WEBVTT - #270 Packers Unscripted: Free agency philosophy 0:00:00.760 --> 0:00:20.520 Hi, everybody, Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot com. 0:00:20.560 --> 0:00:24.120 I am Mike Spofford sitting alongside West Hodkowits were coming 0:00:24.160 --> 0:00:27.440 to you here from our studios at lambeau Field and West. 0:00:27.440 --> 0:00:30.240 I want to start off this new show by taking 0:00:30.240 --> 0:00:32.199 care of a little bit of old business, you might say, 0:00:32.240 --> 0:00:35.160 and what I'm referring to is wrapping up our peak 0:00:35.159 --> 0:00:39.239 Performances segment, because this past week on packers dot com 0:00:39.280 --> 0:00:43.640 we posted the collection. Essentially if if you've been following 0:00:44.159 --> 0:00:47.680 the series, either here on Packers Unscripted or on Packers 0:00:47.720 --> 0:00:52.000 dot com, we had peak performances by individual players selected 0:00:52.080 --> 0:00:54.560 from the different quarters of the season games one through 0:00:54.560 --> 0:00:57.760 four or five through eight, etcetera. Fans could then vote 0:00:57.840 --> 0:01:00.760 for their favorite from each of those segments of the season. 0:01:01.520 --> 0:01:03.680 So now what we have on the website is an 0:01:03.680 --> 0:01:06.280 opportunity for fans to log on and vote for their 0:01:06.280 --> 0:01:09.520 peak performance of the year, which is the top vote 0:01:09.560 --> 0:01:12.720 getter from each of those four quarters of the season. 0:01:12.800 --> 0:01:14.800 And the way it came out not a whole lot 0:01:14.840 --> 0:01:17.319 of surprises. I think all of these were ones that 0:01:17.360 --> 0:01:19.240 you and I had voted for when we talked about 0:01:19.280 --> 0:01:23.440 them initially. But quarter number one Mike Daniels versus Seattle, 0:01:24.400 --> 0:01:28.200 quarter number two Aaron Rodgers at Dallas, quarter number three 0:01:28.560 --> 0:01:31.800 Dean Lowry at home against Tampa Bay, and then quarter 0:01:31.880 --> 0:01:36.880 number four Davante Adams and that performance at Cleveland. UM, 0:01:37.040 --> 0:01:40.360 all of those obviously standout performances. Is there one that 0:01:40.480 --> 0:01:43.720 you would pick as the performance of the year for 0:01:44.720 --> 0:01:46.720 the Green Bay Pack I'm gonna go with Aaron Rodgers 0:01:46.720 --> 0:01:49.920 against Dallas, And as you wrote in the brief rite 0:01:49.960 --> 0:01:52.120 up that goes along with it, Um, this was kind 0:01:52.160 --> 0:01:54.400 of the the last the last showing for him U 0:01:54.520 --> 0:01:57.480 this year. And obviously he did come back against Carolina, 0:01:57.600 --> 0:02:00.760 but this was the game I ought when you look 0:02:00.800 --> 0:02:03.559 back at two thousand seventeen and maybe the missed opportunity 0:02:03.600 --> 0:02:05.920 that was there. UM, this was one of those games 0:02:05.920 --> 0:02:08.760 that really embodied what this offense could be when Aaron 0:02:08.840 --> 0:02:10.840 Rodgers was at the steering wheel. Uh. They had to 0:02:10.880 --> 0:02:14.720 overcome some adversity, UH in Cowboys Stadium. It certainly wasn't 0:02:14.760 --> 0:02:18.200 a gimme type game. But the way Rogers played UM 0:02:18.280 --> 0:02:20.760 and and how he how clutch he was down the stretch, 0:02:20.800 --> 0:02:23.280 had a big reason why the Packers were able to 0:02:23.720 --> 0:02:25.639 improve before and one I believe at the time, and 0:02:25.880 --> 0:02:29.200 also come up with that victory late. Yeah, I definitely 0:02:29.240 --> 0:02:32.400 like that choice as well. Aaron Rodgers. I thought, you know, 0:02:32.480 --> 0:02:35.480 it was a a Kuda Gras type of performance by 0:02:36.200 --> 0:02:40.239 Rogers in Dallas, with you know, very much the opposite 0:02:40.280 --> 0:02:42.520 of the playoff game from the year before, and that 0:02:42.600 --> 0:02:45.160 the Packers were way ahead then, you know, sort of 0:02:45.160 --> 0:02:47.560 hanging on for dear life. The Cowboys tied up and 0:02:47.600 --> 0:02:50.200 then the Packers winning. At the end this one, Packers 0:02:50.200 --> 0:02:52.080 were down. I believe it was twenty one to six 0:02:52.120 --> 0:02:54.560 at one point. The Packers are the team that needs 0:02:54.560 --> 0:02:58.000 to rally, and then Rogers gets the ball last and 0:02:58.160 --> 0:03:02.639 orchestrates the final scoring drive for the victory. Just to 0:03:02.760 --> 0:03:05.720 cast a vote for another one, I'll vote for Mike 0:03:05.800 --> 0:03:08.480 Daniels against Seattle. And the reason I say that not 0:03:08.560 --> 0:03:11.480 only because it was a performance that, although Daniels did 0:03:11.480 --> 0:03:13.960 get hurt the next week and the early part of 0:03:14.000 --> 0:03:16.400 his season you know, didn't necessarily live up to what 0:03:16.480 --> 0:03:18.960 he did against Seattle, it did set the stage for 0:03:19.040 --> 0:03:21.160 him to be a first alternate for the Pro Bowl 0:03:21.240 --> 0:03:24.720 and then ultimately get into the Pro Bowl um as 0:03:24.760 --> 0:03:29.600 a first alternate as a as an injury replacement there, so, um, 0:03:29.720 --> 0:03:34.800 there's that. And also because those types of dominant defensive performances, 0:03:34.840 --> 0:03:37.040 I think those are the Those are the types of 0:03:37.040 --> 0:03:40.400 outings that go such a long way for a team 0:03:40.400 --> 0:03:43.880 in terms of, you know, establishing leadership with a certain 0:03:43.920 --> 0:03:46.200 guy that everybody looks to, a guy that a guy 0:03:46.240 --> 0:03:49.720 that you count on. Those types of performances, especially on 0:03:49.760 --> 0:03:52.200 the defensive side, to me, they can rub off on 0:03:52.320 --> 0:03:55.320 other players. And I know injuries and everything took their 0:03:55.360 --> 0:03:59.200 toll on the Packers defense in but if Mike Daniels, 0:03:59.360 --> 0:04:02.000 or if it's Clark, or if it's Kevin King next 0:04:02.040 --> 0:04:06.680 season has one of those early season dominant defensive performances, 0:04:06.720 --> 0:04:09.080 I see that as something that maybe starts to become 0:04:09.080 --> 0:04:12.960 contagious and can set the stage for even more. And 0:04:13.000 --> 0:04:15.240 I look at this is the same situation when you 0:04:15.240 --> 0:04:17.960 look at the offense with Rogers in that game against Dallas. 0:04:18.040 --> 0:04:20.560 You talk to any of those defenders, those starting defenders, 0:04:20.560 --> 0:04:22.919 and the Packers this past season, they felt like that 0:04:23.000 --> 0:04:25.520 Seattle game was the embodiment of what they could have 0:04:25.640 --> 0:04:28.680 been when everybody was healthy and things were clicking. They 0:04:28.720 --> 0:04:31.279 held Seattle to nine points. I mean, we talked so 0:04:31.360 --> 0:04:33.640 much about fail Marry in two thousand twelve, and obviously 0:04:33.680 --> 0:04:36.960 the NFC Championship Game in two thousand fourteen. Russell Wilson 0:04:36.960 --> 0:04:39.480 other than that, hasn't had a lot of success against 0:04:39.520 --> 0:04:41.680 the Green Bay Packers, and a lot of it in 0:04:41.720 --> 0:04:44.040 a lot of different ways has been because of interior 0:04:44.080 --> 0:04:47.160 pressure on the Packers defensive line. B J Rajie reached 0:04:47.200 --> 0:04:49.040 havoc against them, and maybe that was the beginning of 0:04:49.080 --> 0:04:52.520 two thousand fifteen, and then now this year Mike Daniels 0:04:52.680 --> 0:04:55.120 having the success that he did. One of the popular 0:04:55.200 --> 0:04:57.400 questions I know I've seen an insider in box since 0:04:57.440 --> 0:05:00.640 Mike Petton was installed as a new defensive coordinator has 0:05:00.640 --> 0:05:03.040 been what do you expect with this defense? What are 0:05:03.080 --> 0:05:05.800 the sub packages that the past rush packages? What are 0:05:05.839 --> 0:05:08.120 they gonna look like? And the point I've tried to 0:05:08.160 --> 0:05:10.560 make is, you know, you've had a lot of hybrid schemes. 0:05:10.600 --> 0:05:11.840 You've had a lot of you know, you look at 0:05:11.839 --> 0:05:15.400 the NASCAR package and using strictly outside linebackers and elephants. 0:05:15.760 --> 0:05:17.960 When I'm Mike Petton, if I step back and I 0:05:17.960 --> 0:05:20.719 look at where the Packers are at now defensively, I 0:05:20.760 --> 0:05:23.200 look at Mike Daniels, I look at Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry. 0:05:23.240 --> 0:05:26.320 That defensive line as a real big strength of this defense, 0:05:26.400 --> 0:05:29.279 right and I think whether it is third downs, whether 0:05:29.320 --> 0:05:31.720 it's first sounds, I think that is a building block 0:05:31.800 --> 0:05:34.000 for them going forward. That's someplace where they need to 0:05:34.080 --> 0:05:36.600 really uh you know, they have the tools there. That's 0:05:36.600 --> 0:05:38.400 a position they don't need a whole lot of work 0:05:38.440 --> 0:05:40.400 with this offseason, and I think that can be a 0:05:40.400 --> 0:05:43.240 big strength for him. This performance may Mike Daniels against 0:05:43.240 --> 0:05:45.920 the Seahawks one and a half sax, seven tackles, all 0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:48.120 the plays that he made in that game, I think 0:05:48.200 --> 0:05:51.080 really set him up and set that defense up for 0:05:51.160 --> 0:05:53.320 what was actually a pretty strong first month of the season. 0:05:53.320 --> 0:05:55.440 People forget they were top ten defense through the first 0:05:55.480 --> 0:05:58.880 four games. Unfortunately, through attrition, they just really never never 0:05:58.920 --> 0:06:00.520 able to get back to that level. Yeah. I think 0:06:00.560 --> 0:06:03.080 you're right though, and that that defensive line a specific 0:06:03.120 --> 0:06:06.680 position group that really can be the foundation for whatever 0:06:06.920 --> 0:06:09.240 the new defense that Mike Petton is going to put 0:06:09.279 --> 0:06:11.719 together with. These Packers will definitely be watching that closely. 0:06:12.560 --> 0:06:15.640 They're young and they don't have questions and basically everybody 0:06:15.640 --> 0:06:18.159 outside of Quentin Dials signed through next season. So I 0:06:18.160 --> 0:06:20.800 think that shows you exactly what you have there and 0:06:20.839 --> 0:06:23.440 what you when you're figuring out a game plan right 0:06:23.480 --> 0:06:26.440 from day one today, you know what you're dealing with. Yeah, 0:06:26.520 --> 0:06:28.600 no question about it. With that, we'll go to a 0:06:28.640 --> 0:06:31.040 break back with more and Packers Unscripted right after this. 0:06:49.440 --> 0:06:53.120 Welcome back to Packers Unscripted. Mike Spofford here, Wes Hodkowitz 0:06:53.480 --> 0:06:56.239 over there, and West we'd bring up our Insider Inbox 0:06:56.320 --> 0:06:58.960 column daily column on Packers dot Com. We talked about 0:06:58.960 --> 0:07:01.120 it on the show here all the time because it 0:07:01.200 --> 0:07:04.479 dominates our life. Yeah, but in the over the last 0:07:04.520 --> 0:07:09.359 few days, you have engaged in some interesting discussion, lively debate. 0:07:09.480 --> 0:07:12.000 I guess we would call it with with many of 0:07:12.000 --> 0:07:16.640 our Packers dot Com readers with regards to a topic 0:07:17.600 --> 0:07:22.080 revolving around free agency, and that being what does resigning 0:07:22.160 --> 0:07:27.160 your own free agents mean? And I've seen what you've written. 0:07:27.200 --> 0:07:29.840 You contend very much that you know, people forget to 0:07:29.920 --> 0:07:33.880 include resigning your own free agents in the calculation of 0:07:33.920 --> 0:07:36.640 what a team does in free agency. There are others 0:07:36.640 --> 0:07:39.640 who say resigning your own free agents is just the 0:07:39.680 --> 0:07:43.000 status quo. You're not you're not making the team better 0:07:43.080 --> 0:07:46.040 by just hanging onto the guys that you always had. 0:07:46.360 --> 0:07:48.880 I think it's a I think it's an interesting debate. 0:07:48.920 --> 0:07:51.800 It certainly has gotten rather lively on our website. I 0:07:51.840 --> 0:07:54.320 know it's something that that you feel pretty strongly about 0:07:54.360 --> 0:07:57.440 in terms of your opinion. Yeah, and here's the thing. Uh, 0:07:57.720 --> 0:07:59.920 I love debate. I'm always one for debate. I can 0:08:00.040 --> 0:08:02.920 do it. Uh. It's been a real big topic because 0:08:02.920 --> 0:08:06.080 people talk about the term status quo, and I think 0:08:06.120 --> 0:08:10.440 there's been this um merger if you will, that where 0:08:10.440 --> 0:08:13.120 they're they're they're trying to find the dots connect the 0:08:13.160 --> 0:08:17.960 lines between draft and development, resigning your own players and 0:08:18.320 --> 0:08:22.720 remaining status quo. In My main argument against this has been, 0:08:23.920 --> 0:08:27.040 especially when you're in a draft in development organization, when 0:08:27.080 --> 0:08:33.200 you routinely resign your own guys to second contracts. I 0:08:33.320 --> 0:08:38.920 maintained that's not staying status quo because one guy isn't 0:08:38.960 --> 0:08:42.240 the same player one year to the next. The Packers 0:08:42.280 --> 0:08:46.040 resigned Jordy Nelson in two thousand eleven, right midway through 0:08:46.040 --> 0:08:49.320 two thousand eleven. He ends up having a monster year 0:08:49.520 --> 0:08:51.800 and has improved over then got a third contract with 0:08:51.800 --> 0:08:54.320 the Packers. And has over exceeded that as well over 0:08:54.360 --> 0:08:57.160 his time. Davante Adams in the point I made an 0:08:57.160 --> 0:09:00.439 inbox on Wednesday was that there's a lot of fans. 0:09:00.480 --> 0:09:01.760 I wasn't here yet, I was still at the Green 0:09:01.840 --> 0:09:03.760 at Prescazette, but there were so many fans that would 0:09:03.760 --> 0:09:06.320 pop into our chats our emails about you gotta cut 0:09:06.360 --> 0:09:08.679 this guy. He's not he's not good enough. Yeah, he 0:09:08.720 --> 0:09:11.040 had he had a rough second season with the injuries 0:09:11.080 --> 0:09:13.200 and everything. Played on a spring ankle the entire year. 0:09:13.240 --> 0:09:15.079 And if you watch him the past two years, how 0:09:15.200 --> 0:09:18.640 much of that in terms of his mobility, how much 0:09:18.679 --> 0:09:21.000 of that plays into who Davante Adams is as a player. 0:09:21.320 --> 0:09:23.720 He ends up having a phenomenal breakthrough season in two 0:09:23.720 --> 0:09:26.880 thousand sixteen. In two thousand seventeen, becomes a Pro bowler. 0:09:27.080 --> 0:09:30.640 The Packers resigned him. If they don't resign Davante Adams, 0:09:31.040 --> 0:09:34.240 he's one of, if not the biggest receiver on the market, 0:09:34.320 --> 0:09:37.760 definitely a top five, top ten overall free agent. If 0:09:37.760 --> 0:09:40.360 the Packers don't bring him back, it's making another team 0:09:40.360 --> 0:09:42.920 a lot better. And Eric from Oshkosh was the one 0:09:43.280 --> 0:09:45.719 that I was talking about this with on on Wednesday, 0:09:46.160 --> 0:09:48.360 I wasn't able to post his entire comment because we're 0:09:48.400 --> 0:09:50.439 trying to be someone you know, there's some value of 0:09:50.480 --> 0:09:53.320 brevity in this thing. But he also mentioned, you know, 0:09:53.400 --> 0:09:56.720 resigning your own and then adding another player as well. Well, 0:09:57.000 --> 0:09:59.360 you really want to bring down Mike. The Packers would 0:09:59.360 --> 0:10:03.040 have been better if they would have resigned Jared Cook 0:10:03.440 --> 0:10:07.120 instead of signing Martellis Bennett. But at the time Martellis 0:10:07.120 --> 0:10:10.880 Bennett that's a big attractive signing. So I think there 0:10:10.960 --> 0:10:14.000 is ways to get better resign your own players. In 0:10:14.000 --> 0:10:16.360 this argument of well you just got to constantly bring 0:10:16.360 --> 0:10:18.679 in new guys in order to not be status quo, 0:10:18.880 --> 0:10:21.520 I just think it's it's irrelevant in my estimation. Yeah, 0:10:21.559 --> 0:10:23.840 I mean, I agree with your take on in that, 0:10:24.200 --> 0:10:26.240 and I think I'm going to say something very much 0:10:26.280 --> 0:10:28.600 along the lines of what you're saying, is that when 0:10:28.600 --> 0:10:32.599 you're a draft and developed organization and those second contracts 0:10:32.600 --> 0:10:36.120 come up, when you're making the decision to resign one 0:10:36.160 --> 0:10:38.880 of your own and you know, provide that big payday 0:10:38.920 --> 0:10:42.200 and and everything else that goes along with it, you're signed, 0:10:42.240 --> 0:10:45.600 You're you're making that decision and setting up that signing 0:10:45.679 --> 0:10:50.120 because you're expecting that player to continue to improve. His 0:10:50.360 --> 0:10:53.640 arrow is pointing out four year old. People were talking about, yeah, 0:10:53.679 --> 0:10:56.559 you're you're not You're not resigning a twenty four year 0:10:56.559 --> 0:10:59.120 old guy who's three to four years out of college 0:10:59.360 --> 0:11:01.280 and saying, well, he's hit his peak and we just 0:11:01.360 --> 0:11:03.480 expect that the rest of Wait, no, you're making that 0:11:03.559 --> 0:11:07.040 investment because you're expecting that player to continue to improve. 0:11:07.120 --> 0:11:10.240 The Packers have re signed Corey Lindsley Davante Adams this 0:11:10.360 --> 0:11:14.040 past at this past December as the regular season wrapped 0:11:14.120 --> 0:11:16.560 up because they don't think those guys have hit their 0:11:16.600 --> 0:11:19.040 peak yet. They think there is more to come, which 0:11:19.440 --> 0:11:23.080 which is the argument against just staying the status quot. 0:11:23.200 --> 0:11:25.880 Now I understand it from the the the argument on 0:11:25.920 --> 0:11:28.160 the other side, I understand where it comes from. I 0:11:28.160 --> 0:11:32.120 don't agree with it. I understand where it comes from, say, 0:11:32.160 --> 0:11:35.720 for example, with a player like Nick Perry, because the 0:11:35.720 --> 0:11:38.400 Packers side Nick Perry coming off of the eleven sacks 0:11:38.440 --> 0:11:40.880 season because they were expecting his arrow to continue to 0:11:40.920 --> 0:11:45.000 point up as well. Unfortunately, he had another round of injuries, 0:11:45.160 --> 0:11:48.320 which has been the problem throughout a good portion of 0:11:48.360 --> 0:11:52.040 Perry's career. So you didn't get the arrow continuing to 0:11:52.080 --> 0:11:54.920 point up at least statistically, Perry missed more games than 0:11:55.000 --> 0:11:58.320 anybody would have wanted. The sack numbers weren't there. Now 0:11:58.400 --> 0:12:00.520 that being said, that's just the first year of this 0:12:00.600 --> 0:12:03.200 multi year deal with Nick Perry, so we still have 0:12:03.240 --> 0:12:05.440 to see how it plays out. But I think it's 0:12:05.480 --> 0:12:09.959 situations like that that lead to those who look at 0:12:10.360 --> 0:12:13.600 sometimes resigning your own is just staying status quo. Because 0:12:13.640 --> 0:12:15.120 in the case of Nick Perry, and I don't mean 0:12:15.160 --> 0:12:17.600 to pick on Nick, I know the injuries have have 0:12:17.720 --> 0:12:20.680 been a problem, and it's been unfortunate, and he's worked 0:12:20.679 --> 0:12:23.160 through it, you know, um and and it's trying to 0:12:24.200 --> 0:12:27.440 his ability, his his you know, push to get through 0:12:27.480 --> 0:12:31.160 those things is as tough as anybody. But I think 0:12:31.200 --> 0:12:33.040 that's where it comes from in a sense that when 0:12:33.080 --> 0:12:35.600 you resign a guy and then he doesn't have this 0:12:35.640 --> 0:12:39.040 big monster year later on coming off of the new contract, 0:12:39.240 --> 0:12:41.240 everybody thinks like, oh, well, that was just that, that 0:12:41.280 --> 0:12:43.520 was just a status quo signing. But that's the risk 0:12:43.640 --> 0:12:46.240 every team in the NFL is taking, because we're not 0:12:46.320 --> 0:12:49.920 talking about taking production from one year and just guaranteeing 0:12:49.960 --> 0:12:52.080 that's going to happen. Again, right, And and that's that 0:12:52.200 --> 0:12:55.160 isn't just the NFL, that's Major League Baseball, that's that's 0:12:55.240 --> 0:12:58.240 every sport. It's all a crystal ball business in a sense. 0:12:58.640 --> 0:13:00.520 So and and the other thing. And I don't know 0:13:00.559 --> 0:13:02.360 if I'm gonna be able to get into all this 0:13:02.440 --> 0:13:03.800 before we got to go to the next break. But 0:13:04.480 --> 0:13:06.640 here's the other thing to consider too, When when you're 0:13:06.640 --> 0:13:09.880 trying to map out signings and projections and all that 0:13:09.960 --> 0:13:13.760 fun business. If you are a drafted development team and 0:13:13.800 --> 0:13:17.920 you're investing in your own guys, that's years of experience, 0:13:18.040 --> 0:13:22.319 years of background, years of history offense defense in your system. 0:13:22.360 --> 0:13:25.000 In this environment now in the CBA, the new CBA, 0:13:25.280 --> 0:13:27.319 we've seen how difficult it is, even for going back 0:13:27.320 --> 0:13:30.040 to Jared Cook, Jared Cook coming into the Packers offense, 0:13:30.320 --> 0:13:33.920 getting hurt during the off season program, really being quiet 0:13:34.000 --> 0:13:35.800 throughout those first couple of months of the regular season, 0:13:35.840 --> 0:13:38.320 then hurting getting hurt again. Believe that was the foot 0:13:38.360 --> 0:13:40.840 I'm trying to remember um and he comes back and 0:13:40.880 --> 0:13:43.160 he catches fire late in the season. Jered Cook only 0:13:43.200 --> 0:13:46.839 had like receiving yards during the year. It's not easy 0:13:46.880 --> 0:13:48.520 to sign a new guy or bringing a new free 0:13:48.520 --> 0:13:50.200 agent or bringing a draft pick and just have them 0:13:50.200 --> 0:13:52.640 make a Day one contribution. So when you have Davantie 0:13:52.640 --> 0:13:55.079 Adams with four years in the system, with those projections, 0:13:55.080 --> 0:13:57.280 you're also factoring in that experience as well. Yeah, no 0:13:57.360 --> 0:13:58.880 question about it. But we do have to get to 0:13:58.920 --> 0:14:01.280 a break. So back with more on Packers Unscripted right 0:14:01.320 --> 0:14:22.280 after this. Welcome back to Packers Unscripted. Mike Spofford in 0:14:22.320 --> 0:14:24.880 this chair, West Hodkowits and that one in West. Continuing 0:14:24.880 --> 0:14:27.760 our discussion here of free agency as it relates to 0:14:27.800 --> 0:14:31.720 the current Packers we talked about as the regular season 0:14:31.760 --> 0:14:35.080 wrapped up, the Packers resigned center Corey Lindsley and wide 0:14:35.120 --> 0:14:38.800 receiver Davante Adams, who far and away were the two 0:14:38.800 --> 0:14:42.240 biggest names at the top of the expiring contract list 0:14:42.640 --> 0:14:45.600 that the Packers were dealing with. So where do things 0:14:45.680 --> 0:14:48.440 stand right now? I think the name that most fans 0:14:48.480 --> 0:14:52.280 are asking about more than any other is veteran safety 0:14:52.280 --> 0:14:55.520 Morgan Burnett, who is in a little bit different situation 0:14:55.600 --> 0:14:58.320 because this would be a third contract with the Packers. 0:14:58.320 --> 0:15:00.840 He are He was a two thousand ten draft pick. 0:15:01.160 --> 0:15:04.320 He has now played out his second contract, and I 0:15:04.320 --> 0:15:06.320 know we don't know how these things are gonna go. 0:15:06.640 --> 0:15:09.200 We certainly don't want to put words in anybody's mouth 0:15:09.240 --> 0:15:11.360 as far as this goes. But but where do you 0:15:11.440 --> 0:15:14.840 see this Packers free agent situation sitting right now? Well, 0:15:14.880 --> 0:15:17.320 first off, if you look up, you know, accountability and 0:15:17.320 --> 0:15:19.600 a dictionary, Morgan Burnett's gonna be right next to it. 0:15:19.680 --> 0:15:21.360 I mean, he's been I think, not only one of 0:15:21.400 --> 0:15:23.080 the most accountable players on this team, but I think 0:15:23.120 --> 0:15:25.240 you can make an argument for the entire NFL with 0:15:25.280 --> 0:15:26.960 the way he approaches his job on a day to 0:15:27.040 --> 0:15:30.000 day basis in what he's asked to do. And versatility 0:15:30.120 --> 0:15:33.880 might be the other words. Uh. But but here's the 0:15:33.920 --> 0:15:36.200 thing for the Packers. You know, you talked to Aaron 0:15:36.280 --> 0:15:39.000 Rodgers at the NFL Honors on the red carpet and 0:15:39.040 --> 0:15:41.200 he mentioned you guys talked about the two thousand thirteen 0:15:41.200 --> 0:15:44.360 season going into two thousand fourteen and how he feels 0:15:44.400 --> 0:15:46.320 coming off this collar bone injury, much like the last 0:15:46.360 --> 0:15:49.440 time his eyes are on on an MVP award. I 0:15:49.520 --> 0:15:51.440 take that even one step further. I look, I do 0:15:51.520 --> 0:15:53.920 look at the Packers current situation a lot like two 0:15:53.960 --> 0:15:56.920 thousand thirteen going into fourteen and that obviously was the 0:15:56.960 --> 0:15:58.520 year the Packers got on one of their best runs 0:15:58.560 --> 0:16:02.840 under Mike McCarthy. Because really, there are obvious areas where 0:16:02.840 --> 0:16:05.720 the Packers need to improve. I'm not debating that, but 0:16:05.880 --> 0:16:08.920 because they resigned Vante Adams and because they resigned Corey Linsley, 0:16:09.040 --> 0:16:11.600 it's pretty clear cut what the Packers are looking at 0:16:11.600 --> 0:16:14.680 in terms of the structure of their roster, the major 0:16:14.720 --> 0:16:17.200 guys to resign, which I think you know, Burnett is 0:16:17.240 --> 0:16:19.040 the top of that list, and then how they want 0:16:19.040 --> 0:16:21.960 to proceed with free agency going forward. So they have 0:16:22.000 --> 0:16:24.360 a decision there to make with Burnett, but outside of that, 0:16:24.720 --> 0:16:27.040 it's really just figuring out a little bit of not 0:16:27.080 --> 0:16:28.840 to diminish any these other guys that are coming up 0:16:28.840 --> 0:16:31.320 for contracts, but there are no other guys that I 0:16:31.320 --> 0:16:33.720 think are are rising to the level of, you know, 0:16:33.760 --> 0:16:37.000 a top fifty, top forty type guy. So uh, I 0:16:37.040 --> 0:16:39.760 think for for Brian Goodakoints, this is an opportunity to 0:16:39.760 --> 0:16:41.720 to really look at where you're at. Obviously get your 0:16:41.760 --> 0:16:44.840 input from Mike Patton and where he looks for this 0:16:44.960 --> 0:16:48.600 defense to go. But you know, I think this is 0:16:48.600 --> 0:16:50.520 a good time to be stepping in because the Packers 0:16:50.520 --> 0:16:53.040 do have a lot of guys returning. They did exercise 0:16:53.080 --> 0:16:55.240 that option on Haha, Clinton Dix, he signed up for 0:16:55.280 --> 0:16:58.600 next season. So um, trying to figure out the path forward. 0:16:59.040 --> 0:17:00.960 They already have a lot of those pieces in place. 0:17:00.960 --> 0:17:02.880 It just now it comes down to zero in on 0:17:02.920 --> 0:17:05.560 where you need to improve. Yeah, and the other factor 0:17:05.640 --> 0:17:08.639 obviously with regards to the salary cap and and the 0:17:08.680 --> 0:17:12.159 money and what the Packers will have to spend. We're 0:17:12.720 --> 0:17:16.000 basing things on past history. Aaron Rodgers has two years 0:17:16.080 --> 0:17:18.160 left on his current contract when he was in this 0:17:18.200 --> 0:17:22.280 situation before. Because quarterbacks are treated differently. You don't if 0:17:22.320 --> 0:17:24.800 you want your if you've got your franchise guy, you 0:17:24.840 --> 0:17:27.520 don't let him get into the so called lame duck 0:17:27.600 --> 0:17:29.560 year of a contract. You don't let him get too 0:17:29.560 --> 0:17:31.960 close to free agency. You take care of him with 0:17:32.000 --> 0:17:34.040 a couple of years left. So this would be the 0:17:34.119 --> 0:17:37.480 off season where Aaron Rodgers would potentially get a new deal. 0:17:37.520 --> 0:17:40.760 And when it happened prior the last time, it was 0:17:40.840 --> 0:17:43.199 right around the draft, the first day. This was the 0:17:43.240 --> 0:17:45.800 first day of the draft when that was when that 0:17:45.840 --> 0:17:48.680 was taken care of. So depending on what the Packers 0:17:48.680 --> 0:17:51.200 plans are there, that will also have an impact on 0:17:51.200 --> 0:17:53.119 on what you have under the cap to spend. You 0:17:53.160 --> 0:17:56.600 mentioned Morgan Burnett, you know, Richard Rodgers is another another 0:17:57.359 --> 0:18:00.480 free agent, you know, a two thousand uh, two thousand 0:18:00.600 --> 0:18:05.200 fourteen draft pick, who's who's rookie contract? Janis expiring. Jeff 0:18:05.280 --> 0:18:07.840 janis another one. So there are some names out there 0:18:07.880 --> 0:18:10.080 not saying that they are the front line guys like 0:18:10.160 --> 0:18:12.760 Corey Lindsley and Davante Adams, which is why the Packers 0:18:12.800 --> 0:18:15.359 took care of them as quickly as they did. But 0:18:15.480 --> 0:18:18.000 there are some decisions to be made here and uh, 0:18:18.040 --> 0:18:20.920 and we really don't know what the whole picture looks 0:18:20.960 --> 0:18:23.600 like because we're not sure what they're talking about behind 0:18:23.680 --> 0:18:26.760 closed doors with Aaron Rodgers contract and who maybe they're 0:18:26.760 --> 0:18:28.840 looking at from other teams who may or may not 0:18:28.960 --> 0:18:31.920 become available depending on when franchise tags go out, which 0:18:31.920 --> 0:18:34.600 will be happening here within the next week or two. 0:18:34.640 --> 0:18:37.080 So there's there's a lot of pieces to this puzzle. 0:18:37.200 --> 0:18:39.720 And just to quickly point this out too, everyone's talking 0:18:39.720 --> 0:18:41.840 about the Jimmy Garoppolo money. You know what Kirk Cousins 0:18:41.880 --> 0:18:44.440 is gonna make. They're gonna get paid, no question, But 0:18:44.600 --> 0:18:47.240 you know, Aaron Rodgers, you have two years under control 0:18:47.280 --> 0:18:49.040 here that allows you to be a little bit more 0:18:49.040 --> 0:18:51.280 flexible on how you do contracts. One thing to consider 0:18:51.280 --> 0:18:53.320 when looking at the mega numbers at those other quarterbacks 0:18:53.560 --> 0:18:57.880 and russ Ball always is very efficient and creative both 0:18:57.960 --> 0:19:00.520 with with how he puts that together. But before before 0:19:00.560 --> 0:19:02.680 we go to a break, West, today's a perfect day 0:19:03.160 --> 0:19:05.600 to fill up with some new Campbell's Chunky Max Soup. 0:19:05.720 --> 0:19:08.240 Chunky Max is loaded with more meat than you can handle, 0:19:08.280 --> 0:19:12.160 a lot more. We're talking more than a comparable Chunky soup. 0:19:12.240 --> 0:19:14.919 So go on fill up a new Campbell's Chunky Max Soup. 0:19:15.400 --> 0:19:17.760 Campbell's Chunky Soup, the official sup partner of the Green 0:19:17.800 --> 0:19:20.400 Bay Packers back with more on Packers Unscripted. Right after 0:19:20.440 --> 0:19:40.840 this welcome back to Packers Unscripted. Mike Spofford next to 0:19:40.920 --> 0:19:43.880 Wes Hodkowitz and West. Quickly before we go, we need 0:19:43.920 --> 0:19:47.199 to give a shout out here to the two thousand 0:19:47.359 --> 0:19:52.720 eighteen entry into the Packers Fan Hall of Fame. And 0:19:52.800 --> 0:19:55.520 her name is Mugs bock Huber, and I just love 0:19:55.560 --> 0:19:58.399 the name. I love the photos we have on the 0:19:58.440 --> 0:20:02.320 website of this one her full lady, Um you covered 0:20:02.520 --> 0:20:05.280 the press conference in which she was selected amongst ten 0:20:05.480 --> 0:20:10.800 highly qualified Packer fan fanatics UM for this UH for 0:20:10.840 --> 0:20:13.159 this honor, tell us about mugs well. First off, I 0:20:13.200 --> 0:20:16.720 gotta give credit to UH Victoria McBride from her Packers 0:20:16.760 --> 0:20:19.879 social team. She got a phenomenal photo of her with 0:20:19.960 --> 0:20:23.960 her mouth a gap, a gape, just completely surprised that 0:20:24.080 --> 0:20:27.120 she was in this to begin with. Her daughter jan 0:20:27.320 --> 0:20:29.760 was the one who had nominated her. Didn't tell her 0:20:29.760 --> 0:20:31.359 about it until it came in the mail that she 0:20:31.480 --> 0:20:34.640 was one of ten finalists for at eighty seven years young, 0:20:35.119 --> 0:20:38.800 a mother of eight of span over ten years. So 0:20:38.840 --> 0:20:41.160 as she said that they when you have that many 0:20:41.280 --> 0:20:43.000 kids and that short of a time frame, you had 0:20:43.040 --> 0:20:45.040 to be very careful with when you made your summit 0:20:45.080 --> 0:20:47.600