WEBVTT - #259 Packers Unscripted: Transition time 0:00:00.720 --> 0:00:20.680 Hi, everyone, Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:20.720 --> 0:00:23.239 I am Mike Spofford and he is the one and 0:00:23.320 --> 0:00:26.480 only Wes Hodkowitz. We're coming to hear from our studios 0:00:26.840 --> 0:00:29.680 at lambeau Field and West As. We have to continue 0:00:29.720 --> 0:00:33.640 to wait, unfortunately, until the Packers coaching hires are official 0:00:33.720 --> 0:00:36.199 to talk about what is going on, particularly with the 0:00:36.240 --> 0:00:38.879 defensive coaching staff. I know the fans are very interested 0:00:38.920 --> 0:00:41.440 to find out exactly how this is going to take shape. 0:00:41.920 --> 0:00:46.159 But in the meantime, let's talk about defense. Because the 0:00:46.280 --> 0:00:49.760 NFL playoffs are down to the final eight, uh, the 0:00:49.880 --> 0:00:52.760 last eight standing. And when you look at the teams 0:00:52.760 --> 0:00:55.400 that are involved and you look at defensive rankings, you've 0:00:55.440 --> 0:00:59.120 got five of these eight teams are ranked in the 0:00:59.160 --> 0:01:02.560 top ten in the league in defense. That says something 0:01:02.640 --> 0:01:06.000 certainly about how to get this far, particularly for some 0:01:06.120 --> 0:01:09.319 teams that are in this position and they don't necessarily 0:01:09.360 --> 0:01:12.959 have that franchise Hall of Fame quarterback running the show 0:01:12.959 --> 0:01:16.280 on the other side. Minnesota first and total defense, Jacksonville 0:01:16.360 --> 0:01:19.920 second in total defense, the Philadelphi Eagles fourth in total defense. 0:01:20.240 --> 0:01:23.440 Of those eight teams, the top three defenses left in 0:01:23.480 --> 0:01:26.880 the playoffs, all have questions at quarterback, and with all 0:01:26.959 --> 0:01:29.520 due respect the case Keenum has had a magnificent run. 0:01:30.160 --> 0:01:32.880 I don't know how many defensive coordinators out there right 0:01:32.920 --> 0:01:36.560 now are worried about case Keenum. I think he's shown 0:01:36.560 --> 0:01:39.600 that he can manage, he can make plays. But ultimately 0:01:39.760 --> 0:01:41.920 it's been that Minnesota defense that has put them in 0:01:41.959 --> 0:01:44.360 positions that even if he has an interception or two 0:01:44.400 --> 0:01:46.679 in a game, or even if the the percentage, you know, 0:01:46.680 --> 0:01:49.240 completion percentage isn't where you needed to be, they can 0:01:49.280 --> 0:01:52.480 still find ways to win because that opposing passer rating 0:01:52.600 --> 0:01:55.520 is just so gosh darn lowe. Um. This is I 0:01:55.520 --> 0:01:57.320 think told you kind of a blueprint. Though. At the 0:01:57.320 --> 0:02:00.520 same time, Mike more and more with these had coaching 0:02:00.560 --> 0:02:02.560 hires that are being made. For a while, it was 0:02:02.680 --> 0:02:05.280 kind of InVogue to go after the quarterback guru, and 0:02:05.320 --> 0:02:08.160 it still is. I mean, you look at um Naggy 0:02:08.240 --> 0:02:12.720 now in Chicago, they're looking for him to develop Mitchell Trubisky. 0:02:12.720 --> 0:02:14.400 But there's been some of these guys that have kind 0:02:14.400 --> 0:02:17.560 of gone against the grain, the Mike Zimmers of the world. Um, 0:02:17.680 --> 0:02:20.520 you look at what uh now, the way things have 0:02:20.600 --> 0:02:24.280 developed in Atlanta UM and what they've put together over 0:02:24.320 --> 0:02:26.600 the last number of years. I think it says a 0:02:26.600 --> 0:02:28.760 lot about the direction of the league right now that, yeah, 0:02:28.840 --> 0:02:30.920 you have these quarterback reeves, you have the Doug Peterson's 0:02:30.919 --> 0:02:34.760 of the world now that are leading the charge. But conversely, 0:02:35.000 --> 0:02:37.280 you also have teams that are trying to find the 0:02:37.400 --> 0:02:41.240 nice defensive coordinator to be able to offset that. It's 0:02:41.360 --> 0:02:43.000 I think it's really an interesting cat and mosk and 0:02:43.000 --> 0:02:44.959 that's played out over the last three or four years. Yeah, 0:02:44.960 --> 0:02:47.880 I think the most interesting one, uh, to me when 0:02:47.880 --> 0:02:50.080 I look at, as you say, over the last few years, 0:02:50.120 --> 0:02:53.280 is what's going on with the Atlanta Falcons. Because you 0:02:53.360 --> 0:02:59.040 had Matt Ryan Uh, He's been developed into that franchise quarterback, 0:02:59.280 --> 0:03:02.600 had some playoff appearances. All of that. Dan Quinn comes 0:03:02.639 --> 0:03:06.480 in as the head coach and revamps that defense and 0:03:06.480 --> 0:03:09.880 then builds the builds the defense to go with the 0:03:09.919 --> 0:03:12.600 franchise quarterback. You know, Mike Smith had a lot of 0:03:12.600 --> 0:03:15.440 success as the head coach in Atlanta, but he didn't 0:03:15.480 --> 0:03:18.440 He never got them to a Super Bowl, and you know, 0:03:18.480 --> 0:03:20.520 they felt it was time to make a change and 0:03:20.960 --> 0:03:24.320 they went from from um a guy like Smith to 0:03:24.720 --> 0:03:28.279 to Quinn brought in a lot of those Seattle defensive principles, 0:03:28.800 --> 0:03:31.000 all of that kind of stuff. And now we're seeing 0:03:31.360 --> 0:03:33.560 the Falcons obviously get to the super Bowl last year, 0:03:33.600 --> 0:03:36.440 should have won it. They're in position now, you know, 0:03:36.520 --> 0:03:39.720 they're they're going to Philadelphia to play what would arguably 0:03:40.200 --> 0:03:43.560 arguably be maybe the most vulnerable number one seed in 0:03:43.600 --> 0:03:46.120 the NFC playoffs in recent years, because Nick Foles is 0:03:46.160 --> 0:03:49.680 at quarterback instead of Carson wentz Um. The Atlanta Falcons, 0:03:49.680 --> 0:03:52.280 they they've they've got a legitimate shot here to make 0:03:52.280 --> 0:03:54.040 this even though they're a six seed, to make this 0:03:54.280 --> 0:03:56.160 two super Bowl trips in a row. Yeah, and and 0:03:56.240 --> 0:03:58.800 that's an opportunity that you can't take lightly. And I 0:03:58.880 --> 0:04:01.040 just think you see, you know, there's some teams with 0:04:01.080 --> 0:04:04.280 the counter balance, the New the New Orleans, New Orleans 0:04:04.360 --> 0:04:07.880 PAGEOT New Orleans Saints haven't been one of the top 0:04:07.920 --> 0:04:11.640 ten defense in the league, but they're substantially significantly better 0:04:11.680 --> 0:04:14.760 than what they have. They have climbed, no doubt in 0:04:14.800 --> 0:04:17.720 that regard. New England has the top ranked offense, which 0:04:17.760 --> 0:04:21.920 allows them to survive. They ranked defense. So seeing how 0:04:21.960 --> 0:04:24.279 all these things line up, there's been years I always 0:04:24.360 --> 0:04:27.119 use the example of the two thousand six Colts, where 0:04:27.440 --> 0:04:29.520 you know, Peyton Manning was at the peak of his 0:04:29.600 --> 0:04:32.159 powers and they were able to offset having the league's 0:04:32.160 --> 0:04:35.839 worst ranked run defense that season despite you know, you know, 0:04:35.880 --> 0:04:37.919 all the things working against them. Then you look at 0:04:37.960 --> 0:04:41.880 the two thousand fifteen Denver Broncos. How many teams in 0:04:41.920 --> 0:04:43.600 the NFL would be able to win the Super Bowl 0:04:43.640 --> 0:04:46.440 with the way that Peyton Manning played that season? Not many? 0:04:46.600 --> 0:04:50.760 So uh, that's ultimately for me. Now that Julius Peppers 0:04:50.839 --> 0:04:53.000 is out of this thing, some of the storylines I 0:04:53.040 --> 0:04:54.880 was looking for in the first week are gone. After 0:04:54.880 --> 0:04:58.240 the wild card round, I'm really interesting who prevails here 0:04:58.279 --> 0:05:00.440 because I think I see this field as very even 0:05:00.480 --> 0:05:03.760 across the board. So is it a defensive mindset, is 0:05:03.800 --> 0:05:06.760 it an offensive mindset like what the Patriots have, or 0:05:06.800 --> 0:05:09.920 is it somewhere in between? Right? And I think the 0:05:10.920 --> 0:05:13.480 conclusion to me out of this discussion is it makes 0:05:13.520 --> 0:05:15.880 me wonder as far as on paper, and we know 0:05:15.960 --> 0:05:18.520 the games are not played on paper, But does it 0:05:18.680 --> 0:05:21.840 mean the Pittsburgh Steelers are maybe the favorites to win 0:05:21.920 --> 0:05:25.800 it all? They've got Roethlisberger, Brown and Bell on offense, 0:05:25.839 --> 0:05:28.680 and they have the fifth ranked defense. Now that defense 0:05:28.760 --> 0:05:31.440 is missing Ryan Shazier from that unfortunate injury. That is 0:05:31.480 --> 0:05:34.320 a huge loss for a defense that is ranked in 0:05:34.360 --> 0:05:37.000 the top five in the league. So maybe you look 0:05:37.000 --> 0:05:38.960 at that and say, well, their defense isn't going to 0:05:39.000 --> 0:05:41.159 be able to perform the way it has for the 0:05:41.160 --> 0:05:43.280 bulk of the regular season, So it's hard to peg 0:05:43.320 --> 0:05:46.359 them as the the on paper favorites. Just really interesting 0:05:46.400 --> 0:05:48.560 to see how this plays out, especially I think in 0:05:48.600 --> 0:05:52.280 the NFC, you've got these four teams that you can 0:05:52.320 --> 0:05:55.599 have any one of several different NFC Championship game matches, 0:05:55.640 --> 0:05:57.880 and I think I think any one of them is 0:05:57.480 --> 0:06:01.440 is is certainly possible. This is why this particular year, 0:06:01.480 --> 0:06:04.800 I'm so interested to see his Steelers Patriots AFC Championship 0:06:04.839 --> 0:06:07.359 game because this year New England's had a lot of 0:06:07.400 --> 0:06:09.720 problems on defense getting they haven't been able to get 0:06:09.720 --> 0:06:11.520 home with their pass rush. I think some of the 0:06:11.560 --> 0:06:13.799 things they were hoping for at the cornerback position haven't 0:06:13.800 --> 0:06:16.039 really come to pass. They've been saved in a lot 0:06:16.080 --> 0:06:18.160 of ways by the fact that they can basically outgun 0:06:18.279 --> 0:06:23.520 everybody offensively. The Steelers. While it's incredibly tragic and you 0:06:23.520 --> 0:06:25.880 hope that Ryan Cheezier is gonna be able to walk again, 0:06:26.000 --> 0:06:30.400 live comfortably beyond what happens with football. But Pittsburgh, you know, 0:06:30.440 --> 0:06:32.720 he had some injury issues in the past, so Pittsburgh's 0:06:32.720 --> 0:06:35.640 had to learn how to play without him. You know, 0:06:35.720 --> 0:06:38.000 you have, I believe it it's Vince Williams inside. They 0:06:38.040 --> 0:06:40.880 have options at that position. They're just so deep at 0:06:40.880 --> 0:06:44.600 that on defense that I'm very interested to see if 0:06:44.640 --> 0:06:47.719 they can have that unit come together. Be the compliment 0:06:47.760 --> 0:06:49.800 that Ben Roethlisberg needs to go and get that third 0:06:49.839 --> 0:06:52.640 Super Bowl title. Yeah. Well, well, we've got these these 0:06:52.640 --> 0:06:54.920 playoff games coming up. We'll talk about them more as 0:06:54.960 --> 0:06:57.800 the week continues, but for now, we're gonna go to 0:06:57.839 --> 0:07:00.000 a break back with more and Packers Unscripted, Red Eye 0:07:00.040 --> 0:07:20.360 to this Welcome back to Packers Unscripted. Mike Spofford in 0:07:20.360 --> 0:07:23.360 this chair, Wes Hodkowitz in that one, and west Um 0:07:23.360 --> 0:07:25.280 shifting gears here a little bit to go back to 0:07:25.400 --> 0:07:30.040 the Packers of GM front office situation. We've seen a 0:07:30.040 --> 0:07:33.080 lot of changes, obviously, and a lot of things to 0:07:33.080 --> 0:07:36.400 be excited about as we see Brian Goodakunst have to 0:07:36.440 --> 0:07:38.720 try to fill the very big shoes of Ted Thompson. 0:07:38.800 --> 0:07:42.880 But in the meantime, the Packers have also lost um 0:07:42.960 --> 0:07:47.280 highly ranked personnel executives in Elliott wolf and Alonso Highsmith. 0:07:47.280 --> 0:07:49.840 They've gone to the Cleveland Browns to work with with 0:07:49.920 --> 0:07:54.400 former Packers personnel executive John Dorsey to uh to rebuild 0:07:54.440 --> 0:07:58.560 the Browns the own sixteen team here from there are 0:07:58.600 --> 0:08:02.000 some big shoes to fill just under new GM Brian 0:08:02.040 --> 0:08:04.320 goodacun stren't there. Yeah, there are, And I mean you 0:08:04.360 --> 0:08:08.000 look at the combined years that Elliott um wolf In 0:08:08.040 --> 0:08:11.080 Alonzo Highsmith had here. I mean high Smith again is 0:08:11.120 --> 0:08:13.760 another one of those proteges for Ron Wolfe that got 0:08:13.800 --> 0:08:17.400 an opportunity in the late nineties and and really made 0:08:17.480 --> 0:08:19.080 the most of it. You know, we we talked so 0:08:19.160 --> 0:08:21.480 often about the Donald Driver's story his first couple of 0:08:21.560 --> 0:08:24.320 years and being able to to scout and you know, 0:08:24.400 --> 0:08:26.760 see the talent in him when they sent him down 0:08:26.760 --> 0:08:29.080 to Elkhorn State. I mean, some of these remote places 0:08:29.480 --> 0:08:32.280 when you hear Brian Gooduns talk about, you know, they 0:08:32.280 --> 0:08:35.240 want to leave no stone unturned. That's why, because you 0:08:35.240 --> 0:08:36.960 never know when you're gonna find a Donald Driver in 0:08:36.960 --> 0:08:39.000 the seventh round. You never know where you're gonna get 0:08:39.000 --> 0:08:41.599 that next diamond that can make a Super Bowl championship 0:08:41.600 --> 0:08:45.240 team at a playoff contending team. From Ellie Wolf's perspective, 0:08:45.280 --> 0:08:47.400 I mean the word wonder kind has been thrown out 0:08:47.400 --> 0:08:49.439 there a lot in terms of you hear the stories 0:08:49.480 --> 0:08:51.840 of him at fourteen years old, you know, going through 0:08:51.840 --> 0:08:54.760 cut ups with his dad. Uh. And the one thing 0:08:54.800 --> 0:08:57.400 I think Ron has always talked about since day one 0:08:57.480 --> 0:09:00.360 is that Ellie didn't do this on the back of 0:09:00.480 --> 0:09:02.319 Ron Wolfe. It may have helped him get a foot 0:09:02.320 --> 0:09:04.839 in the door, but everything he did since two thousand four, 0:09:04.880 --> 0:09:06.640 since he guy came on board as a as a 0:09:06.679 --> 0:09:10.160 scout and personality assistant, he's worked his way up the 0:09:10.200 --> 0:09:13.000 ladder ever since then. Two guys that had a lot 0:09:13.040 --> 0:09:14.760 to do with what the Packers were able to do, 0:09:14.800 --> 0:09:17.480 not only in building that Super Bowl forty five team, 0:09:17.559 --> 0:09:19.920 but every year when a draft and developed system being 0:09:19.960 --> 0:09:22.560 able to find that next gem that the Packers are 0:09:22.559 --> 0:09:24.600 going to be able to develop it is it's a 0:09:24.600 --> 0:09:27.719 big hole for green Bay to to fill now. And 0:09:27.920 --> 0:09:30.079 Brian Goodkin said when he was meeting with the media 0:09:30.120 --> 0:09:32.080 on Monday, he hoped to have Elliott back as his 0:09:32.160 --> 0:09:33.880 right hand man, but wasn't going to hold him back 0:09:34.200 --> 0:09:37.439 from any other opportunity. You look at where they're at 0:09:37.520 --> 0:09:39.560 right now. He has confidence, he said right from that 0:09:39.600 --> 0:09:42.600 moment that if Elliott does move on, if they do 0:09:42.679 --> 0:09:45.560 need to make changes there, he likes the Rolodex. He 0:09:45.640 --> 0:09:47.559 has a list of scouts that he's already looking at 0:09:47.760 --> 0:09:49.800 and feels like they'll still be able to keep this 0:09:49.840 --> 0:09:52.960 train moving. Yeah. And let's just say too that that 0:09:53.040 --> 0:09:57.200 opportunity in Cleveland, as I said on on our website 0:09:57.240 --> 0:10:01.360 this week, that's a talent evaluator's dream what Dorsey and 0:10:01.480 --> 0:10:04.200 high Smith and Wolf are are walking into there. You've 0:10:04.280 --> 0:10:07.160 got a young roster already, you have a ton of 0:10:07.200 --> 0:10:10.400 cap space to be able to uh, to be able 0:10:10.400 --> 0:10:12.880 to build around. And in this upcoming draft, they have 0:10:13.040 --> 0:10:15.800 five picks in the first two rounds. I mean, what 0:10:15.840 --> 0:10:17.560 more could you ask for? I mean, yes, it's an 0:10:17.559 --> 0:10:21.560 own sixteen team, we get that, But this is this 0:10:21.640 --> 0:10:24.320 is a franchise that is that is set up for 0:10:24.400 --> 0:10:26.800 a quick turnaround. In my opinion, you hit on some 0:10:26.880 --> 0:10:29.640 draft picks, you have cap money to spend on free agents, 0:10:29.800 --> 0:10:32.520 and you find a quarterback. Now, those are all big tasks, 0:10:33.040 --> 0:10:36.200 but the Cleveland Browns are not as far away as 0:10:36.720 --> 0:10:39.559 an Owen sixteen team you would think. Yeah, And I 0:10:39.600 --> 0:10:41.320 was talking to a talent of value in the league 0:10:41.360 --> 0:10:43.680 earlier this week and the phrase that they used to 0:10:43.679 --> 0:10:46.320 describe it as it's a sleeping giant in Cleveland because 0:10:46.720 --> 0:10:49.880 they did. They had a top ten, top twelve defense 0:10:49.960 --> 0:10:52.720 this year. They really were hurting at the quarterback position. 0:10:52.760 --> 0:10:55.959 That's nothing against de Shaun Kaiser. Tough situation for him 0:10:56.000 --> 0:10:58.400 to be thrown into, but a lot of people think 0:10:58.480 --> 0:11:01.640 if you can get a quarterback there, and John Dorsey 0:11:01.800 --> 0:11:04.720 is one of the best when it comes to seeking 0:11:04.720 --> 0:11:07.840 out quarterback help in finding a way to get a 0:11:07.880 --> 0:11:12.040 team really in fourth year in terms of a turnaround. 0:11:12.080 --> 0:11:14.960 He did exactly that in Kansas City that particular year 0:11:15.040 --> 0:11:17.600 draft when he went there, there wasn't a bona fide 0:11:17.640 --> 0:11:20.880 number one overall quarterback trades the second round pick to 0:11:20.880 --> 0:11:23.120 get Alex Smith and then this last year trading for 0:11:23.120 --> 0:11:25.480 Patrick Mahomes, who very well may end up being their 0:11:25.559 --> 0:11:28.040 quarterback of the future. They're gonna look to do the 0:11:28.080 --> 0:11:30.120 same thing and he's gonna have two really good talent 0:11:30.120 --> 0:11:32.640 evaluators and Alonso high Smith and Elliott Wolf to help 0:11:32.720 --> 0:11:35.200 him find that next guy. Two picks in the first four, 0:11:35.559 --> 0:11:38.680 they'll have options. Yeah, absolutely, And with regards to the 0:11:38.720 --> 0:11:41.559 Packers and trying to fill those shoes, the fans are asking, well, 0:11:41.600 --> 0:11:43.840 you know, who are the next guys coming up the pipeline. 0:11:44.080 --> 0:11:47.000 We'll see what Brian Gudacunts decides. As you said, you know, 0:11:47.120 --> 0:11:49.719 he's got that rolodex, all kinds of contacts around the 0:11:49.760 --> 0:11:52.920 league people he might look at bringing in people in house. 0:11:53.000 --> 0:11:55.400 Right now, you have John Eric Sullivan who's the director 0:11:55.440 --> 0:11:57.840 of college Scouting. He's been with the Packers since two 0:11:57.840 --> 0:12:00.880 thousand three or four right around it doesn't for and 0:12:00.920 --> 0:12:04.440 then uh um, and then you also have John Wojahowski 0:12:04.520 --> 0:12:07.480 if I'm saying that name correctly. He's only been with 0:12:07.520 --> 0:12:10.480 the Packers for about five or six years now, but 0:12:11.080 --> 0:12:13.960 he is a he's a longtime scout who began his 0:12:14.120 --> 0:12:17.240 scouting career around the same time that good Kins did. 0:12:17.320 --> 0:12:20.400 So um a lot of experience there in the next 0:12:20.440 --> 0:12:23.320 two lieutenants so to speak, who are who are in 0:12:23.320 --> 0:12:25.840 the pipeline and we'll just see what We'll see what 0:12:25.880 --> 0:12:27.920 the new GM decides to do in terms of how 0:12:27.960 --> 0:12:30.440 he wants to uh to structure. What's going to be 0:12:30.520 --> 0:12:32.520 his personnel department? Yeah, and I mean you look even 0:12:32.520 --> 0:12:34.959 further down that list to Matt Malispina has a lot 0:12:35.000 --> 0:12:37.440 of experience in the NFL. He's now a college scout, 0:12:37.520 --> 0:12:40.160 joined the Packers last year. Alonzo Dotson has been with 0:12:40.240 --> 0:12:42.560 them now for the past five season. The scouting up 0:12:42.559 --> 0:12:45.040 here in the Midwest, and uh, you know Sam cel 0:12:45.120 --> 0:12:46.839 we talked about every year in the draft. Their their 0:12:46.880 --> 0:12:50.720 West Coast regent scout does a tremendous job. Definitely options 0:12:50.720 --> 0:12:52.599 from that regard. I think the other thing that he 0:12:52.640 --> 0:12:55.319 consider too, in sort of that Mike Spofford, let's be 0:12:55.400 --> 0:12:58.840 real moment of the week, these are scenarios, Brian goodiuntz 0:12:58.880 --> 0:13:01.560 was going to have to talk out with Mark Murphy 0:13:01.720 --> 0:13:04.559 because you knew what the domino effect might be of 0:13:04.640 --> 0:13:07.640 him becoming GM Elliot Wolf might leave. You didn't know 0:13:07.679 --> 0:13:09.760 what was going to happen with some of those personnel people. 0:13:10.160 --> 0:13:12.280 So I have a feeling, while I do not know this, 0:13:12.400 --> 0:13:14.480 I have a feeling that there is a plan laid out. 0:13:14.520 --> 0:13:17.440 There is an agenda, much like when a college head 0:13:17.480 --> 0:13:21.440 coach moves in kind of letting people know, you know 0:13:21.480 --> 0:13:23.559 who I might be looking at to join me. I 0:13:24.520 --> 0:13:26.880 feel pretty comfortable if I'm a Packers fan right now. 0:13:26.880 --> 0:13:28.520 And what Brian Goodocus is going to be able to 0:13:28.559 --> 0:13:30.600 do to rearrange that up front office. Yeah, you know, 0:13:30.679 --> 0:13:33.360 he's been thinking through these scenarios because the bottom line 0:13:33.400 --> 0:13:37.599 is the Packers went into this with four people perfectly 0:13:37.960 --> 0:13:41.679 highly qualified to be general managers in this league. Alonzo Highsmith, 0:13:41.720 --> 0:13:45.600 Elliott Wolf, Brian goodacunstant Russ Ball you knew. I mean, 0:13:45.640 --> 0:13:47.320 when you're in a situation like that and you have 0:13:47.400 --> 0:13:49.720 that many qualified people, they are not all going to 0:13:49.760 --> 0:13:52.080 stay if they don't get the job. And the Packers 0:13:52.120 --> 0:13:54.160 managed to keep two of them and the other two 0:13:54.280 --> 0:13:57.200 left and moved on to another opportunity. So, um, lots 0:13:57.240 --> 0:13:58.880 of lots of change going on, but lots to be 0:13:58.880 --> 0:14:01.720 excited about it. Yeah, absolute, definitely. With that, we'll toss 0:14:01.800 --> 0:14:04.000 to a break back with more on Packers Unscripted right 0:14:04.000 --> 0:14:24.680 after this. Welcome back to Packers Unscripted. Mike Spofford here, 0:14:24.680 --> 0:14:28.200 Wes Hodkowitz over there, and West Packers new GM. Brian 0:14:28.200 --> 0:14:31.680 Goodkins wasted uh no time, I guess with uh with 0:14:31.880 --> 0:14:36.000 inking his first player, his first official transaction as general manager, 0:14:36.040 --> 0:14:40.520 occurs on Wednesday, he signs a young running back Northern 0:14:40.560 --> 0:14:43.320 Illinois product, and I'll try to pronounce the name correctly. 0:14:43.360 --> 0:14:48.520 It's Joel Juan yo and UH, an undrafted player from 0:14:48.560 --> 0:14:50.520 a year ago who tried to make it with the 0:14:50.800 --> 0:14:54.080 Chicago Bears but then was injured and placed on i R. 0:14:54.600 --> 0:14:56.640 Packers are going to give him a shot. And if 0:14:56.680 --> 0:15:00.520 you haven't seen the picture of of Gouda Kunst and 0:15:00.600 --> 0:15:03.560 his UH and his first signing, it's on packers dot com. 0:15:03.640 --> 0:15:06.480 It's also on the Packers Twitter account. One of those 0:15:06.800 --> 0:15:10.640 historical things, you know, moments in time you just never know, right, Yeah, 0:15:10.680 --> 0:15:12.760 And it was funny. I had the same reaction. I 0:15:12.800 --> 0:15:14.760 saw it on Twitter quite a bit too. And Packers 0:15:14.760 --> 0:15:18.160 announced a transaction. They always say okay, the Packers have 0:15:18.200 --> 0:15:20.880 signed so and so the transaction was announced by who 0:15:20.920 --> 0:15:24.680 the GM was. So it was very interesting that first 0:15:24.680 --> 0:15:27.600 time seeing Brian Brian Gooda Kun's name there and not 0:15:27.640 --> 0:15:31.760 Ted Thompson. First time in thirteen years that that happened. Um. Yeah, 0:15:31.800 --> 0:15:34.280 it's interesting. For the young man, a great opportunity and 0:15:34.400 --> 0:15:37.680 for for Gooda kun'st this shows you that he's thinking. 0:15:37.760 --> 0:15:40.120 You know that that they're they're always considering those u 0:15:40.240 --> 0:15:41.880 f A s and we'll see what this young man 0:15:41.960 --> 0:15:44.280 can do. He'll have an opportunity to come in this offseason. 0:15:44.800 --> 0:15:47.360 You know probably you know, something can always happen, but 0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:49.400 I mean otherwise he'll be back in April and a 0:15:49.480 --> 0:15:51.960 chance to compete and make this roster. I think the 0:15:52.040 --> 0:15:53.680 thing that stands out to me the most. And sometimes 0:15:53.720 --> 0:15:56.960 people ask this question, well, why why do these transactions matter? Who? 0:15:57.080 --> 0:15:59.960 Who cares? You know? Who they signed a futures contracts. Well, 0:16:00.040 --> 0:16:02.240 the end of March last year, nobody was talking about 0:16:02.280 --> 0:16:05.400 Justin McCrae. I even somewhat wrote that off. Other than 0:16:05.400 --> 0:16:08.040 the fact that his brother had been here before. Justin 0:16:08.120 --> 0:16:10.760 McCrae ends up starting at games. You don't know where 0:16:10.760 --> 0:16:12.880 you're gonna get contributions. And that's why when you have 0:16:12.880 --> 0:16:16.360 a ninety man roster, you'll see these teams really maximize 0:16:16.400 --> 0:16:18.480 that they'll sign guys from their practice squad, but they'll 0:16:18.480 --> 0:16:20.760 also go and find other guys that maybe they brought 0:16:20.800 --> 0:16:23.520 in for a pre draft visit. Bueno was one of 0:16:23.520 --> 0:16:25.320 those guys last year the Packers had in for a 0:16:25.360 --> 0:16:27.960 pre draft visit. So there is a history there It's 0:16:27.960 --> 0:16:29.480 not that they just are like throwing a dart at 0:16:29.480 --> 0:16:31.360 the board and being like, yeah, let's bring that young 0:16:31.360 --> 0:16:34.200 who who's my first signing. Let's just sign somebody. That's 0:16:34.200 --> 0:16:36.480 not how it works. So it's it's a thought process 0:16:36.520 --> 0:16:39.280 that they're constantly going through. Obviously, the Bears thought enough 0:16:39.320 --> 0:16:41.280 of them to bring him into camp, give him that chance. 0:16:41.520 --> 0:16:45.000 Injury happens, he's out. But I think this shows you 0:16:45.040 --> 0:16:48.560 again that that problem. We're two months away from free agency, 0:16:48.920 --> 0:16:51.440 we're a month and a half away from basically the 0:16:52.160 --> 0:16:54.720 you know, NFL scouting combine. But if you're a GM 0:16:54.720 --> 0:16:56.520 in the league, you're always thinking, You're always trying to 0:16:56.520 --> 0:16:58.680 find that next guy. Yeah, and it is about building 0:16:58.720 --> 0:17:01.760 that most competitive ninety man roster that you can. I'm 0:17:01.800 --> 0:17:05.199 curious that you know that this first transaction happens at 0:17:05.280 --> 0:17:08.360 running back because obviously the Packers have a young stable 0:17:08.359 --> 0:17:10.840 of backs and uh and let's let's talk about that 0:17:10.840 --> 0:17:12.480 a little bit more. But we'll go to a break 0:17:12.520 --> 0:17:14.840 for now back with more on Packers Unscripted. Right up 0:17:14.840 --> 0:17:35.920 to this, Welcome back to Packers Unscripted. Mike Spofford here, 0:17:36.000 --> 0:17:38.840 Wes Hodku. It's all the way over there and west. 0:17:38.840 --> 0:17:41.400 With regards to the running back situation, as I said, 0:17:41.440 --> 0:17:44.719 it's kind of curious that that new GM Brian Gudin's 0:17:44.800 --> 0:17:49.240 first signing is a running back because if there's one area, 0:17:49.440 --> 0:17:52.800 that one position that you think Um may not get 0:17:52.800 --> 0:17:54.840 a whole lot of attention from the Packers in this 0:17:54.960 --> 0:17:58.120 upcoming draft, it's running back. Because of what green Bay 0:17:58.119 --> 0:18:01.879 did last year drafting three Um fourth round, fifth round, 0:18:02.160 --> 0:18:05.880 seventh round. You also have Time Montgomery in the mix there. 0:18:06.200 --> 0:18:09.400 Um Packers really like what they have at the position, 0:18:09.440 --> 0:18:12.320 and certainly the young young man from northern Illinois will 0:18:12.600 --> 0:18:16.359 will add to the competition amongst a bunch of young prospects. 0:18:16.359 --> 0:18:19.800 But Green Bay ends up this season with two rookie 0:18:19.880 --> 0:18:23.080 running backs who both surpassed four hundred rushing yards in 0:18:23.080 --> 0:18:25.440 a season. That's the first time in franchise history that's 0:18:25.440 --> 0:18:29.080 ever happened with two rookies. UM a lot of promise 0:18:29.119 --> 0:18:32.040 at the position. And if all these guys stay healthy, 0:18:32.400 --> 0:18:34.080 you almost get the feeling that they're not all going 0:18:34.119 --> 0:18:35.800 to be happy, but that will be a good thing 0:18:35.840 --> 0:18:37.520 in a sense. One thing I just want to point 0:18:37.520 --> 0:18:41.840 out two carries one thousand six yards, eight touchdowns. If 0:18:41.840 --> 0:18:44.840 that would have been one player we would have been 0:18:44.880 --> 0:18:47.920 talking about a potential offensive Rookie of the Year candidate. Yep, 0:18:48.040 --> 0:18:50.800 but that is what Jamal Williams and Aaron Jones gave 0:18:50.840 --> 0:18:54.560 the Packers in combination this year, thunder and lightning. Unfortunately, 0:18:54.600 --> 0:18:56.719 due to injury situation really weren't able to see them 0:18:56.720 --> 0:18:59.639 work in tandem very often, but they both came up 0:18:59.680 --> 0:19:03.280 for the team at very important times. You're right if 0:19:03.320 --> 0:19:08.560 you're probably a fantasy football owner in this isn't your 0:19:08.560 --> 0:19:11.080 favorite situation. But I think the thing I really like 0:19:11.200 --> 0:19:13.040 about what the Packers are doing at this position, I 0:19:13.080 --> 0:19:16.719 said an insider in box very recently. I actually I 0:19:16.760 --> 0:19:19.200 was always very critical of what the Patriots did and 0:19:19.240 --> 0:19:21.200 the fact that they never really settled other than maybe 0:19:21.240 --> 0:19:23.359 when Corey Dillon was there. They've never really settled on 0:19:23.359 --> 0:19:26.439 a running back. They always used three four different guys. 0:19:26.960 --> 0:19:29.200 But you start to see, as I cover the league 0:19:29.240 --> 0:19:31.800 more the method to their madness in New England and 0:19:32.200 --> 0:19:36.520 why I think it benefits the group. I'm really interested 0:19:36.520 --> 0:19:38.320 if the Packers can keep these guys healthy, if they 0:19:38.359 --> 0:19:41.520 could take a similar approach because Jamal Williams, Aaron Jones, 0:19:41.560 --> 0:19:44.159 time Montgomery and then obviously Davante may still in that 0:19:44.200 --> 0:19:47.480 equation as well. They all give you something different. And 0:19:47.520 --> 0:19:49.359 if you can get a healthy Montgomery with the kind 0:19:49.400 --> 0:19:51.640 of playmaker he is, and the way that Jamal Williams, 0:19:51.640 --> 0:19:54.600 how well rounded he is, the explosiveness of Aaron Jones, 0:19:55.040 --> 0:19:57.360 I think the possibilities are really endless for that position. 0:19:57.400 --> 0:19:59.439 The fact that the Packers did set that record this 0:19:59.520 --> 0:20:02.600 year with two running backs over four hundred yards rushing individually, 0:20:02.680 --> 0:20:05.920 first time ever, I think that actually speaks to what 0:20:06.000 --> 0:20:09.840 they've built coming out of that two thousand seventeen NFL draft. Yeah, 0:20:09.880 --> 0:20:11.919 I think. I think the thing that I like the 0:20:12.000 --> 0:20:14.840 most about the stable of running backs, and particularly the 0:20:15.119 --> 0:20:17.919 two rookies and Jones and Williams that produced so well 0:20:18.320 --> 0:20:20.840 for Green Bay when they were called upon. You hear 0:20:20.880 --> 0:20:22.880 a lot of times about running backs that that they 0:20:22.880 --> 0:20:24.760 need to get into a rhythm, get into a flow, 0:20:24.880 --> 0:20:26.919