WEBVTT - #832 Packers Unscripted: OTAs underway 0:00:09.840 --> 0:00:12.920 Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from 0:00:13.000 --> 0:00:16.560 Packers dot Com. I am like Spafford, joined as always 0:00:16.640 --> 0:00:18.880 by my trusted colleague Wes Hodkowitz. We're coming to you 0:00:19.000 --> 0:00:21.800 hear from our studios at lambeau Field, Wes to talk 0:00:21.840 --> 0:00:26.880 a little OTA action. We were not recording shows last 0:00:26.920 --> 0:00:29.080 week when the Packers had the first week of OTAs, 0:00:29.120 --> 0:00:33.160 which included the first practice that we got to witness 0:00:33.600 --> 0:00:36.879 during this OTA period. I'm just gonna throw this out 0:00:36.920 --> 0:00:40.120 there as an open ended question from what you saw 0:00:40.159 --> 0:00:42.360 at practice or the players we talked to, and we 0:00:42.400 --> 0:00:44.040 talked to a lot of the big name players on 0:00:44.080 --> 0:00:47.080 this team that first kind of that first big availability 0:00:47.080 --> 0:00:50.559 of the off season. What was your biggest takeaway from 0:00:50.760 --> 0:00:52.440 that day of access last week. 0:00:52.520 --> 0:00:55.600 It was a fun day. I think a couple things happened. Obviously, 0:00:55.600 --> 0:00:57.760 we didn't have the typical first day of the off 0:00:57.800 --> 0:01:00.040 season program where we talked to guys. This is a 0:01:00.120 --> 0:01:02.000 time really chatting with a lot of these guys since 0:01:02.440 --> 0:01:05.760 the last locker room session in Green Bay after the 0:01:05.800 --> 0:01:09.120 last season back in January. Back in January, So this 0:01:09.280 --> 0:01:11.679 answer could be give so many different responses to this, 0:01:11.720 --> 0:01:13.760 but I think there was a reason why. When you 0:01:13.760 --> 0:01:15.480 and I were divving up coverage and we were figuring 0:01:15.480 --> 0:01:17.360 out what to write, the first story you wrote was 0:01:17.400 --> 0:01:20.479 on the receivers. It was on Jayden Reid and one 0:01:20.640 --> 0:01:22.720 understanding where he's at because a lot of us forget. 0:01:22.760 --> 0:01:26.000 He did suffer an injury in that game against Philadelphia. 0:01:26.000 --> 0:01:27.600 I was in the locker room with him afterwards. He 0:01:27.600 --> 0:01:29.640 had the sling on his shoulder, ends up having a 0:01:29.680 --> 0:01:32.600 partially torn labram in addition to a dislocated shoulder. Said 0:01:32.640 --> 0:01:34.240 he was pretty much down for most of the off 0:01:34.319 --> 0:01:36.440 season program in terms of that. There's other things he 0:01:36.480 --> 0:01:38.600 was able to do, but that did lay him up 0:01:38.600 --> 0:01:41.280 for a couple months. But he didn't require surgery. He's 0:01:41.319 --> 0:01:43.280 good to go there. Obviously, there's been a lot of 0:01:43.319 --> 0:01:47.040 conversation outside the building about number one receivers and two 0:01:47.080 --> 0:01:49.520 receivers in all this, and now Matthew Golden being added 0:01:49.520 --> 0:01:51.880 to the mix. But I thought it was really important 0:01:52.000 --> 0:01:55.920 that Reid talked about how, first and foremost the culture 0:01:55.960 --> 0:01:58.080 they have in that room, the culture that seemingly has 0:01:58.120 --> 0:02:02.200 always been there through the different generations and different players 0:02:02.200 --> 0:02:04.800 that have come through there, that's still very much in place, 0:02:04.880 --> 0:02:07.160 and this definitely is an all for one mentality of 0:02:07.160 --> 0:02:09.880 how they're approaching this thing. And then the last thing 0:02:09.919 --> 0:02:12.560 I'll throw in there too before I passed the microphone 0:02:12.560 --> 0:02:15.519 back to you, Christian Watson Man, you and I walk 0:02:15.560 --> 0:02:18.799 into the practice inside the Hudson Center, and this guy 0:02:18.960 --> 0:02:21.919 is not necessarily, you know, running routes and making huge 0:02:22.000 --> 0:02:23.840 pass catches, but the fact that he was stretching with 0:02:23.840 --> 0:02:25.920 the team and the fact that he was cleared to 0:02:26.000 --> 0:02:28.840 a ten practice. He was out there during the Packers' 0:02:28.840 --> 0:02:32.160 practice at Nichki Field. That's not something typically you see 0:02:32.160 --> 0:02:34.840 a lot of guys coming off ACLS doing. And Matt 0:02:34.880 --> 0:02:37.160 Leffuor did say afterwards they think he's ahead of schedule. 0:02:37.160 --> 0:02:38.760 It looks like he definitely put the time into the 0:02:38.760 --> 0:02:43.160 weight room as well. So the Packers' receiving corps if 0:02:43.200 --> 0:02:45.920 all together, if all healthy, which again could end up 0:02:45.960 --> 0:02:49.000 being more towards the midpoint of the season. I just 0:02:49.040 --> 0:02:51.440 think there's so many different intriguing options to it, and 0:02:51.480 --> 0:02:54.160 the fact is that group very much is still rowing 0:02:54.240 --> 0:02:54.959 in the same direction. 0:02:55.200 --> 0:02:59.040 Yeah, And I think that was a strong takeaway of 0:02:59.080 --> 0:03:01.240 mine as well as and it's why I wrote about it. 0:03:01.280 --> 0:03:03.120 For those who didn't catch the story, it is on 0:03:03.240 --> 0:03:07.360 Packers dot com. It was posted last week on Wednesday 0:03:07.400 --> 0:03:09.880 evening because there was a lot of stuff going on 0:03:09.960 --> 0:03:12.160 in the off season with regard to the receivers. What 0:03:12.280 --> 0:03:14.679 Josh Jacobs said at the Super Bowl on Radio Row 0:03:14.680 --> 0:03:17.400 about needing a number one, and then the Packers end 0:03:17.480 --> 0:03:19.520 up spending two of their first three draft picks on 0:03:19.840 --> 0:03:22.880 wide receivers. And then there's the story that gets out 0:03:22.919 --> 0:03:26.200 that Jaden Reid's agent had contacted the Packers' front office 0:03:26.200 --> 0:03:29.960 to just clarify like where he stood a couple of 0:03:30.000 --> 0:03:34.360 things on that. For one, nobody's holding anything against Josh Jacobs, 0:03:34.360 --> 0:03:38.120 and in fact, Jaden Reid took the comments as motivating, 0:03:38.800 --> 0:03:41.760 and quite frankly, I don't think this is a receiver 0:03:41.840 --> 0:03:45.760 group that necessarily needs any extra motivation. They know the stats, 0:03:45.800 --> 0:03:49.720 the drop passes and all the stuff that happened last year, 0:03:50.000 --> 0:03:51.720 so they know what's out there. And the fact that 0:03:51.720 --> 0:03:54.200 the front office invested two of their top three draft 0:03:54.240 --> 0:03:56.800 picks and wide receivers, it's like, all right, they're bringing 0:03:56.840 --> 0:03:58.600 in as much talent as they can and they're going 0:03:58.640 --> 0:04:00.960 to say, all right, who's who's going to be here, 0:04:01.000 --> 0:04:03.160 who's going to step up to the plate and show 0:04:03.280 --> 0:04:06.400 up and play and provide the production that they're looking for. 0:04:06.840 --> 0:04:08.720 And these guys are going to be competing, you know, 0:04:08.800 --> 0:04:11.400 through these next couple of weeks and then certainly through 0:04:11.920 --> 0:04:15.360 training camp and everything like that. And Reid did clarify 0:04:15.400 --> 0:04:17.840 with regard to his agent he had hired a new agent, 0:04:18.360 --> 0:04:22.280 the contact with the Packers' front office. He clarified that 0:04:22.279 --> 0:04:24.559 that was really just a matter of course in terms 0:04:24.600 --> 0:04:27.360 of his you know, signing up with a new agent. 0:04:28.600 --> 0:04:30.440 But the word got out as far as what happened, 0:04:30.440 --> 0:04:32.280 it was in the context of the two new wide 0:04:32.320 --> 0:04:35.120 receivers in the draft. As far as Reid's concerned, that 0:04:35.880 --> 0:04:38.640 whole report was a misinterpretation of what was going on. 0:04:39.040 --> 0:04:40.839 So just to just to clear all that up. But 0:04:40.880 --> 0:04:45.279 I like what you said about the culture, the rowing 0:04:45.320 --> 0:04:48.240 in the right direction these guys. The biggest thing that 0:04:48.320 --> 0:04:50.840 Jayden Reid, what he wanted to focus on with all 0:04:50.839 --> 0:04:53.000 the media questions that were coming his way, is that 0:04:53.600 --> 0:04:57.240 he had multiple exit interviews with his coaches at in 0:04:57.360 --> 0:05:00.560 January after the playoff lost to Philadelphia, and he was 0:05:00.640 --> 0:05:04.920 delivered a very clear message from multiple coaches. We want 0:05:04.960 --> 0:05:07.480 you to be the leader in the wide receiver room. 0:05:07.520 --> 0:05:10.039 They knew Christian Watson's gonna be rehabbing, He's not going 0:05:10.120 --> 0:05:13.200 to be back for a while. They're looking to Jaden 0:05:13.240 --> 0:05:15.320 Reid to be the leader of this group, and he 0:05:15.440 --> 0:05:20.440 is taking that assignment, so to speak, very very seriously. 0:05:20.640 --> 0:05:23.640 And we've heard from multiple coaches about you know, Reid 0:05:23.720 --> 0:05:26.640 is right there with Matthew Golden, you know, helping him out, 0:05:26.760 --> 0:05:29.560 showing him some things, you know, answering questions, whatever the 0:05:29.600 --> 0:05:32.480 case might be. So as competitive as all this is 0:05:32.520 --> 0:05:35.520 and as many questions as there are about exactly maybe 0:05:35.560 --> 0:05:38.000 what the pecking order is going to be come week 0:05:38.040 --> 0:05:41.560 one in September, this is a wide receiver room that 0:05:41.680 --> 0:05:44.360 has that has a lot going for it, has a 0:05:44.400 --> 0:05:47.799 lot of good vibes, and I think it's it's coming 0:05:47.839 --> 0:05:51.680 together the way Brian Gudukunstan vision, which is that competition 0:05:51.839 --> 0:05:53.960 is never a bad thing, and they're gonna find out 0:05:54.000 --> 0:05:56.880 who's gonna who's gonna rise up here and perform. 0:05:57.120 --> 0:05:59.480 It reminded me a lot of basically the same thing 0:05:59.480 --> 0:06:02.560 that Randall said after Jordy Nelson tore his acl back 0:06:02.560 --> 0:06:07.120 in training camp or the preseason more specifically in twenty fifteen. Now, 0:06:07.400 --> 0:06:10.360 certainly that was much later in the process. The Packers 0:06:10.400 --> 0:06:13.160 had to quickly adjust to not having Nelson, where I 0:06:13.160 --> 0:06:15.760 think the entire offseason has kind of been structured around Okay, well, 0:06:15.760 --> 0:06:17.960 at the very least, we're not going to have Christian 0:06:17.960 --> 0:06:20.839 Watson for the first part of the season, maybe not 0:06:20.920 --> 0:06:23.680 all of it. But that being said, I just feel 0:06:23.720 --> 0:06:26.200 like this is the natural step for Jaden Reid. He's 0:06:26.240 --> 0:06:29.400 been their leading receiver statistically the past two seasons. I 0:06:29.440 --> 0:06:31.960 think you listen to what people said about him when 0:06:31.960 --> 0:06:34.039 he was at Michigan State, the type of guy he is, 0:06:34.080 --> 0:06:36.760 the way he leads, He is just a perfect Packers 0:06:36.839 --> 0:06:39.120 person in addition to the fact that he's a really 0:06:39.120 --> 0:06:43.000 talented wide out as well. So nobody I just feel 0:06:43.040 --> 0:06:47.560 like everybody understands the game in Green Bay Tucker Craft. 0:06:47.760 --> 0:06:50.679 Did anything really change that much with the offense last 0:06:50.720 --> 0:06:54.279 year that they were just going to continually feed Tucker Craft. No, 0:06:54.920 --> 0:06:58.680 Luke Musgrave got hurt, Tucker Craft got some opportunities. He 0:06:58.760 --> 0:07:01.159 made the Mosso's opportunity, and guess what happens when you 0:07:01.200 --> 0:07:03.560 make the most opportunities, You're going to get more of them. 0:07:03.960 --> 0:07:06.640 Everybody understands that. That's how Romeo Dobbs came in in 0:07:06.680 --> 0:07:08.640 twenty twenty two and made the impact that he did 0:07:08.760 --> 0:07:10.600 right off the bat as a fourth round pick. Yeah, 0:07:10.640 --> 0:07:13.080 as a rookie. That's why Jaden Reid was able to 0:07:13.080 --> 0:07:15.360 be effective right out of the bat. We'll see what 0:07:15.400 --> 0:07:17.720 they get Matthew Golden. This is a young man that's 0:07:17.760 --> 0:07:21.320 coming in. He's a true junior this past year at Texas. 0:07:21.480 --> 0:07:24.400 He's going to have time to grow. Certainly, Savion Williams 0:07:24.480 --> 0:07:25.760 is also a guy that is going to need some 0:07:25.840 --> 0:07:28.880 time to grow. They are still counting very much on 0:07:29.040 --> 0:07:31.680 this veteran nucleus that they've been developing for the past 0:07:31.720 --> 0:07:34.240 two to three seasons to come through for them. And 0:07:34.360 --> 0:07:36.480 ultimately that I think is where you're going to see 0:07:36.520 --> 0:07:38.239 the biggest jump. If you can get something from Golden 0:07:38.240 --> 0:07:40.880 and Williams right off the bat, fantastic, That is awesome 0:07:40.920 --> 0:07:44.480 for this offense. But the bottom line is Romeo Dobbs, 0:07:44.560 --> 0:07:47.680 Jayden Reed, Dontavian Wicks, this group that's already been here. 0:07:47.920 --> 0:07:49.680 If the Packers are going to make a big jump 0:07:49.680 --> 0:07:51.920 offensively this season, it has to start with them. 0:07:52.120 --> 0:07:55.520 Yeah, and seeing as you mentioned seeing where Christian Watson 0:07:55.600 --> 0:07:58.360 was at. I mean, he's I believe, less than five 0:07:58.440 --> 0:08:03.280 months removed from ACL surgery and it's like you look 0:08:03.320 --> 0:08:05.080 at him kind of jogging around out there, you wouldn't 0:08:05.080 --> 0:08:07.880 think anything was ever wrong. I mean, so that's an 0:08:07.960 --> 0:08:11.840 extremely positive sign, and you know he's he's gonna jump 0:08:11.920 --> 0:08:15.200 through every hoop necessary what we know about Christian Watson 0:08:16.000 --> 0:08:20.040 to get that medical clearance whenever that does come at 0:08:20.040 --> 0:08:23.680 some point later this fall. If I were to point 0:08:23.720 --> 0:08:26.360 to my biggest takeaway, and this comes from, you know 0:08:26.440 --> 0:08:30.160 the fact that we talked to Jaden Reid and Kenny 0:08:30.160 --> 0:08:33.240 Clark and Edrin Cooper and Josh Jacobs and Xavier McKinney 0:08:33.240 --> 0:08:35.320 and Jordan Love. We talked to all of those guys 0:08:35.360 --> 0:08:38.200 after this one OTA practice that we got to watch, 0:08:39.080 --> 0:08:42.280 and when I kind of walked away from it and 0:08:42.440 --> 0:08:45.240 was processing it over the next couple of days after 0:08:45.720 --> 0:08:48.880 the word hunger is what kept popping into my mind. 0:08:49.040 --> 0:08:51.720 And it's not to say that past teams in Green 0:08:51.760 --> 0:08:55.800 Bay haven't been hungry, that the desire and whatnot hasn't 0:08:55.840 --> 0:08:59.720 been there, but there is there is something about this bunch, 0:09:00.920 --> 0:09:03.160 and I think it's a combination of the fact that 0:09:04.040 --> 0:09:06.959 last season ended with three consecutive losses, including the first 0:09:07.040 --> 0:09:09.400 round exit in the playoffs, and then you don't get 0:09:09.400 --> 0:09:11.880 as far as you did in the postseason a year ago, 0:09:12.200 --> 0:09:15.800 and quite frankly that you know, as opposed to taking 0:09:15.840 --> 0:09:18.480 the forty nine ers down to the wire the previous 0:09:18.559 --> 0:09:21.480 year and almost getting the NFC Championship game, they didn't 0:09:21.520 --> 0:09:23.560 really take the Philadelphia Eagles down to the wire. They 0:09:23.559 --> 0:09:27.360 played them into the fourth quarter, but everybody walked away 0:09:27.400 --> 0:09:29.600 that day knowing that the Eagles were the better team 0:09:29.600 --> 0:09:34.400 and deserved to move on. Having that be the third 0:09:34.440 --> 0:09:38.160 straight loss to end the season, combined with the fact 0:09:38.280 --> 0:09:43.240 of I think everything that has been swirling around out 0:09:43.240 --> 0:09:46.320 there in the various media narratives, whether it's about the 0:09:46.320 --> 0:09:49.439 wide receivers that we just discussed, or whether it's about 0:09:50.280 --> 0:09:52.600 you know, did Jordan Love take a step back in 0:09:52.679 --> 0:09:55.040 twenty twenty four compared to twenty twenty three, And we 0:09:55.080 --> 0:09:58.600 can talk more about that in a minute, but I 0:09:58.600 --> 0:10:01.679 think it's just it's arned something up in these guys 0:10:01.760 --> 0:10:04.680 that is a little bit different than what we felt 0:10:04.679 --> 0:10:07.440 at this time a year ago, when a lot of things, 0:10:07.440 --> 0:10:09.760 you know, arrows are pointing up all kinds of excitement 0:10:09.760 --> 0:10:12.679 and everything coming off of what was a somewhat surprising 0:10:12.679 --> 0:10:15.319 and unexpected playoff run at the end of twenty twenty 0:10:15.360 --> 0:10:18.800 three and how well the team was playing. There's a 0:10:18.880 --> 0:10:22.880 hunger to these guys that they know what's out there. 0:10:23.400 --> 0:10:27.880 They know that they didn't really live up to their 0:10:27.920 --> 0:10:32.320 own expectations collectively as a team a year ago, and 0:10:32.360 --> 0:10:38.280 I think that's really providing a motivating force for the 0:10:38.320 --> 0:10:41.040 group as a whole. That's just the sense I got 0:10:41.360 --> 0:10:44.079 after talking to all of these team leaders that we 0:10:44.640 --> 0:10:45.760 talked to on the first day. 0:10:45.880 --> 0:10:49.400 Yeah, and it isn't even just about that, which certainly 0:10:49.400 --> 0:10:52.160 it is. I mean, this group wants to take another step. 0:10:52.679 --> 0:10:55.520 It's always interesting when you get the new guys into 0:10:55.559 --> 0:10:57.840 the mix, like last year when Xavier McKinney and Josh 0:10:57.920 --> 0:10:59.960 Jacobs both came in, and both of those guys talked 0:11:00.120 --> 0:11:02.679 about their need and their desire to win and how 0:11:02.760 --> 0:11:05.600 much that motivates them and how much it's stung during 0:11:06.080 --> 0:11:07.760 their time at the Giants and their time with the 0:11:07.840 --> 0:11:10.520 Raiders to not have that type of success. Then you 0:11:10.559 --> 0:11:12.920 get somebody like Aaron Banks, the Packers k new left 0:11:12.920 --> 0:11:15.240 guard that they signed from San Francisco, and listening to 0:11:15.320 --> 0:11:17.600 him talk and just the kind of cerebral tone that 0:11:17.640 --> 0:11:20.960 he spoke with when discussing how he's been as close 0:11:21.000 --> 0:11:23.360 as you can get to winning a Super Bowl championship 0:11:23.400 --> 0:11:26.200 without actually having that ring on your finger, and how 0:11:26.280 --> 0:11:29.560 much that drives him now, how much he's been pursuing 0:11:29.559 --> 0:11:31.280 that And certainly there's money involved with it, and you 0:11:31.320 --> 0:11:32.720 want to take care of your family and you have 0:11:32.800 --> 0:11:35.240 to take care of yourself. But he said when he 0:11:35.400 --> 0:11:37.960 was finding that next spot to sign, when he was 0:11:38.000 --> 0:11:39.920 looking at where it was going to be, he sees 0:11:39.920 --> 0:11:42.679 a place in Green Bay that has been close as well. Now, 0:11:42.720 --> 0:11:45.000 certainly there's only five players left from the last time 0:11:45.000 --> 0:11:48.480 the Packers got to an NFC Championship game, but they 0:11:48.559 --> 0:11:51.199 know those stories and they know what the standard has 0:11:51.240 --> 0:11:54.840 been here for so long. That is the chase. And 0:11:55.440 --> 0:11:57.600 last year, depending on which way you want to slice it, 0:11:58.320 --> 0:12:01.199 they had a first round exit, which is one round 0:12:01.240 --> 0:12:03.360 earlier than the previous year when they got to the 0:12:03.400 --> 0:12:06.439 divisional round after they pulled off that upset of the Dallas. 0:12:07.200 --> 0:12:09.440 Last year, they didn't get back to the divisional round, 0:12:09.840 --> 0:12:12.000 but they also won two more games in the regular season. 0:12:12.240 --> 0:12:14.800 They also didn't perform as well in the NFC North. 0:12:15.480 --> 0:12:19.120 All these things kind of factor into this idea. I 0:12:19.160 --> 0:12:21.400 think that has been sort of following Green Bay all 0:12:21.440 --> 0:12:25.360 off season of this is what we've built toward this season. 0:12:25.400 --> 0:12:27.040 It's not that they're all in, it's not that it's 0:12:27.080 --> 0:12:29.839 everything about this year, but this is why you were 0:12:29.880 --> 0:12:31.960 the youngest team in the NFL the back to back 0:12:32.080 --> 0:12:35.000 years to get you to this point. You want to 0:12:35.000 --> 0:12:36.880 win a super Bowl every single year, but a lot 0:12:36.960 --> 0:12:39.640 of teams would struggle to even be competitive being as 0:12:39.679 --> 0:12:42.160 young as Green Bay was the past two seasons. The 0:12:42.200 --> 0:12:45.040 Packers not only did that, they made two postseason runs. 0:12:45.080 --> 0:12:48.080 In Jordan Love's first two years as a starting quarterback. 0:12:48.240 --> 0:12:50.480 Everybody wants to talk about Aaron Rodgers was twenty seven 0:12:50.559 --> 0:12:52.320 years old when he won a Super Bowl. Brett Favre 0:12:52.400 --> 0:12:54.720 was twenty seven years old when he won a super Bowl. 0:12:54.840 --> 0:12:56.760 You know what Aaron Rodgers didn't do. He didn't get 0:12:56.760 --> 0:12:58.920 to the playoffs the first two years as a starting 0:12:58.960 --> 0:13:02.000 quarterback in the NFL. Well, Jordan Love did. Yeah, And 0:13:02.440 --> 0:13:04.320 you you got to take your own pace and you 0:13:04.360 --> 0:13:06.000 got to follow your own path as it comes. But 0:13:06.040 --> 0:13:08.640 when you when you talk about hunger and desire and motivation, 0:13:09.280 --> 0:13:11.640 I think this roster, especially with the way that last 0:13:11.640 --> 0:13:14.360 season ended and losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion 0:13:14.400 --> 0:13:17.720 in the wild card round in Philadelphia, I think those 0:13:17.720 --> 0:13:20.600 are that's sort of that fuel that's firing into the 0:13:20.640 --> 0:13:23.040 engine right now trying to get these guys going into 0:13:23.040 --> 0:13:23.800 twenty twenty five. 0:13:23.920 --> 0:13:25.720 Yeah, and we'll talk a little bit more about Jordan 0:13:25.760 --> 0:13:27.520 Love in a minute, But on the playoff thing, I 0:13:27.520 --> 0:13:31.040 think I think one thing that that could be really 0:13:31.080 --> 0:13:34.400 really important for this Packers team moving forward. When you 0:13:34.440 --> 0:13:38.079 talk about the first two years, after two years as 0:13:38.160 --> 0:13:41.319 a starter, Aaron Rodgers had one playoff game under his belt. 0:13:41.679 --> 0:13:45.600 Jordan Love has three that I think can matter. If 0:13:46.000 --> 0:13:48.280 the Packers are in the position that they hope to 0:13:48.400 --> 0:13:53.560 be in, you can you you can bank Jordan Love 0:13:53.600 --> 0:13:57.679 can bank on that that playoff experience. And even if 0:13:57.679 --> 0:14:00.280 he's say if he's not going to be the next 0:14:00.320 --> 0:14:03.719 Hall of Famer like Aaron Rodgers is, the next time 0:14:03.800 --> 0:14:05.960 Jordan Love gets to the playoffs, if he gets there 0:14:06.000 --> 0:14:08.560 again in year three, he's in a better spot than 0:14:08.679 --> 0:14:11.800 Aaron Rodgers was in year three, and I think that 0:14:11.800 --> 0:14:15.000 could pay dividends for this club. I'll take care of 0:14:15.000 --> 0:14:18.280 some sponsor business quick. Here West Serious XMNFL Radio delivers 0:14:18.280 --> 0:14:20.520 hard hitting analysis and up to the minute NFL news 0:14:20.760 --> 0:14:24.200 that true football fanatics need twenty four to seven, three 0:14:24.560 --> 0:14:26.760 sixty five. And at Cousin Subbs we have something for 0:14:26.800 --> 0:14:29.920 everyone like our Wisconsin cheese Kurts, mac and cheese, golden fries, 0:14:29.960 --> 0:14:31.960 and creamy shakes, all paired with your favorite sub or 0:14:32.000 --> 0:14:35.760 sub in a bowl. Cousin Subbs fifty plus years of better. 0:14:36.680 --> 0:14:42.760 All right, Josh Jacobs and Xavier McKinney. We talked to 0:14:42.800 --> 0:14:45.440 both of those players after practice last week, and I'll 0:14:45.520 --> 0:14:47.640 let you go whatever direction you want to go with this, 0:14:47.840 --> 0:14:51.960 but I will just say this. Anybody who thought that 0:14:52.480 --> 0:14:55.760 Josh Jacobs was gonna rest on his laurels with a 0:14:55.840 --> 0:14:59.760 thirteen hundred yard, fifteen touchdown season or whatever he ended 0:14:59.840 --> 0:15:03.320 up with, and that Xavier McKinney was going to rest 0:15:03.360 --> 0:15:08.560 on his first team All Pro honors and just collect 0:15:08.560 --> 0:15:11.160 paychecks the rest of his time with that big contract 0:15:11.240 --> 0:15:14.840 in Green Bay, that is not how those two guys 0:15:14.880 --> 0:15:19.080 are wired. And they made that pretty clear. Whether it's 0:15:19.160 --> 0:15:23.680 McKinney talking about, Hey, his ultimate long term goal. Individually speaking, 0:15:24.120 --> 0:15:26.120 he wants to put on a gold jacket and can 0:15:26.440 --> 0:15:29.640 like he's going to be striving to be that type 0:15:29.640 --> 0:15:32.480 of player. And Josh Jacobs, for all of his success 0:15:32.560 --> 0:15:36.600 and how much he was the straw that stirred the 0:15:36.680 --> 0:15:39.960 drink of the Packers offense for quite a while a 0:15:40.000 --> 0:15:42.440 good chunk of the season last year, the first thing 0:15:42.440 --> 0:15:44.560 he's talking about is he feels like he left a 0:15:44.560 --> 0:15:48.760 lot out there. You know that he didn't really maximize 0:15:48.800 --> 0:15:51.320 on everything he could have done. As much of a 0:15:51.360 --> 0:15:56.320 workhorse as he was, you can't have You can't have 0:15:56.520 --> 0:15:59.240 better guys than that in terms of their mentality, in 0:15:59.320 --> 0:16:02.440 terms of their being the leaders in that locker room. 0:16:02.440 --> 0:16:06.160 When you're talking leaders aside from the quarterback natural leader 0:16:06.280 --> 0:16:07.400 in that position. 0:16:07.200 --> 0:16:09.600 It's crazy, man. When you think about the fact that 0:16:09.640 --> 0:16:11.480 we covered Aaron Jones as long as we did, and 0:16:11.520 --> 0:16:14.560 Aaron moves on and goes to Minnesota in that same offseason, 0:16:14.560 --> 0:16:16.720 then we get Josh Jacobs. I mean, just how impressive 0:16:16.760 --> 0:16:19.720 these guys have been in terms of locker room character guys. 0:16:19.720 --> 0:16:22.160 In terms of obviously the type of performers there. We're 0:16:22.160 --> 0:16:24.480 talking about Pro Bowl running backs here, but I mean, 0:16:24.520 --> 0:16:27.160 they're just cut from the same cloth. And it was 0:16:27.200 --> 0:16:31.480 interesting too. Jacobs is so articulate and he's so thoughtful 0:16:31.560 --> 0:16:33.840 in how he answers things, much like McKinney. But I'm 0:16:34.200 --> 0:16:38.560 pulling off the number eight thing over here. Listen. He 0:16:38.640 --> 0:16:42.080 had such an in depth, thoughtful answer. I felt when 0:16:42.080 --> 0:16:44.080 people talk about, oh, well, the receiver thing, he wanted 0:16:44.120 --> 0:16:47.520 a number one receiver. He wanted this in that Josh Jacobs, 0:16:47.600 --> 0:16:49.720 so much of what he discusses is based on that 0:16:49.840 --> 0:16:52.640 sense of urgency that he understands the position he plays. 0:16:52.920 --> 0:16:55.560 He understands tomorrow is never a given and if he 0:16:55.600 --> 0:16:58.080 wants to win a championship, if he wants to take 0:16:58.120 --> 0:17:00.320 that next step and make a deep playoff run, he 0:17:00.360 --> 0:17:02.680 has to do it today. He can't. Maybe you can 0:17:02.680 --> 0:17:03.880 do it tomorrow, maybe you can do it the day 0:17:03.880 --> 0:17:05.199 after that. But the only thing can be sure of 0:17:05.280 --> 0:17:08.919 is right now, this moment. And I felt like the 0:17:08.960 --> 0:17:10.760 reason why no one took offense to it, or whatever 0:17:10.800 --> 0:17:12.280 people wanted to blow it out to be, was the 0:17:12.280 --> 0:17:14.600 fact that this is a guy that won talked at 0:17:14.640 --> 0:17:16.480 the end of last season about wanting to get more 0:17:16.520 --> 0:17:19.760 guys here, wanting to get you know, proved players that 0:17:19.800 --> 0:17:21.560 you can come to Green Bay and win here and 0:17:21.960 --> 0:17:25.800 find a future here and make money here. Advertise it 0:17:25.840 --> 0:17:28.240 to free agents that way, advertise it to incoming draft 0:17:28.280 --> 0:17:31.400 picks that way. And certainly I think he's the guy 0:17:31.480 --> 0:17:33.760 carrying the flag right now for the Packers in terms 0:17:33.800 --> 0:17:37.159 of we are going to do something special here and 0:17:37.240 --> 0:17:39.200 he wants to be a part of it. And also 0:17:39.280 --> 0:17:43.040 that never undying chip on his shoulder that comes along 0:17:43.040 --> 0:17:44.600 with this. You know, there's a lot of questions that 0:17:44.640 --> 0:17:47.399 were asked to him about you know, Derrick Henry and 0:17:47.440 --> 0:17:50.040 Saquon Barklay and all this publicity a lot of these 0:17:50.040 --> 0:17:53.280 other backs have gotten. Maybe there hasn't been that type 0:17:53.280 --> 0:17:56.720 of narrative with Jacobs for everything accomplished, and honestly, he 0:17:56.840 --> 0:18:00.199 doesn't care. The only thing that matters to him him 0:18:00.280 --> 0:18:02.520 is can he win a Super Bowl here? In what 0:18:02.600 --> 0:18:05.920 can he do, to your point to maximize the opportunities 0:18:05.920 --> 0:18:08.000 he's been given? He said, that comes down to breaking 0:18:08.040 --> 0:18:10.000 an extra tackle that might have taken a twenty yard 0:18:10.000 --> 0:18:12.280 gain into a sixty yard game. That maybe is making 0:18:12.280 --> 0:18:15.000 a guy miss. And meanwhile, on the opposite side of 0:18:15.000 --> 0:18:17.399 the room, you had a guy like Aaron Banks talking 0:18:17.400 --> 0:18:21.480 who's blocked for Christian McCaffrey the last four years, talking 0:18:21.480 --> 0:18:25.560 about the offensive lines role in making Jacob's job easier. 0:18:25.760 --> 0:18:29.040 The Packers have never been bigger on paper in this 0:18:29.160 --> 0:18:31.720 offensive line. That's what it could potentially be with this 0:18:31.800 --> 0:18:34.800 starting five. You look at where Josh Jacobs is as 0:18:34.800 --> 0:18:37.480 a running back. This is a combination that Green Bay 0:18:37.520 --> 0:18:40.560 has not had during my time covering the team. They 0:18:40.560 --> 0:18:44.360 are a power running offense that has a pretty good 0:18:44.400 --> 0:18:48.040 quarterback behind it as well. Yep, so, yeah, Jacobs is 0:18:48.080 --> 0:18:50.280 twenty seven years old. The guy hopes to play another 0:18:50.320 --> 0:18:53.159 eight years. I'm sure of it. But the fact is 0:18:53.320 --> 0:18:57.159 he knows you never are always in a position to 0:18:57.240 --> 0:19:00.439 be competitive and be aiming for championships. He saw what 0:19:00.480 --> 0:19:02.760 that was like at the Raiders. When maybe you go 0:19:02.800 --> 0:19:04.399 into a season you're not thinking you're going to win 0:19:04.400 --> 0:19:06.320 a Super Bowl, it would be a surprise if you 0:19:06.359 --> 0:19:08.320 make that type of run. That isn't the case in 0:19:08.359 --> 0:19:08.840 Green Bay. 0:19:09.240 --> 0:19:12.119 Yeah, and you wrote a story about Jacobs which is 0:19:12.160 --> 0:19:14.560 on the website posted last week for those who want 0:19:14.560 --> 0:19:18.680 to check it out. And on Monday morning, a story 0:19:18.680 --> 0:19:21.639 that I wrote on Xavier McKinney and the defense. You know, 0:19:21.800 --> 0:19:25.959 McKinney has all kinds of high hopes for this what 0:19:26.119 --> 0:19:29.080 is essentially the year two for him in Green Bay, 0:19:29.119 --> 0:19:32.080 the year two for Jeff Haffley as defensive coordinator, the 0:19:32.160 --> 0:19:35.399 year two for Edgrin Cooper as a potential centerpiece and 0:19:35.800 --> 0:19:40.960 playmaker in this defense. But you know when you actually listen, 0:19:41.000 --> 0:19:43.720 when you listen to the things that Xavier McKinney talks about, 0:19:43.720 --> 0:19:45.640