WEBVTT - #779 Packers Unscripted: Wrap on minicamp 0:00:00.680 --> 0:00:01.400 Hi, everybody. 0:00:01.440 --> 0:00:05.400 Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:05.440 --> 0:00:08.320 I am Mike Spofford, joined as always by my trusted 0:00:08.360 --> 0:00:10.639 colleague Weston Hodko. It's coming to you hear from our 0:00:10.680 --> 0:00:14.040 studios at lambeau Field West, final show of the twenty 0:00:14.080 --> 0:00:16.880 twenty four off season here for us, we spent the 0:00:16.960 --> 0:00:20.440 last couple of days out there at mini camp practice. 0:00:20.480 --> 0:00:22.479 There were a couple press conferences, a bunch of locker 0:00:22.560 --> 0:00:27.400 room interviews. So let's review the end of the tail 0:00:27.520 --> 0:00:29.760 end of the off season program here. I'll just throw 0:00:29.800 --> 0:00:30.240 it out to you. 0:00:30.280 --> 0:00:31.080 What was your. 0:00:30.920 --> 0:00:34.560 Biggest takeaway from this two day mini camp. 0:00:34.920 --> 0:00:37.879 Jordan Love was locked in, and you know, the defense 0:00:37.920 --> 0:00:40.720 had their moments. I've mentioned this to you before. I 0:00:40.720 --> 0:00:45.040 think Edrin Cooper seeing the athleticism, the explosiveness of him, 0:00:45.280 --> 0:00:47.680 you know, thought I thought some of the defensive front 0:00:47.760 --> 0:00:51.040 really got some nice penetration, some pressure as much as 0:00:51.080 --> 0:00:53.760 you can in non padded practices. But at the end 0:00:53.760 --> 0:00:56.840 of the day, man, we were looking for Jordan Love 0:00:56.880 --> 0:01:00.360 to take a step and I felt like seeing his 0:01:00.440 --> 0:01:03.920 progression from twenty twenty one where it was like, Okay, 0:01:03.960 --> 0:01:06.000 well we're seeing this young guy start to learn the 0:01:06.040 --> 0:01:08.479 position more and get more comfortable to where Matt Lafleur 0:01:08.600 --> 0:01:11.319 was talking about, he's allowing him to call his own 0:01:11.360 --> 0:01:13.680 two minute offense at times, he's allowing him to kind 0:01:13.720 --> 0:01:17.160 of expand his repertoire and in his understanding of where 0:01:17.200 --> 0:01:21.160 things are. Jordan Love is one of the coolest, calmest 0:01:21.200 --> 0:01:23.760 customers that I think I've ever covered, regardless of the 0:01:23.760 --> 0:01:29.039 position he plays, and just seeing him bring together the 0:01:29.160 --> 0:01:32.600 experience factor now is fascinating. He still has yet to 0:01:32.640 --> 0:01:35.560 play more than thirteen hundred offensive snaps in the National 0:01:35.560 --> 0:01:39.120 Football League. He's still twenty five years old. And I 0:01:39.200 --> 0:01:43.080 quoted Rick Flair and Insider Inbox. He got to edit 0:01:43.120 --> 0:01:47.360 that on Thursday. But it's only just begun, I guess 0:01:47.400 --> 0:01:48.800 also the carpenters. 0:01:48.360 --> 0:01:51.520 Right, Yeah, that's that's true. That's true too. I mean, 0:01:51.560 --> 0:01:54.600 I'm totally with you on Jordan Love. I thought I 0:01:54.680 --> 0:01:59.320 thought there were periods in each of those practices Tuesday 0:01:59.320 --> 0:02:03.000 and Wednesday where he looked ultra sharp, where he really 0:02:03.040 --> 0:02:07.400 had that first unit offense clicking for as much as 0:02:07.440 --> 0:02:10.160 you can say that when it's not in pads and 0:02:10.160 --> 0:02:12.320 and you know, the blocking up front is you know 0:02:12.480 --> 0:02:14.760 is not the same of course when when guys aren't 0:02:15.280 --> 0:02:18.639 fully dressed, but along those same lines, I just get this. 0:02:19.960 --> 0:02:22.480 I got this vibe over the couple of days that 0:02:23.760 --> 0:02:26.600 and I maybe, yes, I probably said this earlier on 0:02:26.600 --> 0:02:29.960 one of our shows earlier during OTAs, but I just 0:02:29.960 --> 0:02:33.200 get the sense that this Packers team is ready to go. 0:02:33.320 --> 0:02:36.160 If training camp were on Monday, these guys would be like, 0:02:36.200 --> 0:02:38.280 all right, let's roll here. Let you know, let's get 0:02:38.280 --> 0:02:40.920 to it. You know that that's that's the that's the 0:02:41.040 --> 0:02:43.960 sense I get from the locker room in general, both 0:02:43.960 --> 0:02:46.519 from the veteran guys and the younger guys. Everybody wants 0:02:46.560 --> 0:02:47.960 to take their break. Don't get me wrong. 0:02:48.240 --> 0:02:49.320 For Sean Gary might not. 0:02:49.560 --> 0:02:51.639 What's that for Sean Gary might? Yeah, I don't know 0:02:51.639 --> 0:02:54.440 if I'm not sure if Sean Gary ever ever takes 0:02:54.440 --> 0:02:54.880 a break. 0:02:54.919 --> 0:02:57.799 But you know, there is there is a time to 0:02:58.520 --> 0:03:01.200 there is a time here to to relax a little bit, 0:03:01.240 --> 0:03:06.240 to recharge, to reset. But at the same time, I think, 0:03:06.320 --> 0:03:09.040 I think these guys when when they do come back 0:03:09.080 --> 0:03:11.680 for training camp, they will one hundred percent be ready 0:03:11.720 --> 0:03:14.800 to go and get into that full one hundred percent 0:03:14.960 --> 0:03:17.760 preparation mode for the regular season. 0:03:17.919 --> 0:03:21.280 I think listening to Romeo Dobbs, to whom I'll discuss 0:03:21.320 --> 0:03:22.799 in a minute, because he's another one of the guys 0:03:22.840 --> 0:03:25.160 that really stood out to me again this offseason stopped 0:03:25.160 --> 0:03:27.360 me for heard that before the last two summers. 0:03:27.040 --> 0:03:27.840 Or two springs. 0:03:27.880 --> 0:03:31.880 But right Romeo Dobbs was talking about how special, uh, 0:03:31.960 --> 0:03:34.720 this locker room is and the camaraderie of this team is. 0:03:34.760 --> 0:03:37.200 And I think a really good indicator of that is 0:03:37.640 --> 0:03:39.280 I wrote a couple of weeks ago. Actually it was 0:03:39.280 --> 0:03:42.240 earlier this week. Sorry, everything's getting meshed together about Jaden 0:03:42.280 --> 0:03:45.720 Reid and Dantavian Wicks living together for two months leading 0:03:45.800 --> 0:03:48.520 up to coming back for the off season program. Dobbs 0:03:48.520 --> 0:03:51.920 said he's already gotten together with Jordan Love before they 0:03:51.920 --> 0:03:53.920 came back for the off season program. Obviously they share 0:03:55.040 --> 0:03:58.480 a coach, an off season coach, that they get some 0:03:58.560 --> 0:04:01.440 working together. It sounds like the receivers are going to 0:04:01.480 --> 0:04:04.240 get together with Jordan again during this break. And then 0:04:04.320 --> 0:04:06.800 Rashan Gary, who also said he wishes there was another 0:04:06.840 --> 0:04:09.320 week of the offseason program. This kind of a funny moment, 0:04:10.080 --> 0:04:13.160 he said, him, Preston Smith and Kenny Clark are actually 0:04:13.160 --> 0:04:15.360 going to pull together the defensive line either down in 0:04:15.440 --> 0:04:18.120 Dallas or California. They haven't sorted that out yet to 0:04:18.160 --> 0:04:20.760 get together for some workouts as well. This is a 0:04:20.800 --> 0:04:24.680 group that generally enjoys being around one another, and that 0:04:24.880 --> 0:04:27.120 is not always a given in the National Football League. 0:04:27.160 --> 0:04:29.839 This is a business. People have families, they have interest, 0:04:29.880 --> 0:04:31.440 they have things they want to do in those four 0:04:31.560 --> 0:04:33.120 or five weeks that they can get away from here 0:04:33.120 --> 0:04:35.919 before quarterbacks and young players have to report back on 0:04:36.000 --> 0:04:41.000 July seventeenth. But you can tell that the leadership in 0:04:41.080 --> 0:04:43.720 there and the way that they handle their day to 0:04:43.800 --> 0:04:46.159 day business, this is a group that generally enjoys being 0:04:46.160 --> 0:04:48.880 around one another. And it's not even just the position groups. 0:04:49.279 --> 0:04:52.440 I was in the scrum with Preston Smith and Carington 0:04:52.480 --> 0:04:54.800 Valentine is coming over talking to him afterwards. They're having 0:04:54.800 --> 0:04:58.359 the fun back and forth over some stuff. That is 0:04:58.400 --> 0:05:01.680 what I think often will separate the good teams from 0:05:01.680 --> 0:05:04.120 the potentially great ones, is when it isn't that you're 0:05:04.160 --> 0:05:05.640 just going out there and doing a job, it's that 0:05:05.680 --> 0:05:08.400 you're playing for one another. And you know, Kai Walker 0:05:08.440 --> 0:05:10.840 mentioned it too. He's been on national championship teams, He's 0:05:10.880 --> 0:05:12.920 played on some really good football teams in the past. 0:05:13.360 --> 0:05:18.240 The camaraderie for June twelfth is already there. And that's 0:05:18.279 --> 0:05:20.080 the thing that when the season gets long and when 0:05:20.080 --> 0:05:22.640 you face adversity, is what you often have to lean 0:05:22.680 --> 0:05:24.279 back on, is that camaraderie. Yeah. 0:05:24.279 --> 0:05:29.560 Absolutely, Getting back to the impressions that some players made 0:05:29.560 --> 0:05:31.880 on us, you mentioned Edgrin Cooper a minute ago, and 0:05:32.600 --> 0:05:37.960 I have to say, you could see when when that 0:05:38.040 --> 0:05:40.760 defensive call from Jeff Hafley or whoever was calling it 0:05:40.880 --> 0:05:43.599 during the eleven on eleven and OTAs when there was 0:05:43.600 --> 0:05:47.160 a call that turned Edgern Cooper loose. You could see 0:05:47.480 --> 0:05:51.640 how an off ball linebacker had eight sacks last season 0:05:51.680 --> 0:05:53.760 in college, which is a ridiculous number for a guy 0:05:53.760 --> 0:05:55.680 who doesn't even line up on the line of scrimmage. 0:05:55.760 --> 0:05:59.680 Right Brian Gudakunst had made a comment, and one of 0:05:59.680 --> 0:06:02.800 the other that we heard from during the draft made 0:06:02.800 --> 0:06:05.000 a similar comment. It might have been John Eric Sullivan, 0:06:05.279 --> 0:06:07.800 but it was something to something to the effect of 0:06:08.440 --> 0:06:11.200 that Edgrin Cooper's speed is just different. 0:06:11.360 --> 0:06:13.160 It just looks different out there. 0:06:13.240 --> 0:06:17.680 And I thought, particularly during this mini camp, when Cooper 0:06:17.800 --> 0:06:20.000 seemed to be just settling in a little bit more 0:06:20.040 --> 0:06:22.200 in terms of knowing what he's doing on defense, and 0:06:22.240 --> 0:06:24.600 as I said, some calls that were turning him loose 0:06:24.600 --> 0:06:27.160 a little bit and just letting him, letting him attack 0:06:27.240 --> 0:06:30.360 the backfield and either go after the quarterback or go 0:06:30.440 --> 0:06:34.840 after that TfL on a running play. I thought, I mean, 0:06:34.880 --> 0:06:37.960 his his speed absolutely jumps off the field. There's there's 0:06:38.040 --> 0:06:40.920 no there's no denying it. And and it's not a 0:06:40.920 --> 0:06:43.719 surprise when when you see that for the first time 0:06:43.760 --> 0:06:46.520 in person, at least for me, it's not a surprise 0:06:46.640 --> 0:06:50.360 then that this guy was drafted where he was and 0:06:50.360 --> 0:06:52.599 and was, you know, one of the first off ball 0:06:52.640 --> 0:06:54.360 linebackers to be taken in this draft. 0:06:54.400 --> 0:06:56.839 His forty time is better than half the cornerbacks that 0:06:56.880 --> 0:06:59.400 were drafted. I mean when he's running in four or 0:06:59.440 --> 0:07:02.040 five one, which was a hundredth of a second faster 0:07:02.120 --> 0:07:05.919 than Kay Walker's a year earlier or two years earlier. 0:07:06.320 --> 0:07:10.400 This guy is a real physical specimen. Now, I cautioned, 0:07:10.960 --> 0:07:13.679 I think both an inbox and in a on Twitter 0:07:13.880 --> 0:07:15.880 saying there's a lot that goes into play an inside 0:07:15.920 --> 0:07:20.000 linebacker beyond just athleticism. But one of the things we 0:07:20.040 --> 0:07:22.520 saw from Jeff Hafley in these mini camp practices, they 0:07:22.680 --> 0:07:25.120 dialed up a lot of blitzes. And it wasn't just 0:07:25.160 --> 0:07:26.960 the third down variety. I mean they brought a lot 0:07:27.000 --> 0:07:27.080 of it. 0:07:27.360 --> 0:07:28.640 They were they weren't holding back. 0:07:29.560 --> 0:07:31.880 Eric Wilson was doing it. They were running you know, 0:07:32.000 --> 0:07:34.920 Corey Ballantine. They were running a lot of these things 0:07:34.960 --> 0:07:38.840 to throw some extra pressure at the opposing quarterback. But 0:07:39.720 --> 0:07:42.600 when it was Edgrin Cooper, it was almost like that 0:07:42.880 --> 0:07:47.480 suffocating speed where it's like Mike McCarthy used to like 0:07:47.480 --> 0:07:49.840 that used to use that two point five second shot 0:07:49.920 --> 0:07:51.200 clock to throw the football. 0:07:52.320 --> 0:07:54.240 It's more it's more like it needs to be two 0:07:54.320 --> 0:07:56.880 point two, you know, Like there's just there's that there's 0:07:56.880 --> 0:08:00.120 that little extra edge to it that you know, well, 0:08:00.560 --> 0:08:04.360 you know the quarterback is speeding up that clock in 0:08:04.400 --> 0:08:07.440 his head when it's number fifty six, who gets turned loose. 0:08:07.520 --> 0:08:09.080 And that's why it's gonna be fun to watch him 0:08:09.080 --> 0:08:12.520 when you get the linebacker first, running backs, pass protection drills, 0:08:12.560 --> 0:08:14.040 when you see some of the team stuff, when the 0:08:14.080 --> 0:08:16.640 pads come on during training camp, the guy is very 0:08:16.680 --> 0:08:20.720 exciting to watch. And the Packers are taking this thing slow. 0:08:20.840 --> 0:08:22.720 He's not in there every time with the ones they're 0:08:22.800 --> 0:08:25.600 using Isaam McDuffie. Eric Wilson's getting a lot of reps 0:08:25.640 --> 0:08:29.680 there as well. But when you look at Cooper and 0:08:30.160 --> 0:08:32.280 if kway Walker shows that he's able to handle that 0:08:32.320 --> 0:08:35.679 mic role really well this year, Cooper's gonna find his 0:08:35.720 --> 0:08:37.160 way on the field, there's just gonna be too much. 0:08:37.240 --> 0:08:39.360 He is too much of an athlete, not too Yeah. 0:08:39.400 --> 0:08:41.640 Absolutely, I think we're gonna be seeing I think we're 0:08:41.640 --> 0:08:44.679 gonna be seeing a lot of him. There's very little 0:08:44.720 --> 0:08:48.400 doubt about that. You mentioned Romeo Dobbs earlier. I'll let 0:08:48.480 --> 0:08:53.320 you I'll let you take it from there. The steadiness, 0:08:54.080 --> 0:08:57.840 the steadiness with which he performs, and I thought, you know, 0:08:57.960 --> 0:09:02.280 his his rookie year, he was starting to establish that, 0:09:02.480 --> 0:09:05.960 but then he had some moments in games that were 0:09:06.200 --> 0:09:08.960 were some letdown moments where where you're just like, oh, like, 0:09:09.080 --> 0:09:11.480 you know, he failed to maybe take you know, make 0:09:11.520 --> 0:09:14.040 the make the play that everybody was hoping he was 0:09:14.080 --> 0:09:17.280 gonna make in a certain situation. But but man, oh man, 0:09:17.320 --> 0:09:20.320 we just see you know, Romeo Dobbs, he doesn't he 0:09:20.360 --> 0:09:22.920 doesn't look any different, you know. I mean, I'm sure 0:09:23.000 --> 0:09:24.839 you know his body is a little bit different than 0:09:24.920 --> 0:09:26.600 than it was as a rookie, but he doesn't really 0:09:26.600 --> 0:09:29.720 look any different. He's running, he's running his routes the same. 0:09:29.800 --> 0:09:31.920 He's you know, he's got he's got the strong hands 0:09:31.960 --> 0:09:36.480 and everything. But there's something he's he's added something to 0:09:36.559 --> 0:09:39.600 where he just has a presence on the practice field 0:09:39.640 --> 0:09:42.400 now even though he's you know, he's not Christian Watson 0:09:42.440 --> 0:09:45.440 and you know, beating everybody deep and whatever. He doesn't 0:09:45.480 --> 0:09:49.000 have that doesn't have that breakaway speed or whatever at 0:09:49.000 --> 0:09:52.600 wide receiver. But you can feel Romeo dobs presence on 0:09:52.679 --> 0:09:55.960 the practice field when he and Jordan Love sort of 0:09:56.040 --> 0:09:58.960 you know, have their little telepathy going. And I thought 0:09:58.960 --> 0:10:02.600 that started to show through here towards the particularly towards. 0:10:02.280 --> 0:10:03.320 The end of the off season. 0:10:03.360 --> 0:10:06.280 From Dob said it on Wednesday, Jordan Love was his 0:10:06.360 --> 0:10:08.960 quarterback first in Green Bay when he was running with 0:10:09.040 --> 0:10:11.319 the you know, the twos or whatever you want to 0:10:11.320 --> 0:10:13.120 call him back in twenty twenty two, before he started 0:10:13.120 --> 0:10:16.400 to establish himself as a starter. He was with Love 0:10:16.480 --> 0:10:19.520 every day in practice. That telepathy that's been building up 0:10:19.520 --> 0:10:22.559 now for over two calendar years. And what I enjoy 0:10:22.640 --> 0:10:25.760 most about watching Romeo because it was what hit me 0:10:25.800 --> 0:10:28.240 the most I was very impressed with his practice on Wednesday, 0:10:28.520 --> 0:10:32.240 thought he he catches the ball effortlessly. Everything is so seamless. 0:10:32.400 --> 0:10:36.960 The greatest like Jordy Nelson, make it look so easy. 0:10:37.080 --> 0:10:39.079 It makes it look like anybody can go out there 0:10:39.120 --> 0:10:39.600 and do this. 0:10:39.800 --> 0:10:42.760 It makes every play, he makes every play look routine, 0:10:43.000 --> 0:10:45.560 routine when what is when what is going on out 0:10:45.600 --> 0:10:48.000 there in terms of in terms of the read and 0:10:48.040 --> 0:10:51.400 the break and sometimes the catch not always the most routine, 0:10:51.440 --> 0:10:52.640 but he makes it look that way. 0:10:52.760 --> 0:10:56.480 Absolutely so when you bring it back and Matt Lafleur 0:10:56.559 --> 0:10:58.520 goes up to the podium and he was asked yesterday 0:10:58.559 --> 0:11:01.040 or on Wednesday about him, and he says, you know, 0:11:01.320 --> 0:11:05.679 I thought he had an outstanding spring, And I immediately 0:11:05.679 --> 0:11:08.480 thought to myself and I'm like, he had an outstanding 0:11:08.480 --> 0:11:11.199 spring in twenty twenty three too. He had an outstanding 0:11:11.200 --> 0:11:13.400 spring in twenty twenty two to get himself on the 0:11:13.520 --> 0:11:16.319 radar as a guy that hey with Alan Lazard and 0:11:16.400 --> 0:11:19.440 Sammy Watkins and Randall Cobb, this guy could potentially contribute 0:11:19.520 --> 0:11:23.000 right out of the gate too. And I just don't 0:11:23.040 --> 0:11:25.560 And as Lafloor also added, he didn't even know if 0:11:25.559 --> 0:11:28.600 he had a bad practice this spring. And that's just 0:11:28.640 --> 0:11:31.319 the way Romeo is. If he drops a ball, you're 0:11:31.400 --> 0:11:34.240 surprised if he's not in the right spot. It's almost 0:11:34.360 --> 0:11:40.839 unheard of. The guy is so about his business, and 0:11:41.160 --> 0:11:42.959 it's the way he carries himself off the field, it's 0:11:42.960 --> 0:11:45.079 the way he handles himself on the field. He has 0:11:45.120 --> 0:11:47.360 a neat personality. He was joking around. You and I 0:11:47.440 --> 0:11:48.920 were laughing at some of the stuff he was doing 0:11:48.920 --> 0:11:51.360 on the punt return drill, you know, kind of joshing 0:11:51.400 --> 0:11:53.800 around with some of the other guys on the punt 0:11:53.840 --> 0:11:56.320 coverage unit. But at the end of the day, when 0:11:56.360 --> 0:12:00.960 it comes to playing professional football again, I don't want 0:12:00.960 --> 0:12:02.880 to get into this wide receiver one, wide receiver two. 0:12:02.920 --> 0:12:05.800 But Jordan Love knows if he needs to turn to 0:12:05.880 --> 0:12:08.000 number eighty seven, that guy's gonna come through for him. 0:12:08.080 --> 0:12:08.320 Yeah. 0:12:08.360 --> 0:12:11.120 And the way and the way Dobbs goes about his business, 0:12:11.120 --> 0:12:15.360 the extra work he puts in, the the intense focus 0:12:15.400 --> 0:12:18.040 with which he goes about every drill, whether it's an 0:12:18.080 --> 0:12:21.720 individual drill, whether it's an eleven on eleven snap. He's 0:12:21.720 --> 0:12:26.000 not looking. He's not looking for attention or accolades for 0:12:26.520 --> 0:12:28.400 the work. Ethic and how he goes about it to 0:12:28.480 --> 0:12:32.400 Romeo Dobbslake, I'm a professional wide receiver. This is how 0:12:32.440 --> 0:12:35.640 you're supposed to do the job right, and and he just. 0:12:35.920 --> 0:12:36.520 He takes it. 0:12:36.679 --> 0:12:41.400 He takes it seriously, absolutely every every minute that he's 0:12:41.400 --> 0:12:44.920 in this building. One other thing, he's built record wide receiver. 0:12:45.040 --> 0:12:46.920 Two. Yeah, that was the thing when you're talking about 0:12:46.920 --> 0:12:49.360 his physique when I was watching him. Not to interrupt you, 0:12:49.400 --> 0:12:50.880 but no, no, that was one point I wanted to make. 0:12:52.000 --> 0:12:54.679 He's how you design a wide receiver. And I think 0:12:54.720 --> 0:12:56.320 that's why I think you could put him in any 0:12:56.360 --> 0:12:59.200 era of Packers football, whether it was the twenty tens, 0:12:59.320 --> 0:13:02.719 the twenty twenties, when the Mike McCarthy era started, this 0:13:02.760 --> 0:13:05.360 guy would have success. He just he is that type 0:13:05.360 --> 0:13:06.120 of football player. 0:13:06.200 --> 0:13:08.800 Yeah, I totally, I totally agree with you. One other 0:13:08.840 --> 0:13:12.560 thing I'll throw at you with regard to you know, 0:13:12.880 --> 0:13:16.720 call it a you know, mini epiphany or whatever that 0:13:16.760 --> 0:13:21.840 I have many there you go, j R. Alexander was 0:13:21.880 --> 0:13:24.400 one of the veterans. There were a few veterans Alexander, 0:13:24.520 --> 0:13:27.600 Xavier McKinney, Keishawn Nixon who were excused from the mini camp. 0:13:27.640 --> 0:13:30.400 They weren't there so there was some shuffling going on 0:13:30.440 --> 0:13:33.880 in the defensive backfield in terms of the combinations and 0:13:33.920 --> 0:13:36.360 who was with the ones and the twos and the rotations, 0:13:36.360 --> 0:13:40.560 et cetera, et cetera. But it dawned on me watching 0:13:41.920 --> 0:13:47.760 Eric Stokes and Carrington Valentine essentially be the starting outside 0:13:47.800 --> 0:13:51.600 corners with the number one defense. This is setting up 0:13:51.640 --> 0:13:54.920 to be a heck of a training camp competition for 0:13:54.960 --> 0:13:58.520 who's going to be cornerback number two between these two guys. 0:13:58.559 --> 0:14:02.480 And they're two of the most I guess you'd say, 0:14:02.600 --> 0:14:05.160 jovial type guys in the locker room. You know, they're 0:14:05.240 --> 0:14:07.440 laughing and joking around and all this kind of stuff. 0:14:07.800 --> 0:14:11.760 But man, those two are gonna go at it on 0:14:12.800 --> 0:14:16.200 the field in training camp to see who is going 0:14:16.280 --> 0:14:20.640 to be the outside boundary corner starter opposite of Jay 0:14:20.760 --> 0:14:23.240 or Alexander, and it's gonna be it's gonna be entertaining 0:14:23.280 --> 0:14:23.760 to watch. 0:14:23.920 --> 0:14:27.080 Valentine is everything that's great about the National Football League, 0:14:27.080 --> 0:14:29.800 because again it shows you there can be two hundred 0:14:29.800 --> 0:14:32.560 and thirty one picks and then two thirty two ends 0:14:32.640 --> 0:14:34.440 up being a guy that looks like he could be 0:14:34.480 --> 0:14:37.600 a bona fide starter in this league and just you know, 0:14:37.680 --> 0:14:39.880 went out a little early, was probably a little small, 0:14:40.200 --> 0:14:42.200 didn't have as many plays as he probably need to 0:14:42.200 --> 0:14:44.400 make at Kentucky, just didn't have the resume built up 0:14:44.440 --> 0:14:45.680 for a team to go out and want to make 0:14:45.720 --> 0:14:48.560 that pick earlier. But boy, oh boy, when you look 0:14:48.600 --> 0:14:50.040 at the size he put on, when you look at 0:14:50.040 --> 0:14:51.840 the charisma that he has and the way he plays 0:14:51.880 --> 0:14:55.320 the position, there is a knack. There is a X 0:14:55.400 --> 0:14:57.600 factor that I think is associated with being able to 0:14:57.600 --> 0:15:00.560 play cornerback. I wrote about this and Insider. I don't 0:15:00.600 --> 0:15:02.240 know if you saw the video or not, but when 0:15:02.280 --> 0:15:04.960 when Randall Cobb was talking about he was asked on 0:15:05.400 --> 0:15:09.560 Busting with the Boys about what is the hardest position 0:15:09.600 --> 0:15:12.160 to play? And he stopped in his tracks and he 0:15:12.200 --> 0:15:15.240 said it is cornerback. And he listed off eight different 0:15:15.280 --> 0:15:18.520 reasons why immediately about why that spot is difficult to play, 0:15:18.760 --> 0:15:21.440 and it then dawned on me. I had my mini 0:15:21.440 --> 0:15:25.560 epiphany where you can have every tool in the toolbox, Mike, 0:15:25.600 --> 0:15:27.800 but if you don't have the mentals down, if you're 0:15:27.840 --> 0:15:29.760 not willing to play on that island and understand what 0:15:29.800 --> 0:15:33.480 comes along with that, it ain't gonna go very good 0:15:33.520 --> 0:15:37.800 for you. Karenon Valentine has that now seeing him compete 0:15:37.800 --> 0:15:39.480 now with Eric Stokes is gonna be fun to watch. 0:15:39.480 --> 0:15:41.600 And as we've seen time and time again, you need 0:15:41.640 --> 0:15:44.040 as many of those guys as possible to survive a season. 0:15:44.480 --> 0:15:46.840 But Stokes kind of flirted around with playing in the slot. 0:15:46.880 --> 0:15:48.560 He's not a slot corner, at least not in the 0:15:48.600 --> 0:15:50.320 traditional sense. He's a perimeter guy. 0:15:50.440 --> 0:15:51.600 I agree, So. 0:15:52.200 --> 0:15:54.760 You may need both, maybe you only have one at 0:15:54.760 --> 0:15:57.080 the beginning. Who knows, depending on how the starting lineup 0:15:57.120 --> 0:15:59.280 shorts out. But to your point, and as you wrote, 0:15:59.280 --> 0:16:01.840 I think in the five this is one of the 0:16:01.920 --> 0:16:04.640 things that I think is going to really be what 0:16:04.800 --> 0:16:08.360 Jeff Hafley, with his background, is looking to accomplish during 0:16:08.360 --> 0:16:10.280 this training campusy and exactly who's going to be the 0:16:10.320 --> 0:16:11.600 best fit for that outside spot. 0:16:11.680 --> 0:16:12.400 Yeah. Absolutely. 0:16:12.400 --> 0:16:14.320 And when you talk about that, you talk about that 0:16:14.400 --> 0:16:17.560 mentality that a cornerback needs. I think I mentioned this 0:16:17.640 --> 0:16:20.000 an Insider Inbox a couple of days ago. I mean, 0:16:20.120 --> 0:16:23.120 you have you you have to take the field knowing 0:16:23.120 --> 0:16:27.520 that you're going to be attacked, that the rules in 0:16:27.560 --> 0:16:30.120 many ways are geared against you. The rules are tilted 0:16:30.160 --> 0:16:34.880 toward the offensive player. To make plays against you. Plays 0:16:34.920 --> 0:16:36.920 are going to be made against you even when you 0:16:37.040 --> 0:16:41.040 do everything exactly right, and you have to be able 0:16:41.120 --> 0:16:45.640 to just to just forget the whatever bad stuff happens. 0:16:45.640 --> 0:16:47.680 You have to be able to forget it instantly and 0:16:47.760 --> 0:16:52.680 line up again, because none of those other parameters that 0:16:52.760 --> 0:16:55.720 I just mentioned are going to change. They are going 0:16:55.800 --> 0:16:59.760 to be there every single play, and and it really is. 0:16:59.800 --> 0:17:03.440 It's it's a position that has that requires a mentality 0:17:03.880 --> 0:17:06.719 like no other in a lot of respects because of 0:17:07.240 --> 0:17:09.400 the way the game is played, the way the game 0:17:09.480 --> 0:17:16.800 is officiated, and just the combination of the smarts and 0:17:16.840 --> 0:17:19.320 athleticism it takes to play it effectively. 0:17:19.640 --> 0:17:22.399 It's like defenseman in hockey. I mean, you have to 0:17:22.440 --> 0:17:26.840 be so apt at running backwards and keeping your balance 0:17:26.960 --> 0:17:29.600 and flipping your hips and being able to have such 0:17:29.640 --> 0:17:32.320 insane control of your body. Oh and then, by the way, 0:17:32.359 --> 0:17:35.480 also don't get hurt. I mean, like, there's so much 0:17:35.520 --> 0:17:38.280 that goes along with being able to succeed in that position. 0:17:38.359 --> 0:17:39.879 But to be honest with you, I think that's one 0:17:39.880 --> 0:17:41.399 of the reasons why this is gonna be really exciting 0:17:41.440 --> 0:17:44.960 to watch, because the Packers have options at all these positions. 0:17:45.400 --> 0:17:48.960 The secondary. We saw without Zavier McKinney here, Evan Williams 0:17:48.960 --> 0:17:52.440 got some run back there. Zane Anderson had three interceptions, Yeah, 0:17:52.480 --> 0:17:55.600 in tuesday's practice. 0:17:54.640 --> 0:17:56.560 And welcome to the competition, right. 0:17:56.440 --> 0:17:58.600 Welcome to the competition. I mean he was very humble 0:17:58.600 --> 0:18:00.679 about after he said that it was fun. Three plays. 0:18:00.720 --> 0:18:02.280 Two of them probably were right in my lap. But 0:18:02.960 --> 0:18:05.520 that being said, that's what Zane Anderson needs to do 0:18:05.720 --> 0:18:08.400 to interject his name into this thing. Yes, with three 0:18:08.480 --> 0:18:11.320 incoming draft picks, with you know the amount of resources 0:18:11.320 --> 0:18:13.439 they put into that position, with Xavier McKinney coming in, 0:18:13.680 --> 0:18:16.280 Anthony Johnson Junior is back and has gotten a lot 0:18:16.320 --> 0:18:20.280 of snaps in the starting secondary this offseason. So that 0:18:20.680 --> 0:18:24.280 competition again, it's up to Matt Lafleur, Jeff Hafley, these 0:18:24.280 --> 0:18:27.560 coaches that decide whin that how far this thing drags on. 0:18:28.119 --> 0:18:31.479 But Michael, I don't know in the first week of 0:18:31.520 --> 0:18:35.560 a training camp practice leading up to when they finally 0:18:35.560 --> 0:18:38.560 get those pads on, if I can remember a time 0:18:38.560 --> 0:18:41.200 in which there have been this many jobs up for grabs, 0:18:42.400 --> 0:18:45.080 but all the options are pretty darn good. Yeah, you're 0:18:45.080 --> 0:18:48.800 not looking for somebody to surprise you. You're wondering who's going 0:18:48.880 --> 0:18:50.080 to be the one that is sort of the cream 0:18:50.119 --> 0:18:51.760 that rises to the top of that position. 0:18:51.960 --> 0:18:52.240 Yeah. 0:18:52.280 --> 0:18:55.600 Absolutely, And I want to get back to the sort 0:18:55.640 --> 0:18:57.800 of the opening of training camp coming up here in 0:18:57.840 --> 0:19:00.520 a minute. But I don't want to forget about our sponsors. 0:19:00.520 --> 0:19:05.520 A serious, serious XMNFL Radio delivers hard hitting analysis and 0:19:05.640 --> 0:19:08.280 up to the minute NFL news that true football fanatics 0:19:08.280 --> 0:19:11.080 need twenty four to seven, three sixty five. And at 0:19:11.080 --> 0:19:13.680 Cousin Subs, we have something for everyone like our Wisconsin 0:19:13.760 --> 0:19:16.800 cheese curds, mac and cheese, golden fries, and creamy shakes, 0:19:16.840 --> 0:19:18.879 all paired with your favorite sub or sub and a 0:19:18.920 --> 0:19:23.800 bowl Cousin Subs fifty plus years of better. All right, 0:19:24.320 --> 0:19:26.160 The last thing I wanted to throw at you before 0:19:26.200 --> 0:19:30.480 we sign off for a while goes to the upcoming 0:19:30.480 --> 0:19:33.760 start of training camp and what do you feel will 0:19:33.800 --> 0:19:38.640