WEBVTT - #889 Packers Unscripted: OTA preview, part 2 0:00:00.360 --> 0:00:09.640 Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from 0:00:09.680 --> 0:00:12.959 Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spafford, joint as always 0:00:12.960 --> 0:00:16.440 by my trusted colleague Wes Hodkoitz. We're coming to hear 0:00:16.480 --> 0:00:20.000 from our new studio at lambeau Field to continue wes 0:00:20.040 --> 0:00:21.919 our preview of Packers ot as. 0:00:22.000 --> 0:00:22.599 When it stop. 0:00:24.320 --> 0:00:26.720 I know we had this discussion before. It's I guess 0:00:27.440 --> 0:00:29.720 the rest of the off season program. Yeah, at least 0:00:29.760 --> 0:00:32.320 at least until at least until we get through last time. 0:00:32.320 --> 0:00:34.839 I'll get through mini camp. Yeah, I don't know. I'm 0:00:34.960 --> 0:00:36.680 at some point I'll get tired of saying new. 0:00:36.920 --> 0:00:39.839 No, I like it, but it is new. Considering what 0:00:39.880 --> 0:00:42.400 our studio used to look like looks like we're in 0:00:42.440 --> 0:00:42.920 the back of it. 0:00:43.080 --> 0:00:45.320 I think, yeah, I think this, this is gonna feel 0:00:45.400 --> 0:00:47.200 This is going to feel new for the next couple 0:00:47.240 --> 0:00:51.280 of years. At least, I would think. O tas are underway. 0:00:51.440 --> 0:00:54.560 They are the Packers have begun. Uh this week we 0:00:54.640 --> 0:00:58.600 will get one access to excuse me, access to one 0:00:58.640 --> 0:01:02.600 practice later this week, and on our last show, we 0:01:02.800 --> 0:01:06.080 previewed OTAs from the offensive side of the ball. What 0:01:06.120 --> 0:01:08.959 we're looking for, things that are on our mind, so 0:01:09.000 --> 0:01:11.120 we'll switch to the defensive side of the ball for 0:01:11.280 --> 0:01:13.800 this episode, and I'll just throw it out there to 0:01:13.840 --> 0:01:18.959 you what rises to the top of your observation list 0:01:19.040 --> 0:01:20.920 when we hit the practice field later this week. 0:01:21.040 --> 0:01:24.000 For me, it has to be edge rusher first and foremost. 0:01:24.040 --> 0:01:26.520 We all know Michaeh Parsons working his way back from 0:01:26.520 --> 0:01:28.240 that acl He's not gonna be out there, He's not 0:01:28.280 --> 0:01:31.280 gonna be taking these reps. We know that Lucas Vans 0:01:31.560 --> 0:01:34.280 is probably gonna be taking that spot opposite of Michaeh 0:01:34.319 --> 0:01:37.080 Parsons this year, that the runway has been cleared. Much 0:01:37.200 --> 0:01:41.000 like with Matthew Golden in the receiver position, Rashaan Garry 0:01:41.120 --> 0:01:44.640 traded Lucas VENs. Go forward, young man, you know, and 0:01:44.680 --> 0:01:47.160 give this, you know, give it everything he got. But 0:01:47.200 --> 0:01:49.320 there's still needs to be somebody lined up across from Vans, 0:01:49.440 --> 0:01:51.040 and you're gonna need guys to fill up in that 0:01:51.120 --> 0:01:54.520 rotation now with kings Leannibari gone. So just seeing which 0:01:54.600 --> 0:01:57.560 young guy fills those roles early on and who ultimately 0:01:57.600 --> 0:02:00.480 emerges during this training camps can be fascinating to whether 0:02:00.560 --> 0:02:03.840 it's obviously Baron Serell, who is a tremendous story. We 0:02:03.880 --> 0:02:06.160 all talked about it. I wrote about it. The guy 0:02:06.200 --> 0:02:08.280 shows up in Green Bay for the draft. Everyone just 0:02:08.320 --> 0:02:11.480 a feel good story. Well, what sometimes I think gets 0:02:11.520 --> 0:02:13.440 overlooked is the fact he was a fourth round pick. 0:02:13.800 --> 0:02:16.200 He was a really good prospect coming out of Texas 0:02:16.240 --> 0:02:19.080 and just looking at him in his body this offseason 0:02:19.040 --> 0:02:21.080 and how he's matured in that capacity and how he 0:02:21.120 --> 0:02:24.280 finished last year at that game against Minnesota, I think 0:02:24.320 --> 0:02:28.040 he's a real contender for that spot, you know, Colin Oliver, Deny, 0:02:28.680 --> 0:02:31.240 Dennis Sutton being the fourth round pick this year could 0:02:31.280 --> 0:02:33.480 potentially contribute right away. And then the dude that probably 0:02:33.520 --> 0:02:36.360 nobody's talked enough about this offseason is Brenton Cox Junior, 0:02:36.760 --> 0:02:39.959 a guy that was really positioned to have a big 0:02:40.040 --> 0:02:42.320 role with this defense last year and then unfortunately gets 0:02:42.320 --> 0:02:45.520 the core injury misses most of the season, but the 0:02:45.520 --> 0:02:47.480 Packers thought enough of him to bring him back. So 0:02:48.360 --> 0:02:50.880 plenty of opportunity there at the edge rushing position, and 0:02:50.919 --> 0:02:53.080 in me personally, I don't know how you felt about it, 0:02:53.120 --> 0:02:55.160 but I love the fact that Green Bay dedicated themselves 0:02:55.240 --> 0:02:57.600 to this young nucleus. They didn't go out and sign 0:02:57.680 --> 0:02:59.600 a thirty two year old pass rusher to stem the 0:02:59.639 --> 0:03:02.640 tide until Michael Parsons gets back. They believed in what 0:03:02.680 --> 0:03:04.760 they had and now it's on those young guys to 0:03:04.760 --> 0:03:05.560 prove the Packers right. 0:03:05.720 --> 0:03:08.639 Yeah, absolutely. I mean this this spring, this summer, through 0:03:08.680 --> 0:03:11.640 training camp, the preseason is going to be the proving ground, 0:03:12.240 --> 0:03:14.480 you know, so to speak, for these young guys. Because 0:03:15.160 --> 0:03:18.720 we know the personnel department is always looking, they're always evaluating. 0:03:19.320 --> 0:03:22.200 Maybe at some point they'll feel the need to bring 0:03:22.240 --> 0:03:25.720 in a you know, veteran pass rusher stop gap to 0:03:26.040 --> 0:03:29.480 as you said, stem the tide until Michaeh Parsons gets back. 0:03:29.919 --> 0:03:34.240 But the Packers are gonna let these young guys figure 0:03:34.280 --> 0:03:37.760 it out here during the spring and summer with these opportunities. 0:03:38.120 --> 0:03:41.800 And you mentioned Breenton Cox Junior, and you're right, he 0:03:41.880 --> 0:03:43.800 is a guy who hasn't been talked about enough because 0:03:43.920 --> 0:03:47.559 unfortunately last year just became kind of an injury wash 0:03:47.640 --> 0:03:51.280 for him. But when we're talking about this group of 0:03:51.360 --> 0:03:53.880 guys that you know where somebody is going to be 0:03:53.920 --> 0:03:56.480 lined up across from Lucas van Ness here until Michael 0:03:56.520 --> 0:03:59.720 Parsons gets back, Brenon Cox Junior is suddenly the veteran 0:03:59.760 --> 0:04:02.000 of the bunch. You know, he's he's the old guy 0:04:02.080 --> 0:04:06.119 who's you know, who's been around and and has some experience. 0:04:06.920 --> 0:04:10.000 But that being said, also when I look at the 0:04:10.040 --> 0:04:12.839 young group, I think back to a handful of years 0:04:12.880 --> 0:04:17.640 ago when the Packers drafted kings Leannigbari in the fifth round. 0:04:18.120 --> 0:04:20.680 There wasn't a whole lot of fanfare about the draft pick. 0:04:20.720 --> 0:04:23.000 It's a Day three pick pick, et cetera, et cetera. 0:04:23.080 --> 0:04:25.119 But then we saw over the course of four years 0:04:25.120 --> 0:04:28.280 in Green Bay how kings Leannigbari went from you know, 0:04:28.360 --> 0:04:30.520 a guy who is helping on special teams to then oh, 0:04:30.560 --> 0:04:32.839 he's in the rotation at edge rusher and he's getting 0:04:32.839 --> 0:04:36.640 some sacks and some TFLs and he's filling in when 0:04:36.640 --> 0:04:39.679 a guy gets injured. You know, the the more snaps, 0:04:39.720 --> 0:04:43.000 the bigger opportunities. And he's proving himself in that regard. 0:04:43.839 --> 0:04:47.520 Kings Leannigbari, who just got a pretty nice contract from 0:04:47.520 --> 0:04:50.080 the New York Jets as a free agent. Now he 0:04:50.200 --> 0:04:52.400 was a fifth round draft pick. Baron Sorell was a 0:04:52.440 --> 0:04:55.640 fourth round pick. Colin Oliver was a fifth round pick, 0:04:56.440 --> 0:04:59.800 Denied Dennis Sutton a fourth round pick. This year. The 0:05:00.000 --> 0:05:02.760 These are significant investments the Packers are making in the 0:05:02.839 --> 0:05:05.800 draft in these players, and you're absolutely right West, the 0:05:05.839 --> 0:05:09.839 Packers are going to find out what this group is 0:05:09.880 --> 0:05:13.240 made of and who is going to step forward to 0:05:13.279 --> 0:05:14.159 seize opportunity. 0:05:14.279 --> 0:05:16.919 Yeah, JJ Nigbari is an interesting player too, because I 0:05:16.920 --> 0:05:19.440 feel like, you know, we always think about, Okay, well 0:05:19.480 --> 0:05:21.039 can you find in all Pro? Can there be a 0:05:21.080 --> 0:05:22.960 Mica hide out there in the fifth round that you 0:05:23.000 --> 0:05:25.479 bring in and becomes a superstar. But there really is 0:05:25.480 --> 0:05:27.680 something to be being said for an Inigbari, a guy 0:05:27.680 --> 0:05:30.279 that played every snap every game, I should say, for 0:05:30.320 --> 0:05:32.200 Green Bay the past four years, a guy that was 0:05:32.240 --> 0:05:34.839 reliable on both defense and special teams, was you know, 0:05:34.920 --> 0:05:37.599 really good against the run. I think he's a tremendous 0:05:37.600 --> 0:05:40.000 success story. And when you lose a player like that, 0:05:40.040 --> 0:05:41.599 it might not be the one that gets talked about 0:05:41.600 --> 0:05:44.040 at your local diner in the morning. But the fact 0:05:44.120 --> 0:05:45.880 is is that's a big body that the Packers have 0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:48.120 to replace. And at the same time, it should also 0:05:48.120 --> 0:05:49.880 be a reminder to all these young guys of just 0:05:50.279 --> 0:05:53.000 what the stakes can be and how this thing could 0:05:53.000 --> 0:05:55.760 really catapult you to another level. Because as much as 0:05:55.800 --> 0:05:57.760 we focus on the pass rush, and rightfully so, I 0:05:57.760 --> 0:06:00.520 mean that's where people make their money. It also goes 0:06:00.560 --> 0:06:02.560 back to the fact that Inning Bari's not going to 0:06:02.600 --> 0:06:05.320 be there on special teams anymore. He's giving up one 0:06:05.320 --> 0:06:08.200 of those guard positions in punt coverage. Chances are Lucas 0:06:08.279 --> 0:06:10.040 van S is also going to be off that unit 0:06:10.240 --> 0:06:12.479 with what his growing role is now on defense. So 0:06:13.240 --> 0:06:15.360 the Packers, whether it is special teams, whether it is 0:06:15.400 --> 0:06:16.920 on the defensive side of the ball, there is a 0:06:16.960 --> 0:06:20.320 massive opportunity for those young edge rushers and seeing who 0:06:20.400 --> 0:06:23.159 grabs onto that is going to be great because yes, 0:06:23.200 --> 0:06:24.919 there's Inning Barri's But then you also think back to 0:06:24.920 --> 0:06:27.440 when green Bay signed Zadarius Smith Saidarius Smith was a 0:06:27.440 --> 0:06:29.680 fourth round pick a long long time ago by the 0:06:29.680 --> 0:06:32.880 Baltimore Ravens who then became an all Pro pass rusher. 0:06:32.920 --> 0:06:34.360 In this league, you never know where you're going to 0:06:34.400 --> 0:06:37.279 get those contributions from. And I just love the fact 0:06:37.279 --> 0:06:39.640 that green Bay invested all these resources over the last 0:06:39.640 --> 0:06:41.960 few years in that position, and now you're really going 0:06:42.000 --> 0:06:43.440 to be able to see what that group can do. 0:06:43.839 --> 0:06:46.559 And there is the caveat when it is still late May, 0:06:46.720 --> 0:06:51.480 when we're talking about edge rushing, which is about setting 0:06:51.480 --> 0:06:53.760 the edge against the run, getting after the quarterback, you know, 0:06:53.839 --> 0:06:56.480 beating the offensive tackle, all that kind of stuff. There 0:06:56.520 --> 0:06:59.280 aren't any pads going on here during OTAs. There won't 0:06:59.279 --> 0:07:01.679 be pads on for at least a couple of months here. 0:07:02.520 --> 0:07:05.000 But this, you know, with Jonathan Gannon coming in as 0:07:05.040 --> 0:07:07.680 a new defensive coordinator, new defense, he's getting to know 0:07:07.720 --> 0:07:11.880 the players, the other coaches on his defensive staff, getting 0:07:11.880 --> 0:07:14.840 to know these players, figuring out what they do, what 0:07:14.880 --> 0:07:17.320 they do best as they build the playbook and they 0:07:17.320 --> 0:07:19.960 build the different sub packages and oh, this would be 0:07:20.000 --> 0:07:22.520 a spot that Colin Oliver maybe could sub in and 0:07:22.520 --> 0:07:25.160 and you know, provide a spark right here, et cetera, 0:07:25.240 --> 0:07:29.040 et cetera. That's that's what this time of That's what 0:07:29.120 --> 0:07:32.800 this time of year is all about. And on the 0:07:32.800 --> 0:07:35.200 flip side of it, if shifting gears sort of from 0:07:35.200 --> 0:07:38.920 the young guys to the veteran guys, there are a 0:07:38.960 --> 0:07:41.960 couple of new veteran guys coming in to this defense 0:07:42.000 --> 0:07:43.800 now with Gannon, we're going to get a first look 0:07:43.840 --> 0:07:48.600 at Javon Hargrave at defensive tackle, Zaire Franklin at at 0:07:48.640 --> 0:07:52.360 inside linebacker. Two guys who have been there, done that 0:07:52.520 --> 0:07:56.080 in this league that doesn't even really do justice to 0:07:56.080 --> 0:08:03.080 to what they've accomplished in their careers and their presence. 0:08:03.320 --> 0:08:06.280 I just get the feeling west because of who these 0:08:06.280 --> 0:08:08.400 guys are, and we haven't even talked to him yet 0:08:08.440 --> 0:08:10.360 in terms of, you know, the interviews we get in 0:08:10.400 --> 0:08:12.600 the locker room. We'll get an opportunity for that over 0:08:12.600 --> 0:08:15.280 the next few weeks. But I just get the sense 0:08:15.320 --> 0:08:18.760 that these are guys that are walking into the Packers 0:08:18.840 --> 0:08:21.560 locker room with a certain level of respect and they're 0:08:21.600 --> 0:08:25.120 going to be leaders on this defense in some way, 0:08:25.160 --> 0:08:27.880 shape or form, even though they are new. Jonathan Gannon 0:08:27.960 --> 0:08:30.320 is new, but I think it feels like that's the 0:08:30.400 --> 0:08:32.040 dynamic that could be developing, you know. 0:08:32.000 --> 0:08:33.960 Because guys can be Pro Bowlers and they can be 0:08:34.000 --> 0:08:36.840 all pros, and in Franklin's case, he has been right 0:08:36.960 --> 0:08:39.800 and and you know Hargrave's case, he's two time Pro bowler, 0:08:39.800 --> 0:08:41.400 has played in a Super Bowl. I mean, these guys 0:08:41.440 --> 0:08:44.440 have like legitimate on field credentials. But when you sign players, 0:08:44.480 --> 0:08:47.280 you bring players in veterans in and you see that 0:08:47.440 --> 0:08:50.160 Walter Payton Man of the Year nomination next to their name, 0:08:50.200 --> 0:08:53.960 you see team captain in their bio. That tells you 0:08:54.000 --> 0:08:56.120 something about the character of the individual. The other thing, too, 0:08:56.160 --> 0:08:58.600 that always sticks out to me is when a veteran 0:08:58.720 --> 0:09:03.120 leaves somewhere signs elsewhere, and then you see media members 0:09:03.200 --> 0:09:05.800 or people from the Beat corps on social media talking 0:09:05.800 --> 0:09:08.560 about that player wishing them well. That speaks volumes as 0:09:08.559 --> 0:09:09.880 well too. I know you and I both did that. 0:09:09.880 --> 0:09:13.280 When Aaron Jones ultimately went to Minnesota. I remember having 0:09:13.480 --> 0:09:15.280 the conversation with Lindsay Young over there, one of the 0:09:15.280 --> 0:09:17.400 Beat writers for the Vikings, about just the type of 0:09:17.440 --> 0:09:19.440 dude that was entering that locker room. Heard the same 0:09:19.480 --> 0:09:22.079 exact reports on Zagiar Franklin. And the thing I love 0:09:22.080 --> 0:09:25.400 about Franklin too is when you look at his resume 0:09:25.520 --> 0:09:28.960 and he has like the quintessential NFL journey type story. 0:09:29.040 --> 0:09:31.440 Right when you're talking about a seventh round pick, what 0:09:31.559 --> 0:09:33.440 I think some people would refer to as an undersized 0:09:33.520 --> 0:09:37.520 middle linebacker go from a core special teams player in 0:09:37.520 --> 0:09:40.760 Indianapolis to a starting middle linebacker to an all pro 0:09:41.000 --> 0:09:43.360 to a guy leading the National Football League in tackles. 0:09:44.559 --> 0:09:48.000 There is a certain amount of respect and you know 0:09:48.080 --> 0:09:50.920 prestige that comes along with that, and for Green Bay 0:09:50.960 --> 0:09:53.480 to lose kway Walker and then conversely, when you look 0:09:53.520 --> 0:09:56.880 at the defensive tackle position, Kenny Clark and now Kolby 0:09:56.920 --> 0:10:00.520 Wooden and Javon Hargrave coming in, they I needed to 0:10:00.600 --> 0:10:03.560 find guys that you could add to this roster that 0:10:03.600 --> 0:10:07.320 can augment and complement a team that wants to compete 0:10:07.320 --> 0:10:09.719 for a championship. This year. They weren't going to be 0:10:09.720 --> 0:10:11.440 able to just get those guys in the draft. One, 0:10:11.760 --> 0:10:13.679 the number of picks just weren't there to address all 0:10:13.679 --> 0:10:17.079 those needs. But two, they needed to hit the ground 0:10:17.160 --> 0:10:19.559 running with some veterans here too, and I feel like 0:10:19.600 --> 0:10:21.440 they've done it with both of those guys, And for me, 0:10:21.480 --> 0:10:23.880 the most exciting thing of all is just seeing the 0:10:23.880 --> 0:10:26.120 type of experience that they now bring into this team. 0:10:26.400 --> 0:10:28.640 When you think about the best Packer teams going back 0:10:28.679 --> 0:10:31.120 to the Mike McCarthy era, or even in those twenty 0:10:31.280 --> 0:10:33.679 nineteen to twenty one windows where Packers are winning thirteen 0:10:33.720 --> 0:10:36.760 games every year. You had the Mercedes Lewises, you had 0:10:37.240 --> 0:10:40.200 the Julius Peppers back in the middle twenty tens. There's 0:10:40.200 --> 0:10:42.480 something about having that type of leadership on a football 0:10:42.480 --> 0:10:44.760 team in addition to what they provide as a football player. 0:10:44.880 --> 0:10:48.040 Yeah, when I think of Zaire Franklin and just having 0:10:48.080 --> 0:10:51.000 only been able to watch his career from AFAR, and 0:10:51.040 --> 0:10:54.520 you look at the statistics and kind of what he's compiled, 0:10:55.440 --> 0:10:58.160 he's he's like the definition of a guy who paid 0:10:58.160 --> 0:11:00.640 his dues to get to where to get to where 0:11:00.679 --> 0:11:03.880 he is in this league. And I'm really interested to see, 0:11:04.080 --> 0:11:05.840 you know, what he's got left and what he can 0:11:05.880 --> 0:11:09.040 bring to this Jonathan Gannon defense in Green Bay, a 0:11:09.120 --> 0:11:10.920 couple other things I want to get your thoughts on, 0:11:11.080 --> 0:11:13.440 but we do need to pay some bills, So let's 0:11:13.440 --> 0:11:17.160 hear a quick word from our sponsor. Serious XM. NFL 0:11:17.320 --> 0:11:20.240 Radio delivers hard hitting analysis and up to the minute 0:11:20.360 --> 0:11:23.920 NFL news that true football fanatics need. Twenty four to seven, 0:11:24.080 --> 0:11:28.800 three sixty five. Welcome back to Packers Unscripted. Continuing our 0:11:28.920 --> 0:11:31.560 preview of OTA is looking at the defensive side of 0:11:31.559 --> 0:11:35.160 the ball and Wes, We've pretty much talked about everything 0:11:35.240 --> 0:11:37.760 kind of upfront on defense, but we also need to 0:11:37.800 --> 0:11:44.000 talk about what's going on on the perimeter defensively, because again, 0:11:44.320 --> 0:11:46.800 no pads are going on, no jobs are going to 0:11:46.800 --> 0:11:48.800 be one or lost here in the next few weeks 0:11:48.840 --> 0:11:52.280 because training camp in the preseason is where these things 0:11:52.320 --> 0:11:55.880 will really sort themselves out. But the competition at cornerback 0:11:57.120 --> 0:12:01.960 is going to get underway here in a legitimate way. Carrington, Valentine, 0:12:02.000 --> 0:12:09.120 Benjamin Saint Juice, Brendan seesay, three guys really vying for 0:12:10.080 --> 0:12:12.880 all of them, I think, legitimate contenders to be the 0:12:13.000 --> 0:12:17.960 number two boundary cornerback in this defense opposite Keyshawn Nixon 0:12:18.000 --> 0:12:20.080 and then of course with Javon Buller being your number 0:12:20.120 --> 0:12:25.160 one slot corner. And you know, Valentine is the is 0:12:25.240 --> 0:12:27.880 sort of the incumbent so to speak, because he's the 0:12:27.880 --> 0:12:31.960 guy who's been here, but yet new defensive coordinator, new coaches, 0:12:32.080 --> 0:12:35.160 lots of change going on. So it you know, this 0:12:35.320 --> 0:12:38.400 as far as a competition for a very prominent role 0:12:38.920 --> 0:12:42.400 on this Packers team in twenty twenty six, this is 0:12:42.440 --> 0:12:45.000 the one that strikes me as as the one with 0:12:45.040 --> 0:12:45.760 the spotlight on. 0:12:45.920 --> 0:12:47.840 It's gonna be the competition of the summer. I will 0:12:47.880 --> 0:12:51.520 say that. I you know, Benjamin Saint Juice actually earned 0:12:51.559 --> 0:12:53.680 some brownie points with me last weekend because he was 0:12:53.720 --> 0:12:56.920 at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. Was checking out 0:12:56.960 --> 0:12:58.400 the F one race, which is pretty cool. 0:12:58.520 --> 0:12:59.439 He didn't bring you along. 0:12:59.520 --> 0:13:02.480 He didn't, And I've joked with you about this before. 0:13:02.559 --> 0:13:05.520 I mean, I'm gonna be asking him questions. He's probably 0:13:05.520 --> 0:13:07.480 not gonna want to hear those questions. I probably can 0:13:07.520 --> 0:13:09.040 get annoyed by some of that. But for a guy 0:13:09.040 --> 0:13:11.920 that I haven't met yet, I was in awe of that. 0:13:11.960 --> 0:13:13.440 I got to get to a Formula one race at 0:13:13.440 --> 0:13:15.520 some point. But I really like the way they built 0:13:15.520 --> 0:13:17.520 this thing up in the cornerback room. First and foremost, 0:13:17.559 --> 0:13:20.960 Carrington Valentine a guy that has always been on the 0:13:21.000 --> 0:13:24.480 cusp of a permanent starting role. Right, it seems like 0:13:24.720 --> 0:13:26.840 it was funny. I never even realized it until Keishawn 0:13:26.880 --> 0:13:29.480 Nixon brought it up last season. But all these playoff 0:13:29.520 --> 0:13:32.200 runs green Bay's been on, it's Ben Valentine. With Nixon, 0:13:32.200 --> 0:13:35.160 It's just that he wasn't the incumbent at the beginning 0:13:35.200 --> 0:13:37.200 of the season. Just one thing or another worked out 0:13:37.559 --> 0:13:38.800 that he ended up having to be the guy at 0:13:38.800 --> 0:13:40.640 the end of the season. And it happened again last year, 0:13:40.679 --> 0:13:43.680 even though Jyry Alexander had been released. Green Bay goes 0:13:43.679 --> 0:13:47.600 and gets Nate Hobbs, Javon Bullard, you know, kind of 0:13:47.800 --> 0:13:50.120 solidifies himself in the slot. Hobbs has to be on 0:13:50.160 --> 0:13:52.559 the perimeter, but then he gets hurt. Valentine kind of 0:13:52.600 --> 0:13:55.360 rips that spot away from his old training buddy, and 0:13:55.559 --> 0:13:57.280 then there's not really a place for Hobbs right in 0:13:57.360 --> 0:13:59.120 his contract kind of dictated that Green Bay need to 0:13:59.120 --> 0:14:01.320 go a different direction. So they bring in Saint Juice, 0:14:01.320 --> 0:14:03.640 who's a dude who had some hype coming out of 0:14:03.679 --> 0:14:06.280 college and obviously played a lot for Washington, but really 0:14:06.520 --> 0:14:09.240 things clicked for him last year with Los Angeles and 0:14:09.600 --> 0:14:12.240 he was in this rotational perimeter spot, which you don't 0:14:12.280 --> 0:14:14.200 see a lot in the NFL. I think at a time, 0:14:14.760 --> 0:14:16.959 you know, Devon House did it for a little bit 0:14:17.040 --> 0:14:18.719 here when you got to the sub packages where a 0:14:18.720 --> 0:14:20.960 guy would move in on the perimeter. Usually it's guys 0:14:21.000 --> 0:14:23.400 coming into the slot. But Saint Jus did that last 0:14:23.480 --> 0:14:25.600 year for the Chargers, and as you saw the stats 0:14:25.600 --> 0:14:28.320 from PFF, was the top zone cornerback last year the 0:14:28.400 --> 0:14:31.640 National Football League based on their metrics. So a guy 0:14:31.640 --> 0:14:34.000 that I think has some motion going for him right now, 0:14:34.000 --> 0:14:36.200 and then certainly you add in a Brandon CSA he's 0:14:36.200 --> 0:14:38.280 only twenty years old. You will have to see exactly 0:14:38.280 --> 0:14:40.840 in training camp, in this offseason program how ready he 0:14:40.920 --> 0:14:44.080 is for that spotlight. But there's a continuation of guys 0:14:44.080 --> 0:14:46.040 too that have come out as rookies at that position 0:14:46.080 --> 0:14:48.600 and contributed right off the bat. Jyry Alexander being one 0:14:48.600 --> 0:14:51.240 of them. Casey Hayward was a defensive rookie the Year 0:14:51.240 --> 0:14:54.440 finalists back in twenty twelve, kind of coming out of 0:14:54.480 --> 0:14:56.520 nowhere in the second round and then being a playmaker 0:14:56.560 --> 0:14:59.880 straight away. So I feel like, you know, Keishawn Nixon, 0:15:00.240 --> 0:15:02.240 Javon Bullard, those are your two guys. Those guys are 0:15:02.320 --> 0:15:05.000 locked in right now with that sub package nickel defense, 0:15:05.040 --> 0:15:07.480 which is pretty much the base defense nowadays the NFL. 0:15:08.000 --> 0:15:09.680 Who's gonna be the one that rises up in this 0:15:09.720 --> 0:15:11.560 competition and shows that they can be the one that's 0:15:11.560 --> 0:15:13.880 capable of playing opposite of Nixon? And as we saw 0:15:13.960 --> 0:15:16.760 last year, you need depth at that position. The next 0:15:16.760 --> 0:15:19.200 man up that got kind of roted away for green 0:15:19.240 --> 0:15:21.000 Bay last year, they had to go to the guys 0:15:21.000 --> 0:15:23.400 on the practice squad to finish out that season. This 0:15:23.520 --> 0:15:25.720 year they added the numbers, they built the depth and 0:15:25.800 --> 0:15:27.880 just seeing how that group grows together, a young group, 0:15:27.960 --> 0:15:30.120 how it grows together, I think is going to be 0:15:30.320 --> 0:15:32.560 a big, big key for this Packers team in this 0:15:32.640 --> 0:15:33.640 championship pursuit. 0:15:33.760 --> 0:15:38.080 Yeah, and whoever emerges ultimately when Week one rolls around 0:15:38.120 --> 0:15:40.520 and the Packers are heading to us Bank Stadium for 0:15:40.600 --> 0:15:43.440 that opener against the Vikings, and you know whoever it 0:15:43.520 --> 0:15:47.520 is that's that's lined up as that starting boundary corner. 0:15:48.240 --> 0:15:50.600 How the depth shakes out behind that could really be 0:15:50.720 --> 0:15:53.960 significant too, because with Jonathan Gannon coming in, you know, 0:15:54.120 --> 0:15:57.760 Bobby Babbage and you know Daniel Bullocks, all the new 0:15:57.800 --> 0:16:02.000 coaches in the secondary, we don't know necessarily, you know, 0:16:02.160 --> 0:16:05.080 how often is Gannon gonna want to have four cornerbacks 0:16:05.120 --> 0:16:06.800 on the field? You know, does he want? We haven't 0:16:06.800 --> 0:16:09.440 seen a whole lot there's always some we haven't seen 0:16:09.480 --> 0:16:12.280 a whole lot of dime defense in Green Bay over 0:16:12.320 --> 0:16:15.200 the last over the last few years. But you never know, 0:16:15.720 --> 0:16:18.440 if you know, maybe that becomes a more of a 0:16:18.600 --> 0:16:22.160 regular sub package for a coordinator like Gannon. And if 0:16:22.160 --> 0:16:24.520 you need four cornerbacks on the field, you know, okay, 0:16:24.520 --> 0:16:28.960 then who's that second slot guy opposite of Javon Bullard? 0:16:29.000 --> 0:16:31.200 And and you know, the the depth and the pecking 0:16:31.320 --> 0:16:35.920 order of how this how this competition unfolds will definitely 0:16:35.960 --> 0:16:41.240 be important heading down the road. We also need to 0:16:41.280 --> 0:16:45.240 discuss special teams because there are a couple of issues 0:16:45.280 --> 0:16:49.080 and new faces there to talk about. Packers looking for 0:16:49.160 --> 0:16:52.560 that boost in the return game and brought in receiver 0:16:52.680 --> 0:16:57.000 Sky More as a free agent acquisition. Ranked in the 0:16:57.040 --> 0:16:58.920 top I believe he was in the top seven in 0:16:59.000 --> 0:17:03.640 both punk returns and kickoff returns last year for San Francisco. 0:17:04.640 --> 0:17:06.520 He's now in Green Bay. And then, of course, the 0:17:06.600 --> 0:17:10.240 other big special team story is the new kicker, Tray Smack, 0:17:10.280 --> 0:17:12.840 the rookie six round pick out of Florida. The Packers 0:17:12.880 --> 0:17:15.639 traded up to get him, then they release Brandon McManus. 0:17:15.800 --> 0:17:20.320 Lucas Haverstick is haversick, excuse me is still here, so 0:17:20.600 --> 0:17:25.479 that competition will be ongoing. But Trey Smack is the 0:17:25.840 --> 0:17:27.840 is the odds on favorite, is the guy that the 0:17:27.960 --> 0:17:32.800 organization is looking to nail down this job and and 0:17:32.920 --> 0:17:34.800 preferably for the long term. And this will be our 0:17:34.840 --> 0:17:38.880 first chance, hopefully, hopefully, in the limited opportunities we get 0:17:38.880 --> 0:17:41.439 to watch practice and OTAs, we might get a kicking 0:17:41.480 --> 0:17:43.320 period where we just get to see what it looks like. 0:17:43.400 --> 0:17:46.200 Yeah. Absolutely, and again we'll get our eyes on for 0:17:46.240 --> 0:17:47.919 the first time in terms of what he does in 0:17:48.000 --> 0:17:51.000 real time in front of us here at this Ota practices. 0:17:51.080 --> 0:17:54.600 But every report I've heard it's that it's been extremely 0:17:54.640 --> 0:17:57.119 positive that this guy, his leg talent, everything they saw 0:17:57.200 --> 0:18:00.000 in film, it's been showing up in these early sessions. 0:18:00.000 --> 0:18:02.240 I think there's a lot of faith that the player 0:18:02.240 --> 0:18:03.840 that they moved up to take at the end of 0:18:03.880 --> 0:18:07.160 the sixth round could be the next guy to lock 0:18:07.240 --> 0:18:09.439 that spot down again. Long way to go. But what 0:18:09.520 --> 0:18:11.200 I like about it too is there was so much 0:18:11.240 --> 0:18:14.320 focus on the decision to move on from Brandon McManus. 0:18:14.320 --> 0:18:16.159 I don't think enough attention has been put on the 0:18:16.160 --> 0:18:19.159 fact that Lucas Haversack is still here to compete with Smack. 0:18:19.240 --> 0:18:21.600 This is a guy that has been a featured kicker 0:18:21.600 --> 0:18:23.280 in the National Football League. I mean, he's been in 0:18:23.320 --> 0:18:25.439 that role with the Rams, and he was in the 0:18:25.560 --> 0:18:26.919 spot where he had to make some big kicks for 0:18:26.960 --> 0:18:29.360 Green Bay last year too. In addition to the fact 0:18:29.400 --> 0:18:32.040 he ended up acing the longest field goal in franchise 0:18:32.119 --> 0:18:34.120 history in Arizona from sixty one yards. 0:18:34.000 --> 0:18:36.280 That's sixty one yard kick in Arizona was actually a 0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:38.800 pretty big kick in that ballgame. The Packers were losing 0:18:38.840 --> 0:18:40.600 at the time. It was, you know, going right in 0:18:40.640 --> 0:18:43.320 at halftime. I don't think it's a kick necessarily that 0:18:43.359 --> 0:18:45.679 he gets the opportunity to make if it's not the 0:18:45.720 --> 0:18:47.639 last play of the first half where you're not risking 0:18:47.680 --> 0:18:50.800 the field position. But he made it and it played 0:18:50.800 --> 0:18:52.760 a big factor in the Packers winning a big road 0:18:52.800 --> 0:18:53.359 game last year. 0:18:53.440 --> 0:18:55.399 Yeah, so Harsik has been in the spot before, and 0:18:55.520 --> 0:18:57.960 I think that's going to be an underrated, you know, 0:18:58.000 --> 0:19:00.719