WEBVTT - #609 Packers Unscripted: It’s go time 0:00:00.520 --> 0:00:11.200 Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from 0:00:11.240 --> 0:00:14.720 Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spofford, joined as always 0:00:14.760 --> 0:00:17.119 by my trusted colleague West Hodkutz. We're coming to you 0:00:17.160 --> 0:00:20.320 here from our studios at lambeau Field West. It's just 0:00:20.400 --> 0:00:24.800 a few days away now, the season opener, Week one, 0:00:24.920 --> 0:00:29.200 Packers Saints from Jacksonville, Florida. It will be a three 0:00:29.480 --> 0:00:34.000 pm Central Time kickoff, our last show here before the 0:00:34.040 --> 0:00:36.400 season gets underweigh, so we might as well start off, 0:00:36.560 --> 0:00:39.680 dive right into it. Keys to victory offensive side of 0:00:39.680 --> 0:00:42.239 the ball. What stands out to you protect Aaron Rodgers. 0:00:42.440 --> 0:00:44.680 I mean that that's the biggest key, and it's gonna 0:00:44.720 --> 0:00:46.479 be a key here, Mike for the first month of 0:00:46.479 --> 0:00:49.640 the season, no question about that. Very quite likely. Although 0:00:49.680 --> 0:00:52.440 it seems like we've kind of broken the secret a 0:00:52.440 --> 0:00:54.160 little bit, even though mattal For said he didn't want 0:00:54.160 --> 0:00:56.160 to see the starters were on the offensive line, right, 0:00:56.560 --> 0:00:58.240 it's kind of the worst kept secret now and it 0:00:58.320 --> 0:01:00.080 is Josh Meyers and it's probably gonna be Roy s 0:01:00.160 --> 0:01:03.920 newman at right guard. But this is an important game 0:01:04.080 --> 0:01:06.720 for both of those guys because you have to imagine 0:01:06.800 --> 0:01:10.200 Dennis Allen in the Saints. Those edge rushers, they're gonna 0:01:10.200 --> 0:01:12.760 throw a lot at them. They're gonna run some stunts. 0:01:12.760 --> 0:01:15.679 There's gonna be games you maybe see Demorrio Davis blitzing. 0:01:16.000 --> 0:01:17.560 There's gonna be a lot of stuff that they want 0:01:17.560 --> 0:01:20.199 to do to throw them off, especially early on, because 0:01:20.560 --> 0:01:22.280 you want to see what these guys are going to 0:01:22.360 --> 0:01:25.600 be able to give you, and for the agreement Packers perspective, 0:01:25.640 --> 0:01:27.240 you have to be ready for that. And it's not 0:01:27.319 --> 0:01:30.080 just on those two guys. It's gonna be on Matt 0:01:30.120 --> 0:01:32.039 Lafleur with the play calling. It's gonna be with Aaron 0:01:32.120 --> 0:01:34.720 Rodgers and his checks. It's gonna be on Aaron Jones 0:01:34.760 --> 0:01:37.560 potentially being able to step up and block a free rusher. 0:01:38.280 --> 0:01:40.920 It needs it to be a team effort. In quite honestly, 0:01:40.959 --> 0:01:44.720 those first ten fifteen scripted plays, seeing what the Packers 0:01:44.800 --> 0:01:47.240 dial up to make life easy for those rookies and 0:01:47.280 --> 0:01:49.800 allow them to get comfortable in this offense, well, let's 0:01:49.800 --> 0:01:52.760 be honest here too. With David Baktier out for a 0:01:52.840 --> 0:01:55.400 minimum of the first six weeks of the season and 0:01:55.440 --> 0:01:57.680 the Packers going with this, I guess you'd call it 0:01:57.760 --> 0:02:00.200 kind of a revamped offensive line with Elton j Pins 0:02:00.240 --> 0:02:03.120 at left tackle. You mentioned the two rookie starters on 0:02:03.200 --> 0:02:07.040 the interior. If you don't want the first six, seven, 0:02:07.080 --> 0:02:10.639 eight opponents, however many, it's going to be to uh, 0:02:10.720 --> 0:02:13.040 you know, to attack you in that way. You're going 0:02:13.120 --> 0:02:15.440 to have to handle the blitz is. You're going to 0:02:15.560 --> 0:02:17.720 have to handle all the stunts in the games. Aaron 0:02:17.800 --> 0:02:21.680 Rodgers will have to make defenses pay for trying to 0:02:21.760 --> 0:02:24.400 do that kind of stuff. And this, this opener is 0:02:24.440 --> 0:02:26.480 what will set the tone for that in a sense. 0:02:26.480 --> 0:02:29.720 Now that's not to say, obviously with any team, any offense, 0:02:29.760 --> 0:02:32.520 any phase of anybody's game, the first game of the 0:02:32.520 --> 0:02:35.160 season does not define who you are for the next 0:02:35.200 --> 0:02:37.720 sixteen after that, right, I mean there will be evolution, 0:02:37.800 --> 0:02:42.000 there will be uh progress and improvement, especially with young players. 0:02:43.240 --> 0:02:45.920 But the Packers can, the Packers can kind of put 0:02:45.960 --> 0:02:49.720 the kai bosh, so to speak, from the beginning here 0:02:49.880 --> 0:02:52.480 on teams that just just are gonna think, oh, they've 0:02:52.480 --> 0:02:55.040 got two rookie starters on the interior, let's do everything 0:02:55.080 --> 0:02:57.560 we can to mess them up. Well, Aaron Rodgers is 0:02:57.560 --> 0:02:59.440 going to have some counters for that. He's gonna have 0:02:59.520 --> 0:03:02.079 some ants, and I think we'll see we'll get a 0:03:02.120 --> 0:03:05.120 good idea of what those answers are when those situations 0:03:05.160 --> 0:03:08.120 present themselves. If there's ever a quarterback in the league 0:03:08.160 --> 0:03:10.640 that's gonna know where's hot reads are in those type 0:03:10.639 --> 0:03:12.680 of things, it's gonna be Aaron Rodgers, right. And to 0:03:12.800 --> 0:03:15.960 be honest, I wrote this in our Insider inbox, the 0:03:15.960 --> 0:03:17.840 fact that this game is not in the Superdome is 0:03:17.840 --> 0:03:21.240 gonna be huge for everybody on the offensive line. No 0:03:21.320 --> 0:03:23.960 matter how loud it gets at T A, I A 0:03:24.200 --> 0:03:27.440 A bank field, it's not going to compare to the 0:03:27.480 --> 0:03:31.919 noise pollution that you're dealing with in that venue. And 0:03:32.320 --> 0:03:34.239 let's just make a point too because and I don't 0:03:34.240 --> 0:03:36.280 know if you're into it too much in today's discussion, 0:03:36.280 --> 0:03:40.040 but Aaron Rodgers was very complimentary on Wednesday about Matt Lafleur, 0:03:40.480 --> 0:03:42.640 how he's grown as a leader, how he's grown as 0:03:42.680 --> 0:03:46.000 a play color, the way they've evolved this offense. So 0:03:46.040 --> 0:03:49.200 it's not just the same thing every single time. All 0:03:49.280 --> 0:03:52.800 due respect to Mike McCarthy, fantastic offensive, mine a lot 0:03:52.840 --> 0:03:56.200 of success in Green Bay. This offense is different than 0:03:56.240 --> 0:03:59.640 when McCarthy was here. They are going to be able 0:03:59.680 --> 0:04:01.360 to die else some things up to get the ball 0:04:01.360 --> 0:04:04.440 out faster. They're not going to be relying on plays 0:04:04.520 --> 0:04:07.760 developing down field. That's where I think the key is 0:04:07.760 --> 0:04:10.000 going to be these opening weeks for the offensive line. 0:04:10.280 --> 0:04:12.640 It's going to be in what Matt Lafleur does, what 0:04:13.360 --> 0:04:17.120 Nathaniel hack It dials up into your point, the checks 0:04:17.120 --> 0:04:19.960 that Aaron Rodgers making, the reads that he's making to 0:04:20.120 --> 0:04:22.800 make sure that this offense is able to get into 0:04:22.800 --> 0:04:24.440 a rhythm and get off to the fast start mic 0:04:24.480 --> 0:04:26.680 that they were able to do in two thous Yes. 0:04:26.920 --> 0:04:29.400 Certainly last last season the Packers came out of the 0:04:29.400 --> 0:04:34.239 gates like gangbusters on offense. The other thing, too, is okay, 0:04:34.560 --> 0:04:38.200 you can't necessarily count on things carrying over obviously from 0:04:38.400 --> 0:04:41.240 one season to the next, but you go into a 0:04:41.279 --> 0:04:43.400 season opener like this coming off of the year the 0:04:43.400 --> 0:04:45.359 Packers had, there are certain things you're gonna want to 0:04:45.400 --> 0:04:48.039 hang your hat on. Right. The Packers were the best 0:04:48.080 --> 0:04:50.800 team in the NFC, second in the NFL last year 0:04:50.800 --> 0:04:53.080 in third down efficiency. They were the best team in 0:04:53.120 --> 0:04:58.880 the league with a historically great red zone efficiency converting 0:04:59.720 --> 0:05:02.279 to downs. Those are the kinds of things that you 0:05:02.320 --> 0:05:04.640 want to see continue. And when when I asked Rogers 0:05:04.680 --> 0:05:08.880 about that in his UH press conference after practice on Wednesday, 0:05:09.279 --> 0:05:12.599 he said, he said, Hey, I want these guys, meaning 0:05:12.720 --> 0:05:15.480 the coaches, to keep coming up with this new and 0:05:15.520 --> 0:05:17.719 creative stuff. On third down in the red zone, he 0:05:17.760 --> 0:05:20.400 talked about how third down is kind of Luke gets 0:05:20.440 --> 0:05:24.640 these um specific area in terms of the game plan. Uh, 0:05:24.720 --> 0:05:27.720 the quarterbacks coach and now passing game coordinator, and then 0:05:27.720 --> 0:05:31.480 the red zone or gold zone is is is coach Hacketts. 0:05:31.480 --> 0:05:34.880 So um, you know, Aaron's like, hey, keep keep dialing 0:05:34.920 --> 0:05:37.000 it up, keep getting creative that you know, you don't 0:05:37.040 --> 0:05:40.039 necessarily reinvent the wheel every time, but you do the 0:05:40.080 --> 0:05:42.400 tweaks and the adjustments you make things look a little 0:05:42.400 --> 0:05:45.440 bit different. And and uh, I sent a quarterback you know, 0:05:45.560 --> 0:05:47.960 I wrote about it on the website how much he 0:05:48.120 --> 0:05:54.160 and Davante Adams really like the vibe of this Packers team. 0:05:54.200 --> 0:05:57.599 But Aaron Rodgers just in in his demeanor and his 0:05:57.720 --> 0:06:00.760 words and and and the way the way he speaks 0:06:00.800 --> 0:06:03.280 about this team right now, and and personally he just 0:06:03.440 --> 0:06:05.360 he strikes me as a guy who was ready to go, 0:06:05.480 --> 0:06:08.000 and he's he's telling the coaches, Hey, call whatever you 0:06:08.000 --> 0:06:10.400 want in that helmet. Let's go. Let's go get this thing. 0:06:10.520 --> 0:06:12.440 And they have the horses to do it, right, I 0:06:12.480 --> 0:06:16.640 mean Matt Lafleur and and Rogers at different intervals of 0:06:16.640 --> 0:06:19.599 the day on Wednesday, we're basically to a point of 0:06:19.680 --> 0:06:22.320 listing off all these weapons that they can go to. 0:06:23.000 --> 0:06:25.360 Whether it is Davante Adams, a four time Pro Bowl 0:06:25.440 --> 0:06:27.800 or now whether it is Alan Lazard and Robert Ton 0:06:27.920 --> 0:06:30.000 who have had a lot of success down there, Mark 0:06:30.040 --> 0:06:32.960 quiz Velde, Scantling, and then as I think it was, 0:06:32.960 --> 0:06:34.880 was it Rogers la Fleur one of them said even 0:06:34.920 --> 0:06:36.800 and I didn't even get to the running backs yet. 0:06:37.240 --> 0:06:39.760 I mean, there's just a bevy of options there, and 0:06:39.800 --> 0:06:42.160 I think that's where the brilliance lies with where Green 0:06:42.160 --> 0:06:45.120 Bay succeeded last year in the Gold Zone was that 0:06:45.160 --> 0:06:47.159 there was a lot of creativity. But it wasn't just 0:06:47.279 --> 0:06:50.320 one guy either. There was a multitude of players that 0:06:50.400 --> 0:06:52.520 stepped up in that area. And Green Bay is gonna 0:06:52.520 --> 0:06:54.920 need that again because this game, like the Saints are 0:06:54.960 --> 0:06:58.680 an interesting defense. Dennis Allen's a brilliant, you know, defensive mind. 0:06:58.720 --> 0:07:01.560 I was commending him on our last show but they 0:07:01.600 --> 0:07:04.680 have pockets of playmakers in this defense. Whether it's Davenport, 0:07:05.040 --> 0:07:07.760 whether it's Cam Jordan's obviously Marshawn Lattimore. You can go. 0:07:07.880 --> 0:07:09.800 The list goes on and on. I mean, Malcolm Jenks 0:07:09.880 --> 0:07:13.160 has been doing this forever. But there are holes there. 0:07:13.200 --> 0:07:16.160 I mean, you look at their defensive tackle situation. I mean, 0:07:16.240 --> 0:07:20.360 Chris Ringo, love the guy, amazing dude, but he wasn't 0:07:20.400 --> 0:07:22.520 in the National Football League last year and now he's 0:07:22.560 --> 0:07:25.080 slated to be there. They're starting, you know, defensive tackle. 0:07:25.440 --> 0:07:29.240 We heard about the issues at cornerback beyond Lattimore. They're 0:07:29.280 --> 0:07:32.080 going to throw a lot at them, but the Packers 0:07:32.080 --> 0:07:34.040 need to be able to weather that storm early because 0:07:34.080 --> 0:07:36.400 I feel like from a depth perspective, that can really 0:07:36.400 --> 0:07:38.520 propel them there in the second half. Yeah, the Saints 0:07:38.560 --> 0:07:41.840 did make a trade, essentially for a starting corner They 0:07:41.920 --> 0:07:44.920 picked up Bradley Roby from the Houston Texans. He won't 0:07:44.920 --> 0:07:48.480 be playing on Sunday against the Packers, but but they 0:07:48.840 --> 0:07:52.520 are still putting in some work on that defense and 0:07:53.760 --> 0:07:56.040 with regard to the red zone. When you have a 0:07:56.080 --> 0:07:58.840 guy like Davante Adams, who ties a franchise record with 0:07:58.920 --> 0:08:02.560 eighteen touchdown options, and yet that same year you have 0:08:02.600 --> 0:08:05.800 another guy who still reaches double digits and touchdown catches 0:08:05.840 --> 0:08:08.960 in Robert Tony in with eleven last year. That says 0:08:09.000 --> 0:08:13.480 something to your point about about just the options that 0:08:13.640 --> 0:08:16.680 uh that coach Hacket and Aaron Rodgers and everybody has 0:08:17.160 --> 0:08:20.480 down there in that area. UM. Some shoutouts to the sponsors. 0:08:20.520 --> 0:08:23.560 Here West Serious x M NFL Radio delivers hard hitting 0:08:23.560 --> 0:08:26.360 analysis and up to the minute NFL news that true 0:08:26.360 --> 0:08:30.760 football fanatics need seven three six, And at Cousins Subs, 0:08:30.800 --> 0:08:33.960 we have something for everyone like our Wisconsin cheese curds, 0:08:34.000 --> 0:08:37.160 mac and cheese, golden fries, and creamy shakes all paired 0:08:37.160 --> 0:08:39.959 with your favorite sub or sub in a bowl. Cousins Subs, 0:08:40.600 --> 0:08:44.640 we believe in better all right defensive side of the 0:08:44.640 --> 0:08:47.000 ball keys to victory. I have a feeling what you're 0:08:47.040 --> 0:08:51.320 gonna say here, go ahead, you gotta stop Elvin Kamara. 0:08:52.080 --> 0:08:55.559 You think maybe and maybe and maybe. This guy came 0:08:55.600 --> 0:08:58.680 out in our pre production and meeting where he asked 0:08:58.679 --> 0:09:00.959 me about the offense and what the Hacks have to offensively, 0:09:01.000 --> 0:09:04.640 and I still mentioned Alvin Kamara because you go back 0:09:04.679 --> 0:09:09.000 to last year, Mike thirteen catches on fourteen targets, two touchdowns, 0:09:09.000 --> 0:09:12.280 a hundred and thirty nine yards receiving, not even talking 0:09:12.280 --> 0:09:15.760 about what he did as a runner. Kamaras dynamic and 0:09:15.760 --> 0:09:18.640 and when they don't have Michael Thomas, he's become the 0:09:18.760 --> 0:09:21.000 lead guy. Doesn't matter if he's carrying the ball, doesn't 0:09:21.000 --> 0:09:23.840 matter catching the ball. And now they release Latavius Murray 0:09:23.880 --> 0:09:26.200 as well, who was was thought to essentially be the 0:09:26.280 --> 0:09:29.880 number two or one a running back in terms of 0:09:29.920 --> 0:09:32.160 the ground attack. I think there's just even that much 0:09:32.160 --> 0:09:35.280 more focus on Kamara now in time, Montgomery's back at 0:09:35.280 --> 0:09:37.920 receiver for them. So I mean, like this is the guy, 0:09:38.120 --> 0:09:41.040 Like this isn't the you know, Pierre Thomas years where 0:09:41.080 --> 0:09:43.800 you got all these different you know, you know, Reggie Bush, 0:09:43.800 --> 0:09:47.040 you have these different running backs. The mindsets kind of shifted. 0:09:47.080 --> 0:09:49.920 Now it's it's there's one horse that that they roll 0:09:50.000 --> 0:09:54.920 with in this race, and frightfully. So, I mean, I 0:09:54.960 --> 0:09:57.000 don't know if I've seen a guy that twenty seventeen 0:09:57.080 --> 0:09:59.040 draft class is going to go down as an all 0:09:59.120 --> 0:10:02.280 timer as far as running back positions concerned. Aaron Jones 0:10:02.320 --> 0:10:06.760 and Jimal Williams contributing to that, but Kamara as a 0:10:06.840 --> 0:10:09.280 dual threat. It's like you built him in a lab 0:10:10.040 --> 0:10:12.920 and that that's the guy that is absolutely perfect for 0:10:12.960 --> 0:10:15.520 Sean Payton's offense and what they want to execute. Now, 0:10:15.720 --> 0:10:18.160 Drew Brees relied on him a lot. It's gonna be 0:10:18.160 --> 0:10:20.520 interesting to see what Jamis Winston does with them. But 0:10:21.120 --> 0:10:23.640 I mean, he's the guy. And if they're going to 0:10:23.760 --> 0:10:25.840 have success against green Bay and be able to move 0:10:25.840 --> 0:10:28.000 the ball against this defense and chip away against what 0:10:28.000 --> 0:10:29.559 they want to do and get some of the pressure 0:10:29.600 --> 0:10:32.200 off of Winston, it has to start with Kamara, and 0:10:32.200 --> 0:10:34.400 from Green Bay's perspective, you have to find a counter 0:10:34.400 --> 0:10:36.679 to that. Yeah, isn't not not to get too far 0:10:36.720 --> 0:10:39.240 off track here from Sunday's game, but isn't that amazing 0:10:39.280 --> 0:10:43.880 the running back class that you have. Kamara, who is 0:10:43.920 --> 0:10:46.800 a star in this league, was a third round draft pick, 0:10:46.800 --> 0:10:49.559 and then Aaron Jones, another star and a Pro bowler, 0:10:49.840 --> 0:10:52.880 was a fifth round pick from that From that class, 0:10:52.920 --> 0:10:54.800 those guys are two of the premier backs in the 0:10:54.920 --> 0:10:57.800 NFL right now. It's it's a it's rather remarkable. But 0:10:58.120 --> 0:11:01.040 you said it with regard to the with regard to 0:11:01.080 --> 0:11:04.160 the onus that is on Jamis Winston here too to 0:11:04.240 --> 0:11:07.440 take Sean Payton's offense and as best you can in 0:11:07.520 --> 0:11:09.840 taking over for a Hall of Fame quarterback, and Drew 0:11:09.880 --> 0:11:14.000 Brees to hope that it doesn't skip a beat, so 0:11:14.040 --> 0:11:16.000 to speak, and that and that they can still be 0:11:16.120 --> 0:11:20.520 the high powered offense that they've been for so many years. 0:11:20.559 --> 0:11:24.480 And Matt Lafleur said it. You know, Jamis Winston has 0:11:24.480 --> 0:11:26.400 a big time arm. He is going to try to 0:11:26.440 --> 0:11:30.360 push the ball down the field. The Packers certainly have 0:11:30.480 --> 0:11:32.120 to be ready for that. That's also one of the 0:11:32.120 --> 0:11:34.640 reasons that Jamis Winston has thrown a lot of interception 0:11:34.920 --> 0:11:37.000 in his career because he will try to push the 0:11:37.000 --> 0:11:39.800 ball downfield. He will try to to make some big 0:11:39.840 --> 0:11:42.520 things happen. And I know I'm kind of getting beat 0:11:42.559 --> 0:11:44.880 up in Insider Inbox a little bit with regard to 0:11:44.920 --> 0:11:47.840 my comment about Winston and and and his scrambling that 0:11:47.880 --> 0:11:49.640 the Packers have to be ready for him to take 0:11:49.679 --> 0:11:52.400 off and run. Look, I'm not trying to make the 0:11:52.440 --> 0:11:55.520 point that Jamis Winston is a running quarterback, that he's 0:11:55.559 --> 0:11:58.280 like Lamar Jackson or something like that. But look at 0:11:58.280 --> 0:12:01.800 winston stats throughout the course of his career. He has 0:12:01.840 --> 0:12:04.920 a good handful five six seven games where he's had 0:12:05.000 --> 0:12:08.160 forty fifty fifty five rushing yards in a game. My 0:12:08.280 --> 0:12:11.360 point is that even if he only has gets twenty 0:12:11.400 --> 0:12:14.120 five rushing yards so to speak, that right there could 0:12:14.160 --> 0:12:17.040 be two or three first downs in a game that 0:12:17.120 --> 0:12:19.880 Winston gets with his legs that in a way that 0:12:20.000 --> 0:12:22.400 Drew Brees would not get the first down that way. 0:12:22.480 --> 0:12:24.440 That's the point I'm trying to make that it's just 0:12:24.480 --> 0:12:26.680 a little bit of an added element that the Packers 0:12:26.760 --> 0:12:29.600 have to be ready for along with that strong arm 0:12:30.200 --> 0:12:32.880 um that that will will change things in terms of 0:12:32.920 --> 0:12:35.880 how you defend the New Orleans Saints without question. And Marvin, 0:12:35.880 --> 0:12:37.800 if you're back there, put the Mike Spofford. Let's be 0:12:37.880 --> 0:12:39.880 real moment of the week lower third on the screen. 0:12:41.559 --> 0:12:45.400 Don't overthink this. Yeah, you're going from seeing Drew Brees, 0:12:45.480 --> 0:12:47.440 which is, hey, can you get to him in less 0:12:47.440 --> 0:12:49.160 than two seconds or he's going to get the ball 0:12:49.160 --> 0:12:51.559 out from the pocket. Yeah, you talk about quick release 0:12:51.600 --> 0:12:54.280 and timing and everything else. I mean, Drew Brees was 0:12:54.320 --> 0:12:57.040 a master, maybe the best you know ever in terms 0:12:57.040 --> 0:13:00.240 of that aspect of the quarterback position. To now you're 0:13:00.240 --> 0:13:04.960 shifting to Winston, who has a million dollar arm, can 0:13:05.160 --> 0:13:07.880 can create if he needs to win the play breaks down. 0:13:07.880 --> 0:13:09.679 I think historically if you look at him, that tends 0:13:09.679 --> 0:13:13.360 to be where his escape, his his release. Every everything 0:13:13.360 --> 0:13:16.560 has helped him from the turnover perspective when he is 0:13:16.640 --> 0:13:19.199 able to look downfield and just make something that happened 0:13:19.200 --> 0:13:20.880 with his legs. Oh and then, by the way, you 0:13:20.920 --> 0:13:23.760 still have the curveball of Taysom Hill in there as well. Yeah. 0:13:24.960 --> 0:13:26.959 My big point all week is I don't know what 0:13:27.000 --> 0:13:29.680 this is gonna look like. I don't know exactly where 0:13:30.240 --> 0:13:32.120 this is all going to shuffle out. Maybe the Packers 0:13:32.120 --> 0:13:35.000 get two picks early on Winston, they get the ball 0:13:35.120 --> 0:13:40.080 rolling well in their direction. But the New Orleans Saints 0:13:40.080 --> 0:13:42.720 that the Packers have basically been preparing for for the 0:13:42.800 --> 0:13:47.400 last ten years, that's gone. You have a much different 0:13:48.360 --> 0:13:51.920 backfield that they're gonna have to prepare for that you 0:13:51.960 --> 0:13:55.120 haven't quite seen. Fortunately for Green Bay, they've had success 0:13:55.120 --> 0:13:59.640 against Taysom Hill, but Jamis Winston, they've only played him 0:13:59.679 --> 0:14:03.320 once two thousands seventeen. I believe it was this is 0:14:03.440 --> 0:14:05.199 this is a new type of challenge, and he came 0:14:05.240 --> 0:14:07.600 in here and won that year too. I believe, yeah, absolutely. Well, 0:14:07.640 --> 0:14:11.800 it's interesting that with Winston's track record with the interceptions 0:14:11.840 --> 0:14:15.160 and whatnot that that have plagued him during his career, 0:14:15.360 --> 0:14:17.800 that this becomes the first game for the Packers with 0:14:17.920 --> 0:14:20.960 new defensive coordinator Joe Berry, because one of the reasons 0:14:21.320 --> 0:14:24.800 that Matt Lafleur changed defensive coordinators is he wants to 0:14:24.800 --> 0:14:27.680 take the football away more. He wants a defense that 0:14:27.800 --> 0:14:31.240 is going to generate more turnovers. The Packers lad the 0:14:31.320 --> 0:14:35.080 league last year in fewest giveaways on offense with only eleven, 0:14:35.480 --> 0:14:38.800 Yet they finished the regular season only plus seven in 0:14:38.920 --> 0:14:42.400 turnover margin, which is a very modest plus number on 0:14:42.440 --> 0:14:44.880 that side when you have the fewest giveaways in the league. 0:14:45.160 --> 0:14:47.960 Eighteen takeaways was in like the bottom third of the 0:14:48.000 --> 0:14:51.800 league in terms of takeaways defensively, the Packers want to 0:14:51.880 --> 0:14:54.200 ratchet that up this year. That's one of the tasks 0:14:54.240 --> 0:14:57.960 that that that uh, that is a high priority for 0:14:58.080 --> 0:15:01.880 Joe Berry with this defense. If they those opportunities present themselves, 0:15:01.920 --> 0:15:03.840 they have to take advantage. But also I think we're 0:15:03.880 --> 0:15:07.000 going to see a Packers defense that's going to try 0:15:07.040 --> 0:15:09.240 to force the issue a little more, try to force 0:15:09.600 --> 0:15:12.920 some of those mistakes particularly from a quarterback with a 0:15:13.000 --> 0:15:15.280 track record like Winston. Well, you just think of all 0:15:15.280 --> 0:15:18.840 the bells and whistles this defense has to write, whether 0:15:18.920 --> 0:15:21.320 it's the outside pass rush. Three guys who are all 0:15:21.360 --> 0:15:24.080 bona fide starter quality players in this league. I think 0:15:24.080 --> 0:15:26.800 with Shawn Garry's right there now too. You have a 0:15:26.800 --> 0:15:29.800 Pro Bowl nose tackle in Kenny Clark that can push 0:15:29.800 --> 0:15:32.640 the pocket when he's healthy. Has finished as strong as 0:15:32.680 --> 0:15:35.440 any nose tackle the National Football League the last few years. 0:15:35.600 --> 0:15:38.520 But trying to pull that across an entire season, right 0:15:38.920 --> 0:15:42.040 Jaire Alexander in All Pro at twenty three years old. 0:15:42.680 --> 0:15:46.120 The sect defensive secondary. There is talent everywhere, Mike, and 0:15:46.160 --> 0:15:48.920 at certain points, when you have that much talent, there's 0:15:48.960 --> 0:15:51.840 going to be the expectations, the ex depectations to be 0:15:51.880 --> 0:15:54.760 a defense that dictates games, that takes the ball away. 0:15:55.200 --> 0:15:58.080 This is a great first test because it's a high risk, 0:15:58.160 --> 0:16:02.040 high reward matchup when Suston can throw the ball as 0:16:02.080 --> 0:16:04.280 well as anybody in this league, and he can easily 0:16:04.280 --> 0:16:06.240 put up four hundred yards against your defense if you're 0:16:06.240 --> 0:16:09.200 not paying attention, but he also can give you some 0:16:09.240 --> 0:16:13.120 opportunities when those opportunities present themselves because it's gonna happen. 0:16:13.160 --> 0:16:15.240 I'm not saying it's gonna be every play, but there's 0:16:15.240 --> 0:16:17.800 gonna be a few moments where whether it's the safety 0:16:17.880 --> 0:16:20.120 is the corners, they're gonna have a chance to make 0:16:20.120 --> 0:16:22.120 a play on the ball. It's about making sure that 0:16:22.120 --> 0:16:24.360 they can execute in those moments. And I think when 0:16:24.360 --> 0:16:26.360 you go back bring it back to Joe Barry, the 0:16:26.440 --> 0:16:29.440 structure of the defense allows guys to be able to 0:16:29.480 --> 0:16:32.920 do that without forcing them to take chances. Yeah. Well, 0:16:33.160 --> 0:16:35.960 Phase number three, of course is special teams, and this 0:16:36.040 --> 0:16:39.280 is a starting over process and a lot of respects 0:16:39.320 --> 0:16:42.720 for the Packers. You have a new coordinator on special 0:16:42.760 --> 0:16:46.800 teams in Maury Straiton, a new punter in Corey Bojorkez. 0:16:47.600 --> 0:16:52.960 Obviously you're old stand by a kicker Mason Crosby, still 0:16:53.000 --> 0:16:57.280 going strong, new returners like we talked about previously with 0:16:57.320 --> 0:17:00.040 Amari Rodgers, Kyle and Hill to rookie draft picks in 0:17:00.160 --> 0:17:03.960 that phase, tell me just your initial thoughts, what are 0:17:04.000 --> 0:17:06.800 you looking for from the Packers special teams in this 0:17:07.080 --> 0:17:10.080 in this debut of of that phase of the game. 0:17:10.200 --> 0:17:13.000 It's it's hilarious, right because you have all these different 0:17:13.040 --> 0:17:15.560 things you can talk about. And the thing I'm most 0:17:15.680 --> 0:17:18.480 interested in seeing is the coverage units and just seeing 0:17:18.520 --> 0:17:21.600 how they handle things, because, yeah, there were some breakdowns. 0:17:21.640 --> 0:17:23.680 And I know that's an easy bone for people to 0:17:23.760 --> 0:17:26.760 kind of pick because it's preseason and you're just watching 0:17:26.800 --> 0:17:28.960 and you're trying to find things to you know, look 0:17:29.000 --> 0:17:32.040 at and diagnose. But a lot of the Goose guys, Mike, 0:17:32.119 --> 0:17:34.040 let's be honest, they aren't here anymore, or they're on 0:17:34.119 --> 0:17:37.480 the practice squad. At this point. You do have war 0:17:37.560 --> 0:17:40.560 in Burke's you have Ty Summers, you have Henry Black, 0:17:41.080 --> 0:17:44.440 Malik Taylor's back. They have a core there that has 0:17:44.480 --> 0:17:49.000 been around for some time now. That core needs to 0:17:49.080 --> 0:17:52.680 help galvanize that entire unit. You can't have the breakdowns anymore. 0:17:52.760 --> 0:17:55.360 Your punts need to be where they need to be placed, 0:17:55.800 --> 0:17:57.720 and if it isn't, you need to have people that 0:17:57.760 --> 0:18:00.880 are stepping up to make those plays. That's the big 0:18:00.960 --> 0:18:02.600 key for this one, because Mike, this is a this 0:18:02.760 --> 0:18:05.639 is a Saints team that's not going to give you 0:18:05.800 --> 0:18:08.200 much room for air. With Deante Harris back there, he's 0:18:08.200 --> 0:18:11.040 gonna hurt you if you give him an opportunity opportunity 0:18:11.160 --> 0:18:14.560 to Yeah, what you just said with regard to the 0:18:14.920 --> 0:18:19.879 directional um element of things, that's what That's one area 0:18:20.000 --> 0:18:23.200 where with the new punter, I'm curious to see how 0:18:23.320 --> 0:18:25.719 that goes because the Packers aren't just going to let 0:18:26.000 --> 0:18:28.760 Bojorquez stand back there and swing away. I mean, you know, 0:18:28.840 --> 0:18:32.040 the guy could drill it seventy yards probably every time, 0:18:32.080 --> 0:18:35.159 but you do that, that gives a guy like Harris 0:18:35.320 --> 0:18:38.480 that heads start because because the coverage, the coverage can't 0:18:38.480 --> 0:18:41.480 get down there to uh to close off those gaps. 0:18:41.520 --> 0:18:44.600 So um, the directional punning and all of that. How 0:18:44.720 --> 0:18:47.959 that goes with with a new guy in the mix here, 0:18:48.000 --> 0:18:50.640 I think is is something to watch. And then obviously 0:18:50.760 --> 0:18:53.520 on kickoffs, you hope you know when it's when it's 0:18:53.760 --> 0:18:55.960 eight plus degrees, it's I guess it's supposed to be 0:18:56.040 --> 0:18:59.760 mid eighties on Sunday in Jacksonville. You hope you know, 0:19:00.080 --> 0:19:04.639 Mason Crosby, can you know, can just give the kickoff 0:19:04.720 --> 0:19:06.800 coverage unit, you know some time off, I mean, just 0:19:07.000 --> 0:19:09.679 just boot the ball, take the touchbacks and and uh 0:19:09.800 --> 0:19:12.040 and focus on some of those other areas. And at 0:19:12.119 --> 0:19:14.520 thirty seven, you know, he's still seems to be really 0:19:14.760 --> 0:19:16.680 strong in that phase of the game. It's not like 0:19:16.840 --> 0:19:19.000 the the ademinitary thing where you need to start having 0:19:19.040 --> 0:19:21.639 a punter that can handle that. I mean, Crosby's solid 0:19:21.960 --> 0:19:24.359 and he they were really careful with how they use 0:19:24.440 --> 0:19:26.639 his leg. Obviously they like JJ Molson. They kept him 0:19:26.640 --> 0:19:29.120 around the practice squad. They were careful with how much 0:19:29.160 --> 0:19:32.320 he was kicking off during the preseason, So I think 0:19:32.359 --> 0:19:34.439 he's gonna be fresh if he look historically, Mason has 0:19:34.440 --> 0:19:36.960 been a really strong kickoff guy at the beginning of 0:19:37.000 --> 0:19:39.600 the season, so I don't expect any hiccups there. And 0:19:39.840 --> 0:19:42.560 just to make this point to Mike with when you 0:19:42.600 --> 0:19:46.040 look at the or quas, this is an interesting spot 0:19:46.119 --> 0:19:50.440 because the guy's coming off like a picture perfect preseason. 0:19:50.960 --> 0:19:54.159 I understand Denver and mile High and everything like that. 0:19:54.280 --> 0:19:57.000 In the air, you know, the air whatnot, But two 0:19:57.119 --> 0:19:59.360 punts at the one yard line that he was able 0:19:59.400 --> 0:20:01.520 to get out of owns ending the preseason with almost 0:20:01.560 --> 0:20:05.119 a fifty two net average. In my opinion, you should 0:20:05.200 --> 0:20:07.280