WEBVTT - #408 Packers Unscripted: OTA preview — defense 0:00:00.800 --> 0:00:21.000 Hi, everyone, Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:21.000 --> 0:00:24.120 I am Mike Spofford, sitting alongside the one and only 0:00:24.160 --> 0:00:28.080 Wes Hodkowits. We're coming to here from our studios at 0:00:28.160 --> 0:00:31.520 lambeau Field and West. Last week we wrapped up our 0:00:31.560 --> 0:00:34.640 final show with an O t A preview on the 0:00:34.680 --> 0:00:37.879 offensive side of the ball. O t A S are underway. 0:00:37.920 --> 0:00:40.640 Now later today we're going to get our first view 0:00:40.800 --> 0:00:43.760 of one of the practices. So let's continue with the 0:00:43.800 --> 0:00:46.960 preview but switched to the defensive side of the ball 0:00:47.880 --> 0:00:49.960 here as the Packers embark on three weeks of O 0:00:50.120 --> 0:00:51.840 t a S and a week of mini camp. There's 0:00:51.840 --> 0:00:54.200 a little bit of news at the safety position already, 0:00:54.240 --> 0:00:57.320 and that there's a report out that Josh Jones is 0:00:57.320 --> 0:01:00.400 skipping the voluntary O t A S. He he's not 0:01:00.480 --> 0:01:03.240 happy with how things are going with him and reportedly 0:01:03.480 --> 0:01:06.240 has asked to be traded. We're going to see what 0:01:06.280 --> 0:01:08.240 Matt Lafleur has to say about that and see what 0:01:08.319 --> 0:01:10.360 develops here this first week of O t a S 0:01:10.440 --> 0:01:13.199 with regards to that, and maybe address it on another show. 0:01:13.240 --> 0:01:15.039 But I did want to talk a little bit about 0:01:15.080 --> 0:01:20.240 the safety position because you raised an interesting point. In 0:01:20.319 --> 0:01:25.440 our last show six years ago, two thousand and thirteen, 0:01:25.480 --> 0:01:28.800 the Packers drafted Eddie Lacey in the second round, but 0:01:28.880 --> 0:01:31.479 oh t A started with Alex Green as the number 0:01:31.480 --> 0:01:35.680 one running back. So what I'm interested to see, because 0:01:35.720 --> 0:01:40.560 different coaching staffs handled this differently. Darnell Savage drafted at 0:01:40.600 --> 0:01:43.240 number twenty one overall, the Packers traded up for him. 0:01:43.280 --> 0:01:46.000 By all accounts, he's the guy who's going to step 0:01:46.040 --> 0:01:48.240 in and start next to Adrian Amos, the free agent 0:01:48.280 --> 0:01:52.520 acquisition at safety. But we'll see if this coaching staff 0:01:53.200 --> 0:01:55.200 is going to plug him in right away with the 0:01:55.240 --> 0:01:58.400 first unit, right from the get go, or if it's 0:01:58.440 --> 0:02:01.240 going to be an Alex Green Eddie ac situation where 0:02:01.560 --> 0:02:03.960 things are handled a little a little differently. At the 0:02:04.040 --> 0:02:05.960 end of the day, I'm not sure how much it matters, 0:02:05.960 --> 0:02:08.760 but I'm just curious how Matt Lafleur and his coaching 0:02:08.760 --> 0:02:10.960 staff is going to handle this situation. Mike, I'm gonna 0:02:10.960 --> 0:02:14.799 take you down memorily lane. Second. Here it's two thousand 0:02:14.919 --> 0:02:17.320 thirteen again, both of us are here. Is a little darker, 0:02:18.040 --> 0:02:21.720 a few less racles, a little one thing that happened 0:02:21.720 --> 0:02:24.040 at that camp in addition to the Alex Green Eddie 0:02:24.080 --> 0:02:25.560 lazy thing. I don't know if you remember this, but 0:02:25.720 --> 0:02:29.640 Sam Shields held out that year because he had gotten 0:02:29.639 --> 0:02:32.959 the restricted tender. He wanted to get a long term contract. 0:02:33.080 --> 0:02:35.760 He reported for the mandatory minicamp, but he didn't participate 0:02:35.760 --> 0:02:38.400 in O t A s the voluntary portion. Voluntary portion, 0:02:38.720 --> 0:02:42.520 there was a young man by the name of Casey Hayward, 0:02:42.919 --> 0:02:46.079 by the name of Devon House. A lot of young 0:02:46.120 --> 0:02:47.960 guys in this roster ended up getting a lot of 0:02:47.960 --> 0:02:52.480 reps that summer because Shields wasn't there. I'm not sure 0:02:52.480 --> 0:02:54.800 how this all sorts out with Josh Jones and where 0:02:54.840 --> 0:02:57.200 Savage fits into the big picture, but I think you 0:02:57.240 --> 0:02:59.000 and I both can agree when you look at the 0:02:59.000 --> 0:03:01.679 way the depth charted sit stuated right now, this young 0:03:01.720 --> 0:03:03.880 man is in a position to get a lot of reps, 0:03:04.000 --> 0:03:06.640 to get a lot of experience. I can't give you 0:03:06.680 --> 0:03:09.080 an exact example of Okay, well, here was just a 0:03:09.160 --> 0:03:11.480 rookie that came in the offseason program. It was slotted 0:03:11.480 --> 0:03:14.160 in as a starter right away. There weren't many because 0:03:14.160 --> 0:03:16.119 for the most part, the packers of drafted guys where 0:03:16.120 --> 0:03:18.760 they already had established starters, and they were sort of 0:03:18.760 --> 0:03:21.799 bringing these guys up to the pipeline. You were here 0:03:21.800 --> 0:03:25.040 for Nick collins In and basically the bulk of his career. 0:03:25.080 --> 0:03:26.760 I'm not sure how they handled him in those early 0:03:26.800 --> 0:03:30.200 years because basically everyone acknowledged from day one he was 0:03:30.200 --> 0:03:32.760 going to be a starter. Morgan Burnette was a guy 0:03:32.760 --> 0:03:35.000 that ended up being basically a day one starter as well. 0:03:35.360 --> 0:03:39.080 Safety lends itself to, for whatever reason, as much experience 0:03:39.080 --> 0:03:41.480 and as much as you know command that it takes 0:03:41.520 --> 0:03:44.880 for those players to really have on a defense, it 0:03:44.960 --> 0:03:47.200 lends itself to those guys being able to play right away. 0:03:47.240 --> 0:03:49.640 And I think when you listen to Savage, you understand 0:03:49.720 --> 0:03:53.160 his backstory and also the playmaking ability has in him. Uh. 0:03:53.360 --> 0:03:55.160 I don't want to compare him to Jaire Alexander. I 0:03:55.200 --> 0:03:57.040 don't want to put those expectations out there for him, 0:03:57.080 --> 0:03:58.640 but it just does seem like this is a young 0:03:58.680 --> 0:04:01.520 man that could come in right away and make an impact. Yeah. 0:04:01.560 --> 0:04:03.440 I think that's what he was drafted for. I think 0:04:03.480 --> 0:04:07.400 that's what that's why Brian Goodacunt has made the investment 0:04:07.440 --> 0:04:09.960 in that that he didn't trade it away to fourth 0:04:10.080 --> 0:04:11.800 round picks to move up and make sure that he 0:04:11.840 --> 0:04:14.280 got him, And Goudacun said later on in the draft, 0:04:14.760 --> 0:04:16.359 I know for a fact he wasn't going to be 0:04:16.400 --> 0:04:18.520 there at thirty if he had sat there at the 0:04:18.520 --> 0:04:20.880 bottom of the first round and waited to try to 0:04:20.920 --> 0:04:24.600 get him at that opportunity. So, um, like I said, 0:04:24.680 --> 0:04:28.080 at the end of the day, whether he's with the 0:04:28.160 --> 0:04:30.520 number one unit on the first day or the first 0:04:30.600 --> 0:04:32.400 week of O T a S or if he eventually 0:04:32.480 --> 0:04:35.359 gets to that spot, in some ways it really doesn't matter. 0:04:35.400 --> 0:04:38.000 But for me it's more of a curiosity thing from 0:04:38.040 --> 0:04:41.599 this particular coaching staff because um, it is a new staff, 0:04:41.720 --> 0:04:44.960 or the bulk of it is is new, and coaching 0:04:44.960 --> 0:04:49.120 staffs handle these things differently in terms of there's there's 0:04:49.160 --> 0:04:52.840 pros and cons to it. There's you're the one way 0:04:52.960 --> 0:04:54.600 is to put him in there from day one, and 0:04:54.680 --> 0:04:58.240 you are clear about the expectations for this player that 0:04:58.920 --> 0:05:00.800 this is what is going to be expected of you. 0:05:01.080 --> 0:05:03.320 The flip side of it is there are guys who 0:05:03.320 --> 0:05:06.119 have been here, there are guys who know the system better, 0:05:06.560 --> 0:05:10.720 and from day one, make the younger guy that you 0:05:10.760 --> 0:05:13.440 expect to be the starter, beat those guys out, make 0:05:13.560 --> 0:05:17.480 make them, make them earn that spot to some degree 0:05:17.600 --> 0:05:19.400 instead of just handing it to him right from the 0:05:19.440 --> 0:05:21.560 get go. So there's different ways to go about it well. 0:05:21.600 --> 0:05:23.479 And it's like the Mike Spofford, you know, let's be 0:05:23.560 --> 0:05:25.880 real moment of the week here. If you had Raven 0:05:25.880 --> 0:05:28.320 Green stay healthy last year, we're probably looking at a 0:05:28.360 --> 0:05:31.240 different situation right now. If Abrahem Campbell doesn't have the 0:05:31.240 --> 0:05:33.760 significant knee injury that he did, maybe he's on this 0:05:33.839 --> 0:05:37.560 roster right now. The way the shuffles out is there's 0:05:37.560 --> 0:05:40.200 so much opportunity with the safety position right now, with 0:05:40.240 --> 0:05:42.520 the way the NFL is structured. You can use them 0:05:42.520 --> 0:05:44.479 in the slot, you can use them in the box 0:05:44.520 --> 0:05:47.000 as an inside linebacker. They did that last year with 0:05:47.080 --> 0:05:50.279 Josh Jones, with Campbell, with Eddie Pleasant, all those guys 0:05:50.320 --> 0:05:53.920 filled that role at different points, even Jermaine Whitehead before 0:05:53.960 --> 0:05:56.440 he was released. So there is a lot of most 0:05:56.560 --> 0:05:59.640 multiplicity to that position that lends itself to those guys 0:05:59.680 --> 0:06:02.000 being able to get in there right away. The thing 0:06:02.080 --> 0:06:04.480 I like about Savage and the idea of him playing 0:06:04.560 --> 0:06:07.400 right away back there with Adrian Amos is you're playing 0:06:07.440 --> 0:06:10.040 with one of excuse me, what a lot of people 0:06:10.040 --> 0:06:11.560 I think would consider to be one of the elite 0:06:11.920 --> 0:06:14.440 young safeties in this league at this point. To have 0:06:14.560 --> 0:06:17.080 someone to build off of with that, I think would 0:06:17.080 --> 0:06:19.400 be incredibly beneficial to win because when you look at 0:06:19.400 --> 0:06:21.280 some of the really good safeties the Packers have had 0:06:21.279 --> 0:06:23.880 in the past, they haven't always had that benefit. Nick 0:06:23.880 --> 0:06:25.640 Collins had to go in and be the man from 0:06:25.720 --> 0:06:28.640 day one. I just think if Savage does get those reps, 0:06:28.640 --> 0:06:30.479 and again, we'll see how it works out, but the 0:06:30.520 --> 0:06:32.360 more work he gets with Amos, I think the better 0:06:32.400 --> 0:06:33.600 it is going to be for him being able to 0:06:33.640 --> 0:06:36.000 contribute your one well. And I think another thing about 0:06:36.000 --> 0:06:39.440 Savages situation here too, is that with Amos, yes, he's 0:06:39.480 --> 0:06:41.320 new to the Packers, but he is a veteran. He's 0:06:41.320 --> 0:06:43.880 played in the NFL for four years. He started dozens 0:06:43.960 --> 0:06:47.320 of games for a really good Chicago Bears defense. You're 0:06:47.320 --> 0:06:50.160 not asking Darnell Savage to step in and be the 0:06:50.200 --> 0:06:53.480 communicator and the signal caller and all of that. Adrian 0:06:53.520 --> 0:06:55.960 Amos is that guy because he's the veteran, and he's 0:06:55.960 --> 0:06:58.520 got the experience, and he's, in my opinion, is going 0:06:58.560 --> 0:07:01.560 to be able to pick up my Petton system without 0:07:01.600 --> 0:07:03.880 a whole heck of a lot of difficulties. He's a 0:07:03.920 --> 0:07:06.880 smart player, all of his The reputation that he brings 0:07:06.920 --> 0:07:10.520 over from Chicago is you want all of your safeties 0:07:10.560 --> 0:07:13.360 to have the communication skills, obviously, but Amos is the 0:07:13.360 --> 0:07:16.920 one who's going to be leaned on um for that responsibility. 0:07:17.040 --> 0:07:19.600 So you don't have to put too much on Darnell 0:07:19.640 --> 0:07:22.000 Savage's plate if you want him to play right away, 0:07:22.000 --> 0:07:23.480 which is again why I think this could be a 0:07:23.520 --> 0:07:25.680 really good opportunity for him, because when you go back 0:07:25.680 --> 0:07:27.760 and look at it, Nick Collins was part of a 0:07:27.800 --> 0:07:30.920 defensive renovation way back when Morgan Burnett was supposed to 0:07:30.960 --> 0:07:33.480 be paired with Nick Collins. He gets injured right away 0:07:33.480 --> 0:07:35.200 with the a c L. The next year, Collins has 0:07:35.200 --> 0:07:37.840 the neck injury. The one true example of this is 0:07:37.840 --> 0:07:40.760 probably Burnett being able to shepherd Micah Hyde and and 0:07:40.840 --> 0:07:43.200 Ha Clinton. Dick's a little bit, but for the most part, 0:07:43.200 --> 0:07:45.640 it's been really difficult to get that young and veteran 0:07:45.720 --> 0:07:48.080 combination together. The Packers are positioned to do that right 0:07:48.120 --> 0:07:50.800 now in two thousand nineteen. Yeah. Well, another spot, certainly 0:07:50.840 --> 0:07:54.520 on the defense where opportunity is knocking and it's a 0:07:54.560 --> 0:07:58.880 spot we've talked about before, and it's inside linebacker, because 0:07:59.600 --> 0:08:04.360 the Packers didn't uh draft anybody high. Tye Summers was 0:08:04.960 --> 0:08:07.160 a seventh round draft pick in the last of the 0:08:07.200 --> 0:08:10.480 eight picks the Packers made. But you have Blake Martinez 0:08:10.520 --> 0:08:14.280 as your as your stalwart there at inside linebacker and 0:08:14.280 --> 0:08:16.800 the guy who's going to be, as Mike Petton likes 0:08:16.800 --> 0:08:20.239 to say, the nerve center of the defense. But Oren 0:08:20.280 --> 0:08:22.480 Burks was the third round draft pick last year the 0:08:22.520 --> 0:08:27.160 Packers traded up for him. The shoulder injury during the preseason, unfortunately, 0:08:27.280 --> 0:08:32.000 was a big setback. But this is an opportunity here 0:08:32.040 --> 0:08:35.720 for or and Burks to potentially step in. Um. Now, granted, 0:08:35.800 --> 0:08:39.120 different packages, different down and distant situations, you're not always 0:08:39.160 --> 0:08:42.520 going to have to pure bred, so to speak, inside 0:08:42.559 --> 0:08:45.520 linebackers on the field. But this is an opportunity for 0:08:45.679 --> 0:08:47.800 or and Burks to stand up and say, you know, hey, 0:08:47.840 --> 0:08:50.320 I'm gonna I want to play a fair amount of 0:08:50.400 --> 0:08:52.640 snaps in this defense. Yeah, and exactly when you look 0:08:52.679 --> 0:08:54.880 at it to Mike, the fact that they let go 0:08:55.240 --> 0:08:58.600 of Antonio Morrison, they didn't go out and just sign 0:08:58.640 --> 0:09:02.960 another veteran to replace him. They understand the upside with 0:09:03.040 --> 0:09:05.320 Oren Burks what they want him to be as a 0:09:05.400 --> 0:09:08.320 player in this league. So from that perspective, I think 0:09:08.400 --> 0:09:10.640 it is going to be beneficial for him to get 0:09:10.640 --> 0:09:13.000 as many reps as he can this summer. It was 0:09:13.080 --> 0:09:15.080 positioned for him last year to be the guy next 0:09:15.120 --> 0:09:17.800 to Blake Martinez once Jake Ryan was out of the picture. 0:09:18.440 --> 0:09:20.800 How many stories did everybody on the beat right last 0:09:20.880 --> 0:09:23.719 year about how Oren Burks is gonna have to be 0:09:23.760 --> 0:09:26.800 a year one starter. They go and get Antonio Morrison. 0:09:27.400 --> 0:09:29.560 You know. That kind of got them through last season, 0:09:29.679 --> 0:09:32.720 especially in those early down packages. But the one detriment 0:09:32.760 --> 0:09:34.960 to that I felt was that you weren't able to 0:09:34.960 --> 0:09:38.560 get Burks as much defensive experience as you probably want 0:09:38.559 --> 0:09:41.360 for a third round draft pick. The game has changed 0:09:41.360 --> 0:09:44.160 a little bit. We'll see exactly what Mike Petton wants 0:09:44.160 --> 0:09:46.200 to do with a healthy Burks, With a healthy you know, 0:09:46.240 --> 0:09:49.400 Blake Martinez. Does he use as many safeties and defensive 0:09:49.400 --> 0:09:51.840 backs as he did last year in the box next 0:09:51.880 --> 0:09:57.440 to Martinez that we've talked about, but as much familiarity 0:09:57.440 --> 0:10:00.360 that those two can develop together, it's going to be 0:10:00.360 --> 0:10:02.680 better for this defense and and seeing exactly who could 0:10:02.679 --> 0:10:04.880 be the hybrid option. Those are things you always have 0:10:04.920 --> 0:10:07.120 to weigh out. But the fact of the matter is Michael, 0:10:07.760 --> 0:10:10.880 when they drafted or in Burke's, he was sold as 0:10:10.920 --> 0:10:13.440 already one of those type of players. Yeah, and that's 0:10:13.480 --> 0:10:15.600 obviously the goald I think the Packers have for him 0:10:15.600 --> 0:10:17.360 in the long run. Yeah, I think Burke's is a 0:10:17.360 --> 0:10:22.000 really intriguing player because one, he's smart. And I say 0:10:22.000 --> 0:10:25.240 that not just because he went to Vanderbilt, but I've 0:10:25.240 --> 0:10:27.199 talked to him a couple of times, and this is 0:10:27.240 --> 0:10:30.640 a really really sharp guy. He's very self aware. He 0:10:30.720 --> 0:10:35.240 knows what his limitations were last year, and not just 0:10:35.280 --> 0:10:37.640 because of the injury, but you know why he wasn't 0:10:37.760 --> 0:10:40.280 quite able to maybe get the playing time on defense 0:10:40.320 --> 0:10:42.760 that he wanted. To his credit, he didn't sit and 0:10:42.800 --> 0:10:45.200 sulk about it and all that. He was asked to 0:10:45.200 --> 0:10:47.280 be a big time player on special teams and he 0:10:47.400 --> 0:10:49.920 was one of the leaders on special teams in terms 0:10:49.920 --> 0:10:53.080 of coverage, tackles and whatnot for this team. Now it's 0:10:53.400 --> 0:10:55.360 it's a year two for him. It's time to take 0:10:55.400 --> 0:10:58.079 the next step. And you know this is this is 0:10:58.120 --> 0:11:02.200 a guy who's motivate it in a hungry he doesn't 0:11:02.200 --> 0:11:04.079 have to learn a new system this year because Mike 0:11:04.120 --> 0:11:06.160 Petton is back. There's a lot of things that could 0:11:06.280 --> 0:11:10.040 that point to, you know, the arrow pointing up, so 0:11:10.080 --> 0:11:12.000 to speak, for a guy like Burke. And we've talked 0:11:12.040 --> 0:11:13.760 so much about this, but when you look at how 0:11:13.800 --> 0:11:16.520 Blake Martinez made that year one a year to jump. 0:11:16.840 --> 0:11:19.199 There were questions about Blake coming off his rookie year 0:11:19.200 --> 0:11:21.000 about if he could be an every down player, if 0:11:21.000 --> 0:11:22.720 he was going to be able to actually beat out 0:11:23.080 --> 0:11:25.520 Jake Ryan and Joe Thomas for regular playing time in 0:11:25.559 --> 0:11:28.280 the defense. He did that and once he got in 0:11:28.360 --> 0:11:30.680 that role, and once he you know, he caught up 0:11:30.720 --> 0:11:33.080 to the speed of the game, he proved that he 0:11:33.080 --> 0:11:35.679 could handle in every down role in this defense. I 0:11:35.720 --> 0:11:37.679 think Burke's is in the same situation. Now. This is 0:11:37.720 --> 0:11:40.199 a really big camp for him, really big opportunity. You 0:11:40.240 --> 0:11:42.520 want to get him as much work as possible, and 0:11:42.600 --> 0:11:45.720 behind him, you still have James Crawford, who was a 0:11:45.720 --> 0:11:48.480 special team's ace for him last year. Ty Summers coming in. 0:11:48.679 --> 0:11:51.160 I wanted to show that he belongs. Brady Shelton is 0:11:51.200 --> 0:11:53.760 a six five inside linebacker that finished last year on 0:11:53.800 --> 0:11:56.440 the practice squad. So there are a lot of different 0:11:56.440 --> 0:11:59.240 options to push those guys. And also with keeping in 0:11:59.320 --> 0:12:02.080 mind you know some the special team attributes as as well. 0:12:02.559 --> 0:12:04.760 You may not have a fourth or fifth year veteran 0:12:05.160 --> 0:12:06.839 that got brought into the mix, but I still think 0:12:06.880 --> 0:12:10.000 the competition is there amongst those guys. Yeah, alrighty, Well, 0:12:10.040 --> 0:12:12.120 a little bit of sponsored business here west the Green 0:12:12.160 --> 0:12:14.840 Bay Packers get ready for game day with the powerful 0:12:14.920 --> 0:12:18.880 noise canceling technology of Bo's Quiet Comfort thirty five headphones. 0:12:18.920 --> 0:12:22.760 To learn more at www dot bos dot com, Slash 0:12:22.800 --> 0:12:26.520 Packers Bows, the official headphones of the Green Bay Packers, 0:12:26.559 --> 0:12:28.360 and at Homer Here in the stands, we all know 0:12:28.440 --> 0:12:30.120 that Green Bay fans give it their all and that 0:12:30.160 --> 0:12:32.280 takes a lot of energy. So grab a warm bowl 0:12:32.600 --> 0:12:35.440 of Campbell's Chunky Soup. It's meaty goodness fuels the greatness 0:12:35.480 --> 0:12:38.959 of Packers fans everywhere. Try the delicious classic chicken noodle soup. 0:12:39.440 --> 0:12:42.679 Just visit your local supermarket and asked for Campbell's Chunky 0:12:42.720 --> 0:12:46.440 superficial suit partner of the Green Bay Packers. Okay, staying 0:12:46.480 --> 0:12:48.560 on the defensive side of the ball with regards to 0:12:48.559 --> 0:12:51.280 O T A S. I think we're curious to see. Obviously, 0:12:51.280 --> 0:12:55.440 get our first look at Rashawn Gary, first round draft 0:12:55.480 --> 0:12:58.440 pick out of Michigan, number twelve overall, see how he 0:12:58.520 --> 0:13:02.920 fixs fits into this at outside linebacker with Zadarius Smith 0:13:02.960 --> 0:13:06.520 and Preston Smith, the two free agent acquisitions, you have 0:13:06.679 --> 0:13:09.440 Kyler Facro coming back at outside linebacker off of a 0:13:09.480 --> 0:13:13.800 double digit sack season. As I said on our last show, 0:13:13.840 --> 0:13:17.040 you can't read too much into what's going on in O. 0:13:17.240 --> 0:13:19.240 T A s. But and these are the kinds of 0:13:19.240 --> 0:13:22.080 things that we can't necessarily report on until you get 0:13:22.120 --> 0:13:24.600 to the games in the regular season. But we're gonna 0:13:24.600 --> 0:13:28.479 be keeping keeping an eye a little bit on personnel packages, 0:13:28.679 --> 0:13:32.400 you know who in certain situations when they're doing eleven 0:13:32.400 --> 0:13:35.080 on eleven, who's on the field in the front seven, 0:13:35.440 --> 0:13:38.320 who's lining up inside, who's lining up outside, those kinds 0:13:38.320 --> 0:13:40.040 of things. You and I just kind of make some 0:13:40.120 --> 0:13:42.760 notes in our notebook and then and then pull those 0:13:42.800 --> 0:13:44.959 back out in training camp and see where things stand. 0:13:45.120 --> 0:13:47.200 You can't draw, as you mentioned, you can't draw an 0:13:47.320 --> 0:13:51.679 overwhelming conclusions based on the three O T eight practices 0:13:51.720 --> 0:13:54.080 that will be open to the media, even the you know, 0:13:54.160 --> 0:13:56.720 two or three mini camp practices there's just so much 0:13:56.760 --> 0:13:59.640 going on. It's hard to actually draw too many conclusions 0:13:59.679 --> 0:14:02.160 when guy are in shells. What I will say though, 0:14:02.640 --> 0:14:04.840 going back, because that's just the theme of today's episode 0:14:04.840 --> 0:14:08.560 as the two thirteen draft, that first camp practice was 0:14:08.600 --> 0:14:11.559 when Micah Hyde caught my eye and getting an idea 0:14:11.600 --> 0:14:13.640 of what he could do on the field, and how 0:14:13.679 --> 0:14:16.719 smart he was and how instinctive he was, even when 0:14:16.720 --> 0:14:18.679 he didn't have the back knowledge of the defense at 0:14:18.720 --> 0:14:21.080 his grasp. He was one of those guys that stood 0:14:21.080 --> 0:14:23.600 out to me. I think over the years, Mike, there 0:14:23.600 --> 0:14:26.240 are guys, there are receivers. You know, your Davante Adams 0:14:26.320 --> 0:14:28.560 of the world. Adams got off to a great start 0:14:28.560 --> 0:14:31.560 back in two thousand and fourteen. The next year, even 0:14:31.880 --> 0:14:34.560 as difficult as that season was for him, Mike McCarthy 0:14:34.560 --> 0:14:37.720 praised him for being their offseason m v P. This 0:14:37.800 --> 0:14:40.160 is a chance for the young guys, in particular for 0:14:40.200 --> 0:14:42.880 me to to see those guys now going up against 0:14:42.920 --> 0:14:45.240 the veterans on this roster and see how they look, 0:14:45.280 --> 0:14:47.880 see if they belong to, see if they they look 0:14:47.960 --> 0:14:50.320 like they're in the right place. You're not looking for 0:14:50.360 --> 0:14:54.000 anyone to beat David baktri in a pass rushing drill 0:14:54.080 --> 0:14:57.800 or to intercept Aaron Rodgers. But it's just trying to 0:14:57.840 --> 0:15:01.480 get a better feel for what these guys are in 0:15:01.600 --> 0:15:05.200 for with this league. And and that's always my biggest takeaway. 0:15:05.480 --> 0:15:08.360 You know, you never write a insider like, oh, who's 0:15:08.400 --> 0:15:11.600 today's m VP. It doesn't work like that, But it 0:15:11.680 --> 0:15:13.600 does give you a chance because I've seen it the 0:15:13.640 --> 0:15:16.240 other side too over the years, um to get an 0:15:16.240 --> 0:15:19.280 idea for you know, if these guys really belong here. Yeah, 0:15:19.320 --> 0:15:21.720 I mean I think we may see. I mean, we 0:15:21.760 --> 0:15:24.240 don't know exactly how these practices are going to be run. 0:15:24.280 --> 0:15:27.720 But one thing, whenever there's the one on one pass rush, 0:15:27.800 --> 0:15:30.760 past blocking drill, that always gets a lot of attention, 0:15:31.080 --> 0:15:33.960 but yet to me, when they're not in pads, it's 0:15:34.000 --> 0:15:36.040 hard to really put too much into that, you know, 0:15:36.080 --> 0:15:38.880 in in training camp, when it's full pads and full 0:15:38.920 --> 0:15:41.480 gear and everything, I think those those one on ones 0:15:41.520 --> 0:15:44.680 become a little bit more meaningful in terms of just 0:15:44.720 --> 0:15:47.000 seeing what a guy brings to the table. Receiver versus 0:15:47.080 --> 0:15:50.320 defensive back is always the fun one right now, because yeah, 0:15:50.480 --> 0:15:53.320 that one the pads and the full contact is not 0:15:53.440 --> 0:15:56.760 as crucial to the evaluation part of it, I guess, 0:15:56.880 --> 0:15:58.640 is what I'm trying to say, because with receivers you 0:15:58.640 --> 0:16:00.000 can kind of get a feel for how to get 0:16:00.000 --> 0:16:01.440 in and out of their brakes a little bit, how 0:16:01.480 --> 0:16:03.280 they come off the line of scrimmage, what kind of 0:16:03.320 --> 0:16:05.600 techniques they're trying to use, what they might be good at, 0:16:05.840 --> 0:16:08.640 and the dbs with their hands, and how hands he 0:16:08.720 --> 0:16:10.280 is a guy or is or is he able to 0:16:10.320 --> 0:16:13.320 mirror a guy and not commit the illegal contact or 0:16:13.320 --> 0:16:16.800 the defensive holding exactly. Yeah, and also to throw one 0:16:16.840 --> 0:16:18.640 more thing out their quarterbacks. I mean, this has been 0:16:19.320 --> 0:16:21.080 a couple of years where I mean, you go back 0:16:21.080 --> 0:16:23.200 to two thousand and fifteen, Brett Hunley didn't get off 0:16:23.200 --> 0:16:25.880 to a great start, and then that kind of sort 0:16:25.880 --> 0:16:28.480 of set the table for Scott Tolzine holding onto that job. 0:16:29.520 --> 0:16:31.440 You go back to two years ago, I think Taysom 0:16:31.520 --> 0:16:33.200 Hill shot right out of the gate and really started 0:16:33.200 --> 0:16:35.800 to catch some attention. Tim Boyle. This is where the 0:16:36.160 --> 0:16:38.720 fat the fascination started with him last year when you 0:16:38.760 --> 0:16:40.360 saw the ball come out of his hands with the 0:16:40.360 --> 0:16:43.040 amount of energy that it did. So, yeah, there's still 0:16:43.040 --> 0:16:45.520 stuff to be drawn from, but you take everything with 0:16:45.520 --> 0:16:47.960 a grain of salt, but you also kind of keeping 0:16:48.000 --> 0:16:49.360 that grain of salt in their back in your mind 0:16:49.400 --> 0:16:52.080 once you get to July. Yeah, that's for sure. Quickly 0:16:52.120 --> 0:16:55.640 before we go with regards to special teams, Um, Sam 0:16:55.640 --> 0:16:58.760 Ficken is here on the roster as a second kicker 0:16:58.880 --> 0:17:02.960 alongside Mason Usby. Um, but I think you and I 0:17:03.000 --> 0:17:05.800 have talked about if there's a specialist that we're really 0:17:05.800 --> 0:17:07.840 going to have our eye on here through the off season, 0:17:07.920 --> 0:17:10.280 certainly through training camp. It's j K. Scott, the second 0:17:10.359 --> 0:17:13.520 year punter. This is a guy who could really really 0:17:13.560 --> 0:17:16.360 make a difference as the Packers look to take a 0:17:16.359 --> 0:17:19.639 big step on special teams. In twenty nineteen, ye as 0:17:19.680 --> 0:17:23.119 I wrote an insider in box for Tuesday two. You 0:17:23.200 --> 0:17:26.400 look at what last year with was that Michael Dixon 0:17:26.440 --> 0:17:29.239 did for Seattle going in there and the weapon that 0:17:29.280 --> 0:17:30.919 he became as a as a rookie. It was an 0:17:30.920 --> 0:17:34.000 all pro I believe right out of the gate. J K. Scott, 0:17:34.040 --> 0:17:36.320 for my money, as every bit as talented as he is. 0:17:36.400 --> 0:17:38.880 I think I think you look at the leg power, 0:17:39.119 --> 0:17:40.880 you look at the things he did last year during 0:17:40.880 --> 0:17:42.840 the summer, Mike, he had a great camp last year, 0:17:42.840 --> 0:17:45.159 he had a great off season program. It was just 0:17:45.200 --> 0:17:47.760 and he he started his rookie season the first month. 0:17:47.800 --> 0:17:50.600 For six weeks he was really really good. He started 0:17:50.600 --> 0:17:52.920 to I talked to him after the season was over. 0:17:52.960 --> 0:17:55.680 It was it was almost a conditioning issue. He felt 0:17:55.720 --> 0:17:58.800 he physically was wearing down a little bit towards the 0:17:58.880 --> 0:18:00.840 end of the year. So he's gear ring everything this 0:18:00.920 --> 0:18:05.720 offseason to getting ready for all twenty games, four preseason, 0:18:05.840 --> 0:18:08.679 sixteen regular season, and potentially beyond. The Packers made a 0:18:08.680 --> 0:18:11.399 heavy investment last year when they drafted him in the 0:18:11.440 --> 0:18:13.600 fifth round. They took Hunter Bradley in the seventh. They 0:18:13.600 --> 0:18:16.280 didn't add competition at either of those spots. They expect 0:18:16.280 --> 0:18:19.760 those two guys to solidify themselves in those roles and 0:18:19.840 --> 0:18:21.760 become guys that can be here for ten and twelve 0:18:21.880 --> 0:18:24.200 years and on. You know, the other side of things, 0:18:24.240 --> 0:18:27.240 Mason Crosby still doing his thing and you're thirteen. They 0:18:27.240 --> 0:18:29.480 bring in Fick in, We'll see how much of a 0:18:29.480 --> 0:18:31.840 real competition that is or how much that is just 0:18:31.880 --> 0:18:33.680 trying to take some of the work off of Crosby 0:18:33.720 --> 0:18:36.480 throughout the summer. Regardless, though, I'm sure if you talk 0:18:36.560 --> 0:18:39.000 to Ficking, any chance a kicker can have to get 0:18:39.040 --> 0:18:41.359 into a camp to be able to kick in preseason games. 0:18:41.760 --> 0:18:45.240 That is super valuable because if you're not out there 0:18:45.280 --> 0:18:47.359 doing it, if you're not on a roster doing it, 0:18:47.359 --> 0:18:49.959 it's easy to lose track of you. So for Ficking 0:18:49.960 --> 0:18:52.000 coming in, he had a couple of cups of coffee 0:18:52.000 --> 0:18:54.199 with the Rams. This is big for him to be 0:18:54.240 --> 0:18:56.480 able to get that opportunity to come in and show 0:18:56.520 --> 0:18:58.159