WEBVTT - #249 Packers Unscripted: Opportunity knocks 0:00:00.400 --> 0:00:21.119 M Hi, everyone, Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:21.160 --> 0:00:23.840 I am Mike Spofford and he is Wes Hodkowitz. We're 0:00:23.880 --> 0:00:26.800 coming to you here from our studios at lambeau Field 0:00:26.800 --> 0:00:29.320 and West were one day closer to the two thousand 0:00:29.400 --> 0:00:33.080 seventeen season finale for both the Green Bay Packers and 0:00:33.120 --> 0:00:35.960 the Detroit Lions. It will be Sunday, a noon central 0:00:36.040 --> 0:00:40.479 kickoff at Ford Field in Detroit, and um kind of 0:00:41.040 --> 0:00:42.920 the story of the season, you might say, for the 0:00:42.920 --> 0:00:44.880 Green Bay Packers in the sense that they are going 0:00:44.920 --> 0:00:48.639 into this game with an awfully lengthy injury list. Mike 0:00:48.720 --> 0:00:53.400 McCarthy even wondering as of Wednesday before excuse me, before 0:00:53.400 --> 0:00:56.240 the first practice of the week, whether he'd even have 0:00:56.440 --> 0:01:01.040 forty six healthy players for the aim day roster. A 0:01:01.040 --> 0:01:04.160 couple of things he mentioned Davante Adams not cleared from 0:01:04.160 --> 0:01:08.280 the concussion protocol, Jordy Nelson probably not going to be 0:01:08.319 --> 0:01:12.440 able to play with that shoulder injury, and also Aaron Jones, 0:01:12.440 --> 0:01:14.959 the rookie running back dealing with another knee injury, also 0:01:15.080 --> 0:01:17.679 very unlikely to make it this week. So on the 0:01:17.760 --> 0:01:20.960 offensive side of the ball, um Brett Hunley's got uh. 0:01:21.319 --> 0:01:23.000 You know he's gonna be working with a lot of 0:01:23.040 --> 0:01:25.080 young guys. He will be Mike and then the other 0:01:25.120 --> 0:01:27.160 one too. And it really the one I think is 0:01:27.200 --> 0:01:29.280 the canary in the coal mine for the Packers is 0:01:29.560 --> 0:01:33.720 Richard Rodgers, also with the shoulder injury right practicing on Wednesday. 0:01:33.800 --> 0:01:36.360 Michael Spofford, you can go back over the last four years, 0:01:36.400 --> 0:01:38.920 remind me of another time where Richard Rogers didn't practice 0:01:38.920 --> 0:01:41.440 at all. Um, he's basically been out there, let alone 0:01:41.480 --> 0:01:44.400 missing a game, which he hasn't done. He's barely, if 0:01:44.440 --> 0:01:47.360 at all, ever missed a practice. Yeah. Absolutely, Mr Durable 0:01:47.360 --> 0:01:49.880 and Mr Available in his time with the Packers. Yeah. 0:01:49.920 --> 0:01:51.520 So I think that kind of shows the attrition of 0:01:51.560 --> 0:01:54.840 this team and where things are right now. It means opportunity. Though, 0:01:54.880 --> 0:01:57.760 getting back to your original point, whether it's Michael Clark, 0:01:58.280 --> 0:02:01.280 Jeronimo Allison was with not practice due to an illness, 0:02:01.320 --> 0:02:03.400 but you would imagine he potentially would be back in 0:02:03.400 --> 0:02:06.680 the cards for later this week. Um. So there's so 0:02:06.720 --> 0:02:08.840 many different guys that could get some opportunities in this 0:02:08.880 --> 0:02:11.239 game against the Lions, and you have to take advantage 0:02:11.280 --> 0:02:13.959 of it. Aaron Jones being out with likely being out 0:02:13.960 --> 0:02:16.400 with the knee injury. That could mean another opportunity for 0:02:16.440 --> 0:02:19.800 Davonte May's. Hey, what better way Mike to get your 0:02:20.240 --> 0:02:22.600 that bad taste out of your mouth about how the 0:02:22.639 --> 0:02:24.799 fumbles went, how the game time went earlier this year. 0:02:25.080 --> 0:02:27.119 If he's able to get on the field and produced, Yeah, 0:02:27.120 --> 0:02:28.920 you talk about a guy who's got to be chopping 0:02:28.960 --> 0:02:31.519 at the bit to get another opportunity. I'm sure he's been. 0:02:31.560 --> 0:02:34.320 He's been waiting. He hasn't said anything. He's a quiet guy. 0:02:34.919 --> 0:02:37.880 He knows, uh that other opportunity with a couple of 0:02:37.919 --> 0:02:40.760 fumbles did not go well. He's been dying to get 0:02:40.760 --> 0:02:43.600 another chance. You just know that. And um so you're 0:02:43.639 --> 0:02:45.799 gonna have Jamal Williams as the number one running back, 0:02:45.800 --> 0:02:49.200 but Davante May's will be right behind. I would like 0:02:49.360 --> 0:02:52.680 for his sake, for his rookie season to to end 0:02:52.720 --> 0:02:55.680 on something more positive than obviously where it would end 0:02:55.680 --> 0:02:58.959 if he doesn't get another chance, because um this, I 0:02:59.639 --> 0:03:02.600 think the sky has some talent. Mike McCarthy has said 0:03:02.639 --> 0:03:04.440 it's not it's not an issue of talent. It's just 0:03:04.480 --> 0:03:06.880 a matter of getting up to speed and really getting 0:03:06.880 --> 0:03:09.399 a feel for the NFL game and and earning that 0:03:09.600 --> 0:03:13.000 confidence in the coaching staff that that he can take 0:03:13.000 --> 0:03:15.240 the ball and run with it literally and figuratively and 0:03:15.280 --> 0:03:18.040 with all due respect to Maze and where he came 0:03:18.200 --> 0:03:21.560 from um and obviously you documented it earlier this summer 0:03:21.919 --> 0:03:24.720 that you know, when you're looking at you know, junior 0:03:24.760 --> 0:03:27.200 college football and things like that, and even to some 0:03:27.280 --> 0:03:30.480 extent going to Utah State, that's such a quantum leap 0:03:30.600 --> 0:03:33.640 coming to the NFL. Guys like Jamal Williams. You know, 0:03:33.800 --> 0:03:35.760 they kind of got a bigger taste for that with 0:03:35.880 --> 0:03:37.760 with b Yu and some of the successes they had 0:03:37.800 --> 0:03:39.960 their in bowl games. But even when you look at 0:03:40.000 --> 0:03:42.160 Aaron Jones and some of the struggles that they had 0:03:42.160 --> 0:03:44.080 at U tep and then DeVante may Is coming from 0:03:44.120 --> 0:03:46.640 the route he did. Uh. I don't think you can 0:03:46.680 --> 0:03:49.160 really you know, overstate that in terms of what that's 0:03:49.200 --> 0:03:51.360 like to make that jump. But yeah, again, if he 0:03:51.400 --> 0:03:54.000 can get this opportunity, uh, you know, get a chance 0:03:54.040 --> 0:03:55.720 to get out there. Also, a guy like Jamal Williams, 0:03:55.760 --> 0:03:57.440 if he's able to finish on a high note after 0:03:57.480 --> 0:03:59.960 having so many positive, you know things that he's done 0:04:00.200 --> 0:04:02.160 over the last couple of months, could be big for 0:04:02.160 --> 0:04:04.520 this running game. But really, again it comes back to opportunity. 0:04:04.680 --> 0:04:06.440 There's a lot of young guys on this roster that 0:04:06.440 --> 0:04:08.400 are going to get those on Sunday. Yeah. And I 0:04:08.440 --> 0:04:11.200 think it's worth clarifying here because I think in some 0:04:11.240 --> 0:04:13.160 ways fans are getting a little bit of a mixed 0:04:13.200 --> 0:04:16.280 message as to what's going on, because Mike McCarthy has 0:04:16.320 --> 0:04:19.720 continually had to answer and say, hey, this isn't the preseason. 0:04:19.720 --> 0:04:21.440 We're going out there to win the game. But yet 0:04:21.480 --> 0:04:23.279 the fans are looking at it saying, well, this guy 0:04:23.279 --> 0:04:24.840 and this guy and this guy aren't playing, and you're 0:04:24.839 --> 0:04:27.960 talking about playing these younger guys. I think what needs 0:04:27.960 --> 0:04:30.760 to be clarified is in the preseason, Mike McCarthy is 0:04:30.800 --> 0:04:32.920 a play caller on the offensive side of the ball. 0:04:33.320 --> 0:04:38.080 He will call specific plays to give opportunities to specific players, 0:04:38.080 --> 0:04:40.880 to evaluate them, to see what they can do. You 0:04:40.960 --> 0:04:43.360 might even sacrifice a three and out in a certain 0:04:43.400 --> 0:04:46.480 situation on offense in order to get somebody a chance 0:04:46.520 --> 0:04:50.400 to touch the ball to do something. The He's gonna 0:04:50.440 --> 0:04:53.040 take whatever game day roster he's got into this game. 0:04:53.279 --> 0:04:56.120 He's not going to call plays so that Geronimo Allison 0:04:56.120 --> 0:04:58.120 can get a catch or so that Michael Clark can 0:04:58.120 --> 0:05:00.719 try this play out with Brett Hunley. He's gonna be 0:05:00.760 --> 0:05:02.800 calling plays to move the chains, to score points and 0:05:02.839 --> 0:05:05.279 to win games. And I think I think that distinction 0:05:05.360 --> 0:05:06.960 needs to be made here in terms of how Mike 0:05:07.000 --> 0:05:09.720 McCarthy's going about this. Yeah, that's an excellent point, because 0:05:09.720 --> 0:05:12.120 that really is the big difference when people talk about 0:05:12.120 --> 0:05:14.000 that in the fact that they aren't don't they don't 0:05:14.000 --> 0:05:16.440 have a preseason mindset. That means that Randall Cobb, who's 0:05:16.480 --> 0:05:18.919 healthy right now, is gonna play. He's gonna get opportunities. 0:05:19.120 --> 0:05:21.919 It could mean that a guy like Trevor Davis gets opportunities, 0:05:22.120 --> 0:05:24.240 but it's not going to be hands selected more like 0:05:24.320 --> 0:05:26.960 it is during the preseason. I think a great illustration 0:05:27.040 --> 0:05:29.840 this is what happened at outside linebacker last week. They 0:05:29.839 --> 0:05:33.200 don't have Nick Perry, Clay matthew sits with a hamstring injury. 0:05:33.400 --> 0:05:35.039 So then you have Reggie Gilbert. You know, when they 0:05:35.120 --> 0:05:37.160 draw up someplace for Reggie Gilbert, give him a chance 0:05:37.160 --> 0:05:38.640 to go out there, see what he can do. He 0:05:38.720 --> 0:05:41.400 executes on that, he takes advantage of that, and he 0:05:41.520 --> 0:05:43.920 ends up playing forty six snaps during the game. If 0:05:43.920 --> 0:05:46.320 he wasn't successful, if if it didn't kind of come 0:05:46.360 --> 0:05:48.240 together for him in the early series, you might have 0:05:48.240 --> 0:05:50.359 seen more Chris Odom, He might have seen some of 0:05:50.360 --> 0:05:53.200 these other options. But when he had that opportunity, he 0:05:53.279 --> 0:05:55.440 capitalized on it and that's what opened the door to 0:05:55.480 --> 0:05:57.360 more of them. So I think when you look at 0:05:57.400 --> 0:05:59.880 that position and what potentially could happen in other positions 0:05:59.880 --> 0:06:02.120 and this game, that's what the Packers are looking for. 0:06:02.240 --> 0:06:04.839 Young guys jumping in the lineup and being able to 0:06:04.880 --> 0:06:07.560 really build on that and build some momentum now going 0:06:07.600 --> 0:06:10.160 into two thousand eighteen for themselves and on the defensive 0:06:10.160 --> 0:06:12.640 side of the ball, the Packers maybe getting a little healthier. 0:06:12.680 --> 0:06:15.680 Clay Matthews and Damarius Randall both back at practice on 0:06:15.720 --> 0:06:18.320 a limited basis, so a chance for them to play 0:06:18.400 --> 0:06:20.840 if they are medically cleared and everything. It sounds like 0:06:21.200 --> 0:06:23.839 they could go. Yeah, Randall something he was dealing with 0:06:23.920 --> 0:06:25.560 last week, it all kind of came to ahead and 0:06:25.760 --> 0:06:28.720 during Saturday's practice, Matthews I think the same thing. Just 0:06:28.760 --> 0:06:31.320 being cautious with him and making sure that he doesn't 0:06:31.520 --> 0:06:34.960 overextend himself because again, you have a significant, you know, 0:06:35.040 --> 0:06:38.120 soft muscle injury this time of year, Well, that's where 0:06:38.120 --> 0:06:40.359 it starts impacting your offseason. So I have to be 0:06:40.400 --> 0:06:42.799 smart on that record, but it seems like his return 0:06:42.880 --> 0:06:45.679 to practice this week would indicate that everything's looking okay 0:06:45.680 --> 0:06:47.760 for him at that perspective. All right, what's that We'll 0:06:47.800 --> 0:06:50.200 throw to a break back with more on Packers Unscripted 0:06:50.279 --> 0:07:11.160 right after this, h welcome back to Packers Unscripted. Mike 0:07:11.200 --> 0:07:14.360 Spofford right here, West Hodkuitz over there, And what's one 0:07:14.400 --> 0:07:18.160 of these uh young players who is most likely going 0:07:18.200 --> 0:07:21.640 to get some more opportunities in the spotlight on Sunday 0:07:21.640 --> 0:07:24.560 in Detroit that is definitely worth talking about is the 0:07:24.680 --> 0:07:29.960 undrafted rookie receiver Michael Clark. I'm not sure in my 0:07:30.040 --> 0:07:33.280 twelve seasons covering this team for Packers dot Com if 0:07:33.280 --> 0:07:37.600 I've ever come across the story quite like this one. Um. 0:07:37.640 --> 0:07:41.920 He plays basketball at universe at St. Francis University in 0:07:42.040 --> 0:07:49.000 Pennsylvania for a year. He has aspirations to play basketball 0:07:49.040 --> 0:07:51.600 through college and maybe go overseas um, you know, play 0:07:51.640 --> 0:07:54.920 basketball in Europe professionally. When he gets done, decides to 0:07:54.960 --> 0:07:57.880 completely change course and says, I want to go play 0:07:57.880 --> 0:08:02.000 in the NFL. Trans first from St. Francis, goes to Marshall, 0:08:03.240 --> 0:08:05.440 has to sit out a year due to transfer rules, 0:08:05.480 --> 0:08:07.480 so all he can do his first year at Marshall 0:08:07.680 --> 0:08:11.160 is play on the scout team, essentially in practice. Then 0:08:11.160 --> 0:08:15.080 he gets one season at Marshall as uh Um as 0:08:15.120 --> 0:08:19.080 a regular, regular player, regular receiver in the rotation, has 0:08:19.440 --> 0:08:22.920 thirty some catches, six hundred yards, a handful of touchdowns, 0:08:23.040 --> 0:08:26.240 and then just decides, with two years of eligibility left 0:08:26.240 --> 0:08:30.080 in college, I'm gonna head to the NFL, doesn't get drafted, 0:08:30.760 --> 0:08:34.480 doesn't even sign an agent. Packers signed him in early May, 0:08:34.600 --> 0:08:36.960 right after the draft as maybe one of the most 0:08:37.040 --> 0:08:40.320 raw undrafted prospects they've ever signed. And here we are 0:08:40.360 --> 0:08:45.400 at the end of and uh he he's making catches 0:08:45.400 --> 0:08:47.800 against the Minnesota Vikings and he's probably gonna get some 0:08:47.800 --> 0:08:50.120 passes thrown his way against the Detroit Lions. Yeah, it's 0:08:50.120 --> 0:08:52.640 a pretty incredible the main journey he's made. He's been 0:08:52.679 --> 0:08:54.640 kind of a renaissance man too a little bit with 0:08:54.800 --> 0:08:57.520 what he's done in terms of not signing an agent. 0:08:57.559 --> 0:09:00.400 I mean, here's the thing. I think, if you have 0:09:00.559 --> 0:09:03.480 confidence in yourself and you have an idea of where 0:09:03.520 --> 0:09:07.040 you want to go, you probably don't need an agent 0:09:07.640 --> 0:09:11.280 always as a late round pick or as an undrafted 0:09:11.320 --> 0:09:13.440 free agent. The reason I say that is because the 0:09:13.440 --> 0:09:16.080 contracts are pretty much locked in at that point. But 0:09:16.200 --> 0:09:18.559 you have to have confidence that you are going to 0:09:18.640 --> 0:09:20.360 be able to lead yourself to the right team, the 0:09:20.440 --> 0:09:24.000 right opportunity, and make sure that you are able to 0:09:24.000 --> 0:09:26.800 execute on it, because if you don't, then you start 0:09:26.840 --> 0:09:29.679 to fade into the ether a little bit. Michael Clark 0:09:29.920 --> 0:09:34.520 came to Green Bay this summer extremely raw prospect at 0:09:34.520 --> 0:09:37.520 a position, mind you, where the Packers were incredibly deep. 0:09:38.000 --> 0:09:42.719 They drafted two receivers in Malachai Dupre and D'Angelo Yancey. 0:09:42.840 --> 0:09:45.839 He was probably entering camp as the twelve receiver on 0:09:45.880 --> 0:09:48.920 the roster. Max McCaffrey was here too, and week after 0:09:49.000 --> 0:09:51.199 week he kept making plays in practice, and he started 0:09:51.240 --> 0:09:53.880 making plays during the preseason, caught a touchdown in the preseason, 0:09:54.200 --> 0:09:56.600 and then suddenly gets on the Packer's radar. It is 0:09:56.600 --> 0:09:58.800 an incredible journey he's been on. I remember talking him 0:09:58.880 --> 0:10:00.320 last week. I know you wrote a story as well 0:10:00.360 --> 0:10:04.280 for Packers dot Com. He doesn't consider himself a basketball 0:10:04.320 --> 0:10:06.760 player turned into a football player. He looks at himself 0:10:06.760 --> 0:10:08.559 as a guy who has always been a football player, 0:10:08.880 --> 0:10:11.360 but he chose basketball because he thought that would be 0:10:11.360 --> 0:10:13.920 the best avenue for him, and after having those first 0:10:13.920 --> 0:10:15.600 couple of years of college, decided, you know what, I 0:10:15.600 --> 0:10:18.240 want to give football try again. And then here we are. 0:10:18.679 --> 0:10:21.040 What a year it's been for him going from where 0:10:21.080 --> 0:10:22.640 he was to now being on the fifty three man 0:10:22.720 --> 0:10:25.240 roster and actually getting targeted ten times or whatever it 0:10:25.320 --> 0:10:27.280 was in that game against the Vikings. Yeah, he spent 0:10:27.320 --> 0:10:30.160 the first three quarters, essentially the first three quarters of 0:10:30.200 --> 0:10:33.040 the seen season on the practice squad, so he was 0:10:33.120 --> 0:10:36.600 essentially a scout team receiver and was catching a lot 0:10:36.640 --> 0:10:39.720 of passes from Brett Hunley before Aaron Rodgers got injured. 0:10:39.760 --> 0:10:43.320 Mike McCarthy said, there wasn't a Thursday practice that went by. 0:10:43.440 --> 0:10:45.720 Thursday practice being the one in full pads with the 0:10:45.760 --> 0:10:48.520 most contact, all of that kind of stuff. There wasn't 0:10:48.520 --> 0:10:50.719 a Thursday practice that went by where he didn't make 0:10:50.760 --> 0:10:54.520 some sort of an eye popping catch, attention grabbing type 0:10:54.520 --> 0:10:58.160 of catch in practice. And so then at the beginning 0:10:58.200 --> 0:11:00.640 of December he signed to the active roster from the 0:11:00.640 --> 0:11:02.920 practice squad, and I'll admit I sort of misread the 0:11:02.960 --> 0:11:06.199 situation because I thought the Packers signing too the active 0:11:06.280 --> 0:11:09.160 roster because maybe somebody else was coming after him. It 0:11:09.280 --> 0:11:12.240 sounds like the Packers did it as a reward for 0:11:12.320 --> 0:11:14.640 his hard work and because they wanted to see if 0:11:14.640 --> 0:11:16.880 they could work him in late in the season and 0:11:16.880 --> 0:11:19.560 and give him give him some opportunities to help this team. 0:11:19.559 --> 0:11:21.679 And that was before the Packers were out of the 0:11:21.679 --> 0:11:24.679 playoff picture. They were looking at possibly getting him on 0:11:24.720 --> 0:11:28.480 the field um down the stretch here regardless. And it 0:11:28.600 --> 0:11:31.080 just speaks to how far he's come, because he even 0:11:31.080 --> 0:11:34.320 said in a little group interview with some reporters the 0:11:34.360 --> 0:11:37.320 other day, when he first got here and opened up 0:11:37.320 --> 0:11:40.400 the Packers offensive playbook, he had no idea what was 0:11:40.440 --> 0:11:42.640 going on. It was just words to him. Everything was 0:11:43.440 --> 0:11:46.520 everything was just flying past him. He couldn't process anything. 0:11:46.559 --> 0:11:48.800 He wasn't keeping up in meetings. He said he was 0:11:48.840 --> 0:11:51.240 even spacing out in meetings because he just couldn't follow 0:11:51.280 --> 0:11:54.640 what was going on. To his credit, he stuck with it. 0:11:55.080 --> 0:11:57.240 He's he's come such a long way and he still 0:11:57.280 --> 0:11:59.440 talks about he's still learning the game of football, and 0:11:59.440 --> 0:12:02.599 he's just he's a huge person. He really is. I 0:12:02.640 --> 0:12:04.960 mean on a basketball court, you know, all those guys 0:12:04.960 --> 0:12:07.439 are tall. But on a football field, I mean you 0:12:07.760 --> 0:12:10.400 stand in the Packers locker room and there might be 0:12:10.440 --> 0:12:12.680 one other guy. I think Julius Peppers was the other guy. 0:12:13.000 --> 0:12:15.680 Went during my six seven years now covering this thing 0:12:15.960 --> 0:12:18.000 where it's like you're like, holy crap, that is a 0:12:18.040 --> 0:12:21.320 massive human being. Michael Clark, while he doesn't have the 0:12:21.360 --> 0:12:24.480 girth that you know Peppers had, is just such an 0:12:24.480 --> 0:12:27.000 impressive specimen in terms of the size, and it just 0:12:27.040 --> 0:12:29.080 gives you such a great catch radius to work with. 0:12:29.120 --> 0:12:31.040 It gives you such a great prospect to work with. 0:12:31.160 --> 0:12:33.559 He's a big dude, as Brett Hunley said, exactly. And 0:12:33.840 --> 0:12:36.199 I don't want to compare this to Demetrius Harris, who 0:12:36.240 --> 0:12:39.840 was the former u W Milwaukee basketball player who John 0:12:39.880 --> 0:12:42.920 Dorsey brought into the Kansas City Chiefs and literally from 0:12:42.960 --> 0:12:44.920 the ground up built a tight end. You know, I 0:12:44.920 --> 0:12:46.880 don't want to paint that picture of Clark, because he 0:12:46.920 --> 0:12:49.640 did have tools to work with. But as you said, 0:12:50.720 --> 0:12:53.600 the fact of trying to learn an NFL playbook after 0:12:53.640 --> 0:12:56.040 having really only one year, I guess you say too. 0:12:56.120 --> 0:12:58.719 But scout team, Scout team in college, but having one 0:12:58.800 --> 0:13:00.800 year of taking a less in a game plan and 0:13:00.880 --> 0:13:03.960 implemented it on game day. It's just it, really it is. 0:13:04.000 --> 0:13:08.719 It's it's like going from sixth grade algebra to triggonometry. 0:13:08.840 --> 0:13:11.240 It's just it's such a giant leap. And for him 0:13:11.320 --> 0:13:14.040 to be able to compartmentalize all of that and now 0:13:14.360 --> 0:13:17.840 be able to really toss it into games, I think 0:13:17.880 --> 0:13:19.520 it says a lot about him, and the Packers have 0:13:19.559 --> 0:13:21.960 to be incredibly pleased with what they have to work 0:13:21.960 --> 0:13:24.600 with now going into a full offseason with him continue 0:13:24.640 --> 0:13:27.160 to develop that skill set. Yeah, he had three catches 0:13:27.200 --> 0:13:30.079 against the Minnesota Vikings, one of them a very impressive 0:13:30.160 --> 0:13:33.240 diving catch along the sideline that that helped get the 0:13:33.280 --> 0:13:37.560 Packers into potential scoring position. But two back shoulder throws 0:13:37.559 --> 0:13:39.439 he would love to have back. One that was early 0:13:39.480 --> 0:13:41.240 in the game on a third down, the other one 0:13:41.520 --> 0:13:43.840 near the front pylon of the end zone in the 0:13:43.840 --> 0:13:45.920 fourth quarter, and he just flat out and said, hey, 0:13:45.960 --> 0:13:48.120 no excuses. When Brett throws me the ball like that, 0:13:48.160 --> 0:13:49.760 he says, it's my job to come down with it. 0:13:49.800 --> 0:13:52.080 I've got to make those plays. That's the next step 0:13:52.160 --> 0:13:54.200 for him now of many steps. He needs to take. 0:13:54.280 --> 0:13:56.440 But the next step for him is on a back 0:13:56.440 --> 0:13:59.120 shoulder type of play, one on one coverage, beat your 0:13:59.120 --> 0:14:01.360 man and make that catch. Jordy Nelson, all those guys, 0:14:01.400 --> 0:14:03.600 they make that look so simple, but there's so much 0:14:03.640 --> 0:14:05.440 involved in the past. Needs to be in the right area, 0:14:05.440 --> 0:14:06.960 and even if it is in the right area, the 0:14:07.000 --> 0:14:09.360 receiver has to catch it. That is the next step, 0:14:09.400 --> 0:14:12.680 as you said, for him, developing those instincts now in 0:14:12.720 --> 0:14:15.719 addition to just having all of that potential in his frame. Yeah, 0:14:15.800 --> 0:14:18.160 definitely an interesting guy to watch on Sunday. But with that, 0:14:18.200 --> 0:14:19.760 we'll throw it to a break back with more on 0:14:19.800 --> 0:14:40.720 Packers Unscripted right after this. Welcome back to Packers Unscripted. 0:14:40.720 --> 0:14:43.360 Mike Spofford in this chair, West Hodkowits in that one, 0:14:43.400 --> 0:14:46.640 and West continuing the discussion of younger players here that 0:14:46.640 --> 0:14:48.800 that the fans can keep an eye on when it 0:14:48.800 --> 0:14:51.720 comes to Sunday's regular season finale in Detroit. A couple 0:14:51.720 --> 0:14:54.000 of guys on defense starting to get a few more 0:14:54.080 --> 0:14:58.120 snaps considering the injuries the situation the Packers are in. 0:14:58.160 --> 0:15:00.960 And that's third round pick Montrevious Atoms on the defensive 0:15:00.960 --> 0:15:04.800 line and fourth round pick Vince Bagel at outside linebacker. 0:15:05.280 --> 0:15:06.880 I know there were a lot of hopes for both 0:15:06.880 --> 0:15:08.920 of these players when they were drafted. The Packers are 0:15:09.000 --> 0:15:12.680 very excited to draft both of these players last spring. 0:15:13.320 --> 0:15:16.280 Um their impact has obviously been limited this year, and 0:15:16.440 --> 0:15:18.920 a lot of that just speaks to how difficult it 0:15:19.000 --> 0:15:22.040 is to walk onto an NFL field and try to 0:15:22.080 --> 0:15:25.320 make plays when you've dealt with an injury situation that 0:15:25.400 --> 0:15:29.240 forces you to miss essentially your entire rookie training camp, 0:15:29.560 --> 0:15:32.600 when which is really your acclamation to the NFL training camp, 0:15:32.600 --> 0:15:35.920 those preseason games. These guys essentially missed all of that, 0:15:36.080 --> 0:15:38.520 and uh, but they're trying to get at least that 0:15:38.600 --> 0:15:41.160 first taste of experience right now. Here's the thing, Michael, 0:15:41.280 --> 0:15:43.160 what is it? I think it's the last six weeks 0:15:43.160 --> 0:15:45.280 of the season you have three padded practices. I think 0:15:45.280 --> 0:15:47.560 that's what the cb A dictates. Yeah, so during the 0:15:47.600 --> 0:15:51.800 season you must have around what is it twelve? As 0:15:51.840 --> 0:15:53.680 far as how many year allotted for the entire I 0:15:53.680 --> 0:15:55.920 believe for the whole season it's fourteen. So you can 0:15:55.960 --> 0:15:58.240 have eleven, you can you can have eleven through the 0:15:58.280 --> 0:16:00.680 first eleven weeks and but then only three through the 0:16:00.760 --> 0:16:03.280 last six weeks, so let's flash back to August. That 0:16:03.480 --> 0:16:07.440 is the really the only big opportunity in this environment 0:16:07.560 --> 0:16:11.280 for rookie players to get those reps, to get padded reps, 0:16:11.280 --> 0:16:13.320 because once even when you get into the season, the 0:16:13.360 --> 0:16:15.680 focus isn't on in no disrespect him, on Trevias Adams. 0:16:15.680 --> 0:16:18.520 The focus isn't on getting Montrevius Adams ready for Sunday. 0:16:18.520 --> 0:16:21.160 The focus is on Kenny Clark and Mike Daniels and 0:16:21.280 --> 0:16:24.360 Quentin Dial, Dean Lowry, and it's and it's also on 0:16:24.400 --> 0:16:28.240 that opponent you're going to. So it is so difficult 0:16:28.320 --> 0:16:31.080 not only to get those opportunities during the regular season, 0:16:31.360 --> 0:16:34.480 but to get the meaningful snaps in the season. So 0:16:34.800 --> 0:16:37.120 I think you look at where Vince Bagel's at in Adams, 0:16:37.280 --> 0:16:38.800 I think they did the best they could with the 0:16:38.840 --> 0:16:41.720 situation that they were presented with. Beagle missed the entire 0:16:41.760 --> 0:16:44.200 off season program, you missed all of training camp. Adams 0:16:44.200 --> 0:16:45.920 was there for the off season program, but then gets 0:16:46.000 --> 0:16:48.480 hurt really in the second practice before the pads even 0:16:48.480 --> 0:16:51.200 went on, And I think you see what happens and 0:16:51.200 --> 0:16:54.360 how difficult it is to overcome that that hill. Now 0:16:54.400 --> 0:16:55.920 you've taken On the other side of that, you look 0:16:55.960 --> 0:16:58.360 at someone like Reggie Gilbert, who has now been immersed 0:16:58.400 --> 0:17:00.720 in the system for two years. He's had all of 0:17:00.720 --> 0:17:02.920 those reps during training camp, never really had a big 0:17:02.960 --> 0:17:05.120 injury it all during that time, and he gets out 0:17:05.119 --> 0:17:07.760 there in that first opportunity and really it's just pedaled 0:17:07.760 --> 0:17:09.600 to the medal. Yeah, it's just I think that is 0:17:09.640 --> 0:17:11.399 that illustrates. It's not to say that Gilbert is a 0:17:11.400 --> 0:17:13.680 better player than Beagle, or Beagles a better player than Gilbert, 0:17:13.840 --> 0:17:16.760 but it just shows you how far those reps can 0:17:16.800 --> 0:17:19.000 go and form. As Mike McCarthy said during his news 0:17:19.000 --> 0:17:22.280 conference on Wednesday, as much as was made out of Beagle, 0:17:22.320 --> 0:17:23.760 and there's a lot of hype there in the Packers, 0:17:23.960 --> 0:17:26.560 you know, really like his prospects. But if there was 0:17:26.600 --> 0:17:28.760 an expectation there among the fan base or among the 0:17:28.800 --> 0:17:30.600 media for him just to step out there after he 0:17:30.640 --> 0:17:34.040 came off a pup and then just start dominating everybody, 0:17:34.080 --> 0:17:36.480 that's unrealistic because that's just not the world you live in. 0:17:36.520 --> 0:17:39.280 The NFL is so complicated, it's such a there's so 0:17:39.280 --> 0:17:42.280 many layers to it that that can't really be what 0:17:42.320 --> 0:17:44.320 you're expecting out of a young player, right, Yeah, And 0:17:44.640 --> 0:17:46.600 I know we'll have plenty of time over the next 0:17:46.600 --> 0:17:49.680 couple of months to talk about and looking ahead and stuff. 0:17:49.720 --> 0:17:52.720 But an interesting, interesting thought occurred to me when you 0:17:52.760 --> 0:17:55.680 look at Montrevius Adam's third round pick, Vince biegl fourth 0:17:55.760 --> 0:17:58.840 round pick, even Kevin King first round pick, playing really 0:17:58.880 --> 0:18:01.000 only about half the sea and he missed most of 0:18:01.000 --> 0:18:03.640 the off season program because of the college schedule thing, 0:18:03.680 --> 0:18:06.480 which I think the NFL is finally deciding to maybe 0:18:06.520 --> 0:18:08.600 adjust or or fix that rule, or at least there 0:18:08.600 --> 0:18:12.280 would be um. But when you when you start to 0:18:12.320 --> 0:18:16.240 look ahead here to three of the Packers top four 0:18:16.320 --> 0:18:18.960 draft picks from seventeen, it's almost like they're going to 0:18:19.040 --> 0:18:23.080 have a second draft class with these guys kind of 0:18:23.119 --> 0:18:25.760 getting more up to speed and hopefully being healthy and 0:18:25.760 --> 0:18:27.560 and ready to go. It's something to look forward to, 0:18:27.720 --> 0:18:30.240 it is, and it's because there's said unknown factor with 0:18:30.280 --> 0:18:32.679 a lot of these guys. And certainly, you know, Beagle 0:18:32.760 --> 0:18:34.879 was around for a number of years in Wisconsin, you know, 0:18:34.960 --> 0:18:37.840 a true senior. Uh, you look at someone like Adams, 0:18:37.880 --> 0:18:40.080 I think he's still you know, there's still a lot 0:18:40.119 --> 0:18:42.960 of tools to developed there with him. So I think 0:18:42.960 --> 0:18:44.720 this is gonna be important offseason for both of those 0:18:44.720 --> 0:18:46.520 guys making that next step forward. And I think you've 0:18:46.520 --> 0:18:48.080 seen it. You see it every year when you look 0:18:48.119 --> 0:18:50.679 at Kenny Clark, when you look at Blake Martinez. Just 0:18:50.800 --> 0:18:53.080 exactly the difference that makes getting that first full year 0:18:53.160 --> 0:18:55.919 under your belt, and in addition to that offseason program, 0:18:55.920 --> 0:18:58.880 getting that opportunity, Mike, also consider once the season is done, 0:18:59.119 --> 0:19:01.400 these guys can actually down shift for two or three months. 0:19:01.440 --> 0:19:03.760 They'll still be working out, but they don't have to 0:19:03.800 --> 0:19:05.920 have that rigor in that grind that they did getting 0:19:05.920 --> 0:19:07.520 ready for the combine. I think that does make a 0:19:07.560 --> 0:19:09.879 big difference. I think it does too. But with that, 0:19:09.960 --> 0:19:12.320 let's go to break Back with More and Packers Unscripted 0:19:12.400 --> 0:19:32.720 right after this, Dad, Welcome back to Packers Unscripted, Mike 0:19:32.760 --> 0:19:35.760 Spofford alongside West, Hodkowitz and West Quickly before we go, 0:19:35.880 --> 0:19:39.439