WEBVTT - #294 Packers Unscripted: Bigger picture 0:00:00.920 --> 0:00:20.000 Hi, everybody. Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:20.040 --> 0:00:23.000 I am Mike Spofford, sitting alongside the one and only 0:00:23.000 --> 0:00:26.120 wes Hodkowits were coming to you here from our studios 0:00:26.120 --> 0:00:28.600 at lambeau Field and West. A little bit of Packers 0:00:28.640 --> 0:00:31.880 news to touch on. Since we last spoke, Green Bay's 0:00:31.920 --> 0:00:35.400 top two draft picks, cornerbacks Jaire Alexander from Louisville and 0:00:35.479 --> 0:00:38.600 Josh Jackson from Iowa now under contract. They have signed 0:00:38.920 --> 0:00:42.160 their rookie deals. That leaves at this point only third 0:00:42.240 --> 0:00:44.239 round pick or In Burke's unsigned, and by the time 0:00:44.280 --> 0:00:46.120 some people watch this or listen to this, he might 0:00:46.159 --> 0:00:49.360 be signed as well. Because these things are happening rather quickly, 0:00:49.760 --> 0:00:53.640 and it's because of the current Collective Arty Agreement post 0:00:53.640 --> 0:00:57.240 two thousand eleven. This issue with rookie contracts and training 0:00:57.280 --> 0:00:59.840 camp holdouts and all this kind of stuff really things 0:00:59.840 --> 0:01:01.920 of the past. The thing that's so funny, Mike is 0:01:02.040 --> 0:01:04.080 I started on the Packers beat full time in two 0:01:04.080 --> 0:01:06.000 thousand and twelve, and I think the greatest gift that 0:01:06.080 --> 0:01:07.720 was given to me was that c B A and 0:01:07.760 --> 0:01:10.360 the roughie wage scale. I mean, I have heard so 0:01:10.400 --> 0:01:13.720 many horror stories from Beat writers about what those days 0:01:13.720 --> 0:01:16.280 were like when not only are you chasing the contract, 0:01:16.360 --> 0:01:18.720 but then you'd get to training camp and then eve 0:01:18.760 --> 0:01:20.320 of training camp and you're not sure if guys are 0:01:20.319 --> 0:01:23.000 gonna be holding out or just sitting out. Because throughout 0:01:23.000 --> 0:01:25.440 the offseason program you can sign a waiver to participate 0:01:25.440 --> 0:01:26.920 in things. Once you get to training camp, you have 0:01:26.959 --> 0:01:30.120 to have an actual contract to be out there. Um Now, now, 0:01:30.160 --> 0:01:31.840 in this current environment, it's not as much of a 0:01:31.920 --> 0:01:34.440 big deal because of the rookie wage scale really basically 0:01:34.480 --> 0:01:37.039 slots players where they are in terms of what they're 0:01:37.080 --> 0:01:39.040 gonna make. But back in the day, man, it was 0:01:39.080 --> 0:01:40.840 sort of like the Wild West in terms of what 0:01:40.920 --> 0:01:43.280 these guys were going to get in every all these agents, 0:01:43.319 --> 0:01:45.240 all these players were kind of just sitting around waiting 0:01:45.240 --> 0:01:47.280 to see how things unfolded, so to make sure that 0:01:47.280 --> 0:01:50.080 their guy got as much as they could potentially command. Yeah, 0:01:50.120 --> 0:01:53.000 there were agents and players, uh, you know, waiting to 0:01:53.040 --> 0:01:56.720 see what guys drafted near them would get to. You know, 0:01:56.760 --> 0:01:59.160 they didn't want to short change themselves. They you know, 0:01:59.280 --> 0:02:01.920 so they didn't want to jump into early. Everything ends 0:02:02.000 --> 0:02:04.360 up getting delayed and then you end up with players 0:02:04.360 --> 0:02:08.080 these rookies who you know, end up as contract holdouts 0:02:08.160 --> 0:02:11.080 or training camp holdouts. They get that label when really 0:02:11.080 --> 0:02:12.800 they want to sign their deal and they want to 0:02:12.840 --> 0:02:15.200 play it, and it's it's just, you know, the economics 0:02:15.240 --> 0:02:19.120 of things were always difficult. I remember Nick Barnett, I 0:02:19.120 --> 0:02:20.799 think it was the first round draft pick for the 0:02:20.840 --> 0:02:23.160 Packers in two thousand three, was sitting in his car 0:02:23.880 --> 0:02:26.919 watching the first training camp practice out his car window 0:02:26.919 --> 0:02:28.960 because he couldn't be there, He couldn't actually even be 0:02:29.040 --> 0:02:31.880 on the sideline to watch it without a contract. But 0:02:32.120 --> 0:02:34.160 he was just waiting really to get that phone call 0:02:34.240 --> 0:02:36.360 from his agent. Okay, it's all set. Go sign it, 0:02:36.440 --> 0:02:38.160 you know, and put your uniform out there and go 0:02:38.240 --> 0:02:41.680 play so good that that you know those days are 0:02:41.720 --> 0:02:46.120 are behind us, because it definitely I think anytime rookies 0:02:46.200 --> 0:02:48.880 missed time and training camp, it hurts them. You don't 0:02:48.919 --> 0:02:51.400 want them to miss those first couple three four practice 0:02:51.440 --> 0:02:54.840 even if they're back before the first preseason game, anytime 0:02:54.880 --> 0:02:57.440 they miss in camp is valuable. Well, you and I 0:02:57.480 --> 0:02:59.680 were talking in our pre production meeting about since they 0:02:59.720 --> 0:03:02.160 did the new CB, if they've had any issues whatsoever 0:03:02.160 --> 0:03:04.520 with rookie contracts. I can't think of one. I can't 0:03:04.520 --> 0:03:07.080 think of one either, not not since two thousand eleven, 0:03:07.120 --> 0:03:08.920 the new C B A, and you go back to 0:03:08.960 --> 0:03:11.600 the two thousands, I mean Ted Thompson, Andrew Brandt and 0:03:11.639 --> 0:03:13.400 Russ Ball. I mean some guys are the best in 0:03:13.400 --> 0:03:15.760 the business and what they do. They still had Aaron 0:03:15.880 --> 0:03:18.280 Rodgers sitting out, and I believe also b J Roji 0:03:18.360 --> 0:03:20.679 guys because their high picks and they want to get 0:03:20.680 --> 0:03:23.440 what they believe they're worth. But there wasn't really any 0:03:23.480 --> 0:03:26.640 guiding force whatsoever. So I think that this is one 0:03:26.639 --> 0:03:28.240 of the most positive things that came out of the 0:03:28.240 --> 0:03:31.720 most recent collective bart In agreement because it protects veterans. 0:03:31.720 --> 0:03:33.880 It makes sure that veterans are still not getting short change. 0:03:33.919 --> 0:03:36.360 You're getting cut to make room for guys that have 0:03:36.400 --> 0:03:38.920 never done anything, never played a snap in the NFL before, 0:03:39.200 --> 0:03:42.440 while also being respectful to what these rookies should be 0:03:42.440 --> 0:03:45.760 making for really the attention that they're getting and even 0:03:45.800 --> 0:03:48.480 when you look a guy like Baker Mayfield, the expectations 0:03:48.480 --> 0:03:50.280 that get put on him right away. Yeah, And it 0:03:50.520 --> 0:03:53.400 made sense for the players Union back in eleven to 0:03:53.760 --> 0:03:57.040 agree to this because they were seeing veteran players as 0:03:57.040 --> 0:04:00.720 you mentioned, getting cut, their careers not extend perhaps as 0:04:00.760 --> 0:04:03.880 long as they should because you had number one overall 0:04:03.960 --> 0:04:07.200 draft picks, for instance, like Sam Bradford and Matthew Stafford 0:04:07.200 --> 0:04:10.920 in in two thousand in that range, who were getting 0:04:10.960 --> 0:04:14.680 fifty million dollars of guaranteed money before they even took 0:04:14.680 --> 0:04:17.440 a snap in the NFL. Things got out of whack 0:04:17.600 --> 0:04:20.719 and then C b A, you know, kind of put 0:04:20.800 --> 0:04:22.920 things back in line a little bit to where the 0:04:23.000 --> 0:04:26.120 veterans are getting what they should and the rookies are 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:28.440 going to have the opportunity down the road. One of 0:04:28.440 --> 0:04:30.520 the things I think Martin Mayhew and I know he 0:04:30.560 --> 0:04:32.880 did end up getting let go as the GM of 0:04:32.920 --> 0:04:35.640 the Lions, but people got to understand how terrible that 0:04:35.720 --> 0:04:39.159 situation was because they had that O n sixteen seasons, 0:04:39.160 --> 0:04:41.000 so they had all these early draft picks coming up. 0:04:41.000 --> 0:04:44.360 But you know, Matthew Stafford and Dominican sue that put 0:04:44.400 --> 0:04:46.240 them not only in a hole where they were signing 0:04:46.240 --> 0:04:48.279 these guys, but then when you're looking at second contract, 0:04:48.680 --> 0:04:50.920 because nobody's gonna want to play out that first contract 0:04:50.920 --> 0:04:53.400 can take less. They want to get more they want 0:04:53.440 --> 0:04:55.760 and you push that cat number four. It was causing 0:04:55.800 --> 0:04:57.960 a lot of problems. Now you look at the way 0:04:58.000 --> 0:04:59.840 it is now. The fact that these deals get done, 0:05:00.040 --> 0:05:02.680 these rookies get into camps, they could start preparing, they 0:05:02.680 --> 0:05:05.800 can start preparing for their next face of life outside 0:05:05.800 --> 0:05:09.640 of football. Um, I think from all every avenue outside 0:05:09.680 --> 0:05:11.600 of maybe the running back position, where you can make 0:05:11.640 --> 0:05:13.720 a case that this has been something that's really benefited 0:05:13.760 --> 0:05:17.320 the whole Yeah, it doesn't put teams in salary cap 0:05:17.440 --> 0:05:19.920 jail to go a couple of years with a top 0:05:19.960 --> 0:05:22.200 ten draft pick, and that's what used to happen. And 0:05:22.279 --> 0:05:24.280 you go to three years picking in the top ten 0:05:24.400 --> 0:05:26.440 or top twelve, all of a sudden your cap is 0:05:26.480 --> 0:05:29.400 blown on all these rookies. Imagine where would be right now, 0:05:29.440 --> 0:05:31.360 you know if that was how it worked out? Right? Yeah, exactly. 0:05:31.440 --> 0:05:33.240 With that, we'll go to a break back with more 0:05:33.320 --> 0:05:54.200 and Packers Unscripted right after this. Welcome back to Packers Unscripted. 0:05:54.200 --> 0:05:57.080 Mike Spofford in this chair, West Hodko, it's in that one. West. 0:05:57.160 --> 0:05:59.600 We don't have a whole lot of other Packers news 0:05:59.600 --> 0:06:01.360 to disc us, so I want to spend the rest 0:06:01.360 --> 0:06:04.400 of this show broadening our horizons a little bit. Let's 0:06:04.400 --> 0:06:07.440 talk a little bit more league wide in general. Here. 0:06:07.520 --> 0:06:10.480 There was an interesting question I got in our Insider 0:06:10.520 --> 0:06:13.800 Inbox column recently, and it was someone asking within the 0:06:13.839 --> 0:06:17.200 context of the fact that the Los Angeles Rams went 0:06:17.279 --> 0:06:20.719 from kind of an afterthought to a division champion in 0:06:20.720 --> 0:06:23.560 a playoff team, and the Jacksonville Jaguars went from three 0:06:23.600 --> 0:06:26.560 and thirteen to the a f C Championship Game in 0:06:26.640 --> 0:06:31.279 one year. Is there one of these turnaround teams on 0:06:31.320 --> 0:06:33.839 the brink, so to speak, of a big turnaround in 0:06:34.720 --> 0:06:37.719 you got one in mind, it's Houston Texans, without a doubt, 0:06:37.760 --> 0:06:40.719 and again I'll add the caveat that if Deshaun Watson 0:06:40.839 --> 0:06:43.479 is back makes the recovery they need from that a 0:06:43.600 --> 0:06:47.080 c L surgery. Here's what's funny, Mike. That could have 0:06:47.080 --> 0:06:50.120 been a disastrous trade for the Texans last year, trading 0:06:50.160 --> 0:06:52.360 their first rounder for this next year so they could 0:06:52.360 --> 0:06:54.760 get up trade up to get to Shaun Watson. I 0:06:54.800 --> 0:06:58.960 didn't hear one single person anywhere in the country mentioning 0:06:58.960 --> 0:07:01.800 that narrative, though, because how well Watson played before that 0:07:01.880 --> 0:07:04.760 a c L. You're willing to give up that number 0:07:04.760 --> 0:07:08.000 four overall pick to the Cleveland Browns if you saw 0:07:08.040 --> 0:07:10.640 what you saw the last year from Deshaun Watson. If 0:07:10.640 --> 0:07:13.280 you've got your franchise guy, you've got no complaints. Yeah, 0:07:13.280 --> 0:07:15.520 you're not complaining about it. And I think they're excited 0:07:15.520 --> 0:07:19.000 about what his future holds, assuming everything turns out okay 0:07:19.000 --> 0:07:20.800 coming back from the knee injury. The fact that j J. 0:07:20.920 --> 0:07:23.720 Watt could potential to be back. I think Jadeveon Clowney 0:07:23.720 --> 0:07:26.360 has made some strides. There's a lot of talent there, 0:07:26.440 --> 0:07:28.640 and I think they're better than what their record indicated 0:07:28.720 --> 0:07:32.000 last year after they lost Watson. So for me, especially 0:07:32.000 --> 0:07:34.760 looking at that division, considering if you go back, it's 0:07:34.760 --> 0:07:36.840 sort of been anybody's division, and then get any given 0:07:36.920 --> 0:07:38.880 year in the fact that two teams actually made it 0:07:38.920 --> 0:07:40.960 in the playoffs last year because of you know, some 0:07:41.040 --> 0:07:44.160 of the death concerns from the NFC I have. I 0:07:44.200 --> 0:07:46.320 see no reason why the Texans couldn't be back in 0:07:46.320 --> 0:07:48.760 this thing, all right. I I definitely agree with that pick. 0:07:48.840 --> 0:07:50.720 I'm gonna throw another one at you though, that maybe 0:07:50.720 --> 0:07:52.480 a lot of people aren't thinking about, and that's the 0:07:52.480 --> 0:07:55.840 New York Giants. I say that for a few reasons. One, 0:07:56.000 --> 0:07:58.200 this is a team that was just in the playoffs. 0:07:58.240 --> 0:08:00.920 Two years ago. You've got at a quarterback. I know 0:08:01.000 --> 0:08:02.880 he's on the downside of his career, but you've got 0:08:02.880 --> 0:08:05.080 a quarterback who's been there, done that one a couple 0:08:05.120 --> 0:08:08.760 of Super bowls. You've added Sae Kwon Barkley to that offense. 0:08:08.840 --> 0:08:11.480 And if there is one issue, I guess I would 0:08:11.480 --> 0:08:14.440 say two issues with the Giants offensively over the last 0:08:14.480 --> 0:08:18.560 couple of years. One has been receivers staying healthy. So 0:08:18.600 --> 0:08:21.080 if those if those receivers stay healthy, Eli Manning is 0:08:21.080 --> 0:08:23.280 a different quarterback and number two and put him in 0:08:23.320 --> 0:08:25.520 whatever order you want, maybe this should be number one 0:08:25.880 --> 0:08:29.280 is pass protection? Well, there might be no better help 0:08:29.360 --> 0:08:32.240 for pass protection than a running back like Sae Kwon 0:08:32.320 --> 0:08:35.200 Barkley who's going to make defenses have to stop the run. 0:08:35.600 --> 0:08:38.120 That may be the best protection that Eli Manning is 0:08:38.160 --> 0:08:40.240 going to get. I know they have a new head 0:08:40.240 --> 0:08:42.800 coach and Pat Shermer. You know the Giants are not 0:08:42.960 --> 0:08:47.040 defensively certainly what they were in uh in those Super 0:08:47.080 --> 0:08:50.640 Bowl years. But I'm telling you I'm not blown away 0:08:50.640 --> 0:08:53.640 by anybody else in the NFC East, aside from obviously 0:08:53.720 --> 0:08:56.560 the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, which is going to 0:08:56.600 --> 0:08:59.800 make it difficult for uh, the Giants to jump back 0:09:00.280 --> 0:09:02.720 wherever they were last year into the playoffs or something 0:09:02.760 --> 0:09:05.600 like that. But I don't sleep on the Giants. Yeah, 0:09:05.600 --> 0:09:07.680 and it's a good pick too, Mike, because the Cowboys 0:09:07.679 --> 0:09:10.000 came back down to Earth last year. They're going through 0:09:10.080 --> 0:09:12.000 kind of uh, I don't want to call it rebuilding, 0:09:12.000 --> 0:09:15.520 but definitely trying to retool what they have their Washington 0:09:15.600 --> 0:09:17.520 now going to see what they can do with Alex Smith. 0:09:17.960 --> 0:09:21.280 My biggest issue with the Giants um se Kwon Barkley 0:09:21.360 --> 0:09:23.840 might be a once in generation player. They drafted Will 0:09:23.880 --> 0:09:26.199 Hernandez to block for him out of Utah, the former 0:09:26.480 --> 0:09:28.959 guard for for Aaron Jones that we talked so much 0:09:28.960 --> 0:09:32.319 about in the pre draft process. I really really really 0:09:32.360 --> 0:09:34.720 wanted to see them take Sam Donald and instead he 0:09:34.760 --> 0:09:38.280 goes to the across the you know city team with 0:09:38.320 --> 0:09:41.000 the New York Jets. Only time will tell us which 0:09:41.000 --> 0:09:43.360 one of those moves was correct. Maybe Barkeley becomes the 0:09:43.360 --> 0:09:46.800 next Adrian Peterson or Barry Sanders and you know, it 0:09:46.880 --> 0:09:50.200 was a moot point, but I really did think they 0:09:50.200 --> 0:09:53.120 needed to improve their holdings at quarterback. Now. They also 0:09:53.160 --> 0:09:56.240 got the kid from Richmond. I forget his name, but 0:09:56.360 --> 0:09:59.319 they're really high on him. The fourth round pick. Yeah, 0:09:59.600 --> 0:10:04.760 I'm d a blank for Kyle Lenetta Leonetta. Remember seeing 0:10:04.840 --> 0:10:06.920 him at the combine. He had a table full of 0:10:07.160 --> 0:10:08.679 press there because people thought he was gonna be the 0:10:08.720 --> 0:10:12.199 next Patriots quarterback. So it's not like didn't find another one. 0:10:12.200 --> 0:10:15.080 But they've gone the fourth round pick route before and 0:10:15.160 --> 0:10:17.839 it hasn't pushed Eli Manning at that spot. So yes, 0:10:17.880 --> 0:10:19.800 you're right, they have a veteran quarterback that's one two 0:10:19.800 --> 0:10:21.840 super Bowls. I just would have liked to have seen 0:10:21.840 --> 0:10:23.920 them gotten Donald and start building for the next chapter. 0:10:24.000 --> 0:10:26.200 We'll see which one ends up being right. Yeah, all right, Well, 0:10:26.240 --> 0:10:29.120 we've got some more bigger issues league wide. I want 0:10:29.120 --> 0:10:30.920 to throw your way, but we'll do that after the 0:10:30.920 --> 0:10:51.640 breakback with Moron Packers Unscripted. Right after this, Welcome back 0:10:51.640 --> 0:10:55.640 to Packers Unscripted. Mike Spofford Here, West Hodko, it's over there, okay, West. 0:10:55.679 --> 0:10:59.280 We spent some time earlier this offseason talking about the 0:10:59.280 --> 0:11:01.560 coaching changes in the NFC North. The Bears and the 0:11:01.640 --> 0:11:04.840 Lions both getting new head coaches, but they're a handful 0:11:04.840 --> 0:11:07.600 of other new head coaches around the league. I mentioned 0:11:07.600 --> 0:11:10.680 the Giants, in the last segment, Cardinals, the Colts, the Titans, 0:11:10.679 --> 0:11:12.880 and the Raiders also have new head coaches. Is there 0:11:12.920 --> 0:11:17.040 one of those new coaching hires that intrigues you the most? 0:11:17.200 --> 0:11:20.080 Screwed in of course? And and the Raiders. I always 0:11:20.080 --> 0:11:22.840 tell this story. Um, it's now three and a half 0:11:22.920 --> 0:11:25.320 years ago. My old colleague at the green Bay Prescausette 0:11:25.320 --> 0:11:29.480 and Night, Scott Vincy Uh, we shadowed John Gruden around 0:11:29.520 --> 0:11:32.640 Green Bay before Monday night football game. He was given 0:11:32.679 --> 0:11:36.360 away a donation through his charity, the in the Fired 0:11:36.360 --> 0:11:39.199 Football Coaches Association to green Bay East and green Bay West. 0:11:39.600 --> 0:11:42.480 We followed him to this presentation and the entire time 0:11:42.520 --> 0:11:44.880 we were grilling him about whether or not he was 0:11:44.880 --> 0:11:49.040 going to come back, and in so many words, he said, no, 0:11:49.160 --> 0:11:51.760 I like what I'm doing too much. But you always 0:11:51.800 --> 0:11:53.959 knew it didn't matter what he said or how many 0:11:54.000 --> 0:11:56.520 times he declined it. You always knew that there was 0:11:56.559 --> 0:12:00.720 that outside chance. And seeing how much money, my goodness, 0:12:00.960 --> 0:12:05.079 you know, has was thrown at him by Mark Davis there, 0:12:05.160 --> 0:12:07.520 you had to do it. But the reason it's not 0:12:07.520 --> 0:12:09.680 even just Gruden coming back that intrigues me, it's the 0:12:09.720 --> 0:12:11.959 moves that they've made since then in some of the 0:12:12.080 --> 0:12:14.800 changes that they made in in in how they're constructing 0:12:14.800 --> 0:12:17.520 their roster and the players that they have. I want 0:12:17.520 --> 0:12:20.439 to see how all that eventually settles out right, And 0:12:20.800 --> 0:12:24.199 in some ways I would I would issue a word 0:12:24.200 --> 0:12:27.000 of caution in a sense to the folks in Oakland 0:12:27.040 --> 0:12:30.720 because Reggie mackenzie, and I'm I'll admit I'm biased. I 0:12:30.760 --> 0:12:32.600 really liked Reggie and he was here. I was sad 0:12:32.600 --> 0:12:34.160 to see him go, but happy for him in a 0:12:34.200 --> 0:12:37.000 personal sense that he got a chance to become a GM. 0:12:37.000 --> 0:12:40.120 But he pulled that franchise out of a salary cap 0:12:40.240 --> 0:12:45.880 mess of gargantuan proportions. And then you know, with the 0:12:45.960 --> 0:12:48.839 drafting of the quarterback Derek Carr and some other really 0:12:48.840 --> 0:12:52.160 good moves, he's gotten them back to contending status in 0:12:52.320 --> 0:12:54.439 fairly short order. When you look at it in the 0:12:54.480 --> 0:12:57.080 bigger picture, things that we're hearing out of Oakland, and 0:12:57.120 --> 0:12:59.360 you and I aren't there every day, but it sounds 0:12:59.360 --> 0:13:01.480 like John Grew is starting to have a little bit 0:13:01.480 --> 0:13:04.560 more say over personnel and things and treading into that 0:13:04.679 --> 0:13:07.679 GM territory a little bit nicely. Just watch it, watch 0:13:07.720 --> 0:13:10.920 it a little bit, because Reggie Mackenzie knows what he's doing. 0:13:11.000 --> 0:13:13.040 He does. And it's funny too because I think if 0:13:13.120 --> 0:13:15.800 John Gruden had that power when he was in Tampa Bay, 0:13:16.240 --> 0:13:19.600 the situation is completely different. Aaron Rodgers is probably down 0:13:19.800 --> 0:13:22.200 Brett Farve is probably down there playing football, former Aaron 0:13:22.280 --> 0:13:24.600 Rodgers or somebody. But by the times he's talked about that. 0:13:25.080 --> 0:13:27.320 But that being said, personnel guys are personal guys for 0:13:27.360 --> 0:13:29.280 a reason. And I think, you know, one of the 0:13:29.280 --> 0:13:32.559 reasons the Raiders were so patient with Reggie when he 0:13:32.600 --> 0:13:34.920 went down there is just because how muddled that situation 0:13:35.240 --> 0:13:38.679 was terrible, with how short the lifespan is um you know, 0:13:38.800 --> 0:13:42.000 for for you know, contracts only five years in terms 0:13:42.040 --> 0:13:44.200 of the pro ration of bonuses. Guys aren't signing twelve 0:13:44.280 --> 0:13:47.880 year contracts like Major League Baseball. But even then, it 0:13:48.000 --> 0:13:50.520 still took so long for the Raiders to pull themselves 0:13:50.520 --> 0:13:52.079 out of that because the year after year they were 0:13:52.080 --> 0:13:55.760 making bad deal after bad deal. Mackenzie cleared the slate, 0:13:55.800 --> 0:13:57.360 they got a twelve and fourth season out of it, 0:13:57.400 --> 0:13:58.920 looked to be going in the right direction. Took a 0:13:58.920 --> 0:14:01.760 step back now are trying to reset. I think it's 0:14:01.800 --> 0:14:04.760 still very important to stay with those principles. Uh that 0:14:04.760 --> 0:14:06.400 that got them there in the first place, and also 0:14:06.440 --> 0:14:09.160 got them Derek Carr, you know in Khalil Mack, the 0:14:09.520 --> 0:14:12.640 prospects that Mackenzie found. Yeah, Mari Cooper, I mean the 0:14:12.640 --> 0:14:15.520 fact that he projected Khalil Mack to go from doing 0:14:15.520 --> 0:14:18.400 what he did at Buffalo and the third or overall 0:14:18.400 --> 0:14:20.000 pick or whatever it was and making him a star 0:14:20.040 --> 0:14:22.560 in this league. It says a lot about his scouting acumen. Yeah, 0:14:22.640 --> 0:14:25.120 no doubt about it. Another of the coaching changes that 0:14:25.200 --> 0:14:27.040 intrigues me, it's another one in the a f C. 0:14:27.320 --> 0:14:29.440 And that's what the Tennessee Titans. And I say that 0:14:29.480 --> 0:14:31.920 for again a couple of reasons. One, this is a 0:14:31.920 --> 0:14:34.760 team that not only made the playoffs last year, but 0:14:34.960 --> 0:14:38.320 one a road playoff game in Kansas City, not an 0:14:38.320 --> 0:14:41.280 easy place to go and win in the postseason on 0:14:41.320 --> 0:14:44.000 the road. But yet they decided to part ways with 0:14:44.080 --> 0:14:48.920 Mike Mularkey and they've hired Mike rabel Um. I'm always 0:14:48.920 --> 0:14:51.520 curious to see how the guys, I guess you would 0:14:51.520 --> 0:14:54.840 call them from the Bill Belichick the Patriots tree, how 0:14:54.880 --> 0:14:57.720 they're going to fair because you know, Josh McDaniels had 0:14:57.800 --> 0:14:59.800 you know, didn't work out when he got his first 0:14:59.800 --> 0:15:03.040 head coaching job in Denver, and then now he passed 0:15:03.080 --> 0:15:06.640 on another head coaching opportunity obviously this past off season, 0:15:06.880 --> 0:15:08.760 but then also with the Titans, you mentioned the a 0:15:08.880 --> 0:15:11.800 f C South, how that division can kind of be 0:15:11.920 --> 0:15:14.480 up for grabs the way things go. And then their 0:15:14.560 --> 0:15:17.720 quarterback Marcus Mariota, very high draft pick, a guy who 0:15:17.760 --> 0:15:21.080 has definitely improved. You know, is his arrows still pointing up? 0:15:21.120 --> 0:15:24.080 Have we still not seen the best of Marcus Mariota 0:15:24.120 --> 0:15:27.520 in the NFL? Or have we? And then maybe getting 0:15:27.560 --> 0:15:30.360 to the playoffs and winning one game is is they're seiling? 0:15:30.400 --> 0:15:32.480 How they're currently constructed, I don't know. I just think 0:15:32.480 --> 0:15:34.360 they're an intriguing team to keep it up. If if 0:15:34.360 --> 0:15:36.080 you're the Titans, you better hope that you haven't seen 0:15:36.120 --> 0:15:38.560 the best out of Marcus Marriott's because last year, honestly, 0:15:38.720 --> 0:15:41.240 to be quite honest, wasn't very good until the playoffs. 0:15:41.280 --> 0:15:43.000 Until the playoffs, you played well, But you look at 0:15:43.000 --> 0:15:46.040 that regular season, uh it is It is impressive that 0:15:46.040 --> 0:15:47.520 they made the playoffs, but they had a lot of 0:15:47.520 --> 0:15:49.960 things working against them. The reason I bring that up 0:15:50.000 --> 0:15:51.200 is because I think they put a lot of this 0:15:51.240 --> 0:15:53.040 at Malarkey's feet. They put a lot of it at 0:15:53.080 --> 0:15:56.200 Dick Lebo's feet. Um. But at the end of the day, 0:15:56.320 --> 0:15:59.160 it's a quarterback driven league and they have put talent 0:15:59.200 --> 0:16:03.320 around him. Now, how does that talent further develop and grow? 0:16:03.720 --> 0:16:08.320 They made some acquisitions this offseason. Me personally, and this 0:16:08.400 --> 0:16:10.960 is just me, I would have dedicated myself to Derrick Henry, 0:16:11.200 --> 0:16:12.760 but you know, they made some other changes there. They 0:16:12.800 --> 0:16:14.960 don't want him to be the soul back, but there 0:16:15.040 --> 0:16:17.800 is a lot of talent there. Um. They're looking for 0:16:17.840 --> 0:16:20.400 consistency now and that starts at Mariotta. Yeah. All right, 0:16:20.480 --> 0:16:22.240 with that, we're gonna go to another break back with 0:16:22.320 --> 0:16:42.840 more on Packers Unscripted right after this. Welcome back to 0:16:42.920 --> 0:16:46.600 Packers Unscripted Mike Spofford alongside Wes Hodku. It's okay, West. 0:16:46.680 --> 0:16:48.840 One more topic I want to throw at you here 0:16:48.840 --> 0:16:51.320 as we wrap up the show for today. I found 0:16:51.320 --> 0:16:53.640 something interesting the other day. Was just doing a little 0:16:53.720 --> 0:16:56.520 quick research something I was working on for Insider Inbox, 0:16:56.600 --> 0:16:59.480 and I noticed, you look at the last four years 0:16:59.480 --> 0:17:03.160 in the NFL fell the m v pen Tom Brady, 0:17:03.680 --> 0:17:09.040 Matt Ryan, Cam Newton, Aaron Rodgers, turns out those are 0:17:09.040 --> 0:17:12.359 the only four active quarterbacks in the NFL who have 0:17:12.400 --> 0:17:15.400 won an m VP award. Obviously, Brady has won multiple, 0:17:15.640 --> 0:17:19.720 Rogers has one multiple. So it leads me to this question, 0:17:19.920 --> 0:17:23.560 who do you think is the next quarterback currently active 0:17:24.080 --> 0:17:26.200 who is going to win an m v P. You 0:17:26.240 --> 0:17:28.280 can go a couple of different directions with this, because 0:17:28.320 --> 0:17:32.040 you have the old guard, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, those 0:17:32.040 --> 0:17:33.760 guys who have not won an m v P yet, 0:17:33.800 --> 0:17:36.320 and you have a slew of young up and coming 0:17:36.400 --> 0:17:39.439 quarterbacks that nobody knows just yet how good they're going 0:17:39.480 --> 0:17:42.440 to be. Who do you think. I'm want to just say, 0:17:42.480 --> 0:17:45.159 it's incredible to me when you pointed this out that 0:17:45.240 --> 0:17:47.200 Drew Brees hasn't won an m v P. When you 0:17:47.240 --> 0:17:50.520 think about it, it makes sense. Yeah, But considering the 0:17:50.560 --> 0:17:54.200 way that that offense is structured, him throwing for five 0:17:54.200 --> 0:17:56.800 thousand yards as many times as he has, it actually 0:17:56.920 --> 0:18:00.080 is surprising. But I get it. There were seven and 0:18:00.200 --> 0:18:01.840 for like three or four straight seasons there was some 0:18:01.880 --> 0:18:05.400 rebuilding that had to be done there. Fine for me, though, 0:18:05.560 --> 0:18:08.800 I still think Ben Roethlisberger has one in him, even 0:18:08.840 --> 0:18:11.560 though there's been sort of this hovering, floating theory that 0:18:11.640 --> 0:18:13.040 you know he might be getting near the end, we 0:18:13.119 --> 0:18:18.119 might want to retire soon. Roethlisberger has the capability. I 0:18:18.160 --> 0:18:21.639 still think. I know that Aaron Rodgers is more athletically 0:18:21.680 --> 0:18:24.880 gifted than Roethlisberger, but Roethlisberger is the closest thing I've 0:18:24.920 --> 0:18:28.400 seen in this league to encompassing what Aaron Rodgers does UM, 0:18:28.440 --> 0:18:31.639 and probably is even more untacklable if you want to 0:18:31.720 --> 0:18:33.760 use that. He might be one of the hardest quarterbacks 0:18:33.760 --> 0:18:36.000 to sack, and just in terms of physically getting him 0:18:36.000 --> 0:18:37.520 on the ground, But it just seems like he has 0:18:37.560 --> 0:18:40.399 that ability to to extend plays one way or another. 0:18:40.480 --> 0:18:42.440 Not maybe with his feet as much as Rogers, but 0:18:42.480 --> 0:18:44.359 he just he has that X factor that he always 0:18:44.440 --> 0:18:47.400 keeps you in ahead on things. I've I've been a 0:18:47.480 --> 0:18:49.920 huge fan of his ability on the football field since 0:18:49.960 --> 0:18:52.679 he came out and replaced Tommy Maddox. I believe in 0:18:52.680 --> 0:18:56.160 two thousand five whenever that was UM. But I think 0:18:56.240 --> 0:18:59.280 I think Roethlisberger, one way or another, UM, I think 0:18:59.280 --> 0:19:01.960 he still has a Yeah. I've had a hard time 0:19:01.960 --> 0:19:04.959 with this question because I still can't decide which direction 0:19:05.000 --> 0:19:06.359 I want to go there's a part of me that 0:19:06.400 --> 0:19:08.520 says Drew Brees has got an m v P and 0:19:08.600 --> 0:19:11.359 him the way they have retooled some things on that 0:19:11.480 --> 0:19:13.920 Saints defense, we saw how close they were. They were 0:19:14.119 --> 0:19:16.760 a fluke play essentially away from playing for the NFC 0:19:16.880 --> 0:19:20.919 Championship in Philadelphia last year. When with what happened in 0:19:21.000 --> 0:19:23.760 Minneapolis on the last play of the game, I think 0:19:23.800 --> 0:19:25.920 Breeze potentially has an m v P in him. But 0:19:25.960 --> 0:19:28.800 then the other guy that I think is definitely headed 0:19:28.800 --> 0:19:30.800 for an m v P sooner rather than later might 0:19:30.800 --> 0:19:34.360 be Carson Wentz in Philadelphia because before he got hurt 0:19:34.440 --> 0:19:36.160 last year, when I did get a chance to watch 0:19:36.240 --> 0:19:39.600 the Eagles, I was really impressed with how difficult he 0:19:39.720 --> 0:19:43.000 was to sack his escapability and not only just to 0:19:43.119 --> 0:19:45.800 keep plays alive, but then also to run and rush 0:19:45.840 --> 0:19:48.159