.119 nine wins was going to win the division. As it 0:22:17.119 --> 0:22:19.159 turns out that pretty much was the case. It's just 0:22:19.160 --> 0:22:21.639 that it was Minnesota was the team that was getting 0:22:21.680 --> 0:22:24.120 it done. The Vikings beat the teams they needed to beat, 0:22:24.280 --> 0:22:26.119 and honestly, when you look at the Green Bay Packers 0:22:26.119 --> 0:22:27.760 this upcoming year, they're gonna have to do the same 0:22:27.800 --> 0:22:30.439 exact thing. The way these schedules work, You've seen it 0:22:30.480 --> 0:22:33.320 time and time again, facing the top teams from the divisions, 0:22:33.320 --> 0:22:37.200 some of those cross conference games. Now, then Minnesota is 0:22:37.200 --> 0:22:39.240 gonna they're going to be Inford a little bit when 0:22:39.240 --> 0:22:41.840 you look at how their schedule lines up. But you know, 0:22:42.160 --> 0:22:44.720 Kirk Cousins has been so gosh darn consistent, and I 0:22:44.720 --> 0:22:46.440 know there's some Packer fans that kind of want to 0:22:46.440 --> 0:22:48.439 disrespect him a little bit and say, well, he's not 0:22:48.440 --> 0:22:50.159 a super Bowl quarterback in that If you look at 0:22:50.200 --> 0:22:52.359 Kirk cousins stats against Green Bay, they've been really strong 0:22:52.440 --> 0:22:54.399 because I think over the years, regardless of who the 0:22:54.400 --> 0:22:58.080 defensive coordinator is for the Packers, those type of quarterbacks 0:22:58.080 --> 0:23:00.520 that can get the ball out quickly and also are 0:23:00.560 --> 0:23:02.960 able to protect the football, they've given Green Bay a 0:23:03.000 --> 0:23:04.479 lot of problems. And I think when you look at 0:23:04.560 --> 0:23:07.159 Kirk Cousins, you know, stat line, he's a guy that 0:23:07.200 --> 0:23:09.359 doesn't make a lot of mistakes. When he does, it 0:23:09.440 --> 0:23:11.679 tends to be the undoing of that football team. But 0:23:12.160 --> 0:23:14.520 when he plays clean football, they're tough to beat and 0:23:14.560 --> 0:23:16.600 They're going to be leaning on that even more this year, 0:23:16.600 --> 0:23:19.080 assuming everything goes through with the Delvin Cook trade or 0:23:19.080 --> 0:23:21.399 what the release, whatever they end up doing there. In 0:23:21.480 --> 0:23:24.840 Alexander Madison being the next guy, it's going to be 0:23:24.920 --> 0:23:27.000 a change. Then I think we're all going to have 0:23:27.000 --> 0:23:29.920 to see exactly what the Vikings have. It's so weird 0:23:29.920 --> 0:23:32.080 to say, Travis, but out of four teams in the division, 0:23:32.560 --> 0:23:36.360 the defending's champion thirteen win team is probably the team 0:23:36.359 --> 0:23:37.959 that I have the most question marks about right now 0:23:37.960 --> 0:23:39.360 because you just don't know what you're going to get. 0:23:39.560 --> 0:23:40.800 That's why it's so crazy to me. 0:23:40.840 --> 0:23:42.679 And you talk about, you know, and the team that 0:23:42.680 --> 0:23:44.960 probably has the most ability at the quarterback position, like 0:23:45.000 --> 0:23:47.000 you mentioned there in terms of proven veteran that has 0:23:47.040 --> 0:23:49.040 done it before. And you know, it seems like all 0:23:49.040 --> 0:23:51.760 of Kirk Cousins' bad games just happen to come on primetime, 0:23:52.000 --> 0:23:53.680 and I feel like that kind of shapes the perception 0:23:53.760 --> 0:23:55.800 around him. But like you talked about, he's a guy 0:23:55.800 --> 0:23:58.159 that throws for four thousand yards and thirty touchdowns just 0:23:58.160 --> 0:24:00.399 about every single year and does it by humping the 0:24:00.400 --> 0:24:01.960 ball to like you talked about, one of the best 0:24:01.960 --> 0:24:05.040 in the league might be you know, Tyreek Kill I 0:24:05.080 --> 0:24:06.000 think is the best receiver. 0:24:06.040 --> 0:24:07.720 I might be a little bit oler on that, but 0:24:07.760 --> 0:24:08.159 I think. 0:24:08.119 --> 0:24:11.000 Seriously though, that's where we are in this thing. I mean, 0:24:11.000 --> 0:24:13.480 when you see what guys like Hill and Jefferson bring 0:24:13.480 --> 0:24:15.880 to the table now, I mean, this is the next 0:24:16.760 --> 0:24:19.000 when we had the era of you know, Larry Fitz 0:24:19.080 --> 0:24:21.919 and you know DeAndre Hopkins and in DeVante Adams. I'll 0:24:21.920 --> 0:24:24.639 still throw Tay in there too, but these young guys, 0:24:24.680 --> 0:24:26.960 when you can mesh the speed and route running ability, 0:24:26.960 --> 0:24:28.679 and then especially someone like Hill that can be used 0:24:28.680 --> 0:24:32.240 in so many various ways. I've just it's been so 0:24:32.320 --> 0:24:34.199 funny to me that the Green Bay Packers, for as 0:24:34.280 --> 0:24:36.200 much as they've dominated, you know, this division for the 0:24:36.280 --> 0:24:37.920 last thirty years, the fact that you've had to see 0:24:38.000 --> 0:24:41.000 Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson, and I honestly put you know, 0:24:41.160 --> 0:24:43.760 Justin Jefferson in that now too. They've had to face 0:24:43.880 --> 0:24:45.560 the elite of an elite when it comes to the 0:24:45.600 --> 0:24:46.359 receiver position. 0:24:46.840 --> 0:24:48.679 And they also get Jordan Adison to add to that 0:24:48.680 --> 0:24:49.960 group as well, which I think is going to be 0:24:50.000 --> 0:24:51.560 a really big get for them in terms of the 0:24:51.560 --> 0:24:54.280 way he can create separation with his natural route running. 0:24:54.280 --> 0:24:55.679 Like you see these rookies coming to the league and 0:24:55.680 --> 0:24:57.960 they shine right away because they are sharp and their 0:24:58.000 --> 0:25:00.840 route running. And Jordan Aisen's caught a billion balls both 0:25:00.840 --> 0:25:03.800 at Pittsburgh and USC. So a fun compliment there, I think, 0:25:04.000 --> 0:25:06.800 justin Jefferson with that run game. Like you mentioned, let's 0:25:06.800 --> 0:25:08.960 go ahead and talk about this defensive side of the 0:25:08.960 --> 0:25:11.440 football here and what the Vikings looking at on that side, 0:25:11.440 --> 0:25:14.080 because you know, last year they scored plenty of points 0:25:14.359 --> 0:25:16.280 and a lot of these games were close and crazy 0:25:16.280 --> 0:25:17.840 at the end because they just couldn't get stops on 0:25:17.840 --> 0:25:19.120 the defensive side of the football. 0:25:19.240 --> 0:25:20.400 They were trying to learn a new. 0:25:20.359 --> 0:25:23.439 System, you know, kind of an offshoot of the Vic 0:25:23.480 --> 0:25:25.439 Fangio defense that we're going to see this year in Miami. 0:25:25.440 --> 0:25:27.280 They just didn't really click for him last year in 0:25:27.359 --> 0:25:28.920 terms of, you know, keeping that roof on top of 0:25:29.000 --> 0:25:31.320 the defense, and they allowed a lot of openings underneath 0:25:31.359 --> 0:25:33.280 in that shell coverage. And now they're going to make 0:25:33.320 --> 0:25:35.439 a change to a completely different style of defense, one 0:25:35.440 --> 0:25:37.359 that we know here well as well with the Miami 0:25:37.400 --> 0:25:39.680 Dolphins and Brian Flores. How do you think that scheme 0:25:39.760 --> 0:25:42.600 change will help this Vikings defense and how teams prepare 0:25:42.640 --> 0:25:42.879 for it. 0:25:43.400 --> 0:25:45.320 Well, I mean they had to do something different, right, 0:25:45.400 --> 0:25:47.639 I mean, it's just it, it just did not click. 0:25:48.000 --> 0:25:50.159 And you know, for everything we heard about, you know, 0:25:50.240 --> 0:25:52.639 Zadaria Smith and Daniel Hunter right after the bat and 0:25:53.000 --> 0:25:54.560 you know this is gonna be the best defense in 0:25:54.600 --> 0:25:56.960 the NFL, and it just it did not. 0:25:56.960 --> 0:25:57.719 Go that direction. 0:25:57.840 --> 0:26:00.840 Now, the weird thing is is dumb is they were 0:26:01.600 --> 0:26:03.760 and as solid and I mean there was a time there, 0:26:03.800 --> 0:26:06.520 Travis where you could look at the Vikings defense when 0:26:06.760 --> 0:26:10.280 you know, in the real prime of the Mike Zimmer years, 0:26:10.280 --> 0:26:12.320 where it's like they had stars and names at every 0:26:12.320 --> 0:26:15.800 position cornerback. They've not been able to get back to 0:26:15.840 --> 0:26:18.199 that level. And as much as it is about the 0:26:18.200 --> 0:26:19.680 pass rush and as much as they got to get 0:26:19.680 --> 0:26:23.040 this Hunter situation figured out, it all comes down to 0:26:23.080 --> 0:26:24.960 whether or not they can stop teams on the perimeter. 0:26:25.160 --> 0:26:28.080 And you know, Harrison Smith not getting any younger, obviously 0:26:28.080 --> 0:26:31.160 took a pay cut himself this offseason. When we talk 0:26:31.160 --> 0:26:33.440 about the questions surrounding the Vikings, I think a lot 0:26:33.440 --> 0:26:36.440 of that goes to the defense. As much as people 0:26:36.440 --> 0:26:39.080 want to perseverate on Cousins and things like that, and 0:26:39.160 --> 0:26:41.080 what's happening with Cook. It's what are they going to 0:26:41.119 --> 0:26:41.720 get defensively? 0:26:41.800 --> 0:26:41.919 Now? 0:26:41.920 --> 0:26:44.360 They do have a brilliant mind there. I love what 0:26:44.400 --> 0:26:46.119 Flores brings to the table. I think they're going to have, 0:26:46.680 --> 0:26:50.080 you know, an interesting blend of figuring out what worked 0:26:50.160 --> 0:26:52.639 last year and obviously what didn't and where they need 0:26:52.680 --> 0:26:55.400 to go this season. But to do that, they need 0:26:55.440 --> 0:26:57.520 people to step up. They need they need new stars 0:26:57.520 --> 0:26:59.240 to emerge. And I just feel like over the last 0:26:59.240 --> 0:27:02.080 five six years it's just been a real slog for 0:27:02.119 --> 0:27:04.359 them trying to figure out who those staples are going 0:27:04.440 --> 0:27:05.320 to be on that defense. 0:27:05.640 --> 0:27:07.400 Yeah, trying to figure out what's gonna happen to Neil 0:27:07.440 --> 0:27:09.480 Hunter is the key, like you mentioned, because they do 0:27:09.520 --> 0:27:12.159 lose they do lose Smith, but to get Marcus Davenport 0:27:12.400 --> 0:27:14.119 could be yeah there. 0:27:14.119 --> 0:27:15.400 Yeah, and I like Devenport a lot. 0:27:15.480 --> 0:27:16.879 You know, that was a guy that the Packers had 0:27:16.880 --> 0:27:19.120 looked at, I think back in eighteen when they made 0:27:19.160 --> 0:27:20.960 that trade back with the with the Saints. 0:27:21.480 --> 0:27:24.160 But it is it's it's also this. 0:27:24.119 --> 0:27:26.560 Plug and play kind of thing right where you know, 0:27:26.600 --> 0:27:28.280 they went through Zadarias, they went through some of these 0:27:28.280 --> 0:27:30.680 other edge rushers and trying to find something that works 0:27:30.680 --> 0:27:32.760 with Hunter. But Downboard certainly is another one of those 0:27:32.760 --> 0:27:34.720 guys that you can throw into that equation of guys 0:27:34.720 --> 0:27:36.800 that probably not only are playing at a certain level, 0:27:36.800 --> 0:27:37.480 but probably. 0:27:37.200 --> 0:27:38.560 Still have room to grow in their own game. 0:27:38.960 --> 0:27:41.199 Six six, two sixty five, heavy hands. It's the kind 0:27:41.200 --> 0:27:43.200 of player that Brian Flores loves off the edge there. 0:27:43.640 --> 0:27:46.440 He brought in Shack Lawson and Emmanuel Ogba his first 0:27:46.720 --> 0:27:48.760 his first real off season of spending down here, so 0:27:48.800 --> 0:27:50.520 it makes a lot of sense. They also get Byer 0:27:50.600 --> 0:27:52.359 Murphy that secondary to help him out as well, so 0:27:52.640 --> 0:27:53.400 lots of moving parts. 0:27:53.440 --> 0:27:54.760 They're interesting team, the Vikings. 0:27:54.840 --> 0:27:56.560 Let's go ahead and take our last break of the 0:27:56.600 --> 0:27:58.359 show right here and come back on the other side 0:27:58.440 --> 0:28:00.600 and talk about one of the most rigging teams in 0:28:00.600 --> 0:28:04.480 the entire National Football League, possibly the NFC North favorites 0:28:04.480 --> 0:28:06.760 at this point, the Detroit Lions. We'll do that next 0:28:06.880 --> 0:28:10.080 Draft Time podcast. My guest today, Wes Hogkowitz. Draft Time 0:28:10.080 --> 0:28:16.280 Podcast Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation. Nailed 0:28:16.280 --> 0:28:21.200 the pronunciation there on the last end of that first 0:28:21.280 --> 0:28:26.640 knock formerly West and Fitzgerald Westwitz here on the podcast 0:28:27.040 --> 0:28:29.119 breaking down some NFC North with you guys here today 0:28:29.119 --> 0:28:31.199 and West, we appreciate your time in doing this with us. 0:28:31.200 --> 0:28:32.920 It really helps us get through the summer months here 0:28:32.920 --> 0:28:36.280 and right into the regular season. And might we see 0:28:36.320 --> 0:28:38.320 this Lions team back on hard knocks again? 0:28:38.360 --> 0:28:38.840 Who knows? 0:28:39.120 --> 0:28:40.440 Uh heard some stuff about that. 0:28:40.360 --> 0:28:43.960 Possibility being one they floated out there earlier this summer. 0:28:44.120 --> 0:28:46.280 Let's go ahead and talk about this Lions team because 0:28:46.520 --> 0:28:50.800 to me, it's it's always easy, not easy, but easier 0:28:51.160 --> 0:28:53.680 to go from you know, that three win team that 0:28:53.720 --> 0:28:55.360 was kind of slogging it out and had some good 0:28:55.400 --> 0:28:57.040 showings and just felt like they were better than the 0:28:57.080 --> 0:28:59.600 record to then make that jump to seven or eight wins. 0:28:59.680 --> 0:29:02.480 That's that's the expectation you get there. But to me, 0:29:02.600 --> 0:29:04.560 the real test is when you go from that year 0:29:04.920 --> 0:29:07.000 to the third season where you're supposed to win double 0:29:07.000 --> 0:29:09.200 digit games, you're supposed to compete for a division title. 0:29:09.400 --> 0:29:11.440 How do you see a young Lion's team that hasn't 0:29:11.440 --> 0:29:14.479 experienced a whole lot of success dealing with expectations and 0:29:14.560 --> 0:29:15.880 can they take that next step? 0:29:16.200 --> 0:29:18.880 Well, that's what I've been kind of asking myself, Travis, 0:29:18.880 --> 0:29:22.520 because Dan Campbell is sort of this mad scientist. 0:29:22.120 --> 0:29:24.480 Right, and obviously, you know, you. 0:29:24.360 --> 0:29:26.000 Look at the way he played his career and the 0:29:26.000 --> 0:29:27.920 way he kind of rolls up the coaching ranks. He's 0:29:27.960 --> 0:29:30.440 the guy that plays without fear, and obviously his coach 0:29:30.480 --> 0:29:33.440 without fear. But now you are sort of entering that 0:29:33.520 --> 0:29:35.680 front running stage where you need to be a team 0:29:35.720 --> 0:29:37.800 that produces. You can't just show up and you know, 0:29:37.880 --> 0:29:40.440 hope to surprise teams. You got to actually be a 0:29:40.480 --> 0:29:43.840 team that pushes things. I found their offseason to be 0:29:43.960 --> 0:29:48.080 very quizzical. This is I think a boomer bust offseason 0:29:48.120 --> 0:29:51.880 for them. The Jack Campbell pick. I think some people 0:29:52.080 --> 0:29:54.520 originally had some questions about that. I know some of 0:29:54.520 --> 0:29:56.479 the people I've talked to said, this guy is an 0:29:56.480 --> 0:29:59.720 absolute maler. When you talk about Dan Campbell and the 0:30:00.440 --> 0:30:02.720 you know, motor City Dan kind of thing, like this 0:30:02.800 --> 0:30:04.840 is this is the guy that you want to have 0:30:04.880 --> 0:30:07.840 at the center of your defense in Campbell. Certainly, I 0:30:07.880 --> 0:30:09.920 think they raised a lot of you know, eyebrows when 0:30:09.920 --> 0:30:12.000 they traded back and then took it, took a running back, 0:30:12.080 --> 0:30:14.840 you know, after after passing on arguably the best one, 0:30:14.880 --> 0:30:17.920 and then in the draft. So it is going to 0:30:17.960 --> 0:30:21.000 be really interesting to see where they take. A team 0:30:21.000 --> 0:30:25.640 that has so much talent has defensively, I think, really improved, 0:30:25.640 --> 0:30:27.840 even if the statistics don't show it. They put together 0:30:27.920 --> 0:30:30.160 one of the two the two of their best performances 0:30:30.200 --> 0:30:33.239 all season were against Green Bay, regardless of where their 0:30:33.280 --> 0:30:35.760 rankings were, and I think Aiden Hutchinson is going to 0:30:35.760 --> 0:30:37.680 be a real star in this league for years to come. 0:30:38.800 --> 0:30:41.320 If they're going to win, I think what they have 0:30:41.360 --> 0:30:43.240 to do is bring up that blueprint of what the 0:30:43.360 --> 0:30:46.200 Rams did with Jared Goff, you know, five, six, seven 0:30:46.280 --> 0:30:48.760 years ago. Now he's a guy that is going to 0:30:48.760 --> 0:30:51.800 be able to be competitive and win football games, but 0:30:51.840 --> 0:30:53.840 he's going to need that core around him. They have 0:30:54.040 --> 0:30:56.520 arguably the best offensive line in the game. Now they've 0:30:56.520 --> 0:30:58.400 done it. They've put the they put the time in, 0:30:58.960 --> 0:31:01.400 they've put the resource into that. That was one area 0:31:01.440 --> 0:31:03.960 that for so long plagued them during the Matthew Stafford era. 0:31:04.000 --> 0:31:06.520 That is no longer an issue, but it's about who 0:31:06.600 --> 0:31:09.680 steps up around them and can they play power football. 0:31:10.160 --> 0:31:12.120 My last point I'll make with them, the one that 0:31:12.160 --> 0:31:14.680 made me raise my eyebrow. The biggest this offseason was 0:31:14.680 --> 0:31:17.720 the fact that they let Jamal Williams walk. Jamal Williams 0:31:17.720 --> 0:31:19.640 the guy that obviously we're very familiar with in Green Bay. 0:31:19.680 --> 0:31:21.320 But when you watch Hard Knocks, when you talk about 0:31:21.320 --> 0:31:23.800 all that stuff, Travis he was the guy that kind 0:31:23.800 --> 0:31:25.880 of helped change the culture, right. He's the guy that 0:31:26.000 --> 0:31:27.640 was in there. He was the one taking those bolts. 0:31:27.640 --> 0:31:29.400 He was the one saying we're not going to lose anymore. 0:31:29.640 --> 0:31:31.840 Oh and then he ended up having fifteen touchdowns last year. 0:31:32.560 --> 0:31:36.080 To let him walk and to sign David Montgomery, I 0:31:36.120 --> 0:31:38.920 think is a real risk because I've also seen David 0:31:38.920 --> 0:31:41.640 Montgomery and while probably pound for pound he's more talent 0:31:41.680 --> 0:31:44.480 than than Jamal, he does not have the durability of 0:31:44.600 --> 0:31:46.880 Jamal Williams. And I felt like last year, even though 0:31:46.880 --> 0:31:48.280 this isn't what their offense is going to look like 0:31:48.280 --> 0:31:51.440 anymore with DeAndre Swift, Jamal was the perfect elixir to 0:31:51.520 --> 0:31:53.920 DeAndre because he was the guy that was going to 0:31:53.960 --> 0:31:55.600 be there every Sunday for you, and you can allow 0:31:55.640 --> 0:31:57.320 you to be a little bit more selective with how 0:31:57.320 --> 0:32:00.240 you use Swift. They don't have that anymore. What is 0:32:00.280 --> 0:32:02.440 that running back gonna look like? What is that backfield 0:32:02.440 --> 0:32:04.600 going to look like? In that regard your guests, is 0:32:04.600 --> 0:32:05.680 as good as mine. 0:32:05.560 --> 0:32:08.000 Well, by far, the best interview in the National Football 0:32:08.080 --> 0:32:10.000 League Jamal Williams and I, you know, I listened to 0:32:10.080 --> 0:32:12.360 a lot of NFL material and one of my favorite 0:32:12.360 --> 0:32:15.000 podcasts around the NFL. They're big into the hard knock scene, 0:32:15.080 --> 0:32:17.160 and they always play that clip of him talking about 0:32:17.280 --> 0:32:19.080 if you know, if you're a scared puppy, stay on 0:32:19.120 --> 0:32:20.040 the piss on the porch. 0:32:20.040 --> 0:32:21.160 Whatever he talks about, you know. 0:32:21.120 --> 0:32:23.120 The whole speech he gave to rally the team about 0:32:23.120 --> 0:32:24.720 I'm not going three and thirteen again or whatever. 0:32:24.720 --> 0:32:25.760 It was a couple of years ago. 0:32:26.360 --> 0:32:28.680 So it is an interesting dynamic because you talk about 0:32:28.720 --> 0:32:31.840 like perhaps more talented, but you can kind of, you know, 0:32:32.480 --> 0:32:34.160 you know, mess with that inner workings of a team 0:32:34.160 --> 0:32:36.240 and the mindset they have because I look at this 0:32:36.280 --> 0:32:37.600 team and you mentioned it off the top of the 0:32:37.600 --> 0:32:40.520 offensive line, that's this identity of this football team is 0:32:40.600 --> 0:32:43.360 in the trenches. You know, the classic bite their kneecaps off, 0:32:43.400 --> 0:32:45.120 you know, the Dan campbellisms that we all love to 0:32:45.680 --> 0:32:47.400 rip that. But also it's worked for them, and he 0:32:47.440 --> 0:32:49.360 really fits the mindset of that team in that city. 0:32:49.400 --> 0:32:51.360 So it's it's cool to see it come together that way, 0:32:51.560 --> 0:32:53.520 because I look at this team as one that you 0:32:53.520 --> 0:32:56.240 mentioned Jared Goff like had a really good year last year. 0:32:56.240 --> 0:32:58.520 But if this team can run the football, stop the run, 0:32:58.800 --> 0:33:01.480 and you know, dominate the trend, they have a chance 0:33:01.520 --> 0:33:02.880 to be pretty good. And I think that what we 0:33:02.920 --> 0:33:05.640 saw in the second half of the season was you know, 0:33:05.680 --> 0:33:08.040 a defense that played much much better basically from that 0:33:08.080 --> 0:33:10.520 Miami game where Tua did what he wanted to do 0:33:10.640 --> 0:33:13.080 to do that entire game. After that, they got much better. 0:33:13.080 --> 0:33:14.320 I think the next game was actually it might have 0:33:14.360 --> 0:33:16.080 been the Pack game that they It was a low 0:33:16.120 --> 0:33:18.760 scoring game there, but to me, that in the trenches 0:33:18.760 --> 0:33:20.720 where they win their games. But I think the biggest 0:33:20.760 --> 0:33:23.760 acquisition in the division this offseason to me was a 0:33:23.800 --> 0:33:25.880 guy that fits that mindset, fits the way they play 0:33:25.920 --> 0:33:29.440 the game. And Chauncey Gardner Johnson talk about his acquisition 0:33:29.480 --> 0:33:31.400 and that defense and how they might come together on 0:33:31.400 --> 0:33:32.720 that side of the football, Well. 0:33:32.520 --> 0:33:34.400 That was what they needed to do, right. They've been 0:33:34.440 --> 0:33:37.760 so pragmatic with their signings and their acquisitions, a lot 0:33:37.800 --> 0:33:39.200 of this the last two and a half years, and 0:33:39.240 --> 0:33:40.880 I give a lot of credit to you know, Brad 0:33:40.920 --> 0:33:43.040 Holmes and John Dorsey and everybody over there for the 0:33:43.040 --> 0:33:44.920 way they did it, because they one thing that I 0:33:44.960 --> 0:33:47.840 thought when the Lions were really struggling is they were 0:33:47.880 --> 0:33:49.640 just like, Okay, let's just get the top three free 0:33:49.640 --> 0:33:52.840 agents on the board. It kind of that Jacksonville Jaguars approach, right, 0:33:52.840 --> 0:33:53.840 and they'll see if they fit. 0:33:54.520 --> 0:33:54.880 Well. 0:33:55.440 --> 0:33:58.240 They were very selective with how they did their veteran 0:33:58.480 --> 0:34:01.360 contracts and now that they finally they have a base 0:34:01.800 --> 0:34:04.160 built with some of those players on defense. When you 0:34:04.160 --> 0:34:07.000 look at a guy like you know, am and Ross 0:34:07.000 --> 0:34:09.920 Saint Brown, the way he's blossomed for them as a receiver, 0:34:10.440 --> 0:34:12.399 Jamis and Williams is a huge question mark for them, 0:34:12.400 --> 0:34:16.160 but still they invested that first round pick into that position. Well, 0:34:16.200 --> 0:34:18.440 this is where now you start figuring out, Okay, where 0:34:18.480 --> 0:34:20.520 do we need the veteran And then when you get 0:34:20.520 --> 0:34:23.160 someone like Gardner Johnson in there to see where he 0:34:23.200 --> 0:34:26.440 could potentially take this thing, that was I think sort 0:34:26.480 --> 0:34:29.160 of the missing piece because they have kind of like Minnesota, 0:34:29.200 --> 0:34:31.680 they've taken some hits to their defensive backs and their 0:34:31.680 --> 0:34:34.799 secondary in recent years. You know, they had a really 0:34:34.840 --> 0:34:38.239 difficult time replacing Darius Slay. We all know, you know 0:34:38.280 --> 0:34:40.720 what happened when they you know, they tried to draft 0:34:40.760 --> 0:34:43.759 the cornerback right after that, and his name is escaping me. 0:34:43.800 --> 0:34:47.400 Now I apologize, thank you, Jeff Akudah. See, that's what 0:34:47.440 --> 0:34:49.359 happens when guys end up not working out and then 0:34:49.360 --> 0:34:52.160 getting cut or traded. I start forgetting their names. But 0:34:52.239 --> 0:34:54.759 you know, Akudah really struggled, he was hurt, and then 0:34:54.760 --> 0:34:57.160 he just didn't work out. And then you know, they 0:34:57.200 --> 0:34:59.479 needed that guy to be a number three overall pick 0:34:59.520 --> 0:35:02.240 and didn't have happens. So now that you start building 0:35:02.280 --> 0:35:04.520 out the secondary, and I think you also see it too, 0:35:04.719 --> 0:35:07.840 that you know you can never go wrong with depth. 0:35:08.280 --> 0:35:10.160 You need five six guys to get through a season. 0:35:10.200 --> 0:35:11.759 And when you can take a star, when you can 0:35:12.080 --> 0:35:14.120 get a guy in your offense or defense that has 0:35:14.120 --> 0:35:16.880 that type of experience, Now that that could be the 0:35:16.880 --> 0:35:18.680 missing piece for them, and certainly I'm sure that's what 0:35:18.719 --> 0:35:20.919 their expectation is now going into twenty twenty three. 0:35:21.200 --> 0:35:22.800 Now, I know you probably don't want to hear this West, 0:35:22.840 --> 0:35:25.560 but just from a fan of the league and outside 0:35:25.600 --> 0:35:28.839 the NFC North in general, seeing Detroit and Chicago rise 0:35:28.880 --> 0:35:30.400 up would be kind of fun for me, just to 0:35:30.440 --> 0:35:32.680 see them, you know, It's been a long time since 0:35:32.719 --> 0:35:33.880 those teams have been competitive. 0:35:33.880 --> 0:35:35.800 I think we kind of are getting to a point. 0:35:35.600 --> 0:35:36.920 To where at least one of them should be, and 0:35:36.920 --> 0:35:38.840 we'll see what the Chicago Bears we finish up with 0:35:38.920 --> 0:35:40.840 here on our NFC North preview. 0:35:40.880 --> 0:35:41.080 Who. 0:35:41.360 --> 0:35:43.480 You know, It's funny because I feel like you have 0:35:44.160 --> 0:35:46.840 teams follow the same three or four different cycles in 0:35:46.840 --> 0:35:49.320 the NFL nowadays, are the same cycle at three or 0:35:49.320 --> 0:35:52.200 four different stages, and the Bears are in that post 0:35:52.400 --> 0:35:54.840 like kind of scale back, spend a bunch of money, 0:35:54.880 --> 0:35:56.680 go all in in terms of putting a lot of 0:35:56.719 --> 0:36:02.080 resources into the roster stage their team building cycle behind 0:36:02.120 --> 0:36:05.040 a third year quarterback who. I think that's where we 0:36:05.040 --> 0:36:07.200 start here at Chicago Barris with most teams obviously, but 0:36:07.280 --> 0:36:10.160 for for Justin Fields. You know, we got a first 0:36:10.160 --> 0:36:11.719 hand look at him and the way he ran the 0:36:11.760 --> 0:36:14.239 football against the Dolphins defense a year ago. If he 0:36:14.360 --> 0:36:16.800 can get you know, that passing game element of the 0:36:16.880 --> 0:36:19.440 quarterback position just up a little bit, could be a 0:36:19.480 --> 0:36:21.560 really dangerous player in this league. I'm curious how a 0:36:21.640 --> 0:36:25.080 Packers fan views that Bears offense led by Justin Fields 0:36:25.320 --> 0:36:26.040 boom or bust. 0:36:26.200 --> 0:36:28.000 I mean, it's similar sort of thing. 0:36:28.040 --> 0:36:31.319 I mean justin you know, he he had his down 0:36:31.320 --> 0:36:34.520 moments against Green Bay last year. I think, you know, 0:36:34.520 --> 0:36:37.919 when you look at a guy that has his skill set, 0:36:37.960 --> 0:36:40.120 you have to respect it. But as you said, it's 0:36:40.160 --> 0:36:42.880 also about the passing element, and it's not just totally 0:36:42.960 --> 0:36:45.799 on fields either. I think the receiver position has been 0:36:45.840 --> 0:36:48.160 a huge weakness for them for many years now. And 0:36:48.280 --> 0:36:51.439 as much as you know, I don't feel like Alan 0:36:51.560 --> 0:36:54.719 Robinson ever really got his just due there for what 0:36:54.840 --> 0:36:56.959 he did, I think he was much better than people 0:36:56.960 --> 0:36:58.560 gave him credit for, even though last year I know 0:36:58.600 --> 0:37:00.719 it didn't work out very well with the RAM but 0:37:01.400 --> 0:37:03.680 he you know, they they've just they've not been able 0:37:03.719 --> 0:37:06.279 to find real resources for him. Cole Comet, you know, 0:37:06.320 --> 0:37:07.839 it seems like it's going to be, you know, kind 0:37:07.880 --> 0:37:10.280 of a one two battery with him. You know, Darnell 0:37:10.360 --> 0:37:12.600 Mooney had a really strong year two years ago. Last 0:37:12.680 --> 0:37:15.360 year kind of took a step back. I'm more interested 0:37:15.400 --> 0:37:18.800 about the pieces around justin fields than just justin fields 0:37:18.840 --> 0:37:21.319 because I feel like athletically, you know what you're gonna get, 0:37:21.320 --> 0:37:22.880 and certainly we saw it with this year. I mean, 0:37:22.880 --> 0:37:24.800 if there were real questions about whether or not Fields 0:37:24.880 --> 0:37:27.480 was the answer. There were tons of you know, quarterbacks 0:37:27.480 --> 0:37:30.400 that Chicago could explored. They felt good about how he 0:37:30.440 --> 0:37:33.880 finished the season. So I just the one thing I 0:37:33.920 --> 0:37:36.319 just didn't quite get about Chicago right now is you know, 0:37:36.360 --> 0:37:38.080 you're seeing these reports out and I think it was 0:37:38.239 --> 0:37:40.640 Justin Jones or whoever was kind of talking about Packer 0:37:40.680 --> 0:37:42.359 fans and things like that. That's all good and well 0:37:42.400 --> 0:37:44.520 for the rivalry, but I wrote about this in our 0:37:44.560 --> 0:37:47.000 insider inbox Q and A we write like it was like, 0:37:47.040 --> 0:37:48.520 I just I wanted Aaron Rodgers to state so we 0:37:48.560 --> 0:37:49.759 get one more shot a him. I want to beat 0:37:49.800 --> 0:37:51.719 him at Lambell Field. And it's like, dude, justin, I 0:37:51.800 --> 0:37:54.520 understand you've only been there one year, but like, yeah, 0:37:54.280 --> 0:37:57.160 it's it's been it's been five years since the Bears 0:37:57.160 --> 0:38:00.959 are going to have beaten the Packers Periodicago or green Bay. 0:38:01.760 --> 0:38:04.480 And here's a spoiler alert. At some point Chicago will 0:38:04.480 --> 0:38:06.680 beat the Packers again. It's going to happen, just like 0:38:06.680 --> 0:38:09.280 how Detroit went twenty four years without winning at Lambellfield 0:38:09.320 --> 0:38:10.960 and now they've kind of had green Bay' number the 0:38:11.000 --> 0:38:14.000 lastew years. But it's to me, it's this Monty python 0:38:14.120 --> 0:38:16.239 thing of like you know, 'tis but a scratch, right, 0:38:16.320 --> 0:38:19.359 Like I how many strikes do you? Yeah, eventually you're 0:38:19.360 --> 0:38:21.759 going to win, But I mean it doesn't necessarily So 0:38:21.840 --> 0:38:23.880 at that part of it, I think it's good for media. 0:38:23.960 --> 0:38:25.240 I think it's good for fans. 0:38:25.440 --> 0:38:27.240 But at the end of the day, the green Bay Packers, 0:38:27.440 --> 0:38:30.320 they're thinking about that Week one game against Chicago because 0:38:30.360 --> 0:38:32.600 it's going to be Jordan Love's first start and it's 0:38:32.640 --> 0:38:34.880 going to be the start of this next season and 0:38:34.920 --> 0:38:37.440 the ultimate let miss test for green Bay win loser, 0:38:37.560 --> 0:38:40.359 draw is going to be how does the offense look 0:38:40.360 --> 0:38:42.399 around Jordan Love? And are we going to be able 0:38:42.400 --> 0:38:44.799 to build this thing around him in twenty twenty three 0:38:44.800 --> 0:38:48.359 and beyond Chicago is what they are? Is what it is, 0:38:48.520 --> 0:38:51.280 I should say to get my singular grammar right there correctly. 0:38:52.440 --> 0:38:55.200 But at the end of the day, I just when 0:38:55.200 --> 0:38:57.360 I look at this division, I think you have a 0:38:57.400 --> 0:39:00.080 lot of resources, a lot of talent In Detroit. I 0:39:00.080 --> 0:39:03.120 think you got a lot of experience and some elite 0:39:03.160 --> 0:39:06.239 talent in Minnesota. Chicago's a team that when I ended 0:39:06.280 --> 0:39:08.719 last season, I still really don't know what the Bears have. 0:39:09.440 --> 0:39:11.799 Is that Week one game a one o'clock kickoff in 0:39:11.840 --> 0:39:12.480 the east. 0:39:12.840 --> 0:39:15.399 Three to twenty five. East would be four to twenty five. 0:39:15.400 --> 0:39:16.959 I think it's America's game of the week. 0:39:17.320 --> 0:39:18.359 Damn. I agree. 0:39:18.760 --> 0:39:21.359 You know. I think I'm probably higher than the general 0:39:21.400 --> 0:39:24.040 public on both those quarterbacks, Jordan Love and Justin Fields. 0:39:24.040 --> 0:39:25.920 I think they're both going to be really good players personally. 0:39:26.440 --> 0:39:28.080 But the Dolphins play at four to twenty five that 0:39:28.160 --> 0:39:29.719 day as well, so wh'll get a chance to watch 0:39:29.760 --> 0:39:32.120 that game live. I was hoping that maybe the early kickoff. 0:39:32.160 --> 0:39:34.319 We don't get very many late kickoffs here. We usually 0:39:34.320 --> 0:39:36.719 play at one o'clock our time, so usually I can 0:39:36.760 --> 0:39:38.799 watch those those early kickoffs when we do have those 0:39:38.880 --> 0:39:39.400 late games. 0:39:39.440 --> 0:39:41.040 But you know that's not gonna be the case. But 0:39:41.200 --> 0:39:41.560 this year. 0:39:42.320 --> 0:39:43.799 I just want to mention this because I do want 0:39:43.840 --> 0:39:46.160 to say I doubt and I think you weren't even 0:39:46.200 --> 0:39:49.520 saying this, but I do definitely respect Fields. I think 0:39:49.560 --> 0:39:51.840 he is an elite talent. I think he's going to 0:39:51.840 --> 0:39:53.440 be a great quarterback for them. I think he's the 0:39:53.440 --> 0:39:55.719 best chance that they've had at that quarterback position in 0:39:55.760 --> 0:39:59.160 a long long time. It's just I just really wonder 0:39:59.200 --> 0:40:02.080 about the offense line. I wonder both the pieces around him, 0:40:02.160 --> 0:40:04.040 if it's there yet, and if he's going to have 0:40:04.160 --> 0:40:07.279 everything he needs to become the passing quarterback that they 0:40:07.320 --> 0:40:08.839 need him to be rather than the guy that is 0:40:08.880 --> 0:40:10.360 going to have to end up, you know, using his 0:40:10.400 --> 0:40:11.359 feed to extend. 0:40:11.080 --> 0:40:14.239 Plays exactly because you know, I mentioned that the team 0:40:14.280 --> 0:40:17.200 building cycles the Bears seem to be maybe a little 0:40:17.239 --> 0:40:20.360 bit you know, not incomplete synergy with that because you 0:40:20.400 --> 0:40:22.400 talk about a third year quarterback on a team that 0:40:22.560 --> 0:40:24.640 is finally now kind of pushing their chips into the 0:40:24.640 --> 0:40:27.120 table in terms of going out and getting a DJ Moore, 0:40:27.200 --> 0:40:31.080 Tremaine Edmunds, you, DeMarcus Walker, Nate Davis, Robert Tanyan, Deontay Foreman. 0:40:31.600 --> 0:40:33.520 They signed a bunch of dudes, But it has. 0:40:33.400 --> 0:40:35.560 To happen quickly because you have to make a decision 0:40:35.600 --> 0:40:38.319 on your rookie quarterback or your rookie contract quarterback sooner 0:40:38.360 --> 0:40:40.800 than later. And typically when teams go this heavy in 0:40:41.040 --> 0:40:43.520 it takes a year, maybe even two for the all 0:40:43.520 --> 0:40:45.279 to kind of gel and come together. So I'm super 0:40:45.320 --> 0:40:47.880 intrigued to see how that all does come together for 0:40:47.920 --> 0:40:50.919 a team that was incredibly aggressive this offseason and using 0:40:50.960 --> 0:40:53.720 the resources they had, So it's it's intriguing. You mentioned, 0:40:53.719 --> 0:40:56.000 you know, the receiving corps with you know, Chase Claypool, 0:40:56.040 --> 0:40:58.400 the thirty third pick in the draft. I think they 0:40:58.480 --> 0:40:59.920 used on him in terms of the trade there, so 0:41:00.000 --> 0:41:03.880 so definitely pushing some chips into the middle of table 0:41:04.120 --> 0:41:06.920 with how they invested around justin fields offensively. And I'm 0:41:06.960 --> 0:41:09.600 also curious on defense because you know, they traded away 0:41:10.000 --> 0:41:12.600 Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith and back to back weeks 0:41:12.640 --> 0:41:15.239 last year and the defense fell apart after that, So 0:41:15.800 --> 0:41:17.800 did they do enough to get that back together? I 0:41:17.840 --> 0:41:19.520 think is a big question there for the Bears as well. 0:41:19.680 --> 0:41:21.960 Yeah, I mean Jack Sanborn from Wisconsin ended up being 0:41:22.040 --> 0:41:25.239 kind of a middle of the pack. Not in terms 0:41:25.280 --> 0:41:26.719 of his skill. I'm just saying like he was their 0:41:26.719 --> 0:41:28.719 middle linebacker the second half of the season and kind 0:41:28.719 --> 0:41:30.160 of had to be that gritty guy there. 0:41:30.960 --> 0:41:31.160 You know. 0:41:31.360 --> 0:41:34.280 I think they got Tremaine Edmunds now if I remember correctly. 0:41:35.280 --> 0:41:39.120 I like the athleticism they have on that side of things. 0:41:39.600 --> 0:41:42.279 But ultimately, yeah, it is going to be about what 0:41:42.320 --> 0:41:44.280 are the pieces that A'll fit behind him. Eddie Jackson 0:41:44.320 --> 0:41:46.239 has been a staple for them for years back there. 0:41:46.239 --> 0:41:47.960 I think he's kind of sort of recaptured some of 0:41:48.000 --> 0:41:50.560 the magic that he was missing sort of after that 0:41:50.640 --> 0:41:54.279 Adrian Amos arrow with him there. So very interesting to 0:41:54.280 --> 0:41:55.839 see where this thing goes. To give you one little 0:41:55.880 --> 0:41:58.960 last story about that, we were talking about like with 0:41:59.000 --> 0:42:01.239 our game programs in our yearbooks and stuff and getting 0:42:01.239 --> 0:42:03.400 stuff ready, and I had one of our interns was 0:42:03.440 --> 0:42:05.279 asking me like, hey, you know, who should we put, 0:42:05.360 --> 0:42:08.400 you know, other than Justin Jefferson or Justin Jefferson, Justin Fields. 0:42:09.040 --> 0:42:10.759 Who are the guys? Who are the stars that we 0:42:10.800 --> 0:42:12.840 should have for the Bears? And it did take me 0:42:12.880 --> 0:42:15.360 a second because I think that's not necessarily just a 0:42:15.400 --> 0:42:17.080 dig on them. I think it is this reset that 0:42:17.120 --> 0:42:18.600 they're kind of going through and trying to figure out 0:42:18.640 --> 0:42:20.319 who those next faces are going to be for them. 0:42:20.440 --> 0:42:22.040 But certainly Eddie Jackson is the guy that they can 0:42:22.040 --> 0:42:22.360 be able to. 0:42:22.360 --> 0:42:23.399 Hang their hat on there as well. 0:42:23.680 --> 0:42:25.279 Yeah, you can certainly look at a team and say 0:42:25.280 --> 0:42:27.560 there just doesn a lot of proven you know, resumes 0:42:27.560 --> 0:42:30.080 in terms of their production across the NFL, and they 0:42:30.080 --> 0:42:30.640 could work out. 0:42:30.640 --> 0:42:32.520 But right now, like you know, look at the defense. 0:42:32.600 --> 0:42:34.319 Last year, they traded by their top two guys and 0:42:34.640 --> 0:42:36.480 Eddie Jackson I think was out for some time as well, 0:42:36.520 --> 0:42:38.680 but I like that secondary they did some good work. 0:42:38.719 --> 0:42:40.680 They're getting Jakwan Brisker and Kyli Gordon a couple of 0:42:40.719 --> 0:42:42.759 years back and continue to add to that group there 0:42:42.760 --> 0:42:45.000 as well. So fun division, man, I'm looking forward to 0:42:45.040 --> 0:42:47.880 seeing this thing play out. Like like I mentioned earlier, 0:42:47.920 --> 0:42:49.440 we don't have a game against the team in the 0:42:49.480 --> 0:42:51.560 NFC North this year. Played that division last year, so 0:42:51.640 --> 0:42:55.000 no competition there for the Miami Dolphins. But real quick West, 0:42:55.120 --> 0:42:56.840 just in a ward or two if you can my 0:42:56.960 --> 0:42:59.000 divisions to perlatives here, if you don't mind giving me 0:42:59.040 --> 0:43:02.880 your favorite players with their certain distinctions here across the division, 0:43:03.200 --> 0:43:06.080 which is challenge and this one actually, I don't know 0:43:06.080 --> 0:43:07.600 if this one's a given. It kind of has been 0:43:07.640 --> 0:43:09.600 for the other one so far, like the NFC East 0:43:09.600 --> 0:43:11.520 and the AFC West. But who do you think is 0:43:11.560 --> 0:43:14.080 the best quarterback right now in the NFC North? 0:43:14.239 --> 0:43:17.040 So I actually have a very straightforward answer, so you 0:43:17.080 --> 0:43:18.560 probably can tell what I'm going to say based in 0:43:18.560 --> 0:43:21.160 our conversation earlier. To me, it's Kirk Cousins because I 0:43:21.200 --> 0:43:23.759 feel like there's so many people disrespecting what he's done 0:43:23.760 --> 0:43:26.320 in the National Football League, and by the way, nobody 0:43:26.360 --> 0:43:28.560 knows him better than Matt Lafleur, who was his first 0:43:28.560 --> 0:43:31.000 position coach in the NFL when he was in Washington. 0:43:32.280 --> 0:43:35.359 Until somebody unseats Kirk Cousins, until somebody proves that they 0:43:35.400 --> 0:43:39.280 can win thirteen games as a quarterback in this division, 0:43:39.560 --> 0:43:41.759 I think you got to give him that respect. Now, 0:43:41.800 --> 0:43:44.000 if you turn it over to the upside question, that's 0:43:44.000 --> 0:43:46.759 where it turns back to fields, it turns back to love. 0:43:47.200 --> 0:43:49.960 But to say either of those guys is better than 0:43:50.160 --> 0:43:52.319 a guy that's a ten year vet, twelve year vet, 0:43:52.360 --> 0:43:53.680 that has done it at a high level for so 0:43:53.800 --> 0:43:56.400 long and proven to be irreplaceable to this point. I 0:43:56.400 --> 0:43:58.760 know he hasn't gott an extension yet with the Vikings, 0:43:58.760 --> 0:44:01.839 but they signed him to a big, guaranteed contract many 0:44:01.920 --> 0:44:05.080 years ago now and they continued to extend him, and 0:44:05.120 --> 0:44:06.759 he's kept them in the hunt here with this thing, 0:44:07.120 --> 0:44:10.360 so to me, until proven otherwise, I think Kirk Cousins, 0:44:10.400 --> 0:44:13.759 not Jerk. Cousins, deserves to get the agulation. 0:44:13.840 --> 0:44:16.520 Hey, quit being a homer. I'll call him a jerk now. 0:44:16.680 --> 0:44:18.160 The way you ask that would be exactly why I 0:44:18.200 --> 0:44:20.160 would answer that because I think that right now it's 0:44:20.239 --> 0:44:22.680 Kirk Cousins. But if I projected a year into the future, 0:44:22.719 --> 0:44:24.719 I think at this time next year it will be 0:44:24.840 --> 0:44:26.760 either Jordan Love or Justin Fields. 0:44:27.200 --> 0:44:29.360 This next one, I think is very easy. Maybe you disagree. 0:44:29.400 --> 0:44:33.279 We'll see the best non quarterback player on offense in 0:44:33.320 --> 0:44:34.000 the NFC North. 0:44:34.560 --> 0:44:37.279 It has to be Justin Jefferson right now, and it 0:44:37.480 --> 0:44:39.719 just again for the same reason I answered before. I mean, 0:44:39.760 --> 0:44:42.919 I've watched this guy play so many times now, and dude, 0:44:42.920 --> 0:44:44.719 trust me, you were talking about looking up the Jordan 0:44:44.800 --> 0:44:47.799 Love film. I remember looking at Justin Jefferson's film when 0:44:47.840 --> 0:44:50.040 he was coming out and thinking, Okay, could he be there? 0:44:50.080 --> 0:44:52.640 Could he be available for Green Bay picking in the 0:44:52.719 --> 0:44:54.719 latter half of the second round or the latter half 0:44:54.719 --> 0:44:55.239 of the first round? 0:44:55.239 --> 0:44:55.759 Excuse me? 0:44:56.080 --> 0:44:57.719 And unfortunately, I think he ended up going six to 0:44:57.760 --> 0:44:59.759 seven picks ahead of him to Minnesota. I thought that 0:44:59.800 --> 0:45:02.239 was a great move for the Vikings, also one of 0:45:02.280 --> 0:45:05.720 those very one of those very few and far between 0:45:05.800 --> 0:45:07.960 trades where I think it worked out for both teams. 0:45:08.040 --> 0:45:08.200 Right. 0:45:08.239 --> 0:45:11.240 I think Stefan Diggs was a perfect fit for Buffalo 0:45:11.440 --> 0:45:14.160 and what they've been able to do there, while Jefferson 0:45:14.360 --> 0:45:18.520 was sort of that restart and reset that Minnesota needed. Yeah, 0:45:18.640 --> 0:45:20.560 justin Jefferson is He's an All Pro. He could end 0:45:20.640 --> 0:45:22.239 up being the best one out of this entire era, 0:45:22.680 --> 0:45:25.919 and certainly a guy that I think you look at again, 0:45:25.960 --> 0:45:27.879 looking at the elite talent in this league, A lot 0:45:27.920 --> 0:45:31.000 of that, you know, starts with that veteran, proven, you know, 0:45:31.200 --> 0:45:32.759 established players in Minnesota. 0:45:33.560 --> 0:45:35.520 I remember reading about him at LSU and how he 0:45:35.560 --> 0:45:37.840 felt slightly because of I can't know if it was 0:45:37.880 --> 0:45:39.719 like the recruiting process that he had in college, but 0:45:39.760 --> 0:45:41.439 he was just so slighted about that. And he wound 0:45:41.520 --> 0:45:43.279 up going out and scoring like four touchdowns in the 0:45:43.320 --> 0:45:45.480 playoff game that year for LSU, and then they'd be 0:45:45.480 --> 0:45:47.080 passed over by you know, so many teams in that 0:45:47.160 --> 0:45:49.879 year's draft, especially the Eagles taking Jalen Rager ahead of him. 0:45:50.520 --> 0:45:52.200 You know, I didn't phone his way to Minnesota. 0:45:52.360 --> 0:45:53.880 Yeah, exactly, they wind up with the same team. It's 0:45:53.880 --> 0:45:54.879 funny how that works out, man. 0:45:54.920 --> 0:45:55.120 Yeah. 0:45:55.239 --> 0:45:58.120 I just guys that have that chip like that, you 0:45:58.120 --> 0:46:00.560 can't replace that, that mindset. So how about on the 0:46:00.560 --> 0:46:02.759 other side of the football, best defensive player in your 0:46:02.840 --> 0:46:04.640 estimation in the NFC Norsers. 0:46:04.880 --> 0:46:06.800 I'm finally using my homework card here. I'm going to 0:46:06.840 --> 0:46:10.799 say it's jyr Alexander. The Green Bay Packers defense is 0:46:10.840 --> 0:46:13.160 different with Jyry Alexander. Now, they were able to get 0:46:13.200 --> 0:46:15.399 through twenty twenty one without him for the most part. 0:46:15.440 --> 0:46:18.200 I think he played eight defense that like dime snaps 0:46:18.239 --> 0:46:20.880 in the Divisional playoff game against San Francisco, but otherwise 0:46:20.920 --> 0:46:25.520 missed the entire season after injuring his shoulder. This guy, 0:46:25.640 --> 0:46:27.960 I think, is on the precipice of being one of 0:46:27.960 --> 0:46:31.160 the truly special players of this era. And it's so 0:46:31.239 --> 0:46:33.839 fitting that he was also Brian Goodkin's first pick as 0:46:33.920 --> 0:46:37.560 general manager of the Packers. I'm just so excited by 0:46:37.600 --> 0:46:39.680 watching him in a twenty six years old the amount 0:46:39.680 --> 0:46:42.319 of confidence that he plays with Travis you've probably seen 0:46:42.320 --> 0:46:42.560 it too. 0:46:42.560 --> 0:46:44.279 I Mean when these guys, sometimes. 0:46:43.960 --> 0:46:46.480 You talk to him, they're like, oh, I'm confident, I'm unshakable, 0:46:47.120 --> 0:46:49.400 And sometimes it's almost like, are you telling me that? 0:46:49.480 --> 0:46:51.520 Are you trying to prove that to yourself? Jiy Alexander 0:46:51.520 --> 0:46:53.400 has nothing to prove to anybody, if you know his 0:46:53.520 --> 0:46:58.160 backstory again, kind of like Jefferson completely overlooked in North Carolina, 0:46:58.239 --> 0:47:01.360 of all places. He's like a two star recruit in 0:47:01.400 --> 0:47:04.759 North Carolina. I'll never forget that, Charlotte, and he ends 0:47:04.800 --> 0:47:09.000 up being playing beyond his mind at Louisville, makes himself 0:47:09.040 --> 0:47:13.520 a first round pick despite you know, some size concerns. 0:47:12.960 --> 0:47:14.959 He's one of the best I've ever seen. 0:47:15.000 --> 0:47:17.400 And when he is right, when he's healthy, he can 0:47:17.440 --> 0:47:19.399 shut down anybody. So when we're talking about the Justin 0:47:19.440 --> 0:47:21.960 Jeffersons of the world and that concern of the division, 0:47:22.200 --> 0:47:24.480 you need to shut down cornerback like Jerry Alexander, and 0:47:24.480 --> 0:47:26.440 I think he's right there at the top of that 0:47:26.480 --> 0:47:27.840 position in the entire NFL. 0:47:28.160 --> 0:47:28.920 Yeah, he's the man. 0:47:29.120 --> 0:47:29.279 For me. 0:47:29.320 --> 0:47:31.920 It would be either either him or Chauncey Gardner Johnson. 0:47:31.960 --> 0:47:34.480 But going back to the college clips that I was 0:47:34.520 --> 0:47:36.600 talking about, there's a play where he shuts down a 0:47:36.600 --> 0:47:38.439 receiver and then like puts his hands on his hips 0:47:38.440 --> 0:47:40.080 and follows him around the entire play. 0:47:39.920 --> 0:47:42.160 Afterwards, and just just that brash confidence. 0:47:42.200 --> 0:47:42.319 Man. 0:47:42.360 --> 0:47:43.960 I love that in the player, especially backing up with 0:47:44.000 --> 0:47:46.759 their play on the field. So no qualms here about 0:47:46.760 --> 0:47:49.600 that selection. I think this one probably is the easiest 0:47:49.600 --> 0:47:53.560 one of the entire superlatives portion here top coach in 0:47:53.560 --> 0:47:55.400 the NFC at North it's gotta be your. 0:47:55.239 --> 0:47:58.279 Guy, and he doesn't get enough respect. That's the thing 0:47:58.280 --> 0:48:00.719 that ticks me off the most, right. I don't know 0:48:00.760 --> 0:48:02.799 what it is, and maybe you feel a little bit 0:48:02.840 --> 0:48:05.040 too down in Miami. There's something about coming from that 0:48:05.120 --> 0:48:08.320 McVeigh Shanahan coaching tree that I just feel like the 0:48:08.760 --> 0:48:11.319 people get over they get overlooked. And what ticks me 0:48:11.400 --> 0:48:16.120 off the most about Lafleur is that. And no disrespect 0:48:16.160 --> 0:48:18.880 to the AP voters, but the AP Coach of the 0:48:18.960 --> 0:48:20.600 Year voting never ages well. 0:48:21.040 --> 0:48:22.280 They missed the mark. 0:48:22.120 --> 0:48:23.879 On it so many times because it kind of becomes 0:48:23.920 --> 0:48:26.200 the flavor of the Month award. Trust me, if a 0:48:26.239 --> 0:48:28.760 team gets turned around and you do what Brian Dabble 0:48:28.800 --> 0:48:31.160 did last year with no expectations at all, and with 0:48:31.200 --> 0:48:34.120 the Giants, I respect it, I get it. But with Lafleur, 0:48:34.480 --> 0:48:36.919 he came in in nineteen and they won thirteen games. 0:48:36.960 --> 0:48:38.880 They made the NFC Championship Game, although I know it 0:48:38.880 --> 0:48:42.080 already goes in before, but nobody expected anything on a team. 0:48:42.120 --> 0:48:45.600 Everybody thought that Rogers was past it. Okay, so fine, 0:48:45.760 --> 0:48:48.279 Rogers is still good. So we'll just let it slide. Well, 0:48:48.280 --> 0:48:50.799 then in twenty two, in twenty well, Rogers had the 0:48:50.800 --> 0:48:53.080 best season ever for a quarterback, so you're not going 0:48:53.120 --> 0:48:55.480 to get that year. And then twenty one, you know, 0:48:55.480 --> 0:48:57.839 they lose gian year. They have these different things going 0:48:57.840 --> 0:49:00.120 against him. Now he suddenly has won more games a 0:49:00.160 --> 0:49:02.880 head coach than any other coach in NFL history in 0:49:02.880 --> 0:49:05.480 the first three years. And Laflour still doesn't get that respect. 0:49:05.560 --> 0:49:08.640 And what's the number one question right now, Travis going 0:49:08.640 --> 0:49:10.919 into this year, Well, we're really gonna find out about 0:49:10.920 --> 0:49:13.160 Matt lafluor Now, No, you found out about Matt Lafour 0:49:13.239 --> 0:49:14.719 the last four years. You found out out a lot 0:49:14.719 --> 0:49:16.520 about him last year when he pulled that team together 0:49:16.560 --> 0:49:19.239 after going through his first real adversity. You know, they 0:49:19.360 --> 0:49:22.640 never lost back to back regular season games until last season. 0:49:22.920 --> 0:49:23.680 I think this is the. 0:49:23.600 --> 0:49:25.319 Type of year that, in addition to I feel do 0:49:25.360 --> 0:49:27.400 it he's the best right now in this division, absolutely, 0:49:27.440 --> 0:49:30.600 but I feel like greenmy Packers succeed this year, Jordan 0:49:30.719 --> 0:49:33.080 Love succeeds. People need to start putting more respect on 0:49:33.080 --> 0:49:35.479 Matt Laflour's name because what he's done here the last 0:49:35.480 --> 0:49:38.160 three four years now has been pretty special and kind 0:49:38.160 --> 0:49:39.759 of like the Ferris Bueller thing. If you don't start 0:49:39.800 --> 0:49:41.200 paying attention to it, you're gonna miss it. 0:49:41.560 --> 0:49:42.200 I love it, man. 0:49:42.320 --> 0:49:44.520 It's it's such a lazy take to me because like 0:49:44.719 --> 0:49:47.040 it's it's basically says I didn't watch any of the tape. 0:49:47.040 --> 0:49:48.960 I'm just gonna give you this take, Like with with 0:49:49.160 --> 0:49:51.160 Tula for instance, like oh, he got better because he 0:49:51.200 --> 0:49:53.040 had Tyreek Hill. It's like, no, that's mean, No, he 0:49:53.120 --> 0:49:54.919 just was. He played really good football. If you watch 0:49:54.960 --> 0:49:57.560 the games you can see that. So I'm with you 0:49:57.600 --> 0:49:59.239 all the way there, man. And also the Coach of 0:49:59.239 --> 0:50:02.520 the Year, like Belichick won that, since like the early 0:50:02.560 --> 0:50:03.640 Patriots runs back. 0:50:03.480 --> 0:50:06.240 At a fourteen guy, I want to say fourteen maybe he got. 0:50:06.480 --> 0:50:09.200 Because really you could call it the Bill Belichick Awards. 0:50:09.200 --> 0:50:10.480 Just give to him every year there for like twenty 0:50:10.560 --> 0:50:12.320 years and we'd be good with that because he probably 0:50:12.400 --> 0:50:15.120 was that guy for twenty years there or so. But yeah, 0:50:15.440 --> 0:50:17.000 lots of good points there. West, we go ahead and 0:50:17.000 --> 0:50:19.719 finish on this division. Chap Man, who you got this year? 0:50:19.760 --> 0:50:20.960 Are you taking the home squad? 0:50:21.560 --> 0:50:23.279 I have to I have to go with the home 0:50:23.280 --> 0:50:25.480 squad again. I'm gonna use my homework card on that one. 0:50:25.560 --> 0:50:27.399 And the big reason for that is because it goes 0:50:27.440 --> 0:50:29.040 back to what I said from the beginning. This is 0:50:29.080 --> 0:50:32.360 going to be a wide open race if Jordan Love performs. 0:50:32.400 --> 0:50:36.399 Though Creampay actually doesn't have that many questions. I thought 0:50:36.440 --> 0:50:38.960 the two receivers last year proved a lot in Watson 0:50:39.000 --> 0:50:41.600 and Dobbs. I feel like Luke Muskrave that tight end 0:50:41.719 --> 0:50:44.120 is going to be a real down the field, middle 0:50:44.160 --> 0:50:47.399 to field threat that they've been missing. They have augmented 0:50:47.400 --> 0:50:49.600 their roster at the positions they need to do it. 0:50:50.280 --> 0:50:53.640 The one area where they are completely married to where 0:50:53.680 --> 0:50:56.399 it's like this guy needs to perform is Jordan Love. 0:50:56.440 --> 0:50:57.840 I think they're going to put him in a position 0:50:57.880 --> 0:51:00.480 to succeed. And with all the experience he's a now 0:51:00.520 --> 0:51:03.000 working behind Daron Rodgers and just the disposition that he 0:51:03.040 --> 0:51:06.200 carries himself with, I personally feel like this is right 0:51:06.239 --> 0:51:07.960 there for green Bay to bounce back. I know there 0:51:08.000 --> 0:51:10.560 was some I think some Sports Illustrated articles already or 0:51:10.600 --> 0:51:13.120 Monday Morning Quarterback articles talking about how green Bay could 0:51:13.120 --> 0:51:15.440 be a real strong bounce back candidate this year. If 0:51:15.480 --> 0:51:17.759 you look at green Bay's schedule with finishing where they 0:51:17.800 --> 0:51:20.080 finished in the division last year. It actually does set 0:51:20.160 --> 0:51:22.879 up for them pretty well as far as the how 0:51:22.880 --> 0:51:25.680 it looks on paper to be able to pull himself 0:51:25.800 --> 0:51:28.040 back up after a down year in twenty twenty three. 0:51:28.239 --> 0:51:30.480 Well twenty twenty two, not twenty three. 0:51:30.719 --> 0:51:32.799 Sorry, I said, we'll close with this. That's my pick 0:51:32.840 --> 0:51:33.719 as well. Just let you know. 0:51:33.880 --> 0:51:36.319 I'm a big Jordan love fan. I'm gonna back him 0:51:36.320 --> 0:51:37.600 and support him. I think they're doing the right thing 0:51:37.600 --> 0:51:39.080 there in Green Bay by going to him and giving 0:51:39.120 --> 0:51:41.239 him a chance here early or not early, but you know, 0:51:41.320 --> 0:51:44.240 earlier than too late. Early ish where the contract winds 0:51:44.280 --> 0:51:46.759 up comes up there at the end. So Wes Hodkowitz 0:51:46.800 --> 0:51:48.680 Packers dot com. He said it all, man, before you 0:51:48.680 --> 0:51:50.080 get out of here, tell us what you're working on 0:51:50.120 --> 0:51:52.319 this summer. What can the folks look forward to at 0:51:52.320 --> 0:51:53.600 packers dot com with your work? 0:51:53.840 --> 0:51:57.319 Tons of long form features that normally I don't try 0:51:57.360 --> 0:51:59.399 to produce in June, but it just kind of worked 0:51:59.440 --> 0:52:01.439 out that way. Actually, my feature finally on the first 0:52:01.480 --> 0:52:03.680 round pick Lucas van Ness is gonna run next week now, 0:52:03.719 --> 0:52:05.920 so that'll be fun. And then just kind of some 0:52:05.960 --> 0:52:08.759 other little projects that you'll see pop up. Fortunately, this 0:52:08.800 --> 0:52:11.400 will probably end up being my last podcast type appearance. 0:52:11.440 --> 0:52:14.080 We just shut ours down yesterday until training camp, so 0:52:14.560 --> 0:52:16.399 looking forward to that, looking forward to maybe being able 0:52:16.400 --> 0:52:18.520 to break away a little bit and then see what 0:52:18.800 --> 0:52:20.920 this upcoming season has to hold in store for us. 0:52:21.000 --> 0:52:22.799 You know, training camp will be here before we know it. 0:52:23.160 --> 0:52:24.840 Hey man, I'm hoping that we both win the division 0:52:24.840 --> 0:52:26.480 this year, and that means I think we'd play the 0:52:26.520 --> 0:52:28.680 NFSC North Top team next year as well as maybe 0:52:28.680 --> 0:52:31.239 get chance to see Wes in twenty twenty four. 0:52:31.239 --> 0:52:31.759 If that happened. 0:52:31.800 --> 0:52:34.200 In my element, there will be no air conditioning on 0:52:34.320 --> 0:52:38.520 Christmas Eve at lambeau Field blaring down on my building. 0:52:38.560 --> 0:52:40.200 Man, it was freezing in there, trying to type with 0:52:40.239 --> 0:52:43.600 my fifty degree temperature fingers. In that press box. Was 0:52:44.239 --> 0:52:45.840 a little taste of Green Bay there for us on 0:52:45.920 --> 0:52:46.560 Christmas Day. 0:52:46.760 --> 0:52:49.719 I learned a bad, bad lesson that day, and that 0:52:49.840 --> 0:52:52.480 is always bring a suit code, no matter if you're 0:52:52.520 --> 0:52:55.920 in freaking South Beach, bring us suit rare. 0:52:56.040 --> 0:52:56.239 Man. 0:52:56.320 --> 0:52:57.600 That was such a rarity that day. 0:52:57.680 --> 0:52:59.200 I just just want you to know that we usually 0:52:59.200 --> 0:53:01.080 have beautiful year round down here. 0:53:01.280 --> 0:53:01.520 Wes. 0:53:01.680 --> 0:53:02.960 Thank you so much for your time today. Man, I'll 0:53:02.960 --> 0:53:04.480 get you out of here. Wed you said plenty, you 0:53:04.520 --> 0:53:06.560 said enough. Thank you so much you helped us out 0:53:06.600 --> 0:53:07.760 and have a good rest of your summer. 0:53:07.800 --> 0:53:09.200 Man, all right, thanks for having you tube. 0:53:09.800 --> 0:53:12.320 I mean, how much of a gem is Wes fun podcast? 0:53:12.400 --> 0:53:15.520 They are talking all things Packers, vikings, lions, embars. Let's 0:53:15.520 --> 0:53:17.200 get out of here. The next time you guys hear 0:53:17.239 --> 0:53:21.240 from me will be the AFC East episode on Tuesday, 0:53:21.320 --> 0:53:23.759 July the eleventh. Evan Lazar from Patriots dot Com will 0:53:23.800 --> 0:53:26.120 join us for that conversation. Then we have the NFC 0:53:26.160 --> 0:53:28.400 East and then we go ahead and pick up training 0:53:28.400 --> 0:53:31.320 camp previews from the week of July seventeenth, all the 0:53:31.360 --> 0:53:33.239 way up to the start of training camp. So plenty 0:53:33.280 --> 0:53:35.360 to come your way here on the Draft Time podcast. 0:53:35.560 --> 0:53:38.920 You all please be sure to subscribe, rate review, follow 0:53:39.000 --> 0:53:41.120 all that fun stuff. Check out the fish Tank Podcast 0:53:41.200 --> 0:53:44.040 with Seth and Juice, our YouTube channel for Dolphins Today, 0:53:44.080 --> 0:53:45.600 media availabilities. 0:53:44.960 --> 0:53:45.759 And so much more. 0:53:46.160 --> 0:53:49.040 Last but not least, Miami Dolphins dot Com Until next time. 0:53:49.080 --> 0:53:51.759 Finn's Up, Caroline Ecamer and Daddy is coming. 0:53:51.800 --> 0:53:52.040 Hold