WEBVTT - #394 Packers Unscripted: More on the coaches 0:00:00.760 --> 0:00:21.079 Hi, everyone, Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:21.079 --> 0:00:23.599 I am Mike Spofford. He is the one and only 0:00:23.680 --> 0:00:27.760 West Hodgoods. We have survived the Winner Storm Destiny, they 0:00:27.880 --> 0:00:30.160 called it all the snow that's been piled on the 0:00:30.200 --> 0:00:33.320 state of Wisconsin. But we are here in the lambeau 0:00:33.400 --> 0:00:36.120 Field Studios to continue our discussion that we started on 0:00:36.120 --> 0:00:39.559 our last show with regards to Matt Lafleur's coaching staff. 0:00:40.000 --> 0:00:42.400 We ran through the offensive coaches last time. We'll do 0:00:42.560 --> 0:00:45.440 defense and special teams this time. And the way it 0:00:45.520 --> 0:00:48.040 shakes down west again. On the defensive side of the ball, 0:00:48.080 --> 0:00:51.879 a mixture of some holdovers and some new faces, so 0:00:52.440 --> 0:00:56.120 quickly the rundown is sticking around Jerry Montgomery on the 0:00:56.120 --> 0:01:00.320 defensive line, Jason Simmons with the defensive backs, and Ryan Downard, 0:01:00.320 --> 0:01:02.720 who was a quality control coach on the defensive side 0:01:02.800 --> 0:01:06.560 last year, is the assistant defensive backs coach to Simmons. 0:01:06.840 --> 0:01:10.760 Then the new faces Kirk Oliver Dotty at inside linebacker, 0:01:10.880 --> 0:01:14.120 Mike Smith with the outside linebackers, the Packers and the 0:01:14.160 --> 0:01:17.880 flour deciding to split those jobs position wise into two 0:01:17.880 --> 0:01:21.800 different coaching positions, and then to defensive quality control coaches 0:01:21.880 --> 0:01:25.560 in Wendell Davis and Christian Parker. So you decide where 0:01:25.560 --> 0:01:28.280 you want to start here with that defensive Rundown West, 0:01:28.319 --> 0:01:31.200 what intrigues you the most? I think the first, first, 0:01:31.200 --> 0:01:34.080 and foremost. In the last episode I talked about Ben 0:01:34.120 --> 0:01:36.319 Sermons getting him back, I thought was a major plus. 0:01:36.440 --> 0:01:38.640 I think being able to get Jerry Montgomery back with 0:01:38.720 --> 0:01:41.399 that defensive line group seemed like a no brainer to me. 0:01:41.720 --> 0:01:44.199 Mike Patton certainly had an idea of what he thought 0:01:44.280 --> 0:01:46.479 of his staff and what adjustments he wanted to make, 0:01:46.760 --> 0:01:48.320 and I think when you look at the season that 0:01:48.400 --> 0:01:51.000 they had with their defensive line, you can talk until 0:01:51.120 --> 0:01:53.560 the Cows come home about Kenny Clark and all of 0:01:53.640 --> 0:01:55.560 it would be worthy. But the fact that he was 0:01:55.600 --> 0:01:58.280 able to get you know, Tyler Lancaster playing the way 0:01:58.320 --> 0:02:00.040 he did it late in the season, I thought I 0:02:00.120 --> 0:02:01.800 and Lawry made one of the biggest jumps on the 0:02:01.920 --> 0:02:04.960 entire roster um showing that he's more than just a 0:02:04.960 --> 0:02:07.440 five tech defensive end. He can play three tech. Knows 0:02:08.120 --> 0:02:10.120 there's different ways that you can utilize him. I think 0:02:10.120 --> 0:02:11.560 he's going to be a weapon in Green Bay for 0:02:11.639 --> 0:02:14.160 years to come. So I I tip my cap to 0:02:14.200 --> 0:02:16.480 the job he did there. Certainly, Jason Simmons has been 0:02:16.480 --> 0:02:18.640 around for a number of years, got an opportunity last 0:02:18.680 --> 0:02:21.000 year to be with the secondary. Now he gets to 0:02:21.080 --> 0:02:23.959 run that room. But but let's get down to the 0:02:24.000 --> 0:02:25.920 meat and potatoes here. I think the one thing the 0:02:25.919 --> 0:02:28.560 Packers really, I don't want to say struggled with, but 0:02:28.560 --> 0:02:30.440 but one of the things that was sort of inconsistent 0:02:30.880 --> 0:02:33.359 was the outside linebackers was the pressure. Now, they did 0:02:33.480 --> 0:02:36.080 end up setting some records in terms of sacks, but 0:02:36.160 --> 0:02:39.240 I think looking for the overall more consistent push. Can 0:02:39.280 --> 0:02:41.760 you look at Mike Smith, his history with Mike Petton 0:02:41.880 --> 0:02:44.560 coming in taking over that room now in Green Bay 0:02:44.560 --> 0:02:47.519 had a phenomenal year last year, d Ford having a 0:02:47.560 --> 0:02:50.040 breakthrough season in Kansas City. Now he gets to try 0:02:50.080 --> 0:02:53.040 his hand with Kyler Facral and whatever. This room is 0:02:53.080 --> 0:02:55.320 gonna look like they're in two thousand nineteen. Yeah, and 0:02:55.360 --> 0:02:57.040 that was it was kind of funny. I have to 0:02:57.080 --> 0:02:59.520 admit when I first saw the announcement that Mike Smith 0:02:59.600 --> 0:03:02.359 was joined the Packers coaching staff, my MND immediately went 0:03:02.400 --> 0:03:05.639 to the former Atlanta head coach Tampa Bay defensive coordinator 0:03:05.680 --> 0:03:08.960 like Holy cow, he's not retiring different different Mike Smith 0:03:09.120 --> 0:03:11.360 in this case. But you mentioned it last year with 0:03:11.440 --> 0:03:15.320 Kansas City d Ford having a career season with the 0:03:15.360 --> 0:03:17.920 pressure off the edge there, I know Ford ended up 0:03:17.960 --> 0:03:22.120 having that extremely unfortunate offsides lining up off sides penalty 0:03:22.160 --> 0:03:24.200 that wiped out really was the play that was going 0:03:24.240 --> 0:03:27.000 to send the Kansas City Chiefs to the Super Bowl. 0:03:27.480 --> 0:03:30.840 But then, as I mentioned, splitting the jobs outside linebacker 0:03:30.880 --> 0:03:34.120 and inside linebacker again here Kirk Ola A. Dotty, a 0:03:34.280 --> 0:03:39.360 long time Washington Redskins assistant coach, actually two different stints 0:03:39.360 --> 0:03:41.200 in Washington, if I'm not mistaken. He was at the 0:03:41.240 --> 0:03:45.800 University of Georgia in between there, but um but had 0:03:45.800 --> 0:03:48.480 cross paths with Matt Lafleur when la Fleur was on 0:03:49.360 --> 0:03:53.680 was working with Kyle Shanahan and Mike Shanahan in Washington, 0:03:53.800 --> 0:03:56.320 so certainly some connections there. The other thing I thought 0:03:56.360 --> 0:03:58.240 was interesting about all of a. Dotty when I was 0:03:58.280 --> 0:04:01.040 looking at his bio, he was a wide receiver at 0:04:01.080 --> 0:04:04.520 Perdue from ninety three to ninety six, which I think 0:04:05.080 --> 0:04:06.680 I'd have to go back and look for sure, but 0:04:06.720 --> 0:04:09.280 I think that's right before Drew Brees got to prey you. 0:04:09.600 --> 0:04:11.800 So his timing was maybe just a little offer. He 0:04:11.840 --> 0:04:15.320 could have had a greater NFL career as a player, 0:04:15.360 --> 0:04:17.240 but he certainly made a name for himself as an 0:04:17.240 --> 0:04:20.520 assistant for four years older than Drew Brees, and unfortunately 0:04:20.640 --> 0:04:23.400 wasn't able to cross paths with him. But here's the 0:04:23.400 --> 0:04:25.400 other thing I really liked to I I go back, 0:04:25.440 --> 0:04:27.680 and I have a shorter time frame to work off 0:04:27.720 --> 0:04:29.279 of than you do when you look at the structure. 0:04:29.680 --> 0:04:31.320 But I felt like some of the better years the 0:04:31.360 --> 0:04:34.039 Packers had with Dom Caper's defense was when they had 0:04:34.240 --> 0:04:37.200 a tried and true outside linebackers coach in Kevin Green, 0:04:37.440 --> 0:04:39.800 and they had Winston Moss handling their inside backers. I 0:04:39.800 --> 0:04:41.920 see a lot of that with this current set up 0:04:41.920 --> 0:04:44.520 with Mike Smith and Olive Dotti and and the other 0:04:44.560 --> 0:04:46.839 thing is too, is that both of these guys have 0:04:47.040 --> 0:04:49.560 been pretty accomplished in their careers. I mean, you look 0:04:49.560 --> 0:04:51.920 at some of the success that the Washington had in 0:04:51.960 --> 0:04:54.880 the two thousand's and more recently. I mean, Mike Smith, 0:04:54.920 --> 0:04:58.120 what an interesting journey he's been on to be a player. 0:04:58.360 --> 0:05:01.880 Was his position coach was Petton. He ends up retiring 0:05:01.880 --> 0:05:04.800 because of injuries and oh eight gets a coaching internship 0:05:04.960 --> 0:05:07.320 with the Jets when Rex, Ryan and Petton were there, 0:05:07.560 --> 0:05:09.960 ends up being his outside linebackers coach a year later. 0:05:10.000 --> 0:05:12.640 That's a pretty big jump. And then certainly to to 0:05:12.720 --> 0:05:14.960 move around, went to his album Out of Texas Tech, 0:05:15.000 --> 0:05:17.760 found his way to Kansas City and now reunited here 0:05:18.080 --> 0:05:22.000 and then from Olive Dotti's circumstances, has been in Washington. 0:05:22.040 --> 0:05:24.560 It's his only NFL job for sixteen years. We were 0:05:24.600 --> 0:05:26.960 talking about James Camping in the remarkable run that he 0:05:27.000 --> 0:05:29.080 was on in Green Bay and and Kirk had a 0:05:29.160 --> 0:05:32.960 very similar run with Washington for you know, almost two decades. Well, 0:05:33.000 --> 0:05:35.840 it'll be interesting to see with Oliver Dotty and what 0:05:35.960 --> 0:05:38.920 group he's going to be working with here in Green Bay, 0:05:38.920 --> 0:05:41.240 becaus we all know about Blake Martinez and the progress 0:05:41.240 --> 0:05:43.440 that he's made over the past couple of years. Or 0:05:43.520 --> 0:05:46.160 in Burke's third round draft pick last year, didn't have 0:05:46.200 --> 0:05:48.400 the rookie season that he was hoping for. That shoulder 0:05:48.400 --> 0:05:51.400 injury in the preseason kind of just knocked his whole 0:05:51.520 --> 0:05:54.359 progress off kilter in some respects, you might say, and 0:05:54.600 --> 0:05:56.880 Burke's ended up playing a lot more on special teams 0:05:56.920 --> 0:05:59.400 not as much on defense as the season went along, 0:05:59.480 --> 0:06:03.360 but that injury led to Antonio Morrison uh coming over 0:06:03.440 --> 0:06:06.640 from the Indianapolis Colts. He certainly made an impression as 0:06:06.680 --> 0:06:10.960 one of those hard hitter, run stopping type of inside linebackers. 0:06:10.960 --> 0:06:13.520 And and then um, we'll see obviously what happens with 0:06:13.600 --> 0:06:15.880 Jake Ryan. He's coming back from the A c L. 0:06:16.000 --> 0:06:18.880 But he's also on an expiring contract with his rookie 0:06:18.960 --> 0:06:22.640 deal from being a twenty fifteen draft pick now expiring. 0:06:22.680 --> 0:06:26.360 So uh, some potentially some some moving and shaking, some 0:06:26.400 --> 0:06:28.400 shifting around there as far as what the Packers are 0:06:28.400 --> 0:06:30.479 going to do it inside linebacker as well as that 0:06:30.560 --> 0:06:34.520 outside linebacker with Factral coming off of a career season 0:06:34.560 --> 0:06:37.000 with the double digit sacks. But a lot of questions 0:06:37.000 --> 0:06:39.360 as to, Okay, what's gonna happen with Clay Matthews now 0:06:39.400 --> 0:06:43.640 and and Nick Perry and and all of the uncertainty 0:06:43.760 --> 0:06:46.440 that goes into you know, how this linebacking corps is 0:06:46.440 --> 0:06:49.119 going to shape up in ten You sandwiched a gem 0:06:49.240 --> 0:06:50.960 right in the middle there, and I think it's the 0:06:50.960 --> 0:06:53.880 biggest point to make here. I think about you know, 0:06:53.960 --> 0:06:56.719 Ben's sermons when he came in and he had Eddie 0:06:56.800 --> 0:06:59.080 Lacy and James Starts at first year. But let's be real, 0:06:59.120 --> 0:07:02.799 it was really when they drafted Aaron Jones and Jimal Williams. 0:07:02.800 --> 0:07:05.159 It's like, Okay, this is your assignment. Get the most 0:07:05.160 --> 0:07:07.160 out of these players. I look at a live a 0:07:07.240 --> 0:07:10.880 Dotti getting or in Burkes. That's his big assignment right now. Yes, 0:07:10.880 --> 0:07:13.440 you want to maximize what you have in Blake Martinez. 0:07:13.640 --> 0:07:15.240 You want to see depending on how all this other 0:07:15.280 --> 0:07:18.520 stuff shakes out with Morrison and Ryan, but Berks was 0:07:18.560 --> 0:07:20.840 a big investment. That was a third round draft pick. Yeah, 0:07:20.840 --> 0:07:24.800 that's that's in the draft. He's still relatively new to 0:07:24.840 --> 0:07:28.000 the position, considering that he played half of his career 0:07:28.000 --> 0:07:30.800 as a defensive back as a hybrid safety, so he's 0:07:30.960 --> 0:07:32.920 learning the ins and outs of being an every down 0:07:32.920 --> 0:07:36.440 inside linebacker in this league. I really wonder Michael and 0:07:36.480 --> 0:07:39.880 again we'll have and you never know, everything is hypothetical, 0:07:39.960 --> 0:07:43.840 but they have those warmups in Oakland. Burks hurts his shoulder, 0:07:43.920 --> 0:07:47.160 he ends up missing a month, and we've seen so 0:07:47.200 --> 0:07:50.000 many times how that can set guys back and just 0:07:50.040 --> 0:07:52.680 not being allowing them. I think Mike Daniels in two 0:07:52.760 --> 0:07:55.880 thousand twelve. I mean, Mike Daniels finished the year strong, 0:07:55.920 --> 0:07:57.760 but he was a scratcherler in the season when he 0:07:57.760 --> 0:08:01.080 was coming back off the labor surgery. So right for 0:08:01.080 --> 0:08:03.720 for Olive Dotti here and we'll we'll hopefully get a 0:08:03.800 --> 0:08:05.360 chance to talk to him soon and skit what his 0:08:05.400 --> 0:08:07.480 thoughts are on Burks. I just look at that is 0:08:07.520 --> 0:08:09.600 that is his primary assignment right now, getting the most 0:08:09.640 --> 0:08:11.480 out of that draft pick and getting to be a 0:08:11.480 --> 0:08:13.600 contributor in this defense. Yeah, and for what it's worth, 0:08:13.640 --> 0:08:16.840 I had an interesting conversation with Burke's back in January 0:08:16.920 --> 0:08:19.200 the final open locker room. We got a chance to 0:08:19.240 --> 0:08:21.480 talk to the players before they all dispersed for their 0:08:21.520 --> 0:08:24.440 off season, and and I got a chance to talk 0:08:24.440 --> 0:08:26.920 to Burke's one on one, and and hey, he he 0:08:26.960 --> 0:08:30.040 wasn't He didn't sugarcoat anything. He knows his rookie season 0:08:30.080 --> 0:08:32.680 didn't go the way he wanted it to. The injury 0:08:32.800 --> 0:08:35.240 certainly was a factor, but he also felt that when 0:08:35.240 --> 0:08:37.080 he got his opportunities, he should have been able to 0:08:37.080 --> 0:08:39.600 do more with them. And he flat out said to me, 0:08:40.520 --> 0:08:42.800 or I should say, I asked him a very direct question, 0:08:42.840 --> 0:08:45.199 do you feel like you need to come in your 0:08:45.240 --> 0:08:50.040 second season and prove why the Packers made the draft 0:08:50.080 --> 0:08:52.520 investment they did in you. He said absolutely that that 0:08:52.640 --> 0:08:55.040 is the motivating force for him right now. He knows 0:08:55.080 --> 0:08:57.960 the investment the Packers made in him, and he's out 0:08:58.000 --> 0:09:00.240 to prove that he was worth it. Now. The other 0:09:00.280 --> 0:09:02.160 thing I will say, and it was interesting because I 0:09:02.360 --> 0:09:05.520 don't like to draw comparisons with players very often, but 0:09:05.600 --> 0:09:07.840 in this case, I will just say this, and talking 0:09:07.840 --> 0:09:10.680 to Burke's, the biggest thing that he felt was that 0:09:11.559 --> 0:09:13.920 when he was out there on defense, that he was 0:09:13.960 --> 0:09:16.480 still in that thinking too much stage and not just 0:09:16.640 --> 0:09:19.480 reacting and playing well. It's a lot of what we 0:09:19.559 --> 0:09:22.520 heard from Blake Martinez after these rookie year as well. 0:09:22.840 --> 0:09:25.679 And Blake Martinez went to Stanford or in Burkes went 0:09:25.679 --> 0:09:28.920 to Vanderbilt. These are these are smart guys who they 0:09:28.960 --> 0:09:32.559 can process a lot mentally, but sometimes that can be 0:09:32.679 --> 0:09:35.000 to your detriment in this in the sense of really 0:09:35.040 --> 0:09:37.360 getting up to the speed of the NFL game when 0:09:37.360 --> 0:09:40.880 you come from the college level. So as disappointing as Burke, 0:09:41.000 --> 0:09:43.800 as disappointed as Burke's was in his rookie season, I 0:09:43.800 --> 0:09:46.160 don't think anybody should give up on him by any means, 0:09:46.200 --> 0:09:49.360 I think he's one of those year two players to 0:09:49.440 --> 0:09:51.680 watch with the Green Bay Pack. Here's what we sometimes 0:09:51.720 --> 0:09:54.680 forget with having Blake Martinez having two back to back 0:09:55.559 --> 0:09:58.480 tackle seasons. We went into that opener in two thousand 0:09:58.559 --> 0:10:01.240 seventeen not knowing he is gonna be a three down linebacker. 0:10:01.720 --> 0:10:04.560 That during throughout training camp, throughout the preseason, it looked 0:10:04.559 --> 0:10:07.120 like Joe Thomas was going to be the third down linebacker, 0:10:07.400 --> 0:10:09.520 and it looked like Blake Martinez might be in there 0:10:09.559 --> 0:10:12.520 with Jake Ryan on first and second down. Lo and Behold, 0:10:12.640 --> 0:10:14.559 he ends up staying in on third downs and then 0:10:14.559 --> 0:10:16.880 he's off to the races and running at One more 0:10:16.880 --> 0:10:18.480 point I want to make about Burke's too, that I 0:10:18.480 --> 0:10:20.720 think is important to make is that when you have 0:10:20.800 --> 0:10:23.720 a season like he had, it's sometimes we get so 0:10:23.800 --> 0:10:25.840 caught up and guys just jumping in right away and 0:10:25.920 --> 0:10:29.079 having that jyr Alexander type season, there is a significant 0:10:29.120 --> 0:10:32.920 learning curve. Regardless of what your your intellectual aptitude is, 0:10:33.520 --> 0:10:35.280 you have to be able to catch up to the 0:10:35.280 --> 0:10:37.400 speed of the game. That's the challenge that Burke is. 0:10:37.480 --> 0:10:40.360 Burke's is tackling right now and the other thing that 0:10:40.400 --> 0:10:42.960 probably didn't help him too, is with Blake Martinez being 0:10:43.000 --> 0:10:46.319 sort of entrenched in that three down role, Burk's skill 0:10:46.400 --> 0:10:49.440 set probably lends itself more to being a coverage linebacker 0:10:49.520 --> 0:10:51.120 in terms of his base. I'm not saying he can't 0:10:51.120 --> 0:10:53.440 play first and second down, but yeah, makes sense that 0:10:53.480 --> 0:10:55.559 you're going to have more of that that road grading 0:10:55.600 --> 0:10:58.360 type inside linebacker and on first and second down like Morrison, 0:10:58.360 --> 0:11:01.640 who's gonna get after the ball carrier. That's where Burkes 0:11:01.679 --> 0:11:03.199 needs to make that jump and showing that he can 0:11:03.200 --> 0:11:05.719 be a well rounded athlete. Yeah. One one other thing 0:11:05.760 --> 0:11:08.560 I want to run past you on defense before we 0:11:08.840 --> 0:11:12.520 shift gears to special teams to defensive quality control coaches 0:11:12.600 --> 0:11:15.000 Rndall Davis and Christian Parker. We haven't heard from Matt 0:11:15.040 --> 0:11:17.520 la Fleur about his decision making process or how all 0:11:17.520 --> 0:11:20.240 this came together. Do you have any kind of any idea. 0:11:20.320 --> 0:11:24.240 I've never seen in my thirteen years here with the Packers, 0:11:24.240 --> 0:11:26.960 I've never seen two quality control coaches on the same 0:11:27.120 --> 0:11:28.800 side of the ball. I'm just curious if you have 0:11:28.880 --> 0:11:32.720 any any insight into the rationale or the reasoning perhaps 0:11:32.720 --> 0:11:35.280 behind that. I can only read the tea leaves here. 0:11:35.559 --> 0:11:37.880 I did find it interesting that both of these gentlemen, 0:11:37.920 --> 0:11:41.080 Wendell Davis and Christian Parker, both younger guys. They both 0:11:41.080 --> 0:11:43.319 come from an analytics background, so I wonder how much 0:11:43.360 --> 0:11:45.840 that could potentially be incorporated in this in addition to 0:11:45.920 --> 0:11:48.839 having experience as defensive coaches, and these these are SEC 0:11:49.040 --> 0:11:51.440 guys through and through. By the way, Wendell Davis played 0:11:51.480 --> 0:11:54.400 linebacker at Arkansas, was a graduate assistant at A on 0:11:54.440 --> 0:11:57.680 a very successful University of Georgia team, and then Parker 0:11:57.760 --> 0:12:00.000 coming from Texas A and M Yeah exactly, then all 0:12:00.000 --> 0:12:02.280 also got you know, some experience there at some other 0:12:02.360 --> 0:12:05.040 spots and and being able to round themselves out. The 0:12:05.080 --> 0:12:06.920 thing that that really jumps off the page to me 0:12:07.040 --> 0:12:08.880 here is that last year Ryan Downer was a quality 0:12:08.880 --> 0:12:11.520 control but they also had Scott McCurley as a defensive 0:12:11.520 --> 0:12:16.000 assistant in the thought in just the definition of it, Yes, 0:12:16.040 --> 0:12:18.200 it is a little unique, but you always typically have 0:12:18.320 --> 0:12:20.640 those guys that can be sort of you know, pivot 0:12:20.679 --> 0:12:22.839 and help out different groups. I think it's gonna be 0:12:22.880 --> 0:12:24.840 interesting to see how both of these young guys developed, because, 0:12:24.840 --> 0:12:26.880 as we've seen, if Matt Lafleur follows sort of the 0:12:26.920 --> 0:12:29.839 prototype that's been here in Green Bay and you never know. Um, 0:12:29.880 --> 0:12:31.959 you know, Luke Getzi was a quality control coach. I 0:12:31.960 --> 0:12:35.440 mean you had uh Jerry fontno number yours quality control. 0:12:35.880 --> 0:12:38.599 I want to say that even Ben mc McAdoo was 0:12:38.640 --> 0:12:40.320 at one point. I mean they work their way up 0:12:40.360 --> 0:12:42.160 the ladder. This is the internship to get your foot 0:12:42.160 --> 0:12:44.440 in the door, take advantage of it. Yeah, alrighty well, 0:12:44.480 --> 0:12:47.520 before we move on to the Special Teams West, the 0:12:47.559 --> 0:12:51.520 powerful noise canceling technology that helps NFL coaches block out 0:12:51.559 --> 0:12:54.199 eighty thou screaming fans can get you closer to the 0:12:54.280 --> 0:12:58.080 music you love. Learn more at www dot bos dot com, 0:12:58.120 --> 0:13:02.200 Slash Packers Bows the official headphones of the Green Bay Packers, 0:13:02.240 --> 0:13:04.160 and at Homer. Here in the stands, we all know 0:13:04.600 --> 0:13:06.360 that Green Bay fans give it their all and that 0:13:06.400 --> 0:13:08.480 takes a lot of energy. So grab a warm bowl 0:13:08.520 --> 0:13:11.199 of Campbell's Chunky Soup. It's meaty goodness, feels the greatness 0:13:11.200 --> 0:13:14.880 of Packers fans everywhere. Try the delicious classic chicken noodle soup. 0:13:14.960 --> 0:13:18.400 Just visit your local supermarket and asked for Campbell's Chunky Soup. 0:13:18.720 --> 0:13:22.120 Official sup partner of the Green Bay Packers Okay, special 0:13:22.160 --> 0:13:27.960 teams West Sean meninga new special teams coordinator coming to 0:13:28.559 --> 0:13:33.199 the Packers from Vanderbilt, but also was a longtime assistant 0:13:33.200 --> 0:13:36.520 special teams coach for the Cleveland Browns, and that's where 0:13:36.559 --> 0:13:42.079 he worked under Mike Petton when Petton was the head coach. Yeah, 0:13:42.200 --> 0:13:46.080 Maurice Strayton Um sticking around as an assistant special teams coach. 0:13:46.120 --> 0:13:49.680 And then an addition that I don't believe the Packers 0:13:49.720 --> 0:13:52.520 ever had in the McCarthy era, and that's a quality 0:13:52.559 --> 0:13:55.760 control coach specifically for special teams. And that's rain A. 0:13:55.840 --> 0:13:59.240 Stewart who is coming with men and from Vanderbilt worked 0:13:59.640 --> 0:14:02.800 worked him in a similar capacity there. Stewart actually Um 0:14:02.840 --> 0:14:06.720 does have some NFL experience coaching with the Tennessee Titans. 0:14:06.800 --> 0:14:10.200 And then was a five year defensive back, was a 0:14:10.200 --> 0:14:14.000 fifth round pickback in had a five year career as 0:14:14.080 --> 0:14:18.480 a dB in the NFL. So UM with Menenga, I'll 0:14:18.520 --> 0:14:20.920 tell you this for those I don't have the time 0:14:21.040 --> 0:14:23.720 or the space to go through it all. You want 0:14:23.720 --> 0:14:29.000 to look at the true nomad coaching life, uh, constantly 0:14:29.040 --> 0:14:31.680 being in transition and moving around and really moving up 0:14:31.720 --> 0:14:34.520 the ladder. Sean Meninga. This is the guy who coached 0:14:34.520 --> 0:14:37.320 at a community college, he coached at a Baptist college. 0:14:37.600 --> 0:14:39.920 The list of places that he has coached at and 0:14:40.000 --> 0:14:42.520 now here he is working his way all the way 0:14:42.600 --> 0:14:44.640 up to being the special teams coordinator of the Green 0:14:44.640 --> 0:14:46.920 Bay Packers. We don't need to go over chapter and 0:14:47.040 --> 0:14:49.640 versus to what the Packers need to fix on special teams. 0:14:49.680 --> 0:14:52.760 It was a rough year in teen all around in 0:14:52.800 --> 0:14:56.080 that respect, but um, this is this is one of 0:14:56.120 --> 0:14:58.760 the coaches who is going to be watched very closely 0:14:59.520 --> 0:15:02.800 because of the Packers struggles in that area last year. Yeah. Absolutely, 0:15:02.800 --> 0:15:04.720 I mean they need to make a big significant stuff 0:15:04.760 --> 0:15:07.360 forward in that area. And and certainly the the Rick 0:15:07.400 --> 0:15:09.800 Goslin ratings were what they were. But the thing I 0:15:09.840 --> 0:15:12.320 really like about Meninga here, there's also a tie in 0:15:12.400 --> 0:15:15.200 with Stuart Stewart was his special team's quality control coach 0:15:15.200 --> 0:15:18.000 at Vanderbilt the last I think last season, and also 0:15:18.080 --> 0:15:21.000 had some other exploits that he had with Vanderbilt. So 0:15:21.200 --> 0:15:23.560 there's even a connection there in terms of why you know, 0:15:23.600 --> 0:15:25.760 this gentleman is getting the opportunity with the special team's 0:15:25.800 --> 0:15:29.480 quality control the Packers actually have done over the past, 0:15:29.480 --> 0:15:32.120 they've had three coaches in that room. If you remember 0:15:32.160 --> 0:15:34.920 the year that Mike McCarthy stepped away from play calling, 0:15:34.960 --> 0:15:37.280 he actually considered himself the third guy in that room 0:15:37.320 --> 0:15:40.760 that season. Uh, you know, Joe Witt assisted with with 0:15:40.840 --> 0:15:43.720 punt returns. Jason Simmons, even when he went over to secondary, 0:15:43.800 --> 0:15:46.960 still did some stuff. So it's not completely out of 0:15:47.000 --> 0:15:48.680 the box to have three coaches. But I think what's 0:15:48.680 --> 0:15:50.520 important is you have three guys that are all dedicated 0:15:50.560 --> 0:15:52.840 towards it. I think that shows that Matt Lafleur has 0:15:52.880 --> 0:15:55.320 as they're taking this seriously. They want to be able 0:15:55.360 --> 0:15:58.320 to improve in that area. It's also gonna be interesting 0:15:58.320 --> 0:16:00.520 to see the moves they make here and and they 0:16:00.560 --> 0:16:03.120 structure this thing. We can only go off of just 0:16:03.160 --> 0:16:06.200 a little bit that we know about Meningah. Danny Vitally, 0:16:06.280 --> 0:16:08.920 the fullback that the Packers brought up to the active 0:16:09.000 --> 0:16:11.120 roster the end of the last season, spoke very highly 0:16:11.160 --> 0:16:13.760 of him on Twitter from their time together with the 0:16:13.800 --> 0:16:17.440 Cleveland Browns. Um Certainly Mike Petton, I'm guessing, also put 0:16:17.480 --> 0:16:19.760 in a good word there with with their past experience. 0:16:19.800 --> 0:16:22.320 So special teams coaches are never ones that you're gonna 0:16:22.360 --> 0:16:24.720 have like ample amount of headlines to go back and read, 0:16:25.120 --> 0:16:26.760 but it does seem like this is a guy that's 0:16:26.760 --> 0:16:28.800 worked his way up the ladder and it really seems 0:16:28.840 --> 0:16:31.320 to be well positioned for this opportunity. Yeah, and this 0:16:31.360 --> 0:16:34.000 is his first time at the coordinator level at the NFL. 0:16:34.040 --> 0:16:36.560 But make no mistake, as I mentioned, with all of 0:16:36.600 --> 0:16:38.520 his coaching stops along the way, this is a guy 0:16:38.560 --> 0:16:42.200 who's been a head coach. He's been a defensive coordinator, 0:16:42.240 --> 0:16:44.400 I believe. I don't quote me on that, I'd have 0:16:44.440 --> 0:16:47.240 to check, but he is. He has been a position coach, 0:16:47.240 --> 0:16:50.680 a coordinator, at head coach at some level somewhere along 0:16:50.840 --> 0:16:53.320 his career. He's pretty much held just about any job 0:16:53.720 --> 0:16:56.360 you could hold on a football coaching staff at the 0:16:56.400 --> 0:16:59.200 college or at least the college or the NFL level. 0:16:59.280 --> 0:17:03.120 So extremely experienced coach who worked you were just calling 0:17:03.200 --> 0:17:06.879 him up. Worked for Chris Tabor, special teams coordinator for 0:17:06.920 --> 0:17:09.480 a number of years in Cleveland, and Meningo was his 0:17:09.520 --> 0:17:13.720 assistant and table really accomplished and well thought of in 0:17:13.760 --> 0:17:15.680 those circles. So to be able to, you know, work 0:17:15.720 --> 0:17:17.480 off of him a little bit. The other thing I 0:17:17.520 --> 0:17:20.280 like too, and this is nothing against ron Zook certainly 0:17:20.280 --> 0:17:23.440 had ample experience too, but I think there is something 0:17:23.480 --> 0:17:25.520 to be said for guys that have kind of climbed 0:17:25.520 --> 0:17:27.960 the ladder that they have and had chances to work 0:17:28.040 --> 0:17:30.040 in different special teams units. It doesn't have to be 0:17:30.080 --> 0:17:32.760 special teams, but any type of unit. Before stepping into 0:17:32.800 --> 0:17:36.000 that job, you look at the litany of people that 0:17:36.040 --> 0:17:38.000 he's worked with in the different stops he's had. You 0:17:38.040 --> 0:17:41.040 gain knowledge, you gain an appreciation, and I also like 0:17:41.160 --> 0:17:43.200 the fact that he's coming from the college ranks, fresh 0:17:43.200 --> 0:17:45.880 out of the college ranks. Considering the way the Packers 0:17:45.920 --> 0:17:50.040 typically historically traditionally have built their special teams, you have 0:17:50.080 --> 0:17:51.400 to be able to get the most and be able 0:17:51.440 --> 0:17:54.040 to reach those first and second year players. Now maybe 0:17:54.040 --> 0:17:56.639 they add that Jared Bush type veteran, a stalwart that 0:17:56.640 --> 0:17:58.800 can help galvanize that unit unit. I think it would 0:17:58.800 --> 0:18:01.679 be beneficial for them. But at the same time, you 0:18:01.720 --> 0:18:04.280 have eleven guys, and those eleven guys and special teams 0:18:04.280 --> 0:18:08.080 typically aren't Davante Adams, so you have to be able 0:18:08.119 --> 0:18:10.159 to communicate with them and you know, go with the 0:18:10.160 --> 0:18:12.360 flow and the punches. That was one area I think 0:18:12.359 --> 0:18:14.720 the Packers just came up short this past year. They 0:18:14.720 --> 0:18:17.040 had injuries, they had to move positions around, and they 0:18:17.080 --> 0:18:19.280 just weren't able to keep that special teams up to 0:18:19.320 --> 0:18:21.240 the level of need to be. At the other thing 0:18:21.240 --> 0:18:23.560 you hope for for the Packer's sake as well, maybe 0:18:23.560 --> 0:18:25.920 to get a little bit more consistency with their return units. 0:18:25.960 --> 0:18:27.880 They had to cycle in a lot of guys, particularly 0:18:27.920 --> 0:18:30.520 on punt returns. If you get Trevor Davis healthy or 0:18:30.600 --> 0:18:33.800 you find another candidate for that position, I feel you 0:18:33.840 --> 0:18:35.879 go back year after year. That's when the Packers have 0:18:35.920 --> 0:18:38.280 been at their strongest. Yeah, I agree with you, and 0:18:38.320 --> 0:18:40.760 I think we'll see how it shakes out in terms 0:18:40.800 --> 0:18:43.800 of maybe finding a consistent return or somebody that you 0:18:43.840 --> 0:18:47.040 can rely on, somebody that the whole return unit, both 0:18:47.160 --> 0:18:50.200 punt and kickoff ken can rely on and count on, 0:18:50.240 --> 0:18:52.240 and they know they know who's back there, they know 0:18:52.400 --> 0:18:54.200 how he likes to do things and all of that. 0:18:54.520 --> 0:18:56.280 So I think that will be a factor. But to 0:18:56.359 --> 0:18:59.600 piggyback off of your comment earlier about or in Burke's 0:18:59.600 --> 0:19:01.679 and sort of him being a key assignment on the 0:19:01.720 --> 0:19:04.000