WEBVTT - #316 Packers Unscripted: Breaking down the Bears 0:00:00.600 --> 0:00:20.320 Hi everyone, Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:20.360 --> 0:00:23.680 I am Mike Spofford. He the one and only West 0:00:23.720 --> 0:00:26.240 Hog Kuits. We are coming to you here from our 0:00:26.320 --> 0:00:30.280 studios at lambeau Field West Week one. It is Bears 0:00:30.320 --> 0:00:34.720 Week Sunday Night football to kick off the season the 0:00:34.760 --> 0:00:39.519 Packers one season lambeau Field, a primetime game on our 0:00:39.520 --> 0:00:42.279 Wednesday show. Traditionally, we take a look at the opponent, 0:00:42.440 --> 0:00:44.400 try to take a closer look at them on both 0:00:44.440 --> 0:00:47.400 sides of the ball. So with the Chicago Bears, I'll 0:00:47.440 --> 0:00:49.720 tell you what it doesn't just start with the fact 0:00:50.000 --> 0:00:54.400 that Mitch Trobinsky is in year two now as the 0:00:54.480 --> 0:00:58.880 supposed future franchise quarterback here for Chicago, given what they 0:00:58.920 --> 0:01:03.200 invested in him. But he has an entirely new group 0:01:03.240 --> 0:01:05.959 of receivers to throw to. We talked about it last year, 0:01:06.040 --> 0:01:08.080 the Bears were going to have to do something about 0:01:08.080 --> 0:01:11.000 their receiving corps. Well they did. They revamped the whole 0:01:11.040 --> 0:01:13.280 thing in the off season. I think, uh, if the 0:01:13.319 --> 0:01:15.479 Bears were I think they'd say the same thing. There 0:01:15.520 --> 0:01:17.440 was a there was a dearth of talent there for 0:01:17.480 --> 0:01:20.560 about two three seasons these past few years, and I 0:01:20.600 --> 0:01:22.880 think what they this past year, they feel like they 0:01:22.880 --> 0:01:26.320 saw enough from Mitchell Trubisky to convince them that they 0:01:26.360 --> 0:01:28.200 can press forward. You know, we talked about the Cleil 0:01:28.240 --> 0:01:31.160 Mack trade earlier this week on defense, but offensively, that 0:01:31.280 --> 0:01:33.720 was the biggest storyline this year, Mike is you know 0:01:33.800 --> 0:01:37.520 them bringing in alec Allen Robinson. Um, you know, Taylor 0:01:37.520 --> 0:01:41.480 Gabriel's in this offense. Now, certainly you have Jordan Howard 0:01:41.480 --> 0:01:44.360 and Terak Coleman as there one two in the backfield, 0:01:44.760 --> 0:01:48.640 but giving him more, given Troubisky more perimeter options was 0:01:48.680 --> 0:01:51.080 an obvious emphasis in the off season, and you know 0:01:51.120 --> 0:01:53.760 they're banking on Robinson being able to put his knee 0:01:53.800 --> 0:01:56.520 injury behind him and get back on the trajectory. It 0:01:56.560 --> 0:01:58.240 looked like he was on in Jacksonville and also a 0:01:58.280 --> 0:02:01.040 young guy like Kevin White they drafted, i believe now 0:02:01.080 --> 0:02:03.480 three years ago and one of the number seven overall pick, 0:02:04.120 --> 0:02:06.280 top ten pick out of West Virginia. There's a there's 0:02:06.320 --> 0:02:07.720 a lot of hope there as well with him. So 0:02:07.920 --> 0:02:11.080 it's gonna be interesting now to see what Traubinsky, with 0:02:11.120 --> 0:02:13.160 a little bit more experience and with some you know, 0:02:13.200 --> 0:02:15.919 bigger targets outside what he can do with all of it. Yeah, well, 0:02:15.960 --> 0:02:19.079 the Bears it just for whatever reason, it took them 0:02:19.120 --> 0:02:22.679 a couple of years to replace Brandon Marshall, el Shan 0:02:22.800 --> 0:02:25.680 Jeffrey because they did have a pretty good receiving corps 0:02:25.680 --> 0:02:28.119 not that long ago. But it's just taken a while 0:02:28.160 --> 0:02:30.320 to get back to this point. And one of the 0:02:30.360 --> 0:02:33.480 interesting facets I think of this group obviously Allen Robinson 0:02:33.720 --> 0:02:38.200 a big, big bodied receiver, um, you know, a real 0:02:38.240 --> 0:02:41.160 physical guy, as you said, coming back from the knee injury. 0:02:41.200 --> 0:02:43.639 But the other aspect of this group when you look 0:02:43.639 --> 0:02:46.440 at it now is the speed. Taylor Gabriel is one 0:02:46.960 --> 0:02:50.200 fast dude. And then they drafted Anthony Miller out of 0:02:50.240 --> 0:02:54.480 Memphis with I believe was it third round or second round, 0:02:54.200 --> 0:02:57.639 second round? He was projected as a third round They 0:02:57.639 --> 0:02:59.640 took him in the in the second round. But this 0:02:59.720 --> 0:03:02.440 is a speedy guy, deep threat type of receiver, at 0:03:02.520 --> 0:03:05.920 least that's what his profile was in college. So there's 0:03:05.919 --> 0:03:09.000 a lot of speed now on the outside, uh and 0:03:09.160 --> 0:03:11.320 in the slot for that matter. For the Chicago Bears. 0:03:11.320 --> 0:03:13.480 This is going to be a different type of matchup 0:03:13.520 --> 0:03:15.560 for the Packers DVS. I'm glad you brought that up 0:03:15.600 --> 0:03:17.240 too much because obviously you can look at you know, 0:03:17.320 --> 0:03:20.320 Robinson and Gabriel and the veteran weapons that are there now, 0:03:20.360 --> 0:03:22.600 but it is they put a lot of resources through 0:03:22.639 --> 0:03:25.440 the draft in the offense as well. Anthony Miller, for 0:03:25.480 --> 0:03:27.400 my money, he was one of the prospects I was 0:03:27.480 --> 0:03:30.360 most intrigued by. If you're familiar with his story, he 0:03:30.400 --> 0:03:33.000 was a walk on at Memphis. He's from the Memphis area, 0:03:33.440 --> 0:03:36.320 had no division one offers whatsoever, and then he ends 0:03:36.400 --> 0:03:38.720 up putting together a record breaking career I believe broke 0:03:38.840 --> 0:03:41.200 most of, if not all of like Tory whatnot? Who 0:03:41.240 --> 0:03:45.560 was who was it? Isaac Bruce's records that sounds at Memphis, 0:03:46.000 --> 0:03:48.440 And you know, he was a guy you talked about, 0:03:48.440 --> 0:03:50.600 a guy that remember at the NFL scouting combine, I 0:03:50.640 --> 0:03:52.800 talked to him and being a part of his podium, 0:03:52.800 --> 0:03:54.480 and at that time, people are thinking maybe third or 0:03:54.520 --> 0:03:58.720 fourth round, and he just kept climbing and climbing and climbing. Uh. 0:03:58.760 --> 0:04:00.880 And there's a lot of hope there. So I think 0:04:00.880 --> 0:04:03.600 the biggest thing that they're looking for with with him. 0:04:03.920 --> 0:04:06.560 Adam Shaheen also they drafted, but then he ended up 0:04:06.560 --> 0:04:09.600 getting hurt the really big tight end. Yeah, from I 0:04:09.600 --> 0:04:13.080 believe the FCS Router Division two route, um, whatever the 0:04:13.080 --> 0:04:14.960 case may be. They have some veterans there and some 0:04:15.040 --> 0:04:16.880 young guys that they're looking to complement them with well. 0:04:16.920 --> 0:04:19.440 And this is interesting because when you talk about Packers Bears, 0:04:19.480 --> 0:04:21.960 obviously there's all the history and everything that goes into 0:04:22.000 --> 0:04:24.400 the rivalry, but with what the Bears have done at 0:04:24.440 --> 0:04:27.520 wide receiver and what the Packers have done at cornerback, 0:04:27.960 --> 0:04:32.680 you're looking at a whole new setup of matchups in 0:04:33.160 --> 0:04:36.880 this rivalry. Now, Kevin King is really the only the 0:04:36.920 --> 0:04:39.120 only member of the Packers as far as the top 0:04:39.200 --> 0:04:42.520 four cornerbacks who has played against the Bears in the 0:04:42.600 --> 0:04:45.400 last three years. Because you have Tremont Williams who hasn't 0:04:45.400 --> 0:04:49.039 played for the Packers since, and you have Jure Alexander 0:04:49.120 --> 0:04:52.440 Josh Jackson being the rookie draft picks. And we've talked 0:04:52.480 --> 0:04:54.560 about all these new receivers for the Bears. So these 0:04:54.640 --> 0:04:57.919 matchups on the perimeter here with Mitch Drabinsky calling the 0:04:57.960 --> 0:05:01.919 shots at quarterback, just a co fletely new set of 0:05:02.200 --> 0:05:06.920 um of confrontations in this matchup. And we saw during camp, 0:05:07.200 --> 0:05:09.000 you know, Mike Petton. You started to get a sense 0:05:09.000 --> 0:05:11.200 for what he's gonna do with the defensive front, what 0:05:11.279 --> 0:05:14.479 he's looking for from those inside linebackers. The secondary, to me, 0:05:14.560 --> 0:05:17.320 is still the biggest unknown, uh not because there isn't 0:05:17.480 --> 0:05:20.760 enough talent there. I think now they've really renovated that spot, 0:05:21.080 --> 0:05:25.040 and there's so many options both at cornerback slot, nickel cornerback, 0:05:25.160 --> 0:05:27.400 what they want to do with their safeties. I think 0:05:27.480 --> 0:05:29.159 Josh Jones is a guy that could be moving a 0:05:29.160 --> 0:05:32.159 lot around this defense this year. Um maybe not necessarily 0:05:32.240 --> 0:05:34.200 is that hybrid linebacker, but even in the slot of 0:05:34.240 --> 0:05:37.440 the nickel and dimes sub packages. So yeah, it's gonna 0:05:37.480 --> 0:05:39.720 be interesting to see a guy like Trumont Williams now 0:05:39.720 --> 0:05:42.240 at thirty five years old, twelve years into his NFL career. 0:05:42.960 --> 0:05:45.080 By all accounts, Mike, the Packers are ready to play 0:05:45.160 --> 0:05:49.080 him at boundary cornerback. We've covered this league a lot 0:05:49.160 --> 0:05:51.200 longer than I have. I was talking to him about 0:05:51.200 --> 0:05:52.520 this a couple of weeks ago. I don't know if 0:05:52.520 --> 0:05:54.280 I recall that a lot of times when guys getting 0:05:54.279 --> 0:05:56.400 to their middle later thirties, they're still playing that position 0:05:56.680 --> 0:06:01.120 there in the slot, like Charles Woodson, was. Trumon Williams 0:06:01.120 --> 0:06:02.480 is a different kind of guy though. He's a different 0:06:02.560 --> 0:06:04.159 kind of football player, and it's gonna be interesting to 0:06:04.160 --> 0:06:06.440 see what he can do. Kevin King came back with 0:06:06.480 --> 0:06:09.480 the shoulder injury from the shoulder injury in that preseason 0:06:09.520 --> 0:06:11.960 finale against Kansas City. Appears have checked out fine there, 0:06:12.279 --> 0:06:14.960 and then Jare Alexander and Josh Jackson balled out the 0:06:15.080 --> 0:06:17.880 entire preseason. A lot from Mike Petton to play with, Yeah, 0:06:17.920 --> 0:06:19.839 no question about it. Well, I want to get to 0:06:19.880 --> 0:06:21.960 talking a little bit about the Bears on the defensive 0:06:22.000 --> 0:06:24.560 side of the ball, But first a little sponsored business 0:06:24.600 --> 0:06:26.240 at home or here in the stands. We all know 0:06:26.320 --> 0:06:28.120 that Green Bay fans give it their all and that 0:06:28.200 --> 0:06:30.280 takes a lot of energy. So grab a warm bowl 0:06:30.520 --> 0:06:33.320 of Campbell's Chunky Soup. It's meaty goodness fuels the greatness 0:06:33.320 --> 0:06:36.840 of Packers fans everywhere. Try the delicious classic chicken noodle soup. 0:06:37.240 --> 0:06:40.440 Just visit your local supermarket and ask for Campbell's Chunky 0:06:40.480 --> 0:06:43.520 super official sup partner of the Green Bay Packers. Okay, 0:06:43.640 --> 0:06:46.080 defensive side of the ball for the Bears, all the 0:06:46.120 --> 0:06:50.400 talk is about Khalil Mack obviously, for obvious reasons, but 0:06:50.480 --> 0:06:52.279 you know what, this is a guy, This is a 0:06:52.279 --> 0:06:55.920 pass rusher who's coming into a defense that's actually been 0:06:55.960 --> 0:06:58.880 pretty good at getting after the quarterback. A Keem Hicks, 0:06:59.200 --> 0:07:02.000 Leonard Floyd. You throw in a top ten draft pick 0:07:02.080 --> 0:07:05.920 in ro Kwan Smith at linebacker there. Uh, this this 0:07:05.960 --> 0:07:08.839 is an interesting mix now when you add Mac to 0:07:08.920 --> 0:07:11.720 the bunch, because I think the Bears were feeling pretty 0:07:11.720 --> 0:07:15.280 good about their defense and now they're really excited about 0:07:15.280 --> 0:07:18.160 their defense when they add the pass rusher from Oakland. Yeah, 0:07:18.120 --> 0:07:20.200 and with all due respect to that defense and what 0:07:20.240 --> 0:07:23.120 they have, you know, they're considering what Vic Fangio has 0:07:23.160 --> 0:07:25.240 done with that unit the last two years when it 0:07:25.280 --> 0:07:27.240 just didn't seem like they really had a consistent number 0:07:27.240 --> 0:07:28.960 one pass rusher, when there was a lot of questions 0:07:28.960 --> 0:07:32.360 in their secondary. They've they've had a really good marriage 0:07:32.440 --> 0:07:34.840 right here between what Ryan Pace has been able to 0:07:34.880 --> 0:07:37.160 bring in as far as prospects. When you look at 0:07:37.360 --> 0:07:41.680 Eddie Jackson coming in a protege of of Hahaklinton Dix 0:07:41.720 --> 0:07:44.720 and another safety product out of Alabama. The impact he 0:07:44.760 --> 0:07:47.880 made last year coming off the broken leg Kyle Fuller 0:07:47.880 --> 0:07:50.400 obviously meant enough to them for them to match the 0:07:50.480 --> 0:07:53.080 offer sheet that he'd signed with Green Bay. He's still 0:07:53.080 --> 0:07:56.280 in their plans. He's still in their secondary. Prince and Mukamara, 0:07:56.360 --> 0:07:59.160 I mean he signed a couple of years ago. Uh, 0:07:59.200 --> 0:08:01.760 so you've seen it settle a little bit. But I 0:08:01.760 --> 0:08:03.360 think they were looking for that one guy to kind 0:08:03.360 --> 0:08:05.440 of put them over the top, and they feel like 0:08:05.480 --> 0:08:07.240 that guy is gonna be Klail Mack. And if you 0:08:07.280 --> 0:08:09.840 go off track record, it would indicate that this is 0:08:09.880 --> 0:08:12.240 the type of playmaker that they probably did need to 0:08:12.280 --> 0:08:15.440 take them to another level. So the football fan of 0:08:15.480 --> 0:08:17.120 me is really excited to see how this is going 0:08:17.160 --> 0:08:19.160 to play out. But but certainly, you know, for the 0:08:19.240 --> 0:08:21.480 NFC North and the NFC in general, that's a that's 0:08:21.520 --> 0:08:23.800 a big guy, that's a big target, and you know 0:08:23.880 --> 0:08:25.920 he's obviously going to be gunning for your quarterback. Yeah. 0:08:25.920 --> 0:08:28.200 I mean, if I'm the Packers, obviously I'm looking at, 0:08:28.600 --> 0:08:30.920 you know, figuring out how to protect Aaron Rodgers and 0:08:30.960 --> 0:08:33.640 whatnot with with these pass rushers the Bears have, because 0:08:33.679 --> 0:08:36.400 they are rather formidable. But I'm also looking at that 0:08:36.480 --> 0:08:40.160 Chicago secondary and saying, maybe that dark question that might 0:08:40.200 --> 0:08:42.600 be that might be where the question marks are on 0:08:42.640 --> 0:08:45.920 this defense. Kyle Fuller, a veteran cornerback. Now, the Packers 0:08:45.960 --> 0:08:47.920 tried to sign him in the off season. They signed 0:08:47.960 --> 0:08:51.040 him to an offer sheet as a restricted free agent, 0:08:51.080 --> 0:08:53.800 but the Bears matched it, and uh and he stayed 0:08:54.040 --> 0:08:56.600 in Chicago. And then you mentioned Eddie Jackson, I think, 0:08:56.640 --> 0:08:59.640 a young up and coming talent at safety, but the 0:08:59.640 --> 0:09:03.559 other as a Mukamara and Adrian Amos who's the other 0:09:03.640 --> 0:09:06.480 safety along with Jackson and a Mukamara at corner. A 0:09:06.480 --> 0:09:09.280 couple of different types of guys there. And that Mukamara 0:09:09.400 --> 0:09:12.000 some people would say maybe he's passed his prime, you know, 0:09:12.080 --> 0:09:14.960 maybe on the downside of his career. And then Amos, 0:09:15.000 --> 0:09:18.280 you know, still somewhat a young guy, but rather unknown 0:09:18.320 --> 0:09:20.920 in terms of maybe just where his career is headed. 0:09:20.960 --> 0:09:23.640 So some question marks there. The Bears are going to 0:09:23.679 --> 0:09:25.960 be counting on those guys to hold up, you know, 0:09:26.080 --> 0:09:28.320 on the back end, with the with the real the 0:09:28.360 --> 0:09:30.880 full strength of that defense being in the front seven, 0:09:31.080 --> 0:09:32.959 it's going to be interesting to see how it plays. Yeah, 0:09:33.000 --> 0:09:35.199 it's that's the ultimate question going into this time of year. 0:09:35.200 --> 0:09:37.640 But it is interesting though too, and that I got 0:09:37.640 --> 0:09:40.080 to give them credit. While there are questions there. They've 0:09:40.120 --> 0:09:42.960 stuck with their guys, I mean, McManus, Callahan, Fuller, They've 0:09:42.960 --> 0:09:45.640 all been in this defense for years now, so they're 0:09:45.840 --> 0:09:48.560 they're basing their their potential for this group off that 0:09:48.640 --> 0:09:51.360 experience and also seeing where a guy like Rocan Smith 0:09:51.400 --> 0:09:53.920 can go throughout the course of a year. It seemed 0:09:53.960 --> 0:09:55.840 to me, going back to the draft last year, that 0:09:56.000 --> 0:09:58.760 was probably the biggest unkept secret that that he would 0:09:58.760 --> 0:10:02.160 potentially be fitting in there because yeah, they'd signed, you know, 0:10:02.600 --> 0:10:04.960 a couple of years ago, they had Danny Trevathan, They 0:10:04.960 --> 0:10:07.720 made some moves there, but they really wanted a guy 0:10:07.760 --> 0:10:09.640 for the future at that spot, and they feel like 0:10:09.640 --> 0:10:12.120 Smith could be that guy. So seeing how that young 0:10:12.160 --> 0:10:14.240 talent meshes and how quickly Vick fanj you have can 0:10:14.240 --> 0:10:15.840 give them up to speed, not only in this game 0:10:15.840 --> 0:10:17.920 but going on the rest of the season. As much 0:10:17.920 --> 0:10:20.880 as we've make out of Mac and Rabinsky and those 0:10:21.200 --> 0:10:24.160 main facets, it's ultimately going to come down a lot 0:10:24.160 --> 0:10:26.800 of times to those complementary pieces. Yeah, what's your sense 0:10:26.800 --> 0:10:30.280 of how this Packers offensive line matches up past protection 0:10:30.320 --> 0:10:34.240 wise against this front, because we saw in out in Oakland. 0:10:34.280 --> 0:10:38.560 Brian Bulaga held his own absolutely just fine against Khalil Mac. Now, 0:10:38.640 --> 0:10:40.880 Bolag is coming back from an a c L. Now, 0:10:41.160 --> 0:10:43.440 you know limited a little bit through training camp in 0:10:43.440 --> 0:10:45.840 the preseason obviously, but this is a veteran guy who's 0:10:46.280 --> 0:10:48.760 come back from an a c L before, and he's 0:10:48.800 --> 0:10:51.319 faced Khalil Mac before. You have the All Pro and 0:10:51.440 --> 0:10:54.360 David back try at left tackle, and uh, you know, 0:10:54.440 --> 0:10:57.680 the Packers feel really good about their interior with Lindsley 0:10:57.720 --> 0:11:01.400 flanked by Taylor and McCrae, they're at guards. You know 0:11:01.720 --> 0:11:03.480 this is going to be a big challenge for them, 0:11:03.520 --> 0:11:06.000 but certainly not one that they're going to blink by 0:11:06.040 --> 0:11:08.440 all indications of Packers will have all five those starting 0:11:08.440 --> 0:11:11.280 offensive linemen together. I know so much gets made out 0:11:11.280 --> 0:11:13.800 of the reps during the preseason, the reps during training camp. 0:11:14.000 --> 0:11:15.840 They didn't get a lot of those together as a 0:11:15.880 --> 0:11:18.240 full group. But at the same time, the story I 0:11:18.240 --> 0:11:20.840 always go back to his Corey Linsley in two thousand fourteen, 0:11:21.160 --> 0:11:23.760 the expectations for that team and J. C. Treader was 0:11:23.800 --> 0:11:26.400 supposed to be the man at center. Well Treader ends 0:11:26.440 --> 0:11:29.560 up having an injury, he's wiped out. Lindsley never even 0:11:29.640 --> 0:11:31.960 ends up taking a snap with Aaron Rodgers until that 0:11:32.000 --> 0:11:34.280 first game against Seattle, and then you see where that 0:11:34.320 --> 0:11:36.080 offensive line went the rest of the year. Well, and 0:11:36.080 --> 0:11:38.920 even look at ten Josh Sitton ends up getting released 0:11:39.000 --> 0:11:40.800 right at the end of training camp and Lane Taylor 0:11:40.840 --> 0:11:43.800 steps in it it was like nothing happened. There's there's 0:11:43.840 --> 0:11:46.920 there's been some smooth transitions in what looked like some 0:11:47.000 --> 0:11:49.680 potentially rocky spots. Absolutely, and I'm glad you asked that 0:11:49.760 --> 0:11:52.400 question about Mac because it was asked to me an Inbox, like, well, 0:11:52.400 --> 0:11:55.440 what is Brian Blaga? Is he ready for for Khalil Mack? 0:11:55.480 --> 0:11:57.920 And the thing I came back with is is Khalil 0:11:57.960 --> 0:11:59.959 Mac ready for Brian Bla Because I mean, if you 0:12:00.120 --> 0:12:02.559 go back to what happened in Oakland, I think people 0:12:02.559 --> 0:12:05.800 forget that storyline a little bit. Uh. Khalil Mack was 0:12:05.920 --> 0:12:08.600 lighting the world on fire. He had nine sacks and 0:12:08.720 --> 0:12:12.040 three games going into the Raiders game. Before that game, 0:12:12.240 --> 0:12:14.400 the question was being asked of Box tri and Bologa, 0:12:14.480 --> 0:12:17.480 what are you anticipating with this guy? And the Packers 0:12:17.520 --> 0:12:20.560 end up winning that contest, and while Mac did end 0:12:20.600 --> 0:12:23.720 up with one sack, he was pretty much negated most 0:12:23.760 --> 0:12:26.360 of that contest Brian Blaga being able to get those 0:12:26.360 --> 0:12:28.560 reps last week. I wrote about it our our Locker 0:12:28.640 --> 0:12:30.560 Room Report. I just think that's so valuable for him 0:12:30.600 --> 0:12:32.040 to at least get a little bit of a taste 0:12:32.040 --> 0:12:33.920 of what it's gonna be like next to Justin McCrae. 0:12:34.240 --> 0:12:37.800 McCrae played Bolog's position for the second half of last season, 0:12:38.160 --> 0:12:40.120 so he knows what Bolag is gonna one out of 0:12:40.240 --> 0:12:43.319 him now being at right guard. I just I think 0:12:43.320 --> 0:12:45.280 it's gonna be a really good chess match. It's gonna 0:12:45.280 --> 0:12:47.560 be great to see Bok t R And bologging together again. 0:12:48.160 --> 0:12:50.199 Because really, Mike, as much as we make out of 0:12:50.240 --> 0:12:52.440 the quarterback in the pass rusher in the safeties and 0:12:52.440 --> 0:12:55.719 cornerbacks and the importance in today's game about that, you 0:12:55.760 --> 0:12:58.680 need two bookends. Now, the Packers were ahead of that curve. 0:12:58.720 --> 0:13:02.200 They understood that going back two and fourteen, and they've 0:13:02.200 --> 0:13:04.480 benefited from that now with a you know, their franchise 0:13:04.559 --> 0:13:06.800 quarterback behind it. Well, it's quite a way to kick 0:13:06.840 --> 0:13:09.679 off the season. Sunday night Football prime time under the 0:13:09.760 --> 0:13:12.840 lights at Lambeulfield. The new led lights at both Field 0:13:12.880 --> 0:13:16.040 will throw that in as well. But um one other 0:13:16.160 --> 0:13:18.280 thing I want to get to as a little bit 0:13:18.280 --> 0:13:20.400 of a wrap up to training camp here before we 0:13:20.440 --> 0:13:24.520 go today. You've made it a tradition here since you 0:13:24.640 --> 0:13:27.160 joined us at packers dot com and in your days 0:13:27.240 --> 0:13:31.160 at the newspaper as well, writing a one of those 0:13:31.200 --> 0:13:34.040 training camp bike riding stories every summer. And it took 0:13:34.040 --> 0:13:36.080 a little while for this one to come together, but 0:13:36.160 --> 0:13:38.400 you got one. You've got one up on our website 0:13:38.400 --> 0:13:40.439 now is kind of a wrap up to training camp 0:13:40.679 --> 0:13:43.640 with regards to Mason Crosby and a couple of really 0:13:43.679 --> 0:13:45.920 special bike riders that he got to know. Tell us 0:13:45.920 --> 0:13:47.920 about it well. First off, I have to actually give 0:13:47.920 --> 0:13:50.640 credit to Haley Helmley from our Brandon marketing department on 0:13:50.679 --> 0:13:52.640 this when she actually came up with the story idea. 0:13:52.679 --> 0:13:55.120 I can't claim it, but she had mentioned to me 0:13:55.200 --> 0:13:58.959 on the first day Crosby every year at first Practice, 0:13:59.000 --> 0:14:02.720 he always rides down with the Dream Drive initiative with 0:14:02.760 --> 0:14:05.640 a child with a physical disability, and typically it's with 0:14:05.920 --> 0:14:08.720 a modified bike where you don't use your feet for pedaling. 0:14:08.800 --> 0:14:11.840 Usually you'll use your hands. And Haley had mentioned and 0:14:11.880 --> 0:14:15.679 she's like, you know, it's really incredible seeing Crosby at 0:14:15.720 --> 0:14:17.800 this juncture of his career is still doing this because, 0:14:17.840 --> 0:14:20.320 as you know, when veterans reach a certain point, they're 0:14:20.320 --> 0:14:22.840 no longer obligated to be out there. And to some extent, 0:14:22.880 --> 0:14:24.520 I don't think you want Aaron Rodgers out there because 0:14:24.520 --> 0:14:27.480 he's just gonna get mobbed by people. But but Crosby 0:14:27.520 --> 0:14:30.240 it's an important thing for him. And he mentioned, you know, 0:14:30.360 --> 0:14:32.800 his children now come out. He's ridden with his children. 0:14:32.800 --> 0:14:34.840 I know. I believe Lane Taylor has done that as well. 0:14:36.040 --> 0:14:38.240 It's emotional, you know, and and what a way to 0:14:38.240 --> 0:14:40.400 start off camp. What a way to start off you know, 0:14:40.480 --> 0:14:42.960 the summer. And basically what happened is I ended up 0:14:42.960 --> 0:14:45.520 finding two different families. One of them was Francis Collie. 0:14:46.280 --> 0:14:49.320 His family. He was the child that that road with 0:14:49.360 --> 0:14:53.040 Mason during the first camp practice UM from the Milwaukee area, 0:14:53.080 --> 0:14:57.200 from Wallatosa, Milwaukee, and he he was diagnosed at an 0:14:57.200 --> 0:14:59.720 early age UM he has the syndrome I believe referred 0:14:59.720 --> 0:15:03.400 to tetra amelia, which is where you're born without basically 0:15:03.400 --> 0:15:06.280 your limbs. And I was talking to his father John 0:15:06.320 --> 0:15:08.600 about it and how emotional that was for him and 0:15:08.600 --> 0:15:11.120 his wife. That was their firstborn at the time. The 0:15:11.160 --> 0:15:15.200 first ultrasound confirmed that diagnosis, and they worried what life 0:15:15.240 --> 0:15:17.200 was going to be like for him. But if you've 0:15:17.200 --> 0:15:19.360 seen photos of him and just videos of him, he 0:15:19.440 --> 0:15:21.920 is such a cute personality. He's such a go getter 0:15:22.280 --> 0:15:24.960 and he doesn't let anything stop him. The one thing 0:15:25.000 --> 0:15:26.800 that was kind of inhibiting him though a little bit, 0:15:26.840 --> 0:15:29.480 was that he couldn't ride a bike. So through a 0:15:29.480 --> 0:15:32.960 partnership with a number of different entities, I'm not gonna 0:15:32.960 --> 0:15:34.440 have time to get into all of them, they were 0:15:34.440 --> 0:15:36.480 able to create a modified bike for him. He was 0:15:36.520 --> 0:15:38.800 able to go down with practice with Crosby. And the 0:15:38.800 --> 0:15:41.440 coolest story that John told was that, you know, they 0:15:41.440 --> 0:15:44.080 were watching a preseason game later in training camp in 0:15:44.080 --> 0:15:46.520 in you know Francis who's four years old. I was like, oh, 0:15:46.560 --> 0:15:49.480 there's there's Mason Crosby, like he recognized them and has 0:15:49.520 --> 0:15:51.960 a new favorite player there. And then I also talked 0:15:51.960 --> 0:15:55.560 to Jenny Dickens in the Dickens family, who's actually from 0:15:55.600 --> 0:15:59.040 Wisconsin but they transplanted down to Tennessee and her son, 0:15:59.520 --> 0:16:02.360 nine year old Matthew made it a goal. After seeing 0:16:02.360 --> 0:16:04.200 one of the live streams on packers dot Com of 0:16:04.240 --> 0:16:06.080 the bike riders coming down that he wanted to come 0:16:06.120 --> 0:16:09.520 up to Wisconsin. He wanted to ride bikes with Mason Crosby, 0:16:09.600 --> 0:16:12.120 his favorite player, because about four years ago he asked 0:16:12.120 --> 0:16:15.400 some family members, well, who who's who scores the most points? 0:16:15.840 --> 0:16:17.840 They said Crosby, and he had a new fan and 0:16:18.040 --> 0:16:19.840 and if you go on you can go on packers 0:16:19.880 --> 0:16:21.840 dot Com. Read the whole story and his experience. But 0:16:22.320 --> 0:16:24.200 again one of the reasons that and this goes back 0:16:24.240 --> 0:16:25.840 to I think two thousand fifteen, I was still at 0:16:25.840 --> 0:16:27.640 the Press Gazette and it was Shaun Smith I was 0:16:27.680 --> 0:16:31.920 working with on her agency XM Sports with Casey Hayward. 0:16:31.960 --> 0:16:34.240 I did this for the first time in his background, 0:16:34.520 --> 0:16:36.880 in the connection he had with his rider, it's such 0:16:36.920 --> 0:16:41.120 a special special connection that those guys have. And well 0:16:41.160 --> 0:16:43.040 Crosby doesn't have a set rider, and he also doesn't 0:16:43.080 --> 0:16:45.480 ride any day every day anymore. It's still very important 0:16:45.520 --> 0:16:47.600 to him and and obviously got a got a lot 0:16:47.600 --> 0:16:49.560 out of it. Yeah, I just love the images I 0:16:49.600 --> 0:16:52.040 was reading through your story and with regards to the 0:16:52.040 --> 0:16:54.880 Dickens family in Tennessee, I love the image of this 0:16:55.000 --> 0:16:57.760 family tossing their kids bike in the in the back 0:16:57.760 --> 0:16:59.600 of the band or the truck or whatever it is. 0:16:59.640 --> 0:17:01.520 And you know, trucking all the way up to Green 0:17:01.560 --> 0:17:04.960 Bay from Tennis. I mean what that has to be. Yeah, 0:17:05.000 --> 0:17:07.360 it's gonna say at least at least eight hours each 0:17:07.400 --> 0:17:10.639 way driving all the way up here. And uh and 0:17:10.760 --> 0:17:13.760 he the kid, Matthew, he made a sign right so 0:17:13.960 --> 0:17:17.440 to to try to let Crosby know that that, hey, 0:17:17.480 --> 0:17:19.320 I'm here all the way from Tennessee so that you 0:17:19.359 --> 0:17:22.040 can ride my bike. Not just anybody, but you, you're 0:17:22.119 --> 0:17:25.440 my favorite player. And um, and then from your story, 0:17:25.520 --> 0:17:28.760 it sounds like Crosby Crosby didn't actually come out the 0:17:28.800 --> 0:17:33.720 first day that Matthew was there. But but Hunter Bradley, 0:17:33.840 --> 0:17:37.200 the long snapper, saw the sign and either during practice 0:17:37.240 --> 0:17:39.679 after practice at some point mentioned it to Crosby that 0:17:39.960 --> 0:17:42.960 somebody was here from Tennessee to to get him to 0:17:43.080 --> 0:17:45.919 ride his bike. And uh so then Crosby and the 0:17:45.960 --> 0:17:48.680 mom connected on Twitter and then and they arranged it 0:17:48.720 --> 0:17:50.840 so that the next day they could make it happen. 0:17:50.880 --> 0:17:52.960 I just, I just I love stories like that. I 0:17:52.960 --> 0:17:54.840 think it's really cool. You told it very well. But 0:17:55.080 --> 0:18:00.359 uh and and as you mentioned the ride with um, 0:18:00.400 --> 0:18:04.600 I'm forgetting the college boys. First name Francis. Yes, the ride, 0:18:04.640 --> 0:18:07.760 the ride with Francis with the specialized bike and everything 0:18:07.800 --> 0:18:10.520 like that, only in Green Bay, right west. Yeah. And 0:18:10.760 --> 0:18:12.800 if you know anything about Crosby and just where he's 0:18:12.800 --> 0:18:14.960 come from, and you know, his brother was a massive 0:18:14.960 --> 0:18:18.240 Packers fan when he got drafted here in two thousand seven. Uh, 0:18:18.280 --> 0:18:20.040 you know, Reese is the one that kind of opened 0:18:20.040 --> 0:18:21.880 his eyes to all the traditions and gave him sort 0:18:21.880 --> 0:18:25.680 of the background on everything. So there was a foundation 0:18:25.680 --> 0:18:27.920 there to begin with. But it just with with Crosby 0:18:27.960 --> 0:18:29.960 now a father of five, and I'd asked him about that. 0:18:30.000 --> 0:18:31.720 You know, when he sees some of these children dealing 0:18:31.720 --> 0:18:36.719 with you know, difficulties and you know, special special disabilities. Um, 0:18:36.760 --> 0:18:38.800 you know, it makes him grateful for what he has 0:18:39.160 --> 0:18:41.400 and also um makes him want to, you know, give 0:18:41.400 --> 0:18:43.280 back in those situations too, because he knows what it's 0:18:43.280 --> 0:18:45.440 like to be a father. And I thought the coolest 0:18:45.720 --> 0:18:48.479