WEBVTT - #282 Packers Unscripted: Catching up 0:00:00.840 --> 0:00:20.360 Hi, everybody. Welcome to Packers Unscripted, or should I say 0:00:20.360 --> 0:00:22.600 welcome back. We have been gone for a while. I 0:00:22.640 --> 0:00:25.480 am Mike Spofford. He is Wes Hodko. It's from Packers 0:00:25.520 --> 0:00:28.440 dot Com. We are here in our lambeau Field Studios 0:00:28.760 --> 0:00:31.479 and West some time off here from Packers Unscripted, but 0:00:31.600 --> 0:00:34.159 we are back because it is draft week and it's 0:00:34.200 --> 0:00:36.320 an exciting week for everybody in the NFL. But I 0:00:36.360 --> 0:00:38.839 think pretty exciting here in Green Bay with the Packers 0:00:38.880 --> 0:00:42.120 as of now holding the fourteenth overall pick. Yeah, Mike, 0:00:42.159 --> 0:00:45.440 it's been obviously, uh about two months here. We've stepped 0:00:45.440 --> 0:00:47.640 away from the TV show. It's the only thing we've 0:00:47.640 --> 0:00:49.680 really stepped away from. It seems like everything else has 0:00:49.720 --> 0:00:52.440 been you know, so many developments during that time. But 0:00:52.960 --> 0:00:55.840 the draft. It's interesting because you get two months basically 0:00:55.840 --> 0:00:58.160 starting from the end of the scouting combine two months 0:00:58.640 --> 0:01:02.280 of hype and preparation. But you can always see that 0:01:02.360 --> 0:01:05.200 weekend as it turns back to the concentration of just 0:01:05.240 --> 0:01:09.120 being focused on Okay, it's actually here. The the energy 0:01:09.160 --> 0:01:11.600 just amps up a little bit more and now for 0:01:11.640 --> 0:01:14.000 the Packers, the highest that they've been picking in the 0:01:14.040 --> 0:01:17.120 last nine years. I just sense that just based on 0:01:17.160 --> 0:01:20.600 the Insider Inbox, our interactions with readers on social media, 0:01:21.240 --> 0:01:24.000 there is probably more excitement about this week than I 0:01:24.040 --> 0:01:26.520 can really remember in recent memory. Yeah, I would agree 0:01:26.560 --> 0:01:28.320 with you, And we've got a lot of time this 0:01:28.360 --> 0:01:31.200 week to preview the draft and get ready for Thursday night. 0:01:31.600 --> 0:01:33.720 But before we get to that, there's a lot of 0:01:33.800 --> 0:01:36.039 stuff we need to catch up on here because in 0:01:36.080 --> 0:01:38.640 the time that that we signed off, which was shortly 0:01:38.680 --> 0:01:42.039 after the combine until now, a lot of changes on 0:01:42.080 --> 0:01:43.959 the Packers roster. And I want to start on the 0:01:44.000 --> 0:01:46.640 offensive side of the ball here, because to give the 0:01:46.720 --> 0:01:50.680 quick rundown, Jordy Nelson, Richard Rodgers, and Jeff Janis are 0:01:50.720 --> 0:01:54.200 no longer Green Bay Packers tight end Jimmy Graham is, 0:01:54.360 --> 0:01:57.800 as well as a new entry into the backup quarterback competition, 0:01:57.800 --> 0:02:00.880 and that's Deshaun Kaiser from the Cleveland Brown. I don't 0:02:00.880 --> 0:02:02.760 know where you want to start with all those moves west, 0:02:02.800 --> 0:02:04.800 but I will say this, that's a lot of changes 0:02:04.920 --> 0:02:08.240 for an Aaron Rodgers offense in the off season before 0:02:08.240 --> 0:02:10.800 the draft even gets here. Yeah, and you know you 0:02:11.000 --> 0:02:13.919 would be foolish not to start with Jordy Nelson because 0:02:13.919 --> 0:02:15.919 this is a guy that he has a future Packers 0:02:15.960 --> 0:02:18.240 Hall of Famer. I think you can make a case 0:02:18.280 --> 0:02:21.560 he's on that mount rushmore of of Packers receivers in 0:02:21.560 --> 0:02:25.080 this long illustrious history of this organization. Uh, he's right 0:02:25.200 --> 0:02:28.160 up there with with the Don Hudson's and Sterling Sharps 0:02:28.160 --> 0:02:29.840 and Donald Drivers. I mean, this is a guy that 0:02:29.880 --> 0:02:31.520 I think when you look at the passing game over 0:02:31.520 --> 0:02:33.680 the last ten years, he's been the face of it. 0:02:34.120 --> 0:02:37.400 And for Aaron Rodgers and him, that was the longest concurrent, 0:02:38.120 --> 0:02:41.079 uh partnership between a quarterback and the receivers. But I 0:02:41.160 --> 0:02:44.280 believe two or three seasons in the entire NFL, guys 0:02:44.360 --> 0:02:47.240 just don't get on runs like that very often. And 0:02:47.720 --> 0:02:50.480 losing him in this offense, that is a big presence 0:02:50.520 --> 0:02:52.560 in the locker room. It's a big presence on the field. 0:02:53.280 --> 0:02:55.160 The one thing I've talked about a lot though in 0:02:55.200 --> 0:02:57.360 the Insider in box in the month or so that 0:02:57.400 --> 0:03:00.280 this is has passed since the move was made, this 0:03:00.360 --> 0:03:03.480 is a big opportunity. It's an opportunity for Davante Adams 0:03:03.680 --> 0:03:06.200 in Randall cop Jimmy Graham coming into this offense and 0:03:06.240 --> 0:03:08.960 most importantly those young receivers that have kind of been 0:03:08.960 --> 0:03:11.840 waiting in kind of trying to fight through that gridlock 0:03:11.880 --> 0:03:14.000 at the top of the depth chart. This is gonna 0:03:14.000 --> 0:03:15.880 be one of the most intriguing off seasons and in 0:03:15.919 --> 0:03:18.239 training camps that I can remember on the offensive side 0:03:18.240 --> 0:03:20.800 of the ball, because without Jordy Nelson there there's a 0:03:20.800 --> 0:03:22.560 lot of guys that have to stepped their game up. Yeah, 0:03:22.560 --> 0:03:24.920 and I wanted to ask you about Jimmy Graham because 0:03:25.320 --> 0:03:27.960 as Green Bay media members, we met him for the 0:03:28.000 --> 0:03:31.720 first time last week when the Packers opened their off 0:03:31.760 --> 0:03:35.080 season program, began their offseason workouts, and he spoke with 0:03:35.120 --> 0:03:37.760 reporters and he was asked a lot of things, obviously 0:03:37.800 --> 0:03:40.600 about his statistics and how the numbers fell off in 0:03:40.680 --> 0:03:43.040 Seattle versus what he was doing with Drew Brees in 0:03:43.080 --> 0:03:45.840 New Orleans. And I don't know about us, but I 0:03:45.920 --> 0:03:49.000 got a sense of a guy who I don't like 0:03:49.080 --> 0:03:51.320 to say chip on the shoulder because it's it's it's 0:03:51.320 --> 0:03:53.200 an overused phrase, but I got a sense of a 0:03:53.240 --> 0:03:55.480 guy who it's kind of coming to Green Bay out 0:03:55.520 --> 0:03:58.000 to prove a little something that that maybe in Seattle 0:03:58.040 --> 0:04:00.960 it wasn't quite the right the right fit in terms 0:04:01.000 --> 0:04:03.560 of the offensive style and and what he can really 0:04:03.560 --> 0:04:05.440 bring to the table, and that maybe he feels he 0:04:05.520 --> 0:04:09.480 wasn't utilized to his his fullest extent. And there were 0:04:09.520 --> 0:04:11.960 some injuries there along the way, which which certainly played 0:04:12.000 --> 0:04:15.560 a factor in in Graham's production in Seattle. But this 0:04:15.600 --> 0:04:18.360 is a guy who sounds awfully, awfully excited to be 0:04:18.400 --> 0:04:21.640 in a Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers offense. Yeah. And 0:04:21.680 --> 0:04:23.880 here's the thing, Mike Packers have had some changes. They're 0:04:23.880 --> 0:04:25.960 at tight end of the last three or four seasons. 0:04:26.360 --> 0:04:29.159 Jimmy Graham I think fits with what this locker room 0:04:29.240 --> 0:04:31.440 is about. He fits what they're about on the field. 0:04:32.040 --> 0:04:34.200 You know, they've tried different things, but I think at 0:04:34.200 --> 0:04:36.640 the end of the day, this Mike McCarthy offense functions 0:04:36.680 --> 0:04:38.880 the best when it has a hybrid type tight end 0:04:39.440 --> 0:04:41.720 uh available in it. I think you saw that two 0:04:41.800 --> 0:04:44.440 years ago with Jared Cook. To me, it seems like 0:04:44.520 --> 0:04:47.680 Graham probably is a little bit more in terms of personality, 0:04:47.680 --> 0:04:51.600 a lot like Cook in that person you know, fine personality, 0:04:51.920 --> 0:04:55.200 but likes to likes to just do things quietly. Um, 0:04:55.400 --> 0:04:57.600 and you know they obviously Martella is Benny can make 0:04:57.600 --> 0:04:59.640 everything out of that. But the thing I liked about 0:04:59.680 --> 0:05:02.320 Cook two years ago is that he was a guy 0:05:02.360 --> 0:05:04.920 that just kind of went about his business in over 0:05:04.960 --> 0:05:06.640 the course of the year. You could see him mesh 0:05:06.720 --> 0:05:10.000 with that offense with Aaron Rodgers. We're only going off 0:05:10.000 --> 0:05:12.640 the back of one one interview here with Jimmy Graham, 0:05:12.640 --> 0:05:14.680 but I think he fits with that. And then yeah, 0:05:14.720 --> 0:05:16.839 to your second point, there is a big chip on 0:05:16.880 --> 0:05:19.000 the shoulder there because he was asked the question are 0:05:19.000 --> 0:05:21.240 you still the same Jimmy Graham from five years ago? 0:05:21.800 --> 0:05:23.560 And I think you could kind of see that that's 0:05:23.560 --> 0:05:25.840 something that is sort of weighing on him a little bit. 0:05:26.240 --> 0:05:28.440 He believes he is, He believes he still runs that 0:05:28.520 --> 0:05:31.039 same forty time. He wants a chance to prove it, 0:05:31.040 --> 0:05:33.320 and he feels like this this offense is the best 0:05:33.320 --> 0:05:37.120 caveat best best avenue conduit towards making that happen. And 0:05:37.320 --> 0:05:39.960 I want to get to uh to Also, Deshaun Kaiser 0:05:40.040 --> 0:05:43.320 acquired in a trade from the Cleveland Browns for cornerbacked 0:05:43.360 --> 0:05:47.520 Marius Randall. Now you've got Deshaun Kaiser, Brett Honley, Joe 0:05:47.560 --> 0:05:51.239 Callahan as the the backup quarterbacks on your roster behind 0:05:51.320 --> 0:05:54.920 Aaron Rodgers. Mike McCarthy said it um at the scouting combine. 0:05:54.960 --> 0:05:58.000 If I'm not mistaken, he wants more competition for the 0:05:58.040 --> 0:06:00.800 backup spot behind Aaron Rodgers. O see, things did not 0:06:00.839 --> 0:06:03.320 go as planned when Brett Humley had to start as 0:06:03.320 --> 0:06:07.840 many games as he did in The Packers really liked 0:06:07.880 --> 0:06:10.080 to Shaun Kaiser when he was coming out of Notre Dame. 0:06:10.080 --> 0:06:12.240 There was a chance that the Packers were going to 0:06:12.360 --> 0:06:15.520 draft him last year. That didn't work out. But now 0:06:15.560 --> 0:06:19.240 he's in Green Bay. This is a really intriguing change 0:06:19.240 --> 0:06:22.440 to the quarterback room. Yeah, and I've said this before too. 0:06:22.760 --> 0:06:25.000 With Kaiser, you hope that he can just wash his 0:06:25.040 --> 0:06:27.880 memory bank clean of everything that happened last year. I 0:06:28.200 --> 0:06:30.080 have not had time to do this. I obviously don't 0:06:30.080 --> 0:06:33.200 have a stats or alias kind of bureau that can 0:06:33.240 --> 0:06:35.400 help me on these things. But trying to remember the 0:06:35.480 --> 0:06:37.720 last time a quarterback that was twenty one years old 0:06:37.720 --> 0:06:40.440 started fifteen games in the league for a team that, 0:06:40.520 --> 0:06:43.080 mind you, I think it's not even arguably was the 0:06:43.080 --> 0:06:46.320 worst team in the NFL last year. Not ideal circumstances 0:06:46.400 --> 0:06:47.839 for a young guy to walk in on and on 0:06:47.920 --> 0:06:49.880 top of that, as we've talked about, he played the 0:06:49.920 --> 0:06:52.760 majority of that rookie season without his number one wide 0:06:52.760 --> 0:06:55.440 receiver in Josh Gordon, and without his Hall of Fame 0:06:55.520 --> 0:06:58.640 left tackle and Joe Thomas for different reasons, but he 0:06:58.720 --> 0:07:00.800 was without those guys, and that was a team that, 0:07:00.839 --> 0:07:03.200 even with those guys, was going to struggle to content 0:07:03.320 --> 0:07:05.239 And he looked different when Gordon was on the field 0:07:05.279 --> 0:07:08.839 that final month of the season. So he's a great prospect. 0:07:08.880 --> 0:07:12.000 Mike six ft four, two pounds. He has everything you 0:07:12.080 --> 0:07:15.840 look for in a quarterback to develop into me. In 0:07:15.880 --> 0:07:18.560 my opinion, this is the best summer battle they're going 0:07:18.600 --> 0:07:21.600 to have in ten years, trying to figure out exactly 0:07:21.920 --> 0:07:23.360 you know, whether it's gonna be Huny, whether it can 0:07:23.400 --> 0:07:26.880 be Kaiser. Joe Callahan still involved in that conversation. There's 0:07:26.880 --> 0:07:28.720 a lot of depth at that position. That's exactly what 0:07:28.760 --> 0:07:30.960 Mike McCarthy wanted go into this offseason. Yeah, well, I 0:07:30.960 --> 0:07:32.960 mentioned the trader to Marius Randall. That was one of 0:07:32.960 --> 0:07:35.160 the changes on the defensive side. We'll get to more 0:07:35.200 --> 0:07:36.880 of those on that side of the ball back with 0:07:36.960 --> 0:07:57.400 more on Packers unscripted right after this. Welcome back to 0:07:57.480 --> 0:08:01.040 Packers unscripted. Mike Spofford in this chair, were Hodkoitz in 0:08:01.080 --> 0:08:03.160 that one in West On the defensive side of the ball, 0:08:03.200 --> 0:08:06.880 here for the Packers, talking roster changes, Damarius Randall traded 0:08:06.920 --> 0:08:10.080 to the Browns. Morgan Burnett signs a free agent contract 0:08:10.480 --> 0:08:15.920 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tremont Williams back in the fold. 0:08:15.960 --> 0:08:19.200 He resigns after three years away with different teams, and 0:08:19.240 --> 0:08:22.520 then also Devon House resigned for another year. He had 0:08:22.520 --> 0:08:24.360 been with the Packers on a one year contract a 0:08:24.440 --> 0:08:28.280 year ago. But probably the biggest change is the addition 0:08:28.280 --> 0:08:31.480 of Mohammed Wilkerson on the defensive line. You're talking about 0:08:31.520 --> 0:08:34.280 adding a guy, he's got a couple of double digit 0:08:34.320 --> 0:08:37.079 sack seasons to his credit from his time with the 0:08:37.120 --> 0:08:40.280 New York Jets, a former first round draft pick, and 0:08:40.440 --> 0:08:43.080 uh joining a group that already has the likes of 0:08:43.120 --> 0:08:48.360 Mike Daniels, Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry, perhaps an upcoming Montrevius Adams. 0:08:49.040 --> 0:08:52.720 To me, this move signaled, if anything, it's signaled that 0:08:53.160 --> 0:08:56.320 the foundation of a Mike Petton defense is going to 0:08:56.360 --> 0:08:59.160 be the guys up front. That's why they made this move. Absolutely, 0:08:59.200 --> 0:09:01.240 Mike and in the last segment, we talked about Jimmy 0:09:01.280 --> 0:09:04.720 Graham having a chip on his shoulder. Mohammed Wilkerson has 0:09:04.720 --> 0:09:06.319 a chip on his shoulder, probably the size of new 0:09:06.360 --> 0:09:08.839 jersey from the Green Bay Right now, Packers are getting 0:09:08.840 --> 0:09:12.280 a motivated player. There's a very motive motivated mo when 0:09:12.280 --> 0:09:13.760 you look at the fact that this is a guy 0:09:13.800 --> 0:09:16.120 that was twice an All Pro in this league, twice 0:09:16.120 --> 0:09:18.719 had over ten and a half sacks at the defensive 0:09:18.720 --> 0:09:21.120 tackle position. I mean, it's not like he was this 0:09:21.200 --> 0:09:24.280 Michael Strahan defensive end where he's just constantly coming off 0:09:24.320 --> 0:09:27.800 the edge. He provides you a really stable presence inside 0:09:28.200 --> 0:09:32.439 um And to me, I thought that this signing really indicated, 0:09:32.440 --> 0:09:35.800 as you just pointed out, where Mike Petton wants this 0:09:35.920 --> 0:09:38.720 defense to go. Because he has Kenny Clark coming off 0:09:38.720 --> 0:09:41.240 a career year, he has Mike Daniels coming off of 0:09:41.240 --> 0:09:43.920 a Pro Bowl. The Packers very easily and if there 0:09:43.960 --> 0:09:45.559 was any position on either side of the ball where 0:09:45.559 --> 0:09:49.000 they could have just stood pat and been fine, it 0:09:49.080 --> 0:09:51.680 looks like it was probably the defensive line. Especially with 0:09:51.720 --> 0:09:54.480 Montrevius Adams coming back after being the third round pick 0:09:54.559 --> 0:09:57.920 last year, they weren't having that Mohammed Wilkerson is here, 0:09:58.360 --> 0:10:00.640 and if you look at his track record, Mike, he plays. 0:10:00.720 --> 0:10:02.280 Whatever you want to make out of all the off 0:10:02.320 --> 0:10:04.240 the field issues that came up in New York, this 0:10:04.240 --> 0:10:08.680 guy played over of his defensive snaps in four or 0:10:08.679 --> 0:10:11.240 five of his six seven seasons that he was in 0:10:11.280 --> 0:10:13.839 New York. He is a guy that is going to 0:10:13.920 --> 0:10:15.640 be a constant presence. And if you go back and 0:10:15.640 --> 0:10:18.000 look at that prototype for the Packers signing free agents, 0:10:18.040 --> 0:10:20.880 he meets it in the fact that he's incredibly durable. Yeah, 0:10:20.920 --> 0:10:22.880 and when you talk when you think about what what 0:10:22.920 --> 0:10:25.640 Mike McCarthy has said in the past, and he's reiterated 0:10:25.640 --> 0:10:29.080 it since the signing of Wilkerson, it's about wanting to 0:10:29.120 --> 0:10:32.079 have a rotation of those defensive linemen. You don't want 0:10:32.120 --> 0:10:36.000 those big guys having to play eight hundred snaps a year. 0:10:36.080 --> 0:10:38.880 You want to have them more in the six seven 0:10:38.960 --> 0:10:41.839 hundred snap range. Be able to rotate them. Obviously, you know, 0:10:41.920 --> 0:10:45.319 we know how important it is to have fairly fresh 0:10:45.400 --> 0:10:47.720 legs in the fourth quarter, try to close out games. 0:10:47.760 --> 0:10:50.439 All of that. That's what I see the Packers building 0:10:50.480 --> 0:10:53.559 here upfront. With the addition of Wilkerson to two guys 0:10:53.600 --> 0:10:55.719 in in Mike Daniels and Kenny Clark, who I thought 0:10:55.760 --> 0:10:58.880 were becoming, you know, maybe one of the top defensive 0:10:58.960 --> 0:11:02.240 interior defensive lineman tandems in the league. Then you're throwing 0:11:02.240 --> 0:11:04.760 a guy like Wilkerson into that mix where where you 0:11:04.800 --> 0:11:07.040 don't have to have your top two guys on the 0:11:07.040 --> 0:11:09.840 field every single snap. I think that's gonna pay some 0:11:09.880 --> 0:11:12.720 big dividends. What's the shortest distance of the quarterback Michael 0:11:13.440 --> 0:11:15.920 right in the middle. You look at what Los Angeles 0:11:15.960 --> 0:11:19.319 did this offseason bringing ensue, matching him now with Aaron Donald. 0:11:19.360 --> 0:11:21.840 Aaron Donald, this is something and you need to have 0:11:21.840 --> 0:11:23.800 pass rushers, you need to have adge rushers, you need 0:11:23.800 --> 0:11:26.800 to have elephants, no doubt, won't debate that, but this 0:11:26.880 --> 0:11:28.600 is the type of move that I think is signaling 0:11:28.640 --> 0:11:30.520 where the league is headed and why you need to 0:11:30.520 --> 0:11:32.800 have deep rotations inside. All right, well, what are your 0:11:32.800 --> 0:11:36.319 thoughts on where the Packers are with their secondary right now? 0:11:36.360 --> 0:11:40.079 As I mentioned, Mary's Randall gone, Morgan Burnett gone, Tremont Williams, 0:11:40.080 --> 0:11:43.360 and Devon House to veteran cornerbacks who will be in 0:11:43.360 --> 0:11:45.960 that room with a lot of young guys around them. 0:11:46.120 --> 0:11:50.839 Kevin King, Quentin Rollins, Lenzy Pipkins, all these guys. Where 0:11:50.880 --> 0:11:52.760 do you think it stands right now? Obviously, I think 0:11:52.760 --> 0:11:55.000 the Packers are still going to use the draft to 0:11:55.200 --> 0:11:58.400 work on the future of that position. But you've got 0:11:58.400 --> 0:12:01.480 two veteran guys now that provide that they can stay healthy, 0:12:01.520 --> 0:12:03.960 they can they can help bridge the gap here between 0:12:04.040 --> 0:12:06.920 now and where the Packers secondary will be down the road. 0:12:07.080 --> 0:12:08.719 This is the thing that stands out to me, Mike, 0:12:08.760 --> 0:12:12.040 when I look at this. They lost Morgan Burnett. They 0:12:12.120 --> 0:12:14.800 got to find a way to replace him to Murus Randall. 0:12:14.880 --> 0:12:16.439 For all the things that happened earlier in the season, 0:12:16.480 --> 0:12:18.840 I don't think anyone would question his playmaking ability. He 0:12:18.880 --> 0:12:21.040 played well down the stretch in the slot they need 0:12:21.080 --> 0:12:24.080 to replace him. Those are two big spots, those start 0:12:24.200 --> 0:12:27.440 nickel position. It's becoming really important in this league. Who's 0:12:27.440 --> 0:12:29.240 going to fill that. That's what I want to find 0:12:29.240 --> 0:12:32.400 out this offseason. But fourteen defensive backs right now on 0:12:32.440 --> 0:12:35.480 the roster have NFL experience. They have guys that have 0:12:35.600 --> 0:12:38.559 been there, that have done that. Truman Williams, I look 0:12:38.600 --> 0:12:41.720 at him as a almost like a tranquility kind of factor, 0:12:41.720 --> 0:12:44.880 a Catharsis for this defense. A guy that just has 0:12:45.240 --> 0:12:49.040 has that kind of mentality, that leadership value that people 0:12:49.080 --> 0:12:51.319 gravitate towards. I think he's going to be really positive 0:12:51.360 --> 0:12:53.959 for them. And he also said he's here to play. 0:12:54.200 --> 0:12:56.240 The Packers wouldn't have signed him if he couldn't play. 0:12:56.480 --> 0:12:58.559 Thirty five years old, he still has that spring nous 0:12:58.559 --> 0:13:00.760 in his legs. He still can make days, and I'm 0:13:00.760 --> 0:13:02.280 interested to see what he can do now that he's 0:13:02.280 --> 0:13:04.440 paired up again with the Packers and also Mike Petton, 0:13:04.720 --> 0:13:07.280 who he played for in the with the Cleveland Browns. Yeah, 0:13:07.280 --> 0:13:10.440 that was my favorite thing about what Williams said when 0:13:10.440 --> 0:13:12.559 he met with the media last week at the start 0:13:12.600 --> 0:13:15.000 of the offseason program. You know, talk about all the 0:13:15.320 --> 0:13:17.440 all the reasons that it made sense for the Packers 0:13:17.520 --> 0:13:19.480 to bring him back. He's been in a pettent defense. 0:13:19.520 --> 0:13:21.760 He's he knows everything about what it means to be 0:13:21.800 --> 0:13:23.880 a Green Bay Packer. He was here for nine years 0:13:23.920 --> 0:13:27.400 before he left. He Uh, he's a veteran guy who's 0:13:27.679 --> 0:13:30.160 who knows the ropes. He's been in postseason games, he's 0:13:30.160 --> 0:13:32.880 been in big time games, all of that. But the 0:13:32.880 --> 0:13:35.280 biggest reason he's here is because he can still play 0:13:35.320 --> 0:13:37.319 absolutely and he gives him a lot of versatility to 0:13:37.400 --> 0:13:39.160 all right with that, we'll go to a break back 0:13:39.240 --> 0:13:59.600 with more on Packers Unscripted right after this. Welcome back 0:13:59.600 --> 0:14:03.640 to pack Years Unscripted Mike Spofford alongside West, Hotkowitz and West. 0:14:03.679 --> 0:14:05.400 If there's another big piece of news we need to 0:14:05.440 --> 0:14:07.560 catch up on here before we get to more of 0:14:07.559 --> 0:14:11.080 our draft preview shows later in the week, it's that 0:14:11.160 --> 0:14:15.360 the two thousand eighteen schedule was announced late last week. 0:14:15.440 --> 0:14:18.600 Always an exciting day, wondering, you know, we we always 0:14:18.640 --> 0:14:22.080 know the who, you don't know the when with all 0:14:22.120 --> 0:14:25.480 of these matchups. What was your first impression when you 0:14:25.480 --> 0:14:27.360 saw the schedule? You know, it's funny because it is 0:14:27.400 --> 0:14:29.880 it's almost like an engagement. You know, you're getting married now. 0:14:29.880 --> 0:14:32.840 You just gotta figure out which day it's gonna be. Uh, 0:14:32.880 --> 0:14:35.400 I mean, you have to, myke, you gotta look at 0:14:35.440 --> 0:14:37.200 that schedule. The two things that stand out it is 0:14:37.240 --> 0:14:39.360 really cool they get to open the season against the Bears. 0:14:39.600 --> 0:14:42.040 You wrote a tremendous column going into all of that. 0:14:42.480 --> 0:14:45.280 To me, though, that middle stretch of the season, that 0:14:45.400 --> 0:14:49.040 eighteen nineteen days will be traveling over ten thousand miles 0:14:49.040 --> 0:14:51.200 a road trip out to l A. Then they got 0:14:51.200 --> 0:14:54.080 to go across the country to New England, come back over, 0:14:54.160 --> 0:14:56.280 go to Seattle in a short week, and then they 0:14:56.320 --> 0:14:59.560 finished with another prime time matchup against the Minnesota Vikings 0:14:59.560 --> 0:15:02.040 in a month long stretch that's going to test them. 0:15:02.240 --> 0:15:05.640 Mike McCarthy constantly preaches the importance of November and playing 0:15:05.640 --> 0:15:08.560 your best football in November. They have a great chance 0:15:08.560 --> 0:15:10.080 to get off to a fast start with three or 0:15:10.080 --> 0:15:12.520 four at home. That middle, that middle of the season 0:15:12.520 --> 0:15:14.480 stretch is going to be something that really is defining 0:15:14.480 --> 0:15:16.440 though when you look at how this how this season 0:15:16.480 --> 0:15:18.280 is going to play out. Yeah, and when you look 0:15:18.320 --> 0:15:21.720 at that, it puts an even greater premium. As you 0:15:21.760 --> 0:15:24.440 just mentioned on taking advantage of the way the early 0:15:24.480 --> 0:15:28.800 season schedule sets up. Personally, as a as a football fan, 0:15:29.200 --> 0:15:31.840 I'm I'm not in favor of the way this starts 0:15:31.840 --> 0:15:34.000 for the Packers with Bears and Vikings. And what I 0:15:34.040 --> 0:15:36.120 mean by that is having two division games. You only 0:15:36.120 --> 0:15:37.840 have six of them all season long, and they have 0:15:37.920 --> 0:15:40.000 two of them right off the bat in the first 0:15:40.040 --> 0:15:43.040 two weeks. I'm not crazy about that. But if you 0:15:43.080 --> 0:15:46.040 look at it from the Packers perspective, you get both 0:15:46.080 --> 0:15:48.320 of those at home, you do right out of the gate. 0:15:48.520 --> 0:15:50.880 You have to take advantage of that. That is your 0:15:50.920 --> 0:15:54.560 opportunity to win those first two home games against Chicago 0:15:54.600 --> 0:15:57.760 and Minnesota to year division rivals and to say, okay, 0:15:57.800 --> 0:15:59.960 here we are, come and get us. We're gonna be 0:16:00.160 --> 0:16:02.080 in this thing from start to finish. That's what the 0:16:02.120 --> 0:16:04.720 Packers have to say in September. It's such a great 0:16:04.720 --> 0:16:07.080 point you make, because I'm so far looking at this 0:16:07.160 --> 0:16:11.000 at all the really terrible like starts they've had in 0:16:11.080 --> 0:16:13.760 terms of having to go to Jacksonville and then opening 0:16:13.800 --> 0:16:17.000 these stadiums in Atlanta and Minnesota. So I if they 0:16:17.000 --> 0:16:19.120 get too at home, I just look at that naturally 0:16:19.120 --> 0:16:20.840 as a positive. But you bring out a good point 0:16:20.840 --> 0:16:23.720 in that starting against the NFC North, that is going 0:16:23.760 --> 0:16:25.880 to be difficult and it is going to be a 0:16:25.880 --> 0:16:28.520 tough stretch in terms of you have new coaches in 0:16:28.600 --> 0:16:31.200 both of those spots. Conversely, the Packers have two new 0:16:31.680 --> 0:16:35.640 coordinators as well. But that ultimately is what you know 0:16:36.120 --> 0:16:38.560 kind of is goes into how this season plays out, 0:16:38.600 --> 0:16:40.800 is how you're perform in your division. It's almost like 0:16:40.840 --> 0:16:43.280 starting if you were a college football team starting with 0:16:43.320 --> 0:16:45.600 two Big ten games right off the bad too. You're 0:16:45.600 --> 0:16:47.520 not You're not always who you are until the end 0:16:47.560 --> 0:16:49.680 of the season, so they'll just have to shift into 0:16:49.760 --> 0:16:52.320 a faster gear early and kind of hope for the best. Yeah. 0:16:52.360 --> 0:16:54.960 I kind of like the way December sets up, And 0:16:54.960 --> 0:16:57.440 I want to get back to talking about that November 0:16:57.480 --> 0:16:59.960 stretch you mentioned, but I like the way December set 0:17:00.040 --> 0:17:02.360 up here for a few different reasons. One is that 0:17:02.960 --> 0:17:05.520 you have three home games in December and they're all 0:17:05.560 --> 0:17:09.840 against Dome teams Arizona, Atlanta, and Detroit. Now, Detroit is 0:17:09.920 --> 0:17:11.680 used to the cold weather because they have to play 0:17:11.840 --> 0:17:14.520 plenty of late season games in Chicago and Green Bay 0:17:15.000 --> 0:17:17.919 over the years. But to get teams like Arizona and 0:17:17.960 --> 0:17:21.080 Atlanta coming to your place in December again another thing 0:17:21.119 --> 0:17:22.880 you have to take advantage of. And the other thing 0:17:22.880 --> 0:17:25.960 I like about December is that second Bears game is 0:17:26.000 --> 0:17:28.560 in December. I had looked this up for the for 0:17:28.600 --> 0:17:31.440 the column I wrote last week when the schedule was announced. 0:17:31.960 --> 0:17:36.440 There was a stretch of sixteen consecutive years through two 0:17:36.480 --> 0:17:39.639 thousand thirteen where either in Green Bay or Chicago, the 0:17:39.640 --> 0:17:44.159 Packers and Bears played a December game. Then that stretch 0:17:44.320 --> 0:17:46.919 ended with the great you know, Roger stacab fourth and 0:17:46.960 --> 0:17:49.040 eight from the forty eight. Then you get away from 0:17:49.040 --> 0:17:51.200 it for a couple of years. Then two thousand sixteen, 0:17:51.200 --> 0:17:53.520 it's another December game. The Packers are trying to do 0:17:53.560 --> 0:17:56.760 that run the table thing, and Jordy Nelson sixty yards 0:17:56.800 --> 0:17:58.840 down the middle sets up the game winning kick and 0:17:58.880 --> 0:18:01.960 all of that. So I just I like the fact 0:18:02.000 --> 0:18:04.440 that Packers Bears is going to be in December again, 0:18:04.440 --> 0:18:06.760 no matter where the teams are in the standings or 0:18:06.800 --> 0:18:08.760 however that shakes out. I just like the fact that 0:18:08.760 --> 0:18:10.159 those two teams are going to be out in the 0:18:10.160 --> 0:18:12.200 cold planing. And I don't even know if there was 0:18:12.240 --> 0:18:15.119 any deliberate action towards, you know, in terms of the 0:18:15.200 --> 0:18:18.240 NFL setting that up. Obviously, Mark Murphy, the Packers president CEO, 0:18:18.320 --> 0:18:21.560 they had requested to host the Bears for their hundredth season, 0:18:21.560 --> 0:18:23.600 to open it that way, but to have the back 0:18:23.720 --> 0:18:25.520 end of that have that matchup with the Bears, I 0:18:25.520 --> 0:18:27.720 think is very fitting. Well, those road trips you talked 0:18:27.760 --> 0:18:30.800 about before are definitely worth discussing. We'll get to uh 0:18:30.840 --> 0:18:32.760 those a little bit more after the breakback with more 0:18:32.760 --> 0:18:53.760 on Packers unscripted. Right after this welcome back to Packers Unscripted. 0:18:53.800 --> 0:18:57.080 Mike Spofford here, West, Hodkowitz all the way over there West. 0:18:57.119 --> 0:18:59.200 A couple of final thoughts on the schedule. You did 0:18:59.240 --> 0:19:01.439 the math talk about those road trips. What did you 0:19:01.480 --> 0:19:04.120 come up with that in that November stretch ten thousand, 0:19:04.200 --> 0:19:10.639 five hundred five d sixty four round trip miles. Yeah, 0:19:10.720 --> 0:19:14.159 and uh, you know, and every schedule is going to 0:19:14.240 --> 0:19:17.679 have it's it's set of challenges. And the way this 0:19:17.720 --> 0:19:19.840 one sets up for the Packers, there are some trade 0:19:19.840 --> 0:19:23.199 offs in there because right before you start, you know, 0:19:23.320 --> 0:19:25.720 this stretch of road trips with the trip to l A, 0:19:26.320 --> 0:19:28.600 the Packers have their bye week, so you've got sort 0:19:28.640 --> 0:19:31.080 of that rest and recuperation a little bit, hopefully get 0:19:31.080 --> 0:19:33.359 guys healthy, all that kind of stuff before you start 0:19:33.400 --> 0:19:36.679 on these long road trips. Then you have that short 0:19:36.760 --> 0:19:40.480 week going to Seattle for a Thursday night game. But 0:19:40.560 --> 0:19:42.439