WEBVTT - #291 Packers Unscripted: First impressions 0:00:00.800 --> 0:00:19.960 Hi, everybody. Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:20.040 --> 0:00:23.080 I am Mike Spofford and he is my trusted colleague, 0:00:23.079 --> 0:00:26.160 West Hodkuits. We're coming to you here from our studios 0:00:26.200 --> 0:00:29.240 at lambeau Field and West were coming off of rookie 0:00:29.280 --> 0:00:32.800 orientation weekend and annual tradition here in Green Bay. It's 0:00:33.400 --> 0:00:36.360 our first look and the Packers coaches first look at 0:00:36.640 --> 0:00:39.680 the draft picks, the undrafted rookies, that whole class of 0:00:41.159 --> 0:00:43.600 coming into the Packers roster. I know a lot of 0:00:43.600 --> 0:00:46.360 fans wondering, Okay, so what are the first impressions of 0:00:46.400 --> 0:00:50.160 these top two picks JR. Alexander Josh Jackson, the two 0:00:50.159 --> 0:00:53.000 cornerbacks the Packers took in the first two rounds. What 0:00:53.080 --> 0:00:55.880 were your impressions, Yinging Yang, We're the first thing that 0:00:56.040 --> 0:00:58.320 came to mind when I saw these two guys. It 0:00:58.440 --> 0:01:02.080 just seems like they complement each other really well. And 0:01:02.120 --> 0:01:04.080 I know it's a conversation you and I had over 0:01:04.120 --> 0:01:08.759 the weekend to just looking at JayR. Alexander, big personality, 0:01:09.480 --> 0:01:12.680 very extroverted, outgoing free you know, uh, it seems like 0:01:12.720 --> 0:01:16.240 a fun loving individual A bit I think as everybody's 0:01:16.240 --> 0:01:20.440 talked about numerous times now a shorter back. But I'll 0:01:20.480 --> 0:01:22.600 tell you this, I wouldn't call him small. I mean, 0:01:22.640 --> 0:01:24.520 he's a he's a pretty stack guy. He looks like 0:01:24.520 --> 0:01:27.039 he's gonna hold up in the NFL. And obviously the 0:01:27.080 --> 0:01:29.640 playmaking goes without saying. Then you look at a guy 0:01:29.640 --> 0:01:33.960 like Josh Jackson, much more reserved, much more business like. 0:01:34.600 --> 0:01:37.000 Uh And really, as far as the styles are concerned, 0:01:37.040 --> 0:01:40.520 compliments Alexander really, well, he's a taller guy, made a 0:01:40.520 --> 0:01:42.840 lot of plays as well in college, but did it 0:01:42.840 --> 0:01:45.440 in a different way. So I think the exciting thing 0:01:45.440 --> 0:01:47.640 about these two defense and backs of the Packers God 0:01:47.680 --> 0:01:51.080 is they're just they have such contrasting personalities and such 0:01:51.080 --> 0:01:53.880 contrasting styles. But on the field, you know, you and 0:01:53.880 --> 0:01:56.279 I got to see it on Friday, Joe Witt coaching 0:01:56.360 --> 0:01:59.000 them up. I mean, this is already they're they're ripping 0:01:59.040 --> 0:02:01.080 and rolling, and you know they're on their way now 0:02:01.200 --> 0:02:03.760 towards trying to help this team in two thousand eighteen. Yeah, 0:02:03.760 --> 0:02:05.920 and in that first practice that we got to look at, 0:02:06.000 --> 0:02:09.560 it definitely stood out how often Alexander and Jackson both 0:02:09.600 --> 0:02:11.960 got their hands on passes. Now, obviously these are not 0:02:12.040 --> 0:02:16.840 passes being thrown by Aaron Rodgers by any means, but um, 0:02:16.880 --> 0:02:19.120 their playmakers, they go after the ball. I mean, I 0:02:19.160 --> 0:02:21.720 know ball hawk is kind of a cliche term, but 0:02:22.040 --> 0:02:23.880 it really does kind of fit these guys, and when 0:02:23.919 --> 0:02:27.280 you look at it, you know, his best season, Alexander 0:02:27.320 --> 0:02:31.360 had five interceptions, Jackson had eight last season for the 0:02:31.400 --> 0:02:34.720 Iowa Hawkeyes and UM. But it also, as you mentioned, 0:02:34.720 --> 0:02:38.040 the personalities are different because when asked about it afterwards, 0:02:38.400 --> 0:02:40.720 Alexander's comment was, well, those are going to turn into 0:02:40.760 --> 0:02:44.280 picks pretty soon. That's an idea of his outgoing personality, 0:02:44.280 --> 0:02:46.840 whereas Jackson is commenting on the fact that it's not 0:02:46.919 --> 0:02:49.800 used to so many cameras coming from the University of Iowa. 0:02:49.919 --> 0:02:52.000 So that gives you a little bit of a flavor 0:02:52.000 --> 0:02:54.320 of these two guys. But they seem to get along 0:02:54.360 --> 0:02:57.320 really well. They actually met at the scouting combine, um 0:02:57.440 --> 0:02:59.960 Alexander saying he went up to Jackson and kind of 0:03:00.080 --> 0:03:01.960 complimented him on his game and said, hey, I thought 0:03:02.000 --> 0:03:04.919 you should have won the Thorpe Award. The Jim Thorpe 0:03:04.960 --> 0:03:08.240 Ward is the given annually to the nation's top defensive back. 0:03:08.560 --> 0:03:10.920 They kind of hit it off from there, and um 0:03:10.960 --> 0:03:13.079 and lo and behold they both end up in Green Bay. Yeah. 0:03:13.160 --> 0:03:14.640 It was funny too because one of the things we 0:03:14.680 --> 0:03:17.720 heard during the conference calls the first day of the 0:03:17.760 --> 0:03:21.080 Packers draft Alexanders that he's a talker. And we actually 0:03:21.120 --> 0:03:23.480 heard that on the practice field on Friday too when 0:03:23.480 --> 0:03:25.200 we were out there. I mean, there was a couple 0:03:25.200 --> 0:03:27.520 of times where he batted balls, another time where he 0:03:27.560 --> 0:03:29.880 thought he should have the interception. He was already talking 0:03:29.919 --> 0:03:31.959 about it, you know, in terms of, you know, sort 0:03:31.960 --> 0:03:34.600 of just a pep talk to himself. Um, you get 0:03:34.639 --> 0:03:36.320 his personality. And I think one of the things that 0:03:36.400 --> 0:03:38.800 was funny too, I went up and introduced myself to him, 0:03:38.840 --> 0:03:41.920 and he said, Hey, you know, I'm Jayre. You probably 0:03:41.920 --> 0:03:43.800 already knew that though, you know, just based on all 0:03:43.840 --> 0:03:46.680 the attention he's been getting in the media, interviews and whatnot. 0:03:46.720 --> 0:03:49.320 So I thought it was funny too. He did a 0:03:49.360 --> 0:03:53.480 social media Twitter Q and A with fans with our 0:03:53.520 --> 0:03:56.320 social media manager Ryan Hartwig and somebody that has to 0:03:56.600 --> 0:03:58.480 what was it like or what how did you react 0:03:58.480 --> 0:04:01.320 when you got your phone call that you've been drafted. 0:04:01.480 --> 0:04:03.920 He actually got his cell phone out and started reenacting 0:04:03.960 --> 0:04:06.320 exactly what he did. I mean, that's the kind of 0:04:06.360 --> 0:04:09.360 personality he is. Uh. And I think the thing that 0:04:09.480 --> 0:04:11.280 is exciting though, is that, you know, you look at 0:04:11.320 --> 0:04:13.360 Joe witz track record with these guys, He's had a 0:04:13.440 --> 0:04:15.440 lot of different guys from a lot of different walks 0:04:15.440 --> 0:04:19.640 of life. Perennial pro bowler, Heisman Trophy winner like Charles Woodson. 0:04:19.680 --> 0:04:23.040 He's had an undrafted free agent off a practice squad 0:04:23.040 --> 0:04:25.880 like Tremont Williams. So many different guys have come through 0:04:25.880 --> 0:04:28.919 his room. And regardless of your background, regardless of your personality, 0:04:28.920 --> 0:04:31.120 regardless of your skill set, they've been able to have 0:04:31.480 --> 0:04:34.280 success in Green Bay. That's what the Packers are looking 0:04:34.320 --> 0:04:37.880 now from both Alexander and Jackson. And to have the fact, 0:04:38.000 --> 0:04:39.320 you know, to add in the fact that there is 0:04:39.360 --> 0:04:41.440 a little bit of a relationship there in a history, 0:04:41.720 --> 0:04:43.200 I think is only going to make that bond that 0:04:43.279 --> 0:04:45.920 much stronger. Yeah. Well, and from a schematic standpoint, it 0:04:45.920 --> 0:04:49.080 will be interesting to see just how new defensive coordinator 0:04:49.120 --> 0:04:51.400 Mike Petton wants to use these guys. There's certainly not 0:04:51.480 --> 0:04:54.560 being pigeonholed by any means right away, because in the 0:04:54.560 --> 0:04:57.400 practice that we witnessed, we saw them both lining up 0:04:57.440 --> 0:04:59.880 as a boundary corner, lining up as a slot corner. 0:05:00.279 --> 0:05:03.560 They've had some snaps and press man some other snaps 0:05:03.560 --> 0:05:05.960 and sort of off the ball are off the line 0:05:05.960 --> 0:05:09.120 of scrimmage type of coverage. So really just just an 0:05:09.120 --> 0:05:13.080 introduction and whatnot. But I think Mike Petton is probably 0:05:13.080 --> 0:05:15.719 going to use O. T. A S in particular and 0:05:15.760 --> 0:05:18.360 maybe even the early stages of training camp to really 0:05:18.400 --> 0:05:20.640 figure out, Okay, what are these guys going to be 0:05:20.680 --> 0:05:23.440 able to do best as rookies at this level. Because 0:05:23.480 --> 0:05:26.120 as much as the Packers obviously want to develop them 0:05:26.120 --> 0:05:27.919 and bring them along and neither one of them is 0:05:27.920 --> 0:05:30.960 a finished product, they also need to find what they 0:05:31.000 --> 0:05:33.479 do best right now because the Packers are going to 0:05:33.600 --> 0:05:36.479 need them as rookies and this is this is not 0:05:36.520 --> 0:05:38.320 the time for red shirts with these guys. Yeah, and 0:05:38.360 --> 0:05:40.159 in that nature that position, you and I have talked 0:05:40.200 --> 0:05:41.800 about it so many times. When you look down the 0:05:41.839 --> 0:05:44.719 list of guys, Casey Hayward, Mike a hide uh and 0:05:44.760 --> 0:05:46.800 if you look at the defensive of the back end, 0:05:46.920 --> 0:05:49.120 you know how h Clinton dis these guys have had 0:05:49.120 --> 0:05:51.080 to play early and often just based on the nature 0:05:51.080 --> 0:05:52.720 of the position and how many guys you need in 0:05:52.760 --> 0:05:55.080 your sub packages. So while you do have Tremon Williams 0:05:55.120 --> 0:05:57.120 and Kevin King and Devon House and the list goes 0:05:57.160 --> 0:05:59.920 on and on of guys who are returning, more often 0:06:00.000 --> 0:06:02.440 than not, these rookies are pressed into action at some point. 0:06:02.520 --> 0:06:05.400 So having that versatility and also that experience in the 0:06:05.440 --> 0:06:07.599 secondary is really going to benefit them in the long run. 0:06:07.880 --> 0:06:10.240 The big question now, though, you know, we'll see what 0:06:10.240 --> 0:06:12.680 happens in the offseason program Packers. You know, they take 0:06:12.720 --> 0:06:14.720 their course with that, but come training camp, that's when 0:06:14.720 --> 0:06:16.839 the competition really starts. Yeah, no doubt A bought it. 0:06:16.920 --> 0:06:19.000 With that, we'll go to a breakback with more on 0:06:19.040 --> 0:06:39.800 Packers Unscripted right after this. Welcome back to Packers Unscripted. 0:06:39.800 --> 0:06:42.120 Mike Spofford in this chair, Wes Hodko. It's in that 0:06:42.160 --> 0:06:45.240 one was a little bit of news over rookie Orientation 0:06:45.279 --> 0:06:48.560 weekend that we certainly need to discuss. Doesn't happen very 0:06:48.600 --> 0:06:51.560 often at this early stage of the off season, but 0:06:52.240 --> 0:06:56.480 the Packer's release punter Justin Vogel essentially for now handing 0:06:56.520 --> 0:06:59.360 the job to fifth round draft pick and rookie j 0:06:59.560 --> 0:07:02.920 k sk an interesting development and that the Packers, I 0:07:02.960 --> 0:07:06.320 think wanted there to be a competition for the job, 0:07:06.800 --> 0:07:09.720 but by all accounts, that sounded like Justin Vogel kind 0:07:09.720 --> 0:07:11.800 of asked for his release, feeling like he'd have a 0:07:11.840 --> 0:07:15.239 better opportunity to compete somewhere else, feeling the Packers would 0:07:15.240 --> 0:07:17.840 be pretty well committed to Scott with the investment they 0:07:17.840 --> 0:07:19.760 made in the draft. Pick Yeah, and Scott, you look 0:07:19.760 --> 0:07:21.640 at his skill set, where he comes from, had a 0:07:21.680 --> 0:07:24.920 record breaking run at Alabama. I said last week on 0:07:24.960 --> 0:07:26.840 the show, I thought I was really excited to see 0:07:26.840 --> 0:07:30.280 the competition for my money. Over the last twenty five years, 0:07:30.320 --> 0:07:32.440 I don't think the Packers have had one quite like it. 0:07:33.080 --> 0:07:36.200 But whatever situation played out, they're gonna run with J. K. Scott. 0:07:36.280 --> 0:07:39.400 Now here's the thing. And you look at where he 0:07:39.480 --> 0:07:41.800 comes from and his skill set and what he offers 0:07:41.800 --> 0:07:44.640 in terms of his physical ability. Uh, you know, I 0:07:44.720 --> 0:07:47.920 made this case in the story I wrote on Saturday. Historically, 0:07:47.920 --> 0:07:51.120 the Packers haven't had a lot of punting competitions. They 0:07:51.160 --> 0:07:53.760 find their guy, they stick with their guy, and that's 0:07:53.760 --> 0:07:56.080 really that they did it. Even in two thousand, I 0:07:56.120 --> 0:07:58.560 want to say, fourteen or fifteen, when they had both 0:07:58.560 --> 0:08:01.600 Tim mass Day and Mandeln Camp, who was also a 0:08:01.640 --> 0:08:04.720 punter at Alabama. Right, they made that decision early in camp. 0:08:04.720 --> 0:08:07.080 There was basically one year with mass d and Peter 0:08:07.160 --> 0:08:08.880 Mortell where they went through the first three weeks of 0:08:08.920 --> 0:08:11.240 training camp before started to narrow things down, and then 0:08:11.280 --> 0:08:13.960 after that they went with Jacob Schum. So when you 0:08:14.000 --> 0:08:16.320 look on paper with what J. K. Scott offers, now 0:08:16.400 --> 0:08:18.720 you need to be able to put paper to reality. 0:08:18.760 --> 0:08:20.880 But he does seem like the kind of guy that 0:08:20.920 --> 0:08:22.640 if you are going to proceed with just one option 0:08:22.640 --> 0:08:24.680 there into the summer, this is a guy that's going 0:08:24.720 --> 0:08:26.600 to be able to handle that opportunity and get the 0:08:26.600 --> 0:08:28.560 extra reps that come along with it. Right. And the 0:08:28.600 --> 0:08:32.360 Packers certainly didn't have to grant Justin Vogel's request to 0:08:32.400 --> 0:08:34.800 be released, but I think the fact that they did 0:08:35.080 --> 0:08:38.120 one it speaks to what they talked about in terms 0:08:38.160 --> 0:08:41.320 of really being fair to him, but also that they 0:08:41.320 --> 0:08:43.800 are comfortable enough with Scott, and I think that comes 0:08:43.840 --> 0:08:46.640 from the fact that he played at Alabama. He's played 0:08:46.640 --> 0:08:50.040 in National championship games, SEC games under the lights. You 0:08:50.040 --> 0:08:53.000 know all of that. You can't you can't play in 0:08:53.040 --> 0:08:56.360 any or I should say, punt in any bigger pressure 0:08:56.400 --> 0:08:59.560 situations than J K. Scott has through his career. Yeah, 0:08:59.559 --> 0:09:01.520 the NFL all is not going to be a you know, 0:09:02.200 --> 0:09:04.240 a deer in the headlights kind of thing for Scott. 0:09:04.280 --> 0:09:06.520 I mean, when you play in the SEC, in the 0:09:06.679 --> 0:09:09.720 caliber and importance of games that you know, the Crimson 0:09:09.760 --> 0:09:12.880 Tide play in, uh, the NFL. I'm not saying it's 0:09:12.960 --> 0:09:15.840 it's like not comparable, but I mean I think he's 0:09:15.920 --> 0:09:18.960 ready for that moment. The thing that's gonna be interesting though, 0:09:18.960 --> 0:09:21.120 in terms of where he's at and where he needs 0:09:21.160 --> 0:09:23.440 to get to, is that, you know, you don't have 0:09:23.480 --> 0:09:25.600 Mason Crosby here yet, so he's gonna have to work 0:09:25.600 --> 0:09:29.040 with him and obviously the holding responsibilities that go with that. 0:09:29.480 --> 0:09:31.600 He does have. His two long snappers were here the 0:09:31.679 --> 0:09:34.079 last weekend, including you know, Hunter Bradley, who was the 0:09:34.120 --> 0:09:36.080 seventh round pick, So there's a chance to start building 0:09:36.080 --> 0:09:38.240 some report there as well. But as we get through 0:09:38.280 --> 0:09:40.800 this offseason program and getting into training camp, the thing 0:09:40.800 --> 0:09:42.720 I'm gonna be keeping the biggest eye on is trying 0:09:42.760 --> 0:09:46.760 to form that battery with those specialists because Mason Crosby 0:09:46.840 --> 0:09:48.959 has had to go through so many changes here the 0:09:49.040 --> 0:09:52.320 last three four years, really now between the long snappers 0:09:52.320 --> 0:09:54.400 he's worked with, the punters that have held for him, 0:09:54.880 --> 0:09:58.240 they want to get that that cohesiveness down. So while 0:09:58.520 --> 0:10:01.280 Scott has a remarkable record as a punter, and and 0:10:01.320 --> 0:10:03.400 you know, the lights are not going to be too 0:10:03.400 --> 0:10:05.960 bright from in that regard, there is more components to 0:10:06.040 --> 0:10:07.880 this and that's gonna be something that he's gonna have 0:10:07.920 --> 0:10:10.040 to try developing now in these months to come. Yeah, 0:10:10.080 --> 0:10:12.280 and he was the holder at Alabama, so it's not 0:10:12.320 --> 0:10:15.320 as though he has to completely learn this with the 0:10:15.480 --> 0:10:18.320 with the duty being thrust upon him. But uh, from 0:10:18.320 --> 0:10:21.320 a style standpoint, be interesting to watch him as well 0:10:21.360 --> 0:10:23.960 and something maybe for Packers fans to adjust to. He 0:10:24.040 --> 0:10:29.199 has a essentially a straight two step delivery and his 0:10:29.480 --> 0:10:32.319 plant leg does not come off the ground. Now, I'm 0:10:32.360 --> 0:10:34.840 a little older than you are, West. When I was 0:10:34.880 --> 0:10:37.200 growing up, there was a punter from the University of 0:10:37.240 --> 0:10:40.600 Iowa named Reggie Roby, and he spent a good portion 0:10:40.640 --> 0:10:42.440 of his career I believe it was with the Miami 0:10:42.480 --> 0:10:45.120 Dolphins in the NFL. He was one of the first 0:10:45.160 --> 0:10:49.240 punters like that anybody had seen in the NFL whose 0:10:49.320 --> 0:10:51.480 plant leg did not come off the ground when he kicked. 0:10:51.520 --> 0:10:53.120 It was a really big deal at the time that 0:10:53.200 --> 0:10:55.840 he was so successful and yet he didn't have you 0:10:55.840 --> 0:10:58.360 know that that you know, that full leg swing where 0:10:58.440 --> 0:11:01.880 where the whole body comes up off the ground. J K. Scott. 0:11:01.920 --> 0:11:03.640 You look at him. We talked about him when we 0:11:03.720 --> 0:11:05.480 kind of saw him in person for the first time. 0:11:05.520 --> 0:11:08.560 He's not only tall at six ft five, he's got 0:11:08.679 --> 0:11:11.360 long legs. I mean the swing of his leg I 0:11:11.400 --> 0:11:14.000 can only imagine the power that it generates. And it 0:11:14.080 --> 0:11:17.040 makes sense from the standpoint that with that long a 0:11:17.200 --> 0:11:19.880 lever so to speak, kicking the ball, that he can 0:11:19.960 --> 0:11:23.840 generate enough leverage and enough power without having to leave 0:11:23.880 --> 0:11:26.240 the ground. It's a style that works for him and 0:11:26.280 --> 0:11:28.240 he's sticking with it. Yeah, and if he wanted to, 0:11:28.400 --> 0:11:29.720 I'll tell you this right now, he would have been 0:11:29.720 --> 0:11:32.040 a heck of a high jumper. You can just see 0:11:32.240 --> 0:11:35.400 he's got the perfect building. It's different. You just you 0:11:35.480 --> 0:11:37.200 just can't be six six and be a really good 0:11:37.280 --> 0:11:39.400 high jumper. But you can see that he's the son 0:11:39.480 --> 0:11:41.199 of a guy that that did it at a high 0:11:41.280 --> 0:11:44.080 level in the Big Tenant at Wisconsin. Because with those 0:11:44.120 --> 0:11:46.520 long legs, his calves are just so strong. I mean 0:11:47.000 --> 0:11:49.240 you get those calves that almost look like thighs, and 0:11:49.280 --> 0:11:51.320 now you know you've got something to work with their 0:11:51.720 --> 0:11:53.440 the people who might not know at home, though, Mike, 0:11:53.440 --> 0:11:55.800 what is the advantage to not leaving the ground on 0:11:55.880 --> 0:11:57.520 that on the punt, because I know that's a big 0:11:57.559 --> 0:11:59.920 thing we talked about this past week. But where does 0:12:00.000 --> 0:12:02.160 that advantage live for for a punter and being able 0:12:02.200 --> 0:12:04.400 to just you know, have that all in one fluid motion. 0:12:04.559 --> 0:12:07.240 I think it comes in with consistency, that just everything 0:12:07.320 --> 0:12:10.240 about their everything about their approach, their delivery, can be 0:12:10.320 --> 0:12:13.800 more consistent because in a sense, you're removing one of 0:12:13.880 --> 0:12:17.520 the moving parts of the of the process. And and uh, 0:12:17.600 --> 0:12:20.240 you know, you look at Scott's numbers throughout his college career, 0:12:20.240 --> 0:12:22.960 he has been pretty darn consistent and in just the 0:12:23.000 --> 0:12:25.240 continual growth that he made at Alabama, I mean, he 0:12:25.240 --> 0:12:26.920 was pretty much a finished product in terms of the 0:12:26.920 --> 0:12:30.200 collegiate sense by the time he left Tuscaloosa. Alright, with that, 0:12:30.240 --> 0:12:31.920 we're going to go to another break back with more 0:12:31.920 --> 0:12:53.280 on Packers Unscripted right after this. Welcome back to Packers Unscripted. 0:12:53.320 --> 0:12:56.400 Mike Spofford here, West Hodku, It's all the way over there. 0:12:56.480 --> 0:13:01.200 All right West. The Packers drafted three wide receivers as well, 0:13:01.240 --> 0:13:05.120 and one whose story Um, I guess you'd say going 0:13:05.160 --> 0:13:08.040 back to high school particularly interesting and you addressed it 0:13:08.040 --> 0:13:11.960 in a nice piece on our website. Marquez Felda's scantling 0:13:12.200 --> 0:13:14.800 from the University of South Florida. As a high schooler, 0:13:15.400 --> 0:13:19.520 he was not only teammates with Shatt Griffin, the one 0:13:19.600 --> 0:13:22.600 armed linebacker from Central Florida who was drafted by the 0:13:22.640 --> 0:13:26.880 Seattle Seahawks, but they ran a was it state championship 0:13:27.040 --> 0:13:30.600 really on a state championship team? Yeah? They yeah in 0:13:30.600 --> 0:13:33.199 in uh in a sprint, right, yeah, sprint relay for 0:13:33.280 --> 0:13:36.000 undered me to relay. Really interesting thing. And you mentioned 0:13:36.080 --> 0:13:37.679 high school. I mean these two have known each other. 0:13:37.720 --> 0:13:41.720 He's known Saquil and Sachem Griffin, Shakeem Griffin going all 0:13:41.720 --> 0:13:43.040 the way back to basic when they were in pre 0:13:43.200 --> 0:13:46.319 k uh in and you know, competed on the same 0:13:46.360 --> 0:13:49.120 little league teams and football teams and then ran on 0:13:49.160 --> 0:13:52.280 the state championship track team for Lakewood High School in 0:13:52.280 --> 0:13:54.680 in Florida. And if you know anything about that school, 0:13:54.920 --> 0:13:58.320 they've just turned out NFL player after NFL player. And 0:13:58.360 --> 0:14:01.520 it was interesting talking to him about act because it's 0:14:02.559 --> 0:14:04.400 the thing about it is he's known him for so long. 0:14:04.400 --> 0:14:06.280 He knew him when he still had both of his hands, 0:14:06.880 --> 0:14:09.080 and in one of the questions was asked to him like, 0:14:09.160 --> 0:14:11.520 just how traumatic was that for him at four years 0:14:11.559 --> 0:14:15.120 old having that amputated if you know his story with 0:14:15.160 --> 0:14:18.640 the with the the disorder that he had, I mean 0:14:18.679 --> 0:14:20.960 basically was trying to, you know, do it himself because 0:14:21.000 --> 0:14:22.880 just how much pain he had. And then the parents 0:14:22.920 --> 0:14:25.840 finally agreed to get it amputated and he said no, 0:14:26.200 --> 0:14:30.080 but you know, it did not stop him at all, mentally, physically, anything. 0:14:30.680 --> 0:14:33.000 And he credits that to a family that basically told 0:14:33.040 --> 0:14:35.680 him that you're no different than anybody else. You don't 0:14:35.680 --> 0:14:38.200 ask for sympathy, you don't ask for any handouts. You 0:14:38.360 --> 0:14:40.080 just go and be the player that you are, be 0:14:40.160 --> 0:14:43.920 the student, be the individual that you are. And you know, 0:14:44.000 --> 0:14:47.560 he even said, when this novelty of it nationally, everybody 0:14:47.880 --> 0:14:50.560 you know the stories, which was amazing, But he's sort 0:14:50.600 --> 0:14:52.760 of numb to it because he's just known him overcoming 0:14:52.800 --> 0:14:55.280 those odds for so long, silencing the doubters and critics 0:14:55.280 --> 0:14:57.560 for so long, um and to be able to get 0:14:57.640 --> 0:15:00.200 drafted with him in the same round on the same day. 0:15:00.600 --> 0:15:02.760 A very special moment for him and really the whole 0:15:02.800 --> 0:15:05.760 community of St. Petersburg. Yeah, and as much as Velda's 0:15:05.760 --> 0:15:08.680 Scantling said, he's numb to it because it sort of 0:15:08.720 --> 0:15:12.280 just became part of obviously their friendship and and you know, 0:15:12.360 --> 0:15:17.480 being teammates and whatnot, he's still inspired by it. When 0:15:17.480 --> 0:15:19.160 when you when you grow up with that all the 0:15:19.160 --> 0:15:21.600 way along and you i mean you talk about you know, 0:15:21.880 --> 0:15:23.920 I mean all those you know whatever, the dog days 0:15:23.960 --> 0:15:25.840 of high school when it's just like, you know, I 0:15:25.840 --> 0:15:27.840 don't really don't want to go to practice today, or 0:15:27.880 --> 0:15:30.280 you know this, or that you just distracted by other things. 0:15:30.920 --> 0:15:32.840 He's I mean, here's a guy, you know, one of 0:15:32.880 --> 0:15:37.440 his best friends and teammates is absolutely not slowing down 0:15:37.520 --> 0:15:41.640 for anything or anybody with with a significant disability to 0:15:41.640 --> 0:15:44.200 to have to deal with. And that that's something that 0:15:44.240 --> 0:15:47.200 it sounds like to me that that it's inspired Marquez 0:15:47.600 --> 0:15:49.440 all the way along. Yeah, it really has. And he said, 0:15:49.440 --> 0:15:51.600 you have to understand where they come from too. I mean, 0:15:51.600 --> 0:15:53.880 the community that they they're raised in, it's not it's 0:15:53.920 --> 0:15:55.560 not the best. The neighborhood is not the best. They 0:15:55.600 --> 0:15:58.160 grew up about five minutes away from each other in 0:15:58.280 --> 0:16:00.360 terms of you know, their houses, and you know, it's 0:16:00.360 --> 0:16:02.800 where you really rely on the people around you to 0:16:02.880 --> 0:16:05.600 kind of get through those circumstances. And you know, he said, 0:16:05.600 --> 0:16:07.320 I mean you can go back and look too. I mean, 0:16:07.440 --> 0:16:10.240 the the numbers that Shack put up in track and 0:16:10.320 --> 0:16:13.920 field and football and baseball. I mean, it's remarkable what 0:16:14.040 --> 0:16:17.000 he accomplished in and of itself, regardless of you know, 0:16:17.160 --> 0:16:20.960 the situation he was put in. But to be able 0:16:21.000 --> 0:16:23.240 to get through that to go to UCF and and 0:16:23.280 --> 0:16:25.920 as a lot of people said, it was mostly in 0:16:25.920 --> 0:16:28.680 in some terms, schools are recruiting him because they wanted 0:16:28.720 --> 0:16:32.480 to get his brother, his twin brother, Shaquil. So as 0:16:32.560 --> 0:16:34.160 him being sort of the I don't want to say 0:16:34.200 --> 0:16:37.960 the the the add on, I mean, he's every bit 0:16:38.000 --> 0:16:41.320 as much a part of this as as his brother was. 0:16:41.480 --> 0:16:43.800 And for them, and they were all incredibly fast, you know, 0:16:43.840 --> 0:16:46.840 he said, uh, you know, he ran the final leg 0:16:46.920 --> 0:16:49.280 of their relay team, but he took the baton pass 0:16:49.320 --> 0:16:52.560 from Shack, his brother usually being the second person. And 0:16:52.600 --> 0:16:54.520 if you know anything about those foreign and relays, there's 0:16:54.560 --> 0:16:56.800 so much that goes into that timing and technique that 0:16:56.880 --> 0:16:58.720 you you don't have. You don't want to lose speed, 0:16:58.720 --> 0:17:00.920 you don't want to lose the baton, and they had 0:17:00.960 --> 0:17:03.240 such a fluid system down, and I think it says 0:17:03.240 --> 0:17:05.560 a lot about all three of them now that they've 0:17:05.560 --> 0:17:07.600 been able to to get to this level. Yeah. You 0:17:07.680 --> 0:17:09.800 and I we both covered a lot of high school 0:17:09.800 --> 0:17:12.320 which included covering high school track and the state track 0:17:12.400 --> 0:17:14.560 meeting stuff. And I'll admit I was not necessarily a 0:17:14.600 --> 0:17:17.080 big fan of high school track. But if there's one 0:17:17.119 --> 0:17:20.160 thing that I really enjoyed watching at the state track meet, 0:17:20.200 --> 0:17:22.800 it was that four by one to relay because of 0:17:22.840 --> 0:17:25.840 the baton pass, and you'd you'd see the teams that 0:17:25.880 --> 0:17:29.239 really had had their timing and their system down and 0:17:29.280 --> 0:17:31.600 just how smooth everything could be, you know, basically one 0:17:31.640 --> 0:17:34.320 full lap around the track with the four guys, you know, 0:17:34.320 --> 0:17:36.840 I mean I saw guys like you know, Michael Bennett 0:17:36.880 --> 0:17:39.639 and b J. Tucker, these you know, stars, eventual stars 0:17:39.640 --> 0:17:42.080 for Wisconsin Badgers who made their way into the NFL. 0:17:42.359 --> 0:17:45.000 These guys were running that relay in lacrosse at the 0:17:45.000 --> 0:17:47.360 Wisconsin State track Meet. It's always fun to watch. Yeah, 0:17:47.359 --> 0:17:48.760 And the other thing too, is It's like if you 0:17:48.760 --> 0:17:50.840 think about Shack doing it with only having one arm. 0:17:50.880 --> 0:17:52.359 I mean, there's has to be you have to be 0:17:52.440 --> 0:17:54.840 so far up on your technique because there is no 0:17:55.000 --> 0:17:57.199 room for error. You can't miss that pass because then 0:17:57.200 --> 0:17:59.800 you're gonna be disqualified. So just it is, it's a 0:17:59.800 --> 0:18:02.080 really we need story now for Velde Scantling being in 0:18:02.119 --> 0:18:04.000 Green Bay. He knows there's a long way to go yet, 0:18:04.040 --> 0:18:06.600 but having that background is something that's really pushing him 0:18:06.600 --> 0:18:08.520 now that he's in Green Bay. Yeah, definitely. With that, 0:18:08.560 --> 0:18:10.040 we're going to go to a break back with more 0:18:10.080 --> 0:18:30.679 and Packers Unscripted right after this. Welcome back to Packers Unscripted. 0:18:30.680 --> 0:18:34.160 Mike Spofford alongside West hod Kowitz West. Two other receivers 0:18:34.160 --> 0:18:36.720 the Packers drafted we certainly should talk about here as well, 0:18:36.840 --> 0:18:42.280 Jamon Moore from Missouri, an Equinymius st. Brown from Notre Dame, 0:18:42.280 --> 0:18:46.320 and people wondering with Valdi Scantling there in the middle 0:18:46.400 --> 0:18:48.200 as the as the fifth round pick of the three 0:18:48.240 --> 0:18:49.800 one and the fourth one and the fifth one the 0:18:49.880 --> 0:18:52.720 six what's the difference between the three They all you know, 0:18:52.880 --> 0:18:55.680 similar height, they're all that six three to six five range. 0:18:56.080 --> 0:18:58.000 The thing that stood out to me when I saw 0:18:58.040 --> 0:18:59.920 them all in the practice field for the first time, 0:19:00.280 --> 0:19:04.359 is um really just how much thicker I think in 0:19:04.400 --> 0:19:07.240 the upper body just the body build in general that 0:19:07.359 --> 0:19:10.040 Jamon more is. I could see from a physical standpoint 0:19:10.080 --> 0:19:12.640 just looking at him why he was the fourth round 0:19:12.680 --> 0:19:15.880 pick and the other guys were drafted a little bit later. Yeah, 0:19:15.920 --> 0:19:18.160 I mean he has a full I think the word 0:19:18.160 --> 0:19:20.040 I use when we were watching practices is he's so 0:19:20.119 --> 0:19:24.560 fully developed and and and it's really balanced throughout his body. Uh. 0:19:24.600 --> 0:19:26.840 To be honest with you and take this for what 0:19:26.920 --> 0:19:29.000