WEBVTT - #891 Packers Unscripted: OTA observations, cont. 0:00:06.440 --> 0:00:09.559 Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from 0:00:09.560 --> 0:00:13.040 Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spaffer, joint as always 0:00:13.039 --> 0:00:16.240 by my partner and Everything Packers, Wes Hodkowitz. We're coming 0:00:16.239 --> 0:00:20.600 to you here from the Potawatomy Sportsbook studio inside the 0:00:20.640 --> 0:00:24.639 walls of lambeau Field and Wes, continuing our discussion of 0:00:24.680 --> 0:00:28.240 OTAs since our last show. We had an opportunity to 0:00:28.320 --> 0:00:32.360 watch practice locker room interviews after that practice another day 0:00:32.360 --> 0:00:35.720 of locker room interviews on Wednesday, So all kinds of 0:00:35.720 --> 0:00:37.640 stuff to talk about, and I think it starts first 0:00:37.640 --> 0:00:42.720 and foremost with Michael Parsons. He spoke with the media 0:00:42.800 --> 0:00:45.640 after practice. He's obviously not practicing, but he gave an 0:00:45.680 --> 0:00:48.120 update on where things are. There's a story on packers 0:00:48.159 --> 0:00:51.519 dot com if you want to check that out for 0:00:51.600 --> 0:00:54.040 all the details there, but we'll talk about it here 0:00:54.080 --> 0:01:00.600 as well. Basically, Parsons is looking at this as he's 0:01:00.600 --> 0:01:03.080 got five months down, he's got four months left to go, 0:01:03.320 --> 0:01:07.600 and but he's he's willing to be patient, as difficult 0:01:07.680 --> 0:01:09.720 as it is, but he's willing to be patient to 0:01:09.800 --> 0:01:12.000 get everything right before he's back on the field. 0:01:12.080 --> 0:01:14.520 Yeah, it was such a mature response from Micah too, 0:01:14.560 --> 0:01:16.800 and I really enjoyed the story you wrote on Packers 0:01:16.800 --> 0:01:19.920 dot com. You can check that out for all the details. 0:01:20.000 --> 0:01:24.520 But this is it's about legacy, it's about winning championships 0:01:24.720 --> 0:01:28.440 and as important as the month of September is, Micah understands, 0:01:28.520 --> 0:01:30.280 especially for a guy when you when you're dealing with 0:01:30.360 --> 0:01:34.520 multiple ACL injuries and dealing with significant stuff like obviously 0:01:34.560 --> 0:01:36.640 with he had the meniscus as well, as he said, 0:01:37.360 --> 0:01:39.399 you know kind of factored into that, right. You just 0:01:39.440 --> 0:01:42.080 have to be mindful of the process and understand, Okay, 0:01:42.160 --> 0:01:45.480 there's probably a nine month window there where you want 0:01:45.480 --> 0:01:47.360 to make sure the day that he steps back out 0:01:47.360 --> 0:01:48.760 on the field, the day that he runs out of 0:01:48.800 --> 0:01:52.120 that tunnel at lambeau Field or wherever it happens, that 0:01:52.280 --> 0:01:54.680 he is ready to contribute in a major way and 0:01:54.720 --> 0:02:00.200 there's no risk of reaggravation, reinjury setbacks. And to have 0:02:00.280 --> 0:02:02.480 that kind of viewpoint, I think is just really important 0:02:02.520 --> 0:02:05.600 right now because the Packers every they want to win 0:02:05.640 --> 0:02:08.520 a championship in twenty twenty six, twenty twenty seven. This 0:02:08.600 --> 0:02:11.720 is the window that they've played for, and Mike understands 0:02:11.800 --> 0:02:15.960 the role that he has in that so his focus 0:02:16.000 --> 0:02:18.840 has been set on getting back as quickly as healthy 0:02:18.880 --> 0:02:21.880 as possible, but also still being the same Micah Parson 0:02:21.880 --> 0:02:23.720 as he was in Denver the day that he went out. 0:02:23.840 --> 0:02:27.760 So always fun to listen to him. Obviously, when when 0:02:27.800 --> 0:02:32.040 Micah Parsons speaks, everybody in the football world listens. And 0:02:32.800 --> 0:02:34.720 for the Packers, I think it's gonna be great for 0:02:34.760 --> 0:02:37.079 them too, because in that interim, let's say he does 0:02:37.120 --> 0:02:39.280 start on pupp Let's say he's out the first month 0:02:39.280 --> 0:02:41.200 of the season. All hypotheticals, but let's say that's how 0:02:41.240 --> 0:02:44.160 it plays out. That's where it does come on Lucas Vans, 0:02:44.960 --> 0:02:47.040 Baron Surrell, the rest of those edge rushers to kind 0:02:47.080 --> 0:02:49.920 of stem the tide and step up and really show, Okay, 0:02:49.919 --> 0:02:52.360 when Micah is back in the lineup, who are gonna 0:02:52.360 --> 0:02:53.560 be the guys running alongside him. 0:02:53.639 --> 0:02:56.920 Yeah, And he expressed all kinds of confidence in the 0:02:56.919 --> 0:02:59.800 defensive line, kind of holding down the fort until he 0:02:59.800 --> 0:03:02.799 got it's back, talking both about the interior guys as 0:03:02.840 --> 0:03:04.880 well as the edge rushers. I mean, we've heard him 0:03:05.440 --> 0:03:09.359 talk many times. You know how how impressed he's been 0:03:09.400 --> 0:03:13.680 with DeVante Wyatt and and you know, he was Wyatt's 0:03:13.680 --> 0:03:16.480 injury happened last year before Parsons did, and he was 0:03:16.800 --> 0:03:19.840 he was really bummed out when Dy went down. So 0:03:19.919 --> 0:03:22.840 he's excited for Wyatt to get back. He's very excited 0:03:22.880 --> 0:03:26.280 for what Lucas van Ness can do, with van Ness 0:03:26.320 --> 0:03:28.960 having dealt with a couple of different injuries the last 0:03:29.000 --> 0:03:33.200 couple of years. So there's a lot to look forward 0:03:33.240 --> 0:03:36.119 to there. And I think as much as at least 0:03:36.160 --> 0:03:38.920 what I heard is Micah is sort of trying to 0:03:39.000 --> 0:03:44.360 convince himself to enjoy this recovery rehab process, and it's 0:03:44.440 --> 0:03:48.200 not easy, but he does seem to enjoy the time 0:03:48.280 --> 0:03:51.000 that he does get with his teammates and just being 0:03:51.040 --> 0:03:54.280 able to you know, I mean it it brightens some 0:03:54.320 --> 0:03:57.760 of those drab rehab days, right when you're around the 0:03:57.800 --> 0:04:01.160 guys and you know, they get to talk about him 0:04:01.200 --> 0:04:03.920 coming back at some point and maybe some celebrations are 0:04:03.960 --> 0:04:05.560 going to do on the field or whatever the case 0:04:05.640 --> 0:04:08.360 might be, and and that's when you sort of see 0:04:08.360 --> 0:04:10.360 the smile return to his face a little bit. And 0:04:10.640 --> 0:04:13.400 and yeah, I mean, this is a this is a 0:04:13.440 --> 0:04:16.920 tough deal, and this is a premiere Hall of Fame 0:04:17.000 --> 0:04:20.440 trajectory player who's never gone through anything like this before 0:04:20.520 --> 0:04:23.120 and he's figuring out how to deal with it. And 0:04:24.040 --> 0:04:27.000 but the one thing he said is that he's he's 0:04:27.080 --> 0:04:29.279 just doing everything he can to come back better than ever. 0:04:29.440 --> 0:04:32.040 Yeah, in my verbiage there, I kind of muddled what 0:04:32.080 --> 0:04:33.480 I was trying to say in terms of like the 0:04:33.880 --> 0:04:36.320 way our training staff, the way the Packers' training staff 0:04:36.320 --> 0:04:39.479 approaches that nine month window of no football, and that 0:04:39.600 --> 0:04:42.240 comes from multiple ACL injuries that they've dealt with in 0:04:42.279 --> 0:04:44.640 the past, whether you go back to Jordi Nelson, some 0:04:44.680 --> 0:04:46.680 of the other guys that have been involved in this thing, 0:04:47.279 --> 0:04:49.720 and that process of when you get these guys back 0:04:49.720 --> 0:04:52.839 out on the field. It is about not just today 0:04:53.200 --> 0:04:55.599 and this season. It's about the longevity of the career. 0:04:55.640 --> 0:04:57.760 And I think again for Micah being at the point 0:04:57.760 --> 0:04:59.880 that he is as young as he is to be 0:04:59.880 --> 0:05:01.560 the player that he's been in the league, I mean, 0:05:01.560 --> 0:05:04.960 it just shows that, uh, that that long term viewpoint 0:05:05.080 --> 0:05:07.800 of understanding what his value is to this football team 0:05:07.800 --> 0:05:09.200 and what it means for him to be on the field. 0:05:10.040 --> 0:05:12.039 You can look at it just from those last five 0:05:12.080 --> 0:05:13.960 weeks of the season, right the Green Bit Packers did 0:05:13.960 --> 0:05:16.920 not win a football game without Micah Parsons right at 0:05:16.920 --> 0:05:18.200 the end of the year. Now, there was a lot 0:05:18.200 --> 0:05:20.120 of other guys involved with that too, whether it was 0:05:20.160 --> 0:05:22.680 Tucker Kraft, whether it was Devonte Wyatt. 0:05:22.320 --> 0:05:24.840 And there were opportunities to win games, clearly. 0:05:24.560 --> 0:05:27.159 There were, so for for Mica being able to do 0:05:27.200 --> 0:05:28.800 this is gonna be is gonna be cool to see. 0:05:28.839 --> 0:05:30.560 And as you said, I think there was an energy 0:05:30.560 --> 0:05:32.440 in an uptick this week just having him back in 0:05:32.480 --> 0:05:37.080 the building and understanding what his contribution is this football 0:05:37.080 --> 0:05:39.600 team beyond even the field. And he's done a lot 0:05:39.640 --> 0:05:41.120 of interviews in the last couple of weeks too, where 0:05:41.120 --> 0:05:43.440 he's spoken in some of these podcasts he's done where 0:05:43.440 --> 0:05:46.479 he's talked about it's this is his home now, Like 0:05:46.560 --> 0:05:48.640 it's not just Okay, well I got traded to Green 0:05:48.720 --> 0:05:51.479 Bay and I'm you know, this is just where I work. 0:05:51.520 --> 0:05:54.640 I Mean, he's really embraced this. He's embraced the community's 0:05:54.640 --> 0:06:00.080 embraced this organization, and he understands and appreciates how the 0:06:00.240 --> 0:06:00.719 view him. 0:06:01.000 --> 0:06:01.160 Right. 0:06:01.240 --> 0:06:03.800 I mean, one thing Michael wanted everybody focused so much 0:06:03.839 --> 0:06:06.920 on the contract and long term security and everything when 0:06:06.920 --> 0:06:09.200 he was in Dallas, but it was also about the 0:06:09.279 --> 0:06:12.720 need and the want to be included, to be viewed 0:06:12.720 --> 0:06:15.359 as a face of the franchise. And I think since 0:06:15.440 --> 0:06:17.760 the very moment that that piece of paper came across 0:06:17.800 --> 0:06:22.080 the NFL's offices desks, Michael Parsons has definitely been that 0:06:22.160 --> 0:06:23.680 Green Bay and he appreciates that role. 0:06:23.920 --> 0:06:27.880 Yeah, And just to explain the timeline, so he had 0:06:28.200 --> 0:06:30.960 the surgery on his knee on December twenty ninth, and 0:06:31.000 --> 0:06:34.440 so the nine months of no football, which of course 0:06:34.480 --> 0:06:38.320 there's a lot of rehab conditioning, and you know there's 0:06:38.320 --> 0:06:41.320 a ramp up to running full speed and doing everything 0:06:41.360 --> 0:06:43.560 you would do on the football field, but you're just 0:06:43.640 --> 0:06:46.719 not actually practicing against other guys yet. You know, we 0:06:46.760 --> 0:06:49.080 saw Christian Watson go through that, We're going to see 0:06:49.120 --> 0:06:51.359 Tucker Kraft go through that, you know, and as you mentioned, 0:06:51.400 --> 0:06:53.719 Jordan Nelson, all these other guys over the years we've 0:06:53.760 --> 0:06:57.400 seen it. The nine months would put him at late 0:06:57.480 --> 0:07:01.880 September YEP for the potential return to the practice field. 0:07:02.279 --> 0:07:04.600 So then you're thinking, Okay, gets a couple of weeks 0:07:04.600 --> 0:07:07.559 of practice, and so I think we're probably looking at 0:07:07.680 --> 0:07:10.760 you know, mid October, give or take as far as 0:07:10.760 --> 0:07:13.120 when he can be back in game action as long 0:07:13.160 --> 0:07:16.280 as everything these next four months goes as well as 0:07:16.320 --> 0:07:19.360 the first five and everything that Micah has said, he's 0:07:19.440 --> 0:07:23.040 very happy with where things are at. And man, he's 0:07:23.080 --> 0:07:27.680 expecting he's expecting the timeline to be you know pretty much. 0:07:27.440 --> 0:07:29.760 That it's just wild to watch. I mean, and part 0:07:29.760 --> 0:07:32.640 of it is the technology aspect of it in social media. 0:07:32.680 --> 0:07:34.520 But I mean these videos too, I'm sure you've seen 0:07:34.520 --> 0:07:36.200 them by now of Tucker you know, and some of 0:07:36.200 --> 0:07:37.800 the stuff that he's doing behind the scenes. I mean, 0:07:37.840 --> 0:07:40.640 Tucker Craft looks like he is ready for a fight 0:07:40.840 --> 0:07:43.119 on Saturday. I mean, he looks like he is in 0:07:43.280 --> 0:07:46.679 as good as shape as he's ever been. But certainly 0:07:46.720 --> 0:07:50.680 it's it's about understanding what your timeline is in running 0:07:50.680 --> 0:07:55.000 the race for and only for yourself. Yeah, and if 0:07:55.000 --> 0:07:57.480 you do that well, it'll help the football team. If 0:07:57.520 --> 0:08:00.360 you do that well, you'll be back on in front 0:08:00.360 --> 0:08:02.680 of the spotlight. And it's just unfortunate, man. I Mean, 0:08:02.720 --> 0:08:05.640 I've always I've said the story before on the podcast 0:08:05.760 --> 0:08:07.960 before over the years, but you know, I go back 0:08:07.960 --> 0:08:10.560 to Mike McCarthy right after Jordan Nelson had the ACL 0:08:10.640 --> 0:08:14.040 tear in twenty fifteen, in saying, I mean the way 0:08:14.080 --> 0:08:16.240 that this game works. If you look at the law averages, 0:08:16.800 --> 0:08:19.880 pretty much every team has two three ACL tears a year. 0:08:20.200 --> 0:08:23.160 It's just a matter of where they happen. Right. Sometimes 0:08:23.160 --> 0:08:25.600 it ends up being your backup guard. Sometimes it ends 0:08:25.680 --> 0:08:28.040 up being one of your guys on special teams, and 0:08:28.120 --> 0:08:31.040 unfortunate occasionally it's maybe two of the best four players 0:08:31.040 --> 0:08:33.040 on your entire football team. As it relates to Tucker 0:08:33.080 --> 0:08:37.320 Craft and Michael Parsons. So all that being said, the 0:08:37.360 --> 0:08:39.600 second half run is what this thing's going to be about, 0:08:39.760 --> 0:08:41.240 and the Packers need to win games, and need to 0:08:41.280 --> 0:08:43.040 win all the games if they can do it during 0:08:43.080 --> 0:08:45.960 that time in which Micah Parsons is not available at 0:08:45.960 --> 0:08:48.640 the beginning of the season. But be that as it may, 0:08:49.440 --> 0:08:52.520 it's about that push. And we certainly saw Mike with 0:08:52.640 --> 0:08:54.920 him not having a training camp here, with him dealing 0:08:54.920 --> 0:08:56.880 with some injuries in Dallas and not having a full 0:08:56.920 --> 0:09:00.160 compliment of reps even before he got traded to Green Bay, 0:09:00.760 --> 0:09:04.719 how he was able to jump in, yeah, and assimilate 0:09:04.760 --> 0:09:07.440 to this defense and become within a matter of weeks 0:09:07.520 --> 0:09:09.719 the focal point of that defense is still one of 0:09:09.760 --> 0:09:11.440 the most impressive things I think I've seen in my 0:09:11.480 --> 0:09:12.440 time covering the Packers. 0:09:12.520 --> 0:09:16.520 Yeah, he's a high impact player. Anytime his cleats touched 0:09:16.520 --> 0:09:18.240 the field, There's no doubt about that, and we'll be 0:09:18.280 --> 0:09:22.800 looking forward to when that happens this fall, shifting gears 0:09:22.840 --> 0:09:26.240 to practice observations and the guys that we did see 0:09:26.280 --> 0:09:28.800 on the field. On our last show, we talked about 0:09:29.360 --> 0:09:32.760 a couple of the rookies who we saw rotating in 0:09:32.800 --> 0:09:37.160 with the first unit, Brandon Ceesay Chris mcclellen on defense. 0:09:37.840 --> 0:09:39.960 So we need to mention another one that we saw 0:09:40.280 --> 0:09:43.800 on Tuesday at practice, and that's offensive lineman Jagger Burton, 0:09:45.160 --> 0:09:48.640 the fifth round pick out of Kentucky. Now this comes 0:09:48.679 --> 0:09:51.480 with you know, the little bit of the caveat that 0:09:51.920 --> 0:09:54.880 you know, Zach tom is out, Jacob Monk is out, 0:09:54.920 --> 0:09:58.520 Donovan Jennings is out, so you know, the Packers are 0:09:58.559 --> 0:10:01.520 not at full strength on the offensive line by any means. 0:10:02.040 --> 0:10:05.320 But we saw Burton getting rotated in at guard with 0:10:05.559 --> 0:10:08.520 the number one offensive line as some things are being 0:10:08.559 --> 0:10:11.480 shuffled around. But you know, some different different groups and 0:10:11.520 --> 0:10:16.319 different combinations in front of Jordan Love in practice, as 0:10:16.360 --> 0:10:19.600 we talked about on our last show, that's that says something. 0:10:19.640 --> 0:10:22.560 When a rookie draft pick is getting an opportunity to 0:10:22.800 --> 0:10:25.760 uh to take reps with the first unit, whatever the 0:10:25.760 --> 0:10:28.360 circumstances are, it's something to pay attention to. 0:10:28.520 --> 0:10:30.040 You have to get it. You have to get an 0:10:30.080 --> 0:10:32.240 offensive line out there, and you have to have players 0:10:32.280 --> 0:10:34.160 that are gonna be protecting your quarterback. And for Burton 0:10:34.200 --> 0:10:36.200 to get that assignment I think is really critical right now. 0:10:36.240 --> 0:10:38.559 I think it's key and it also speaks to where 0:10:38.559 --> 0:10:41.080 Green Bay fields he is right now, because yes, they're 0:10:41.080 --> 0:10:43.080 they're missing a lot of their top in line guys, 0:10:43.480 --> 0:10:45.520 but there are other options. You know, there are other 0:10:45.600 --> 0:10:47.800 dudes that are back from last year's roster and they 0:10:47.800 --> 0:10:49.800 want to take an extended look at Jager Burton in 0:10:49.880 --> 0:10:52.840 these instances. Now, again it's not in pads. You're not 0:10:52.840 --> 0:10:54.800 getting bull rushed the way you will you know in 0:10:54.840 --> 0:10:57.120 a that regular season game or even in a training camp. 0:10:57.400 --> 0:10:59.679 But that being said, it's about getting those reps. It's 0:10:59.679 --> 0:11:02.280 about understanding and working with Jordan Love and seeing what 0:11:02.360 --> 0:11:04.640 he's like and what he's looking for. And the other 0:11:04.679 --> 0:11:07.200 thing I think is really critical too for Burton working 0:11:07.240 --> 0:11:09.840 back at guard. Again, this is a guy that has 0:11:09.920 --> 0:11:11.960 that background of being a center. I think the Packers 0:11:12.080 --> 0:11:14.320 drafted him thinking, Okay, this could be a guide, we 0:11:14.320 --> 0:11:17.679 could develop it develop at center. But how many times 0:11:17.679 --> 0:11:20.240 over the years, Michael, have we seen it where somebody 0:11:20.280 --> 0:11:23.080 like Zach Tom was kind of viewed as a center 0:11:23.120 --> 0:11:25.199 and next thing you know, he's your franchise right tackle 0:11:25.679 --> 0:11:29.160 and unanimously undisputedly the number one guy in your offensive 0:11:29.160 --> 0:11:31.480 line and one of the top players on your football team. 0:11:31.720 --> 0:11:33.800 You have to take the opportunity with when it's there 0:11:33.840 --> 0:11:37.640 and how it presents itself. David Baktiari did Corey Linsley, 0:11:37.640 --> 0:11:41.679 did JC Tretder did so for Burton. All this matters. 0:11:41.880 --> 0:11:44.400 All these reps are important, and I think it's cool 0:11:44.400 --> 0:11:46.520 for him to being able to actually extend himself again. 0:11:46.559 --> 0:11:49.520 And obviously he played multiple positions at Kentucky, but he 0:11:49.559 --> 0:11:52.120 finished out at center and there could be a very 0:11:52.240 --> 0:11:54.360 good chance that his rookie season the NFL, he doesn't 0:11:54.360 --> 0:11:56.640 touch the ball once at center. You just got to 0:11:56.640 --> 0:11:58.240 go out there and kind of see how the cards 0:11:58.280 --> 0:12:00.000 get dealt to you. 0:12:00.120 --> 0:12:04.720 Yeah. Also on the offensive side, Josh Jacobs, Packers number 0:12:04.720 --> 0:12:08.840 one running back. He was practicing while his legal situation 0:12:08.920 --> 0:12:11.400 plays out. There's really been no update as far as 0:12:12.120 --> 0:12:15.800 that legal situation, so we'll see what happens there. But 0:12:15.840 --> 0:12:17.240 it was good to see him out there on the 0:12:17.280 --> 0:12:21.600 practice field. And I think this brought a smile to 0:12:21.640 --> 0:12:25.200 both of our faces because as we've talked a lot 0:12:25.240 --> 0:12:28.360 about everything that's happened in the receiver room with the Packers, 0:12:28.440 --> 0:12:31.480 Romeo Dobbs leaves in free agency, D'antavian Wis gets traded. 0:12:31.720 --> 0:12:34.280 There's kind of this clear pecking order now as far 0:12:34.320 --> 0:12:38.160 as the top three ye Christian Watson, Jayden Reid, Matthew Golden. 0:12:38.400 --> 0:12:41.400 Then you have another draft pick from last year, saving 0:12:41.440 --> 0:12:44.600 on Williams right behind. But then don't sleep on bow 0:12:44.640 --> 0:12:49.760 Melton right because suddenly it practice on Tuesday. Three times 0:12:50.440 --> 0:12:53.959 Jordan Love is taking a shot downfield, deep downfield to 0:12:54.000 --> 0:12:57.520 bow Melton. Then two of the three he's the throw 0:12:57.600 --> 0:12:59.520 is on target, He's able to make the play, get 0:12:59.520 --> 0:13:03.560 behind the defense. Bo Melton is going to help this 0:13:03.640 --> 0:13:06.559 team in some way, shape or form in twenty twenty six. 0:13:06.960 --> 0:13:10.000 He's not going to be on anybody's list of the 0:13:10.040 --> 0:13:13.120 top twenty five players on this roster. That's not going 0:13:13.160 --> 0:13:15.600 to happen. But Bo Melton is going to help this 0:13:15.679 --> 0:13:17.000 team because that's what he does. 0:13:17.160 --> 0:13:19.440 Yeah, And it's guys like Bou Melton that a couple 0:13:19.520 --> 0:13:20.800 times year are going to end up winning you a 0:13:20.800 --> 0:13:23.680 football game. The guys that maybe aren't the ones that 0:13:23.720 --> 0:13:26.200 are pulling down the big contract or having the billboards, 0:13:26.240 --> 0:13:28.320 you know, put up with their image on it, but 0:13:28.720 --> 0:13:31.000 the guys that are going to step up and play 0:13:31.160 --> 0:13:34.080 in Phil Roles and you know, certainly we've talked for 0:13:34.200 --> 0:13:36.559 years now, regardless of whether he's in the receiver room 0:13:36.640 --> 0:13:39.080 or the dB room. You know, bo is one of 0:13:39.080 --> 0:13:42.600 the top special teams players on the squad. And I've 0:13:42.720 --> 0:13:45.120 reiterated this countless times now, but I mean when you 0:13:45.160 --> 0:13:47.800 go back to looking at the flyer position, he's one 0:13:47.840 --> 0:13:49.720 of the best that have done it during my time 0:13:49.760 --> 0:13:51.560 covering this team. I think I put him the same 0:13:51.559 --> 0:13:54.480 conversation with Jared Bush, and I put him out there 0:13:54.520 --> 0:13:56.000 with Jeff Janis. Those are probably the. 0:13:56.200 --> 0:13:58.080 Those were the two guys. Those were the two guys 0:13:58.160 --> 0:14:00.319 I was going to say as well. He's very very 0:14:00.400 --> 0:14:04.960 reminiscent of those guys in terms of his effectiveness at 0:14:04.960 --> 0:14:05.800 that position. 0:14:05.600 --> 0:14:07.320 And what I appreciate about what the Packers have done 0:14:07.360 --> 0:14:10.520 with this philosophy with special teams is understanding, Okay, these 0:14:10.559 --> 0:14:13.880 are our starters on special teams. Where else do we 0:14:13.920 --> 0:14:16.160 play them on the offense and defensive side of the ball. 0:14:16.480 --> 0:14:18.439 Last year, let's just be honest, there wasn't going to 0:14:18.480 --> 0:14:20.400 be a great opportunity for Bo to play in that 0:14:20.440 --> 0:14:23.520 receiver room. There just wasn't too many guys, too many 0:14:23.600 --> 0:14:26.480 draft picks. That was going to be a hard ladder 0:14:26.520 --> 0:14:28.520 to climb, even with some of the injuries that they 0:14:28.520 --> 0:14:31.120 were dealing with. So they got a little creative. They 0:14:31.120 --> 0:14:33.640 had them try out the cornerback position, just see what happens. 0:14:33.680 --> 0:14:35.720 You know you're going to have him on special teams. 0:14:35.720 --> 0:14:37.400 You know you can throw them in at receiver if 0:14:37.440 --> 0:14:39.240 you need to. What else can you do to keep 0:14:39.280 --> 0:14:42.280 them busy? And that was something they looked at ultimately 0:14:42.320 --> 0:14:44.440 with the changes they made. As much as we focused 0:14:44.440 --> 0:14:47.120 on Matthew Golden and Savion Williams and what the trade 0:14:47.480 --> 0:14:50.440 of Dontavian Wicks and the departure of Romeo Adaps what 0:14:50.480 --> 0:14:52.600 it meant for those second year players, it also meant 0:14:52.600 --> 0:14:55.840 something for bow Melton too. And you want to talk 0:14:55.840 --> 0:14:59.360 about a guy being the heartbeat of your football team. Right, 0:15:00.400 --> 0:15:02.200 those are the two biggest plays we saw in practice, 0:15:02.240 --> 0:15:05.680 those two deep balls. The way that the offense, not 0:15:05.720 --> 0:15:07.840 the guys on the field, the guys on the sideline 0:15:07.960 --> 0:15:10.520 responded to that moment, right, it tells you everything you 0:15:10.520 --> 0:15:12.280 need to know about Bow Melton, the player he is, 0:15:12.320 --> 0:15:14.520 the person he is, and what his value and meaning 0:15:14.560 --> 0:15:17.480 is to this football team and me personally. I miss 0:15:17.560 --> 0:15:20.280 seeing eighty out there. I think that was the greatest 0:15:20.760 --> 0:15:23.640 little bow eighty you know, kind of way to mess 0:15:23.680 --> 0:15:26.560 around with the jersey number. But number sixteen is pretty 0:15:26.600 --> 0:15:26.960 cool too. 0:15:27.080 --> 0:15:30.520 Yeah, he wears He certainly wears it well. And for 0:15:30.560 --> 0:15:32.600 everything that you said about what was going on at 0:15:32.640 --> 0:15:35.520 receiver for the Packers last year, and you know, kind 0:15:35.520 --> 0:15:38.440 of a tough lineup for bow Meltin to crack. But 0:15:38.480 --> 0:15:40.920 he's catching a forty five yard touchdown pass against the 0:15:41.000 --> 0:15:43.560 Chicago Bears at Lambell Field to put the Packers at 0:15:43.560 --> 0:15:45.360 that time, you know, to help win that game and 0:15:45.400 --> 0:15:49.960 put the Packers in first place. So that's that's Bo. 0:15:50.160 --> 0:15:52.760 And I just know we're gonna we're going to see 0:15:52.760 --> 0:15:56.160 a play or plays like that at some point this year. 0:15:56.280 --> 0:15:58.400 A couple other thoughts I want to get to but 0:15:58.680 --> 0:16:02.560 first let's hear quick word from our sponsor, Serious XM. 0:16:02.720 --> 0:16:05.840 NFL Radio delivers hard hitting analysis and up to the 0:16:05.880 --> 0:16:09.400 minute NFL news that true football fanatics need. Twenty four 0:16:09.360 --> 0:16:14.080 to seven, three sixty five. Welcome back to Packers unscripted, Wes. 0:16:14.160 --> 0:16:17.040 I want to get your thoughts here because for the 0:16:17.080 --> 0:16:23.240 first time we heard from veteran linebacker Zayir Alexander, first 0:16:23.280 --> 0:16:27.200 time that he's spoken to the media since coming to 0:16:27.240 --> 0:16:29.840 Green Bay. I was not a part of kind of 0:16:29.840 --> 0:16:32.320 the media scrum in front of his locker, but I 0:16:32.360 --> 0:16:35.080 know that you were, so I'd like to get your 0:16:35.680 --> 0:16:40.400 impressions of just what you thought of what you thought 0:16:40.440 --> 0:16:43.400 of Franklin and and kind of how things lay out 0:16:43.440 --> 0:16:44.760 for him in his new home. 0:16:44.800 --> 0:16:46.920 I'm going to talk a ton about Zayire Franklin here 0:16:46.960 --> 0:16:49.560 in a second, because there's a lot to discuss in 0:16:49.680 --> 0:16:51.360 just listening to some of the veterans in the locker 0:16:51.440 --> 0:16:54.520 room talk about them already, you can tell the type 0:16:54.520 --> 0:16:57.000 of aura this guy has, the type of leadership he has, 0:16:57.040 --> 0:16:58.240 in the type of player he has. But I'm going 0:16:58.320 --> 0:17:01.400 to say this, there is years where Packers did not 0:17:01.440 --> 0:17:03.600 sign a lot of free agents, so the guys that 0:17:03.640 --> 0:17:06.560 they bring in would usually be like more in that 0:17:06.600 --> 0:17:09.159 twenty five to thirty player range, right, They're going to 0:17:09.240 --> 0:17:12.359 be competing at various spots or you know, the draft 0:17:12.359 --> 0:17:16.320 picks themselves. The coolest thing about this era when Brian 0:17:16.359 --> 0:17:20.080 Goodekuntz has signed guys and brought them in is having 0:17:20.160 --> 0:17:21.760 a chance to get to know them a little bit 0:17:21.920 --> 0:17:23.640 the first time, getting a chance to talk to him. 0:17:23.880 --> 0:17:26.560 And I'll tell you this, Michael, all these years I've 0:17:26.600 --> 0:17:30.200 been doing this Zaire Franklin, Javon Hargrave, and then also 0:17:30.240 --> 0:17:34.840 Tyrod Taylor talking at the end of locker Room on Wednesday, 0:17:34.920 --> 0:17:37.840 when you match up the players they are and what 0:17:37.880 --> 0:17:40.520 the Packers are looking for on the field with you 0:17:40.640 --> 0:17:43.160 know what Brian Goudikunk in his scouts thought of these 0:17:43.160 --> 0:17:44.960 guys in terms of their personalities and what they bring 0:17:45.000 --> 0:17:48.840 off the field. It's just really impressive. Right. Zaire is 0:17:48.880 --> 0:17:52.240 a guy that was a former seventh round pick. I mean, 0:17:52.280 --> 0:17:54.200 you want to talk about a dude that has climbed 0:17:54.240 --> 0:17:56.359 the depth chart from the very bottom. As he said 0:17:56.400 --> 0:17:58.639 in his interview with US, he knows what it's like 0:17:58.680 --> 0:18:01.040 to try to make a roster. He was an All 0:18:01.119 --> 0:18:03.960 Pro linebacker, one of the highest paid guys at his position, 0:18:05.160 --> 0:18:06.960 and at one point in his career he wasn't even 0:18:07.000 --> 0:18:09.359 guaranteed a spot on the fifty three. Yeah, you don't 0:18:09.359 --> 0:18:11.480 see that a lot. When he's day and age. You 0:18:11.480 --> 0:18:13.040 get drafted in the firs one hundred and twenty picks, 0:18:13.080 --> 0:18:16.560 you're basically on the roster already. And for him to 0:18:16.640 --> 0:18:18.879 have that type of perspective and how he can relate 0:18:18.960 --> 0:18:22.040 to really anybody on the roster, I think is really important. 0:18:22.440 --> 0:18:25.320 And then listen to Tyrod Taylor as well, and just 0:18:25.359 --> 0:18:29.560 the way he speaks, the calm and his voice, the composure, 0:18:30.040 --> 0:18:33.359 the wisdom. This is a guy that Aaron Rodgers in 0:18:33.400 --> 0:18:35.200 our five Things story that I wrote a couple months 0:18:35.200 --> 0:18:38.720 back on him, how Aaron Rodgers just spoke glowingly about 0:18:38.720 --> 0:18:40.919 what it was like to have him with him in 0:18:41.000 --> 0:18:43.639 that room and to have that perspective at that juncture 0:18:43.640 --> 0:18:45.679 of his career. You can only imagine what that's going 0:18:45.760 --> 0:18:47.879 to do for Jordan Love now, having a guy that 0:18:47.920 --> 0:18:52.440 has much like Franklin had to scratch, had to claw. 0:18:52.600 --> 0:18:55.000 Former six round pick won a Super Bowl in year two, 0:18:55.040 --> 0:18:57.199 but hasn't been back since when he was backing up 0:18:57.280 --> 0:19:01.080 Joe Flacco in Baltimore. He started, he was a three 0:19:01.119 --> 0:19:03.920 year starter, a guy that ended up getting a contract 0:19:03.920 --> 0:19:06.399 to be the franchise quarterback of the Buffalo Bills. And 0:19:06.480 --> 0:19:08.359 now he here, he is at thirty seven years old, 0:19:09.040 --> 0:19:11.080 being able to bring that wisdom, being able to bring 0:19:11.080 --> 0:19:13.760