WEBVTT - #290 Packers Unscripted: Rookie weekend 0:00:00.840 --> 0:00:20.400 Hi, everybody. Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:20.440 --> 0:00:22.800 I am Mike Spofford and he is the one and 0:00:22.880 --> 0:00:25.800 only wes Hodkoits. We're coming to you here from our 0:00:25.840 --> 0:00:28.400 studios at lambeau Field and West. Final show of the 0:00:28.440 --> 0:00:33.040 week and the annual Green Bay Packers Rookie Orientation is 0:00:33.200 --> 0:00:36.080 upon us. And for those who are not familiar with it, 0:00:36.200 --> 0:00:39.240 kind of an annual tradition. Really, Mike McCarthy has has 0:00:39.240 --> 0:00:41.839 had this type of format, uh you know, call it 0:00:41.920 --> 0:00:44.720 Rookie Weekend. Some people like to call it Rookie Mini Camp, 0:00:44.760 --> 0:00:47.760 although it's not really a mini camp. Um. It's a 0:00:47.920 --> 0:00:50.960 it's a combination of welcome to the Green Bay Packers 0:00:51.120 --> 0:00:53.080 to all the rookies, which is the draft picks, the 0:00:53.240 --> 0:00:56.160 undrafted rookies, as well as a bunch of tryout players 0:00:56.240 --> 0:00:59.560 who are hoping to land a rookie free agent contract. 0:00:59.600 --> 0:01:03.840 But it's all so an introduction into being an NFL 0:01:03.880 --> 0:01:06.280 football player. It is Mike and and that's the one 0:01:06.360 --> 0:01:10.480 thing you know, Mike McCarthy has constantly preached this is 0:01:10.560 --> 0:01:13.800 really the preamble to an NFL career. They teach you 0:01:13.840 --> 0:01:16.600 how to practice in Green Bay. They teach you the 0:01:16.720 --> 0:01:20.000 routine in Green Bay and you finally it's it is 0:01:20.080 --> 0:01:23.520 that integration into the Packers locker room. And Mike McCarthy 0:01:23.560 --> 0:01:27.200 says it every year, once Saturday night comes around, you're 0:01:27.240 --> 0:01:31.160 ready come Monday morning. You remember this team. Now, you're 0:01:31.160 --> 0:01:33.080 still a rookie. You still have a lot of growth 0:01:33.120 --> 0:01:35.280 and a lot of maturing to do from that perspective, 0:01:35.600 --> 0:01:38.200 but you're expected to be caught up to speed. They 0:01:38.240 --> 0:01:40.560 aren't looking for big plays this week, and it's sure 0:01:40.560 --> 0:01:42.280 it helps if you're an undrafted free agent or a 0:01:42.319 --> 0:01:44.360 tryout guy. Yeah, if you're if you're a Troy out guy, 0:01:44.440 --> 0:01:45.800 you want it. You want to turn some heads if 0:01:45.840 --> 0:01:47.800 you can. But the biggest thing is trying to limit 0:01:47.840 --> 0:01:49.880 them out of mental errors and take what you're learning 0:01:49.920 --> 0:01:53.240 in those pre practice meetings and in the individual corrections 0:01:53.360 --> 0:01:55.600 and carried over on the field the show come Monday morning, 0:01:55.720 --> 0:01:57.760 you deserve to be on that ninety man roster. Yeah. 0:01:57.800 --> 0:02:00.760 They get an introduction to the a book both on 0:02:00.800 --> 0:02:03.400 the offensive and defensive side. And I've always thought it 0:02:03.440 --> 0:02:06.040 was interesting. I've never actually seen it, and it's kind 0:02:06.040 --> 0:02:09.760 of on you know, the the electronic um, you know, 0:02:09.840 --> 0:02:13.520 the playbook is essentially electronic now on tablets and and whatnot. 0:02:13.560 --> 0:02:16.280 But in the in the pre tablet days, you know, 0:02:16.400 --> 0:02:18.799 I always pictured it as you know, the playbook for 0:02:18.919 --> 0:02:21.840 rookie Orientation is like one of those folders that you 0:02:21.919 --> 0:02:24.240 have for like your fifth grade class. And then when 0:02:24.280 --> 0:02:26.360 you show up on Monday, when all the veterans are 0:02:26.360 --> 0:02:28.720 back for offseason workouts, then you get the big binder, 0:02:28.840 --> 0:02:30.960 you know, with the with the whole like, here's the 0:02:31.040 --> 0:02:33.480 whole thing, you know, Okay, go study now and figure 0:02:33.480 --> 0:02:35.800 it all out. So um, but they get you know, 0:02:35.919 --> 0:02:38.400 they get a couple of practices, they run a handful 0:02:38.440 --> 0:02:40.600 of plays. You know, it's just you know, parts and 0:02:40.639 --> 0:02:43.480 pieces some of the basic things and in the in 0:02:43.560 --> 0:02:46.480 the scheme. But really it's not even so much about 0:02:46.680 --> 0:02:49.800 introducing the scheme as what you started with, which is 0:02:50.200 --> 0:02:52.640 learning how to practice. This is how we practice, This 0:02:52.680 --> 0:02:54.640 is what the practice routine is like. These are the 0:02:54.639 --> 0:02:58.720 fundamental drills, these are the eleven on eleven drills, and uh, 0:02:58.800 --> 0:03:01.040 it's giving them a taste of that so that when 0:03:01.840 --> 0:03:03.840 the O t A s begin at the end of 0:03:03.880 --> 0:03:07.600 this month, um, they've had at least an introduction to 0:03:08.040 --> 0:03:10.880 to practicing as an NFL player, because you're just in 0:03:10.919 --> 0:03:13.239 shorts and helmets. There's no paths, there's there's a lot, 0:03:13.320 --> 0:03:15.840 there's all there's a way to practice in a non 0:03:15.840 --> 0:03:18.799 contact way that has to be taught in a sense. 0:03:18.840 --> 0:03:21.519 And this is an opportunity, Michael, for these guys to 0:03:21.600 --> 0:03:23.800 really start to get to know their position, coaches, what's 0:03:23.840 --> 0:03:27.000 expected of them. Because here's the thing, let's just be honest. 0:03:27.040 --> 0:03:30.120 You only have so many hours during the offseason program 0:03:30.120 --> 0:03:32.400 to work with Clay Matthews and to work with Aaron 0:03:32.480 --> 0:03:35.880 Rodgers and all of these veterans that are available. Once 0:03:35.880 --> 0:03:39.320 O t A start, once those practices start, once mini camps, 0:03:39.360 --> 0:03:41.720 the two mandatory mini camp practices because they usually end 0:03:41.800 --> 0:03:44.680 up canceling the third. When you're on the field, you're 0:03:44.760 --> 0:03:47.640 focused on getting those guys ready to make sure that 0:03:47.680 --> 0:03:50.120 they know what changes are coming, so that once training 0:03:50.120 --> 0:03:53.280 camp comes, everybody's off and running. So for those rookies, 0:03:53.320 --> 0:03:55.280 that's when you're taking the back seat again. So this 0:03:55.320 --> 0:03:57.440 is your chance to be in the spotlight. It's your 0:03:57.520 --> 0:04:00.040 chance to be the focal point and the attention of 0:04:00.080 --> 0:04:02.920 these coaches. Because yeah, once once you get to mini 0:04:02.960 --> 0:04:05.280 camps and O t A s, you certainly are a 0:04:05.280 --> 0:04:07.200 part of the classroom and you're gonna you know, that 0:04:07.400 --> 0:04:09.320 is gonna be expected, but you're not gonna have as 0:04:09.400 --> 0:04:11.600 much of that hands on, one on one attention. That's 0:04:11.640 --> 0:04:13.400 what these two days are all about. Yeah, and you 0:04:13.440 --> 0:04:16.040 mentioned the limited amount of hours. These are players who 0:04:16.080 --> 0:04:19.480 are coming from you know, hours restrictions in the n 0:04:19.560 --> 0:04:21.720 c a A where you know it's the twenty hours 0:04:21.720 --> 0:04:23.680 a week total or whatever it is that you can 0:04:23.680 --> 0:04:27.479 be involved with football. They get they get a taste 0:04:27.520 --> 0:04:30.800 now on a rookie orientation like this of you know, 0:04:30.920 --> 0:04:34.200 you have meetings in the morning, then you have a practice, 0:04:34.279 --> 0:04:36.839 then you have more meetings after practice. Like it's a 0:04:36.839 --> 0:04:39.000 full work day. You know, you're in here at between 0:04:39.040 --> 0:04:42.039 seven and seven thirty in the morning, and those you 0:04:42.040 --> 0:04:45.080 know late meetings sometimes aren't wrapping up until after dinner. 0:04:45.200 --> 0:04:46.680 And you know it can be you know, and that's 0:04:46.720 --> 0:04:49.279 what training camp is like. Training camp is is a 0:04:49.279 --> 0:04:51.360 full day. It's not even just an eight hour day. 0:04:51.480 --> 0:04:53.680 And these are guys who are coming from you know, 0:04:53.760 --> 0:04:56.480 the football part of their day was a portion in 0:04:56.560 --> 0:04:59.160 college and then you have class and studying and and 0:04:59.240 --> 0:05:01.039 you know, training to able and all that kind of 0:05:01.080 --> 0:05:03.640 stuff in uh you know that follow all the all 0:05:03.640 --> 0:05:06.120 the n c A rules, So it's it's an adjustment 0:05:06.120 --> 0:05:08.000 from that standpoint, and this is where they get their 0:05:08.040 --> 0:05:10.880 first their first taste of it. Yeah, the the number one. 0:05:10.960 --> 0:05:12.960 I think I could cover the team for another thirty years. 0:05:13.000 --> 0:05:15.000 And one of my favorite quotes in regards to a 0:05:15.040 --> 0:05:17.640 workday schedule is going to go from Brett Hunley last 0:05:17.680 --> 0:05:20.200 season when he talked about Now, mind you you get 0:05:20.240 --> 0:05:22.800 the whole situation there with daylight saving time, but he 0:05:22.839 --> 0:05:25.880 mentioned there are stretches during the regular season where he 0:05:25.920 --> 0:05:29.000 won't see sunlight. He's in before the sun comes up 0:05:29.040 --> 0:05:32.200 and he's gone way after it's gone down. So for 0:05:32.279 --> 0:05:35.280 these young guys that you hear it every single year, 0:05:35.320 --> 0:05:36.880 and I'm sure come the end of the month at 0:05:36.880 --> 0:05:38.920 O T A S you're gonna hear JR. Alexander, Josh 0:05:39.000 --> 0:05:42.280 Jackson talk about it. It's a business. Now, it is 0:05:42.320 --> 0:05:44.839 your job, it is your livelihood. You get in here. 0:05:45.200 --> 0:05:47.240 There are books and pens and papers and all that 0:05:47.279 --> 0:05:50.960 fun stuff, but it's dedicated towards football. It's the exciting 0:05:50.960 --> 0:05:53.120 part of this because now you get to master your craft. 0:05:53.320 --> 0:05:56.119 But it also is that realization that for ten twelve 0:05:56.160 --> 0:05:59.080 hours whatever it ends up being. This is your livelihood 0:05:59.120 --> 0:06:01.080 now and it's your soulfa yeah, And they get their 0:06:01.080 --> 0:06:03.480 heads spinning a little bit with regards to the playbook, 0:06:03.520 --> 0:06:05.800 but then they get a couple of weeks to digest 0:06:05.839 --> 0:06:08.080 it before those o t a start when they really 0:06:08.080 --> 0:06:09.960 have to, you know, figure out how to do this 0:06:10.000 --> 0:06:11.960 with the veterans on the field at the same time. 0:06:12.200 --> 0:06:13.640 But with that, we're going to go to a break 0:06:13.640 --> 0:06:33.520 back with more on Packers Unscripted right after this. Welcome 0:06:33.560 --> 0:06:36.240 back to Packers Unscripted. Mike Spofford in this chair, Wes 0:06:36.320 --> 0:06:38.280 Hodkowits in that one, and West. We spent a lot 0:06:38.320 --> 0:06:40.880 of the week obviously talking about the Packers draft picks, 0:06:40.880 --> 0:06:43.840 eleven of them at all, first chance to to see 0:06:43.839 --> 0:06:47.080 them in person here this weekend with rookie orientation, but 0:06:47.800 --> 0:06:52.000 also a handful more than a handful of the undrafted rookies, 0:06:52.080 --> 0:06:55.479 the the the underdogs, the long shots, however you want 0:06:55.480 --> 0:06:58.000 to term it, in terms of their fight for a 0:06:58.160 --> 0:07:00.599 roster spot to to eventually try to get on that 0:07:00.680 --> 0:07:03.320 fifty three or even on the practice squad at the 0:07:03.400 --> 0:07:06.120 end of training camp. There are always a couple of 0:07:06.160 --> 0:07:09.680 compelling stories that that come out of that bunch. And 0:07:09.680 --> 0:07:12.320 and uh and one of them that we've come across 0:07:12.520 --> 0:07:17.080 is the big defensive tackle from Northwestern, Tyler Lancaster uh 0:07:17.120 --> 0:07:22.280 six ft three pounds bench press thirty six reps of 0:07:22.360 --> 0:07:26.280 two pounds at northwesterns pro day. Wasn't invited to the Combine, 0:07:26.320 --> 0:07:28.640 but that number thirty six would have ranked like fourth 0:07:28.720 --> 0:07:32.640 at the combine. Runs a sub five forty yard dash. 0:07:32.800 --> 0:07:36.520 This is a big guy with some agility and uh, 0:07:36.600 --> 0:07:39.400 you know, he's trying to make it here on what 0:07:39.600 --> 0:07:42.360 is really the deepest, you know, maybe toughest position group 0:07:42.400 --> 0:07:44.960 to crack here with the Green Bay Packers. But it 0:07:45.120 --> 0:07:47.160 really curious to see just what his chances are going 0:07:47.240 --> 0:07:49.720 to be. Well, first off, Michael, don't be humble here 0:07:49.760 --> 0:07:54.760 when you say, excuse me, we uncovered you uncovered in 0:07:54.800 --> 0:07:56.960 a phenomenal story on Packers dot Com. Be sure to 0:07:57.040 --> 0:07:59.960 check that out. It's up in Live as we speak. 0:08:00.760 --> 0:08:03.800 Two things to this one. In my opinion, I don't 0:08:03.800 --> 0:08:05.520 know if he has the young man has a nickname. 0:08:06.040 --> 0:08:08.360 I seeing him walk around the locker room on Thursday. 0:08:08.400 --> 0:08:11.840 To me, he's the Juggernaut. I mean, he is just 0:08:12.160 --> 0:08:15.480 complete muscle and build. He looked he just he looks 0:08:15.480 --> 0:08:18.640 the part. He's solid. He is a solid defensive tackle. 0:08:19.080 --> 0:08:21.680 The second part to this you mentioned it in the 0:08:21.720 --> 0:08:25.240 year a little intro. My favorite part every year of 0:08:25.280 --> 0:08:27.960 college free agency is the stories. I think a Gilbert 0:08:27.960 --> 0:08:30.600 Pina back in two thousand thirteen who stepped away from 0:08:30.600 --> 0:08:32.880 football two years to take care of his mother, who had, 0:08:33.000 --> 0:08:35.920 you know, been basically bedridden because of her diet. I 0:08:35.920 --> 0:08:38.760 believe it was diabetes. I think of Andy Milumba who 0:08:38.800 --> 0:08:41.880 came to this country, didn't know how to speak English, 0:08:42.040 --> 0:08:45.120 went to went to Eastern Michigan on scholarship, didn't know 0:08:45.160 --> 0:08:46.960 how to speak English, had to learn it while he 0:08:47.000 --> 0:08:50.120 was in college. I think about all these litany's year 0:08:50.160 --> 0:08:52.400 and year and after, you know, year and year out, 0:08:52.800 --> 0:08:55.520 and I think Tyler Lancaster stories one of those that 0:08:55.640 --> 0:08:57.600 is right up there in the conversation. The guy had 0:08:57.640 --> 0:09:00.680 a phenomenal career at Northwestern. Know you talked to his 0:09:00.720 --> 0:09:03.320 former teammate Dean Lawry about him and in the kind 0:09:03.360 --> 0:09:05.240 of player and the kind of character that he has 0:09:05.600 --> 0:09:08.000 got the number one on his chest given to the 0:09:08.000 --> 0:09:10.800 guy that best exemplifies, you know, the values of the 0:09:11.559 --> 0:09:15.120 Northwestern football program, but also his own story his father 0:09:15.559 --> 0:09:18.319 getting diagnosed with I believe it was oral cancer. Yeah, 0:09:18.720 --> 0:09:22.480 um at stage four actually four diagnosed. He still finds 0:09:22.480 --> 0:09:24.959 a way to get to the northwesterns games this year 0:09:25.000 --> 0:09:27.320 despite the pain and everything he was going through, and 0:09:27.320 --> 0:09:30.120 he passes away in January. This is a young man, 0:09:30.240 --> 0:09:33.400 as he said, it motivated him and he thinks a 0:09:33.400 --> 0:09:35.160 lot about what his father is telling him. And I'll 0:09:35.200 --> 0:09:37.320 say this, Mike, Green Bay Packers. I don't know how 0:09:37.360 --> 0:09:39.000 everything's gonna work out on the field, but this is 0:09:39.000 --> 0:09:41.360 a guy that is going to give every single ounce 0:09:41.400 --> 0:09:44.360 of his being to prove that he's an NFL football player. Yeah. 0:09:44.360 --> 0:09:46.920 It's interesting because what I tried to chronicle in the story, 0:09:47.000 --> 0:09:50.360 and hopefully I was successful, is is the motivations that 0:09:50.400 --> 0:09:53.080 are driving this kid are coming from different directions. There 0:09:53.160 --> 0:09:56.360 is there is the his his father, who he called, 0:09:56.440 --> 0:10:00.000 you know, the biggest Tyler Lancaster fan on the planet 0:10:00.160 --> 0:10:02.560 was his dad. He says he knows that his dad, 0:10:02.640 --> 0:10:05.040 right now looking down on him, is ecstatic, is doing 0:10:05.080 --> 0:10:07.560 back flips about the fact that he's with the Green 0:10:07.559 --> 0:10:10.160 Bay Packers, but his dad is also saying, Hey, it's 0:10:10.200 --> 0:10:11.960 time to go do it now, you know, this is 0:10:12.000 --> 0:10:15.120 just this is just stage one. And the other part 0:10:15.120 --> 0:10:17.439 of the motivation for him is you mentioned it. The 0:10:17.520 --> 0:10:19.920 number one on his jersey that he got to wear 0:10:19.960 --> 0:10:24.280 at Northwestern UM a tradition with that program, with Pat 0:10:24.320 --> 0:10:28.320 Fitzgerald's program, the the team votes on the one player 0:10:28.360 --> 0:10:30.840 who gets the number one jersey. Now, there aren't a 0:10:30.840 --> 0:10:32.760 whole lot of guys in college football who are three 0:10:32.760 --> 0:10:36.040 and fifteen pounds wearing jersey number one. You look at 0:10:36.080 --> 0:10:39.040 the pictures of Lancaster last year during the Northwestern games 0:10:39.080 --> 0:10:41.520 and it looks out of place. But he took a 0:10:41.559 --> 0:10:43.160 heck of a lot of pride in the fact that 0:10:43.240 --> 0:10:45.520 his teammates voted him to wear that number one jersey 0:10:45.520 --> 0:10:47.880 because it's about the work ethic, it's about the character. 0:10:47.960 --> 0:10:50.600 It's about the on and the off the field, and 0:10:50.760 --> 0:10:54.000 how you represent the university and how you represent being 0:10:54.040 --> 0:10:56.800 a Wildcat. And there are a lot of people who 0:10:56.840 --> 0:10:59.880 really look up to this kid, and I shouldn't say kid, 0:11:00.000 --> 0:11:01.400 there are a lot of people who look up to 0:11:01.520 --> 0:11:05.040 Lancaster and they want him to see his dream through. 0:11:05.120 --> 0:11:07.240 They want to see him make it in the NFL. 0:11:07.600 --> 0:11:10.079 And he said, you know, you put on that number 0:11:10.080 --> 0:11:13.400 one jersey. You cannot quit ever, you cannot let up. 0:11:13.480 --> 0:11:15.640 You have to give it everything you have because that's 0:11:15.640 --> 0:11:18.079 what that number one jersey is, and that's what he's 0:11:18.080 --> 0:11:20.920 gonna do, trying to take this long shot road to 0:11:20.960 --> 0:11:23.559 a roster spot with the Packers. Absolutely, Mike, And I'll 0:11:23.600 --> 0:11:25.560 be honest with you too. Uh. You know, I was 0:11:25.600 --> 0:11:28.400 sitting there what would be Thursday night, reading your story, 0:11:28.760 --> 0:11:30.920 have my son next to me, and I got kind 0:11:30.920 --> 0:11:34.439 of emotional at times reading it because here's the thing 0:11:34.520 --> 0:11:37.400 is that my dad's fifty six. Um, I know your parents, 0:11:37.520 --> 0:11:40.240 I believe are in their seventies now. Correct. This is 0:11:40.280 --> 0:11:42.599 a young man that is at Northwestern, one of the 0:11:42.640 --> 0:11:46.560 most prestigious schools in the country. Uh, he is trying 0:11:46.600 --> 0:11:48.559 to get through his final year of college and he's 0:11:48.559 --> 0:11:50.680 trying to perform at a high level in knowing what 0:11:50.800 --> 0:11:52.960 his father was going through at that same exact time. 0:11:53.559 --> 0:11:55.559 I'm thirty years old, Mike. I don't think I could 0:11:55.640 --> 0:11:58.480 handle that, let alone being twenty two or twenty three. 0:11:59.120 --> 0:12:02.120 And yeah, he said he didn't have the big plays, 0:12:02.160 --> 0:12:04.360 and he gets why scouts didn't go after and and 0:12:04.480 --> 0:12:08.080 really seek him out. But I think if you look 0:12:08.120 --> 0:12:10.360 at that and the fact that he was held in 0:12:10.400 --> 0:12:13.280 such high regard, there's a reason for that. Yeah, and 0:12:13.600 --> 0:12:16.520 he had an opportunity at Northwestern. I think he maximized it, 0:12:16.559 --> 0:12:18.480 even if the stats didn't say so in terms of 0:12:18.480 --> 0:12:20.839 the big play production. And now he's gonna come to 0:12:20.880 --> 0:12:22.560 Green Bay in the defense that I think those are 0:12:22.600 --> 0:12:24.959 the type of guys. And we'll see how his story 0:12:25.040 --> 0:12:27.319 unfolds here, but those are the type of guys. Those 0:12:27.320 --> 0:12:29.640 are the type of college freeders that have succeeded ultimately 0:12:29.679 --> 0:12:31.760 with the Packers. Yeah. I found the interview that I 0:12:31.800 --> 0:12:34.320 had with him very refreshing. And not to say that, 0:12:34.480 --> 0:12:36.800 you know, it obviously works for some guys who are 0:12:36.880 --> 0:12:38.520 undrafted to say they're going to go out and try 0:12:38.520 --> 0:12:41.360 to prove everybody wrong. He actually was like, Hey, the 0:12:41.360 --> 0:12:43.760 scouts got it right. I did you know. I only 0:12:43.800 --> 0:12:46.439 had a few sacks during my college career, a couple 0:12:46.440 --> 0:12:49.040 of force fumbles. I didn't have all the big splash plays. 0:12:49.400 --> 0:12:51.559 I was a run plugger. I was, you know that 0:12:51.559 --> 0:12:53.760 that run stuff for guy taken on the double teams, 0:12:53.800 --> 0:12:56.640 doing my job letting other guys on the defense make plays. 0:12:56.960 --> 0:12:59.200 That's not necessarily enough to get you noticed, for a 0:12:59.200 --> 0:13:01.280 team to invest to draft pick in you. So he 0:13:01.360 --> 0:13:04.960 knows he needs to do more. He's excited about being here. 0:13:05.000 --> 0:13:07.559 He actually, you know, watched the last few rounds of 0:13:07.600 --> 0:13:09.800 the draft with the Packers had having come here on 0:13:09.840 --> 0:13:12.520 a pre draft visit and fell in love with this place. 0:13:12.760 --> 0:13:15.280 Really had a great conversation with Jerry Montgomery. He was 0:13:15.320 --> 0:13:17.560 hoping you the Packers were going to draft him or 0:13:17.640 --> 0:13:19.679 nobody else was, so that he could sign here as 0:13:19.679 --> 0:13:22.520 a free agent. He really thinks in in the new 0:13:22.600 --> 0:13:25.080 scheme and system, you know that maybe that will unleash 0:13:25.120 --> 0:13:27.280 a little bit more in him. Yeah, and if you 0:13:27.280 --> 0:13:29.240 haven't a chance to check that on Packers dot com, 0:13:29.280 --> 0:13:32.280 it's a phenomenal story that thanks. I appreciate that. West. 0:13:32.320 --> 0:13:33.719 With that, we're going to go to a break back 0:13:33.760 --> 0:13:54.000 with more and Packers Unscripted right after this. Welcome back 0:13:54.040 --> 0:13:57.680 to Packers Unscripted. Mike Spofford here, Wes Hodka, it's over there. 0:13:57.720 --> 0:14:01.240 We's another undrafted story here that's a that's a pretty 0:14:01.240 --> 0:14:03.440 good one and one that you've chronicled on our website 0:14:03.440 --> 0:14:06.400 as well. The quarterback a lot of attention always on 0:14:07.600 --> 0:14:12.880 UM Eastern Kentucky Tim Boyle. Make sure I say that right. 0:14:12.920 --> 0:14:15.800 Tim Boyle Um. Now this is uh, this is the 0:14:15.800 --> 0:14:18.240 guy that Packers signed him right after the draft prompted 0:14:18.280 --> 0:14:21.440 them to release Joe Callahan. So now they're back to 0:14:21.600 --> 0:14:25.120 four quarterbacks on the roster. Took kind of a roundabout 0:14:25.320 --> 0:14:28.640 way from a geographical standpoint to get to to get 0:14:28.640 --> 0:14:30.160 to where he is. But to tell us a little 0:14:30.160 --> 0:14:32.440 bit about his story, Well, here's the thing that's really 0:14:32.480 --> 0:14:36.240 interesting about Boyle. Um. You hear Eastern Kentucky and sometimes 0:14:36.240 --> 0:14:39.000 people get thrown off by that when it's an FCS 0:14:39.040 --> 0:14:42.880 school or somebody like that. Boyle started his college career 0:14:42.880 --> 0:14:45.680 at Yukon and he was originally committed to play at 0:14:45.480 --> 0:14:49.680 Boston College BC. And he had a remarkable high school 0:14:49.680 --> 0:14:52.880 career Xavier High School in Connecticut, born and raised out 0:14:52.880 --> 0:14:57.120 there on the East Coast. UH one three consecutive state championships. 0:14:57.120 --> 0:14:59.880 Had contributed to the final two including how to Fun 0:15:00.000 --> 0:15:02.040 dominal year. One of the top players in the state 0:15:02.520 --> 0:15:05.000 in that year that they won their last state title, 0:15:05.000 --> 0:15:07.720 and I believe it was two thousand twelve. He goes 0:15:07.800 --> 0:15:11.400 to Connecticut, stays home and it was a whirlwind that 0:15:11.440 --> 0:15:13.760 he went through their three different head coaches in three 0:15:13.800 --> 0:15:17.760 different years. He actually was the first UH freshman true 0:15:17.800 --> 0:15:21.000 freshman to start right away off the bat in two 0:15:21.000 --> 0:15:24.880 thousand thirteen and since two thousand three. But it was 0:15:24.920 --> 0:15:27.920 an ebb and flow. Injuries were an issue, and consistency 0:15:28.000 --> 0:15:30.240 was an issue, and he even mentioned, I mean, there 0:15:30.280 --> 0:15:33.280 was kind of this sort of looking behind your shoulder 0:15:33.640 --> 0:15:36.080 in terms of okay, are they gonna pull me if 0:15:36.120 --> 0:15:38.560 something goes wrong and they put somebody else in. In 0:15:38.600 --> 0:15:41.520 credit to him, he actually rode those waves for three 0:15:41.600 --> 0:15:45.640 years when one coach. When one coach gets fired, the 0:15:45.800 --> 0:15:49.880 class usually transfers, but he stuck it out. His thought 0:15:49.880 --> 0:15:52.120 process was if I if I stick around long enough, 0:15:52.200 --> 0:15:54.160 if I stayed and continue to do the right things, 0:15:54.800 --> 0:15:57.960 my time will eventually come. It never really did, though. 0:15:58.080 --> 0:16:00.280 He ends up getting hooked up with Eastern Continent Hockey 0:16:00.280 --> 0:16:03.240 through a connection to his former quarterbacks coach at Yukon, 0:16:03.560 --> 0:16:06.240 and last year started all eleven games from them. He 0:16:06.320 --> 0:16:08.800 looks like an NFL quarterback six ft four two or 0:16:08.960 --> 0:16:12.080 thirty pounds. He has all the intangibles from that perspective, 0:16:12.120 --> 0:16:14.520 good arm, live arm, and now we'll be trying to 0:16:14.560 --> 0:16:16.360 make that jump to the next level. Yeah, and I 0:16:16.360 --> 0:16:19.280 found it interesting because you pointed out in your story 0:16:19.360 --> 0:16:21.960 that one of his best games at Eastern Kentucky was 0:16:22.480 --> 0:16:26.200 excuse me, against Western Kentucky. And if I'm not mistaken, 0:16:26.240 --> 0:16:30.520 Western Kentucky's quarterback was drafted. Was he the name Escapes? 0:16:32.080 --> 0:16:34.400 But but so you know, there was kind of, you know, 0:16:34.760 --> 0:16:37.280 a quarterback matchup two guys that you know that have 0:16:38.040 --> 0:16:40.640 have a little bit of a potential future. And uh 0:16:40.680 --> 0:16:43.440 and he performed pretty well in uh in a pretty 0:16:43.440 --> 0:16:45.880 big spotlight game he did. And he actually played pretty 0:16:45.920 --> 0:16:49.680 well against Kentucky too during that process. Uh. And here's 0:16:49.680 --> 0:16:52.520 the thing. Let me see here. Mike White, Yeah, from 0:16:52.520 --> 0:16:55.480 Mike White from Western Western picked in the fifth round 0:16:55.480 --> 0:16:58.840 by the Cowboys. Uh. Yeah. He has a live arm 0:16:59.080 --> 0:17:01.720 and he can make throws. The biggest thing I think 0:17:01.720 --> 0:17:03.360 the Packers are gonna work with him on is probably 0:17:03.360 --> 0:17:05.240 the decision making side of it. He did a thirteen 0:17:05.240 --> 0:17:08.320 interceptions last year. But we talked about this couple days ago. Mike. 0:17:08.359 --> 0:17:10.640 When you're dealing with UFAs or late round picks, there's 0:17:10.640 --> 0:17:12.840 gonna be some flaws. I think if you look at 0:17:12.880 --> 0:17:14.480 his makeup, though, there's a lot to work with. He 0:17:14.560 --> 0:17:17.680 ran a four seven forty at his pro day. Um 0:17:17.760 --> 0:17:19.720 put up, I forget what it was on the bench press, 0:17:19.720 --> 0:17:21.679 but had a nine nine broad jump. I mean, he 0:17:21.760 --> 0:17:24.600 has a lot of the measurements that you look for 0:17:24.800 --> 0:17:27.320 in an NFL quarterback in the pedigrees there. This is 0:17:27.320 --> 0:17:29.920 not a guy that just overachieved and now is getting 0:17:29.960 --> 0:17:32.879 some notoriety. He's a guy that's had the makeup to 0:17:32.920 --> 0:17:36.120 be in perform at this level. And he said too, 0:17:36.119 --> 0:17:38.920 I mean, he's really close friends with Bryan Jones, who 0:17:39.080 --> 0:17:41.200 played at Yukon. He was the guy that the Cowboys 0:17:41.240 --> 0:17:43.680 draft in the first round of two thousand fifteen. After 0:17:43.720 --> 0:17:47.639 that remarkable combine tested through the roof there. He's had 0:17:47.680 --> 0:17:49.240 a lot of different guys that he's reached out to 0:17:49.280 --> 0:17:51.800 the sort of cue him into what this is gonna 0:17:51.840 --> 0:17:53.640 be like and what to expect to the next level. 0:17:53.920 --> 0:17:55.320 And the fact that now he gets to work with 0:17:55.359 --> 0:17:57.240 Aaron Rodgers, he said, I mean, that's just the cherry 0:17:57.280 --> 0:17:59.480 on top for him. Yeah. An interesting thing about his 0:17:59.560 --> 0:18:02.119 story that I'll be I'll be curious to follow is 0:18:02.160 --> 0:18:04.240 that a lot of times, you know, these guys, big 0:18:04.240 --> 0:18:06.880 time college players, they have a lot of success, they've 0:18:06.920 --> 0:18:09.840 never really failed and then they get into the NFL 0:18:09.880 --> 0:18:11.719 and how are they going to handle their first failure. 0:18:12.480 --> 0:18:14.760 This is a guy who's failed. I mean, things went 0:18:15.080 --> 0:18:18.000 south at Connecticut and things did not go well. He 0:18:18.040 --> 0:18:19.960 had to kind of pick up the pieces in a 0:18:20.040 --> 0:18:23.400 sense and get things back on track during his college 0:18:23.400 --> 0:18:25.560 career just to get to this point. So you wonder, 0:18:26.240 --> 0:18:28.480 is that something you know, just as being part of 0:18:28.520 --> 0:18:30.400 his background, that is he tries to make his way 0:18:30.440 --> 0:18:32.160 here in the NFL, is that something that can help 0:18:32.359 --> 0:18:34.560 the experiences have molded him. And he said, in high 0:18:34.600 --> 0:18:36.840 school he learned how to win. In college, he learned 0:18:36.840 --> 0:18:39.040 how to deal with adversity. And now taking both of 0:18:39.040 --> 0:18:41.119 those lessons, he hopes that that's something that's really going 0:18:41.160 --> 0:18:43.480 to galvanize him now that he goes into the NFL. Alright, 0:18:43.520 --> 0:18:45.160 with that, we're going to go to another break back 0:18:45.160 --> 0:19:04.800 with moren Packers Unscripted right after this Welcome Back to 0:19:04.800 --> 0:19:08.320 Packers Unscripted Mike Spofford alongside West, hod Kowits and West. 0:19:08.359 --> 0:19:10.160 Before we go, I wanted to touch on one thing 0:19:10.200 --> 0:19:12.640 that's making a little bit of news in the NFL 0:19:12.840 --> 0:19:15.719 at large, and that's the discussion of what might be 0:19:15.800 --> 0:19:20.560 happening with the kickoff um. Different proposals being thrown out. 0:19:20.600 --> 0:19:23.399 There is something that the league's owners are going to 0:19:23.440 --> 0:19:27.000 discuss very earnestly at their their next meeting, which is 0:19:27.119 --> 0:19:30.480 later on in May. But we've heard a lot of things, 0:19:30.520 --> 0:19:34.000 you know, in terms of trying to change the kickoffs 0:19:34.000 --> 0:19:37.080 so that it's not so dangerous that the concussions come down, 0:19:37.160 --> 0:19:40.560 because all the studies they've done show the propensity for 0:19:40.600 --> 0:19:44.160