WEBVTT - #407 Packers Unscripted: OTA preview-offense 0:00:00.840 --> 0:00:21.000 Hi everyone, Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:21.000 --> 0:00:24.439 I am Mike Spofford. He is my trusted colleague wes 0:00:24.520 --> 0:00:27.720 hodku Wits. We're coming to you here from our studios 0:00:28.120 --> 0:00:32.280 at lambeau Field and West. The spring right of passage 0:00:32.280 --> 0:00:35.159 in the NFL, known as O t a S is 0:00:35.240 --> 0:00:37.760 coming up, and just to give fans uh the lay 0:00:37.800 --> 0:00:40.560 of the land here a little bit. Starting next week, 0:00:40.600 --> 0:00:43.000 the Packers will have three weeks of O t a S, 0:00:43.320 --> 0:00:47.960 which stands for organized Team Activities. Essentially, it's nonpadded practices. 0:00:48.000 --> 0:00:50.440 They can do eleven on eleven work, but shorts and 0:00:50.520 --> 0:00:54.440 helmets only, not full gear. And um so I want 0:00:54.440 --> 0:00:58.000 to use the next two episodes, this one and then 0:00:58.000 --> 0:01:00.400 our first episode next week to previ you O t 0:01:00.560 --> 0:01:02.680 a S a little bit, just to give kind of 0:01:02.720 --> 0:01:05.000 the landscape, the sense of what you and I are 0:01:05.040 --> 0:01:07.640 going to be watching for, what what the media will 0:01:07.680 --> 0:01:10.720 be looking for at these practices. Will have access to 0:01:10.800 --> 0:01:13.840 one practice per week over the next three weeks in 0:01:13.920 --> 0:01:16.600 terms of getting to watch practice and then also interview 0:01:16.600 --> 0:01:19.920 players in the locker room afterwards. So with this show, 0:01:19.959 --> 0:01:22.680 we'll focus on the offensive side of the ball to 0:01:22.840 --> 0:01:25.400 preview O t A S And I don't know about you, 0:01:25.760 --> 0:01:28.240 but I think the one thing that jumps out at 0:01:28.280 --> 0:01:31.840 me that I'm gonna look for right away at this 0:01:31.920 --> 0:01:34.600 first O t A practice that we get access to 0:01:34.760 --> 0:01:38.600 next week is where somethings sit on the offensive line. 0:01:38.640 --> 0:01:40.960 Because you added Billy Turner in the off season as 0:01:40.959 --> 0:01:44.440 a free agent, Cole Madison is back from taking what 0:01:44.480 --> 0:01:46.920 would have been his rookie year off from the NFL, 0:01:47.319 --> 0:01:49.840 and then you added Elton Jenkins, the second round draft 0:01:49.880 --> 0:01:53.120 pick at number forty four. Overall, I'm a little curious 0:01:53.200 --> 0:01:55.160 just to see in terms of the depth chart what 0:01:55.240 --> 0:01:58.200 positions these guys are lining up at. These new additions 0:01:58.240 --> 0:02:00.720 on the offensive line are interesting. Yeah, Really, the only 0:02:00.760 --> 0:02:02.880 one that I'm kind of curious about is Billy Turner, 0:02:03.360 --> 0:02:05.600 just because you know, they left it open ended in 0:02:05.680 --> 0:02:07.720 terms of where he's gonna play in potentially where he 0:02:07.760 --> 0:02:10.160 could fit on the offensive line. I think we saw 0:02:10.240 --> 0:02:12.760 him a lot of guard during that voluntary mini camp. 0:02:13.440 --> 0:02:16.320 Right guards specifically, that's a spot that is open right now. 0:02:16.639 --> 0:02:19.800 He could conceivably fit in there. From from the rest 0:02:19.800 --> 0:02:22.080 of that, it's all gonna depend on the health of 0:02:22.120 --> 0:02:25.519 the starting offensive linemen, and you know, you can't really 0:02:25.520 --> 0:02:28.359 read much into really where Elton Jenkins is going to 0:02:28.440 --> 0:02:30.480 be yet we know how this works with the off 0:02:30.520 --> 0:02:33.640 season program. The story I always go back to is 0:02:33.720 --> 0:02:35.799 that people made way too big of a deal out 0:02:35.800 --> 0:02:38.040 of Alex Green being ahead of Eddie Lacey and two 0:02:38.040 --> 0:02:41.760 thousand thirteen during mini camp back then, and then two 0:02:41.880 --> 0:02:44.519 you know, two months later, you know, Eddie Lacey is 0:02:44.560 --> 0:02:45.920 right at the top of the depth chart when training 0:02:45.960 --> 0:02:48.359 camp begins. So those are the things they're going to 0:02:48.440 --> 0:02:50.079 give the veterans are going to give. The guys who 0:02:50.120 --> 0:02:52.520 have status, they'll get the top end of those reps. 0:02:52.560 --> 0:02:54.800 But you know, I think it's gonna be really valuable 0:02:54.840 --> 0:02:57.200 for guys like uh, you know, got a guy like 0:02:57.240 --> 0:03:01.560 Cole Madison. He has been through the process before last year. 0:03:01.639 --> 0:03:04.120 He looked good throughout the offseason program, looked like he 0:03:04.160 --> 0:03:05.760 was going to be able to contend for a starting 0:03:05.760 --> 0:03:09.519 spot then obviously didn't report. But having him here getting 0:03:09.520 --> 0:03:11.960 back acclimated with a new offense, I think is gonna 0:03:11.960 --> 0:03:14.640 be really important for him. And then also, you know 0:03:14.680 --> 0:03:16.639 those guys lower down the depth chart, they are very 0:03:16.639 --> 0:03:19.560 deep on the offensive line. Lucas Patrick is a guy 0:03:19.560 --> 0:03:22.560 that's going to have to defend his roster spot, justin McCrae, 0:03:22.760 --> 0:03:26.160 Jason Spriggs, a lot of depth, a lot of versatility, 0:03:26.240 --> 0:03:29.040 and a lot of experience there, Michael, with guys that 0:03:29.080 --> 0:03:32.480 are trying to show you know that they belong. Yeah, well, 0:03:32.520 --> 0:03:35.920 I think, uh, it's pretty clear at least, I guess 0:03:35.920 --> 0:03:38.120 I'll put it this way. I'll be really surprised if 0:03:38.120 --> 0:03:41.240 Billy Turner is not the number one right guard as 0:03:41.360 --> 0:03:43.200 as we start o t S. I think that's what 0:03:43.240 --> 0:03:46.680 the Packers signed him for. That's what um the value 0:03:46.680 --> 0:03:49.120 of that contract would certainly indicate they signed him to 0:03:49.120 --> 0:03:52.720 be a starter from the get go. With Jenkins and Madison, 0:03:52.720 --> 0:03:55.880 I'm curious because the Packers are for the most part, 0:03:55.920 --> 0:03:57.840 as far as we know at this point, looking at 0:03:57.880 --> 0:04:01.960 them as interior offensive lineman, and we know that there's 0:04:01.960 --> 0:04:04.080 a lot of talk about Ken one of these guys 0:04:04.120 --> 0:04:07.040 push Lane Taylor at left guard. Now. I talked to 0:04:07.080 --> 0:04:10.560 Taylor right after the season ended, the last open locker 0:04:10.640 --> 0:04:13.360 room we had after the final game against the Lions, 0:04:13.400 --> 0:04:16.279 and had an interesting conversation with him because he he 0:04:16.400 --> 0:04:20.039 said coming off of last year he had an offseason 0:04:20.080 --> 0:04:22.320 ankle surgery. It pretty much kept him out of all 0:04:22.400 --> 0:04:26.119 of the off season program. He was ready to play 0:04:26.279 --> 0:04:28.479 Week one. He got out there, he played the bulk 0:04:28.480 --> 0:04:30.760 of the season, but he actually admitted he's like, I 0:04:30.839 --> 0:04:33.479 really didn't feel right. The ankle didn't feel right until 0:04:34.080 --> 0:04:36.200 you know about the eighth or ninth game of the 0:04:36.240 --> 0:04:39.200 regular season. And I mean, we saw Taylor didn't have 0:04:39.279 --> 0:04:41.599 the season that that he had had in the past. 0:04:41.640 --> 0:04:44.839 He and he was clearly dealing with something there. But 0:04:44.960 --> 0:04:49.320 now this is whereas a veteran, he feels like he's 0:04:49.320 --> 0:04:51.559 coming back healthy, but they're gonna be some young guys 0:04:51.560 --> 0:04:54.599 that will potentially push him here. So I think that's 0:04:54.600 --> 0:04:58.120 something to watch as we and again, as you alluded to, 0:04:58.480 --> 0:05:00.040 you take a little bit of this stuff in O 0:05:00.160 --> 0:05:03.080 t S with a grain assault, especially with offensive lineman. 0:05:03.120 --> 0:05:05.039 They don't have the pads on, the hits aren't real 0:05:05.120 --> 0:05:06.919 and all that kind of stuff. But you get a 0:05:06.960 --> 0:05:09.080 sense of of kind of how things are going to 0:05:09.200 --> 0:05:11.200 set up for training camp. Maybe it's the best way 0:05:11.240 --> 0:05:13.640 to put it absolutely and what what exactly these guys 0:05:13.640 --> 0:05:15.800 are gonna be working with in terms of who's available 0:05:15.800 --> 0:05:18.919 and whatnot. I'll be honest with you, Michael, and I 0:05:18.920 --> 0:05:20.640 don't know how you feel about it. At least during 0:05:20.680 --> 0:05:22.560 my time on the beat, which is about six years 0:05:22.560 --> 0:05:25.760 shorter than yours, I think that this is the deepest 0:05:25.760 --> 0:05:27.520 they've been on the offensive line in terms of the 0:05:27.520 --> 0:05:30.520 competition standpoint. When you talk about Lane Taylor, some of 0:05:30.520 --> 0:05:33.360 these different spots where guys are gonna get pushed. Billy Turner, 0:05:33.520 --> 0:05:35.800 as you mentioned, he's going to be the slotted top 0:05:35.839 --> 0:05:39.599 guy there. He's gonna get pushed because they think about this. Michael, 0:05:39.640 --> 0:05:41.640 you have Alex Light that was on the roster all 0:05:41.640 --> 0:05:46.119 throughout last season. Adam Panky has been on the roster before. Uh. 0:05:46.320 --> 0:05:49.080 You obviously have Justin McCrae and Lucas Patrick and the 0:05:49.160 --> 0:05:52.680 number of guys that can play different positions. And that's 0:05:52.680 --> 0:05:54.280 what it comes down to. And when you're talking about 0:05:54.279 --> 0:05:56.680 guys like Patrick and McCrae, you're talking about guys who 0:05:56.680 --> 0:05:59.920 have played in NFL games. They've taken the real lie 0:06:00.080 --> 0:06:02.599 have snaps that some of these other guys haven't. The 0:06:02.640 --> 0:06:04.920 story I always love to tell is the first year 0:06:05.000 --> 0:06:08.040 I covered this team in two thousand twelve, Jeff Saturday, 0:06:08.080 --> 0:06:12.440 about two years past his prime, was already starting at center. 0:06:12.960 --> 0:06:15.360 It wasn't much of a competition after that, you knew 0:06:15.360 --> 0:06:17.400 it was gonna be Evan Dietrich Smith and then Don 0:06:17.480 --> 0:06:20.279 Barkley squeezed out the number seven spot. Packers went into 0:06:20.279 --> 0:06:23.160 the season with seven offensive linemen. This group, the way 0:06:23.200 --> 0:06:26.359 they're structured right now, you know, if if health is 0:06:26.360 --> 0:06:29.080 not an issue here, if guys stay healthy throughout training camp, 0:06:29.400 --> 0:06:32.400 there's gonna be nine ten guys contesting for roster spots 0:06:32.440 --> 0:06:35.120 that might be in contention to really deserve them in 0:06:35.200 --> 0:06:37.400 some tough calls that they're you know, general manager Brian 0:06:37.440 --> 0:06:39.400 Dudikins is gonna have to make. But at the end 0:06:39.440 --> 0:06:42.159 of the day, that's that's the plight that these scouts 0:06:42.200 --> 0:06:44.640 want to have. Yeah, just one interesting little fact I'll 0:06:44.680 --> 0:06:48.360 throw out before we go on to another position. Um 0:06:48.360 --> 0:06:51.160 Elton Jenkins drafted number forty four overall. You know who 0:06:51.200 --> 0:06:53.960 the last offensive lineman was the Packers drafted at number 0:06:54.000 --> 0:06:58.840 forty four overall, Darren College Chad. Yeah, so just kind 0:06:58.839 --> 0:07:01.920 of one of those coincidental things, don't I don't know why. 0:07:01.920 --> 0:07:04.080 I always thought Clifton was a higher second. I knew 0:07:04.080 --> 0:07:07.240 he was a second on draft was number forty. Well, 0:07:07.279 --> 0:07:09.080 if this one turns out as well as Clifton did 0:07:09.720 --> 0:07:12.120 have another Hall of Famer on their hands. Well, I 0:07:12.160 --> 0:07:15.320 think another position we're certainly going to be watching closely 0:07:15.360 --> 0:07:17.960 as O. T. A. S begin is the wide receiver spot. 0:07:18.520 --> 0:07:21.680 And just to give fans a sense of what you 0:07:21.720 --> 0:07:24.520 and I do when we go to practice and the 0:07:24.560 --> 0:07:27.520 eleven on eleven stuff is what we watch the most. 0:07:27.560 --> 0:07:30.280 And again it's not full pads and these the eleven 0:07:30.320 --> 0:07:32.600 on eleven in full pads and training camp is much 0:07:32.640 --> 0:07:35.240 more indicative of where things are headed. But as soon 0:07:35.280 --> 0:07:37.440 as they started eleven on eleven period, you and I 0:07:37.480 --> 0:07:41.040 are there, We've got our notebooks, we're jotting down who's 0:07:41.080 --> 0:07:45.120 taking the first reps because for the most part, those 0:07:45.160 --> 0:07:47.880 are the guys who at that moment are at the 0:07:47.920 --> 0:07:50.520 top of the depth chart at those positions. So when 0:07:50.520 --> 0:07:52.520 it comes to wide receiver, I think you and I 0:07:52.560 --> 0:07:55.720 are both going to be looking very closely. Maybe I'll 0:07:55.760 --> 0:07:57.520 look at the offensive line first and you look at 0:07:57.520 --> 0:08:00.600 the wide receivers so we don't miss anything. But if 0:08:00.640 --> 0:08:03.520 Geronimo Allison is indeed with the starting group as the 0:08:03.600 --> 0:08:07.040 number two offensive number two wide receiver, excuse me, and 0:08:07.080 --> 0:08:10.119 then the first time they have a three wide receiver set. 0:08:10.280 --> 0:08:13.560 Who's the third guy? Is it Marquez Valdes Scaling, is 0:08:13.600 --> 0:08:16.840 it eq St Brown, is it Jake Kumarro or somebody else. 0:08:17.120 --> 0:08:19.000 Those are the kinds of things that you and I 0:08:19.040 --> 0:08:22.760 will watch for when the starters, when Aaron Rodgers is 0:08:22.800 --> 0:08:25.440 out there taking snaps and eleven on eleven, who are 0:08:25.480 --> 0:08:27.440 the guys that are with them? Absolutely, And it's a 0:08:27.440 --> 0:08:29.240 great point you raised there, because, as I was saying, 0:08:29.280 --> 0:08:31.520 when we're talking about the offensive line, there's not a 0:08:31.560 --> 0:08:33.480 lot you can draw from because you know who's going 0:08:33.520 --> 0:08:35.520 to be out there. You know they're going to give 0:08:35.559 --> 0:08:37.920 veteran status to certain guys will get the reps, you know, 0:08:38.160 --> 0:08:40.760 and I would I would imagine unless something surprises me, 0:08:40.800 --> 0:08:43.640 that you're gonna see Lucas Patrick and Justin mccraie take 0:08:43.679 --> 0:08:47.760 reps before Jenkins, just based on that hierarchy. But at receiver, 0:08:47.880 --> 0:08:49.920 you have three receivers who are all the same age 0:08:50.000 --> 0:08:52.400 or all the same year. You have Jake Kumero having 0:08:52.440 --> 0:08:55.080 the experience that he has. It will be very interesting 0:08:55.120 --> 0:08:57.400 to see what the first move is with these receivers 0:08:57.559 --> 0:08:59.600 and also what they're asking them to do. I don't 0:08:59.600 --> 0:09:01.480 know how many a routes we're gonna see. I don't 0:09:01.520 --> 0:09:04.080 know how many team periods we're gonna see, but you 0:09:04.120 --> 0:09:06.520 are going to get a feel for what the design 0:09:06.640 --> 0:09:09.720 is going to look like for this offense. My personal 0:09:09.760 --> 0:09:12.400 feeling is Geronimo Alison is that number two guy right now, 0:09:12.520 --> 0:09:14.679 much like the number three last year when he went 0:09:14.760 --> 0:09:16.600 to training camp. I think he has a solid grasp 0:09:16.679 --> 0:09:18.360 on that and is gonna have to defend that in 0:09:18.400 --> 0:09:21.480 training camp. But those three young receivers Michael, based on 0:09:21.600 --> 0:09:25.559 every practice now and going into the summer, I can 0:09:25.600 --> 0:09:27.760 fluctuate and those guys are gonna be asked to do 0:09:27.800 --> 0:09:30.320 different things. And then also the guy I keep challenging 0:09:30.360 --> 0:09:33.160 people not to forget about is Trevor Davis. Trevor Davis 0:09:33.280 --> 0:09:34.880 is still in the thick of this thing as well. 0:09:34.920 --> 0:09:37.439 He gives them the versatility on returns and he had 0:09:37.480 --> 0:09:39.520 his moments as a receiver, most of those came in 0:09:39.600 --> 0:09:43.080 his rookie year, but they're still there. So it is 0:09:43.120 --> 0:09:45.440 going to be a very compelling case to see exactly 0:09:45.480 --> 0:09:49.040 who from this this this room of opportunity kind of 0:09:49.160 --> 0:09:50.800 rises to the top of that. Yeah, it's a good 0:09:50.840 --> 0:09:54.040 way to put a room of opportunity. Absolutely um quickly 0:09:54.040 --> 0:09:57.440 though West the powerful noise canceling technology that helps NFL 0:09:57.520 --> 0:10:00.560 coaches block out eighty tho screaming fan can get you 0:10:00.640 --> 0:10:03.520 closer to the music you love. Learn more at www 0:10:03.600 --> 0:10:07.280 dot bos dot com, Slash Packers Bows, the official headphones 0:10:07.880 --> 0:10:09.920 of the Green Bay Packers, and at Homer Here in 0:10:09.960 --> 0:10:12.000 the stands, we all know that Green Bay fans give 0:10:12.040 --> 0:10:13.880 it their all and that takes a lot of energy. 0:10:14.200 --> 0:10:16.520 So grab a warm bowl of Campbell's Chunky Soup. It's 0:10:16.520 --> 0:10:19.319 meaty goodness fuels the greatness of Packers fans everywhere. I 0:10:19.400 --> 0:10:22.760 tried the delicious classic chicken noodle soup. Just visit your 0:10:22.800 --> 0:10:26.400 local supermarket and ask for Campbell's Chunky Soup, Official sup 0:10:26.480 --> 0:10:29.840 partner of the Green Bay Packers. Okay, sticking with the 0:10:29.880 --> 0:10:33.440 perimeter players on offense. I know we had talked on 0:10:33.440 --> 0:10:37.400 a previous show. Just our curiosity is to maybe how 0:10:37.440 --> 0:10:39.920 things are going to shake out at running back. I 0:10:39.960 --> 0:10:41.720 really don't think we're going to get any kind of 0:10:41.720 --> 0:10:44.480 a feel for that necessarily beyond Aaron Jones as the 0:10:44.559 --> 0:10:47.079 number one until we get to the preseason games. You 0:10:47.120 --> 0:10:49.760 know that we're we're talking August and well into August 0:10:49.840 --> 0:10:52.120 before we know how this shakes out. But the thing 0:10:52.160 --> 0:10:54.800 I'm gonna be watching with regards to the running backs 0:10:54.960 --> 0:10:59.400 is the past catching ability. Um A, how smooth, how 0:10:59.480 --> 0:11:02.520 smoothly do they do it? And be how often in 0:11:02.559 --> 0:11:04.840 this offense are they asked to how much are they 0:11:04.840 --> 0:11:07.360 going to be repping those kinds of things, because I 0:11:07.400 --> 0:11:09.560 think that's something we might see a little bit more of. 0:11:09.600 --> 0:11:12.400 And I'm not talking about just the checkdowns, you know 0:11:12.480 --> 0:11:15.360 when the guy is an open downfield. I'm talking about 0:11:15.400 --> 0:11:19.400 the design plays and not even necessarily screen passes, but 0:11:19.559 --> 0:11:22.439 designed passing plays for the running backs that I think 0:11:22.440 --> 0:11:24.840 could be part of this Matt Lafleur offense. And how 0:11:24.880 --> 0:11:28.600 these running backs Aaron Jones, Jamal Williams, Dexter Williams, Capri Bibs, 0:11:28.640 --> 0:11:32.400 these guys, how smoothly they can look in those reps 0:11:32.400 --> 0:11:35.400 when it's not full contact. That's gonna translate into maybe 0:11:35.400 --> 0:11:37.800 where they are on the depth chart comes summertime. It's 0:11:37.800 --> 0:11:40.400 a new offense, new coach, new scheme. But I felt 0:11:40.400 --> 0:11:42.400 one of the things that Mike McCarthy did well during 0:11:42.400 --> 0:11:44.720 his time in Green Bays how that position evolved and 0:11:44.880 --> 0:11:47.760 how the running back and the receivers so to speak, 0:11:47.800 --> 0:11:50.199 in the backfield sort of became more of a prominent 0:11:50.240 --> 0:11:52.400 part of the offense. When the Packers had their most 0:11:52.400 --> 0:11:54.520 success right around two thousand and fourteen, they were getting 0:11:54.559 --> 0:11:56.920 Eddie Lacy and James Stark's involved in the screen game. 0:11:57.280 --> 0:11:59.640 But then as time wore on, you had time Hontgomer, 0:11:59.679 --> 0:12:02.679 you had Randall Cob, You even had Vante Adams at 0:12:02.720 --> 0:12:06.000 some points lining up in the backfield with design Place 0:12:06.120 --> 0:12:08.120 being able to motion those guys out. See if you 0:12:08.160 --> 0:12:10.240 can pick up a few hints from what the defense 0:12:10.320 --> 0:12:12.400 is asking. I think that's gonna be a big thing 0:12:12.440 --> 0:12:15.080 in this offense with Matt Lafleur. What they're gonna ask 0:12:15.080 --> 0:12:16.640 those guys to do. It isn't just going to be 0:12:16.679 --> 0:12:19.480 the checkdown Charlie approach. It's going to be them going 0:12:19.480 --> 0:12:22.920 out into space, finding holes and getting open. That is 0:12:23.000 --> 0:12:24.920 the key to this thing. I think of the NFL 0:12:24.960 --> 0:12:28.040 in two thousand nineteen, we can talk for so many 0:12:28.200 --> 0:12:31.400 for so long Mike about you know, you know this 0:12:31.520 --> 0:12:34.839 offense is doing this and Sean mcveigh's doing that. If 0:12:34.840 --> 0:12:36.599 you look at the teams that made deep runs in 0:12:36.640 --> 0:12:38.400 the playoffs, this year. I don't know how much playoff 0:12:38.400 --> 0:12:40.480 football you watched. I think I watched every game. I 0:12:40.480 --> 0:12:44.440 could they a lot of those, especially the Patriots, the 0:12:44.480 --> 0:12:48.640 things that they do. The design it really, I think 0:12:48.760 --> 0:12:52.360 is incumbent on offenses now to maximize those running backs, 0:12:52.360 --> 0:12:55.520 maximize the James Whites of the world. Guys that because 0:12:55.640 --> 0:12:59.560 so often when you think about scrambled plays with quarterbacks right, well, 0:12:59.600 --> 0:13:02.439 sometimes and the quarterbacks gets free, it's because he's the 0:13:02.440 --> 0:13:05.400 guy that isn't really accounted for in the passing game, 0:13:05.480 --> 0:13:08.280 running backs have sort of become the same player. So 0:13:08.440 --> 0:13:11.840 seeing how Aaron Jones, Jamal Williams, uh, you know, even 0:13:11.880 --> 0:13:15.000 Danny Vitality the fullback, these guys can handle that role. 0:13:15.600 --> 0:13:17.360 I think it's going to be paramount for not only 0:13:17.360 --> 0:13:20.200 getting the roster spot, you know, Dexter Williams and Capri Bibs, 0:13:20.200 --> 0:13:22.640 They're gonna have to prove themselves in that capacity, but 0:13:22.760 --> 0:13:24.520 who ultimately is going to be the one getting the 0:13:24.520 --> 0:13:26.720 bulk of those snaps, the bolt of bulk of those 0:13:26.760 --> 0:13:29.439 touches in the opener against the Bears. Yeah, when you're 0:13:29.440 --> 0:13:31.559 talking about getting the ball to running backs in the 0:13:31.640 --> 0:13:35.640 passing game, a it's presumably higher percentage passes because they 0:13:35.679 --> 0:13:39.520 aren't downfield. They aren't they aren't highly challenged throws, and 0:13:39.559 --> 0:13:42.880 then be if the running back makes one guy miss 0:13:42.880 --> 0:13:45.520 suddenly four or five yard game can pick up a 0:13:45.520 --> 0:13:48.200 first down and off you go offensively. And I think 0:13:48.280 --> 0:13:50.560 that's going to be something that this h this Matt 0:13:50.640 --> 0:13:54.160 Lafleur offense very well could be built on. And I 0:13:54.240 --> 0:13:56.800 remember talking to Aaron Jones at the end of the 0:13:56.840 --> 0:13:58.960 regular season last year, and one of the first things 0:13:59.040 --> 0:14:01.400 he's one of the first things he said is his 0:14:01.440 --> 0:14:04.040 whole focus in the off season, aside from his health 0:14:04.320 --> 0:14:06.920 and getting his body to where he can withstand a 0:14:06.960 --> 0:14:11.839 full sixteen game and and hopefully more schedule, was about 0:14:11.880 --> 0:14:15.160 improving his route running and his pass catching out of 0:14:15.200 --> 0:14:18.480 the backfield. I think he was already sensing that that's 0:14:18.520 --> 0:14:21.520 the next step from a skill standpoint for him to 0:14:21.640 --> 0:14:24.680 become the complete, well rounded running back that you know, 0:14:24.720 --> 0:14:26.920 becomes that guy that you don't necessarily want to take 0:14:26.920 --> 0:14:29.440 off the field very often. Absolutely. And and and the other 0:14:29.520 --> 0:14:31.440 thing too, is that if the Packers are going to 0:14:31.520 --> 0:14:33.240 try to stretch the field a little bit more, you know, 0:14:33.320 --> 0:14:35.760 Davante Adams with that little quip about you know the 0:14:35.800 --> 0:14:37.800 yards per catch, you're going to go up. What happens 0:14:37.840 --> 0:14:40.000 when you start attacking the second and third levels of 0:14:40.000 --> 0:14:42.680 a defense, it starts to open up things underneath, and 0:14:42.720 --> 0:14:45.240 that's where the tight ends. That's where you have you know, 0:14:45.280 --> 0:14:47.400 Aaron Jones and Jamal Williams. They have to be effective 0:14:47.400 --> 0:14:50.560 in that capacity, being able to become complete players because 0:14:50.800 --> 0:14:52.400 when you look at the guy, and this isn't just 0:14:52.440 --> 0:14:54.680 for the Packers, this isn't just for the teams. When 0:14:54.680 --> 0:14:56.360 you look at the running backs now that are making 0:14:56.400 --> 0:14:58.760 money in this league's it's it isn't the guy that 0:14:58.800 --> 0:15:01.480 has eighteen hundred yards r sing anymore. It's the guy 0:15:01.480 --> 0:15:04.320 that has a thousand yards rushing in seven hundred yards receiving. 0:15:04.360 --> 0:15:06.600 It's a total yardage game now, Michael, or maybe even 0:15:06.640 --> 0:15:11.520 eight eight hundred split splitting. It isn't he isn't getting 0:15:12.040 --> 0:15:15.520 carries two carries a year and rushing yards. It's the 0:15:15.560 --> 0:15:19.080 total package. And that's what I think makes these guys valuable. 0:15:19.120 --> 0:15:21.680 It's what also is going into summer. Guards is going 0:15:21.760 --> 0:15:23.920 to extend careers because the more you can do as 0:15:23.960 --> 0:15:27.000 a pass catcher, look at Darren Sprawls, the longer you're 0:15:27.040 --> 0:15:30.920 gonna be Yeah, no question about it. Another position I 0:15:30.920 --> 0:15:33.800 want to touch on quickly before we go today West, 0:15:33.920 --> 0:15:36.640 and again I say this, uh in a very very 0:15:36.680 --> 0:15:41.400 preliminary sense, but we know that this coming summer, the 0:15:41.440 --> 0:15:44.720 training camp in preseason is gonna shape up as a 0:15:44.760 --> 0:15:48.080 potentially very legitimate battle for the number two quarterback spot 0:15:48.080 --> 0:15:51.160 between Deshaun Kaiser and Tim Boyle. With where the Packers 0:15:51.200 --> 0:15:53.880 are now and uh and Manny Wilkins has been added 0:15:53.920 --> 0:15:56.120 to that mix as a fourth quarterback at this point. 0:15:56.640 --> 0:15:59.120 I'll be interested to see here when we first get 0:15:59.120 --> 0:16:01.200 a look at these guys in eleven on eleven for 0:16:01.240 --> 0:16:04.360 the first time, you know, which of these backup quarterbacks 0:16:04.400 --> 0:16:07.560 you know, looks the smoothest, looks like mentally they're picking 0:16:07.640 --> 0:16:10.880 up everything with the offense. We know the mental acuity 0:16:11.000 --> 0:16:14.080 and the experience that Aaron Rodgers has and everything is 0:16:14.120 --> 0:16:16.520 going to carry him a long way in this transition 0:16:16.800 --> 0:16:20.240 to a new offense. But these younger guys sometimes you 0:16:20.280 --> 0:16:22.920 just don't know until you see it. And I'll be 0:16:22.960 --> 0:16:26.160 really curious just how it how it shakes out, how 0:16:26.200 --> 0:16:28.720 it starts for these guys when they get into some 0:16:28.760 --> 0:16:30.760 of these eleven on eleven reps. Right. And then the 0:16:30.800 --> 0:16:33.280 other thing too that I'm that I'm most excited to 0:16:33.320 --> 0:16:36.240 see is Tim Boyle. Uh and certainly seen Kaiser a 0:16:36.280 --> 0:16:38.800 lot of ability there. He's still only twenty three years old, 0:16:39.040 --> 0:16:41.640 and he's got he's got the playing game experience. I 0:16:41.680 --> 0:16:44.160 mean that whole season Cleveland. He got a couple of 0:16:44.160 --> 0:16:45.920 games last year. I know they didn't go as well 0:16:45.920 --> 0:16:48.120 obviously as he would have liked, but he's got the 0:16:48.120 --> 0:16:51.520 most playing experience by far of the backup quarterbacks in 0:16:51.560 --> 0:16:55.360 this group. The reason why I'm really intrigued by Boyle though, 0:16:55.600 --> 0:16:57.600 is because last year this time I wrote the story 0:16:57.600 --> 0:16:59.640 when he came in for rookie right. I remember, this 0:16:59.720 --> 0:17:04.639 was a I that had a nightmare college career in 0:17:04.760 --> 0:17:07.200 terms of a guy when you look at committing somewhere. 0:17:07.480 --> 0:17:09.560 He did all the right things. He was a Connecticut 0:17:09.560 --> 0:17:11.960 State Player of the Year. He went to Yukon, he 0:17:12.040 --> 0:17:14.520 wanted to rep his state, and things did not go 0:17:14.600 --> 0:17:17.480 there three different coordinators in three different years. He obviously 0:17:17.520 --> 0:17:20.359 moved on finished his career down at the FCS level, 0:17:20.600 --> 0:17:23.160 but all along, Michael, if you see Tim Boyle walk 0:17:23.200 --> 0:17:27.000 into a locker room, that's an NFL quarterback, his body, 0:17:27.080 --> 0:17:31.200 he looks his arm, and we saw it from the 0:17:31.280 --> 0:17:34.359 get go last summer. Now he's still I'm not trying 0:17:34.359 --> 0:17:36.040 to put him in the Hall of Fame yet, but 0:17:36.119 --> 0:17:38.240 I just think when you look at the raw and tangibles, 0:17:38.400 --> 0:17:40.760 you just wipe out all the production in college. You 0:17:40.800 --> 0:17:44.760 just look at a guy that projects like a developmental quarterback. 0:17:45.119 --> 0:17:49.600 Boyle checks all those boxes. Seeing the strides he made. 0:17:49.720 --> 0:17:52.159 He spent his off season here in Green Bay. He 0:17:52.240 --> 0:17:54.720 obviously was able to be on the fifty three. He's 0:17:54.760 --> 0:17:56.879 not getting all those reps during the season, but he 0:17:57.000 --> 0:18:00.160 is getting a chance to learn from Rogers. Seeing where 0:18:00.160 --> 0:18:02.119 he's at in year two now, where he's not just 0:18:02.280 --> 0:18:08.080 the intriguing, somewhat confusing college prospect, now he's a second 0:18:08.119 --> 0:18:11.680 year player, and where he's developed from there against Kaiser now, 0:18:11.760 --> 0:18:12.920 I think is going to be one of the more 0:18:12.920 --> 0:18:15.280 compelling cases to watch. Yeah, I agree with you. Can 0:18:15.320 --> 0:18:17.399 you look at you look at his resume as a 0:18:17.400 --> 0:18:20.800 college player and you would not think that two years 0:18:20.840 --> 0:18:23.760 in he'd be a legitimate candidate to be backing up 0:18:23.760 --> 0:18:26.520 Aaron Rodgers to the Green Bay Packers, But he very 0:18:26.600 --> 0:18:29.679 much is. And as you said, it's it's all the 0:18:29.720 --> 0:18:32.800 physical tools. And if there was a guy who needed 0:18:32.960 --> 0:18:35.960 a clean slate coming out of college and get to 0:18:36.040 --> 0:18:39.480 start over, it was Tim Boyle at the toughest position 0:18:39.520 --> 0:18:42.080 that there is on the football field, and thus far 0:18:42.160 --> 0:18:44.680 he's taken advantage of it because he's made the right 0:18:44.720 --> 0:18:47.560 first impression. Now we're going to see has he made 0:18:47.640 --> 0:18:50.119 the strides he needs to make in year two. The 0:18:50.160 --> 0:18:51.960 only thing that my heart kind of goes out to 0:18:52.040 --> 0:18:54.119 boil over is the fact that can this guy just 0:18:54.160 --> 0:18:56.520 get the same offensive coordinator and think in a year 0:18:56.600 --> 0:18:59.000 to year basis, I mean the fifth year now, I 0:18:59.000 --> 0:19:00.560 don't even know how many different hope this will be 0:19:00.560 --> 0:19:04.439 his fourth or fifth different head coach. And you can 0:19:04.480 --> 0:19:06.600 say the same thing about Kaiser as well. Look at 0:19:06.640 --> 0:19:08.640