WEBVTT - #830 Packers Unscripted: Diving into details 0:00:10.480 --> 0:00:11.280 Hi, everybody. 0:00:11.320 --> 0:00:15.240 Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:15.280 --> 0:00:18.000 I am Mike Spofford, joined as always by my trust 0:00:18.000 --> 0:00:20.200 in colleague West Hodkowitz. We're coming to you hear from 0:00:20.200 --> 0:00:23.239 our studios at lambeau Field, Wes with a little bit 0:00:23.239 --> 0:00:26.680 more to talk about regarding Green Bay's draft class, and 0:00:26.720 --> 0:00:35.320 specifically one draft pick whom whose story you dove into 0:00:35.320 --> 0:00:37.519 a little bit deeper. He was a great story that 0:00:37.560 --> 0:00:40.200 we already talked about, the fourth round pick, Baron Surrell, 0:00:40.320 --> 0:00:44.960 defensive lineman out of Texas. But you talk to some 0:00:45.040 --> 0:00:48.920 other folks behind the scenes part of his background. There's 0:00:49.360 --> 0:00:53.760 a really well written profile piece that is now posted 0:00:53.800 --> 0:00:56.520 on packers dot com. Congratulations on all the hard work 0:00:56.520 --> 0:00:58.920 you put into it. But tell us about some of 0:00:58.960 --> 0:01:02.080 these folks you talk to and what you learned about 0:01:02.120 --> 0:01:06.000 a young man whom Packers fans are already kind of 0:01:06.040 --> 0:01:08.000 starting to fall in love with a little bit. 0:01:08.280 --> 0:01:10.440 No, thank you, Michael, that's very kind of you to say, 0:01:10.440 --> 0:01:12.920 And obviously a lot of the credit goes to Baron. 0:01:13.319 --> 0:01:17.160 His mom, Selena Gibbons, was very accommodating with the amount 0:01:17.160 --> 0:01:19.480 of time she gave me. Obviously, the number of photos 0:01:19.520 --> 0:01:22.319 she had. I think in all my years doing this, 0:01:22.400 --> 0:01:24.440 I don't know if I've had more options as far 0:01:24.480 --> 0:01:28.120 as illustrating a story with outside photos than what Selena 0:01:28.160 --> 0:01:31.000 gave me. And then talking to Mike Brandle's econ professor 0:01:31.200 --> 0:01:34.440 at Texas. It just gives you a really strong idea 0:01:34.480 --> 0:01:36.559 of who this guy is. Because I think my number 0:01:36.600 --> 0:01:38.720 one thought when we came out of draft weekend is 0:01:39.200 --> 0:01:41.880 who is this human being that decided to come up 0:01:41.920 --> 0:01:45.679 to Green Bay, Wisconsin and spend the week here when 0:01:45.680 --> 0:01:47.280 he was probably going to be a day two, day 0:01:47.280 --> 0:01:51.360 three selection and then suddenly gets selected by the team 0:01:51.840 --> 0:01:55.520 that the draft is being held at. And when you 0:01:55.560 --> 0:01:58.880 start to understand the way that Baron is wired and 0:01:58.920 --> 0:02:02.080 where he comes from down in Louisiana, New Orleans, and 0:02:02.120 --> 0:02:04.600 why he's always been so motivated. Again, this is a 0:02:04.680 --> 0:02:07.000 kid that was asking for speed ladders for Christmas. He 0:02:07.040 --> 0:02:10.640 was asking for concussion helmets with the latest technology to 0:02:10.680 --> 0:02:14.120 protect himself. He was a dude who, no matter what 0:02:14.240 --> 0:02:17.280 it took in the classroom, he wanted to make sure 0:02:17.320 --> 0:02:18.920 that he was going to be able to tie the 0:02:19.000 --> 0:02:21.880 academics to the athletics with it. And at the end 0:02:21.880 --> 0:02:23.880 of the day. I mean, what an incredible life he's 0:02:23.919 --> 0:02:26.440 already led in twenty two years. I mean, he had 0:02:26.520 --> 0:02:30.079 offers to Northwestern to duke, he ends up settling on Texas. 0:02:30.080 --> 0:02:32.639 He always wanted to play in the SEC. His senior 0:02:32.720 --> 0:02:34.800 year of college, he's able to play in the SEC, 0:02:35.200 --> 0:02:37.600 makes it to the College Football Playoff back to back years. 0:02:38.200 --> 0:02:42.880 But more than anything, understanding his wiring and what motivates 0:02:42.960 --> 0:02:47.000 him and Selena had a tremendous anecdote about when he 0:02:47.040 --> 0:02:48.720 was little, saying to his mom, you know, I want 0:02:48.720 --> 0:02:52.560 to make you a millionaire someday. And this guy is 0:02:52.600 --> 0:02:56.359 willing to do whatever it takes to excel in his 0:02:56.480 --> 0:02:58.720 chosen profession, and it just so happens to be that 0:02:58.760 --> 0:03:01.640 he's a football player. So I also want to give 0:03:01.639 --> 0:03:04.680 a quick shout out to Mike Brandle, who was the 0:03:04.720 --> 0:03:08.919 professor that very generously went on Twitter after the draft 0:03:08.919 --> 0:03:11.799 and really expounded on how special this guy is. Three 0:03:11.800 --> 0:03:14.160 and a half years he graduates from Texas, He's in 0:03:14.200 --> 0:03:17.480 an introduction to macroeconomics class spring of twenty twenty two, 0:03:18.040 --> 0:03:20.680 doesn't do well on the first exam. His brother, Avery's 0:03:20.680 --> 0:03:22.120 the one that's kind of telling him, hey, maybe check 0:03:22.160 --> 0:03:25.200 in with the professor. Brandle Off opens up his office 0:03:25.200 --> 0:03:27.919 to him. They end up having weekly meetings and next 0:03:27.960 --> 0:03:29.960 thing you know, a few years later, Brandal, who was 0:03:30.040 --> 0:03:35.280 born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, UW grad got his master's from Milwaukee, 0:03:35.880 --> 0:03:38.520 goes down to Texas and he's sitting there scrolling through 0:03:38.560 --> 0:03:40.520 the internet and he finds out that Baron Serrell not 0:03:40.600 --> 0:03:43.200 only got drafted, not only showed up in Green Bay, 0:03:43.240 --> 0:03:47.200 but then also got taken and selected by Brandell's childhood team. 0:03:47.560 --> 0:03:50.240 It's those type of things that sort of show you 0:03:50.280 --> 0:03:52.960 how small the world can be sometimes and also just 0:03:53.000 --> 0:03:56.000 the power of motivation. And I think there's so many 0:03:56.000 --> 0:03:58.920 of us that at nineteen twenty years old, we didn't 0:03:58.920 --> 0:04:01.480 have it all figured out. And this is a kid 0:04:01.720 --> 0:04:04.720 in Baron Cerell, who since basically he could play football, 0:04:04.720 --> 0:04:06.960 since he could play sports, he's had a very clear 0:04:07.040 --> 0:04:08.520 vision of what he wants to accomplish. 0:04:08.600 --> 0:04:09.320 Yeah. 0:04:08.880 --> 0:04:12.400 I was really drawn into a lot of the academic 0:04:12.720 --> 0:04:16.159 details that you had in the story. First the piece 0:04:16.240 --> 0:04:21.360 about his folks ponying up the money to put him 0:04:21.360 --> 0:04:25.440 into a private school for high school. But with the 0:04:25.480 --> 0:04:28.520 caveat that, you know, mom and dad aren't paying for c's. 0:04:28.640 --> 0:04:29.000 This is it. 0:04:29.080 --> 0:04:31.240 You got to get your a's and b's here, if 0:04:31.320 --> 0:04:32.720 we're going to do this, if we're going to make 0:04:32.760 --> 0:04:36.440 the sacrifice and put you on this path. And then 0:04:36.480 --> 0:04:40.960 you follow that up with Professor Brandle, the econ professor 0:04:41.000 --> 0:04:45.320 at the University of Texas, where Sorell doesn't do well 0:04:45.320 --> 0:04:47.960 in the first exam, as you said, so he's looking 0:04:48.000 --> 0:04:50.600 for some extra help. And then he's starting to have 0:04:50.680 --> 0:04:53.800 these weekly zoom meetings with his professor to get you know, 0:04:54.000 --> 0:04:56.880 to get better explanation, to try to get the material 0:04:57.000 --> 0:05:01.000 down better so he can succeed in the class. And 0:05:01.040 --> 0:05:04.719 it's a handful of sessions into this thing before Professor 0:05:04.760 --> 0:05:08.359 Brandle even knows this is a football player on the 0:05:08.400 --> 0:05:11.200 other side of the screen, because you think normally in 0:05:11.240 --> 0:05:15.359 those situations, a student athlete is going to go to 0:05:15.400 --> 0:05:17.839 the professor and say, hey, let you know, it's like 0:05:17.920 --> 0:05:21.039 I've got my sports practice and my schedule is super 0:05:21.080 --> 0:05:23.000 busy and I'm not doing well in this class and 0:05:23.040 --> 0:05:24.479 I need you to, you know, do you have some 0:05:24.560 --> 0:05:27.599 time to help me. However that might go, cREL just 0:05:27.640 --> 0:05:30.000 went to him as any other student who needs help. 0:05:30.040 --> 0:05:32.360 This wasn't about him being a football player. This wasn't 0:05:32.400 --> 0:05:36.040 about seeking any special treatment because he was on scholarship 0:05:36.120 --> 0:05:40.880 for with the Texas Longhorns, and he got the grades 0:05:40.960 --> 0:05:44.240 turned around and he was successful in the class with 0:05:44.320 --> 0:05:46.919 the extra help from the professor. So it's things like 0:05:46.960 --> 0:05:49.320 that when you find out those when you find out 0:05:49.360 --> 0:05:52.480 those other pieces to a player's background that aren't necessarily 0:05:52.560 --> 0:05:55.640 about sports. They're about the other things that they need 0:05:55.680 --> 0:06:00.479 to dedicate their lives to in order to create that 0:06:00.600 --> 0:06:06.400 successful path into sports. Those are the types of background stories, 0:06:06.400 --> 0:06:09.760 the background details that draw me in and quite frankly, 0:06:09.800 --> 0:06:12.880 I can't wait to get to know Baron Currell even 0:06:12.920 --> 0:06:15.400 better here as he begins his NFL career with the Packers. 0:06:15.480 --> 0:06:18.120 Yeah. I appreciate that, mikel I will say too. I 0:06:18.160 --> 0:06:19.920 said this to him on the phone. I will extend 0:06:19.920 --> 0:06:23.039 the invitation to him. Now, Mike Brandle, next time you 0:06:23.080 --> 0:06:25.560 come up to Green Bay, I mean, thenner on me 0:06:25.920 --> 0:06:27.960 come over to lambeau Field anytime you want. Like, I 0:06:28.720 --> 0:06:32.560 really enjoyed my conversation with this guy because he's an 0:06:32.560 --> 0:06:35.960 incredibly intelligent academic, I mean, a PhD in his field, 0:06:36.360 --> 0:06:39.840 worked at the University of Texas, Austin went to Ohio State. 0:06:39.880 --> 0:06:41.680 I mean, he's done a lot in his profession and 0:06:41.800 --> 0:06:44.839 still has that Midwestern nice sort of like sure reality, 0:06:45.000 --> 0:06:48.000 just like you could sit down and have a an 0:06:48.080 --> 0:06:50.640 Arnold Palmer with him. But one thing I really enjoyed 0:06:50.640 --> 0:06:52.600 about his story he talked about how he's kind of 0:06:52.640 --> 0:06:55.240 an old school minded professor. Nice guy. You look at 0:06:55.240 --> 0:06:57.160 his rate for my professor page, which I did when 0:06:57.200 --> 0:06:59.480 I was doing my research. People talked about just how 0:07:00.000 --> 0:07:02.160 one of the best professors they've ever had. But he's 0:07:02.200 --> 0:07:04.200 tough minded, like he's not just going to hand out 0:07:04.200 --> 0:07:06.400 a's and bes. He even said like he would love it. 0:07:06.440 --> 0:07:08.400 And it's not about athletes, it's just about any student 0:07:08.440 --> 0:07:10.880 in general, the people that don't attend class, that don't 0:07:10.920 --> 0:07:12.200 do well in the class, and at the end of 0:07:12.240 --> 0:07:14.520 the semester, like what can I do to get a 0:07:14.520 --> 0:07:15.720 BEE or what can I do to get an A? 0:07:15.800 --> 0:07:18.640 And he's like, the level of this is you know, 0:07:19.000 --> 0:07:23.360 d's end at sixty, you're in the forties. There's not 0:07:23.440 --> 0:07:25.000 a whole lot I can do to get you up 0:07:25.040 --> 0:07:28.800 into the BES. And then here's a guy in Sorel 0:07:28.840 --> 0:07:32.160 who's literally his first exam of the course where he 0:07:32.400 --> 0:07:34.840 takes the time and says, hey, this isn't clicking for me. 0:07:34.840 --> 0:07:36.720 You got to understand Baron had a four point six 0:07:36.800 --> 0:07:38.760 GPA in high school. And if you heard what I 0:07:38.760 --> 0:07:40.760 said earlier in the show, I mean he was getting 0:07:40.800 --> 0:07:45.360 recruited by major Division one colleges with huge academic you 0:07:45.360 --> 0:07:49.240 know backgrounds there, including the University of Northwestern University, which 0:07:49.600 --> 0:07:51.640 may or may not be in you know, a school 0:07:51.640 --> 0:07:54.200 that Mike Spofford went to be that as it may, 0:07:54.760 --> 0:07:57.000 it shows you the determination this young guy has. And 0:07:57.040 --> 0:07:58.600 if I may, I just want to throw this out 0:07:58.600 --> 0:08:02.440 there as well. Looking at the draft day experience, there 0:08:02.440 --> 0:08:04.960 were two elements of this that I really enjoyed learning 0:08:04.960 --> 0:08:09.640 more about. Kudos to the Commissioner, Roger Goodell. The NFL 0:08:09.720 --> 0:08:12.840 could not have been more welcoming to Sorell. Once Chris Cabot, 0:08:13.080 --> 0:08:15.320 his agent, had said, you know, my client would really 0:08:15.400 --> 0:08:16.960 like to attend the draft. This has been a lifelong 0:08:17.040 --> 0:08:19.040 dream of his. The NFL made it happen. They made 0:08:19.120 --> 0:08:23.240 him feel like any other top prospect. Roger Goodell's commitments 0:08:23.360 --> 0:08:26.640 After that first day, it goes a lot of different directions. 0:08:26.640 --> 0:08:30.120 There's relations enjoy he doesn't go up there. This isn't 0:08:30.160 --> 0:08:32.880 COVID anymore. He's not reading every single draft pick. But 0:08:32.960 --> 0:08:34.760 he made it a point at the end of day 0:08:34.760 --> 0:08:37.440 two to go back into the green room when Baron Serell, 0:08:37.640 --> 0:08:40.720 a wonderful three piece suit he had on, is sitting 0:08:40.760 --> 0:08:42.800 there with his family. Waited hours with his family to 0:08:42.840 --> 0:08:44.640 see will I get drafted? Will I get drafted? The 0:08:44.640 --> 0:08:47.360 call never comes. Goodell goes back there and tells him, 0:08:47.880 --> 0:08:51.000 if you want to stay, I will be there for you. 0:08:51.760 --> 0:08:54.600 I will announce you on Saturday. Because Sorel and his 0:08:54.600 --> 0:08:56.880 family weren't sure. They were like, should we stay, can 0:08:56.920 --> 0:08:59.480 we stay? Do we need to leave? And they could 0:08:59.480 --> 0:09:01.200 not have been more welcome in that regard. And then 0:09:01.240 --> 0:09:04.319 once it does happen, he has this Cinderella fairy tale 0:09:04.360 --> 0:09:07.120 type story that happens where he gets picked by the packers, 0:09:07.160 --> 0:09:09.160 he gets embraced by the fans, he does a Lambeau 0:09:09.240 --> 0:09:12.440 leap Mark Murphy is pushing the button down at the 0:09:12.480 --> 0:09:14.040 tunnel to bring him down. 0:09:13.920 --> 0:09:14.400 Onto the field. 0:09:14.400 --> 0:09:17.720 I mean, like just so much excitement that was going 0:09:17.960 --> 0:09:23.320 that was happening there, and Selena says to him, like, 0:09:23.960 --> 0:09:25.959 you know, make sure you stop and smell the Roses 0:09:26.320 --> 0:09:29.160 and as much as he appreciated all of that, baron 0:09:29.280 --> 0:09:34.199 telling her mom, I have it's time to work. Yeah, 0:09:34.520 --> 0:09:36.920 this young man gets it. It wasn't just about the 0:09:37.040 --> 0:09:39.400 NFL Draft. It's not about making his mom a millionaire. 0:09:39.600 --> 0:09:42.440 It's about fulfilling his potential. Now he's with the Green 0:09:42.440 --> 0:09:45.079 Bay Packers, he has an excellent opportunity to contribute to 0:09:45.120 --> 0:09:47.559 this Jeff Athley defense and he wants to make sure 0:09:47.559 --> 0:09:47.920 he does it. 0:09:48.120 --> 0:09:48.400 Yeah. 0:09:48.440 --> 0:09:53.559 Absolutely, and his story will be followed closely every step 0:09:53.600 --> 0:09:57.800 of the way. Another piece of news with regarding the 0:09:57.880 --> 0:10:00.640 draft class also University of Texas. The first round pick 0:10:00.640 --> 0:10:04.480 Matthew Golden has signed his contract with the Packers. That is, 0:10:04.840 --> 0:10:08.040 that is signed, sealed, delivered, official. We are long past, 0:10:08.520 --> 0:10:12.000 you know, the era of extended draft pick holdouts and 0:10:12.000 --> 0:10:15.400 things like that the way things go. But the Packers 0:10:15.400 --> 0:10:18.800 at this point now just have one more draft pick 0:10:18.800 --> 0:10:20.760 who has yet to sign. That his second round pick, 0:10:20.800 --> 0:10:25.440 Anthony Belton. Some interesting things going on with second round 0:10:25.440 --> 0:10:27.760 picks where there are a couple guys in that round 0:10:27.760 --> 0:10:30.800 who have already signed, who got one hundred percent guaranteed contracts, 0:10:30.840 --> 0:10:34.079 Which is kind of a new thing because because the 0:10:34.080 --> 0:10:37.880 one hundred percent guaranteed contracts were pretty much just for 0:10:37.960 --> 0:10:40.480 the first rounders. The way things have been going the 0:10:40.520 --> 0:10:45.160 last couple of years, it's yeah, it's it's something that 0:10:45.200 --> 0:10:48.480 has been progressing. It's progressed through the first rounders, and 0:10:48.520 --> 0:10:52.040 now the one hundred percent guarantee is is creeping into 0:10:52.040 --> 0:10:54.680 the second round draft picks. So I think that's holding 0:10:54.760 --> 0:10:58.440 up some of the negotiations, you know, because really the 0:10:58.520 --> 0:11:01.040 vast majority of the draft pick across the league who 0:11:01.080 --> 0:11:04.200 have yet to sign our second round picks, that's what 0:11:04.240 --> 0:11:08.000 everybody is waiting on. But congratulations to Matthew Golden. He 0:11:08.080 --> 0:11:12.000 got his deal. And this is a young man who 0:11:12.040 --> 0:11:17.880 obviously talked about his desire to buy back the family home, 0:11:18.000 --> 0:11:23.360 his grandmother's house, and now that he's gonna have some 0:11:23.360 --> 0:11:26.960 money in the bank, he'll probably start the process at 0:11:27.000 --> 0:11:29.800 whatever it takes to get that property back in his family. 0:11:29.840 --> 0:11:31.600 It's one of the coolest things that happened a lot 0:11:31.640 --> 0:11:34.200 of times in the NFL draft. Super sad like you 0:11:34.280 --> 0:11:36.160 hate that, you know, for families, a lot of times 0:11:36.160 --> 0:11:39.839 this happens, but also it's emotional. I remember I think 0:11:39.960 --> 0:11:41.920 Eric Stokes when he got drafted in twenty one. I 0:11:41.920 --> 0:11:43.320 want to say it was Eddie bought a house for 0:11:43.360 --> 0:11:45.960 his grandmother. Yeah, I know Eddie Lacey did it. Yeah, 0:11:46.160 --> 0:11:48.400 in twenty thirteen he bought a house for his mom 0:11:49.480 --> 0:11:53.080 and down in Louisiana. I believe it was. You could 0:11:53.160 --> 0:11:56.320 tell listening to Golden talk about this and what it 0:11:56.360 --> 0:11:58.320 means to him and growing up in that household and 0:11:58.800 --> 0:12:01.320 at times heaven to live in hotels with his mom 0:12:01.400 --> 0:12:03.360 having to you know, live in the back, you know, 0:12:03.360 --> 0:12:05.760 in the car of a Walmart parking lot in the 0:12:05.800 --> 0:12:07.720 area because they didn't have some place to go. And 0:12:07.720 --> 0:12:10.360 then he's living with different people as you know, his 0:12:10.440 --> 0:12:12.720 mom's trying to get back up on her feet. Life 0:12:12.720 --> 0:12:14.920 can be really hard on people. But you know, as 0:12:15.040 --> 0:12:17.440 as Matt Lafleur and Brian Goodcuns Bull talked about, you 0:12:17.480 --> 0:12:19.199 do not want that to happen. You don't want young 0:12:19.280 --> 0:12:21.480 children to have to go through that. But there is 0:12:21.520 --> 0:12:24.080 a mental toughness that gets forged there that when you 0:12:24.160 --> 0:12:25.800 end up on an NFL team or you end up 0:12:25.800 --> 0:12:28.560 in a professional sport, you've been tested in a lot 0:12:28.559 --> 0:12:31.240 of ways. This doesn't even compare to it the pressure 0:12:31.280 --> 0:12:32.800 that you feel when you and I might look at 0:12:32.800 --> 0:12:35.480 an eighty thousand seat stadium, or if you're looking at 0:12:35.480 --> 0:12:38.079 the you know, the SEC one hundred thousand seat stadiums, 0:12:38.360 --> 0:12:41.520 these venues where there's just people and noise and distractions. 0:12:42.040 --> 0:12:44.240 How guys are able to rise above that because a 0:12:44.280 --> 0:12:47.040 lot of what happened in their their formative years. Golden 0:12:47.120 --> 0:12:49.120 is a testament to that, in addition to the fact 0:12:49.120 --> 0:12:53.520 that the guy has elite traits for an NFL receiver. 0:12:53.679 --> 0:12:55.640 And you know, I've been doing some interviews the last 0:12:55.679 --> 0:12:58.240 couple of weeks and people asking about, you know, how 0:12:58.280 --> 0:13:00.160 are the Packers going to incorporate all these guys, How 0:13:00.200 --> 0:13:01.920 are they going to be able to figure out what 0:13:01.960 --> 0:13:05.160 their path forward is and giving guys opportunities and targets 0:13:05.160 --> 0:13:07.800 and touches and snaps, And the way I look at 0:13:07.840 --> 0:13:10.439 it is, Yeah, it is going to be up to 0:13:10.440 --> 0:13:12.360 matt Lafleur in the coaching staff to figure out how 0:13:12.400 --> 0:13:14.400 they want to divvy that up. But it's also going 0:13:14.440 --> 0:13:16.920 to be about that group earning it. And the more 0:13:16.960 --> 0:13:20.320 opportunities you're in, the more opportunities you're given. And I 0:13:20.360 --> 0:13:22.640 feel like Matthew Golden is coming in much like Baron 0:13:22.679 --> 0:13:25.360 Sorel different type of backgrounds, different types of upbringings. But 0:13:26.160 --> 0:13:27.480 this is a guy that is going to get that 0:13:27.559 --> 0:13:29.760 first chance to be in the NFL. Yeah, it's great 0:13:29.760 --> 0:13:31.840 to have that contract fully guaranteed. It's great to have 0:13:31.840 --> 0:13:34.040 that money in the bank. But there's so much yet 0:13:34.080 --> 0:13:37.120 they're out for you and getting through that rookie contract 0:13:37.160 --> 0:13:40.120 and getting the unrestricted free agency and getting the possibilities 0:13:40.120 --> 0:13:43.080 of extensions. This is just the beginning. It's just the 0:13:43.120 --> 0:13:44.520 beginning of a much larger story. 0:13:44.640 --> 0:13:46.920 Yeah, And I think coming up over the next few 0:13:46.960 --> 0:13:49.720 weeks here as the Packers get into OTAs in mini camp, 0:13:50.040 --> 0:13:53.120 we're just going to get a taste of what this 0:13:53.280 --> 0:13:55.920 rookie draft class is going to do on the field. 0:13:55.920 --> 0:13:58.280 And quite frankly, I think the coaches are going to 0:13:58.360 --> 0:14:00.840 be feeling out like, you know, okay, where are these 0:14:00.840 --> 0:14:01.760 guys comfortable? 0:14:02.000 --> 0:14:05.240 What does it look like they can do best right away? 0:14:05.480 --> 0:14:08.120 And then the coaches are going to sort of take 0:14:08.200 --> 0:14:13.640 that experimental information from OTAs and then figure out how 0:14:13.679 --> 0:14:16.640 to work them into certain reps and whatnot into training 0:14:16.679 --> 0:14:20.320 camp to build them up because you know, whichever side 0:14:20.320 --> 0:14:22.560 of the ball it is, they're just they're learning a 0:14:22.680 --> 0:14:26.640 playbook from scratch in the NFL, which is which is 0:14:26.680 --> 0:14:29.000 no easy task for anybody. That's actually a topic I 0:14:29.040 --> 0:14:31.800 want to get to as well in a minute, but 0:14:31.920 --> 0:14:34.720 I'll take care of some sponsor business. For serious XMNFO 0:14:34.840 --> 0:14:37.560 Radio delivers hard hitting analysis and up to the minute 0:14:37.640 --> 0:14:41.120 NFL news that true football fanatics need twenty four to seven, 0:14:41.440 --> 0:14:43.760 three sixty five. And at Cousin Subs, we have something 0:14:43.800 --> 0:14:46.680 for everyone like our Wisconsin Cheese Kurts, mac and Cheese, 0:14:46.760 --> 0:14:49.280 Golden fries, and creamy shakes, all paired with your favorite 0:14:49.320 --> 0:14:52.200 sub or sub and a bowl Cousin Subs fifty plus 0:14:52.320 --> 0:14:57.640 years of better. All right, on the topic of the playbook, 0:14:58.200 --> 0:15:02.480 an interesting comment made last week when the media met 0:15:02.520 --> 0:15:06.920 with the offensive and defensive assistant coaches. I want to 0:15:06.920 --> 0:15:09.840 focus on some comments from the offensive coaches right now. 0:15:10.880 --> 0:15:15.320 Jason Brabel, the Packers passing game coordinator, previously wide receivers 0:15:15.360 --> 0:15:19.200 coach a couple of years ago, was promoted to passing 0:15:19.200 --> 0:15:23.080 game coordinator under Matt Lafleur. He actually referenced he was 0:15:23.120 --> 0:15:27.080 asked about a young rookie like Matthew Golden Saveon Williams. 0:15:27.120 --> 0:15:29.520 These wide receivers that come in and they need to learn, 0:15:29.880 --> 0:15:32.320 they need to learn an NFL playbook, and how challenging 0:15:32.400 --> 0:15:34.640 is that versus, you know, what they learned in college. 0:15:35.240 --> 0:15:40.040 And and Vrabel estimated that that a college playbook is 0:15:40.360 --> 0:15:44.400 probably only about one fourth or maybe one third the 0:15:44.440 --> 0:15:48.560 size of an NFL playbook. And that's one of those 0:15:48.600 --> 0:15:51.320 things you just have to you have to stop and 0:15:51.400 --> 0:15:54.240 remember that when it comes to these young players and 0:15:54.280 --> 0:15:57.640 when they're starting their their NFL journeys, the game, the 0:15:57.680 --> 0:16:02.800 game is played at a significantly more complex level at 0:16:02.800 --> 0:16:05.480 the NFL than it is at college, even at the 0:16:05.760 --> 0:16:10.600 even at the height of Division one, because you're dealing 0:16:10.640 --> 0:16:14.000 with absolutely the best athletes at every position, the best 0:16:14.000 --> 0:16:18.920 coaches at every position, the best coordinators in the sport. 0:16:19.080 --> 0:16:22.840 And so the challenge for these guys learning an NFL playbook, 0:16:22.840 --> 0:16:25.000 it's it's a phrase that we use all the time, 0:16:25.360 --> 0:16:28.440 but you have to understand just how challenging it is 0:16:28.480 --> 0:16:31.520 because of how different it is from the college game. 0:16:31.640 --> 0:16:35.000 Yeah, and I love Jason Vrabel. I've said this numerous times. 0:16:35.360 --> 0:16:39.640 And the guy, he's going to be a coordinator, an 0:16:39.680 --> 0:16:42.440 offensive coordinator some day. I really hope he gets opportun 0:16:42.440 --> 0:16:43.240 to be a head coach. 0:16:43.080 --> 0:16:44.840 Because I think I think he's on his way. 0:16:44.960 --> 0:16:47.280 From the media perspective already got it down. Yeah, I 0:16:47.320 --> 0:16:49.720 mean the way that he can talk, like where you know, 0:16:49.760 --> 0:16:52.160 he doesn't create questions for his receivers, but he addresses 0:16:52.200 --> 0:16:54.240 things earnestly and honestly. And then also the way he 0:16:54.280 --> 0:16:57.240 expands on stuff. Again, much like Jeff Hafley, There's just 0:16:57.280 --> 0:17:00.000 so much you learn from him in conversations like that. 0:17:00.360 --> 0:17:02.320 And I think you and I to some degree would 0:17:02.360 --> 0:17:05.159 understand and know that the complex the complexity of an 0:17:05.240 --> 0:17:08.080 NFL playbook is going to be more than a college playbook. 0:17:08.119 --> 0:17:10.240 In most cases, it's just the way the. 0:17:10.160 --> 0:17:12.760 Game is played. It's the developmental system for the NFL 0:17:12.800 --> 0:17:15.440 at some level. It's going to get more complicated as 0:17:15.440 --> 0:17:19.120 you rise throughout that course. That said, when you put 0:17:19.160 --> 0:17:21.600 tangible numbers to that, you put comparisons to it, it 0:17:21.640 --> 0:17:24.280 really does drive home the idea that there is so 0:17:24.400 --> 0:17:26.560 much these guys have to learn coming into the National 0:17:26.560 --> 0:17:29.879 Football League. Yes, occasionally you're going to have dudes that 0:17:29.920 --> 0:17:32.800 come in and just blow the hinges off the door 0:17:32.880 --> 0:17:34.960 right from day one. The Clay Matthews of the world 0:17:35.000 --> 0:17:38.720 exist right also first round picks, but at the same time, 0:17:39.119 --> 0:17:40.840 you're going to have to be able to learn to 0:17:40.840 --> 0:17:42.639 take all the tools that made you successful at the 0:17:42.640 --> 0:17:45.840 college level and figure out what translates and what works 0:17:45.880 --> 0:17:48.800 well at the NFL. The scouts project that can you 0:17:48.840 --> 0:17:52.480 fulfill those projections? Can you turn that potential into production? 0:17:52.960 --> 0:17:54.960 And I feel like that's where as much as we 0:17:55.000 --> 0:17:58.639 want to perseverate on where those receivers are and what 0:17:58.680 --> 0:18:00.600 Matthew Golden's going to do and what's say E Williams 0:18:00.680 --> 0:18:02.080 is going to do right off the bat, you have 0:18:02.080 --> 0:18:04.280 to remember that these are investments in the future. Anthony 0:18:04.320 --> 0:18:06.320 Belton is going to be in an investment into the 0:18:06.359 --> 0:18:09.040 future regardless he's on the starting five this year, and 0:18:09.080 --> 0:18:10.800 occasionally it's going to take a year or two. It's 0:18:10.800 --> 0:18:12.320 going to be the Sean Ryans that break into the 0:18:12.359 --> 0:18:14.840 lineup in year three and then become starters finally in 0:18:14.880 --> 0:18:17.720 a full fledged fashion. That's just the way development goes, 0:18:17.720 --> 0:18:20.040 and that's the way the game is played. The exciting 0:18:20.040 --> 0:18:23.159 thing for me, though, as we talked about previously, the 0:18:23.200 --> 0:18:25.320 fact that Green Bay took a position where you and 0:18:25.359 --> 0:18:27.840 I talked about all the different skill sets and all 0:18:27.840 --> 0:18:30.240 the different types of playmakers they have, and they somehow 0:18:30.320 --> 0:18:32.040 found a way to make that even more dynamic. 0:18:32.240 --> 0:18:36.600 Yeah, they created even greater variety to the types of 0:18:36.920 --> 0:18:39.920 players and the types of weapons that they have. I'm 0:18:39.960 --> 0:18:42.200 going to run down some other comments from the offensive 0:18:42.200 --> 0:18:46.040 coaches that that sort of caught my ear, and then 0:18:46.119 --> 0:18:48.000 I'll just I'll throw it to you if you have 0:18:48.040 --> 0:18:51.399 a reaction to any or all of them. Another comment 0:18:51.440 --> 0:18:55.560 that Jason Vrabel made is with regard to Luke Getzi, 0:18:55.960 --> 0:18:59.080 who is now back on the Packers coaching staff after 0:18:59.119 --> 0:19:01.880 a few years away. He's he's a senior offensive assistant. 0:19:02.280 --> 0:19:06.879 He was back towards the end of last season in 0:19:08.280 --> 0:19:11.320 you know, a different type of capacity, not necessarily officially, 0:19:11.880 --> 0:19:14.360 you know, under contract on the coaching staff kind of thing. 0:19:15.760 --> 0:19:18.960 But Vrabel said towards the end of last season that 0:19:19.040 --> 0:19:24.159 when Getsy was watching practices, a guy that really jumped 0:19:24.160 --> 0:19:27.920 out at him was Dantavian Wicks. Yes, and I think 0:19:28.000 --> 0:19:30.800 with the season that Wicks had last year and some 0:19:30.840 --> 0:19:33.840 of the frustrations with the job, the drops and and 0:19:33.920 --> 0:19:35.840 you know, him putting a lot of pressure on himself 0:19:35.840 --> 0:19:38.440 to succeed. Just the fact that that comment was made 0:19:38.480 --> 0:19:40.760 by Luke Getsy towards the end of last season, I 0:19:40.800 --> 0:19:43.720 think is something to keep in mind. With Dontavian Wicks. 0:19:43.840 --> 0:19:47.639 Luke Butkis the offensive line coach. He actually made the 0:19:47.680 --> 0:19:50.639 comment with regard to Zach Tom, the Packers right tackle, 0:19:50.920 --> 0:19:54.400 who is potentially headed for a long term contract extension 0:19:54.400 --> 0:19:57.040 here coming up, you know, maybe in the near future 0:19:57.160 --> 0:20:02.159