WEBVTT - #544 Packers Unscripted: Week 1 has arrived

0:00:00.800 --> 0:00:14.720
<v Speaker 1>Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted Social

0:00:14.800 --> 0:00:18.239
<v Speaker 1>Distancing Style from Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spofford,

0:00:18.320 --> 0:00:23.000
<v Speaker 1>joined as always by my partner crime Wes Hodku. It's Weston.

0:00:23.360 --> 0:00:27.200
<v Speaker 1>Week one of the NFL season is here. That is

0:00:27.280 --> 0:00:31.160
<v Speaker 1>a very exciting and comforting thing to be able to say,

0:00:31.480 --> 0:00:33.720
<v Speaker 1>you know it is. It's almost somewhat surreal to Mike.

0:00:33.920 --> 0:00:36.240
<v Speaker 1>I was getting ready for work even this morning and

0:00:36.320 --> 0:00:37.760
<v Speaker 1>just kind of getting it in the back of my

0:00:37.800 --> 0:00:40.720
<v Speaker 1>mind that, Okay, fifty three man roster is set, the

0:00:40.720 --> 0:00:44.000
<v Speaker 1>practice squad is mostly set. Now it shifts to game

0:00:44.000 --> 0:00:48.240
<v Speaker 1>week Wednesdays, we're gonna have the same in season type practices.

0:00:48.280 --> 0:00:51.040
<v Speaker 1>Aaron Rodgers is going to address the media, albeit it'll

0:00:51.080 --> 0:00:53.440
<v Speaker 1>be on zoom uh, and we're gonna just start having

0:00:53.440 --> 0:00:55.240
<v Speaker 1>those domino effects. You and I are gonna start gett

0:00:55.240 --> 0:00:58.360
<v Speaker 1>into our routine with our videos and stories. So in

0:00:58.440 --> 0:01:00.800
<v Speaker 1>that way, it does feel like a lot of normalcy

0:01:01.000 --> 0:01:03.200
<v Speaker 1>in a return to it, and very welcomed at that

0:01:03.680 --> 0:01:06.360
<v Speaker 1>um In the disappointing side of it, though, it also

0:01:06.480 --> 0:01:08.040
<v Speaker 1>kind of feels like to me, like where did the

0:01:08.120 --> 0:01:10.399
<v Speaker 1>last six months ago? You know it just it's just

0:01:10.440 --> 0:01:13.000
<v Speaker 1>been one of these wild rides that yeah, we're here,

0:01:13.000 --> 0:01:16.000
<v Speaker 1>we're healthy, and I'm happy about it. But I I

0:01:16.040 --> 0:01:18.480
<v Speaker 1>don't think as NFL season has ever really snuck up

0:01:18.480 --> 0:01:21.080
<v Speaker 1>on me as much as it has this year. Yeah,

0:01:21.120 --> 0:01:23.280
<v Speaker 1>this has been one that it's been hard to prepare

0:01:23.319 --> 0:01:26.080
<v Speaker 1>for whatever is around the next corner. But just to

0:01:26.160 --> 0:01:28.640
<v Speaker 1>alert the fans and lay out the schedule for the

0:01:28.680 --> 0:01:30.560
<v Speaker 1>time being, West and I are going to continue to

0:01:30.600 --> 0:01:34.479
<v Speaker 1>do Packers Unscripted two days a week Tuesdays and Thursdays

0:01:34.480 --> 0:01:37.200
<v Speaker 1>for the most part. If the schedule is normal, will

0:01:37.240 --> 0:01:39.959
<v Speaker 1>be the days that new shows are posted and available

0:01:39.959 --> 0:01:42.840
<v Speaker 1>on Packers dot com and also as podcasts in all

0:01:42.840 --> 0:01:46.399
<v Speaker 1>those places where you find your podcast. So, West, We've

0:01:46.400 --> 0:01:47.840
<v Speaker 1>got a lot to talk about with regard to the

0:01:47.880 --> 0:01:51.240
<v Speaker 1>Minnesota Vikings, the Packers Week one opponent. But first quickly

0:01:51.320 --> 0:01:54.680
<v Speaker 1>a look back to the weekend. The roster decisions were made,

0:01:54.680 --> 0:01:58.000
<v Speaker 1>the fifty three man roster, the initial fifty three man roster,

0:01:58.040 --> 0:02:00.520
<v Speaker 1>because we know it's not staying the same. That has

0:02:00.560 --> 0:02:02.840
<v Speaker 1>been said, the practice squad for the most part has

0:02:02.880 --> 0:02:06.760
<v Speaker 1>been filled up. Just any quick takeaways initial thoughts on

0:02:06.840 --> 0:02:09.000
<v Speaker 1>how that all shook out over the weekend, Well, they

0:02:09.000 --> 0:02:11.400
<v Speaker 1>always say it's the initial fifty three because it already

0:02:11.440 --> 0:02:15.240
<v Speaker 1>has changed Comal Martin, Comal Martin and Kaban into put

0:02:15.240 --> 0:02:17.160
<v Speaker 1>On I R that allows them to return at some

0:02:17.200 --> 0:02:20.280
<v Speaker 1>point this season. They also signed Perry Nickerson, a former

0:02:20.360 --> 0:02:23.720
<v Speaker 1>really solid cornerback from two lane that had a little

0:02:23.720 --> 0:02:26.960
<v Speaker 1>bit of time with the Jacksonville Jaguars in New York Jets.

0:02:27.000 --> 0:02:29.280
<v Speaker 1>But here's the thing, Mike, what I love about the

0:02:29.320 --> 0:02:31.960
<v Speaker 1>way that these cutdowns work is you always get these

0:02:32.000 --> 0:02:35.520
<v Speaker 1>sort of cinderella stories, guys that when you would have

0:02:35.600 --> 0:02:38.080
<v Speaker 1>started training camp, you probably would have given a zero

0:02:38.080 --> 0:02:40.800
<v Speaker 1>percent chance of making this roster. And then they impressed

0:02:40.800 --> 0:02:43.400
<v Speaker 1>the coaches, they impressed the scouts in low and behold

0:02:43.400 --> 0:02:45.160
<v Speaker 1>here they are. And in this year that guy was

0:02:45.240 --> 0:02:47.519
<v Speaker 1>Malik Taylor. I think you got to tip your cap

0:02:47.560 --> 0:02:50.200
<v Speaker 1>to this young man. It's the guy that was a second,

0:02:50.360 --> 0:02:53.079
<v Speaker 1>you know, Division two athlete at Farris State, had a

0:02:53.160 --> 0:02:55.880
<v Speaker 1>nice productive career there that but then got hurt his

0:02:56.000 --> 0:02:58.840
<v Speaker 1>senior year. He didn't really know what was gonna happen

0:02:58.880 --> 0:03:00.799
<v Speaker 1>if any NFL teams were going to give him a look.

0:03:00.840 --> 0:03:03.680
<v Speaker 1>He did get signed as a uf A UH and

0:03:03.880 --> 0:03:06.840
<v Speaker 1>getting that opportunity with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for three days,

0:03:07.280 --> 0:03:09.000
<v Speaker 1>and then he gets cut. He's out of work again

0:03:09.000 --> 0:03:10.600
<v Speaker 1>for two months, and then the Packers pick him up

0:03:10.680 --> 0:03:13.040
<v Speaker 1>right before training camp last year, ends up on the

0:03:13.080 --> 0:03:15.720
<v Speaker 1>practice squad, comes back this year. Despite all the other

0:03:15.800 --> 0:03:18.480
<v Speaker 1>names we were talking about, I don't know how often

0:03:18.520 --> 0:03:20.760
<v Speaker 1>you and I talked about Bleak Taylor during these shows.

0:03:20.840 --> 0:03:23.720
<v Speaker 1>But this young man six ft two, two twenty pounds,

0:03:23.760 --> 0:03:26.040
<v Speaker 1>he carries himself as a nice build, can help on

0:03:26.120 --> 0:03:28.560
<v Speaker 1>special teams, and he made his dream come true. And

0:03:28.840 --> 0:03:31.280
<v Speaker 1>those are the types of stories that you know, the

0:03:31.400 --> 0:03:33.520
<v Speaker 1>NFL is all about the Aaron Rodgers, and it's all

0:03:33.520 --> 0:03:35.800
<v Speaker 1>about the Davantae Adams and the superstars and the guys

0:03:35.840 --> 0:03:37.560
<v Speaker 1>that really, you know, you can put on the banners

0:03:37.560 --> 0:03:40.040
<v Speaker 1>and the marquees, but it's those Malik Taylors of the

0:03:40.040 --> 0:03:42.680
<v Speaker 1>world that really, you know, drive this league and and

0:03:42.840 --> 0:03:46.120
<v Speaker 1>give us stories that can kind of capture the imagination

0:03:46.160 --> 0:03:49.120
<v Speaker 1>a little bit. Yeah, we wondered all offseason, all training

0:03:49.200 --> 0:03:52.920
<v Speaker 1>camp how that wide receiver position was going to settle itself.

0:03:53.040 --> 0:03:56.440
<v Speaker 1>And Malik Taylor is the fifth of the five active

0:03:56.480 --> 0:04:00.880
<v Speaker 1>wide receivers. Davante Adams, al Lazard Marquis about this Scantling

0:04:00.960 --> 0:04:03.840
<v Speaker 1>and Equinimius st Brown being the others. Jake Kumarro has

0:04:03.880 --> 0:04:07.960
<v Speaker 1>released Darius Shepard is on the practice squad for the Packers,

0:04:08.000 --> 0:04:11.480
<v Speaker 1>and a couple of other former undrafted guys worth mentioning

0:04:11.480 --> 0:04:14.600
<v Speaker 1>here that did make their first fifty three coming out

0:04:14.600 --> 0:04:18.000
<v Speaker 1>of training camp. I'm talking about outside linebacker Randy Ramsey

0:04:18.040 --> 0:04:21.960
<v Speaker 1>and offensive tackle yash Naiman, So a couple of other

0:04:22.000 --> 0:04:25.800
<v Speaker 1>young guys that that the Packers are are looking to

0:04:26.000 --> 0:04:28.599
<v Speaker 1>their upside and to see what they can they can

0:04:28.640 --> 0:04:31.279
<v Speaker 1>bring to UH to this screen Bay team down the road.

0:04:31.480 --> 0:04:33.880
<v Speaker 1>As we head into week one, here a couple of

0:04:33.920 --> 0:04:36.680
<v Speaker 1>injury questions for the Packers that need to be sorted out.

0:04:36.680 --> 0:04:39.440
<v Speaker 1>You mentioned Kamal Martin at inside linebacker, the rookie fifth

0:04:39.560 --> 0:04:42.440
<v Speaker 1>round pick from Minnesota. He goes on injury reserve with

0:04:42.480 --> 0:04:44.560
<v Speaker 1>the knee injury. The Packers are hoping to get him

0:04:44.600 --> 0:04:47.760
<v Speaker 1>back sometime later this year, but that leaves open in

0:04:47.960 --> 0:04:51.520
<v Speaker 1>sort of the base defense. Who will line up next

0:04:51.560 --> 0:04:53.800
<v Speaker 1>to Christian Kirksey. Will it be Oren Burke's, will it

0:04:53.839 --> 0:04:57.200
<v Speaker 1>be Ty Summers? Just where what direction are the Packers

0:04:57.240 --> 0:05:00.599
<v Speaker 1>going to go there? And then still some certainty on

0:05:00.640 --> 0:05:03.240
<v Speaker 1>the offensive line. It certainly looks like Lane Taylor has

0:05:03.320 --> 0:05:06.640
<v Speaker 1>nailed down a starting job for the Packers at right guard,

0:05:06.640 --> 0:05:10.000
<v Speaker 1>but Billy Turner was looking to potentially be the starting

0:05:10.080 --> 0:05:12.600
<v Speaker 1>right tackle in Week one. He is injured and as

0:05:12.640 --> 0:05:15.359
<v Speaker 1>of Monday, was not practicing. We will see what his

0:05:15.400 --> 0:05:18.479
<v Speaker 1>availability is or if the Packers make a move, have

0:05:18.560 --> 0:05:20.920
<v Speaker 1>to make a move with that starting lineup at right tackle,

0:05:20.960 --> 0:05:23.800
<v Speaker 1>whether it's Rick Wagner, whether it's shuffling some guys around,

0:05:24.520 --> 0:05:27.600
<v Speaker 1>um Matt Lafleur, not revealing at all what the Packers

0:05:27.640 --> 0:05:30.320
<v Speaker 1>plans are going to be there on at the right

0:05:30.360 --> 0:05:33.080
<v Speaker 1>tackle spot for Week one. Yeah, and this is where

0:05:33.080 --> 0:05:35.640
<v Speaker 1>it actually gets kind of fun too, because so many times,

0:05:35.720 --> 0:05:37.880
<v Speaker 1>you know, you talk about Lane Taylor there. Lane had

0:05:37.880 --> 0:05:40.520
<v Speaker 1>a phenomenal camp, maybe the best he's ever had, to

0:05:40.520 --> 0:05:42.080
<v Speaker 1>be quite honest with you, he was great and the

0:05:42.120 --> 0:05:45.400
<v Speaker 1>one on one drills he showed no real hesitation or

0:05:45.400 --> 0:05:48.880
<v Speaker 1>reluctance coming back from that biceps injury. Was really strong.

0:05:49.320 --> 0:05:51.279
<v Speaker 1>But we didn't see any of these guys play games

0:05:51.960 --> 0:05:54.400
<v Speaker 1>that That's the bizarre thing about this. I mean, when

0:05:54.440 --> 0:05:57.640
<v Speaker 1>you go into this game against the Vikings on on Sunday, Uh,

0:05:57.680 --> 0:06:00.279
<v Speaker 1>special teams. Those will be the first real lives special

0:06:00.320 --> 0:06:03.359
<v Speaker 1>team's reps. We've seen ones on one's full collision, that

0:06:03.360 --> 0:06:06.280
<v Speaker 1>that type of stuff. Uh, seeing who steps up that

0:06:06.440 --> 0:06:09.359
<v Speaker 1>you know, can Rashawn Gary carry over? How well he performed?

0:06:09.640 --> 0:06:12.359
<v Speaker 1>Where is Mark Quisvelde scantling in this offense? Can he

0:06:12.400 --> 0:06:15.039
<v Speaker 1>take a step? Al Nazar? Does he pick up where

0:06:15.040 --> 0:06:18.080
<v Speaker 1>he left off last season? All these running backs, the

0:06:18.200 --> 0:06:21.320
<v Speaker 1>right tackle position. There's so many different things right now

0:06:21.360 --> 0:06:23.679
<v Speaker 1>that I'm not saying we would have had the answers

0:06:23.680 --> 0:06:26.160
<v Speaker 1>a year ago, but because of this cloak of darkness

0:06:26.200 --> 0:06:28.920
<v Speaker 1>that the league was thrown into this last month during

0:06:28.920 --> 0:06:31.799
<v Speaker 1>training camp, both sides and this matchup and all around

0:06:31.839 --> 0:06:33.920
<v Speaker 1>the league with the you know, the sixteen games are

0:06:33.920 --> 0:06:37.719
<v Speaker 1>gonna be played, everybody has question marks and seeing how

0:06:37.760 --> 0:06:40.200
<v Speaker 1>teams adjust here, I think we're gonna learn so much

0:06:40.200 --> 0:06:42.440
<v Speaker 1>about them. We're gonna learn so much about their preparation

0:06:42.520 --> 0:06:45.520
<v Speaker 1>these next three weeks and seeing exactly who rises to

0:06:45.560 --> 0:06:49.240
<v Speaker 1>the challenge of a very unique offense or off season

0:06:49.440 --> 0:06:52.719
<v Speaker 1>and training camp structure. Yeah. Well, you mentioned every team

0:06:52.720 --> 0:06:54.400
<v Speaker 1>in the league has question marks, and when you look

0:06:54.440 --> 0:06:57.280
<v Speaker 1>at the Minnesota Vikings, what everyone is wondering about with

0:06:57.400 --> 0:07:00.760
<v Speaker 1>Mike Zimmer and his defense. The word out of Minnesota's

0:07:00.760 --> 0:07:03.520
<v Speaker 1>Mike Zimmer never coaches a bad defense. He certainly has

0:07:03.560 --> 0:07:07.320
<v Speaker 1>the track record over the course of his career. But

0:07:07.400 --> 0:07:09.480
<v Speaker 1>the Vikings are going to be relying on a lot

0:07:09.520 --> 0:07:14.720
<v Speaker 1>of youth at cornerback with both Xavier Rhodes and Trey

0:07:14.760 --> 0:07:18.360
<v Speaker 1>Wayne's moving on in the off season. Their cornerback depth

0:07:18.440 --> 0:07:20.760
<v Speaker 1>chart right now, when you look at the four guys,

0:07:20.800 --> 0:07:24.840
<v Speaker 1>they have two cornerbacks that joined them in eighteen, Mike Hughes,

0:07:24.920 --> 0:07:27.360
<v Speaker 1>a first round pick and Holton Hill, who was an

0:07:27.480 --> 0:07:30.760
<v Speaker 1>undrafted free agent, And then two rookie draft picks that

0:07:30.840 --> 0:07:33.280
<v Speaker 1>joined them this year. Jeff Gladney from TCU was a

0:07:33.320 --> 0:07:36.280
<v Speaker 1>first round pick and Cameron Danceler a third round pick

0:07:36.280 --> 0:07:40.040
<v Speaker 1>from Mississippi State. Those are the Vikings four cornerbacks. So

0:07:40.720 --> 0:07:43.000
<v Speaker 1>two of those four have never played in an NFL

0:07:43.080 --> 0:07:45.640
<v Speaker 1>game and one of them was an undrafted guy just

0:07:46.000 --> 0:07:48.920
<v Speaker 1>a couple of years ago. So that's the big question

0:07:48.960 --> 0:07:52.000
<v Speaker 1>mark for the Minnesota Vikings defense. How do they adjust?

0:07:52.080 --> 0:07:54.360
<v Speaker 1>What will they look like in the secondary. They have

0:07:54.880 --> 0:07:58.800
<v Speaker 1>Harrison Smith, Anthony Harris, Pro Bowl to Pro Bowl safeties

0:07:58.840 --> 0:08:01.360
<v Speaker 1>and very very experienced guys in the back end, but

0:08:01.480 --> 0:08:05.560
<v Speaker 1>that cornerback spot is the one everybody's wondering about in Minnesota. Yeah,

0:08:05.600 --> 0:08:07.400
<v Speaker 1>and it's funny too because Jerry Gray, who's now the

0:08:07.400 --> 0:08:10.200
<v Speaker 1>Packers defensive backs coach, he knows this group as well

0:08:10.200 --> 0:08:12.360
<v Speaker 1>as anybody, and it's you know, credit to him that

0:08:12.440 --> 0:08:14.680
<v Speaker 1>they were able to develop, you know, Anthony Harris and

0:08:14.680 --> 0:08:18.880
<v Speaker 1>obviously Hill coming in as a college free agent as well. Uh.

0:08:19.280 --> 0:08:22.280
<v Speaker 1>The real interesting paradox right now with the Vikings is

0:08:22.320 --> 0:08:26.480
<v Speaker 1>that the what happened last year with their cornerbacks, I

0:08:26.520 --> 0:08:29.440
<v Speaker 1>didn't see that happening. Uh, Xavier Rhodes and we'll see

0:08:29.480 --> 0:08:31.600
<v Speaker 1>if he can get his career back on track now elsewhere.

0:08:31.640 --> 0:08:34.000
<v Speaker 1>But you know, he had kind of a regression there

0:08:34.040 --> 0:08:36.200
<v Speaker 1>that I wasn't expecting, especially I think, you know, he's

0:08:36.200 --> 0:08:38.000
<v Speaker 1>still only what twenty nine maybe, I mean he was

0:08:38.040 --> 0:08:40.920
<v Speaker 1>a young seemed like a youngerish guy yet, but took

0:08:40.920 --> 0:08:43.880
<v Speaker 1>a step back. They wanted to reset there. Wayne's always

0:08:43.960 --> 0:08:46.079
<v Speaker 1>was back and forth a little bit, so they want

0:08:46.120 --> 0:08:49.520
<v Speaker 1>to change up how they're doing at cornerback. What you

0:08:49.559 --> 0:08:51.920
<v Speaker 1>don't typically see in this league, though, is a team

0:08:51.960 --> 0:08:55.240
<v Speaker 1>that will overhaul its cornerbacks but yet they have such

0:08:55.240 --> 0:08:57.800
<v Speaker 1>a solid base at safety. Typically it ends up being

0:08:57.800 --> 0:09:01.319
<v Speaker 1>one or the other. Um you're you're gonna refresh everything

0:09:01.440 --> 0:09:04.000
<v Speaker 1>or you're just gonna stick with what you have. In

0:09:04.040 --> 0:09:06.360
<v Speaker 1>this case, you know, Harrison Smith has played a lot

0:09:06.360 --> 0:09:09.400
<v Speaker 1>of incredible football for the Minnesota Vikings, but his leadership

0:09:09.440 --> 0:09:10.719
<v Speaker 1>skills this year is going to be put to the

0:09:10.800 --> 0:09:14.000
<v Speaker 1>ultimate test. Can Anthony Harris proved that, Yeah, he's had

0:09:14.000 --> 0:09:16.920
<v Speaker 1>some incredible performances, has become a real ball hawk on

0:09:17.040 --> 0:09:19.720
<v Speaker 1>this league, came out of relative obscurity to become one

0:09:19.720 --> 0:09:22.520
<v Speaker 1>of its top safeties. Can those two continue to be

0:09:22.679 --> 0:09:25.560
<v Speaker 1>that rock for this secondary because so much of what

0:09:25.640 --> 0:09:27.960
<v Speaker 1>they do is based on having that synergy between the

0:09:28.000 --> 0:09:30.920
<v Speaker 1>back end in their pass rush. Pass rush is looking

0:09:30.920 --> 0:09:33.120
<v Speaker 1>a little bit different this year too. As you said,

0:09:33.160 --> 0:09:36.120
<v Speaker 1>Mike Zimmer doesn't coach bad defenses, but there really are

0:09:36.160 --> 0:09:38.040
<v Speaker 1>the most question marks he's had in his time in

0:09:38.080 --> 0:09:41.480
<v Speaker 1>Minnesota going into this two thousand twenty season. Yeah. Well,

0:09:41.480 --> 0:09:44.360
<v Speaker 1>the the linebacking corps is the one area that hasn't

0:09:44.360 --> 0:09:47.120
<v Speaker 1>really changed that much for Minnesota. You've got Eric Kendricks,

0:09:47.160 --> 0:09:49.800
<v Speaker 1>You've got Anthony Barr. Those guys are are the main

0:09:49.840 --> 0:09:52.040
<v Speaker 1>stays they are still there. You mentioned the changes with

0:09:52.120 --> 0:09:55.120
<v Speaker 1>the pass rush Danil Hunter on one end, he is

0:09:55.160 --> 0:09:58.840
<v Speaker 1>certainly the guy, but Everson Griffin no longer in Minnesota.

0:09:59.080 --> 0:10:01.680
<v Speaker 1>They the Viking has made a trade during training camp,

0:10:01.679 --> 0:10:04.280
<v Speaker 1>a very uh you know, big headline type of trade

0:10:04.559 --> 0:10:08.080
<v Speaker 1>getting Jacksonville's unique and gok way if I am saying

0:10:08.120 --> 0:10:10.720
<v Speaker 1>that you got it directly your job. He was franchise

0:10:10.840 --> 0:10:15.440
<v Speaker 1>tagged by the Jaguars and really just wanted out of Jacksonville.

0:10:15.520 --> 0:10:17.280
<v Speaker 1>When it was all said and done, the Vikings end

0:10:17.360 --> 0:10:19.560
<v Speaker 1>up making the trade. So he's now the other book

0:10:19.679 --> 0:10:22.679
<v Speaker 1>end on the on the side opposite Daniel Hunter. With

0:10:23.000 --> 0:10:26.640
<v Speaker 1>that Vikings pastor us. So that's another new wrinkle thrown

0:10:26.679 --> 0:10:29.120
<v Speaker 1>into this mix here. For Mike Zimmer's defense, well, it

0:10:29.200 --> 0:10:31.360
<v Speaker 1>really is to Mike. And the thing was, I thought

0:10:31.400 --> 0:10:33.199
<v Speaker 1>they made the best signing of the off season. I

0:10:33.240 --> 0:10:34.800
<v Speaker 1>think even when you and I were doing these during

0:10:35.000 --> 0:10:37.640
<v Speaker 1>you know, from our houses, I think I even said,

0:10:37.679 --> 0:10:39.680
<v Speaker 1>you know, with with Michael Pierce, that was a guy

0:10:39.679 --> 0:10:41.520
<v Speaker 1>I was really high on. I thought that was a

0:10:41.600 --> 0:10:43.800
<v Speaker 1>very savvy signing. They need to make a change. They

0:10:43.880 --> 0:10:46.280
<v Speaker 1>went away from Everson Griffin. This would be a guy

0:10:46.320 --> 0:10:48.319
<v Speaker 1>that helped them. Well, then he hops out because of

0:10:48.360 --> 0:10:51.240
<v Speaker 1>the whole covid epidemic or a pandemic that's going on.

0:10:51.559 --> 0:10:54.000
<v Speaker 1>So what was the next move? I mean, going in

0:10:54.559 --> 0:10:58.400
<v Speaker 1>getting unique. I mean that is just a it's a

0:10:58.559 --> 0:11:00.559
<v Speaker 1>it's a superstar move by that. I don't think a

0:11:00.600 --> 0:11:03.640
<v Speaker 1>lot of people saw it. And his willingness to to

0:11:03.840 --> 0:11:06.680
<v Speaker 1>you know, restructure some of the salary stuff just basically

0:11:06.720 --> 0:11:10.200
<v Speaker 1>to relocate himself get himself onto a contender with the

0:11:10.200 --> 0:11:13.200
<v Speaker 1>Minnesota Vikings. It's gonna be a big game changer. But

0:11:13.520 --> 0:11:15.679
<v Speaker 1>the one thing I've cautioned, and you've read my insider

0:11:15.720 --> 0:11:17.640
<v Speaker 1>in boxes over the last month, when people bring this

0:11:17.679 --> 0:11:21.840
<v Speaker 1>stuff up, yea, the Packers have dealt with Khalil Mack

0:11:21.920 --> 0:11:24.880
<v Speaker 1>getting randomly added to this division before. When you have

0:11:24.920 --> 0:11:28.119
<v Speaker 1>Aaron Rodgers as your quarterback, when you've been as successful

0:11:28.120 --> 0:11:30.680
<v Speaker 1>as the Packers have been, you have to anticipate that

0:11:30.720 --> 0:11:33.760
<v Speaker 1>the defenses around you are going to want to get

0:11:33.760 --> 0:11:36.200
<v Speaker 1>better and they're gonna want to put some pass rushers

0:11:36.200 --> 0:11:38.000
<v Speaker 1>around them that are going to be able to get

0:11:38.040 --> 0:11:40.719
<v Speaker 1>after the quarterback. So this, yes, it's a it's a

0:11:40.800 --> 0:11:43.440
<v Speaker 1>huge move by them. It's certainly a really potent one

0:11:43.480 --> 0:11:45.920
<v Speaker 1>to punch that they have. But the idea that the

0:11:45.920 --> 0:11:48.800
<v Speaker 1>Packers haven't seen this before, they very much have, and

0:11:48.840 --> 0:11:51.280
<v Speaker 1>it's been happening for basically the ten twelve years now

0:11:51.280 --> 0:11:54.120
<v Speaker 1>that Aaron Rodgers has been an established starter well, and

0:11:54.160 --> 0:11:56.800
<v Speaker 1>a couple of other things that add to the intrigue here.

0:11:56.880 --> 0:12:00.880
<v Speaker 1>Daniel Hunter was injured during training camp, that injury not

0:12:00.960 --> 0:12:04.280
<v Speaker 1>really being revealed by the Vikings and Mike Simmer, Mike

0:12:04.360 --> 0:12:07.640
<v Speaker 1>Zimmer being very coy about just what where Hunter is

0:12:07.679 --> 0:12:09.760
<v Speaker 1>in his in his health status and whether he'll be

0:12:09.800 --> 0:12:12.640
<v Speaker 1>available for week one. And then obviously, as I mentioned before,

0:12:12.679 --> 0:12:15.800
<v Speaker 1>the Packers have the uncertainty at right tackle and exactly

0:12:15.800 --> 0:12:19.040
<v Speaker 1>who's going to be blocking one of those edge rushers

0:12:19.040 --> 0:12:21.520
<v Speaker 1>for the Vikings. So that's something to to follow the

0:12:21.520 --> 0:12:23.280
<v Speaker 1>news here as we go through the week and see

0:12:23.280 --> 0:12:26.000
<v Speaker 1>what unfolds and both teams, you know West, they're gonna

0:12:26.040 --> 0:12:28.000
<v Speaker 1>play it really close to the vest and not reveal

0:12:28.080 --> 0:12:30.400
<v Speaker 1>any of their plans and and just let everybody find

0:12:30.400 --> 0:12:33.200
<v Speaker 1>out when the ball is kicked off on Sunday. With

0:12:33.240 --> 0:12:38.640
<v Speaker 1>regard to the Vikings offense, Dalvin Cook, Kirk Cousins, those

0:12:38.720 --> 0:12:42.719
<v Speaker 1>guys are there, Adam Thealen, Kyle Rudolph. Those mainstays are

0:12:42.760 --> 0:12:45.719
<v Speaker 1>certainly there. The big change is that Stefon Diggs, who

0:12:45.720 --> 0:12:47.840
<v Speaker 1>has certainly had his share of big games against the

0:12:47.840 --> 0:12:51.520
<v Speaker 1>Greenway Packers, he is no longer in Minnesota. The Vikings

0:12:51.679 --> 0:12:54.880
<v Speaker 1>traded him away and what they got in return from

0:12:54.920 --> 0:12:57.480
<v Speaker 1>the Buffalo Bills they used that first round draft pick

0:12:57.559 --> 0:13:02.240
<v Speaker 1>on Justin Jefferson from LS. You again, like we were

0:13:02.240 --> 0:13:05.800
<v Speaker 1>talking about with the cornerbacks, here's a rookie who drafted high.

0:13:05.840 --> 0:13:08.880
<v Speaker 1>He's gonna be expected to step in and play right away.

0:13:09.120 --> 0:13:11.640
<v Speaker 1>One of those question marks that you just don't really

0:13:11.679 --> 0:13:14.760
<v Speaker 1>know what level of play, what level of impact a

0:13:14.800 --> 0:13:16.680
<v Speaker 1>young guy like that is going to make. But the

0:13:16.760 --> 0:13:19.640
<v Speaker 1>Vikings are certainly going to be counting on Jefferson to

0:13:19.679 --> 0:13:22.679
<v Speaker 1>fill Stefon digs shoes. Yeah, and Packer fans won't like

0:13:22.880 --> 0:13:25.400
<v Speaker 1>me saying this, but I love that pick for the

0:13:25.400 --> 0:13:27.280
<v Speaker 1>Minnesota Vikings. He was a guy that I thought, if

0:13:27.280 --> 0:13:29.760
<v Speaker 1>for whatever reason he would fall into those later twenties,

0:13:30.160 --> 0:13:31.840
<v Speaker 1>could have made a lot of sense for the Packers

0:13:31.920 --> 0:13:34.600
<v Speaker 1>just because he's a home run threat. Uh, he's versatile,

0:13:34.600 --> 0:13:37.439
<v Speaker 1>He's played in the biggest stage of college football, and

0:13:37.440 --> 0:13:41.079
<v Speaker 1>and obviously extremely explosive. That's gonna be a trade Mike

0:13:41.160 --> 0:13:42.840
<v Speaker 1>for a lot of years that I'm gonna be following

0:13:42.960 --> 0:13:45.960
<v Speaker 1>because I'm always gonna wonder, like, Okay, you know, Stefon

0:13:46.040 --> 0:13:48.800
<v Speaker 1>Diggs is the real deal. He's he's a good ball player,

0:13:48.840 --> 0:13:51.400
<v Speaker 1>but man, and just there's a part of me that

0:13:51.440 --> 0:13:53.920
<v Speaker 1>wonders like the Buffalo Bills, like if Justin Jefferson becomes

0:13:53.920 --> 0:13:56.160
<v Speaker 1>a player, Like and you kind of think about the

0:13:56.200 --> 0:13:57.720
<v Speaker 1>fact that you made that move and then that's what

0:13:57.760 --> 0:14:00.280
<v Speaker 1>it turned into. But be that as it may. Yeah,

0:14:00.280 --> 0:14:04.400
<v Speaker 1>the offensively, this thing is still gonna run through Delvin Cook. Certainly.

0:14:04.440 --> 0:14:06.839
<v Speaker 1>I think when you look at Kirk Cousins, they are

0:14:06.880 --> 0:14:08.520
<v Speaker 1>at their best when he can be I don't want

0:14:08.520 --> 0:14:09.960
<v Speaker 1>to call him a game manager, that that's such a

0:14:09.960 --> 0:14:14.000
<v Speaker 1>negative connotation, but when he can comfortably manage the game,

0:14:14.080 --> 0:14:15.880
<v Speaker 1>does that make more sense? Would that be something that

0:14:15.920 --> 0:14:18.920
<v Speaker 1>doesn't sound as negative? Uh? He can just be able

0:14:18.960 --> 0:14:22.040
<v Speaker 1>to to work towards the sticks to to be efficient,

0:14:22.560 --> 0:14:24.880
<v Speaker 1>uh in his passes. That's when this offense is at

0:14:24.920 --> 0:14:27.040
<v Speaker 1>its best, and certainly Cook is a big part of that.

0:14:27.440 --> 0:14:29.600
<v Speaker 1>But getting Adam feeling going again is going to be

0:14:29.680 --> 0:14:31.080
<v Speaker 1>huge for them that you know, there was such a

0:14:31.120 --> 0:14:34.200
<v Speaker 1>start and Sputter with him last season, wasn't really able

0:14:34.240 --> 0:14:37.120
<v Speaker 1>to ever find his groove. Uh, seeing where these other

0:14:37.200 --> 0:14:40.120
<v Speaker 1>potential players could could kind of shape up, and then

0:14:40.200 --> 0:14:42.960
<v Speaker 1>ultimately Mike the number one question I think you and

0:14:43.000 --> 0:14:45.160
<v Speaker 1>I always have every single year we talked about the

0:14:45.240 --> 0:14:48.400
<v Speaker 1>vikings and when we do these, you know, these unscripted episodes,

0:14:48.760 --> 0:14:52.080
<v Speaker 1>where is their offensive line? And can their offensive line

0:14:52.320 --> 0:14:55.120
<v Speaker 1>be stable and sturdy enough throughout the course of the

0:14:55.160 --> 0:14:58.520
<v Speaker 1>season to give Cousins and cook in that offense what

0:14:58.600 --> 0:15:00.760
<v Speaker 1>it needs to be able to push the all downfield.

0:15:01.240 --> 0:15:02.880
<v Speaker 1>That's where I'm at right now. That's kind of where

0:15:02.880 --> 0:15:06.680
<v Speaker 1>my indicators flashing going into this two thousand twenty season. Yeah,

0:15:06.720 --> 0:15:09.800
<v Speaker 1>I agree with you. We're always wondering about Minnesota's offensive line.

0:15:09.840 --> 0:15:11.760
<v Speaker 1>Now I don't have their depth chart in front of me,

0:15:11.800 --> 0:15:15.520
<v Speaker 1>but if I'm not mistaken, they're starting five on the

0:15:15.560 --> 0:15:19.080
<v Speaker 1>offensive line is essentially coming back intact with what they

0:15:19.120 --> 0:15:22.000
<v Speaker 1>had in the playoffs last season, and this might be

0:15:22.040 --> 0:15:24.600
<v Speaker 1>the first time in several years that we're not talking

0:15:24.640 --> 0:15:27.280
<v Speaker 1>about any new starters on the offensive line heading into

0:15:27.320 --> 0:15:29.760
<v Speaker 1>a year for Minnesota, So that could be a factor

0:15:30.080 --> 0:15:33.600
<v Speaker 1>and when you talk about Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook, Gary

0:15:33.680 --> 0:15:37.760
<v Speaker 1>Kubiak is the new offensive coordinator in Minnesota. Obviously, he

0:15:37.840 --> 0:15:40.560
<v Speaker 1>was the guy who hired Matt Lafleur for his first

0:15:40.680 --> 0:15:44.880
<v Speaker 1>NFL job with the Houston Texans. These guys like to

0:15:45.240 --> 0:15:48.240
<v Speaker 1>establish the run and get the passing game going off

0:15:48.280 --> 0:15:50.360
<v Speaker 1>of play action. We've been talking about it all off

0:15:50.400 --> 0:15:53.280
<v Speaker 1>season with the Packers. That's what Matt Lafleur wants to do.

0:15:53.360 --> 0:15:55.640
<v Speaker 1>He really wants the passing game to be married to

0:15:55.680 --> 0:15:58.600
<v Speaker 1>the run game. And that's exactly when Kirk Cousins is

0:15:58.640 --> 0:16:01.640
<v Speaker 1>at his best for Minnesota as well. If they get

0:16:01.720 --> 0:16:04.680
<v Speaker 1>Dalvin Cook going and then the passing game the play

0:16:04.720 --> 0:16:08.000
<v Speaker 1>action comes off of that. Obviously, the the Week six

0:16:08.040 --> 0:16:11.160
<v Speaker 1>team game last year on the Monday night in Minnesota,

0:16:11.360 --> 0:16:14.920
<v Speaker 1>the Vikings were without Dalvin Cook, they were without Alexander Madison,

0:16:14.920 --> 0:16:17.600
<v Speaker 1>their number two running back. They really never got any

0:16:17.680 --> 0:16:20.240
<v Speaker 1>kind of a ground game established, and frankly za Darius

0:16:20.240 --> 0:16:23.560
<v Speaker 1>Smith just wrecked their offense. And you know this is

0:16:23.560 --> 0:16:25.960
<v Speaker 1>going to be a completely different story if Dalvin Cook

0:16:26.000 --> 0:16:28.720
<v Speaker 1>is healthy. They have Madison behind him. As I said,

0:16:28.800 --> 0:16:31.280
<v Speaker 1>you know, the questions are the offensive line they're coming

0:16:31.320 --> 0:16:34.560
<v Speaker 1>back Intech, they have a new rookie receiver. But with

0:16:34.560 --> 0:16:36.960
<v Speaker 1>with Kubiak's influence, I think the Vikings are going to

0:16:37.040 --> 0:16:40.240
<v Speaker 1>continue to build as most as best they can build

0:16:40.240 --> 0:16:42.760
<v Speaker 1>that offense around Dalvin Cook. Yeah, and I love that

0:16:42.880 --> 0:16:45.600
<v Speaker 1>higher for the Vikings when they brought in Kubiak. I mean,

0:16:45.600 --> 0:16:47.560
<v Speaker 1>this is a guy that, you know, despite some health

0:16:47.600 --> 0:16:49.480
<v Speaker 1>issues he's had, I mean, he very well could still

0:16:49.520 --> 0:16:51.000
<v Speaker 1>be a head coach in this league and you know,

0:16:51.120 --> 0:16:52.760
<v Speaker 1>kind of trying to work his way back into this

0:16:52.800 --> 0:16:55.600
<v Speaker 1>thing and and find a comfortable pace for himself. This

0:16:55.680 --> 0:16:57.960
<v Speaker 1>is a great setup. And the thing that's impressed me

0:16:58.000 --> 0:16:59.800
<v Speaker 1>the most about him is he's you know, he comes

0:16:59.800 --> 0:17:02.280
<v Speaker 1>from at Mike Shanahan Tree, uh, you know, obviously an

0:17:02.320 --> 0:17:05.639
<v Speaker 1>offensive genius and he's made I'm not saying the Vikings

0:17:05.680 --> 0:17:07.440
<v Speaker 1>this is probably one of the better offenses he's had

0:17:07.440 --> 0:17:09.280
<v Speaker 1>in terms of the pieces he's had. But when you

0:17:09.320 --> 0:17:11.399
<v Speaker 1>look at Denver when they won the Super Bowl, when

0:17:11.400 --> 0:17:13.720
<v Speaker 1>you looked back to some of those Houston Texans teams,

0:17:14.000 --> 0:17:17.520
<v Speaker 1>they weren't the most offensively explosive passing teams, but they

0:17:17.520 --> 0:17:19.960
<v Speaker 1>were able to complement their run with what they needed

0:17:20.000 --> 0:17:23.159
<v Speaker 1>to do. Defensively to win football games. That is the

0:17:23.240 --> 0:17:25.679
<v Speaker 1>same exact blueprint for what Mike Zimmer wants to do

0:17:25.720 --> 0:17:29.920
<v Speaker 1>in Minnesota and when they've been successful, has achieved. UH. Now,

0:17:29.920 --> 0:17:32.320
<v Speaker 1>there's been a lot of consternation over the years about

0:17:32.320 --> 0:17:34.960
<v Speaker 1>that offensive coordinator position and you know where that all

0:17:34.960 --> 0:17:36.600
<v Speaker 1>fits with Zimmer. There's been a lot of guys that

0:17:36.640 --> 0:17:39.440
<v Speaker 1>have been in that seat. But that being said, Kubiak

0:17:39.520 --> 0:17:41.159
<v Speaker 1>is a pros pro and this is a guy that

0:17:41.200 --> 0:17:44.280
<v Speaker 1>has done it at a high level in multiple different

0:17:44.280 --> 0:17:47.720
<v Speaker 1>eras of offensive football, and it's it's it's it's someone

0:17:47.720 --> 0:17:49.119
<v Speaker 1>that I think when you when you look at this

0:17:49.160 --> 0:17:51.960
<v Speaker 1>season and why the Vikings are favored by a lot

0:17:51.960 --> 0:17:55.359
<v Speaker 1>of folks, He's one of the reasons that plays into that. Yeah,

0:17:55.400 --> 0:17:58.120
<v Speaker 1>no question about it. Well, as we get further into

0:17:58.119 --> 0:18:00.000
<v Speaker 1>the week, when we come back in a couple of days,

0:18:00.000 --> 0:18:01.919
<v Speaker 1>as we will talk about keys to Victory and what

0:18:02.000 --> 0:18:04.360
<v Speaker 1>it's going to take for the Packers to go into

0:18:04.520 --> 0:18:08.040
<v Speaker 1>US Bank Stadium for a second straight season to UH

0:18:08.080 --> 0:18:11.040
<v Speaker 1>to knock off Minnesota after not experiencing a whole lot

0:18:11.119 --> 0:18:14.600
<v Speaker 1>of success the first couple of years that that building

0:18:14.680 --> 0:18:16.520
<v Speaker 1>was open. But for now, we'll call it a wrap

0:18:16.560 --> 0:18:19.359
<v Speaker 1>on this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow

0:18:19.400 --> 0:18:21.359
<v Speaker 1>all of our coverage of Week one leading up to

0:18:21.400 --> 0:18:24.960
<v Speaker 1>the season opener in Minnesota on Packers dot com for

0:18:25.080 --> 0:18:27.720
<v Speaker 1>wes I Am Mike. Thank you for tuning in, everybody.

0:18:27.840 --> 0:18:28.720
<v Speaker 1>We'll see you next time.