WEBVTT - #777 Packers Unscripted: Kicking and catching

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<v Speaker 1>Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from

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<v Speaker 1>Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spofford, joined as always

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<v Speaker 1>by my partner at Crime Weston Hodkowitz. We're coming to

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<v Speaker 1>you here from our studios at lambeau Field reviewing week

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<v Speaker 1>three of OTA's West. We got another chance to see

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<v Speaker 1>a practice earlier this week Mini Campus next week that

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<v Speaker 1>will be the final week of the off season program.

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<v Speaker 1>But I'm just gonna throw this at you based on

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<v Speaker 1>what we saw on Tuesday, this kicking competition is getting

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<v Speaker 1>a little wild. That was not something that I think

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<v Speaker 1>I've seen as far as the volume of opportunities and

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<v Speaker 1>three guys going at it and just the craziness at

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<v Speaker 1>the end of practice with this kicking competition on Tuesday.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, Matt Lafleur said, this is the second time they've

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<v Speaker 2>done this in terms of the three guys all getting

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<v Speaker 2>opportunities in the same practice that in my time, I

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<v Speaker 2>think maybe they did it once after they signed Zach

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<v Speaker 2>Ramirez to come in with Giorgio Taveki at the end

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<v Speaker 2>of the thirteen camp. I think they might have with

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<v Speaker 2>Mason Crosby. I think they might have all done that

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<v Speaker 2>one day but then they cut Georgio the next day

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<v Speaker 2>or something like that. I've never witnessed anything like this.

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<v Speaker 2>First off, kudos goes to Rich Bisaccia and Byron Storer

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<v Speaker 2>in the special. They made it work like. It was

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<v Speaker 2>a pretty seamless transition in terms of all the guys

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<v Speaker 2>that got ops.

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<v Speaker 1>And it was clearly competitive, too, very competitive. Could you

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<v Speaker 1>could sense it? Yeah?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah. And at the end of the practice, then what

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<v Speaker 2>happened is they did the two minute drill and if

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<v Speaker 2>and actually I think even if they the offense didn't

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<v Speaker 2>get down the field, they still set it up for

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<v Speaker 2>the field goals. They end with I want to say

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<v Speaker 2>it was fifty seven yarders.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah they were. They were kicking. They were kicking long ones.

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<v Speaker 1>They were definitely fifty five plus.

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<v Speaker 2>And they all made it. So what they do, They

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<v Speaker 2>come and they rev it up a little bit more.

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<v Speaker 2>And as Greg Joseph said, he hasn't seen anything like

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<v Speaker 2>this since days back in college, where they had the

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<v Speaker 2>entire football team lined up around the offensive line, the snapper,

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<v Speaker 2>and obviously the kicker, and each guy had a shot

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<v Speaker 2>at from fifty one yards. Jack pez Lusni missed the opportunity.

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<v Speaker 2>Joseph also missed it. Final opportunity was Anders Carlson. He

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<v Speaker 2>puts it right through the uprights and was completely mobbed

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<v Speaker 2>by the entire football team. It was for as offseason

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<v Speaker 2>practices go. That was as much of a training camp

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<v Speaker 2>type feel as I think I've experienced.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, and the guys were having Maybe maybe it wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>so fun for the kickers.

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<v Speaker 2>No, for sure.

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<v Speaker 1>The rest of the guys, we're having a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>fun with it, because when they were creating this big

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<v Speaker 1>distracting thing, you know, getting up right up close to

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<v Speaker 1>the to the holder and the kicker and the snapper,

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<v Speaker 1>and you know they're they're kind of scorting their water.

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<v Speaker 1>They were squirting water bottles, but not just on the kicker,

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<v Speaker 1>but on Daniel Wheel and the holder and on you

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<v Speaker 1>know whoever.

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<v Speaker 2>The Daniel he's just learned his.

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<v Speaker 1>Job, Yeah, exactly, well, and on the snappers as well.

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<v Speaker 1>They were trying to distract those guys too. Obviously not

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<v Speaker 1>a not a realistic situation, but something where you're just

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<v Speaker 1>you're trying to create, You're trying to create a circumstance

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<v Speaker 1>where concentration is at a premium, right, That's that's what

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<v Speaker 1>they're after there, And and It wasn't just that, but

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<v Speaker 1>it was as you said, it was a fifty plus

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<v Speaker 1>yard field goal, so it wasn't just some kind of

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<v Speaker 1>a chip shot. It was fun to watch. I'm curious

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<v Speaker 1>to see, you know, how this kicking competition plays out

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<v Speaker 1>through the summer and through the preseason games, training camp

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<v Speaker 1>and everything. This has all the makings of something that

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<v Speaker 1>goes right down to as I sort of joked, right

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<v Speaker 1>down to checking in for the Brazil flight. That might

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<v Speaker 1>be right up until that point that the Packers make

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<v Speaker 1>their decision on who their kicker is going to be

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<v Speaker 1>for twenty twenty four.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, I do you know, we'll see yeah, loong they

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<v Speaker 2>keep the triad going there. But I do think there's

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<v Speaker 2>a benefit to having kickers in there the entire camp.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, I think back to some of these other

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<v Speaker 2>years in which they they kind of created competition, but

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<v Speaker 2>in some ways they didn't because you'd get to the

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<v Speaker 2>end of the off season program and then you know,

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<v Speaker 2>they cut a Ryan Winslow. You get a week in

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<v Speaker 2>the camp and they'd already figure out who their punter was.

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<v Speaker 2>Let's be honest about one thing, Mike, Not to say

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<v Speaker 2>that you can't have somebody come in on August eighth

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<v Speaker 2>and make a roster spot.

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<v Speaker 1>We've seen it happen before.

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<v Speaker 2>But generally speaking, your team is mostly set. I don't

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<v Speaker 2>know what kind of benefit there is to to shuffling

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<v Speaker 2>out a specialist to bring it in somebody else at

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<v Speaker 2>that juncture, assuming there's not an issue, a persistent issue

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<v Speaker 2>in practice with the guys that you have. So I

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<v Speaker 2>feel like, you know, pressure makes diamonds. And the one

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<v Speaker 2>thing I hope people can take a step back on

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<v Speaker 2>in relation to Charlson, just specifically, please understand that, yes,

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<v Speaker 2>there were too many missed extra points last year. Last

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<v Speaker 2>year the postseason, we saw what happened. It is not

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<v Speaker 2>easy to be a rookie kicker in the National Football League.

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<v Speaker 2>And the one difficult thing with drafting a kicker is

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<v Speaker 2>you are immediately put into the predicament of having to

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<v Speaker 2>decide how much latitude you give that individual, because, as

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<v Speaker 2>I've said umpteen times already, you don't want to find

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<v Speaker 2>yourself in a situation like the Vikings did where they

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<v Speaker 2>give up too early on Daniel Carlson. The guy goes

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<v Speaker 2>on to become an All Pro, it looks like he's

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<v Speaker 2>probably just gonna end up being the Raiders kicker for

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<v Speaker 2>the next ten years. When you have a guy that

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<v Speaker 2>you felt strongly about developmentally, you want to give him

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<v Speaker 2>the opportunity to compete for that job and give him

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<v Speaker 2>an honest, honest opportunity at that. They brought in Greg Joseph.

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<v Speaker 2>That's legitimate competition for him. Two guys that both kicked

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<v Speaker 2>in the NFC North last year. Made the best man win.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, and I think I totally agree with what you

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<v Speaker 1>said about Carlson. And obviously there's the lesson the vikings

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<v Speaker 1>learned with regard to his older brother and all that.

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<v Speaker 1>The interesting spot that the Packers are in here is

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<v Speaker 1>because of the run they made at the end of

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<v Speaker 1>the season. You were playing as well as anybody. You're

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<v Speaker 1>you know, an eyelash away from making it to the

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<v Speaker 1>NFC Championship Game, and a missed field goal late in

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<v Speaker 1>the fourth quarter was a big part of that. The

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<v Speaker 1>Packers are going to have an interesting decision to make

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<v Speaker 1>because I think they want to develop Anders Carlson and

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<v Speaker 1>they want to see him be the kicker here for

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<v Speaker 1>the next ten or twelve years and be the next

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<v Speaker 1>Mason Crosby for this organization. I think that's the that's

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<v Speaker 1>the goal, and that's the desire. But you can only

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<v Speaker 1>have so much patience when you're a contender, and when

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<v Speaker 1>you're playing, you believe you're a contender for a super

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<v Speaker 1>Bowl and you're playing for it. That's why Greg Joseph

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<v Speaker 1>was brought in. This is a guy he doesn't have

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<v Speaker 1>a huge pedigree in the NFL, but he's kicked in

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<v Speaker 1>a conference championship game with the Tennessee Titans earlier in

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<v Speaker 1>his career. He's been the guy for the Minnesota Vikings

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<v Speaker 1>for the last three years. Some interesting statistical quirks when

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<v Speaker 1>you look when you look at his career, I was

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<v Speaker 1>putting together a story that's actually going to appear on

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<v Speaker 1>our website on Friday. In Greg Joseph's career, he's only

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<v Speaker 1>missed one field goal inside of forty yards in his career,

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<v Speaker 1>but he's missed like sixteen extra points, which of course

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<v Speaker 1>there are thirty three yards. Now, maybe a couple of

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<v Speaker 1>those might have been after penalties and might have I

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<v Speaker 1>didn't do all the research, but it's just kind of strange,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, because he's been he's been really really solid

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<v Speaker 1>on anything inside forty yards, and he's been pretty darn

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<v Speaker 1>good from forty plus as well. But then you look

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<v Speaker 1>at the number of extra points he's missed and you

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<v Speaker 1>kind of scratch your head a little bit. So I

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<v Speaker 1>agree with you. It's absolutely you know, may the best

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<v Speaker 1>man win. From what we have seen, and again it's

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<v Speaker 1>only been one day a week in Ota, is from

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<v Speaker 1>what we have seen. I haven't seen anything from Anders

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<v Speaker 1>Carlson that tells me the Packers are just ready to

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<v Speaker 1>move on, you know. I haven't seen anything that tells

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<v Speaker 1>tells me that. But we have an entire training camp,

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<v Speaker 1>multiple preseason games and everything to go through to to

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<v Speaker 1>sort this thing out. And nobody's making any decisions right

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<v Speaker 1>now because nobody has to.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and this is when you want to make those decisions, honestly,

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<v Speaker 2>Like you know, I know there was some talk at

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<v Speaker 2>the end of last season like, Okay, well you're going

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<v Speaker 2>into the playoffs. If you're looking for a kicker in December,

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<v Speaker 2>you're in a bad spot because it's going to be

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<v Speaker 2>very rare. You're going to find somebody that's out on

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<v Speaker 2>the market, especially in the day and age where there's

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<v Speaker 2>practice squads available, where you're just going to be able

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<v Speaker 2>to put that guy in and count.

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<v Speaker 1>On Brian gudokunsett After the season, they they were looking.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, you know, with with the struggles that Carlson

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<v Speaker 1>was having, the Packers were making this run at a

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<v Speaker 1>playoff spot. They were looking and they felt personnel wise,

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<v Speaker 1>there wasn't a better option out there, or they would

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<v Speaker 1>have brought somebody else in. He said that after the season.

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<v Speaker 1>I have to take him at his word.

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<v Speaker 2>And I think the Packers did the best possible thing

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<v Speaker 2>in that. You know, it's gonna be very difficult to

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<v Speaker 2>go out and sign a guy like Matthew Gay a

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<v Speaker 2>year earlier. Where it's gonna be this is the top

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<v Speaker 2>of the line. You're gonna have to pay him free

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<v Speaker 2>agent while also still having honors there to compete for

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<v Speaker 2>that job. Yeah, Greg Joseph was a good middle ground

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<v Speaker 2>because he was allowed to walk as an unrestricted free

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<v Speaker 2>agent from Minnesota. But he's been around for a long time.

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<v Speaker 2>As he told you in the locker room on Tuesday.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, he's competed four jobs before. He learned a

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<v Speaker 2>lot from that experience. That's what kind of forged his mentality.

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<v Speaker 1>When he's won jobs and he's lost jobs, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>this is a guy who's been through this kicking competition

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<v Speaker 1>thing before.

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<v Speaker 2>When you talked about the weird quirk with his the

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<v Speaker 2>field goals the other thing. I remember doing the five

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<v Speaker 2>things on him. I was actually in Florida at the

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<v Speaker 2>time when they signed him, and he's had a really

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<v Speaker 2>interesting career because he talked about the challenges of kicking

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<v Speaker 2>in Cleveland and obviously being there one year. He had

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<v Speaker 2>a very unique thing where he went to Tennessee at

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<v Speaker 2>the end of I believe was the nineteen season.

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<v Speaker 1>Yes, it was towards It was the tail end of

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<v Speaker 1>the twenty nineteen season because Ryan suck Up hurt. Suck

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<v Speaker 1>Up got hurt for the Titans, and they they needed

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<v Speaker 1>a kicker and they brought him in and he ended

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<v Speaker 1>up being the guy that that carried them through that

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<v Speaker 1>held the position through the AFC Championship game.

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<v Speaker 2>And he only kicked extra points.

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<v Speaker 1>It was just until the playoffs.

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<v Speaker 2>Until the playoffs point, but he was I think he

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<v Speaker 2>had fifteen extra points or something like that.

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<v Speaker 1>He didn't yeah, for all the games toward the end

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<v Speaker 1>of the season. He didn't actually get a field goal

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<v Speaker 1>attempt until the postseason because all of his regular season

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<v Speaker 1>stats were just pat.

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<v Speaker 2>Find me, a guy that just hasn't even attempted one

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<v Speaker 2>in five crazy let alone make them. But I feel

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<v Speaker 2>like this is the great a great setup for them.

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<v Speaker 2>Pod Lesnie, I'm very interested to see what the approaches

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<v Speaker 2>with Green Bay takes with him. He was a guy

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<v Speaker 2>they signed back in January. That was the first sign

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<v Speaker 2>of a competition there. They decided to keep him around

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<v Speaker 2>even after signing Joseph. So it's gonna be very interesting

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<v Speaker 2>how it works out. But I feel like to get

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<v Speaker 2>back to my core argument here. You know, however many

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<v Speaker 2>it is the multiples, the plural keeping those guys around,

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<v Speaker 2>having a competition two or three getting into training camp,

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<v Speaker 2>I think is gonna beneficial for both Carlson and the

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<v Speaker 2>other kickers.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, we'll just have to see how it plays out.

0:11:19.280 --> 0:11:21.600
<v Speaker 1>I don't want to forget about the sponsor business today, Wes,

0:11:21.640 --> 0:11:26.040
<v Speaker 1>So I'm gonna do it right now. NFL Radio delivers

0:11:26.120 --> 0:11:28.760
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0:11:38.080 --> 0:11:40.440
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0:11:45.720 --> 0:11:49.200
<v Speaker 1>All right, Well, we know when we're standing there watching practice,

0:11:49.240 --> 0:11:52.640
<v Speaker 1>we get, we anticipate, we're waiting for the eleven on

0:11:52.679 --> 0:11:54.840
<v Speaker 1>eleven to start. Those are the plays we like to watch.

0:11:54.880 --> 0:11:55.960
<v Speaker 1>When they're going full.

0:11:55.760 --> 0:11:57.839
<v Speaker 2>Speed, when they're going full speed.

0:11:57.600 --> 0:12:00.520
<v Speaker 1>When they're going full speed. Yes, we've seen in we've

0:12:00.520 --> 0:12:02.720
<v Speaker 1>seen a lot of eleven on eleven at half speed,

0:12:02.760 --> 0:12:06.320
<v Speaker 1>which is which is not something from a reporter standpoint

0:12:06.320 --> 0:12:10.840
<v Speaker 1>that does a whole lot for us visually. But you

0:12:10.920 --> 0:12:13.240
<v Speaker 1>never know what you're gonna You never know what you're

0:12:13.240 --> 0:12:15.920
<v Speaker 1>gonna see with this Packers offense, as we've talked about,

0:12:15.960 --> 0:12:20.120
<v Speaker 1>with all these different receivers that are available, and where

0:12:20.160 --> 0:12:22.400
<v Speaker 1>the ball is going to go and lo and behold.

0:12:22.520 --> 0:12:25.400
<v Speaker 1>Right at the beginning of eleven on eleven on Tuesday,

0:12:26.000 --> 0:12:28.560
<v Speaker 1>Jordan Love lets one rip deep and who's the guy

0:12:28.679 --> 0:12:32.280
<v Speaker 1>running underneath it? Not Jayden Reed, not Christian Watson, not

0:12:32.440 --> 0:12:36.000
<v Speaker 1>Romeo Dobbs, not Don Davian Wicks, but Bo Melton seventy

0:12:36.000 --> 0:12:41.000
<v Speaker 1>five yard touchdown to kick off the eleven on eleven

0:12:41.080 --> 0:12:43.480
<v Speaker 1>and quite Frankly, I think it caught the defense's attention

0:12:43.600 --> 0:12:46.680
<v Speaker 1>because we saw the defense, you know, ratchet up their

0:12:46.720 --> 0:12:49.880
<v Speaker 1>play the rest of the eleven on eleven of practice

0:12:49.960 --> 0:12:54.440
<v Speaker 1>after that. But but man, I tell you, Bo Melton,

0:12:54.559 --> 0:12:58.680
<v Speaker 1>he's he's uh, he's still going to be in a

0:12:58.720 --> 0:13:04.160
<v Speaker 1>fight for a roster spot once again. But man, having

0:13:04.200 --> 0:13:06.559
<v Speaker 1>a guy like that on the depth chart where he

0:13:06.679 --> 0:13:10.000
<v Speaker 1>is for the Green Bay Packers says something about what

0:13:10.040 --> 0:13:11.400
<v Speaker 1>the Packers have at that position.

0:13:11.720 --> 0:13:14.760
<v Speaker 2>This the Melton family is one that fascinates me. And

0:13:14.800 --> 0:13:17.040
<v Speaker 2>I think, you know, assuming everything works out, Bo's on

0:13:17.040 --> 0:13:19.439
<v Speaker 2>the roster again this year, I think it'll be a

0:13:19.480 --> 0:13:21.959
<v Speaker 2>really interesting story to do going into his game against Max,

0:13:22.000 --> 0:13:23.720
<v Speaker 2>his younger brother, who was the second round pick of

0:13:24.440 --> 0:13:27.160
<v Speaker 2>Arizona when those two teams play in Week six. But

0:13:28.200 --> 0:13:31.560
<v Speaker 2>the high character of that group, both Max and Bow

0:13:31.640 --> 0:13:35.120
<v Speaker 2>they had other offers. They both decided to go to Rutgers. Now,

0:13:35.120 --> 0:13:39.240
<v Speaker 2>in Bo's case, that was definitely a big decision because

0:13:39.320 --> 0:13:41.880
<v Speaker 2>Rutgers has kind of turned a corner now that Schiano's

0:13:41.920 --> 0:13:44.080
<v Speaker 2>coming back there. They're a little bit more competitive they

0:13:44.080 --> 0:13:47.320
<v Speaker 2>were when Chris ash was there, and there were some

0:13:47.400 --> 0:13:51.880
<v Speaker 2>lean years where Bo was the guy and there wasn't

0:13:51.880 --> 0:13:54.240
<v Speaker 2>a whole lot of winning always happening. Now. I don't

0:13:54.240 --> 0:13:56.040
<v Speaker 2>know how much that affected his draft stock or not,

0:13:56.080 --> 0:13:58.040
<v Speaker 2>but he goes in the seventh round. John Schneider drafts

0:13:58.080 --> 0:14:00.880
<v Speaker 2>him into Seattle. He doesn't make the He's there the

0:14:01.040 --> 0:14:03.439
<v Speaker 2>entire season. The Green Bay Packers come calling at the

0:14:03.559 --> 0:14:06.400
<v Speaker 2>end of really the end of Aaron Rodgers era at

0:14:06.400 --> 0:14:10.120
<v Speaker 2>twenty two. Then the Packers, for the second straight year,

0:14:10.200 --> 0:14:13.640
<v Speaker 2>draft three straight three receivers in the draft. Yeah, competition

0:14:13.720 --> 0:14:17.480
<v Speaker 2>of plenty bodies, of plenty investments a plenty for the Packers.

0:14:17.559 --> 0:14:19.480
<v Speaker 2>Bo doesn't make the roster. I went back and looked

0:14:19.520 --> 0:14:23.000
<v Speaker 2>Mike preseason last year, Bo had one catch for three yards.

0:14:23.040 --> 0:14:24.600
<v Speaker 2>It's gonna be hard to make the roster with that

0:14:24.600 --> 0:14:27.240
<v Speaker 2>type of production in the preseason, yep. But what happens.

0:14:27.280 --> 0:14:29.280
<v Speaker 2>He sticks it out, He stays in Green Bay, and

0:14:29.320 --> 0:14:33.240
<v Speaker 2>he was an absolute electric piece for this defense or

0:14:33.240 --> 0:14:35.240
<v Speaker 2>for this offense in that final stretch of the season.

0:14:35.400 --> 0:14:37.400
<v Speaker 2>As Matt Leffuor said, the first receiver to have a

0:14:37.520 --> 0:14:39.880
<v Speaker 2>hundred yard game for the Packers, and after that, Dantavian

0:14:39.880 --> 0:14:41.400
<v Speaker 2>Wicks I think came right after it. I think maybe

0:14:41.480 --> 0:14:42.080
<v Speaker 2>Romeo Dobbs.

0:14:42.320 --> 0:14:44.520
<v Speaker 1>Dobbs had the one in the playoffs in Dallas.

0:14:44.240 --> 0:14:47.080
<v Speaker 2>The domino effects started. Yeah, So bringing this all back

0:14:47.120 --> 0:14:51.280
<v Speaker 2>to practice on Tuesday, in so many cases, it would

0:14:51.280 --> 0:14:54.040
<v Speaker 2>have been almost a surprise to see someone like Melton

0:14:54.080 --> 0:14:56.680
<v Speaker 2>who is running with the ones. This is Jordan Love

0:14:56.760 --> 0:15:00.200
<v Speaker 2>throwing the ball right, But as he was taught talking

0:15:00.200 --> 0:15:02.160
<v Speaker 2>about afterwards, that's a play they've been trying to hit

0:15:02.240 --> 0:15:04.240
<v Speaker 2>for a couple of these practices now. They wanted to

0:15:04.280 --> 0:15:06.640
<v Speaker 2>get a big moment there, and as it just turns out,

0:15:06.720 --> 0:15:09.160
<v Speaker 2>Xavier McKinney subbed out right before that. So the Packers

0:15:09.200 --> 0:15:11.960
<v Speaker 2>have the young secondary, they have the two young safeties

0:15:12.000 --> 0:15:14.400
<v Speaker 2>back there, and he runs a post route and nobody

0:15:14.400 --> 0:15:17.280
<v Speaker 2>covers him. Yeah, And it was funny listening to him

0:15:17.280 --> 0:15:20.280
<v Speaker 2>describe it because he's like, you know, I look back

0:15:20.480 --> 0:15:22.160
<v Speaker 2>and the ball isn't in the area yet, and at

0:15:22.200 --> 0:15:24.720
<v Speaker 2>that moment he knows exactly what's happening because he's one

0:15:24.800 --> 0:15:27.320
<v Speaker 2>run in the deep route. Jordan Love probably threw his

0:15:27.360 --> 0:15:28.760
<v Speaker 2>best pass of the day. He puts it right on

0:15:28.760 --> 0:15:31.400
<v Speaker 2>his receiver. Would have been a seventy five yard touchdown. Mike,

0:15:31.440 --> 0:15:33.760
<v Speaker 2>this is a guy. Last year twenty plus receptions. I

0:15:33.760 --> 0:15:35.560
<v Speaker 2>think he was right up there with some of the

0:15:35.560 --> 0:15:37.480
<v Speaker 2>best receivers in the league during the final month of

0:15:37.520 --> 0:15:41.040
<v Speaker 2>the season in terms of the explosive plays. And it's

0:15:41.320 --> 0:15:43.440
<v Speaker 2>moments like that that show you both the character of

0:15:43.440 --> 0:15:46.240
<v Speaker 2>the individual, the athleticism of the individual, and just his

0:15:46.280 --> 0:15:48.440
<v Speaker 2>ability to execute. Bo Melton is not going away.

0:15:48.560 --> 0:15:50.840
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, no, he's not. He's going to be. He's going

0:15:50.920 --> 0:15:53.600
<v Speaker 1>to be in this fight for a roster spot, for

0:15:53.640 --> 0:15:57.320
<v Speaker 1>playing time, for opportunities, just as he was last year.

0:15:57.920 --> 0:16:02.480
<v Speaker 1>It's really interesting the the dynamic that the Packers have

0:16:02.560 --> 0:16:05.600
<v Speaker 1>at wide receiver. I wrote us, you wrote a story

0:16:05.640 --> 0:16:07.880
<v Speaker 1>on bow Melton that is on our website. The night

0:16:07.920 --> 0:16:10.960
<v Speaker 1>before that story went up, I wrote about the whole

0:16:11.040 --> 0:16:13.600
<v Speaker 1>question that's that's been discussed a lot. We've discussed it

0:16:13.640 --> 0:16:16.880
<v Speaker 1>on this show, you know about do the Packers have

0:16:17.000 --> 0:16:20.000
<v Speaker 1>a number a true number one wide receiver? Do they

0:16:20.080 --> 0:16:22.520
<v Speaker 1>need to have somebody emerge as a true number one

0:16:22.520 --> 0:16:27.720
<v Speaker 1>wide receiver? And when you look at what Green Bay

0:16:27.760 --> 0:16:31.720
<v Speaker 1>has going on right now, while with an entire receiving

0:16:31.760 --> 0:16:35.600
<v Speaker 1>corps that is that is six seven, eight deep, quite frankly,

0:16:35.640 --> 0:16:38.080
<v Speaker 1>there are gonna be guys that maybe they get a

0:16:38.080 --> 0:16:41.120
<v Speaker 1>look from somebody on the waiver wire, or they're going

0:16:41.160 --> 0:16:42.920
<v Speaker 1>to come back on the practice squad and maybe be

0:16:42.960 --> 0:16:45.240
<v Speaker 1>the next Bow Melton, who you know, hangs around on

0:16:45.280 --> 0:16:47.360
<v Speaker 1>the practice squad and then gets a chance later on.

0:16:47.840 --> 0:16:50.120
<v Speaker 1>All of that will see how it plays out. The

0:16:50.120 --> 0:16:52.640
<v Speaker 1>Packers have a whole bunch of these guys on their

0:16:52.720 --> 0:16:57.160
<v Speaker 1>rookie contracts, while justin Jefferson's you know, getting a new

0:16:57.200 --> 0:16:59.920
<v Speaker 1>deal for thirty five million a year, and Jaden Watta

0:17:00.200 --> 0:17:04.880
<v Speaker 1>from Miami's getting a new deal, and guys like Brandon

0:17:04.920 --> 0:17:09.480
<v Speaker 1>Aiyuk and others Ceedee Lamb are apparently holding out of

0:17:09.600 --> 0:17:13.800
<v Speaker 1>mandatory mini camp in with their clubs because they're looking

0:17:13.880 --> 0:17:16.840
<v Speaker 1>for new contracts and new extensions and get and getting

0:17:16.920 --> 0:17:20.240
<v Speaker 1>the big money wallets out there for the wide receivers.

0:17:20.800 --> 0:17:23.200
<v Speaker 1>Packers are gonna have plenty of decisions to make over

0:17:23.240 --> 0:17:25.480
<v Speaker 1>the next couple of years in terms of those second

0:17:25.560 --> 0:17:29.119
<v Speaker 1>contracts and where to invest the money. But man, is

0:17:29.119 --> 0:17:31.239
<v Speaker 1>it a nice spot to be in right now, isn't it?

0:17:31.440 --> 0:17:33.800
<v Speaker 1>With with with where the Packers are a wide receiver.

0:17:33.600 --> 0:17:35.639
<v Speaker 2>For two more years? I mean now you can do

0:17:35.680 --> 0:17:37.040
<v Speaker 2>some extensions next year if you want it.

0:17:37.119 --> 0:17:40.800
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, next next year, Romeo Dobs and Christian Watson become

0:17:40.960 --> 0:17:44.760
<v Speaker 1>eligible for extensions because you when on your rookie contract,

0:17:44.760 --> 0:17:47.520
<v Speaker 1>you have to play three years before you can even

0:17:47.560 --> 0:17:49.919
<v Speaker 1>look at that contract and do anything to change it.

0:17:50.000 --> 0:17:53.080
<v Speaker 1>So those guys will get their third years in after

0:17:53.200 --> 0:17:56.840
<v Speaker 1>this season, and then for those draft picks from twenty

0:17:56.880 --> 0:17:58.680
<v Speaker 1>twenty three, it'll be another year after that.

0:17:58.920 --> 0:18:01.399
<v Speaker 2>When you are having a nice night out at the

0:18:01.440 --> 0:18:03.919
<v Speaker 2>Spafford residence, you want to take out missus Spofford for

0:18:03.920 --> 0:18:06.320
<v Speaker 2>a dinner, like, like, what are you looking for? Like

0:18:06.359 --> 0:18:07.880
<v Speaker 2>what type of food are you looking for?

0:18:08.400 --> 0:18:09.200
<v Speaker 1>I'm a fish guy.

0:18:09.280 --> 0:18:10.679
<v Speaker 2>You're a fish guy. Telapia?

0:18:10.920 --> 0:18:14.439
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, sure, A fancy preparation.

0:18:14.080 --> 0:18:17.000
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, fancy preparation. Well, here's what I love about the way,

0:18:17.000 --> 0:18:19.000
<v Speaker 2>because people I keep asking this question left and right,

0:18:19.000 --> 0:18:21.360
<v Speaker 2>and Rob Damofski wrote a really nice piece on Jiden Reid,

0:18:21.400 --> 0:18:23.840
<v Speaker 2>and there's reasons to look at all these guys and

0:18:23.880 --> 0:18:25.639
<v Speaker 2>say that could be a number one receiver. But this

0:18:25.720 --> 0:18:27.200
<v Speaker 2>is the way I look at it. I was thinking

0:18:27.200 --> 0:18:29.400
<v Speaker 2>about this a couple of nights ago. Yours is fish.

0:18:29.400 --> 0:18:32.800
<v Speaker 2>Mine's probably a nice filet. You go and if you

0:18:32.840 --> 0:18:35.159
<v Speaker 2>go to a restaurant and all they have, is that

0:18:35.240 --> 0:18:37.159
<v Speaker 2>really nice? Fish or in my case, a file at

0:18:37.520 --> 0:18:41.000
<v Speaker 2>and around it they have chicken nuggets and you have

0:18:41.480 --> 0:18:46.280
<v Speaker 2>fish sticks and you know, maybe some some reeses or

0:18:46.400 --> 0:18:49.359
<v Speaker 2>ritz crackers with some you know sau what are you

0:18:49.440 --> 0:18:51.360
<v Speaker 2>eating out of that? You're gonna go get your fish.

0:18:51.400 --> 0:18:54.720
<v Speaker 2>I'm gonna go get my file at the beautiful. Then

0:18:54.760 --> 0:18:58.560
<v Speaker 2>it's very easy to determine who the guy is, what

0:18:58.960 --> 0:19:01.639
<v Speaker 2>the main course is. Well, in the packers case, I

0:19:01.640 --> 0:19:05.560
<v Speaker 2>mean you got file a, you got you know, free

0:19:05.640 --> 0:19:09.119
<v Speaker 2>range chicken, you got you know, chile and sea bass,

0:19:09.119 --> 0:19:12.400
<v Speaker 2>you got lobster, you got all these different options that

0:19:12.800 --> 0:19:16.439
<v Speaker 2>when you have that, it opens up so many different

0:19:16.480 --> 0:19:20.200
<v Speaker 2>avenues for Jordan Love, it opens up so many avenues

0:19:20.600 --> 0:19:24.000
<v Speaker 2>for Matt Lafleur, And I think that's the beauty of it. Now.

0:19:24.560 --> 0:19:27.200
<v Speaker 2>As some people have been asking in the locker room,

0:19:27.400 --> 0:19:30.879
<v Speaker 2>ego's a big thing in this league. People receivers especially,

0:19:30.960 --> 0:19:33.440
<v Speaker 2>they want their touches, they want their ops. As Jason

0:19:33.480 --> 0:19:36.800
<v Speaker 2>Vrabel likes to talk about, it's difficult to juggle all

0:19:36.840 --> 0:19:39.960
<v Speaker 2>of that. But what's cool about this group is looking

0:19:39.960 --> 0:19:43.119
<v Speaker 2>at Jaden Reid quickly looking at Dontavian Wicks, two rookies

0:19:43.160 --> 0:19:45.159
<v Speaker 2>that in some ways we're kind of competing for snaps

0:19:45.240 --> 0:19:47.680
<v Speaker 2>last year. They get done with last season and both

0:19:47.720 --> 0:19:49.360
<v Speaker 2>of them say, you know what, we want to keep

0:19:49.359 --> 0:19:50.800
<v Speaker 2>this thing going. We want to keep the train on

0:19:50.840 --> 0:19:54.480
<v Speaker 2>the tracks. Weeks after the twenty twenty three season ends,

0:19:54.600 --> 0:19:57.320
<v Speaker 2>they're down in Florida together training for the upcoming season.

0:19:57.359 --> 0:19:59.880
<v Speaker 2>No quarterback. They're just running routes with each other. They're

0:20:00.000 --> 0:20:02.280
<v Speaker 2>looking out with each other, eating you know, grubhub with

0:20:02.320 --> 0:20:05.760
<v Speaker 2>each other because they felt like they have a common

0:20:05.840 --> 0:20:08.000
<v Speaker 2>nut bond there. They have a history, they have a past.

0:20:08.320 --> 0:20:10.639
<v Speaker 2>You look at bow Melton, you look at Christian Watson

0:20:10.680 --> 0:20:12.520
<v Speaker 2>going down to Madison to try to get some answers.

0:20:12.640 --> 0:20:15.120
<v Speaker 2>Romeo Dobbs the most consistent guy I think I've seen

0:20:15.160 --> 0:20:17.720
<v Speaker 2>as a young player in Green Bay at that position.

0:20:18.480 --> 0:20:20.600
<v Speaker 2>I wrote about it an inbox earlier this week. But

0:20:20.640 --> 0:20:22.640
<v Speaker 2>the culture of that room is what has allowed all

0:20:22.640 --> 0:20:24.680
<v Speaker 2>these guys to become playmakers. And Mike, if there's one

0:20:24.680 --> 0:20:27.760
<v Speaker 2>thing we've learned, you can look at, you know, Christian Kirk,

0:20:27.800 --> 0:20:29.040
<v Speaker 2>you can look at a lot of these guys. You

0:20:29.080 --> 0:20:31.600
<v Speaker 2>don't need to have one thousand yard season after one

0:20:31.600 --> 0:20:33.639
<v Speaker 2>thousand yard season to go get a big contract and

0:20:33.720 --> 0:20:36.840
<v Speaker 2>free agency if teams look at what you do with

0:20:36.880 --> 0:20:39.120
<v Speaker 2>your opportunities and they realize the type of difference maker

0:20:39.200 --> 0:20:41.879
<v Speaker 2>you are, you're going to get paid. In my credit,

0:20:41.960 --> 0:20:44.560
<v Speaker 2>my hack goes off to all those guys. Because Romeo

0:20:44.640 --> 0:20:47.120
<v Speaker 2>Dobbs last year, when Christian Watson was out and would

0:20:47.119 --> 0:20:49.159
<v Speaker 2>have been perceived to have been the number one receiver

0:20:49.240 --> 0:20:52.080
<v Speaker 2>in so many ways, he was still rooting for bou Melton.

0:20:52.080 --> 0:20:54.840
<v Speaker 2>He was still rooting for Dontavian Wicks. The culture of

0:20:54.840 --> 0:20:57.080
<v Speaker 2>that room has allowed this thing to stick together. And

0:20:57.119 --> 0:20:59.600
<v Speaker 2>when you have so many weapons and so many talented guys,

0:20:59.720 --> 0:21:01.320
<v Speaker 2>that's that's not always an easy thing to do.

0:21:01.520 --> 0:21:04.679
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, And this whole question of number one wide receiver,

0:21:05.080 --> 0:21:07.000
<v Speaker 1>yes or no, who's it going to be? Who does

0:21:07.040 --> 0:21:10.440
<v Speaker 1>it need to be? As you said with regard to

0:21:10.480 --> 0:21:13.440
<v Speaker 1>the culture of the room, those guys don't care. That's

0:21:13.480 --> 0:21:15.920
<v Speaker 1>not what they're thinking about. And that's to their credit

0:21:16.400 --> 0:21:19.480
<v Speaker 1>because of what that means for the team. What I

0:21:19.520 --> 0:21:24.760
<v Speaker 1>will say right now is that is that I think schematically,

0:21:25.440 --> 0:21:29.440
<v Speaker 1>And when I say schematically, I mean how defenses game

0:21:29.480 --> 0:21:34.600
<v Speaker 1>plan against you and and scheme to try to stop you. Schematically,

0:21:34.640 --> 0:21:37.400
<v Speaker 1>the Packers number one wide receiver is Christian Watson. He's

0:21:37.400 --> 0:21:41.399
<v Speaker 1>the one who impacts what the defense does the most.

0:21:42.400 --> 0:21:46.760
<v Speaker 1>But production wise, whether the Packers end up with the

0:21:46.880 --> 0:21:50.000
<v Speaker 1>number one receiver is still kind of the open question.

0:21:50.520 --> 0:21:52.960
<v Speaker 1>I think it could end up being Jaden Reid this year.

0:21:52.960 --> 0:21:55.840
<v Speaker 1>That wouldn't surprise me at all. It also wouldn't surprise

0:21:55.920 --> 0:21:59.879
<v Speaker 1>me if the Packers have a different player lead them

0:22:00.240 --> 0:22:04.880
<v Speaker 1>in receptions one hundred yards and a different guy in touchdowns,

0:22:05.359 --> 0:22:08.159
<v Speaker 1>because we've even seen not that long ago that a

0:22:08.240 --> 0:22:11.360
<v Speaker 1>tight end in Matt Lafleur's offense had double digit touchdowns

0:22:11.359 --> 0:22:13.920
<v Speaker 1>talking about Bobby Tunyan, of course, so who knows what

0:22:13.920 --> 0:22:16.480
<v Speaker 1>that means for Luke Musgrave say, if he can stay

0:22:16.520 --> 0:22:22.760
<v Speaker 1>healthy for an entire season. So the various statistical categories,

0:22:23.160 --> 0:22:25.880
<v Speaker 1>the whole number one idea could end up being spread

0:22:26.160 --> 0:22:29.320
<v Speaker 1>all across the board, right, And that's what's going to

0:22:29.359 --> 0:22:32.960
<v Speaker 1>be really fun about this offense. And as Jordan Love said,

0:22:34.480 --> 0:22:38.600
<v Speaker 1>moving forward, now you know they're out there in OTAs

0:22:38.760 --> 0:22:42.280
<v Speaker 1>where he's making checks and adjustments at the line of

0:22:42.320 --> 0:22:45.480
<v Speaker 1>scrimmage and they're running some different stuff, which twelve months

0:22:45.520 --> 0:22:48.919
<v Speaker 1>ago OTA's last year, that kind of stuff wasn't happening

0:22:49.000 --> 0:22:51.880
<v Speaker 1>because it was just about with Love as QB one

0:22:52.000 --> 0:22:55.359
<v Speaker 1>for the first time, with Dobbs and Watson just in

0:22:55.400 --> 0:22:57.800
<v Speaker 1>their second season, and then the rookies that came in

0:22:57.840 --> 0:23:00.720
<v Speaker 1>through the draft. It was all about just just get

0:23:00.760 --> 0:23:03.640
<v Speaker 1>the basics of the offense down. Let's get this figured out.

0:23:03.640 --> 0:23:07.760
<v Speaker 1>And we saw the progression obviously where the offense was,

0:23:07.880 --> 0:23:11.600
<v Speaker 1>especially the passing offense was early in the season versus

0:23:11.680 --> 0:23:15.080
<v Speaker 1>later in the season. One. Now they're just everybody individually,

0:23:15.119 --> 0:23:18.399
<v Speaker 1>whether it's Bo Melton and his strong finish or collectively

0:23:18.440 --> 0:23:21.040
<v Speaker 1>as a group, they're just trying to pick up where

0:23:21.080 --> 0:23:24.240
<v Speaker 1>they left off. And I think that's what makes that's

0:23:24.280 --> 0:23:27.439
<v Speaker 1>what makes this season so exciting offensively. With then the

0:23:27.520 --> 0:23:30.640
<v Speaker 1>added twist of a change at the number one running

0:23:30.680 --> 0:23:33.600
<v Speaker 1>backs with Josh Jacobs coming in for Aaron Jones and

0:23:33.640 --> 0:23:35.320
<v Speaker 1>what that's going to mean moving forward.

0:23:35.840 --> 0:23:38.240
<v Speaker 2>The thing we also need to acknowledge here, You hope

0:23:38.280 --> 0:23:42.959
<v Speaker 2>the Packers can stay healthy at those skill positions, hopefully

0:23:43.440 --> 0:23:47.040
<v Speaker 2>fingers crossed from a personal perspective, hopefully Christian Watson, everything

0:23:47.040 --> 0:23:49.040
<v Speaker 2>he did this offseason, the answers he got.

0:23:48.920 --> 0:23:51.359
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, And the interesting thing is part of the reason

0:23:51.400 --> 0:23:53.520
<v Speaker 1>we know so much about these guys and there is

0:23:53.560 --> 0:23:56.439
<v Speaker 1>so much confidence in these guys to make plays. Is

0:23:56.520 --> 0:23:58.800
<v Speaker 1>because of the injuries that happened last year and the

0:23:59.200 --> 0:24:02.320
<v Speaker 1>way the opportunit unities got spread around, the way bow

0:24:02.440 --> 0:24:06.080
<v Speaker 1>Melton was called upon, the way Malik Heath at times

0:24:06.160 --> 0:24:08.640
<v Speaker 1>last season was called upon to step up and make

0:24:08.720 --> 0:24:11.760
<v Speaker 1>some plays because of guys who were out. So, yes,

0:24:12.119 --> 0:24:15.720
<v Speaker 1>you hope for health, but the lack of health so

0:24:15.840 --> 0:24:18.919
<v Speaker 1>to speak, last season is partly why the Packers are

0:24:18.960 --> 0:24:20.280
<v Speaker 1>in the position they're in right now.

0:24:20.359 --> 0:24:21.720
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and then that that was kind of the point

0:24:21.720 --> 0:24:23.760
<v Speaker 2>I was gonna make the stocked into them alone here

0:24:24.400 --> 0:24:25.200
<v Speaker 2>that I was gonna make.

0:24:25.400 --> 0:24:28.080
<v Speaker 1>Sorry, no I stole, I stole the I stole the

0:24:28.160 --> 0:24:31.720
<v Speaker 1>pass for the slab dog, but we scored if we did. No.

0:24:31.960 --> 0:24:34.720
<v Speaker 2>But that's the point I'm trying to make though. Unfortunately,

0:24:34.840 --> 0:24:36.879
<v Speaker 2>injuries in twenty twenty three are and this goes a

0:24:36.960 --> 0:24:39.720
<v Speaker 2>tight end too. By the way, injuries in twenty twenty

0:24:39.760 --> 0:24:41.760
<v Speaker 2>three year is why we learned so much about these guys,

0:24:41.760 --> 0:24:43.920
<v Speaker 2>why we saw how many people stood out. Absolutely, and

0:24:44.040 --> 0:24:46.640
<v Speaker 2>it's not just Tuckercraft either. The way Ben Simms played

0:24:46.720 --> 0:24:48.760
<v Speaker 2>last year as an undrafted free agent, a guy that

0:24:48.880 --> 0:24:51.560
<v Speaker 2>by the way, he's huge. He's a big dude. He

0:24:51.760 --> 0:24:54.080
<v Speaker 2>wasn't just seen as like the Mercedes Lewis type. Okay,

0:24:54.080 --> 0:24:55.480
<v Speaker 2>this is gonna be a great blocking ten, and he

0:24:55.600 --> 0:24:58.439
<v Speaker 2>had to learn a lot in his role. Bow Melton

0:24:58.480 --> 0:25:00.840
<v Speaker 2>doesn't get the opportunities he gets last season if it

0:25:00.920 --> 0:25:04.080
<v Speaker 2>wasn't for unfortunately, the injury to Toure. You look at

0:25:04.119 --> 0:25:06.840
<v Speaker 2>Dantavian Wicks, he doesn't get that opportunity if if Christian

0:25:06.880 --> 0:25:09.640
<v Speaker 2>Watson isn't dealing with the hamstring. That was a question

0:25:09.720 --> 0:25:12.280
<v Speaker 2>I even asked Dantavian during our availability with him two

0:25:12.280 --> 0:25:15.240
<v Speaker 2>weeks ago, I mean, did you expect how much of this?

0:25:15.359 --> 0:25:16.879
<v Speaker 2>Did you surprise you to be able to come out

0:25:16.880 --> 0:25:18.480
<v Speaker 2>of the gates, right out of the way and produce

0:25:18.480 --> 0:25:19.520
<v Speaker 2>the way he did? He said, the only thing that

0:25:19.560 --> 0:25:21.680
<v Speaker 2>surprised me is how soon the opportunities came. He thought

0:25:21.720 --> 0:25:23.000
<v Speaker 2>he was gonna have to wait for him more so,

0:25:23.880 --> 0:25:27.720
<v Speaker 2>the best scenario in all this is Matt Lafleur, Jason Vrabel,

0:25:28.520 --> 0:25:32.240
<v Speaker 2>Ryan Mahaffey, all these guys, Adam Stenovich. The best scenario

0:25:32.359 --> 0:25:34.560
<v Speaker 2>is that they have difficult decisions to make with how

0:25:34.600 --> 0:25:38.080
<v Speaker 2>they want to build their game plans. You don't want

0:25:38.240 --> 0:25:41.879
<v Speaker 2>injuries to happen, but the fortification of this offense has

0:25:41.920 --> 0:25:44.600
<v Speaker 2>been built because of that, and I think that's what

0:25:44.680 --> 0:25:47.800
<v Speaker 2>makes this twenty twenty four Packers offense extremely exciting. Yeah.

0:25:47.840 --> 0:25:50.320
<v Speaker 1>Absolutely, One other thing I want to touch on before

0:25:50.359 --> 0:25:52.800
<v Speaker 1>we go, and I'm kind of working on this a

0:25:52.840 --> 0:25:56.240
<v Speaker 1>little bit with regard to the inside or inbox column

0:25:56.280 --> 0:25:59.120
<v Speaker 1>for tomorrow morning. But I mentioned kind of where things

0:25:59.160 --> 0:26:01.320
<v Speaker 1>are going with the white receiver market and the money

0:26:01.400 --> 0:26:05.960
<v Speaker 1>that is getting thrown around. Right the top cornerbacks in

0:26:06.000 --> 0:26:08.840
<v Speaker 1>the NFL right now, jyr Alexander being one of them.

0:26:09.320 --> 0:26:12.000
<v Speaker 1>You know, the top guy is you know, twenty million,

0:26:12.160 --> 0:26:14.440
<v Speaker 1>twenty one to twenty two million dollars a year, while

0:26:14.480 --> 0:26:16.959
<v Speaker 1>these receivers are now pushing the upper twenties and now

0:26:17.119 --> 0:26:20.320
<v Speaker 1>justin Jefferson's up to thirty five million a year. There's

0:26:20.359 --> 0:26:22.520
<v Speaker 1>got to be a cycle coming where the cornerbacks are

0:26:22.560 --> 0:26:24.560
<v Speaker 1>going to get their money, right, Yeah, if you're gonna pay,

0:26:24.600 --> 0:26:27.080
<v Speaker 1>if you're going to be paying these receivers all this money,

0:26:27.440 --> 0:26:30.119
<v Speaker 1>the guys that you're asking that have proven that they

0:26:30.200 --> 0:26:33.320
<v Speaker 1>can limit these guys and in some cases stop these guys,

0:26:33.840 --> 0:26:35.600
<v Speaker 1>those guys are going to get their money too, there's

0:26:35.680 --> 0:26:38.160
<v Speaker 1>just a contract cycle that has to happen at some point.

0:26:38.280 --> 0:26:41.040
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, it's called it's over in East Rutherford, New Jerseys,

0:26:41.080 --> 0:26:43.399
<v Speaker 2>where it is with Sauce Gardner. That's that's when this

0:26:43.480 --> 0:26:46.360
<v Speaker 2>whole is going to change. But it was interesting look

0:26:46.359 --> 0:26:49.320
<v Speaker 2>at Antoine Winfield Junior right the contract that he got,

0:26:49.359 --> 0:26:52.600
<v Speaker 2>because now we're not even just talking about perimeter shutdown

0:26:52.680 --> 0:26:55.000
<v Speaker 2>cornerbacks on the side, We're talking about nickel guys. We're

0:26:55.000 --> 0:26:57.280
<v Speaker 2>talking about guys that are more in the versatile mode. Yeah,

0:26:57.440 --> 0:26:59.600
<v Speaker 2>they're getting paid now, and I think that's the way

0:26:59.640 --> 0:27:01.479
<v Speaker 2>the NFL is going to look at it more. It's

0:27:01.680 --> 0:27:04.639
<v Speaker 2>where these guys are making their impact and how that

0:27:04.720 --> 0:27:07.640
<v Speaker 2>affects the overall construct of the defense. The Tampa Bay

0:27:07.680 --> 0:27:10.439
<v Speaker 2>Buccaneers need win Field in order to be the defense

0:27:10.480 --> 0:27:13.119
<v Speaker 2>that they want to be there, and same thing is

0:27:13.160 --> 0:27:15.640
<v Speaker 2>going to go for Sauce Gardner whenever his time finally comes.

0:27:15.720 --> 0:27:18.280
<v Speaker 2>But I think the one area that's going to be

0:27:18.440 --> 0:27:21.000
<v Speaker 2>very interesting to track now is because the question was

0:27:21.040 --> 0:27:22.760
<v Speaker 2>brought up in my inbox and maybe that's why it's

0:27:22.800 --> 0:27:24.800
<v Speaker 2>coming up in yours now. A little bit is like

0:27:24.920 --> 0:27:27.800
<v Speaker 2>where do you go light? Where do you not spend

0:27:27.800 --> 0:27:30.320
<v Speaker 2>a bunch of money. Yeah, And honestly, it's getting more

0:27:30.320 --> 0:27:32.680
<v Speaker 2>and more difficult to put tabs on that because somebody

0:27:32.720 --> 0:27:35.320
<v Speaker 2>had asked me the question about well, inside linebacker, that

0:27:35.400 --> 0:27:38.600
<v Speaker 2>could conceivably be a spot where you go light on. Well, dude,

0:27:38.640 --> 0:27:40.400
<v Speaker 2>you and I we covered the Packers for ten years.

0:27:40.440 --> 0:27:42.800
<v Speaker 2>How many times do we hear about, Okay, well, they

0:27:42.880 --> 0:27:45.760
<v Speaker 2>just don't have enough inside linebackers. Where's the athleticism, where's

0:27:45.800 --> 0:27:48.320
<v Speaker 2>the speed the sideline of sideline? Why don't we have

0:27:48.400 --> 0:27:49.680
<v Speaker 2>a levante David? You know?

0:27:50.800 --> 0:27:53.200
<v Speaker 1>And in this day and age, there are because of

0:27:53.280 --> 0:27:56.480
<v Speaker 1>so much nickel, there are fewer off the ball linebackers

0:27:56.560 --> 0:27:59.400
<v Speaker 1>on the field, but those off the ball linebackers are

0:27:59.440 --> 0:28:02.639
<v Speaker 1>required to do a lot more things. You've got to

0:28:02.680 --> 0:28:04.880
<v Speaker 1>be able to have not only the sideline to sideline,

0:28:04.960 --> 0:28:08.119
<v Speaker 1>but the pass coverage and the blitzing ability and all

0:28:08.160 --> 0:28:10.480
<v Speaker 1>of this kind of stuff needs to be needs to

0:28:10.520 --> 0:28:12.200
<v Speaker 1>be in that one package. And when you talk about

0:28:12.200 --> 0:28:15.240
<v Speaker 1>where do you allocate your cap resources, just when you think,

0:28:16.320 --> 0:28:19.160
<v Speaker 1>just when you think you know, things are cranking back

0:28:19.200 --> 0:28:21.119
<v Speaker 1>and there's all the stories about what's going on at

0:28:21.160 --> 0:28:24.479
<v Speaker 1>the running back position. The San Francisco forty nine ers

0:28:24.520 --> 0:28:27.800
<v Speaker 1>give Christian McCaffrey an extension at nineteen million dollars a

0:28:27.920 --> 0:28:31.440
<v Speaker 1>year for two more years. Now, that nineteen million looks

0:28:31.520 --> 0:28:35.240
<v Speaker 1>paltry compared to the thirty five million that Justin Jefferson

0:28:35.359 --> 0:28:40.760
<v Speaker 1>is getting. But again, you know, every team that's where

0:28:40.800 --> 0:28:42.840
<v Speaker 1>to me, when I look at the salary cap and

0:28:42.920 --> 0:28:45.959
<v Speaker 1>the allocation and stuff like that, there isn't one. There

0:28:46.040 --> 0:28:48.680
<v Speaker 1>isn't a tried and true formula or everybody would follow.

0:28:48.760 --> 0:28:53.000
<v Speaker 1>It's it's making the decisions based on the personnel that

0:28:53.160 --> 0:28:56.920
<v Speaker 1>you have. And yes, I mean, I think thirty five

0:28:57.000 --> 0:28:59.920
<v Speaker 1>million dollars a year for a wide receiver just sound

0:29:00.200 --> 0:29:03.960
<v Speaker 1>kind of crazy. But as you know, and I follow

0:29:04.200 --> 0:29:06.200
<v Speaker 1>Kevin Seaffert, who we've known for a lot of years

0:29:06.240 --> 0:29:09.080
<v Speaker 1>at ESPN, and he and he's he covered the Vikings

0:29:09.120 --> 0:29:12.640
<v Speaker 1>before that in the Minneapolis market. Now he's he's been

0:29:12.720 --> 0:29:15.560
<v Speaker 1>covering the Vikings for a long time for ESPN. The

0:29:15.640 --> 0:29:19.240
<v Speaker 1>Vikings didn't just sign Justin Jefferson to that kind of

0:29:19.320 --> 0:29:22.680
<v Speaker 1>money because he's the best receiver in the game right now.

0:29:23.160 --> 0:29:25.760
<v Speaker 1>They signed him to that kind of money because he

0:29:25.920 --> 0:29:28.720
<v Speaker 1>has a chance to maybe be the best receiver who's

0:29:28.760 --> 0:29:31.680
<v Speaker 1>ever played. Yeah, that's why they made that investment. This

0:29:31.800 --> 0:29:34.360
<v Speaker 1>is a guy that is being viewed as somebody who

0:29:34.440 --> 0:29:37.760
<v Speaker 1>might be able to challenge the numbers that Jerry Rice

0:29:37.840 --> 0:29:40.960
<v Speaker 1>put up back in his day. That's that's you know,

0:29:41.240 --> 0:29:44.200
<v Speaker 1>they're they're they're betting on it. Obviously, there's no guarantee.

0:29:44.240 --> 0:29:46.880
<v Speaker 1>You don't know what's going to happen, but that's the

0:29:47.000 --> 0:29:51.120
<v Speaker 1>trajectory he's on. So they're not going to let that

0:29:51.320 --> 0:29:53.560
<v Speaker 1>type of Hall of Fame talent walk out the door.

0:29:54.320 --> 0:29:56.360
<v Speaker 1>So they've made that decision. But it doesn't mean that

0:29:56.480 --> 0:29:58.720
<v Speaker 1>everybody out there needs to pay their number one wide

0:29:58.760 --> 0:30:02.360
<v Speaker 1>receiver thirty million dollars a year. Every team is going

0:30:02.440 --> 0:30:05.120
<v Speaker 1>to make their decisions and allocate their money based on

0:30:05.200 --> 0:30:08.000
<v Speaker 1>the personnel they have and the personnel they feel they

0:30:08.040 --> 0:30:11.360
<v Speaker 1>can find, whether it be in free agency or the draft.

0:30:11.480 --> 0:30:13.600
<v Speaker 2>And also, the dirty little secret is with the Vikings

0:30:13.680 --> 0:30:17.360
<v Speaker 2>is they have major questions at quarterback. And one if

0:30:17.520 --> 0:30:20.040
<v Speaker 2>jj McCarthy ends up being the truth, or even if

0:30:20.080 --> 0:30:22.880
<v Speaker 2>Sam Darnold ends up playing pretty well justin Jefferson's gonna

0:30:22.880 --> 0:30:25.080
<v Speaker 2>look pretty good. Yeah, you also don't want to put

0:30:25.160 --> 0:30:27.240
<v Speaker 2>Jefferson in the position of having to break in some

0:30:27.320 --> 0:30:30.000
<v Speaker 2>new quarterbacks after having so much success with Kirk Cousins

0:30:30.360 --> 0:30:32.880
<v Speaker 2>and then creating that potential problem if the numbers aren't

0:30:32.880 --> 0:30:34.840
<v Speaker 2>where they want to be and he's you know, you

0:30:34.920 --> 0:30:37.120
<v Speaker 2>look at the quarterback more than the player. Be that

0:30:37.320 --> 0:30:39.200
<v Speaker 2>as it may. The point I want to bring this

0:30:39.320 --> 0:30:41.320
<v Speaker 2>back to because people ask about this all the time,

0:30:41.760 --> 0:30:43.920
<v Speaker 2>and I raise this point in inbox as well. The

0:30:44.000 --> 0:30:46.360
<v Speaker 2>reason the Packers were able to go so light at

0:30:46.440 --> 0:30:49.400
<v Speaker 2>receiver these past few years as as far as money goes,

0:30:49.880 --> 0:30:52.640
<v Speaker 2>is because they got really young suddenly after DeVante left.

0:30:52.840 --> 0:30:55.680
<v Speaker 2>If Davante's still there, that has a trickle down effect

0:30:55.720 --> 0:30:57.160
<v Speaker 2>on the rest of the roster. You don't know if

0:30:57.200 --> 0:30:59.680
<v Speaker 2>you have Aaron Jones, if DeVante Adams is getting twenty

0:30:59.720 --> 0:31:02.320
<v Speaker 2>five whatever it ended up being, you don't know how

0:31:02.360 --> 0:31:05.520
<v Speaker 2>all that's going to shuffle out. Same thing for San Francisco.

0:31:05.560 --> 0:31:07.280
<v Speaker 2>They have a little bit more breathing room here before

0:31:07.280 --> 0:31:08.880
<v Speaker 2>they got to make a decision on brock Purty to

0:31:08.960 --> 0:31:09.560
<v Speaker 2>take care of him.

0:31:09.640 --> 0:31:10.000
<v Speaker 1>Exactly.

0:31:10.080 --> 0:31:11.800
<v Speaker 2>You go and again back to what you were saying

0:31:11.800 --> 0:31:14.280
<v Speaker 2>earlier about their receivers. Brock Purty can't even do a

0:31:14.400 --> 0:31:18.160
<v Speaker 2>contract until after year three, So you use the cap

0:31:18.200 --> 0:31:20.440
<v Speaker 2>space that you have available to try to make this run. Now,

0:31:20.520 --> 0:31:22.720
<v Speaker 2>it's the challenge that every team is bouncing. But Mike,

0:31:22.760 --> 0:31:25.720
<v Speaker 2>it goes back to my biggest principle of all and

0:31:25.840 --> 0:31:28.880
<v Speaker 2>that is if you draft well and you take players right.

0:31:29.440 --> 0:31:31.960
<v Speaker 2>There's a reason why Brian Goodikuntz was talking about rookie

0:31:32.000 --> 0:31:35.160
<v Speaker 2>contracts because that's the one absolute nothing you can do

0:31:35.240 --> 0:31:36.880
<v Speaker 2>about it. This is what you play for for the

0:31:36.920 --> 0:31:39.800
<v Speaker 2>at least these three years, if not the four. If

0:31:39.840 --> 0:31:42.560
<v Speaker 2>you don't get those picks right, you got to go shopping.

0:31:42.840 --> 0:31:44.800
<v Speaker 2>If you don't cook well at home, you got to

0:31:44.840 --> 0:31:47.720
<v Speaker 2>go to KFC, you got to go over to a

0:31:47.800 --> 0:31:51.120
<v Speaker 2>different a Burger King. No disrespect Burger King, but I

0:31:51.160 --> 0:31:53.720
<v Speaker 2>mean like you have to go out and get you know,

0:31:53.800 --> 0:31:56.520
<v Speaker 2>the to go orders. The packers have built something special

0:31:56.560 --> 0:31:58.840
<v Speaker 2>in this kitchen so far, and I'm excited to see

0:31:58.840 --> 0:31:59.240
<v Speaker 2>where it goes.

0:31:59.320 --> 0:32:02.080
<v Speaker 1>Yeah. Absolutely, And as we talk about contracts, at some

0:32:02.120 --> 0:32:04.120
<v Speaker 1>point here we're gonna be talking about a new contract

0:32:04.160 --> 0:32:07.520
<v Speaker 1>for Jordan Love. I believe it may not happen tomorrow,

0:32:07.560 --> 0:32:09.960
<v Speaker 1>it may not happen next week, but it's gonna happen.

0:32:10.040 --> 0:32:13.240
<v Speaker 1>I think we know that. And sometime this summer on

0:32:13.320 --> 0:32:15.280
<v Speaker 1>a later show, I think We're gonna get to that topic,

0:32:15.360 --> 0:32:17.680
<v Speaker 1>but for now we'll call it a rap. On this

0:32:17.960 --> 0:32:20.400
<v Speaker 1>edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow all of

0:32:20.440 --> 0:32:22.720
<v Speaker 1>our coverage of the team. We will have coverage of

0:32:22.760 --> 0:32:26.040
<v Speaker 1>Mini camp and a couple more episodes of Unscripted next

0:32:26.080 --> 0:32:29.040
<v Speaker 1>week as the Packers wrap up their off season program

0:32:29.160 --> 0:32:31.600
<v Speaker 1>for WES. I am Mike. Thank you for tuning in everybody,

0:32:31.680 --> 0:32:33.360
<v Speaker 1>and we will see you next time.