WEBVTT - #307 Packers Unscripted: Preseason preview No. 1 0:00:00.600 --> 0:00:21.000 Hi, everyone, Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:21.000 --> 0:00:23.720 I am Mike Spofford. He is the one and only 0:00:23.760 --> 0:00:26.480 wes Hodkoits. We're coming to you here from our studios 0:00:26.520 --> 0:00:30.080 at lambeau Field West. The first preseason game is upon 0:00:30.200 --> 0:00:33.920 US Packers versus the Tennessee Titans Thursday night, seven pm, 0:00:34.000 --> 0:00:37.400 kickoff at lambeau Field. Let's get right into it. There's 0:00:37.400 --> 0:00:39.840 a lot of things to be paying attention to here 0:00:40.280 --> 0:00:42.559 in the preseason opener. The first thing that comes to 0:00:42.600 --> 0:00:46.240 mind for me is this backup quarterback battle Deshaun Kaiser 0:00:46.280 --> 0:00:49.880 Brett Hunley. It's going to last throughout the preseason, all 0:00:49.920 --> 0:00:53.040 four games, but this is sort of stage number one. 0:00:53.240 --> 0:00:55.560 Since the beginning of time, Mike, since they decided they 0:00:55.600 --> 0:00:58.279 want to do an exhibition season, going back to when 0:00:58.280 --> 0:01:01.840 there was six games and fifth he practices in training camp. 0:01:02.560 --> 0:01:04.320 The precinct games always seemed to come down to the 0:01:04.400 --> 0:01:07.320 quarterbacks and seeing what these guys look like. Because, as 0:01:07.360 --> 0:01:09.200 we talked about and some of the other videos we've done, 0:01:09.319 --> 0:01:11.960 and even some of our discussions for stories, so much 0:01:12.000 --> 0:01:14.520 of practice you only can make so much out of it. 0:01:14.560 --> 0:01:17.080 I think there's conclusions you can draw. You see guys 0:01:17.080 --> 0:01:19.920 like Jake Kumeuro stepping up. Um. You know, guys who 0:01:19.959 --> 0:01:23.240 you thought were relatively obscure become sort of names. But 0:01:23.680 --> 0:01:25.000 at the end of the day, you have to get 0:01:25.000 --> 0:01:28.600 in the preseason action. I think the quarterback position epitomizes that. 0:01:29.000 --> 0:01:32.240 Deshaun Kaiser, my first impression of him, has an NFL 0:01:32.280 --> 0:01:35.800 caliber arm. You look at him standing, he looks like 0:01:35.840 --> 0:01:39.080 an NFL quarterback, uh, and some good athleticism there. Now, 0:01:39.120 --> 0:01:41.880 can he take everything he learned from last year with 0:01:41.959 --> 0:01:43.600 the with the Browns and kind of getting thrown in 0:01:43.640 --> 0:01:45.760 the fire and now working with Frank Signetti here in 0:01:45.760 --> 0:01:47.760 Green Bay and Mike McCarthy and trying to make those 0:01:47.800 --> 0:01:50.480 adjustments and really show that he's grown as a player 0:01:50.520 --> 0:01:52.400 still only twenty two years old, a lot of football 0:01:52.400 --> 0:01:55.640 ahead of him. And then conversely with Brett Hunley also 0:01:55.680 --> 0:01:57.800 played a lot last year, also got thrown in the 0:01:57.800 --> 0:01:59.920 fire in some reguard and seeing if he can be 0:02:00.040 --> 0:02:02.000 her for it. Yeah, I think it's a matter of 0:02:02.440 --> 0:02:05.440 seeing the progress from both of these guys. Brett Hunley 0:02:05.520 --> 0:02:08.560 has nine starts from a season ago tape that he 0:02:08.600 --> 0:02:11.680 was able to digest throughout the offseason. Running this offense. 0:02:11.680 --> 0:02:14.320 There were some tweaks to the offense, some new things 0:02:14.320 --> 0:02:17.400 to get adjusted to, but he's looking to show the 0:02:17.440 --> 0:02:20.920 progress that he's made. And with Kaiser, he talked in 0:02:20.960 --> 0:02:24.240 the spring about really how his fundamentals were kind of 0:02:24.240 --> 0:02:26.799 broken down by this coaching staff. They changed a lot 0:02:26.800 --> 0:02:29.160 of things with his footwork, some things with his mechanics, 0:02:29.160 --> 0:02:32.320 all of that kind of stuff. And I think Aaron 0:02:32.440 --> 0:02:35.919 Rodgers said the other day, it's starting to look a 0:02:35.960 --> 0:02:38.160 little bit more comfortable for Kaiser. It looks like he's 0:02:38.160 --> 0:02:39.919 starting to have a little bit more fun out there 0:02:39.960 --> 0:02:44.040 on the field, doesn't need to isn't quite as bogged down, maybe, 0:02:44.040 --> 0:02:46.560 so to speak, in the lack of success a year 0:02:46.600 --> 0:02:48.720 ago in Cleveland. This is a fresh start for him. 0:02:48.960 --> 0:02:50.880 It's an opportunity for him to take advantage of. The 0:02:50.960 --> 0:02:55.040 Packers wanted a competition at backup quarterback to really find 0:02:55.120 --> 0:02:58.200 who the best guy is going to be. If heaven forbid, 0:02:58.280 --> 0:03:00.960 something were to happen again to Aaron Jers, and this 0:03:01.000 --> 0:03:03.239 is the competition they've been looking for. So it's time 0:03:03.280 --> 0:03:05.720 for someone to to take that first leg up and 0:03:05.720 --> 0:03:07.880 and start to take charge of it. The Packers took 0:03:07.880 --> 0:03:10.320 a scrub brush approach with their playbook this offseason. I 0:03:10.400 --> 0:03:12.640 think for de Shaun Kaiser it's taking a scrub brush 0:03:12.720 --> 0:03:15.280 approach to his rookie season because you go back Steve 0:03:15.320 --> 0:03:17.760 Young didn't have a great start with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 0:03:17.760 --> 0:03:19.800 Brett Farve did not have a great start with the 0:03:19.800 --> 0:03:22.360 Atlanta Falcons as a second round pick as well. So 0:03:22.520 --> 0:03:25.760 for Kaiser, him being thrown in the way he was, 0:03:25.880 --> 0:03:29.240 it's just it's not realistic. And I understand, and my 0:03:29.280 --> 0:03:31.480 thoughts are with the Browns for the situation they were in. 0:03:31.480 --> 0:03:33.119 They felt like that's what gave them the best chance 0:03:33.120 --> 0:03:35.160 of trying to get a victory. But a twenty one 0:03:35.240 --> 0:03:39.000 year old quarterback that that entered the league early was 0:03:39.040 --> 0:03:41.800 making the adjustments he had to make and having to 0:03:42.080 --> 0:03:44.680 have arguably one of the worst rosters in the NFL 0:03:44.760 --> 0:03:48.040 to play with. It's it's tough for anybody to overcome. 0:03:48.160 --> 0:03:50.600 So I think what's gonna be interesting for him is 0:03:50.920 --> 0:03:53.560 the reps he does get in this preseason. I think 0:03:53.600 --> 0:03:56.000 for Hunley too, in some ways, everything's gonna slow down 0:03:56.080 --> 0:03:58.760 a little bit now because of how fast you know, 0:03:58.800 --> 0:04:01.160 the two thousand seventeen season, when when you know all 0:04:01.160 --> 0:04:04.080 those bolts were flying in the snaps really matter. Yeah, Well, 0:04:04.080 --> 0:04:07.080 when this game kicks off on Thursday night, it's going 0:04:07.120 --> 0:04:10.440 to be a long list of young wide receivers who 0:04:10.440 --> 0:04:12.720 are going to be trying to make an impression themselves 0:04:12.760 --> 0:04:17.040 and help out these quarterbacks and decide this backup quarterback battle. Now, 0:04:17.080 --> 0:04:19.800 Aaron Rodgers had some very interesting comments at his locker 0:04:20.000 --> 0:04:23.080 after Tuesday's practice. He pointed out, as far as the 0:04:23.120 --> 0:04:26.360 young receivers go, he likes the progress he's seen from 0:04:26.400 --> 0:04:31.400 Geronimo Allison, D'Angelo, Yancey and Jake Kumero you mentioned him earlier, 0:04:31.720 --> 0:04:36.520 but very critical of of the effort level, the concentration level, 0:04:36.680 --> 0:04:40.719 the mental mistakes that he's seen in practice after practice 0:04:40.760 --> 0:04:43.400 from a lot of the other young receivers. Now, if 0:04:43.400 --> 0:04:46.080 that isn't a kick in the butt, I don't I 0:04:46.080 --> 0:04:48.160 don't know what is. I mean. These guys are going 0:04:48.200 --> 0:04:51.080 to be motivated enough, obviously, these young guys their first 0:04:51.160 --> 0:04:54.960 NFL preseason action to to make an impression. But hey, 0:04:55.040 --> 0:04:57.720 you also you want to catch number twelves I here 0:04:57.800 --> 0:05:01.360 and and and say hey, I'm I'm improving, I'm doing better. 0:05:01.400 --> 0:05:03.360 I heard what you said. I'm going to get this 0:05:03.440 --> 0:05:05.760 thing straightened out because they all want to get on 0:05:05.800 --> 0:05:07.640 the same page with wall I'm glad you brought this 0:05:07.720 --> 0:05:09.960 up to Michael because for me, the one thing you know, 0:05:10.000 --> 0:05:13.080 and you've covered Rodgers basically his entire career here, he 0:05:13.160 --> 0:05:15.599 doesn't say anything for the sake of saying it. There's 0:05:15.640 --> 0:05:18.120 always meaning behind it, there's a reason. And when he 0:05:18.200 --> 0:05:21.200 was talking about that, yes, you can perseverate on what 0:05:21.320 --> 0:05:23.760 his comments were about some of the young receivers and things. 0:05:24.080 --> 0:05:26.440 But the thing I thought about was two years ago 0:05:26.839 --> 0:05:30.359 in those scout team reps. At that time, Geronimo Allison 0:05:30.440 --> 0:05:33.000 was a nobody. He was a guy that played a 0:05:33.040 --> 0:05:35.440 couple of seasons at Illinois, had a little bit of 0:05:35.440 --> 0:05:38.400 buzz to him as an undrafted free agent. Aaron Rodgers 0:05:38.400 --> 0:05:40.440 goes in there and run some of that scout team stuff. 0:05:40.480 --> 0:05:42.320 While I believe at the time, I want to say 0:05:42.320 --> 0:05:45.200 it was what Brett Hunley and Scott Tolzine basically running 0:05:45.400 --> 0:05:48.120 the first team stuff. Going into that first preseason game, 0:05:48.880 --> 0:05:52.160 Geronimo Allison started to make plays. Geronimo Allison started to 0:05:52.160 --> 0:05:55.040 show something to Aaron Rodgers. It's a challenge, it's a 0:05:55.160 --> 0:05:57.360 challenge to those young receivers on this roster to be 0:05:57.400 --> 0:05:59.960 the next Geronimo Allison. Not maybe necessarily from the stand 0:06:00.040 --> 0:06:02.599 point of a college free agent trying to make a roster, 0:06:02.680 --> 0:06:05.040 but as a young player trying to show that their 0:06:05.080 --> 0:06:08.800 skill set, their tools can apply to this level. You 0:06:08.880 --> 0:06:11.520 can't have any let up. We know how important these 0:06:11.520 --> 0:06:14.239 training camp practices are, especially when they're in the pads. 0:06:14.480 --> 0:06:16.039 You only get so many of them. You have to 0:06:16.080 --> 0:06:18.440 make that work count and I think for those young 0:06:18.480 --> 0:06:20.520 guys that definitely is going to be a challenge for 0:06:20.560 --> 0:06:22.600 them to, you know, rise next time they around the 0:06:22.600 --> 0:06:24.400 field with him. Yeah, when you talk about a guy 0:06:24.480 --> 0:06:29.080 like Jake Kumero, Aaron Rodgers has been very praiseworthy of 0:06:29.120 --> 0:06:31.400 this young man. He spent time a couple of years 0:06:31.440 --> 0:06:34.200 on the practice squad with the Cincinnati Bengals, also some 0:06:34.279 --> 0:06:36.760 practice squad time with the New England Patriots. The Packers 0:06:36.760 --> 0:06:38.600 brought him in right at the end of last season, 0:06:38.960 --> 0:06:42.400 then signed him to the offseason roster when when things 0:06:42.400 --> 0:06:44.560 were done, he's talked about, you know, he learned from 0:06:44.600 --> 0:06:46.720 a guy like a j. Green and Cincinnati one of 0:06:46.760 --> 0:06:48.960 the best in the league sort of, you know, his 0:06:48.960 --> 0:06:52.920 his preparation, how he goes about his job. And uh, 0:06:52.960 --> 0:06:55.560 as I said in our Final Thoughts video, which will 0:06:55.600 --> 0:06:57.680 be up on Packers dot Com, which we just got 0:06:57.680 --> 0:07:00.440 done taping before we stepped in here, I don't know 0:07:00.440 --> 0:07:03.440 what else Jay Kumarro can do on the practice field. 0:07:03.640 --> 0:07:06.200 The preseason games are here. Now it's like, okay, now, 0:07:06.279 --> 0:07:08.640 let's see what he can do in the game setting. 0:07:08.800 --> 0:07:11.960 And if he continues to make the impression that he's made, 0:07:12.400 --> 0:07:14.480 it could be very difficult to leave him off of 0:07:14.480 --> 0:07:16.600 this rous Well, and what's funny to me, Mike, In 0:07:16.640 --> 0:07:20.160 no disrespect to the wonderful University of Wisconsin, Whitewater won 0:07:20.240 --> 0:07:23.200 numerous Division three championships, but heck of a program. How 0:07:23.320 --> 0:07:25.440 this guy ever ended up at the D three level. 0:07:25.760 --> 0:07:28.200 This is a Division one caliber athlete. You look at 0:07:28.280 --> 0:07:30.800 his bloodlines, where his family comes from, and he did 0:07:30.880 --> 0:07:33.360 start there, but but he was a walk on. He 0:07:33.360 --> 0:07:35.880 didn't get a Division one scholarship. Yeah. So, I mean 0:07:35.920 --> 0:07:38.680 in Gerontoy Ellison talking with him, you know last week 0:07:38.720 --> 0:07:41.360 he even mentioned they didn't play together, their time didn't correlate, 0:07:41.400 --> 0:07:43.920 but they played with some of the same people. And uh, 0:07:43.960 --> 0:07:45.800 they really was a big thinking there that this is 0:07:45.800 --> 0:07:48.360 a kid that could could be a player, and for 0:07:48.440 --> 0:07:50.520 him and you even saw, like look at Jared Aberdaris 0:07:50.520 --> 0:07:52.560 at Wisconsin what he did walking on at a Big 0:07:52.560 --> 0:07:54.680 ten school and then becoming a draft pick later on 0:07:54.720 --> 0:07:57.360 and having the success he did. I look at Kumro 0:07:57.520 --> 0:08:00.680 and and I just I don't see a Division three players. 0:08:00.680 --> 0:08:02.280 What I'm trying to say it is, he said, And 0:08:02.280 --> 0:08:03.960 I thought it was his best quote so far this 0:08:03.960 --> 0:08:06.280 whole camp is when he's on the field, he doesn't 0:08:06.280 --> 0:08:08.160 think of himself as a D three player. He thinks 0:08:08.200 --> 0:08:11.040 of himself is one of ten or eleven, twelve receivers 0:08:11.040 --> 0:08:13.760 trying to make a roster. He was watching, he was 0:08:13.880 --> 0:08:17.000 listing when the Packers drafted three receivers in the draft. 0:08:17.400 --> 0:08:20.200 What does that tell you to him? It wasn't that 0:08:20.280 --> 0:08:22.560 he well, this is just, uh, you know, there's no 0:08:22.640 --> 0:08:25.200 chance I'm gonna make this roster now. It was telling 0:08:25.280 --> 0:08:27.400 him that there's opportunity here and they're looking for these 0:08:27.440 --> 0:08:29.920 young guys to step up. And I think he's really 0:08:29.920 --> 0:08:31.360 done that through the first two weeks of camp and 0:08:31.400 --> 0:08:33.120 now needs to do it in a preseason game. Yeah. 0:08:33.120 --> 0:08:35.760 It's one of those things that once everybody's in here 0:08:35.760 --> 0:08:37.959 in camp and you get to these preseason games. It 0:08:38.040 --> 0:08:40.199 doesn't matter where you came from, doesn't matter where you 0:08:40.240 --> 0:08:42.440 were drafted, how you got to Green Bay. It's what 0:08:42.480 --> 0:08:44.880 you do on the field in in those preseason games. 0:08:44.920 --> 0:08:46.560 And these guys are gonna be watched close. In a 0:08:46.640 --> 0:08:49.400 similar message to for D'Angelo Yancey. He he had a 0:08:49.400 --> 0:08:52.240 big career at Purdue. He was a fifth round draft 0:08:52.240 --> 0:08:54.120 pick last year, didn't make the roster, spent the whole 0:08:54.160 --> 0:08:56.800 year on the priests and the practice squad. He's coming 0:08:56.840 --> 0:08:58.599 back this year as a practice squad guy, trying to 0:08:58.640 --> 0:09:00.720 make this roster. And I think he's done some nice things. 0:09:00.760 --> 0:09:03.280 I like how he operates in the slot. And Aaron Rodgers, 0:09:03.320 --> 0:09:06.000 you know, even mentioned to the progress he's made. It's 0:09:06.040 --> 0:09:08.400 noticeable going from year one to year two. Yeah. Well, 0:09:08.400 --> 0:09:11.520 another position that will definitely be watching on the offensive 0:09:11.520 --> 0:09:15.360 side of the ball is offensive tackle. Brian Bulaga back 0:09:15.400 --> 0:09:18.280 in practice on a limited basis. I would imagine he's 0:09:18.280 --> 0:09:21.120 not going to play Thursday night. David Baktari is currently 0:09:21.120 --> 0:09:25.319 out with an ankle injury. Fortunately said nothing catastrophic, your 0:09:25.360 --> 0:09:29.439 basic garden variety basketball sprained ankle, so he'll just need 0:09:29.520 --> 0:09:33.920 some time to heal. But that puts the competition for 0:09:34.400 --> 0:09:37.920 the backup tackle positions and the pecking order. They're kind 0:09:37.920 --> 0:09:40.640 of into the spotlight. You have Kyle Murphy, Jason Spriggs 0:09:41.040 --> 0:09:43.920 to third year guys coming off of injuries of their 0:09:43.960 --> 0:09:46.240 own from last year. And then a veteran Byron Bell 0:09:46.280 --> 0:09:49.200 who was brought in as a free agent, has started 0:09:49.440 --> 0:09:52.760 for multiple teams that multiple positions across the line through 0:09:52.840 --> 0:09:55.640 his career thus far. These guys are going to get 0:09:55.640 --> 0:09:59.240 a lot of snaps at offensive tackle, left side, right side, 0:09:59.280 --> 0:10:02.920 whatever you want to say on Thursday night, and uh, 0:10:02.960 --> 0:10:05.120 it's it's a chance for them to make an impression 0:10:05.120 --> 0:10:08.440 as well as the coaching staff is going to decide, Okay, 0:10:08.480 --> 0:10:11.400 if there's a game that Bolaga or bok tr can't play, 0:10:11.440 --> 0:10:13.640 who's the guy that we're going to call? Yeah, exactly. 0:10:13.679 --> 0:10:15.760 And you look at Spriggs, he put on that extra 0:10:15.760 --> 0:10:18.400 weight this offseason, right in that twenty pound range. He 0:10:18.440 --> 0:10:20.640 looks more, he looks fuller, he looks like an NFL 0:10:21.000 --> 0:10:23.680 tackle now and trying to make the progress and the 0:10:23.679 --> 0:10:26.439 steps there. Kyle Murphy coming back off the foot injury, 0:10:26.720 --> 0:10:29.120 I really liked what I saw from Murphy last year. 0:10:29.160 --> 0:10:31.720 I mean before Justin mccraie became kind of a thing 0:10:32.440 --> 0:10:34.800 with with him being thrown in at basically every position 0:10:34.840 --> 0:10:37.320 and having to make do. Kyle Murphy was actually that 0:10:37.400 --> 0:10:41.120 first guy. He was sort of practicing the entire offseason program. 0:10:41.160 --> 0:10:42.960 At first, he was working at guard. There was thought 0:10:42.960 --> 0:10:44.880 that maybe he compete for a starting job there before 0:10:44.960 --> 0:10:47.760 Jerry Evans was signed. Then he's working at right tackle 0:10:48.360 --> 0:10:51.360 for a spell, and then sure enough, probably one of 0:10:51.400 --> 0:10:53.400 the freakiest of freak injuries you'll ever see with the 0:10:53.720 --> 0:10:56.640 BAKR and the opener, and now Kyle Murphy had to 0:10:56.640 --> 0:10:58.480 be the starting left tackle for the Green Bay Packers, 0:10:58.480 --> 0:11:00.880 and I thought he managed that role well for two weeks, 0:11:01.200 --> 0:11:04.319 unfortunately suffered that foot injury. But now coming back and 0:11:04.320 --> 0:11:07.719 in working both those sides, it's valuable experience. And Mike 0:11:07.800 --> 0:11:10.080 McCarthy says it time and time again. You want to 0:11:10.080 --> 0:11:12.080 be able to just get a guy work at one spot. 0:11:12.160 --> 0:11:15.280 That's what's happening with McCray this year. But realistically, when 0:11:15.320 --> 0:11:17.640 you're the sixth or seventh offensive lineman going into a 0:11:17.640 --> 0:11:20.360 regular season, you have to be ready to play anywhere 0:11:21.040 --> 0:11:24.280 McCray did an except exceptional job of that last year. 0:11:24.520 --> 0:11:26.400 Now you're looking at Murphy and Spriggs trying to do 0:11:26.440 --> 0:11:29.240 the same thing. Yeah, I will say for the lack 0:11:29.280 --> 0:11:32.880 of experience that Murphy had his rookie season, he hardly 0:11:32.880 --> 0:11:35.080 played maybe a little bit on special teams like on 0:11:35.200 --> 0:11:38.520 field goal protection or something like that, he when he 0:11:38.600 --> 0:11:41.160 was thrown into it, especially at left tackle, you're protecting 0:11:41.200 --> 0:11:43.920 the blind side of the franchise here in Aaron Rodgers. 0:11:44.160 --> 0:11:46.720 I thought he was a pleasant surprise in terms of 0:11:46.800 --> 0:11:49.560 really how he held up. And as we talk about 0:11:49.559 --> 0:11:52.240 with offensive lineman, there a story going into the game, 0:11:52.520 --> 0:11:54.480 but then if they're not a story coming out of 0:11:54.480 --> 0:11:56.679 the game, that's a good thing. And I thought after 0:11:56.880 --> 0:11:59.080 that first start he had at left tackle, we weren't 0:11:59.080 --> 0:12:01.480 really talking about com more. If it's like, okay, he's 0:12:01.480 --> 0:12:03.120 holding his own, you know, he'll be all right. And 0:12:03.120 --> 0:12:05.560 and that's a credit to him because nobody really knew 0:12:05.679 --> 0:12:07.880 except for him. He's a very confident guy. He was 0:12:07.960 --> 0:12:10.800 very confident in his abilities, but nobody else knew on 0:12:10.840 --> 0:12:13.600 the outside, you know, really what to expect. He showed 0:12:13.679 --> 0:12:16.280 up and unfortunately the injury. Now he's come back from it. 0:12:16.400 --> 0:12:18.679 He's been working both sides, as you said, and uh, 0:12:18.720 --> 0:12:21.240 and this is another chance for him to to start 0:12:21.320 --> 0:12:23.559 fresh and to make that impression through the preseason. And 0:12:23.640 --> 0:12:25.560 then the side did that too, Mike, I I've wrote 0:12:25.559 --> 0:12:27.560 about in the offseason. You tip your cap to James 0:12:27.559 --> 0:12:29.760 camp and because what they had to go through last year, 0:12:29.840 --> 0:12:32.960 lane Taylor playing left tackle game, you had to have 0:12:33.000 --> 0:12:36.160 all these different moving parts. Justin McCrae was a street 0:12:36.200 --> 0:12:38.400 free agent at the end of March and he ends 0:12:38.440 --> 0:12:41.240 up starting eight games for you at multiple positions. The 0:12:41.240 --> 0:12:43.360 Packers don't want to repeat that again, but I thought 0:12:43.360 --> 0:12:45.000 that was one of the ultimate silver linings for that 0:12:45.040 --> 0:12:47.360 offense last year, is the way they actually dealt with that. Yeah, 0:12:47.360 --> 0:12:50.440 all right, Well, before we pivot to the defensive side 0:12:50.440 --> 0:12:52.360 of the ball here, West, I want to take care 0:12:52.400 --> 0:12:54.800 of some sponsor business at home or here in the stands. 0:12:54.880 --> 0:12:56.760 We all know that Green Bay fans give it their 0:12:56.760 --> 0:12:59.199 all and that takes a lot of energy. So grab 0:12:59.200 --> 0:13:01.800 a warm bowl of Campbell's Chunky Soup. It's meaty goodness 0:13:01.880 --> 0:13:05.160 fuels the greatness of Packers fans everywhere. Try the delicious 0:13:05.160 --> 0:13:08.679 classic chicken noodle soup. Just visit your local supermarket and 0:13:08.720 --> 0:13:11.840 ask for Campbell's Chunky Soup, the official sup partner of 0:13:11.880 --> 0:13:14.680 the Green Bay Packers. Okay, defensive side of the ball here, 0:13:14.679 --> 0:13:17.480 preseason game number one. I know there's a lot that 0:13:17.520 --> 0:13:20.320 needs to be sorted out in the secondary, a very 0:13:20.400 --> 0:13:23.880 deep group that the Packers have. We've seen Kevin King, 0:13:23.960 --> 0:13:27.040 Jayra Alexander not practicing this week with would have been 0:13:27.480 --> 0:13:31.120 termed as minor injuries. I'm not necessarily going to be 0:13:31.160 --> 0:13:33.880 watching the secondary as much in this game as I 0:13:33.920 --> 0:13:38.239 am the linebackers, because whether you're talking inside or outside linebackers, 0:13:38.240 --> 0:13:41.920 there's a lot of young guys here that frankly need 0:13:42.000 --> 0:13:45.400 to get ready to play in and they haven't played 0:13:45.400 --> 0:13:47.800 a whole heck of a lot of NFL football at 0:13:47.840 --> 0:13:50.680 this point. Starting on the inside. You know Jake Ryan 0:13:50.760 --> 0:13:53.880 season ending a c L injury. This is an awfully 0:13:53.920 --> 0:13:55.959 big game for a guy like orn Burke's, isn't it. 0:13:55.960 --> 0:13:58.360 It really is a third round draft pick. Talking to 0:13:58.440 --> 0:14:00.360 him about a week and a half ago, he mentioned 0:14:00.400 --> 0:14:02.480 this is his opportunity, This is his big shot to 0:14:02.520 --> 0:14:04.240 show why he was a third round draft pick and 0:14:04.280 --> 0:14:06.280 why the Packers had the belief in him to make 0:14:06.320 --> 0:14:09.240 him that that selection and and really I've wrote about 0:14:09.280 --> 0:14:11.640 this too. No matter what happened with Jake, Ryan, Orn 0:14:11.679 --> 0:14:13.360 Burks was going to have a role on this defense 0:14:13.440 --> 0:14:15.400 this year. He was. They talked to Hi about the 0:14:15.440 --> 0:14:18.240 coverage linebacker duties. You know how a season goes the 0:14:18.280 --> 0:14:21.040 inside linebacker position, the amount of contact there is at 0:14:21.040 --> 0:14:23.360 that spot. You have to have multiple options. The last 0:14:23.400 --> 0:14:25.960 three years have proven that, and Joe Thomas was one 0:14:26.000 --> 0:14:28.680 of those fixtures along with Ryan and Martinez. Well he's 0:14:28.720 --> 0:14:31.120 gone now, so now you have Oren Burks coming in. 0:14:31.240 --> 0:14:34.480 I love his measurables, I love his speed, athleticism. Needs 0:14:34.480 --> 0:14:35.800 to show that he can be come in and be 0:14:36.040 --> 0:14:37.920 an impact player right off the bat. There may be 0:14:38.040 --> 0:14:41.120 nobody being coached harder on the practice field right now 0:14:41.160 --> 0:14:43.800 than or Burks. I'll just say that for anybody who's 0:14:43.800 --> 0:14:46.920 been at practice. You hear inside linebackers coach run game 0:14:47.040 --> 0:14:50.040 defensive run game coordinator Patrick Graham. You're hearing his voice 0:14:50.080 --> 0:14:52.360 all the time, and he's saying, oh, b a lot 0:14:52.480 --> 0:14:55.640 for or and Burks because there's he's he's just on him, 0:14:55.680 --> 0:14:58.640 and it's it's just a reflection of the sense of 0:14:58.720 --> 0:15:02.000 urgency because they leaving this kid, third round pick out 0:15:02.000 --> 0:15:06.880 of Vanderbilt, and his role got exponentially larger in when 0:15:06.960 --> 0:15:09.200 Jake Ryan went down. He did and and you know, 0:15:09.520 --> 0:15:11.520 we get these questions a lot in inbox, Mike. I 0:15:11.520 --> 0:15:13.360 know you've been answering him. I've been answering him. You know, 0:15:13.360 --> 0:15:16.239 why don't the Packers go out sign a veteran inside linebacker? 0:15:16.880 --> 0:15:18.600 And the point I want to make is one Brian 0:15:18.600 --> 0:15:21.760 Goodcoin's the scouting department, even the coaching staff to some extent, 0:15:21.960 --> 0:15:23.840 they're challenging these young guys. A guy like a Mod 0:15:23.840 --> 0:15:26.520 Thomas coming back off the practice squad, also a converted 0:15:26.520 --> 0:15:29.320 safety trying to make that move. Grim Martiniz had a 0:15:29.320 --> 0:15:31.960 really impressive camp so far as an undrafted free agent, 0:15:32.040 --> 0:15:33.600 playing on a lot of special teams. You lot of 0:15:33.640 --> 0:15:35.760 special teams, drills and and they have quite a few 0:15:35.800 --> 0:15:38.760 options there. The reason why you don't always see a team, 0:15:38.760 --> 0:15:40.880 not just the Packers, but any NFL team, Okay, well 0:15:40.920 --> 0:15:42.440 we have an injury in a big position, go out 0:15:42.480 --> 0:15:44.840 sign a free agent. Well, now you're kind of pigeonholed 0:15:44.880 --> 0:15:47.240 into that free agent. He can't bring a guy in 0:15:47.760 --> 0:15:49.320 and then maybe not like what you see and just 0:15:49.360 --> 0:15:50.720 throw him on the bench. You have to know what 0:15:50.760 --> 0:15:52.720 you're doing. When the Packers did that with Cedric Benson 0:15:52.720 --> 0:15:55.560 in two thousand twelve, it was almost a worst case scenario, 0:15:55.720 --> 0:15:58.000 in case of emergency, break the glass kind of thing, 0:15:58.760 --> 0:16:00.320 and we saw it would end up been there. The 0:16:00.360 --> 0:16:03.200 Packers end up going with their young guys. Anyway, that's 0:16:03.240 --> 0:16:05.920 the big thing here. You have young guys, you've taken them, 0:16:05.920 --> 0:16:08.800 you've trusted them, you've developed them since April. You got 0:16:08.800 --> 0:16:10.680 to trust them to step up to this challenge. Yeah, 0:16:10.720 --> 0:16:13.080 you've got to see what they have in the preseason 0:16:13.120 --> 0:16:16.800 games when the lights come on, and we'll see what happens. Obviously, 0:16:16.920 --> 0:16:18.760 you never know if they're going to be more injuries. 0:16:19.000 --> 0:16:21.600 Maybe some guys emerge, maybe some guys don't pan out. 0:16:21.640 --> 0:16:23.680 We saw at the end of last season guys like 0:16:23.800 --> 0:16:26.040 Quentin Dial and a Mod Brooks were veterans who were 0:16:26.080 --> 0:16:28.640 brought in late in the process when the Packers felt 0:16:28.640 --> 0:16:31.280 they did need to fortify somethings. So just because they 0:16:31.320 --> 0:16:34.200 aren't signing somebody now doesn't mean they aren't going to. 0:16:34.280 --> 0:16:36.160 But at the same time, they're going to give these 0:16:36.200 --> 0:16:38.920 young guys that they've been developing a chance to show 0:16:38.920 --> 0:16:41.400 what they have and all you're doing by bringing a 0:16:41.480 --> 0:16:44.600 veteran guy now is taking away very valuable practice in 0:16:44.680 --> 0:16:47.480 preseason reps from the guys that you that you want 0:16:47.600 --> 0:16:50.040 to prove themselves. And if you do the maddened thing 0:16:50.160 --> 0:16:52.280 that I think all these fans want to do, not 0:16:52.400 --> 0:16:55.680 all them, but some, you know, that eliminates the potential 0:16:55.720 --> 0:16:58.600 of having a Justin McCrae or a Geronimo Allison or 0:16:58.680 --> 0:17:01.320 even like a Reggie Gilbert if to stack that group up. 0:17:01.360 --> 0:17:03.560 You know, who knows if Reggie Gilbert gets the opportunity 0:17:03.600 --> 0:17:04.920 that he did at the end of last year to 0:17:05.000 --> 0:17:07.040 kind of step up and now potentially be a contributor 0:17:07.080 --> 0:17:10.520 in this defense. Yeah, you have to trust your development process. 0:17:10.560 --> 0:17:12.720 It's a young man's game. There is certain times that 0:17:12.760 --> 0:17:14.760 it fits for a veteran. I think Jerry Evans was 0:17:14.760 --> 0:17:17.320 a good example that last year. But at the end 0:17:17.359 --> 0:17:19.159 of the day, you have young guys and you're developing 0:17:19.200 --> 0:17:21.560 them for a reason. And I think, again, we have 0:17:21.600 --> 0:17:23.440 to see all this preseason turns out, how the training 0:17:23.440 --> 0:17:26.440 camp turns out. But right now, with having Blake Martinez 0:17:26.520 --> 0:17:30.600 established and finding options next to him, the course action 0:17:30.680 --> 0:17:33.639 makes sense for the Packers. Yeah, with regards to the 0:17:33.680 --> 0:17:37.560 outside linebackers, Nick Perry is still on pup. Looks like 0:17:37.640 --> 0:17:40.960 he's maybe getting close to practicing, but has not been 0:17:40.960 --> 0:17:44.600 cleared yet. This first preseason game not likely. I would 0:17:44.600 --> 0:17:46.960 think that Clay Matthews would play, or if he does, 0:17:47.000 --> 0:17:50.760 it will be very limited. So here we go, Reggie Gilbert, 0:17:51.000 --> 0:17:55.919 Vince Biegel, Chris Odom, Kendall, Donnerson, Kyler Facral. You know, 0:17:56.359 --> 0:17:59.359 here's your chance. You know, show that you as we 0:17:59.359 --> 0:18:02.320 talked about with the offensive tackles, show that you're the 0:18:02.320 --> 0:18:05.240 guy that the coaches are going to call on first 0:18:05.680 --> 0:18:08.159 when Nick Perry or Clay Matthews needs to take a 0:18:08.160 --> 0:18:11.600 playoff or a game off as something happens with you know, 0:18:11.720 --> 0:18:14.680 an injury so to speak. So this is, uh, this 0:18:14.720 --> 0:18:17.000 is where it starts. There are four these preseason games. 0:18:17.040 --> 0:18:18.879 These guys are going to get a lot of reps 0:18:18.880 --> 0:18:20.840 and uh, and it's like, hey, who can set the 0:18:20.960 --> 0:18:23.000 edge and who can get after the quarterback. I've said 0:18:23.040 --> 0:18:25.920 this time and time again. I think there was kind 0:18:25.960 --> 0:18:28.480