WEBVTT - #902 Packers Unscripted: State of the team

0:00:05.200 --> 0:00:10.670
<v Speaker 1>Hi everybody, welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from Packers.com.

0:00:10.830 --> 0:00:13.670
<v Speaker 1>I am Mike Spofford, joined as always by my trusted

0:00:13.710 --> 0:00:16.349
<v Speaker 1>colleague Wes Hodkowitz. We're coming to you here from the

0:00:16.489 --> 0:00:21.230
<v Speaker 1>Pottawatomie Sportsbook studio inside the walls of Lambeau Field. And Wes,

0:00:21.950 --> 0:00:24.250
<v Speaker 1>I want to take a little different approach to today's show.

0:00:24.450 --> 0:00:28.550
<v Speaker 2>Okay, arm wrestling. No, we're not going to arm wrestle.

0:00:28.810 --> 0:00:29.190
<v Speaker 2>Fair enough.

0:00:29.960 --> 0:00:32.680
<v Speaker 1>But we spent our last show talking about all of

0:00:32.780 --> 0:00:35.640
<v Speaker 1>the roster moves and the trades and the decisions and

0:00:35.659 --> 0:00:39.860
<v Speaker 1>the releases and everything that went into putting together the Packers'

0:00:39.900 --> 0:00:45.709
<v Speaker 1>initial 53-man roster. So now that we're finishing up this

0:00:45.770 --> 0:00:49.730
<v Speaker 1>sort of week in between the preseason finale and then

0:00:49.790 --> 0:00:52.490
<v Speaker 1>getting ready for week one, which we'll have plenty to

0:00:52.830 --> 0:00:55.250
<v Speaker 1>talk about with regard to the Vikings and everything next week,

0:00:56.020 --> 0:00:58.140
<v Speaker 1>I want to do a little bit of a review

0:00:58.380 --> 0:01:01.920
<v Speaker 1>of training camp, sort of a big picture. So I

0:01:01.960 --> 0:01:05.539
<v Speaker 1>have some topics to throw your way. And because this

0:01:05.900 --> 0:01:08.440
<v Speaker 1>show is truly unscripted, I have not given him a

0:01:08.480 --> 0:01:10.660
<v Speaker 1>heads up on these topics. So I will give you

0:01:10.700 --> 0:01:13.970
<v Speaker 1>the option to toss back to me initially if you

0:01:14.010 --> 0:01:17.100
<v Speaker 1>want some more time to think. When I throw something

0:01:17.220 --> 0:01:18.080
<v Speaker 1>at you, I will.

0:01:17.959 --> 0:01:20.140
<v Speaker 2>Take the questions head on. If we have to sit

0:01:20.180 --> 0:01:22.810
<v Speaker 2>here for 15 minutes in silence while I think of

0:01:22.850 --> 0:01:23.930
<v Speaker 2>an answer, we will do that.

0:01:23.950 --> 0:01:28.070
<v Speaker 1>Okay. No, I'm giving you an out. But anyway, first topic.

0:01:28.150 --> 0:01:28.490
<v Speaker 2>Okay.

0:01:29.010 --> 0:01:31.750
<v Speaker 1>Over the last month through the month of August, what

0:01:31.770 --> 0:01:36.200
<v Speaker 1>did you feel was the most important development? With regard

0:01:36.280 --> 0:01:38.940
<v Speaker 1>to the 2026 Packers, what did you see that was

0:01:39.020 --> 0:01:39.780
<v Speaker 1>most important?

0:01:39.800 --> 0:01:42.030
<v Speaker 2>Can I go pound for pound here? Like I'm allowed?

0:01:42.060 --> 0:01:43.830
<v Speaker 2>Cause it's like, I mean, maybe not the thing that,

0:01:44.350 --> 0:01:46.110
<v Speaker 2>you know, you and Carson Denley are going to pull

0:01:46.130 --> 0:01:48.350
<v Speaker 2>for the headline of the episode, but something that I

0:01:48.350 --> 0:01:51.490
<v Speaker 2>think really does have a huge impact on the season.

0:01:52.470 --> 0:01:56.110
<v Speaker 2>Special teams. I was very impressed by what I saw

0:01:56.150 --> 0:01:59.990
<v Speaker 2>from Cam Acord's special teams. during the preseason and in

0:02:00.050 --> 0:02:02.130
<v Speaker 2>training camp. Now, Matt LaFleur was asked about this. I

0:02:02.150 --> 0:02:04.210
<v Speaker 2>thought it was a good, well-constructed question. The way that

0:02:04.230 --> 0:02:05.520
<v Speaker 2>Matt said it is, well, you know, you need to

0:02:05.540 --> 0:02:07.620
<v Speaker 2>do it in the regular season now. You got to

0:02:07.660 --> 0:02:08.859
<v Speaker 2>take it kind of with a grain of salt. I'll

0:02:08.900 --> 0:02:12.260
<v Speaker 2>say this. If Acord had the second and third team

0:02:12.360 --> 0:02:15.450
<v Speaker 2>units playing the way that he did throughout training camp

0:02:15.510 --> 0:02:18.389
<v Speaker 2>and in those preseason games, it gives me confidence that

0:02:18.430 --> 0:02:20.670
<v Speaker 2>the first team unit is going to be where it

0:02:20.710 --> 0:02:24.370
<v Speaker 2>needs to be. And a real interesting conversation that happened

0:02:24.570 --> 0:02:27.210
<v Speaker 2>during the press conference was centered around this idea of what,

0:02:27.310 --> 0:02:29.900
<v Speaker 2>you know, the Packers special teams and their performance last year.

0:02:30.740 --> 0:02:36.519
<v Speaker 2>Punt return was poor. Field goal operation poor. Field goal block,

0:02:36.540 --> 0:02:39.390
<v Speaker 2>you know, didn't really have any huge moments there. But

0:02:39.430 --> 0:02:44.050
<v Speaker 2>the coverage teams played really well last season. We talked

0:02:44.070 --> 0:02:46.530
<v Speaker 2>about in kickoff coverage, they didn't really allow a bust

0:02:46.690 --> 0:02:49.990
<v Speaker 2>all season. Punt coverage up until when Bo Melton, as

0:02:50.010 --> 0:02:51.810
<v Speaker 2>we talked about in our last show, Bo Melton, Zane

0:02:51.850 --> 0:02:54.859
<v Speaker 2>Anderson got hurt. They were solid in that regard. But

0:02:54.919 --> 0:02:57.170
<v Speaker 2>now can you pull it all together? Like, I think

0:02:57.190 --> 0:03:00.270
<v Speaker 2>there was a lot of positives that did happen in

0:03:00.310 --> 0:03:02.690
<v Speaker 2>the Rich Passaccia era. I felt like they had to

0:03:02.830 --> 0:03:07.020
<v Speaker 2>really build this thing back up from nothing in 2022.

0:03:07.020 --> 0:03:09.680
<v Speaker 2>And the foundation that Cam Acord has to work with,

0:03:09.700 --> 0:03:11.910
<v Speaker 2>it's just the ground is so much more fertile now.

0:03:11.950 --> 0:03:15.090
<v Speaker 2>And you're seeing guys like Brenton Cox Jr. playing teams

0:03:15.130 --> 0:03:17.790
<v Speaker 2>that for two, three years hasn't really played on special teams,

0:03:17.850 --> 0:03:20.649
<v Speaker 2>but he's made a jump. You know, we heard Matt

0:03:20.690 --> 0:03:23.079
<v Speaker 2>LaFleur compliment J. Michael Sturvidant. One of the reasons that

0:03:23.120 --> 0:03:25.980
<v Speaker 2>he got that sixth receiver job is because he's done

0:03:26.020 --> 0:03:29.240
<v Speaker 2>better on special teams. They have a core there, Nick Neiman,

0:03:29.900 --> 0:03:33.600
<v Speaker 2>Isaiah McDuffie, guys that have been around here that they know, OK,

0:03:33.620 --> 0:03:35.809
<v Speaker 2>they have something they can offer on defense, but they're

0:03:35.830 --> 0:03:38.850
<v Speaker 2>going to major in the special teams area, too. I

0:03:38.890 --> 0:03:41.450
<v Speaker 2>just feel like it's set up for Green Bay to

0:03:41.490 --> 0:03:43.830
<v Speaker 2>have the base there for the special teams to be impactful,

0:03:44.310 --> 0:03:46.890
<v Speaker 2>and now you add in Sky Moore. Now, hopefully, a

0:03:47.230 --> 0:03:48.830
<v Speaker 2>lot of the things we've seen in these preseason games

0:03:48.850 --> 0:03:51.430
<v Speaker 2>with Trey Smack can carry over. I think Daniel Whelan

0:03:51.490 --> 0:03:53.430
<v Speaker 2>is in his flow right now in terms of where

0:03:53.470 --> 0:03:55.809
<v Speaker 2>he's at. Matt Orzik is back from the calf. So

0:03:56.610 --> 0:03:58.630
<v Speaker 2>special teams is one thing that when I watched them

0:03:58.680 --> 0:04:00.470
<v Speaker 2>throughout training camp, when I watched them in the joint

0:04:00.530 --> 0:04:03.980
<v Speaker 2>practices with Arizona, I was very encouraged by what I saw.

0:04:04.320 --> 0:04:08.180
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, for me with special teams... It always felt like

0:04:08.440 --> 0:04:12.640
<v Speaker 1>in the Bisacci era when you saw progress being made,

0:04:12.720 --> 0:04:14.619
<v Speaker 1>things looked like they were headed in the right direction,

0:04:14.700 --> 0:04:16.760
<v Speaker 1>and then suddenly for a couple of weeks in a row,

0:04:17.160 --> 0:04:19.120
<v Speaker 1>the flags would be flying all over the place. The

0:04:19.200 --> 0:04:24.250
<v Speaker 1>penalties would just– that's the part– that's the piece that

0:04:24.400 --> 0:04:26.930
<v Speaker 1>more than anything I would like to see Cam Acord

0:04:26.970 --> 0:04:30.230
<v Speaker 1>be able to clean up because as much as Sky

0:04:30.290 --> 0:04:33.070
<v Speaker 1>Moore I believe is going to help the return game

0:04:33.970 --> 0:04:35.830
<v Speaker 1>and he's going to put the Packers in a better

0:04:35.870 --> 0:04:39.849
<v Speaker 1>position with regard to that, The Packers don't need 50-yard

0:04:39.890 --> 0:04:43.190
<v Speaker 1>kickoff returns, and they don't need 25- and 30-yard punt

0:04:43.210 --> 0:04:46.210
<v Speaker 1>returns on a regular basis. When you have Jordan Love

0:04:46.230 --> 0:04:49.440
<v Speaker 1>in this offense, what you need is to not have

0:04:49.480 --> 0:04:51.560
<v Speaker 1>any penalties that are going to put you back on

0:04:51.580 --> 0:04:54.980
<v Speaker 1>the 15-yard line or back on the 8-yard line because

0:04:55.080 --> 0:05:01.120
<v Speaker 1>of mistakes in that area. There are a couple of

0:05:01.170 --> 0:05:03.529
<v Speaker 1>flags that were thrown in the preseason, a lot of second-

0:05:03.550 --> 0:05:06.310
<v Speaker 1>and third-team guys out there and whatnot, so you expect

0:05:06.350 --> 0:05:09.450
<v Speaker 1>that a little bit. And they play clean football in

0:05:09.490 --> 0:05:12.010
<v Speaker 1>that phase. And if they do, then I think everything

0:05:12.089 --> 0:05:15.130
<v Speaker 1>else starts to follow because the penalties are always what

0:05:15.170 --> 0:05:17.719
<v Speaker 1>are going to stunt your momentum and stunt your growth

0:05:18.440 --> 0:05:21.440
<v Speaker 1>in that area. So I think that's a big one

0:05:21.460 --> 0:05:24.599
<v Speaker 1>to point out. For me, the most important development, and

0:05:24.660 --> 0:05:28.299
<v Speaker 1>I look at two players in particular, the most important

0:05:28.320 --> 0:05:32.570
<v Speaker 1>development was seeing these guys getting back to who we

0:05:32.630 --> 0:05:35.490
<v Speaker 1>believe they can be. And I'm talking about Tucker Craft

0:05:36.230 --> 0:05:39.430
<v Speaker 1>and Marshawn Lloyd. And I probably wouldn't be talking about

0:05:39.470 --> 0:05:41.990
<v Speaker 1>Marshawn Lloyd necessarily in this segment if it weren't for

0:05:42.089 --> 0:05:44.750
<v Speaker 1>all of the uncertainty surrounding Josh Jacobs right now. But

0:05:44.800 --> 0:05:47.320
<v Speaker 1>Marshawn Lloyd is more than likely going to be heading

0:05:47.360 --> 0:05:49.500
<v Speaker 1>into week one as the Packers' number one running back.

0:05:50.500 --> 0:05:53.180
<v Speaker 1>But we talked all offseason about Tucker Kraft and when's

0:05:53.200 --> 0:05:54.880
<v Speaker 1>he going to get back to practice and how is

0:05:54.900 --> 0:05:58.500
<v Speaker 1>this going to go. And everything that we've seen, it's

0:05:58.540 --> 0:06:01.190
<v Speaker 1>as though he never left. And of course, the impact

0:06:01.230 --> 0:06:03.589
<v Speaker 1>on the Packers when he was gone was certainly felt.

0:06:03.650 --> 0:06:06.089
<v Speaker 1>So we know that he did leave. But looking at

0:06:06.150 --> 0:06:10.430
<v Speaker 1>him specifically... He looks like he's back to his old self.

0:06:10.510 --> 0:06:12.589
<v Speaker 1>And I think that is going to have a huge,

0:06:12.650 --> 0:06:14.850
<v Speaker 1>huge impact on where things go offensively.

0:06:14.950 --> 0:06:18.510
<v Speaker 2>So I was upstairs, I was eating my breakfast in

0:06:18.550 --> 0:06:21.539
<v Speaker 2>the little cafeteria area we have on the third floor.

0:06:22.040 --> 0:06:25.659
<v Speaker 2>And Sam Delapaz, who is one of our social media interns,

0:06:26.040 --> 0:06:28.460
<v Speaker 2>says to me, well, says to everybody, who's your guy

0:06:28.480 --> 0:06:31.060
<v Speaker 2>and why for the season? I believe it was Sam.

0:06:31.100 --> 0:06:32.720
<v Speaker 2>If it was somebody else, I apologize, but I believe

0:06:32.740 --> 0:06:36.090
<v Speaker 2>it was Sam. And you know what my answer was?

0:06:37.089 --> 0:06:42.160
<v Speaker 2>Marshawn Lloyd. Because the thing about it is, we'll see

0:06:42.180 --> 0:06:45.119
<v Speaker 2>how everything unfolds here with Josh Jacobs, but the Packers

0:06:45.160 --> 0:06:48.840
<v Speaker 2>invested a third-round draft pick into him. This is a

0:06:48.860 --> 0:06:51.840
<v Speaker 2>guy that we heard about his potential. We've seen his

0:06:51.880 --> 0:06:54.900
<v Speaker 2>explosiveness in practice. In so many ways with how the

0:06:54.960 --> 0:06:57.120
<v Speaker 2>National Football League is constructed now, yeah, you're going to

0:06:57.160 --> 0:06:59.280
<v Speaker 2>have your Jameer Gibbses, who are the 12th overall pick

0:06:59.300 --> 0:07:02.480
<v Speaker 2>or whatever he was, and your Bijan Robinsons, who you

0:07:02.560 --> 0:07:06.140
<v Speaker 2>guys are going to love right now in Arizona, where

0:07:06.180 --> 0:07:08.640
<v Speaker 2>you're going to use top drafts. draft choices on him.

0:07:08.660 --> 0:07:11.380
<v Speaker 2>But in a lot of cases, starting caliber, Pro Bowl

0:07:11.400 --> 0:07:14.230
<v Speaker 2>caliber running backs are found in the third round. And

0:07:14.370 --> 0:07:16.810
<v Speaker 2>I'm not saying that that's what Marshawn Lloyd has to

0:07:16.850 --> 0:07:19.050
<v Speaker 2>do this season, but it just shows the type of

0:07:19.090 --> 0:07:22.230
<v Speaker 2>potential this guy has, if he's able to stay on

0:07:22.250 --> 0:07:24.910
<v Speaker 2>the field, if he's able to maximize his blocking opportunities.

0:07:24.930 --> 0:07:26.370
<v Speaker 2>Some of this run game stuff is going to be

0:07:26.410 --> 0:07:28.070
<v Speaker 2>on the offensive line too. They need to take a

0:07:28.090 --> 0:07:31.370
<v Speaker 2>step forward this season. But I think the one thing

0:07:31.410 --> 0:07:33.830
<v Speaker 2>that was the most encouraging, especially early in camp when

0:07:33.850 --> 0:07:35.710
<v Speaker 2>we were watching the practices and we finally got a

0:07:35.730 --> 0:07:40.790
<v Speaker 2>chance to see Marshawn playing uninhibited, unafraid, just being himself is,

0:07:41.610 --> 0:07:43.370
<v Speaker 2>if the gap is there, that guy can make a

0:07:43.390 --> 0:07:46.210
<v Speaker 2>lot out of it quick. And I feel like that's

0:07:46.250 --> 0:07:48.590
<v Speaker 2>going to be one of the things that as Green

0:07:48.610 --> 0:07:52.630
<v Speaker 2>Bay navigates this season, regardless of Jacob's situation, they're going

0:07:52.650 --> 0:07:55.750
<v Speaker 2>to need 32. There is no Emmanuel Wilson now. There

0:07:55.810 --> 0:07:59.360
<v Speaker 2>is no RB2 in terms of the traditional established sense.

0:07:59.960 --> 0:08:02.040
<v Speaker 2>It is Marshawn Lloyd's job right now. It's going to

0:08:02.060 --> 0:08:04.480
<v Speaker 2>be on Chris Brooks to compliment that. It's going to

0:08:04.500 --> 0:08:06.420
<v Speaker 2>be on Caleb Johnson to compliment that. But there's a

0:08:06.480 --> 0:08:08.940
<v Speaker 2>reason why the Packers drafted this particular guy in the

0:08:08.980 --> 0:08:12.310
<v Speaker 2>third round. And then, oh, by the way, to mention

0:08:12.330 --> 0:08:16.390
<v Speaker 2>your point on tight end, Tucker Craft is back. They've

0:08:16.650 --> 0:08:19.150
<v Speaker 2>They've traded for a blocking wide tight end now in

0:08:19.190 --> 0:08:21.650
<v Speaker 2>Mark Redman. The Packers can get back to their two

0:08:21.690 --> 0:08:23.130
<v Speaker 2>tight end stuff too, and I think that's going to

0:08:23.150 --> 0:08:23.770
<v Speaker 2>help them as well.

0:08:23.950 --> 0:08:26.290
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, that's going to be a big factor, I think,

0:08:26.390 --> 0:08:29.590
<v Speaker 1>in the running game because we're hearing a lot from

0:08:29.650 --> 0:08:32.970
<v Speaker 1>people in insider inbox, okay, if Josh Jacobs isn't going

0:08:32.990 --> 0:08:35.189
<v Speaker 1>to be playing, then aren't teams just going to sit

0:08:35.230 --> 0:08:37.630
<v Speaker 1>back and try to take away the big play from

0:08:37.650 --> 0:08:39.350
<v Speaker 1>the Packers and make them try to run the ball?

0:08:39.390 --> 0:08:41.530
<v Speaker 1>And yes, there's going to be some of that, but

0:08:41.550 --> 0:08:43.849
<v Speaker 1>you have to remember defenses are going to also just

0:08:44.130 --> 0:08:48.970
<v Speaker 1>do what they do best to try to contain whoever

0:08:49.190 --> 0:08:50.890
<v Speaker 1>the offense is on the other side.

0:08:51.450 --> 0:08:54.260
<v Speaker 2>May I just really, not to interrupt you, but there

0:08:54.280 --> 0:08:56.540
<v Speaker 2>was a lot of conversation this week about LA, right?

0:08:56.559 --> 0:08:58.720
<v Speaker 2>The 13 personnel, they run all the three tight ends.

0:08:58.740 --> 0:08:59.240
<v Speaker 1>Three tight ends.

0:08:59.300 --> 0:09:01.920
<v Speaker 2>That is the counter right now in the National Football League. 100%.

0:09:01.920 --> 0:09:03.920
<v Speaker 2>The more tight ends you put on the field, the

0:09:03.960 --> 0:09:07.040
<v Speaker 2>more it makes those nickel corners and those safeties make

0:09:07.080 --> 0:09:09.500
<v Speaker 2>a decision on how you're going to defend those tight ends.

0:09:10.080 --> 0:09:11.640
<v Speaker 2>That's the other thing you have to keep in mind

0:09:11.660 --> 0:09:14.030
<v Speaker 2>with this too, and that's why having Tucker Kraft back

0:09:14.670 --> 0:09:17.109
<v Speaker 2>is such a boon for this offense right now, because

0:09:17.630 --> 0:09:20.310
<v Speaker 2>you don't know how the Packers are going to utilize him.

0:09:20.350 --> 0:09:22.690
<v Speaker 2>Are they going to use the underneath stuff and let

0:09:22.730 --> 0:09:24.230
<v Speaker 2>him rely on his yards after catch? Is he going

0:09:24.250 --> 0:09:25.589
<v Speaker 2>to go out and route patterns? Is he going to

0:09:25.630 --> 0:09:28.810
<v Speaker 2>stay inside as a blocking team? You need those type

0:09:28.870 --> 0:09:32.010
<v Speaker 2>of players in your offense. Honestly, they're different positions, but

0:09:32.050 --> 0:09:34.670
<v Speaker 2>that's what made Jordy Nelson so effective. When Jordy was

0:09:34.690 --> 0:09:37.220
<v Speaker 2>in his prime, he was a 1,200-yard receiver with 15

0:09:37.220 --> 0:09:40.800
<v Speaker 2>touchdowns who also was their best blocking receiver. So you

0:09:40.880 --> 0:09:44.280
<v Speaker 2>can't just guess and think that, okay, well, this is

0:09:44.300 --> 0:09:46.140
<v Speaker 2>the way they're going to play it. You're going to

0:09:46.160 --> 0:09:48.340
<v Speaker 2>be more complicated and more complex than that.

0:09:48.360 --> 0:09:52.370
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, absolutely. Next topic for you. What do you see

0:09:52.670 --> 0:09:57.250
<v Speaker 1>as the greatest strengths of this team heading into the

0:09:57.290 --> 0:09:57.929
<v Speaker 1>start of the season?

0:09:58.470 --> 0:10:00.630
<v Speaker 2>Kind of echoing the stuff about the offense. but I mean,

0:10:00.650 --> 0:10:03.270
<v Speaker 2>the skill positions, this is the fastest they've ever been.

0:10:03.290 --> 0:10:05.959
<v Speaker 2>It was a question I think I even asked to

0:10:06.040 --> 0:10:08.540
<v Speaker 2>Bo Melton earlier in the training camp. You know, he's

0:10:08.559 --> 0:10:10.540
<v Speaker 2>been around here, and Bo's been around here since 2022 now.

0:10:10.559 --> 0:10:12.500
<v Speaker 2>This is the end of the season, but that's when

0:10:12.520 --> 0:10:14.340
<v Speaker 2>he got here. He's one of the oldest, longest tenured

0:10:14.360 --> 0:10:17.640
<v Speaker 2>guys in Green Bay, coincidentally, the way this has unfolded. Yeah.

0:10:18.480 --> 0:10:19.520
<v Speaker 2>And he said it too. I mean, this is the

0:10:19.559 --> 0:10:22.140
<v Speaker 2>fastest they've ever been. And it doesn't matter if it's golden.

0:10:22.200 --> 0:10:24.900
<v Speaker 2>It doesn't matter if it's Christian Watson. I think Jaden Reed,

0:10:25.100 --> 0:10:28.660
<v Speaker 2>people really sleep on him and his, his shiftiness underneath.

0:10:29.400 --> 0:10:31.280
<v Speaker 2>And then you add Melton into the mix as a

0:10:31.300 --> 0:10:34.380
<v Speaker 2>potential wild card every now and then the green Bay

0:10:34.420 --> 0:10:36.349
<v Speaker 2>wanted to get faster. They also managed to get a

0:10:36.380 --> 0:10:39.270
<v Speaker 2>bigger in a lot of ways too, but having that

0:10:39.790 --> 0:10:42.890
<v Speaker 2>type of firepower on the perimeter, I think is going

0:10:42.910 --> 0:10:44.670
<v Speaker 2>to be really good because again, if you can keep

0:10:44.710 --> 0:10:47.640
<v Speaker 2>all these guys healthy, And if Lloyd in the backfield

0:10:47.660 --> 0:10:49.179
<v Speaker 2>can kind of hold up their end of the bargain,

0:10:49.700 --> 0:10:52.700
<v Speaker 2>defenses do have to make a choice. You can't double

0:10:52.720 --> 0:10:55.360
<v Speaker 2>Christian Watson. You can't double Matthew Golden. You can't have

0:10:55.420 --> 0:10:57.960
<v Speaker 2>all the eyes on Tucker Kraft. Somebody's going to get

0:10:57.980 --> 0:11:01.180
<v Speaker 2>a one-on-one op. And I feel like whether it's Melton

0:11:01.200 --> 0:11:04.210
<v Speaker 2>or whether it's Watson, these guys have the talent and

0:11:04.230 --> 0:11:05.579
<v Speaker 2>the ability to take advantage of it.

0:11:05.660 --> 0:11:07.230
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, and that's what's at the top of the list

0:11:07.270 --> 0:11:10.410
<v Speaker 1>for me too is the frontline weapons that are in

0:11:10.450 --> 0:11:14.610
<v Speaker 1>this offense. And you have Jordan Love, a quarterback who is–

0:11:15.190 --> 0:11:18.530
<v Speaker 1>on the rise, on his way to becoming, if he's

0:11:18.570 --> 0:11:21.270
<v Speaker 1>not already there, one of the elite guys in this league.

0:11:21.970 --> 0:11:26.350
<v Speaker 1>But the main quartet of the perimeter weapons, Tucker Craft,

0:11:26.770 --> 0:11:29.850
<v Speaker 1>Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, Jaden Reed, whatever order you want

0:11:29.870 --> 0:11:34.770
<v Speaker 1>to put them in, that's a really, really impressive group

0:11:34.870 --> 0:11:38.150
<v Speaker 1>and has a chance to be a really, really special group.

0:11:39.130 --> 0:11:42.030
<v Speaker 1>That's what I think stands out the most about this team.

0:11:42.580 --> 0:11:47.110
<v Speaker 1>For right now, that collection of perimeter weapons is what

0:11:47.130 --> 0:11:49.469
<v Speaker 1>you're hanging your hat on heading into week one that,

0:11:49.890 --> 0:11:51.650
<v Speaker 1>all right, we're going to try to strike a little

0:11:51.670 --> 0:11:56.100
<v Speaker 1>bit of fear into opponents with what the Packers have there.

0:11:56.480 --> 0:12:01.640
<v Speaker 1>The other thing that strikes me as a strength of

0:12:01.679 --> 0:12:05.120
<v Speaker 1>this team that I don't know how soon we're going

0:12:05.140 --> 0:12:07.700
<v Speaker 1>to see it, and maybe sooner than later, but I

0:12:07.740 --> 0:12:09.880
<v Speaker 1>get the sense, and again, we have to see what

0:12:09.920 --> 0:12:12.520
<v Speaker 1>happens in the games, but I get the sense that

0:12:12.700 --> 0:12:17.230
<v Speaker 1>Jonathan Gannon is can be really, really creative defensively. And

0:12:17.730 --> 0:12:20.210
<v Speaker 1>he's going to be challenged in that regard because there

0:12:20.250 --> 0:12:22.590
<v Speaker 1>won't be Micah Parsons for the first handful of games.

0:12:22.929 --> 0:12:25.370
<v Speaker 1>You've got a lot of young edge rushers that are

0:12:25.429 --> 0:12:27.750
<v Speaker 1>still out to prove themselves and are going to need

0:12:27.790 --> 0:12:31.790
<v Speaker 1>to contribute. But you've got a deep collection of defensive tackles.

0:12:31.840 --> 0:12:35.059
<v Speaker 1>You have a trio of safeties that is as good

0:12:35.120 --> 0:12:38.000
<v Speaker 1>as you could ask for as a defensive coordinator. So

0:12:39.059 --> 0:12:43.460
<v Speaker 1>can Jonathan Gannon use his creativity in ways that can

0:12:43.500 --> 0:12:46.300
<v Speaker 1>really help Green Bay's defense. We saw Jeff Halfley do

0:12:46.340 --> 0:12:49.370
<v Speaker 1>that in his first year as coordinator, too. The idea

0:12:49.429 --> 0:12:51.910
<v Speaker 1>was the Packers were going to play a 4-3, they

0:12:51.929 --> 0:12:54.590
<v Speaker 1>were going to get pressure with 4, cover with 7,

0:12:54.590 --> 0:12:56.810
<v Speaker 1>and things were going to be pretty easy and pretty

0:12:56.950 --> 0:13:00.390
<v Speaker 1>simple defensively. Well, it didn't work out that way because

0:13:00.450 --> 0:13:02.630
<v Speaker 1>the four-man rush wasn't getting the job done, and it

0:13:02.690 --> 0:13:05.450
<v Speaker 1>forced Halfley to get really creative. And by the end

0:13:05.470 --> 0:13:07.310
<v Speaker 1>of the season, I mean, I know the Packers bowed

0:13:07.370 --> 0:13:09.330
<v Speaker 1>out in the first round of the playoffs, but But

0:13:09.370 --> 0:13:12.770
<v Speaker 1>that first round playoff game in Philadelphia, that defense was

0:13:12.830 --> 0:13:15.240
<v Speaker 1>playing really, really good football. And a lot of it

0:13:15.290 --> 0:13:17.880
<v Speaker 1>was because of all the creative stuff that Halfley had

0:13:17.920 --> 0:13:20.800
<v Speaker 1>come up with to maximize what he had out there.

0:13:21.059 --> 0:13:23.300
<v Speaker 1>I think Jonathan Gannon has the potential to do the

0:13:23.350 --> 0:13:26.130
<v Speaker 1>same thing. It's a little bit of an unknown right

0:13:26.170 --> 0:13:29.020
<v Speaker 1>now because we haven't seen it. But I'm really curious

0:13:29.059 --> 0:13:32.110
<v Speaker 1>to see what he does with the challenges that he

0:13:32.160 --> 0:13:33.330
<v Speaker 1>has moving forward.

0:13:33.429 --> 0:13:36.230
<v Speaker 2>And that's the only silver lining to not having Micah

0:13:36.250 --> 0:13:38.070
<v Speaker 2>Parsons for the first month of the season, if you

0:13:38.090 --> 0:13:41.110
<v Speaker 2>could even say such a thing, is that it's going

0:13:41.130 --> 0:13:43.030
<v Speaker 2>to allow Green Bay to figure out, okay, what do

0:13:43.050 --> 0:13:45.590
<v Speaker 2>we do well without him? Yeah. And what can we

0:13:45.650 --> 0:13:49.200
<v Speaker 2>major in once he's back? What can you learn about

0:13:49.679 --> 0:13:52.020
<v Speaker 2>some of these rush packages, some of these blitz packages,

0:13:52.059 --> 0:13:53.980
<v Speaker 2>some of the way that they've configured their personnel? Yeah.

0:13:54.540 --> 0:13:57.609
<v Speaker 2>We are going to see probably more three safety. I'm

0:13:57.650 --> 0:13:59.650
<v Speaker 2>not necessarily going to say nickel, but we're going to

0:13:59.690 --> 0:14:02.830
<v Speaker 2>see more three safety than we've probably ever seen during

0:14:02.850 --> 0:14:05.090
<v Speaker 2>my time on the beat. When you look at this

0:14:05.130 --> 0:14:07.439
<v Speaker 2>penny package they've dialed up, some of the other things

0:14:07.460 --> 0:14:10.260
<v Speaker 2>that they've even shown in the preseason, there's going to

0:14:10.280 --> 0:14:12.280
<v Speaker 2>be certain areas that Green Bay is going to major

0:14:12.340 --> 0:14:14.470
<v Speaker 2>in that they are then going to build packages off of,

0:14:14.640 --> 0:14:17.520
<v Speaker 2>build personnel off of. And the other thing I like, too,

0:14:17.700 --> 0:14:22.320
<v Speaker 2>is in many ways, it almost felt like where in 2024,

0:14:22.320 --> 0:14:24.560
<v Speaker 2>Jeff Halfley had to react to a lack of a

0:14:24.600 --> 0:14:28.960
<v Speaker 2>pass rush. It almost feels like Gannon is prepared to

0:14:29.240 --> 0:14:31.520
<v Speaker 2>do things a little bit differently going into the season

0:14:31.560 --> 0:14:33.440
<v Speaker 2>because you don't have Micah there for the first month.

0:14:33.860 --> 0:14:35.940
<v Speaker 2>I think there's a lot to like. I think Lucas

0:14:35.980 --> 0:14:37.540
<v Speaker 2>Van Ness is going to surprise people this year. I

0:14:37.570 --> 0:14:39.570
<v Speaker 2>think Baron Sorrell is going to step up. I think

0:14:39.610 --> 0:14:42.870
<v Speaker 2>Brenton Cox Jr. had another strong training camp. There are

0:14:42.930 --> 0:14:46.330
<v Speaker 2>pass rushers that can win one-on-one ops, but It's how

0:14:46.350 --> 0:14:48.980
<v Speaker 2>they're using their cornerbacks. It's some of the blitz packages

0:14:49.000 --> 0:14:51.080
<v Speaker 2>we're seeing off the edge. It's the way that Adrian

0:14:51.120 --> 0:14:53.300
<v Speaker 2>Cooper is going to be involved in this defense. It's

0:14:53.360 --> 0:14:56.180
<v Speaker 2>not one specific player and it's not one specific scheme

0:14:56.200 --> 0:14:57.580
<v Speaker 2>that Green Bay is going to rely on. They are

0:14:57.600 --> 0:15:01.920
<v Speaker 2>going to throw the kitchen sink at offenses this season.

0:15:01.940 --> 0:15:04.720
<v Speaker 2>And I feel like when you're an offensive coordinator and

0:15:04.760 --> 0:15:08.020
<v Speaker 2>you're a quarterback, having to account for all these different

0:15:08.070 --> 0:15:12.210
<v Speaker 2>things is going to be critical. In addition to The

0:15:12.250 --> 0:15:15.750
<v Speaker 2>fact that Green Bay went with seven defensive linemen, seven

0:15:15.770 --> 0:15:18.850
<v Speaker 2>defensive tackles. Yeah. And none of these guys play the same.

0:15:19.270 --> 0:15:21.410
<v Speaker 2>You're going to have Devontae Wyatt in front. You're going

0:15:21.430 --> 0:15:24.130
<v Speaker 2>to have Javon Hargrave up front. You potentially could see

0:15:24.150 --> 0:15:26.220
<v Speaker 2>some Anthony Campbell out there with his six foot six

0:15:26.240 --> 0:15:28.540
<v Speaker 2>span and his arm in his reach. You're going to

0:15:28.560 --> 0:15:30.400
<v Speaker 2>have big guys like Jonathan Ford that are going to

0:15:30.420 --> 0:15:33.780
<v Speaker 2>be there on first down, taking on double teams. Green

0:15:33.800 --> 0:15:36.120
<v Speaker 2>Bay wants to build this thing from the inside out,

0:15:36.160 --> 0:15:38.740
<v Speaker 2>it feels like, the way that they've configured this whole deal.

0:15:38.940 --> 0:15:41.330
<v Speaker 2>And I think that's going to make it very exciting

0:15:41.350 --> 0:15:43.410
<v Speaker 2>to watch. It's going to be a work in progress.

0:15:43.510 --> 0:15:45.150
<v Speaker 2>I don't think you're going to go out against Minnesota

0:15:45.170 --> 0:15:46.650
<v Speaker 2>and that's going to be, okay, this is the scheme.

0:15:46.670 --> 0:15:48.170
<v Speaker 2>I think they're going to evolve throughout the course of

0:15:48.190 --> 0:15:50.450
<v Speaker 2>the year and have to figure out what, okay, this

0:15:50.490 --> 0:15:52.690
<v Speaker 2>is our plan. You get punched a little bit. How

0:15:52.710 --> 0:15:56.120
<v Speaker 2>are we going to adjust? But Gannon's had six months now,

0:15:56.200 --> 0:15:57.790
<v Speaker 2>seven months to figure this thing out and what he

0:15:57.840 --> 0:16:00.440
<v Speaker 2>wants to do without Micah Parsons. And now we're going

0:16:00.460 --> 0:16:01.320
<v Speaker 2>to see what that plan is.

0:16:01.380 --> 0:16:04.540
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, absolutely. A couple other topics I want to get to,

0:16:04.840 --> 0:16:06.900
<v Speaker 1>but need to pay some bills first. So let's hear

0:16:06.920 --> 0:16:10.540
<v Speaker 1>a quick word from our sponsors. Sirius XM NFL Radio

0:16:10.600 --> 0:16:14.840
<v Speaker 1>delivers hard-hitting analysis and up-to-the-minute NFL news that true football

0:16:14.860 --> 0:16:21.110
<v Speaker 1>fanatics need 24-7, 365. Hey Packers fans, looking to score

0:16:21.150 --> 0:16:24.510
<v Speaker 1>a few more Wisconsin memories? From Devil's Lake State Park

0:16:24.530 --> 0:16:27.609
<v Speaker 1>to the Milwaukee Art Museum, discover all the wonders of

0:16:27.650 --> 0:16:33.640
<v Speaker 1>Wisconsin at TravelWisconsin.com slash wonders. Welcome back to Packers Unscripted,

0:16:33.780 --> 0:16:37.359
<v Speaker 1>reviewing the last month of training camp and the preseason

0:16:37.400 --> 0:16:40.260
<v Speaker 1>here as week one is right around the corner. Next

0:16:40.330 --> 0:16:43.490
<v Speaker 1>topic to throw at you, Wes. All right. What are

0:16:43.550 --> 0:16:47.800
<v Speaker 1>your biggest concerns? about where things stand with this team

0:16:47.940 --> 0:16:50.120
<v Speaker 1>heading into the start of the regular season?

0:16:50.160 --> 0:16:52.840
<v Speaker 2>The big one is with the run game. Just because

0:16:52.880 --> 0:16:55.440
<v Speaker 2>I think in a lot of ways last season, Josh

0:16:55.480 --> 0:16:58.480
<v Speaker 2>Jacobs made the run game right. There were times where

0:16:58.500 --> 0:17:00.500
<v Speaker 2>you had the contact before the line of scrimmage and

0:17:00.520 --> 0:17:02.080
<v Speaker 2>he would still find a way to squeak out for three,

0:17:02.180 --> 0:17:05.090
<v Speaker 2>four yards to keep the chains moving. You don't want

0:17:05.109 --> 0:17:07.210
<v Speaker 2>to have this offense sitting in second and third and

0:17:07.250 --> 0:17:09.770
<v Speaker 2>long a lot. You want to be able to keep

0:17:09.810 --> 0:17:12.030
<v Speaker 2>this thing manageable because I think that's where Jordan Love

0:17:12.090 --> 0:17:14.860
<v Speaker 2>really is able to start dicing up defenses. I think

0:17:14.880 --> 0:17:16.810
<v Speaker 2>Jordan Love is ready, man. I think this is the

0:17:16.830 --> 0:17:18.790
<v Speaker 2>year that he could really take off. I mean, you've

0:17:18.810 --> 0:17:20.960
<v Speaker 2>heard obviously the comments that Micah Parsons said about him.

0:17:21.390 --> 0:17:23.490
<v Speaker 2>Feels like he could be an MVP-type candidate this year.

0:17:24.070 --> 0:17:25.429
<v Speaker 2>I don't know if I necessarily want to throw all

0:17:25.470 --> 0:17:28.140
<v Speaker 2>those expectations on Jordan right out of the gate. But

0:17:28.820 --> 0:17:31.379
<v Speaker 2>I just– you've been in these scrums. I've been in

0:17:31.420 --> 0:17:33.300
<v Speaker 2>these scrums. I sat down with him in the offseason.

0:17:33.680 --> 0:17:36.379
<v Speaker 2>Jordan is always a cool, calm, and collect customer. We

0:17:36.420 --> 0:17:39.159
<v Speaker 2>all know that about him. But there is a confidence

0:17:39.220 --> 0:17:42.119
<v Speaker 2>now with this dude that it's like he's seen it

0:17:42.220 --> 0:17:45.260
<v Speaker 2>all now. He's done it all within Matt LaFleur's offense,

0:17:45.600 --> 0:17:47.439
<v Speaker 2>and it just feels like he's ready to spread his

0:17:47.480 --> 0:17:50.189
<v Speaker 2>wings and fly. But he needs the guys around him

0:17:50.230 --> 0:17:51.950
<v Speaker 2>to do their part too. And when you look at

0:17:51.990 --> 0:17:54.890
<v Speaker 2>the offensive line, a lot of questions there right now

0:17:55.030 --> 0:17:58.619
<v Speaker 2>because of what happened during training camps. Zach Baccabuele coming

0:17:58.690 --> 0:18:01.740
<v Speaker 2>back off of that knee injury, that patella injury that

0:18:02.000 --> 0:18:03.780
<v Speaker 2>ended his season last year, trying to make sure that

0:18:03.820 --> 0:18:05.340
<v Speaker 2>he's all right and good to go. If he is,

0:18:05.380 --> 0:18:06.740
<v Speaker 2>you have one of the best right tackles in the

0:18:06.760 --> 0:18:10.530
<v Speaker 2>game right there. And then certainly this tendonitis issue or whatever.

0:18:11.000 --> 0:18:13.320
<v Speaker 2>you know, Aaron Banks has been working through. Now, Jager

0:18:13.340 --> 0:18:15.920
<v Speaker 2>Burton's taken a lot of snaps. Jacob Monk has taken

0:18:15.940 --> 0:18:17.820
<v Speaker 2>a lot of snaps. Anthony Belton has been out there.

0:18:17.880 --> 0:18:20.180
<v Speaker 2>All those guys have been in the rotational training camp.

0:18:20.200 --> 0:18:23.750
<v Speaker 2>But the question remains, can you just get those starting five?

0:18:23.790 --> 0:18:25.889
<v Speaker 2>Whatever that preferable starting five is, can you get them

0:18:25.930 --> 0:18:28.330
<v Speaker 2>snaps together? Can you get them out there routinely and

0:18:28.369 --> 0:18:30.370
<v Speaker 2>allow the offense to kind of grow from there?

0:18:30.510 --> 0:18:32.350
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, that's the one at the top of my list, too,

0:18:32.390 --> 0:18:34.729
<v Speaker 1>just because of everything we saw in training camp that

0:18:34.770 --> 0:18:39.000
<v Speaker 1>we didn't see throughout the course of August. a group

0:18:39.060 --> 0:18:42.880
<v Speaker 1>of five that was working together regularly every day. You know,

0:18:42.960 --> 0:18:45.480
<v Speaker 1>now there've been some practices this week. They're going to

0:18:45.500 --> 0:18:49.320
<v Speaker 1>be practices next week, getting ready for Minnesota. Hopefully, you know,

0:18:49.380 --> 0:18:51.000
<v Speaker 1>and this is where we don't get to see the

0:18:51.000 --> 0:18:53.340
<v Speaker 1>11 on 11, like we did in training camp, regular

0:18:53.359 --> 0:18:56.010
<v Speaker 1>season practice rules. The media gets kicked out before they,

0:18:56.240 --> 0:18:59.250
<v Speaker 1>before they go to 11 on 11. So we don't

0:18:59.310 --> 0:19:02.510
<v Speaker 1>know how many snaps Baca Boeli is taking at right tackler.

0:19:02.530 --> 0:19:04.730
<v Speaker 1>Aaron Banks is taking at left guard and how much

0:19:04.830 --> 0:19:07.220
<v Speaker 1>the group of five is working together. But to me,

0:19:07.260 --> 0:19:09.340
<v Speaker 1>that's one of the biggest questions of this team is

0:19:09.380 --> 0:19:12.560
<v Speaker 1>just that whole chemistry and continuity of it. And are

0:19:12.920 --> 0:19:16.760
<v Speaker 1>Bacaboy and Banks ready to, A, play a full game and, B,

0:19:17.080 --> 0:19:19.639
<v Speaker 1>play a full game week after week after week based

0:19:19.720 --> 0:19:21.860
<v Speaker 1>on the injuries that they're dealing with and they're coming

0:19:21.920 --> 0:19:26.100
<v Speaker 1>back from? I think Jordan Morgan potentially could be an

0:19:26.200 --> 0:19:27.180
<v Speaker 1>upgrade at left tackle.

0:19:27.240 --> 0:19:27.919
<v Speaker 2>I think he is.

0:19:28.060 --> 0:19:30.320
<v Speaker 1>Or where the Packers have been the last couple years

0:19:30.380 --> 0:19:34.540
<v Speaker 1>with Rasheed Walker. I think– If Jacob Monk settles in

0:19:34.619 --> 0:19:36.619
<v Speaker 1>at right guard, I mean, we've seen for the last,

0:19:36.900 --> 0:19:40.100
<v Speaker 1>what is it, three years, essentially this constant rotation at

0:19:40.160 --> 0:19:42.619
<v Speaker 1>right guard of different guys being plugged in there at

0:19:42.660 --> 0:19:45.429
<v Speaker 1>different times for different reasons and all that. If Jacob

0:19:45.450 --> 0:19:48.060
<v Speaker 1>Monk takes a hold of that right guard position and says,

0:19:48.119 --> 0:19:50.810
<v Speaker 1>this is mine and performs in a way that the

0:19:50.850 --> 0:19:53.530
<v Speaker 1>coaches aren't thinking twice about just writing him into the

0:19:53.550 --> 0:19:56.449
<v Speaker 1>starting lineup every week. I think that's, you know, as

0:19:56.530 --> 0:19:59.910
<v Speaker 1>much as it's, you know, two new starters, you know,

0:19:59.970 --> 0:20:02.560
<v Speaker 1>two new starting spots, I think both have a chance

0:20:02.580 --> 0:20:05.960
<v Speaker 1>to be an upgrade over where Green Bay was. And

0:20:06.000 --> 0:20:08.120
<v Speaker 1>if you can get these veteran guys who are dealing

0:20:08.140 --> 0:20:11.459
<v Speaker 1>with injuries back and ready to go and ready for

0:20:11.500 --> 0:20:13.879
<v Speaker 1>the long haul, I think this has a chance to

0:20:13.900 --> 0:20:16.280
<v Speaker 1>be a really, really good offensive line. It's just going

0:20:16.300 --> 0:20:17.560
<v Speaker 1>to take some time to come together.

0:20:17.640 --> 0:20:20.980
<v Speaker 2>I think Jacob Monk looks like a guard, definitely from

0:20:21.550 --> 0:20:23.770
<v Speaker 2>like a dictionary standpoint. I mean, he looks like a guard.

0:20:24.190 --> 0:20:26.290
<v Speaker 2>And I think Jordan Morgan looks like a left tackle,

0:20:26.350 --> 0:20:29.199
<v Speaker 2>and I don't equivocate. I think Jordan Morgan, already from

0:20:29.240 --> 0:20:31.240
<v Speaker 2>what I've seen in this camp, I think he will

0:20:31.280 --> 0:20:35.090
<v Speaker 2>be an upgrade, respectfully, over Rasheed Walker. The two reasons

0:20:35.130 --> 0:20:38.270
<v Speaker 2>I say that is, one, his fundamentals are so sound

0:20:38.530 --> 0:20:40.540
<v Speaker 2>at left tackle. I think that was where he was

0:20:40.600 --> 0:20:42.540
<v Speaker 2>trying to find his footing and never truly did when

0:20:42.560 --> 0:20:45.440
<v Speaker 2>he was rotating around at guard and everything. It's just

0:20:45.500 --> 0:20:47.859
<v Speaker 2>a different world there. But when you see when he's

0:20:47.900 --> 0:20:50.520
<v Speaker 2>at left tackle, he's just so darn comfortable. This is

0:20:50.540 --> 0:20:54.120
<v Speaker 2>a guy that played predominantly his entire career at that

0:20:54.200 --> 0:20:57.090
<v Speaker 2>spot at Arizona and then had to kind of wait

0:20:57.130 --> 0:20:59.950
<v Speaker 2>in the shadows here for that opportunity. Now, The tough

0:20:59.970 --> 0:21:02.050
<v Speaker 2>spot that Green Bay was in last year is I

0:21:02.090 --> 0:21:04.550
<v Speaker 2>felt like Rasheed Walker, that left tackle was his spot.

0:21:04.670 --> 0:21:06.629
<v Speaker 2>I didn't feel real great that if they needed to

0:21:06.670 --> 0:21:08.429
<v Speaker 2>move him around, there was a different position for him.

0:21:08.470 --> 0:21:09.790
<v Speaker 2>He was going to have to be a left tackle.

0:21:09.850 --> 0:21:12.090
<v Speaker 1>And that's why he, that's why they kept him there

0:21:12.150 --> 0:21:14.040
<v Speaker 1>is because there wasn't another place to put him.

0:21:14.210 --> 0:21:15.869
<v Speaker 2>It's kind of like when Yash was here at Nyman

0:21:15.890 --> 0:21:17.690
<v Speaker 2>where it was like, okay, well that's, that's his spot.

0:21:17.770 --> 0:21:19.050
<v Speaker 2>So you got to try to figure out the rest.

0:21:19.090 --> 0:21:21.050
<v Speaker 2>That's why you preach versatility. That's why you try to

0:21:21.090 --> 0:21:24.290
<v Speaker 2>find different guys who fit into different spots. But Jordan

0:21:24.310 --> 0:21:27.869
<v Speaker 2>Morgan's camp man was as steady and as consistent as

0:21:27.950 --> 0:21:29.930
<v Speaker 2>it could possibly have been. And I thought in the

0:21:30.040 --> 0:21:34.000
<v Speaker 2>one-on-ones that I watched, he progressively got better. A lot

0:21:34.040 --> 0:21:37.020
<v Speaker 2>of times repping against Lucas Van Ness, I thought he

0:21:37.040 --> 0:21:38.960
<v Speaker 2>started to win more of those matchups. I think there's,

0:21:39.619 --> 0:21:43.109
<v Speaker 2>he doesn't, where you look at like David, when he

0:21:43.130 --> 0:21:45.800
<v Speaker 2>was playing left tackle, David is such an athlete. and

0:21:45.840 --> 0:21:47.679
<v Speaker 2>not to say that Jordan is, and he's a tremendous

0:21:47.720 --> 0:21:49.820
<v Speaker 2>athlete too, but there was so much about David's style

0:21:49.859 --> 0:21:54.310
<v Speaker 2>that was based on athleticism and just being a superior

0:21:54.390 --> 0:21:56.570
<v Speaker 2>athlete and being able to tie in the fundamentals. And

0:21:56.630 --> 0:21:59.190
<v Speaker 2>once all that caught up, now you have an all pro, right?

0:21:59.230 --> 0:22:01.330
<v Speaker 2>That's how he survived in 13. And that's how he

0:22:01.350 --> 0:22:03.810
<v Speaker 2>grew from there. When I look at Jordan, he just

0:22:03.890 --> 0:22:06.750
<v Speaker 2>looks like a guy that knows what he does well

0:22:06.930 --> 0:22:09.630
<v Speaker 2>and plays to it with his hands, with his kickstep,

0:22:10.119 --> 0:22:12.580
<v Speaker 2>There's just a lot to like there. I know I've

0:22:12.600 --> 0:22:14.240
<v Speaker 2>gone on a little bit about that, but it's a

0:22:14.260 --> 0:22:16.480
<v Speaker 2>topic we haven't talked a lot about because he's kind

0:22:16.500 --> 0:22:20.639
<v Speaker 2>of an understated guy. But I think fans are going

0:22:20.680 --> 0:22:24.640
<v Speaker 2>to be really, really pleasantly surprised and happy with what

0:22:24.660 --> 0:22:26.590
<v Speaker 2>they see when 77 is on the field this year.

0:22:26.609 --> 0:22:29.389
<v Speaker 1>A couple other things that I will just raise as

0:22:29.450 --> 0:22:34.609
<v Speaker 1>far as potential concerns because the Packers are going to

0:22:34.630 --> 0:22:39.949
<v Speaker 1>be counting on two rookies. in two very important spots.

0:22:40.010 --> 0:22:42.990
<v Speaker 1>And I'm talking about Brandon Cissé at cornerback and Trey

0:22:43.030 --> 0:22:46.969
<v Speaker 1>Smack at kicker. And the reason I raised that, what

0:22:47.030 --> 0:22:48.949
<v Speaker 1>I want to say in terms of the concern is

0:22:49.050 --> 0:22:52.240
<v Speaker 1>what you never know about rookies in this league. Now,

0:22:52.350 --> 0:22:56.070
<v Speaker 1>everything we've seen from Brandon Cissé and Trey Smack, they

0:22:56.150 --> 0:22:58.340
<v Speaker 1>look like they belong. They look like they can do

0:22:58.380 --> 0:23:00.940
<v Speaker 1>the job. They both look like they could be here

0:23:01.000 --> 0:23:04.100
<v Speaker 1>in Green Bay for a very long time. But what

0:23:04.140 --> 0:23:07.510
<v Speaker 1>you don't know about rookies in this league is When

0:23:07.609 --> 0:23:10.609
<v Speaker 1>something goes wrong in a big game, in a bright spotlight,

0:23:11.270 --> 0:23:13.709
<v Speaker 1>how do they react? We hear from Matt LaFleur all

0:23:13.750 --> 0:23:16.570
<v Speaker 1>the time, how do you respond to adversity? That's what

0:23:16.670 --> 0:23:19.649
<v Speaker 1>makes you who you are. That's what establishes you as

0:23:19.690 --> 0:23:24.120
<v Speaker 1>an NFL player. Brandon Cisse is going to get beat

0:23:24.180 --> 0:23:26.520
<v Speaker 1>by Justin Jefferson for a first down or for a

0:23:26.540 --> 0:23:29.140
<v Speaker 1>touchdown or something like that in week one. It's going

0:23:29.180 --> 0:23:31.400
<v Speaker 1>to happen. There's going to be a play that goes

0:23:31.460 --> 0:23:34.179
<v Speaker 1>against him. So how does he react to that in

0:23:34.220 --> 0:23:35.900
<v Speaker 1>the heat of the moment when you've still got two

0:23:35.920 --> 0:23:38.240
<v Speaker 1>and a half quarters left to play and you still

0:23:38.260 --> 0:23:40.940
<v Speaker 1>got to deal with this all pro on the other side, right?

0:23:41.320 --> 0:23:43.830
<v Speaker 1>Trey smack is going to miss a kick or miss

0:23:43.880 --> 0:23:46.629
<v Speaker 1>multiple kicks in the first month of the season. It's

0:23:46.730 --> 0:23:50.810
<v Speaker 1>going to happen. So how does he respond? Because, you know,

0:23:51.310 --> 0:23:55.430
<v Speaker 1>three 25 at us bank stadium, that's a nationally televised

0:23:55.470 --> 0:23:59.440
<v Speaker 1>game for the Packers. Week three is, is Thursday night football,

0:23:59.500 --> 0:24:02.389
<v Speaker 1>you know, The Bears game is another 325 game. The

0:24:02.410 --> 0:24:04.610
<v Speaker 1>Cowboys game is going to be Sunday night football under

0:24:04.650 --> 0:24:07.910
<v Speaker 1>the bright lights. These are bigger stages than these guys

0:24:07.930 --> 0:24:10.750
<v Speaker 1>have ever played on, right? So when something goes wrong,

0:24:10.790 --> 0:24:13.190
<v Speaker 1>when it doesn't go their way, how are they going

0:24:13.230 --> 0:24:15.850
<v Speaker 1>to react? How are they going to respond? Because those

0:24:15.890 --> 0:24:18.449
<v Speaker 1>are the two spots more than any other where the

0:24:18.490 --> 0:24:21.270
<v Speaker 1>Packers are counting on rookies to really come through for them.

0:24:21.430 --> 0:24:23.730
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and then there's two things about this that I

0:24:23.780 --> 0:24:26.399
<v Speaker 2>think are really interesting. One is, again, you cannot compare

0:24:26.460 --> 0:24:28.840
<v Speaker 2>anything to National Football League. Both of these guys were

0:24:28.880 --> 0:24:31.340
<v Speaker 2>raised in the SEC. Yep. And I think when you

0:24:31.380 --> 0:24:33.720
<v Speaker 2>look at, from C-State's standpoint, he's seen some of the

0:24:33.780 --> 0:24:36.720
<v Speaker 2>best receivers that college football had to offer. True. Now, again,

0:24:36.780 --> 0:24:38.720
<v Speaker 2>Justin Jefferson is a different level athlete, one of the

0:24:38.760 --> 0:24:41.330
<v Speaker 2>best of his generation, if not the best, right? But

0:24:41.440 --> 0:24:44.390
<v Speaker 2>it gives you that background. When I look at Trey Smack,

0:24:44.430 --> 0:24:46.179
<v Speaker 2>he's talked about kicking in those 100,000-seat stadiums in the SEC.

0:24:46.190 --> 0:24:46.350
<v Speaker 1>Yeah.

0:24:49.420 --> 0:24:51.980
<v Speaker 2>What I love about him is he's a gamer and

0:24:52.040 --> 0:24:54.420
<v Speaker 2>he went through some adversity in practice and not wants

0:24:54.580 --> 0:24:57.080
<v Speaker 2>to carry over into games. The guy's a perfectionist. He

0:24:57.119 --> 0:25:00.000
<v Speaker 2>wants to improve. He looks at this thing like a

0:25:00.359 --> 0:25:03.699
<v Speaker 2>golfer trying to go out there and hit a 65

0:25:03.700 --> 0:25:05.780
<v Speaker 2>on a 72. I mean, it just, that just seems

0:25:05.820 --> 0:25:08.720
<v Speaker 2>to be just, what can I do better? And obviously

0:25:08.740 --> 0:25:11.490
<v Speaker 2>he's already built that familiarity with Daniel Whelan. He will

0:25:11.530 --> 0:25:13.010
<v Speaker 2>have to go through the ups and downs. He will

0:25:13.050 --> 0:25:15.290
<v Speaker 2>have to work through the adversity, but you can just

0:25:15.330 --> 0:25:16.750
<v Speaker 2>tell with the kind of head that he has on

0:25:16.790 --> 0:25:19.040
<v Speaker 2>his shoulders, in addition to his leg talent, There's a

0:25:19.060 --> 0:25:21.959
<v Speaker 2>lot there to work with. The thing about Cissé is

0:25:22.220 --> 0:25:24.780
<v Speaker 2>if I did the whole like men in black, like

0:25:25.560 --> 0:25:28.920
<v Speaker 2>the swipe on you, you knew nothing, knew nothing about

0:25:28.960 --> 0:25:31.440
<v Speaker 2>how old he is, knew nothing about how long he's

0:25:31.460 --> 0:25:33.199
<v Speaker 2>been in the league. And all you have to go

0:25:33.300 --> 0:25:35.080
<v Speaker 2>off of is a 10 minute conversation with him in

0:25:35.100 --> 0:25:36.840
<v Speaker 2>the locker room, a five minute interview with him in

0:25:36.859 --> 0:25:38.960
<v Speaker 2>the locker room. I would have said he's in a

0:25:39.020 --> 0:25:41.560
<v Speaker 2>six year, he's 27 years old and trying to get

0:25:41.600 --> 0:25:42.440
<v Speaker 2>to his third pro bowl.

0:25:42.600 --> 0:25:43.180
<v Speaker 1>Totally agree.

0:25:43.220 --> 0:25:45.919
<v Speaker 2>Now, again, those are lofty things. but that's just the

0:25:45.940 --> 0:25:49.360
<v Speaker 2>way he carries himself. And there's something about it. Cause,

0:25:49.440 --> 0:25:50.859
<v Speaker 2>and I, I maybe I pick up on it a

0:25:50.859 --> 0:25:52.840
<v Speaker 2>little bit more than anybody else. Cause I'm, I've always

0:25:52.859 --> 0:25:54.960
<v Speaker 2>said this. I'm not a war daddy. I would never

0:25:55.020 --> 0:25:57.919
<v Speaker 2>be the, the, the guy that's like, okay, well I,

0:25:58.300 --> 0:26:01.230
<v Speaker 2>everything's cool. I'm going to be fine. There's certain people

0:26:01.290 --> 0:26:03.470
<v Speaker 2>that have the athletic traits that you look for in

0:26:03.510 --> 0:26:07.590
<v Speaker 2>the position, but then also have that clear mindset. And

0:26:07.630 --> 0:26:10.109
<v Speaker 2>you can tell CSA has that in addition to having

0:26:10.650 --> 0:26:13.210
<v Speaker 2>a tremendous build for that position relative to what is

0:26:13.350 --> 0:26:17.020
<v Speaker 2>athletic measurables are. The fact that this dude's 21 years old,

0:26:17.040 --> 0:26:19.560
<v Speaker 2>and again, as you said, very easily could get beat

0:26:19.700 --> 0:26:22.439
<v Speaker 2>for a big one against Minnesota. If it happens, you've

0:26:22.460 --> 0:26:25.859
<v Speaker 2>got to learn from it. But when the Packers, the

0:26:25.900 --> 0:26:28.000
<v Speaker 2>situation they were in at cornerback and the way they

0:26:28.020 --> 0:26:31.830
<v Speaker 2>wanted to revamp that position this offseason, this is exactly

0:26:31.850 --> 0:26:33.409
<v Speaker 2>the type of football player you wanted to add to

0:26:33.450 --> 0:26:33.830
<v Speaker 2>that room.

0:26:34.010 --> 0:26:37.169
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, 100%. And like I say, in raising that as

0:26:37.210 --> 0:26:39.750
<v Speaker 1>a concern, I'm not saying that I believe that they

0:26:39.850 --> 0:26:43.609
<v Speaker 1>can't bounce back when something goes wrong. But it's the

0:26:43.630 --> 0:26:46.040
<v Speaker 1>kind of thing that because they're rookies and because this

0:26:46.119 --> 0:26:49.060
<v Speaker 1>is the NFL, you don't know until it happens, and

0:26:49.100 --> 0:26:51.659
<v Speaker 1>we have to see it. We have to see how

0:26:51.700 --> 0:26:54.040
<v Speaker 1>they're going to respond when something doesn't quite go their

0:26:54.080 --> 0:26:56.660
<v Speaker 1>way because they're being counted on at such a high

0:26:56.700 --> 0:26:57.600
<v Speaker 1>level by this football team.

0:26:57.619 --> 0:26:58.740
<v Speaker 2>And I love the way you put that because here's

0:26:58.760 --> 0:27:01.800
<v Speaker 2>the thing, and I wrote this in Insider Inbox for Thursday.

0:27:02.680 --> 0:27:05.000
<v Speaker 2>The positions where Packers have the biggest question marks and

0:27:05.660 --> 0:27:08.810
<v Speaker 2>biggest concerns are probably running back, offensive line, and cornerback,

0:27:08.869 --> 0:27:12.300
<v Speaker 2>maybe edge rusher here before you get Micah back. But

0:27:12.320 --> 0:27:13.899
<v Speaker 2>those are also the positions in which they have the

0:27:13.940 --> 0:27:16.680
<v Speaker 2>highest ceiling for growth. It's not like they just brought

0:27:16.720 --> 0:27:18.880
<v Speaker 2>in a bunch of 31-year-old veterans and are just hoping

0:27:18.900 --> 0:27:20.730
<v Speaker 2>for the best. It's not like the situation that Atlanta

0:27:20.750 --> 0:27:24.930
<v Speaker 2>finds themselves in right now. And God bless Zedaria Smith,

0:27:24.990 --> 0:27:27.750
<v Speaker 2>terrible situation with his family, his decision to step back.

0:27:28.710 --> 0:27:31.210
<v Speaker 2>But the Falcons, professionally speaking, are like, hey, let's bring

0:27:31.230 --> 0:27:32.629
<v Speaker 2>this guy in and let's hope for the best with

0:27:32.670 --> 0:27:34.940
<v Speaker 2>our pass rush. You're going to be the guy, and

0:27:34.960 --> 0:27:38.580
<v Speaker 2>you were retired a month ago. The Packers are in

0:27:38.619 --> 0:27:41.179
<v Speaker 2>a spot where the reason that there's questions is because

0:27:41.740 --> 0:27:45.619
<v Speaker 2>it's unproven commodities yet, but that also is where you

0:27:45.660 --> 0:27:49.030
<v Speaker 2>find Tremont Williams. That's also where you, you end up

0:27:49.070 --> 0:27:51.270
<v Speaker 2>finding guys that can help you in your pass rush.

0:27:51.650 --> 0:27:53.969
<v Speaker 2>And that's, I think probably one of the things that's

0:27:53.990 --> 0:27:55.210
<v Speaker 2>really exciting about this year's team.

0:27:55.290 --> 0:28:00.389
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I think so too. Last topic for you, sleepers. Who's,

0:28:02.280 --> 0:28:07.080
<v Speaker 1>who's the guy or guys not getting the attention that,

0:28:08.720 --> 0:28:11.399
<v Speaker 1>We're going to be talking about here by the end of, say,

0:28:11.720 --> 0:28:13.250
<v Speaker 1>the first month of the regular season.

0:28:13.910 --> 0:28:17.270
<v Speaker 2>Okay, I got two. Okay. Should I say the first

0:28:17.390 --> 0:28:18.709
<v Speaker 2>one and then give you an opportunity so I don't

0:28:18.750 --> 0:28:20.609
<v Speaker 2>accidentally end up taking yours? Sure, let's do that. You

0:28:20.630 --> 0:28:21.179
<v Speaker 2>want to do it that way?

0:28:21.369 --> 0:28:22.890
<v Speaker 1>Yeah. I mean, I have a couple in mind as well.

0:28:23.670 --> 0:28:25.340
<v Speaker 2>The biggest sleeper, and I think part of it is

0:28:25.380 --> 0:28:28.260
<v Speaker 2>because he ended up getting injured, but it is Javon Bullard.

0:28:28.920 --> 0:28:32.000
<v Speaker 2>Because Bullard was so consistent and so steady last year

0:28:32.020 --> 0:28:34.360
<v Speaker 2>in that nickel spot. And now I think this year

0:28:34.380 --> 0:28:35.619
<v Speaker 2>you're going to see him add in more of the

0:28:35.660 --> 0:28:39.200
<v Speaker 2>playmaking elements. And if that happens, we are talking about

0:28:39.240 --> 0:28:42.210
<v Speaker 2>a pro bowl type corner slash whatever you want to

0:28:42.250 --> 0:28:46.710
<v Speaker 2>label him as. Nickel, yeah. Third safety. He's got it all, man.

0:28:47.170 --> 0:28:49.690
<v Speaker 2>And there is a swagger with him and a confidence.

0:28:49.950 --> 0:28:52.690
<v Speaker 2>And there's been a few more splash plays with Evan

0:28:52.870 --> 0:28:57.920
<v Speaker 2>Williams since they both got drafted in 2024. But I

0:28:57.960 --> 0:29:02.580
<v Speaker 2>feel like the traits that made Bullard a second-round pick

0:29:02.600 --> 0:29:05.020
<v Speaker 2>started to show up, especially in the second half of

0:29:05.060 --> 0:29:08.110
<v Speaker 2>last year when he really started focusing more and more

0:29:08.170 --> 0:29:11.650
<v Speaker 2>on that nickel spot. And when you're talking about any

0:29:12.070 --> 0:29:15.870
<v Speaker 2>modern-day defense that has won a championship or anybody that's

0:29:15.890 --> 0:29:18.610
<v Speaker 2>won a Super Bowl, you need to have somebody in

0:29:18.650 --> 0:29:22.410
<v Speaker 2>that nickel spot that's a playmaker. Yeah. Dom Capers used

0:29:22.430 --> 0:29:24.940
<v Speaker 2>to call it the star. Joe Witt used to call

0:29:24.960 --> 0:29:28.540
<v Speaker 2>it the star. That wasn't hyperbole. That's because you needed

0:29:28.620 --> 0:29:31.320
<v Speaker 2>somebody that was going to be a difference maker in

0:29:31.360 --> 0:29:33.720
<v Speaker 2>that spot. And I feel like after these two seasons,

0:29:33.740 --> 0:29:35.490
<v Speaker 2>assuming he can put this little foot thing behind him,

0:29:35.890 --> 0:29:37.690
<v Speaker 2>Javon Bullard can be that guy for this defense.

0:29:37.730 --> 0:29:39.950
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I'm with you there. That was one of the

0:29:40.040 --> 0:29:42.020
<v Speaker 1>that was absolutely one of the guys at the top

0:29:42.060 --> 0:29:46.860
<v Speaker 1>of my sleeper list. And we were seeing, you know,

0:29:47.220 --> 0:29:49.960
<v Speaker 1>him obviously taking all of his reps with the first

0:29:50.060 --> 0:29:52.290
<v Speaker 1>unit and everything. And then this foot injury cropped up

0:29:52.330 --> 0:29:54.190
<v Speaker 1>during training camp. And now we haven't seen him for

0:29:54.210 --> 0:29:56.430
<v Speaker 1>a while. He is back at practice now, by the way, folks.

0:29:57.330 --> 0:30:00.290
<v Speaker 1>Packers were in pads in practice on Wednesday, and Javon

0:30:00.310 --> 0:30:02.630
<v Speaker 1>Bullard was out there. So that was good to see.

0:30:02.670 --> 0:30:05.920
<v Speaker 1>He's definitely cranking things up to get ready for week one.

0:30:06.400 --> 0:30:08.220
<v Speaker 1>The other one at the top of my sleeper list,

0:30:08.360 --> 0:30:09.920
<v Speaker 1>and it's a guy that you mentioned earlier, and I

0:30:09.960 --> 0:30:12.980
<v Speaker 1>think you even used the word sleeper, it's Jaden Reed.

0:30:14.280 --> 0:30:16.990
<v Speaker 1>This is a guy. Now, yes, there's Tucker Craft, there's

0:30:17.030 --> 0:30:20.950
<v Speaker 1>Christian Watson, there's Matthew Golden. There's only one football to

0:30:20.990 --> 0:30:23.790
<v Speaker 1>go around, right? We know that. But his first two

0:30:23.850 --> 0:30:27.280
<v Speaker 1>years with this team... Jaden Reed was the leading receiver

0:30:27.340 --> 0:30:29.660
<v Speaker 1>for the green Bay Packers. This is a guy who

0:30:29.680 --> 0:30:33.460
<v Speaker 1>has proven it. He has done it. He last year

0:30:33.520 --> 0:30:35.920
<v Speaker 1>was close to a total washout and, you know, he

0:30:35.960 --> 0:30:38.680
<v Speaker 1>missed whatever it was, 10 or 11 games or, or

0:30:38.740 --> 0:30:41.930
<v Speaker 1>something like that. But what did he do before he

0:30:41.950 --> 0:30:44.850
<v Speaker 1>got hurt? He was scoring touchdowns. And after he came back,

0:30:44.990 --> 0:30:47.690
<v Speaker 1>he was scoring touchdowns. I mean, this is a guy

0:30:47.750 --> 0:30:50.190
<v Speaker 1>who just, when he's out there on a regular basis,

0:30:50.230 --> 0:30:53.530
<v Speaker 1>he produces and he, I get it. I mean, everybody's

0:30:53.570 --> 0:30:57.360
<v Speaker 1>going to want all these guys, the big four of

0:30:57.390 --> 0:30:59.900
<v Speaker 1>the perimeter weapons we've been talking about, everybody's going to

0:30:59.960 --> 0:31:02.200
<v Speaker 1>want these guys to get 15 targets a game. Well,

0:31:02.220 --> 0:31:04.780
<v Speaker 1>that's not going to happen. Jordan Love is hopefully not

0:31:04.800 --> 0:31:06.540
<v Speaker 1>going to have to throw the ball 60 times a

0:31:06.560 --> 0:31:09.020
<v Speaker 1>game to get these guys all their touches and all

0:31:09.060 --> 0:31:13.060
<v Speaker 1>their opportunities every single week. But just there's been so

0:31:13.100 --> 0:31:15.800
<v Speaker 1>much attention on so much of the other guys for

0:31:15.840 --> 0:31:18.880
<v Speaker 1>different reasons and for good reasons. But I think Jaden

0:31:18.920 --> 0:31:20.700
<v Speaker 1>Reed is the one that everybody's sleeping on.

0:31:20.740 --> 0:31:23.180
<v Speaker 2>Yeah. And the one I wanted to also mention, and

0:31:23.220 --> 0:31:25.130
<v Speaker 2>it maybe isn't so much that you and I or

0:31:25.170 --> 0:31:27.500
<v Speaker 2>anyone in the Packers media core is really sleeping on,

0:31:27.530 --> 0:31:30.690
<v Speaker 2>but I think the National Football League slept on, and

0:31:30.710 --> 0:31:33.330
<v Speaker 2>I think he knows it, and I think it's pushing him.

0:31:33.870 --> 0:31:36.620
<v Speaker 2>I think it's stoking his fire, and that's Zyre Franklin.

0:31:36.650 --> 0:31:41.280
<v Speaker 2>Because Zyre Franklin was an all-pro middle linebacker two years ago.

0:31:41.640 --> 0:31:43.440
<v Speaker 2>This is not a guy that had anything handed to

0:31:43.500 --> 0:31:46.140
<v Speaker 2>him on a platter. He's earned every single rep he's

0:31:46.160 --> 0:31:49.000
<v Speaker 2>taken on special teams and then defense, becoming the Mike

0:31:49.040 --> 0:31:52.470
<v Speaker 2>in Indianapolis. He gets that second team all pro nod.

0:31:52.490 --> 0:31:54.800
<v Speaker 2>He leads the league in tackles. He has the sacks.

0:31:54.840 --> 0:31:56.700
<v Speaker 2>He has the interceptions. He has all the stats you

0:31:56.720 --> 0:32:00.260
<v Speaker 2>look for. And then a little more than a year later,

0:32:00.720 --> 0:32:03.420
<v Speaker 2>the Indianapolis Colts are trading him to Green Bay for, respectfully,

0:32:03.980 --> 0:32:06.830
<v Speaker 2>a defensive tackle that didn't make their team in Colby Wooden.

0:32:07.550 --> 0:32:10.290
<v Speaker 2>I think Zaire, at 30 years old, has a lot

0:32:10.390 --> 0:32:12.990
<v Speaker 2>to prove, not to the outside, not to the Packers,

0:32:13.030 --> 0:32:16.810
<v Speaker 2>but to himself. And watching him in practice and watching

0:32:16.850 --> 0:32:19.969
<v Speaker 2>how he operates, I just feel like this is the

0:32:20.030 --> 0:32:22.530
<v Speaker 2>type of player that Green Bay needed to add to

0:32:22.590 --> 0:32:25.610
<v Speaker 2>its defense. You need a little nasty sometimes. And at

0:32:25.670 --> 0:32:29.740
<v Speaker 2>that position, working with those inside linebackers too, I think

0:32:29.780 --> 0:32:32.080
<v Speaker 2>Franklin brings that to the party. And I am very

0:32:32.140 --> 0:32:35.600
<v Speaker 2>excited to see what him, Edrin Cooper, and however they

0:32:35.680 --> 0:32:38.240
<v Speaker 2>use those inside linebackers, what they can come up with

0:32:38.300 --> 0:32:40.510
<v Speaker 2>right now. Because one of the big epiphanies that we've

0:32:40.530 --> 0:32:42.650
<v Speaker 2>seen over the last 15 years here in Green Bay

0:32:42.670 --> 0:32:45.630
<v Speaker 2>is is the importance of the middle linebacker position and

0:32:45.670 --> 0:32:48.530
<v Speaker 2>the resources that Brian Gutekun specifically, since he's taken over

0:32:48.590 --> 0:32:52.070
<v Speaker 2>as GM, has invested into that spot. And Franklin is

0:32:52.150 --> 0:32:53.860
<v Speaker 2>the latest in that series of players.

0:32:54.210 --> 0:32:57.640
<v Speaker 1>Yeah. And I think it's really crucial that a guy

0:32:57.680 --> 0:33:01.100
<v Speaker 1>like Franklin came in, he's the signal caller for the defense,

0:33:01.140 --> 0:33:03.200
<v Speaker 1>and he's a guy who came in already with a

0:33:03.260 --> 0:33:06.420
<v Speaker 1>comfort level with Jonathan Gannon. Now, Gannon wasn't his position

0:33:06.460 --> 0:33:10.270
<v Speaker 1>coach in Indianapolis, but he's a guy that Franklin knows,

0:33:10.310 --> 0:33:13.890
<v Speaker 1>they know each other. I think that is going to help.

0:33:14.270 --> 0:33:16.350
<v Speaker 1>As we talked about, there's going to be an evolution

0:33:16.390 --> 0:33:19.510
<v Speaker 1>to this defense, but I think that's helping with the

0:33:19.570 --> 0:33:22.390
<v Speaker 1>entire transition and setting things up. One other thing I'm

0:33:22.410 --> 0:33:24.560
<v Speaker 1>going to say, and this doesn't have to do with

0:33:24.620 --> 0:33:26.560
<v Speaker 1>any topic that I jotted down to come in here,

0:33:26.680 --> 0:33:31.760
<v Speaker 1>but it occurred to me. What's really interesting about how

0:33:31.940 --> 0:33:34.870
<v Speaker 1>Brian Gutekunst and the personnel department has gone about building

0:33:34.920 --> 0:33:38.990
<v Speaker 1>this team for 2026, you just mentioned how all these

0:33:39.030 --> 0:33:42.620
<v Speaker 1>different positions where there's a lot of youth and unproven,

0:33:43.180 --> 0:33:45.580
<v Speaker 1>but potential and room for growth and all this kind

0:33:45.620 --> 0:33:48.580
<v Speaker 1>of stuff, right? But what do you have on the

0:33:48.700 --> 0:33:52.240
<v Speaker 1>other end of that spectrum? You have a veteran like

0:33:52.270 --> 0:33:55.730
<v Speaker 1>Zaire Franklin, who's two years removed from an all-pro season.

0:33:56.110 --> 0:33:59.490
<v Speaker 1>You've brought in Jonu Smith, who's two years removed from

0:33:59.510 --> 0:34:03.130
<v Speaker 1>an 88 catch season at tight end. Javon Hargrave is

0:34:03.170 --> 0:34:05.250
<v Speaker 1>just a couple years removed from a seven and a

0:34:05.310 --> 0:34:09.080
<v Speaker 1>half sack season as an interior defensive lineman. Now, Age

0:34:09.120 --> 0:34:11.859
<v Speaker 1>and decline is real in this league. It happens to

0:34:11.960 --> 0:34:16.900
<v Speaker 1>everybody and things can happen fast in that regard. But

0:34:17.219 --> 0:34:20.460
<v Speaker 1>these veteran newcomers that the Packers have brought in are

0:34:20.620 --> 0:34:25.200
<v Speaker 1>not that far off from big time seasons in this league.

0:34:25.880 --> 0:34:28.740
<v Speaker 1>And they're out to still, as you just mentioned with Franklin,

0:34:28.820 --> 0:34:30.950
<v Speaker 1>out to prove that they've still got it, right? And

0:34:30.989 --> 0:34:34.430
<v Speaker 1>yet they're surrounded by all this youth and potential for

0:34:34.469 --> 0:34:39.140
<v Speaker 1>growth and guys. And then The core guys, like the

0:34:39.180 --> 0:34:42.370
<v Speaker 1>perimeter weapons we're talking about, like Jordan Love, the core

0:34:42.390 --> 0:34:45.000
<v Speaker 1>guys that are coming into their mid to late 20s,

0:34:45.130 --> 0:34:47.430
<v Speaker 1>into their prime, this is when they're supposed to really

0:34:47.469 --> 0:34:51.290
<v Speaker 1>hit their stride as professional football players. This entire mix

0:34:52.450 --> 0:34:55.000
<v Speaker 1>of the youth and then the veterans on the other

0:34:55.080 --> 0:34:57.200
<v Speaker 1>end and then the core guys in the middle. It's

0:34:57.280 --> 0:35:00.540
<v Speaker 1>really interesting how the personnel department has gone about building

0:35:00.580 --> 0:35:03.480
<v Speaker 1>this and hopefully pays off.

0:35:03.620 --> 0:35:05.560
<v Speaker 2>And I thought Brian did one other, you know, a

0:35:05.560 --> 0:35:07.089
<v Speaker 2>little bit of a shift too that he got back

0:35:07.140 --> 0:35:08.670
<v Speaker 2>to this year that I think is really important is

0:35:08.710 --> 0:35:12.410
<v Speaker 2>they went back to finding like super incredibly durable veterans.

0:35:13.150 --> 0:35:14.810
<v Speaker 2>John Smith has missed, I think, what did I put

0:35:14.830 --> 0:35:16.910
<v Speaker 2>in my story? It was like eight games over nine seasons.

0:35:17.590 --> 0:35:19.930
<v Speaker 2>Zyre Franklin is a guy that has played pretty much

0:35:20.110 --> 0:35:22.410
<v Speaker 2>every game throughout the course of his career. There was

0:35:22.530 --> 0:35:24.920
<v Speaker 2>one issue, one hiccup, I believe it was a triceps injury.

0:35:25.320 --> 0:35:27.240
<v Speaker 2>for Hargrave two years ago in San Francisco.

0:35:27.260 --> 0:35:29.210
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, he had the one year where he missed a

0:35:29.250 --> 0:35:30.509
<v Speaker 1>bunch of games, but other than that.

0:35:30.530 --> 0:35:33.549
<v Speaker 2>He's... But then bounced back in Minnesota. So, and the

0:35:33.590 --> 0:35:35.250
<v Speaker 2>other thing I like, too, about Hargrave, just to throw

0:35:35.290 --> 0:35:37.110
<v Speaker 2>this in, I don't think the Packers... We'll see what

0:35:37.130 --> 0:35:38.830
<v Speaker 2>they do. I don't think the Packers are looking at

0:35:38.850 --> 0:35:41.480
<v Speaker 2>Hargrave having to play three downs. I don't. Because I

0:35:41.500 --> 0:35:43.200
<v Speaker 2>know there's a lot of people in Minnesota that have

0:35:43.219 --> 0:35:45.360
<v Speaker 2>been saying some stuff about, well, we'll see how he

0:35:45.380 --> 0:35:47.900
<v Speaker 2>does against the run and that. Again, we will see

0:35:47.920 --> 0:35:50.400
<v Speaker 2>what they do against the run, but... There's also a

0:35:50.420 --> 0:35:52.920
<v Speaker 2>reason why you have a Wyatt, you have a Ford,

0:35:53.040 --> 0:35:54.960
<v Speaker 2>you have these other body types there too, that can

0:35:55.000 --> 0:35:57.480
<v Speaker 2>help you in that regard. I think Javon Hargrave is

0:35:57.500 --> 0:35:59.120
<v Speaker 2>going to, I think he's going to surprise a lot

0:35:59.160 --> 0:36:00.509
<v Speaker 2>of people this year at 33 years old.

0:36:00.739 --> 0:36:02.390
<v Speaker 1>Yeah. I don't know if, I don't know if any

0:36:02.430 --> 0:36:04.890
<v Speaker 1>of the defensive tackles for the Packers, with the exception

0:36:04.930 --> 0:36:06.810
<v Speaker 1>of maybe Wyatt, I don't know if any of the

0:36:06.850 --> 0:36:09.270
<v Speaker 1>defensive tackles in this very deep group are going to

0:36:09.290 --> 0:36:11.230
<v Speaker 1>go out there and play 50 to 60 snaps a game.

0:36:11.310 --> 0:36:13.830
<v Speaker 2>I think the Kenny Clark 80% thing is done now. Yeah.

0:36:13.890 --> 0:36:15.549
<v Speaker 1>I don't, I don't, I don't, I just don't think

0:36:15.570 --> 0:36:17.950
<v Speaker 1>that's going to happen anymore. Not, not when you have this,

0:36:18.090 --> 0:36:20.910
<v Speaker 1>when you have that collection, that many different guys that

0:36:20.950 --> 0:36:22.910
<v Speaker 1>you believe in that you feel you can count on,

0:36:23.090 --> 0:36:24.700
<v Speaker 1>you know, why wear anybody out?

0:36:24.760 --> 0:36:27.799
<v Speaker 2>Just so multiple, Michael. I mean, like it just, you

0:36:27.820 --> 0:36:30.720
<v Speaker 2>can use Carl Brooks on first down or third down easily.

0:36:30.840 --> 0:36:33.200
<v Speaker 2>You know, I think, I think Wyatt before that ankle

0:36:33.239 --> 0:36:35.489
<v Speaker 2>injury last year really rounded out his game. He was

0:36:35.530 --> 0:36:37.690
<v Speaker 2>defending the run really well. In addition to giving that

0:36:37.730 --> 0:36:39.830
<v Speaker 2>kind of pass rush presence that we've known since his

0:36:39.850 --> 0:36:40.530
<v Speaker 2>rookie season.

0:36:40.610 --> 0:36:41.210
<v Speaker 1>Yeah.

0:36:41.230 --> 0:36:43.009
<v Speaker 2>You get Brinson back on the field. He's a guy

0:36:43.030 --> 0:36:47.109
<v Speaker 2>that can knife through the middle. I just, it's, It's

0:36:47.150 --> 0:36:50.370
<v Speaker 2>an exciting group, man. And I think when you break

0:36:50.390 --> 0:36:52.710
<v Speaker 2>it all down for the Packers, they need to get

0:36:52.750 --> 0:36:55.180
<v Speaker 2>better on the lines. And we'll learn if they did

0:36:55.219 --> 0:36:57.680
<v Speaker 2>or not soon enough. But, I mean, I think they

0:36:57.719 --> 0:36:59.080
<v Speaker 2>did everything they possibly could, too.

0:36:59.380 --> 0:37:02.040
<v Speaker 1>Yeah. Well, we've gone a little bit over time here,

0:37:02.160 --> 0:37:04.360
<v Speaker 1>but it's a holiday weekend coming up, so people have

0:37:04.430 --> 0:37:06.370
<v Speaker 1>extra time to watch and listen and all that.

0:37:06.430 --> 0:37:07.469
<v Speaker 2>My dad will appreciate that.

0:37:07.770 --> 0:37:09.710
<v Speaker 1>With that, we will call it a wrap on this

0:37:09.790 --> 0:37:13.100
<v Speaker 1>edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow and continue

0:37:13.160 --> 0:37:16.020
<v Speaker 1>following all of our coverage of this team on Packers.com.

0:37:16.040 --> 0:37:19.680
<v Speaker 1>We'll be back next week. Week one, it's here. The

0:37:19.719 --> 0:37:22.489
<v Speaker 1>Vikings are right around the corner. And off we go.

0:37:22.550 --> 0:37:24.850
<v Speaker 1>So for Wes, I am Mike. Thank you for tuning in, everybody.

0:37:24.870 --> 0:37:25.649
<v Speaker 2>We will see you next week.