WEBVTT - #648 Packers Unscripted: Picking favorites 0:00:04.960 --> 0:00:10.920 Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from 0:00:10.920 --> 0:00:14.000 Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spofford. He is the 0:00:14.000 --> 0:00:16.279 one and only Wes hod Kowitz. We're coming to you 0:00:16.360 --> 0:00:19.400 here from our studios at lambeau Field. This will be 0:00:19.480 --> 0:00:23.239 our season wrap up episode. We're gonna go on a 0:00:23.280 --> 0:00:26.239 bit of a hiatus from Packers Unscripted after this. West 0:00:26.320 --> 0:00:28.840 has some vacation to take. I have some vacation to take. 0:00:29.080 --> 0:00:31.160 Who knows when we'll be back. We will be back, 0:00:31.960 --> 0:00:34.640 but when when I'm not sure. I was gonna say, 0:00:34.800 --> 0:00:36.640 we'll see if Leroy gets in the Hall of Fame 0:00:36.720 --> 0:00:39.560 or not. Yeah, and if he doesn't, then probably about 0:00:39.600 --> 0:00:41.800 forty eight minutes after the announcements made, we'll be doing 0:00:41.840 --> 0:00:44.599 an episode West. West is gonna drag me in here 0:00:44.600 --> 0:00:47.360 because we're gonna have to talk about it. Um. But yes, 0:00:47.640 --> 0:00:50.360 offseason episodes between now and the draft might just be 0:00:50.600 --> 0:00:54.760 very much news driven, might be based on when West 0:00:54.800 --> 0:00:56.560 and I are both both happened to be in the 0:00:56.600 --> 0:00:59.160 office at the same time. That aside, though, I do 0:00:59.280 --> 0:01:04.200 want to art this episode with a hearty congratulations and 0:01:04.280 --> 0:01:08.480 a big time shout out to now former Packers Offensive 0:01:08.520 --> 0:01:12.440 coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. He has landed the head coaching job 0:01:12.480 --> 0:01:16.520 of the Denver Broncos. This is a tremendous career achievement 0:01:16.600 --> 0:01:20.919 for somebody that, um, everyone in this building was rooting 0:01:20.920 --> 0:01:23.040 for him. If this is what he wanted, you wanted, 0:01:23.240 --> 0:01:27.080 you wanted him to get it and get this opportunity. Um. 0:01:27.160 --> 0:01:30.440 Just a great guy. I wish he could have been 0:01:30.480 --> 0:01:33.920 around Green Bay longer than than three years. He's been 0:01:33.959 --> 0:01:35.840 really fun to talk to and get to know. But 0:01:35.959 --> 0:01:41.399 congratulations to coach Hackett. Congratulations to Nathaniel you know, unfortunately 0:01:41.480 --> 0:01:43.400 been behind the zoom wall here for two years for 0:01:43.600 --> 0:01:45.560 most of it. But a guy that when you'd see 0:01:45.600 --> 0:01:47.240 him in the press box, he always have a good 0:01:47.240 --> 0:01:49.840 smile for you, always have a nice hello, Very personable. 0:01:50.000 --> 0:01:51.520 I made the comment Mike at the end of the 0:01:51.560 --> 0:01:53.320 season when I was thinking, originally maybe he'd be a 0:01:53.320 --> 0:01:57.120 candidate for Jacksonville. I had tweeted out something along the 0:01:57.160 --> 0:01:59.520 lines of, if you want to change your culture, if 0:01:59.520 --> 0:02:01.560 you want to, you know, infuse some positive in your 0:02:01.560 --> 0:02:04.400 locker room, Nathaniel Hackett's your guy. Well, and it sounded 0:02:04.440 --> 0:02:07.280 like he was potentially on his way for a second 0:02:07.280 --> 0:02:10.600 interview in Jacksonville, and the Denver Broncos didn't let him 0:02:10.680 --> 0:02:14.120 leave town. They they they dropped a contract in front 0:02:14.120 --> 0:02:16.080 of him and said, uh, and said you're our guy, 0:02:16.160 --> 0:02:21.440 so let's so let's go. There are obviously some implications here, uh, 0:02:21.480 --> 0:02:24.280 you know, the this is going to fuel you know, 0:02:24.639 --> 0:02:27.679 rumors and speculation regarding Aaron Rodgers and all that. I'm 0:02:27.720 --> 0:02:29.800 not going to get into what we will see what 0:02:29.960 --> 0:02:34.359 happens with regard to the Packers staff. Matt Lafleur had 0:02:34.400 --> 0:02:37.959 mentioned on Monday, Um, you know, he's got a plan 0:02:38.040 --> 0:02:41.360 in place. Obviously, his plan is to promote from within 0:02:41.639 --> 0:02:46.160 for for offensive coordinator. Presumably his top candidates there are 0:02:46.240 --> 0:02:49.840 Luke Getsy and Adam Stenovitch, Getsy being quarterback coach and 0:02:49.880 --> 0:02:53.800 passing game coordinator, Stenovitch being offensive line coach and run 0:02:53.840 --> 0:02:57.760 game coordinator. But then another potential wrinkle here is you 0:02:57.760 --> 0:03:01.200 don't know if coach Hackett might potentially want to take 0:03:01.280 --> 0:03:03.680 one of those guys with him to Denver to be 0:03:03.800 --> 0:03:07.520 his offensive coordinator. So we'll have to see what happens here. 0:03:07.560 --> 0:03:10.400 But but Matt Lafleur's plan is to promote from within 0:03:10.520 --> 0:03:14.840 at offensive coordinator to replace Nathaniel. Yeah. And and here's 0:03:14.840 --> 0:03:17.880 the thing. I want to make this abundantly clear, because 0:03:17.960 --> 0:03:20.600 I made this case an inbox too, in regards of 0:03:20.639 --> 0:03:23.680 Devandre Campbell and Restold Douglas, two guys that the Packers 0:03:23.760 --> 0:03:25.840 would love to have back for two thousand twenty two, 0:03:26.120 --> 0:03:29.519 but have incredibly raised their their stock here over the 0:03:29.600 --> 0:03:33.040 last few just a bit, whether or not the Packers 0:03:33.080 --> 0:03:35.480 can bring back Hamble or Douglas, whether or not, well, 0:03:35.480 --> 0:03:38.760 obviously pack I'll be moving on to a new opportunity 0:03:38.800 --> 0:03:43.600 that has positive implications for the Packers franchise, for this team. 0:03:43.600 --> 0:03:46.960 It's certainly for Matt Lafleur. I think one thing, especially 0:03:47.000 --> 0:03:50.480 as organizations, you fall into this pit where you want 0:03:50.520 --> 0:03:53.240 to continue to be the status quo because you fear 0:03:53.560 --> 0:03:55.480 what it means to lose a player, what it means 0:03:55.480 --> 0:03:59.800 to lose a coach, when in reality, by a Nathaniel 0:03:59.800 --> 0:04:02.680 ha get moving on. It creates opportunities for guys on 0:04:02.720 --> 0:04:05.960 this roster who are also deserving of those opportunities. What 0:04:06.080 --> 0:04:09.600 I love the most about Hackett's story though, Mike, it's 0:04:09.640 --> 0:04:12.480 not like when Matt Lafleur hired him in two thousand nineteen. 0:04:12.800 --> 0:04:16.880 Hackett was this huge, you know stud you know, had 0:04:17.040 --> 0:04:19.720 everyone's just raving about him as offensive coordinator. This is 0:04:19.760 --> 0:04:21.840 a great higher. There are a lot of questions about 0:04:21.920 --> 0:04:24.320 him because of how things ended in Jacksonville. Yeah, he'd 0:04:24.320 --> 0:04:26.640 been run out of town basically, And as I kind 0:04:26.680 --> 0:04:30.279 of said a few weeks ago, I think as time 0:04:30.279 --> 0:04:34.520 has passed, his tenure as the offensive coordinator as the 0:04:34.600 --> 0:04:40.080 Jacksonville Jaguars has really really looked better and better what 0:04:40.120 --> 0:04:42.400 he was able to do, what they were able to accomplish. 0:04:42.680 --> 0:04:45.760 And while he was sort of unceremoniously you know, let 0:04:45.839 --> 0:04:48.520 go during a time in which you know that happens 0:04:48.520 --> 0:04:51.240 to coaches where they have to make these decisions. For 0:04:51.320 --> 0:04:54.240 him to get this opportunity and to become such a 0:04:54.240 --> 0:04:57.479 beloved coach, you know, get the Packers with the gold zone, 0:04:57.600 --> 0:05:01.880 you know, setting franchise record productivity last year, being able 0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:04.080 to kind of rebound here the second half of this season. 0:05:04.440 --> 0:05:06.280 He had a lot to do with what Green Bay 0:05:06.320 --> 0:05:09.640 was able to build offensively. So, yes, you hate to 0:05:09.680 --> 0:05:12.400 see coaches go, you hate to see talented players go, 0:05:12.480 --> 0:05:15.320 but people around the league are going to notice that Mike. 0:05:15.360 --> 0:05:18.560 When Matt Laflour inevitably starts hiring guys again. After all 0:05:18.560 --> 0:05:20.800 the dust settles, coaches are gonna want to come to 0:05:20.839 --> 0:05:23.160 Green Bay. When free agents that maybe are looking for 0:05:23.200 --> 0:05:25.080 an opportunity because they felt like they got the raw 0:05:25.120 --> 0:05:28.799 into the stick, like Campbell, like Douglas, like Dennis Kelly, 0:05:28.960 --> 0:05:31.599 They're gonna notice what those players did in Green Bay. 0:05:31.839 --> 0:05:36.880 The overall byproduct of that is really important because you're 0:05:36.920 --> 0:05:38.600 not going to be able to pay everybody ten million 0:05:38.640 --> 0:05:40.680 dollars a year. But if people understand that there's an 0:05:40.680 --> 0:05:44.240 opportunity to grow and enhance and improve in this environment, 0:05:44.720 --> 0:05:46.320 they're gonna want to be able to be a part 0:05:46.360 --> 0:05:50.400 of that. Yeah. Absolutely, Well, the other thing that I 0:05:50.440 --> 0:05:52.880 want to focus this show on before at the end, 0:05:52.920 --> 0:05:55.680 we will talk about the upcoming conference championship games and 0:05:55.680 --> 0:05:59.440 get some thoughts there. I came up with. I came 0:05:59.520 --> 0:06:03.120 up with a few categories, uh sort of to uh 0:06:03.400 --> 0:06:08.680 to recap this season for the Packers. Now, in the 0:06:08.720 --> 0:06:12.360 spirit of unscripted, I haven't told Wes what the categories are. 0:06:13.200 --> 0:06:15.240 I've had the advantage to do a little bit of 0:06:15.279 --> 0:06:17.640 thinking to make my choices here. But he gets the 0:06:17.640 --> 0:06:20.400 advantage of going first. So if he picks what I 0:06:20.480 --> 0:06:24.440 want I have to come up with something else, but um, 0:06:24.640 --> 0:06:30.000 we'll start with this West. The best moment of season 0:06:30.040 --> 0:06:32.240 for the Packers is he gonna is Marv gonna play 0:06:32.320 --> 0:06:35.480 like the Jeopardy music. I don't know. That's that's up 0:06:35.520 --> 0:06:37.240 to him in the in the when he when he 0:06:37.240 --> 0:06:40.680 gets gets uh doing the final production. Ten seconds for 0:06:40.680 --> 0:06:42.320 me to write on my monitor, and then we show 0:06:42.360 --> 0:06:45.680 everybody what I picked the best moment of the two 0:06:45.720 --> 0:06:49.640 thousand one season. There's a few of them, but I'm 0:06:49.640 --> 0:06:53.600 gonna try to give you one to me. I think 0:06:53.640 --> 0:06:58.440 a lot of it is that win over the Minnesota Vikings, 0:06:59.040 --> 0:07:01.760 because that was what got them to buy. That's what 0:07:01.839 --> 0:07:06.040 got them they clinched the division and look and Rogers 0:07:06.040 --> 0:07:08.520 given that speech to the guys about enjoying this moment. 0:07:08.600 --> 0:07:10.840 That's something I've kind of talked to people about a 0:07:10.840 --> 0:07:13.840 lot this season. The other answer I kind of wanted 0:07:13.840 --> 0:07:16.320 to use there was Rogers just reporting for training camp. 0:07:16.320 --> 0:07:19.840 I felt like that was a big moment, but it 0:07:19.920 --> 0:07:22.960 was the appreciation of what you're accomplishing in the moment 0:07:23.000 --> 0:07:25.440 of what you're accomplishing it. I understand this is a 0:07:25.480 --> 0:07:28.800 disappointing week. You heard me talk on Tuesday. It's a disappointing, 0:07:29.240 --> 0:07:32.360 you know, to fall short of the ultimate goal. But 0:07:32.880 --> 0:07:35.360 this ride is so long, there's so many days in 0:07:35.400 --> 0:07:38.320 a year. There's so much legacy involved in these things 0:07:38.320 --> 0:07:40.680 that if you boil it down to just winning or 0:07:40.680 --> 0:07:43.640 losing a Super Bowl, it's gonna be difficult to put 0:07:43.680 --> 0:07:45.760 all your chips in that basket, even if you win 0:07:45.800 --> 0:07:49.040 the darn thing. I appreciate that Rogers said that to 0:07:49.080 --> 0:07:51.480 the team that day. I appreciated what it meant for 0:07:51.560 --> 0:07:53.640 him to come back, for him to have the success 0:07:53.680 --> 0:07:56.200 he did. He was a p f W a U 0:07:56.560 --> 0:07:59.440 m v P of the Year m v P. You know, 0:07:59.520 --> 0:08:01.320 likely will be the AP one as well. We'll find 0:08:01.320 --> 0:08:04.440 out shortly. But what Rogers brought to this team and 0:08:04.480 --> 0:08:06.280 being able to have that moment with the roster, the 0:08:06.320 --> 0:08:08.760 huddle before they knelt down, I felt like that was 0:08:08.760 --> 0:08:11.080 a pretty big catalyst to what they did. Yeah. I 0:08:11.120 --> 0:08:14.840 like that. That's that's a good show. I was looking 0:08:14.840 --> 0:08:19.440 for capstone, not catalyst. Um My pick is is the 0:08:19.520 --> 0:08:23.400 Russel Douglas interception in Arison. Um that was for me. 0:08:24.160 --> 0:08:27.040 That was a and and you know, wheat for the 0:08:27.040 --> 0:08:30.240 second straight year because of COVID protocols, restrictions on the 0:08:30.280 --> 0:08:32.880 team charter and whatnot. You and I did not travel 0:08:32.920 --> 0:08:36.800 to the road games. That Russel Douglas interception in the 0:08:36.920 --> 0:08:39.280 end zone to win the game against Arizona when the 0:08:39.280 --> 0:08:42.400 Cardinals were undefeated. It was a Thursday night game on 0:08:42.440 --> 0:08:47.040 the road, traveling multiple time zones. The Packers were devastated 0:08:47.040 --> 0:08:49.800 by injury. They were they were down several players on 0:08:49.880 --> 0:08:52.280 both sides of the ball. That was a jump out 0:08:52.280 --> 0:08:54.760 of your chair moment um, you know, as as far 0:08:54.800 --> 0:08:58.640 as this season went um, not only to win that game, 0:08:58.640 --> 0:09:01.640 but the player that was Russel Douglas having been on 0:09:01.679 --> 0:09:04.600 the practice squad for Arizona, the fact that the Packers 0:09:04.600 --> 0:09:08.760 had played such an incredible game shorthanded and it had 0:09:08.800 --> 0:09:10.959 a chance to put it away in a goal to 0:09:11.000 --> 0:09:14.960 ghost situation on the one yard line, failed to get 0:09:15.080 --> 0:09:18.400 the clinching points. And then as Kyler Murray was taking 0:09:18.400 --> 0:09:20.240 the Cardinals the other way down the field, you just 0:09:20.280 --> 0:09:22.520 felt like, oh my gosh, this one's gonna slip away. 0:09:22.520 --> 0:09:25.880 It's gonna slip away, and Russell Douglas makes the interception 0:09:25.920 --> 0:09:27.760 on the past to a j. Green. So that was 0:09:28.120 --> 0:09:30.800 that was my top moment of the season, the Cardinals 0:09:30.840 --> 0:09:35.640 never recovered that was basically it absolutely was the turning 0:09:35.640 --> 0:09:37.600 point of their season. There's no question about it. And 0:09:37.600 --> 0:09:39.240 I think it's important to kind of note those at 0:09:39.280 --> 0:09:41.360 times because while it was such a high moment for 0:09:41.400 --> 0:09:43.480 Green Bay, it shows you a way this league goes 0:09:43.559 --> 0:09:45.400 and how teams go up, teams go down, and is 0:09:45.440 --> 0:09:48.199 about that consistency in between. Yeah, no question about it. 0:09:48.600 --> 0:09:56.800 Favorite touchdown, favorite touchdown, Oh man, there are so many. 0:09:57.200 --> 0:10:01.000 The Lazard one, the leaping Lazard one was one I'm 0:10:01.000 --> 0:10:04.160 probably gonna remember for a while. Um, shoot, the opponents 0:10:04.280 --> 0:10:07.760 escaping me now though? Was that was that the Minnesota game? Yeah? Yeah, 0:10:07.840 --> 0:10:10.120 the one where he goes up and came down with 0:10:10.120 --> 0:10:12.200 it sort of on the side of the end zone there. 0:10:12.640 --> 0:10:16.760 He looked like Megatron on that play. Uh. And you know, 0:10:16.800 --> 0:10:18.960 there's so many different ones you could pick, though, Mike, 0:10:19.040 --> 0:10:22.800 I mean, shoot, I mean Davante had a handful of 0:10:22.800 --> 0:10:24.800 on the second half of the season. The Lazard one 0:10:24.880 --> 0:10:26.640 is the one that stands out to me though, because 0:10:26.679 --> 0:10:28.360 that was at a time in which the Packers really 0:10:28.400 --> 0:10:30.520 needed somebody else to step up. They were still trying 0:10:30.520 --> 0:10:33.760 to find themselves without Randall Cobb. You knew it was 0:10:33.800 --> 0:10:36.360 Davante Adams, but who's gonna be that secondary playmaker and 0:10:36.400 --> 0:10:39.400 Lazard to have whatever was five touchdowns in the last 0:10:39.559 --> 0:10:41.680 x amount of games. I mean he really came on 0:10:41.720 --> 0:10:44.480 strong for that roster. Yeah. Absolutely, and I I have 0:10:44.559 --> 0:10:47.760 a different choice. I don't want to discount um. You 0:10:47.760 --> 0:10:50.680 know the Aaron Rodgers breaking Brett Farve's record, you know 0:10:50.760 --> 0:10:53.240 that touchdown pass to Lazard, But that is actually not 0:10:53.360 --> 0:10:56.360 my pick for me. I actually go all the way 0:10:56.360 --> 0:10:58.840 back to Week two. If you remember the home game 0:10:58.840 --> 0:11:03.000 against the Detroit Lion and the threaded ball down the 0:11:03.040 --> 0:11:06.120 middle seemed to Tony in that town at the goal 0:11:06.160 --> 0:11:10.760 line Alex ANZALONEI I believe is how you pronounced the name. 0:11:10.800 --> 0:11:14.319 He was the linebacker and coverage on Tonnan had had 0:11:14.360 --> 0:11:17.840 his back to the to the play. Rogers fired it 0:11:17.880 --> 0:11:19.880 as you said, as you just said, right past his 0:11:19.960 --> 0:11:22.160 ear hole for the touchdown. And this is this is 0:11:22.200 --> 0:11:25.280 in week two, coming off of when you know all 0:11:25.360 --> 0:11:29.439 of whatever was getting thrown wherever. With regard to that 0:11:29.720 --> 0:11:34.400 Packers Week one performance against the Saints and Aaron Rodgers 0:11:34.440 --> 0:11:38.200 through that touchdown pass, um, I thought it was maybe 0:11:38.240 --> 0:11:40.680 his most impressive throws certainly one of his most impressive 0:11:40.720 --> 0:11:43.880 throws of the season. That's one that just the visual 0:11:44.000 --> 0:11:46.800 of that from the lambeau Field press box and how 0:11:46.840 --> 0:11:49.080 we saw the visual of that just sticks in my mind. 0:11:49.120 --> 0:11:51.600 I absolutely love that play. You got that one right, 0:11:51.640 --> 0:11:53.760 that is out, that is absolutely there are any right 0:11:53.800 --> 0:11:56.040 and wrong answers here, No, because it was the most 0:11:56.040 --> 0:11:58.920 I've had the advantage of thinking about. Yeah, it was funny. 0:11:58.960 --> 0:12:00.480 I kind of forgotten about this as soon as you 0:12:00.520 --> 0:12:02.280 said week two. I'm like, oh, I know where he's 0:12:02.280 --> 0:12:04.599 going with this. Uh, And I'll tell you what. No, 0:12:04.720 --> 0:12:07.000 I'm putting I'm putting you on the spot. You I 0:12:07.040 --> 0:12:09.840 didn't even give you the categories in advance, so you know, 0:12:09.880 --> 0:12:11.839 I'm I'm putting you on this. But Tony in man 0:12:11.920 --> 0:12:13.920 losing him the second half of the season, they did 0:12:13.920 --> 0:12:16.160 a good job of sort of stems, you know, stemming 0:12:16.160 --> 0:12:18.960 the tide for the most part. But Man on life, 0:12:18.960 --> 0:12:21.800 you saw replacing replacing a guy who had double digit 0:12:21.840 --> 0:12:25.360 touchdowns the previous season, and he wasn't having that type 0:12:25.360 --> 0:12:28.640 of statistical year. But there was still plenty of time 0:12:28.760 --> 0:12:30.600 left in the season that you felt and I felt 0:12:30.600 --> 0:12:32.800 like that that he could catch fire. At any time, 0:12:32.840 --> 0:12:35.439 and then unfortunately the injury and he didn't have that opportunity. 0:12:35.520 --> 0:12:37.600 Just look at what Lazard did. Lazard was off to 0:12:37.640 --> 0:12:39.560 a pretty quiet start the first couple of months, and 0:12:39.600 --> 0:12:42.320 he ended up being their second biggest playmaker down the stretch. Yeah, 0:12:42.320 --> 0:12:45.439 that's that's a tough one, all right, number three, biggest 0:12:45.520 --> 0:12:49.840 surprise player. Oh man, I see. I was kind of figuring, 0:12:49.880 --> 0:12:53.440 you're gonna say this, and then I was figuring out, Okay, 0:12:53.600 --> 0:12:55.960 do I say Douglas or do I say, can really 0:12:55.960 --> 0:12:58.160 put you on the spot here today for the sake 0:12:58.200 --> 0:13:00.880 of not being overly long win did I'm actually gonna 0:13:00.880 --> 0:13:04.640 look towards the players that were here already. Um, if 0:13:04.640 --> 0:13:06.040 you want to talk about either of those guys, I'm 0:13:06.040 --> 0:13:08.400 gonna welcome you to doing that. We obviously already discussed 0:13:08.400 --> 0:13:12.040 that huge play that Douglas had in Arizona. The biggest 0:13:12.080 --> 0:13:15.840 surprise player for me though this season, I'm actually going 0:13:15.920 --> 0:13:18.719 to give that credit to Eric Stokes because this is 0:13:18.760 --> 0:13:20.640 a guy I wish we could go back to training camp, 0:13:20.679 --> 0:13:22.240 but we never. You know, these are the things like 0:13:22.320 --> 0:13:25.240 you wish when we had the locker room access, you 0:13:25.240 --> 0:13:28.320 could just like ask DeVante about Stokes, like just one 0:13:28.320 --> 0:13:30.920 on one, not just one quick quote, Like actually, like 0:13:31.000 --> 0:13:35.160 get some some detail there, because Mike, there's no cameras 0:13:35.160 --> 0:13:37.280 at training camp. We don't see these team periods that 0:13:37.280 --> 0:13:40.560 that film does not live in the public domain. But 0:13:41.120 --> 0:13:44.560 Rogers and Adams were targeting that young man a lot. 0:13:44.640 --> 0:13:47.280 They went after him and and that, and that was 0:13:47.320 --> 0:13:50.080 intentional on the part of the coaching status to test, 0:13:50.520 --> 0:13:53.319 to test Eric Stokes, this young first round draft pick, 0:13:53.440 --> 0:13:56.440 right out of the box in training camp. Alright, best quarterback, 0:13:56.480 --> 0:13:58.560 best receiver, you gotta go and stop him on a 0:13:58.640 --> 0:14:02.600 daily basis. And he took his lumps, but he he battled. 0:14:02.720 --> 0:14:05.280 He battled his butt off. In the first two weeks 0:14:05.320 --> 0:14:07.760 of the season. Remember we did some unscripted I remember 0:14:07.720 --> 0:14:10.240 I wrote some inboxes. I said, listen, whether it was 0:14:10.320 --> 0:14:13.640 Casey Hayward, whether it was Micah Hyde, whether it was 0:14:13.760 --> 0:14:17.560 Jay are these young rookies, man, they play right away. 0:14:17.600 --> 0:14:20.240 When you have six defensive backs on the field most 0:14:20.240 --> 0:14:23.240 of the time, at least for half the game, these 0:14:23.320 --> 0:14:26.240 young guys are going to get out there. Stokes had 0:14:26.280 --> 0:14:28.520 to get thrown into the fire against San Francisco when 0:14:28.600 --> 0:14:31.840 Kevin King was a scratch during warmups right, or maybe 0:14:31.840 --> 0:14:35.480 it was whatever week that was for that guy to 0:14:35.640 --> 0:14:37.840 play as many snaps as he did and look as 0:14:37.840 --> 0:14:40.000 good as he did and not be a liability at 0:14:40.040 --> 0:14:42.200 any point this season. I just think that speaks so 0:14:42.240 --> 0:14:45.920 well of him. He has so many natural, God given 0:14:46.040 --> 0:14:50.160 talents that his speed, his ranginus, is his his his 0:14:50.200 --> 0:14:52.600 athletic ability is just off the charts that you can 0:14:52.600 --> 0:14:54.360 see why he was picked in the first round. And 0:14:54.400 --> 0:14:56.400 the guy didn't even have to lean on it that 0:14:56.480 --> 0:14:58.480 much this year. He was able to actually play like 0:14:58.520 --> 0:15:00.680 so many times on Sam Shields was younger, he had 0:15:00.720 --> 0:15:04.120 to really lean on those skills while the rest of 0:15:04.160 --> 0:15:06.520 his game caught up. But there's the difference between an 0:15:06.600 --> 0:15:09.240 undrafted guy to Sam Shields. In a first round pick, 0:15:09.360 --> 0:15:11.560 ericson a guy that was playing receiver at Miami and 0:15:11.560 --> 0:15:13.680 a guy that was playing I like that. I like 0:15:13.840 --> 0:15:16.280 that pick. I was fully prepared for you to say 0:15:16.360 --> 0:15:19.160 either Devondre Campbell or Douglas and I was just going 0:15:19.200 --> 0:15:23.640 to pick the other one. But no, Definitely Campbell and 0:15:23.680 --> 0:15:25.880 Douglas are the two guys that jump out the most 0:15:25.880 --> 0:15:30.600 to me. Campbell because he didn't show up until June, 0:15:30.640 --> 0:15:33.960 when the offseason program was almost over and then essentially 0:15:34.000 --> 0:15:36.800 became the signal caller, the leader, the guy in the 0:15:36.840 --> 0:15:39.760 middle of everything in Joe Barry's defense for you know, 0:15:40.200 --> 0:15:42.720 his first year as a coordinator here and as we 0:15:42.840 --> 0:15:45.680 talked about just he changed the look, the feel, the 0:15:45.720 --> 0:15:49.200 way this defense played. You can't you can't give him 0:15:49.280 --> 0:15:52.080 enough credit. And then to do what he did and 0:15:52.200 --> 0:15:56.120 earned first team All Pro on on top of it. UM. 0:15:56.200 --> 0:16:00.440 Very impressive. UM. I would have probably say Blast was 0:16:00.440 --> 0:16:05.480 an even bigger surprise, UM because because of coming off 0:16:05.480 --> 0:16:09.080 of another team's practice squad. When Jay hear Alexander went down. 0:16:09.680 --> 0:16:11.960 I mean, you know, you know how I like to 0:16:11.960 --> 0:16:15.560 talk about things West. You know, your premier positions are 0:16:15.600 --> 0:16:19.800 are passer, pass protector as in left tackle, pass rusher, 0:16:19.960 --> 0:16:23.320 edge rusher, and pass defender. Your cornerbacks. When Jay you're 0:16:23.320 --> 0:16:26.760 Alexander went down, the Packers didn't have a ton of 0:16:26.800 --> 0:16:29.040 depth at cornerback. You were looking at that as a 0:16:29.080 --> 0:16:34.240 potentially huge loss. They plucked Douglas off of Arizona's practice squad. 0:16:34.760 --> 0:16:38.479 He's here for a week or so. He's thrown in 0:16:38.480 --> 0:16:42.000 in Chicago. After the opening series of the game, when 0:16:42.040 --> 0:16:44.520 Justin Fields took the Bears right down the field for 0:16:44.560 --> 0:16:47.240 a touchdown, Douglas comes off the bench and gets thrown 0:16:47.240 --> 0:16:49.840 in there and basically didn't come off the field the 0:16:50.280 --> 0:16:52.000 rest of the season. And then, of course you all 0:16:52.040 --> 0:16:54.240 know the pick in Arizona, a couple of picks six 0:16:54.320 --> 0:16:57.440 is uh in in back to back games at lambeau Field. 0:16:57.640 --> 0:17:02.160 The two interceptions on Christmas Day, including the clincher against 0:17:02.240 --> 0:17:04.560 Baker Mayfield there to win the game against the Browns. 0:17:04.920 --> 0:17:07.440 Um this is as much and he ends up getting 0:17:07.480 --> 0:17:11.680 Pro Bowl alternate status based on all of that. When 0:17:11.880 --> 0:17:13.600 when this is a guy who started the season and 0:17:13.680 --> 0:17:15.840 wasn't even on an active roster and had bounced around 0:17:15.920 --> 0:17:18.919 between three or four other teams just trying to to 0:17:19.000 --> 0:17:22.159 land a job. His story this year was was absolutely remarkable. 0:17:22.440 --> 0:17:26.760 I remember Washington, the first Packers home game where this 0:17:26.800 --> 0:17:29.800 guy is active, and I remember watching that game and 0:17:29.840 --> 0:17:33.040 watching how he collapsed on the ball and how hard 0:17:33.119 --> 0:17:36.840 he played, and I said, this guy is different. It 0:17:36.960 --> 0:17:39.760 was even about the interceptions. It wasn't about you know, 0:17:39.840 --> 0:17:42.760 making big plays or touchdowns or anything like that. Just 0:17:42.880 --> 0:17:46.040 the way he had a relentless pursuit to the football. 0:17:46.080 --> 0:17:48.439 I'm like, this guy's six ft two. He's two uter 0:17:48.520 --> 0:17:50.560 and eight pounds. He was a third round pick three 0:17:50.600 --> 0:17:54.119 years ago. Why was he on the practice squad for 0:17:54.160 --> 0:17:57.320 the Arizona Cardinals? And and I and last time I 0:17:57.320 --> 0:17:59.040 want to say this because who knows. We'll see what happens. 0:17:59.040 --> 0:18:00.880 This might be the last time we talked about Douglas 0:18:01.280 --> 0:18:06.000 until free agency. The Cardinals keep getting ripped for Douglas. 0:18:06.040 --> 0:18:10.320 The Cardinals deserve no there's you can't shame them at 0:18:10.359 --> 0:18:12.960 all for what they did. The Packers had a bunch 0:18:13.000 --> 0:18:15.520 of veterans that they had signed to to their practice squad. 0:18:15.800 --> 0:18:18.359 It's what you do in this league. It was week 0:18:18.359 --> 0:18:22.000 one of the regular season. The Houston Texans are the 0:18:22.040 --> 0:18:24.439 ones that cut this guy loose after a week. They 0:18:24.440 --> 0:18:26.400 didn't eve give him a chance to really prove himself. 0:18:26.720 --> 0:18:28.800 Arizona pro him on the practice squad. Maybe he stayed 0:18:28.800 --> 0:18:30.400 there too long, but I give them credit for giving 0:18:30.440 --> 0:18:33.040 him an opportunity. But this guy to pick up this 0:18:33.080 --> 0:18:35.719 playbook as quickly as he did and to make himself 0:18:35.760 --> 0:18:39.240 a contributor by the end of the month October. That 0:18:39.440 --> 0:18:41.520 is why he's the biggest surprise. I've never seen anything 0:18:41.560 --> 0:18:45.680 like that. And the stories of Campbell and Douglas both 0:18:45.720 --> 0:18:49.000 go to show in this league how you know, the 0:18:49.040 --> 0:18:52.919 old adage of of opportunity and environment and timing and 0:18:53.000 --> 0:18:55.919 all of that, how it can make such a difference. 0:18:55.960 --> 0:18:58.560 Because because with Campbell we had talked about how you know, 0:18:58.640 --> 0:19:00.600 he got a chance to be back man instead of 0:19:00.680 --> 0:19:05.040 Robin Right and Joe Barry scheme seemed to be just 0:19:05.119 --> 0:19:07.960 absolutely the perfect fit for him. He he walked right 0:19:07.960 --> 0:19:11.200 into a perfect situation and he seized it. He completely 0:19:11.200 --> 0:19:14.520 took advantage of it. Russell Douglass again, it was opportunity. 0:19:14.640 --> 0:19:18.159 Russell Douglas is never putting on a Packers uniform. If 0:19:18.320 --> 0:19:21.440 JayR Alexander plays the entire season, he would he would 0:19:21.440 --> 0:19:25.000 never have been here. Um, So it was an opportunity. 0:19:25.040 --> 0:19:28.000 But then he comes here, he sort of you know, 0:19:28.359 --> 0:19:31.080 hitches his wagon so to speak to Jerry Gray and 0:19:31.280 --> 0:19:33.719 learns a lot more about how to watch film and 0:19:33.800 --> 0:19:37.080 prepare and he becomes a film junkie. All the stories 0:19:37.119 --> 0:19:39.760 we heard about, you know, seven eight o'clock at night 0:19:39.760 --> 0:19:42.440 in the team cafeteria after everybody's gone home and he's 0:19:42.440 --> 0:19:44.840 got his iPad, they're looking at film. The coaches would 0:19:44.840 --> 0:19:49.640 see that. So environment opportunity. All that those two guys 0:19:49.680 --> 0:19:51.760 are are are great examples. I just want to make 0:19:51.800 --> 0:19:55.160 this point too quickly, Campbell. I hope the NFL has 0:19:55.240 --> 0:19:57.840 taken like free agents have taken notice of what Davanre 0:19:57.920 --> 0:20:01.840 Campbell did, because there's such a emphasis on Okay, I 0:20:01.880 --> 0:20:04.480 either get cut or I get let go. This league 0:20:04.520 --> 0:20:07.199 new year starts on March seventeenth. I gotta sign as 0:20:07.240 --> 0:20:09.200 soon as I can, or I'm gonna look like nobody 0:20:09.200 --> 0:20:12.520 wants me. Campbell wasn't afraid of that. Man. He said, 0:20:12.560 --> 0:20:13.840 you know what, if I got to take this thing 0:20:13.840 --> 0:20:16.000 into June before signing with the team, I'm gonna do it. 0:20:16.240 --> 0:20:18.280 It was he was going to find the right opportunity 0:20:18.280 --> 0:20:21.399 for himself. Because I think I didn't get that. He 0:20:21.440 --> 0:20:23.280 didn't say this directly. I don't want to put words 0:20:23.280 --> 0:20:24.960