WEBVTT - #306 Packers Unscripted: Double duty 0:00:00.640 --> 0:00:20.599 Hi, everybody. Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:20.640 --> 0:00:24.439 I am Mike Spofford. He is my trusted colleague West Hodkowitz. 0:00:24.480 --> 0:00:27.240 We're coming to you here from our studios at lambeau 0:00:27.280 --> 0:00:30.440 Field and West. Since we last spoke, there's been a 0:00:30.440 --> 0:00:32.720 lot going on. I was in Canton, Ohio for a 0:00:32.760 --> 0:00:35.120 few days. You were here in Green Bay covering the 0:00:35.159 --> 0:00:38.080 Packers and training camp and through family night. Let's start 0:00:38.080 --> 0:00:41.640 with what's going on with the two thousand eighteen Packers. 0:00:41.640 --> 0:00:45.559 Some news with regards to the starting offensive tackles here 0:00:45.560 --> 0:00:47.720 Brian blog at David Botr. Why don't you get us 0:00:47.760 --> 0:00:50.720 up to date? Well? First off with Bloga being able 0:00:50.760 --> 0:00:53.440 to make it back to the practice field on Friday 0:00:53.600 --> 0:00:56.040 for the first time, getting cleared and activated from that 0:00:56.080 --> 0:00:59.720 physically unable to perform lest uh, less than nine months 0:01:00.080 --> 0:01:04.560 since his a c L that's last November against the 0:01:04.600 --> 0:01:07.880 Detroit Lions. I believe it was an unbelievable turnaround for 0:01:08.000 --> 0:01:09.959 him to be back and play. I know he said 0:01:10.040 --> 0:01:12.480 he was pushing Doc mackenzie to be able to be 0:01:12.480 --> 0:01:14.800 cleared in time for training camp. That was his big goal. 0:01:14.880 --> 0:01:17.399 But as he also admitted, there was kind of this 0:01:17.440 --> 0:01:19.680 thinking they wanted to get closer that nine month mark 0:01:19.760 --> 0:01:23.200 with his recovery. Now he's coming along slowly. They're not 0:01:23.280 --> 0:01:25.280 just obviously throwing him back into team periods of that. 0:01:25.280 --> 0:01:28.200 They're they're just letting him get his feedback underneath him. 0:01:28.240 --> 0:01:31.200 He did on a precautionary basis, on a planned basis 0:01:31.240 --> 0:01:34.760 set out of Saturday night's Family Night practice. But the 0:01:34.800 --> 0:01:37.760 fact that Brian blag is back out there is a big, 0:01:37.800 --> 0:01:40.720 big thing for this offensive line. Uh. And then David 0:01:40.760 --> 0:01:45.160 Batari actually exited that Family Night practice with an ankle injury. 0:01:45.160 --> 0:01:48.720 By all accounts so far, it looks like he averted disaster. Um, 0:01:48.800 --> 0:01:51.040 So we'll we'll see where all that lines up. Kyle 0:01:51.120 --> 0:01:53.560 Murphy got some extra reps at that left tackle position, 0:01:53.640 --> 0:01:57.040 Jason Spriggs getting a lot of work as well. So UM, 0:01:57.080 --> 0:01:59.480 I think the hope is though insummation of all this 0:01:59.560 --> 0:02:01.840 is the pack is are hopeful their left tackle right 0:02:01.880 --> 0:02:04.160 tackle be in place for the start of the regular season. Yeah. 0:02:04.160 --> 0:02:07.400 And I just have to say, what an impressive recovery 0:02:07.080 --> 0:02:10.839 by Brian Bologa, because I'll admit, when Mike McCarthy said 0:02:10.840 --> 0:02:13.200 at the start of training camp that week one was 0:02:13.320 --> 0:02:15.880 on the table for Brian. I was. I was surprised. 0:02:15.919 --> 0:02:19.200 It wasn't something that I expected to hear, just because 0:02:19.560 --> 0:02:22.360 these A c L recoveries can sometimes be so extensive 0:02:22.360 --> 0:02:25.200 and so difficult to get through. Blogg had already gone 0:02:25.200 --> 0:02:27.200 through one a few years ago. I'm sure that was 0:02:27.240 --> 0:02:30.919 a factor. But also just knowing having covered this team 0:02:31.120 --> 0:02:34.280 since two thousand and six, the conservative nature of Dr 0:02:34.360 --> 0:02:37.240 Mackenzie with regards to injuries and getting players back out 0:02:37.240 --> 0:02:39.000 on the field. We saw it with Jordy Nelson when 0:02:39.040 --> 0:02:41.240 he came back from his A c L. I just 0:02:41.280 --> 0:02:43.600 really didn't think, even as hard as Bolaga, maybe you 0:02:43.639 --> 0:02:46.280 wanted to push Dr Mackenzie that he would necessarily get 0:02:46.560 --> 0:02:49.000 the medical clearance this early. But hats off to him, 0:02:49.040 --> 0:02:50.799 Kudos to him for where he is right now. Put 0:02:50.800 --> 0:02:52.440 in a lot of work to get to this point, 0:02:52.639 --> 0:02:55.960 and and you look at his recovery, his timeline, he 0:02:56.040 --> 0:02:58.160 said it a couple of weeks ago. I mean he benefited, 0:02:58.160 --> 0:03:01.560 He feels he benefited greatly from that first experience back 0:03:01.560 --> 0:03:04.400 in two thousand thirteen, knowing what the aches and pains 0:03:04.400 --> 0:03:06.440 are gonna be, like, how you need to push yourself 0:03:06.480 --> 0:03:08.480 through that on a side, don't. I was actually talking 0:03:08.520 --> 0:03:10.480 in Dmitri Goodson for a story I'm working on this 0:03:10.520 --> 0:03:13.320 week about his own journey. Uh. He mentioned that the 0:03:13.360 --> 0:03:15.600 toughest thing is you've got to stay in a routine 0:03:16.000 --> 0:03:18.440 because if you don't, that's where the soreness comes from. 0:03:18.480 --> 0:03:20.959 That's where you start to really feel it. And you 0:03:21.080 --> 0:03:23.840 just gotta trust that you're doing the right things day 0:03:23.880 --> 0:03:26.680 in and day out, so that as it gradually goes on, 0:03:26.760 --> 0:03:29.080 that soreness goes away. And and from Bolaga to be 0:03:29.120 --> 0:03:32.240 able to make this kind of turn around, Uh, it's 0:03:32.240 --> 0:03:35.240 a major boost for the Packers offensive line and obviously 0:03:35.280 --> 0:03:38.680 this offense and Aaron Rodgers. Yeah, And let me ask 0:03:38.720 --> 0:03:42.839 you this because I was long car ride with our 0:03:43.600 --> 0:03:47.920 video producer Mike Atkinson. He was, um, you know, gracious 0:03:48.000 --> 0:03:51.840 enough to do the entire drive from green Beata Camp. Yeah, 0:03:51.880 --> 0:03:54.040 the big, the big avalanche truck. He had all his 0:03:54.240 --> 0:03:57.000 camera equipment loaded up in the back. But we're driving 0:03:57.040 --> 0:04:00.680 along the Ohio Turnpike late on Thursday afternoon to get 0:04:00.720 --> 0:04:03.560 to Canton, and I start flipping through Twitter and seeing 0:04:03.560 --> 0:04:07.160 what's going on and this, uh touchdown passed by Aaron 0:04:07.280 --> 0:04:09.840 Rodgers in practice on Thursday. It sounds like I missed 0:04:09.840 --> 0:04:12.320 something pretty spectac I really wish you could have seen it. Mike. 0:04:12.360 --> 0:04:14.800 I wrote about that an inbox because for my money, 0:04:14.880 --> 0:04:17.200 this is training camp number eight that I've covered in 0:04:17.240 --> 0:04:19.920 some form or fashion um and we talked about it 0:04:19.960 --> 0:04:22.160 all the time. Aaron Rodgers makes amazing plays on a 0:04:22.240 --> 0:04:25.920 daily basis. Mike McCarthy even mentioned it. Nothing surprised you, 0:04:26.000 --> 0:04:29.400 Randall Cops said, nothing surprises you. I gotta be honest 0:04:29.440 --> 0:04:31.800 with you, though, that throw kind of surprised me a 0:04:31.880 --> 0:04:34.159 little bit. Because here's the thing you gotta understand about 0:04:34.160 --> 0:04:38.160 Aaron Rodgers. So it's it's two minute situation. They're down, 0:04:38.160 --> 0:04:40.719 it's fourth and ten, they're at their own there, they're 0:04:40.720 --> 0:04:43.039 at the twenty six yard line at this point in time. 0:04:43.400 --> 0:04:47.880 Aaron Rodgers, like Aaron Rodgers does, coaxes the defense into 0:04:47.920 --> 0:04:50.280 an offside so now he's not getting one but two 0:04:50.320 --> 0:04:54.400 plays with those eight seconds left. So everybody runs their 0:04:54.440 --> 0:04:56.920 go route. Everybody's jetting off to the end zone. Aaron 0:04:57.000 --> 0:04:59.880 Rodgers rolls left and if you look at it, my 0:05:00.640 --> 0:05:02.920 he did one quick look to the right side of 0:05:02.960 --> 0:05:04.320 the field. He's on the left side of the hash 0:05:04.360 --> 0:05:06.800 marks at this point, he did one quick look to 0:05:06.839 --> 0:05:10.000 Geronimo Allison's side of the field and then got his 0:05:10.080 --> 0:05:13.360 vision back over here, and without even looking at Allison, 0:05:14.000 --> 0:05:19.440 throws it pinpoint perfect pass, puts it in a spot 0:05:19.480 --> 0:05:22.599 that Allison six three about is only going to be 0:05:22.600 --> 0:05:24.240 the only player that's gonna be able to catch it. 0:05:24.279 --> 0:05:26.839 He jumps up, pulls it down. It was one of 0:05:26.839 --> 0:05:28.359 those type of plays. And I was standing with a 0:05:28.360 --> 0:05:31.239 bunch of other reporters where we're just all like looking 0:05:31.240 --> 0:05:34.640 at each other, like did that really just happen? Because 0:05:34.680 --> 0:05:37.520 you gotta remember what's quarterback one oh one? Going back 0:05:37.600 --> 0:05:40.279 to high school. You're rolling left here on the other side, 0:05:41.240 --> 0:05:43.800 back across the field, don't throw the ball across the 0:05:43.839 --> 0:05:46.880 hash marks and and Mike McCarthy, I thought it's such 0:05:46.920 --> 0:05:50.000 a great quote with it too. Every single practice you 0:05:50.000 --> 0:05:52.480 could almost create a library out of Aaron Rodgers in 0:05:52.520 --> 0:05:55.599 the pastes he makes that one though, is gonna get 0:05:55.600 --> 0:05:57.520 filed in that special library. It was one of those 0:05:57.560 --> 0:05:59.680 plays that only a handful of human beings on this 0:05:59.760 --> 0:06:02.360 earth that any point in time could ever make. Yeah, 0:06:02.400 --> 0:06:04.240 and I know a lot of the fans have been asking, well, 0:06:04.240 --> 0:06:06.080 where's the video we want to see this. I'm sure 0:06:06.080 --> 0:06:07.800 they want to see the video of the play on 0:06:07.880 --> 0:06:11.520 the show, But just to explain, during training camp practices, 0:06:11.560 --> 0:06:14.320 there are certain periods, most of the eleven on eleven 0:06:14.480 --> 0:06:18.360 full scrimmage like periods. Cameras are not allowed to shoot 0:06:18.400 --> 0:06:21.039 those plays. So the only video of the play that 0:06:21.120 --> 0:06:26.160 exists are the actual um the video crew for the packers, 0:06:26.200 --> 0:06:28.160 for the team, the coaches and players. They're the ones 0:06:28.160 --> 0:06:30.080 who have the video of it. Like we don't have it. 0:06:30.120 --> 0:06:33.000 We weren't allowed to shoot it. Other TV stations locally 0:06:33.040 --> 0:06:35.400 around the nobody else was allowed to shoot it. So 0:06:35.800 --> 0:06:37.720 just to to clarify that, but let me throw this 0:06:37.760 --> 0:06:40.320 at you. You mentioned he got a defender to jump 0:06:40.360 --> 0:06:42.679 offsides and it was a free play. Does he even 0:06:42.720 --> 0:06:45.200 try that pass if it's not a free Probably not, 0:06:45.520 --> 0:06:47.200 Probably not. But I thought the thing that was the 0:06:47.240 --> 0:06:50.200 most interesting about the whole course of events is that 0:06:51.279 --> 0:06:54.800 Alison talked about this as a rookie with thinking of 0:06:54.839 --> 0:06:59.400 the scrambled drill from a textbook perspective, his real instincts 0:06:59.400 --> 0:07:02.359 would have been to follow Rogers to trail left, But 0:07:02.440 --> 0:07:04.880 after being in the offense for two years, he understands 0:07:04.960 --> 0:07:07.360 his role is to stay in that area of the 0:07:07.400 --> 0:07:10.080 field because you just never know what's going to happen 0:07:10.080 --> 0:07:13.120 with Aaron Rodgers. So it was such an interesting thing 0:07:13.160 --> 0:07:15.720 and as Rogers said afterwards, it was it was a 0:07:15.720 --> 0:07:18.360 heads up play by Alison and knowing where he's at. 0:07:18.680 --> 0:07:21.240 You wrote about him last week for our website. It's 0:07:21.280 --> 0:07:23.800 just the maturation and growth of a football player. And 0:07:24.120 --> 0:07:26.600 Allison had a heck of a family night too. I mean, 0:07:26.640 --> 0:07:28.720 this is a guy that you can tell he's not 0:07:28.840 --> 0:07:31.600 thinking anymore. I mean he's just doing what he's been 0:07:31.640 --> 0:07:34.400 coached to do, and he's and he's being able to 0:07:34.400 --> 0:07:36.640 stay in the moment. That's so important. And I think 0:07:37.040 --> 0:07:39.640 you have Davante Adams, you have Randall Cobb. They've have 0:07:40.000 --> 0:07:42.720 numbers of years experience now. But in terms of that 0:07:42.720 --> 0:07:45.760 that big chemistry word we always talk about, Allison started 0:07:45.800 --> 0:07:47.960 to develop that. And yeah, you're right, if it's a 0:07:48.000 --> 0:07:49.880 fourth down they don't have the free play, maybe he 0:07:49.880 --> 0:07:52.600 looks a little differently, but at the same time, it's 0:07:52.600 --> 0:07:54.680 Aaron Rodgers. You never really can you know, kind of 0:07:54.680 --> 0:07:56.600 pigeonholed him to one thing and you never know what 0:07:56.640 --> 0:07:59.640 he's gonna do. Yeah, as you said before hopefully all 0:07:59.680 --> 0:08:03.080 the ports on David bak tr you remained positive that 0:08:03.080 --> 0:08:06.800 that any sort of serious problem was averted there. What 0:08:06.920 --> 0:08:09.160 else jumped out to you as far as family and 0:08:09.200 --> 0:08:10.920 night goes. I know you wrote a little bit about 0:08:11.080 --> 0:08:14.240 the rookie receiver from Missouri, Jamon Moore. Jamon Moore was 0:08:14.480 --> 0:08:16.480 it was probably the highlight as far as the play 0:08:16.480 --> 0:08:18.960 of the day was concerned. Um packers. You know that 0:08:19.040 --> 0:08:21.760 we had some storms rolling into uh so, I think 0:08:21.800 --> 0:08:23.640 you know, things was moving with a pretty good tempo, 0:08:23.720 --> 0:08:26.000 trying to get all their work in, and they were 0:08:26.040 --> 0:08:28.040 working just in this this red zone period, you know, 0:08:28.040 --> 0:08:31.960 pass under pressure type period, and basically More got himself 0:08:32.000 --> 0:08:34.760 isolated against I believe it was Josh Hawkins. Hawkins had 0:08:34.800 --> 0:08:37.600 really good coverage on the play, but Brett Hunley rolls 0:08:37.640 --> 0:08:39.480 back and he has a one on one situation in 0:08:39.520 --> 0:08:41.280 the end zone in a red zone period. That's gonna 0:08:41.280 --> 0:08:43.840 be something where a quarterback, specifically, if you're looking at 0:08:43.880 --> 0:08:46.080 Aaron Rodgers in the regular season, he's gonna want to 0:08:46.080 --> 0:08:47.840 be able to trust that receiver to make that play 0:08:47.840 --> 0:08:51.080 in a fifty fifty situation. Jamon Moore did that, and 0:08:51.480 --> 0:08:52.800 this is a young man that I know. There were 0:08:52.840 --> 0:08:55.240 some questions about his hands coming out of Missoo. I 0:08:55.280 --> 0:08:58.040 think his athletic ability, his size is off the charts. 0:08:58.040 --> 0:09:00.120 It's exactly what you want for the receiver position. But 0:09:00.160 --> 0:09:02.840 like any young player, you know, he's had those ups 0:09:02.840 --> 0:09:05.200 and downs of a training camp. And for him, he 0:09:05.240 --> 0:09:07.199 said it with two things that really stood out about 0:09:07.200 --> 0:09:09.439 that family night. One, it was his first chance really 0:09:09.440 --> 0:09:11.439 getting to play under the lights. Uh, not only of 0:09:11.520 --> 0:09:13.560 Lambeu Field, but you know practice in general. They've been 0:09:13.600 --> 0:09:16.600 all at eleven eleven fifteen Central time so far, so 0:09:16.679 --> 0:09:18.240 getting a chance to be in front of that crowd 0:09:18.280 --> 0:09:20.840 really helped. And also the plays like that, he said, 0:09:20.880 --> 0:09:23.920 that's really what allows Brett Hunley or Deshaun Kaiser, even 0:09:23.920 --> 0:09:26.000 Aaron Rodgers when he gets the reps with them to 0:09:26.120 --> 0:09:28.120 have the trust in him to make that play. It 0:09:28.200 --> 0:09:31.280 was a really good situation, a really good opportunity, and 0:09:31.320 --> 0:09:33.200 he went out there and I thought, you look at 0:09:33.200 --> 0:09:35.080 his footwork, what he did on to being able to 0:09:35.080 --> 0:09:39.000 protect that ball, win the fifty battle. Uh. We need 0:09:39.000 --> 0:09:40.760 to get to some preseason games with all these young 0:09:40.800 --> 0:09:42.960 receivers to see what they really have. But for him, 0:09:43.000 --> 0:09:44.760 I think that that was the right step towards that 0:09:44.800 --> 0:09:47.040 game against the Titans. Well, you mentioned it this week. 0:09:47.080 --> 0:09:51.040 The Packers are going to pivot their preparation to the 0:09:51.080 --> 0:09:54.760 preseason opener on Thursday night at lambeau Field before we 0:09:54.760 --> 0:09:56.800 pivot our discussion on this show. Though it's a little 0:09:56.800 --> 0:09:58.800 bit of sponsored business to take care of at home 0:09:59.280 --> 0:10:00.800 or here in the sta ends. We all know that 0:10:00.840 --> 0:10:02.720 Green Bay fans give it their all and that takes 0:10:02.720 --> 0:10:05.080 a lot of energy. So grab a warm bowl of 0:10:05.160 --> 0:10:08.000 Campbell's Chunky Soup. It's meaty goodness fuels the greatness of 0:10:08.040 --> 0:10:11.679 Packers fans everywhere. Try the delicious classic chicken noodle soup. 0:10:12.000 --> 0:10:15.240 Just visit your local supermarket and ask for Campbell's Chunky Soup, 0:10:15.480 --> 0:10:18.600 the official sup partner of the Green Bay Packers. Okay, 0:10:18.600 --> 0:10:21.600 Wes I mentioned Thursday at the Long Drive to Canton, Ohio, 0:10:22.200 --> 0:10:25.319 And I tell you there were a lot of really 0:10:25.320 --> 0:10:29.080 really great moments throughout this weekend with um Jerry Kramer 0:10:29.080 --> 0:10:33.240 and covering his long awaited and long overdue and Shrineman 0:10:33.280 --> 0:10:34.920 in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But I'm gonna 0:10:34.920 --> 0:10:36.960 mention three of them to you that really stood out 0:10:36.960 --> 0:10:39.480 to me. Some of them I'm sure you saw on television. 0:10:39.480 --> 0:10:41.800 One was when he got his gold jacket on Friday night, 0:10:41.840 --> 0:10:45.720 his daughter Alicia, who had begun a campaign to sort 0:10:45.720 --> 0:10:48.640 of keep his candidacy alive, something that you know, Jerry 0:10:48.720 --> 0:10:51.520 wasn't necessarily totally on board with when she started it, 0:10:51.600 --> 0:10:54.160 but she was there to put the gold jacket on 0:10:54.240 --> 0:10:56.840 him at the Civic Center in downtown Canton. That was 0:10:57.320 --> 0:11:00.160 That was a special moment. Then on Saturday, I was 0:11:00.200 --> 0:11:03.280 fortunate enough and and Mike Atkinson, our video producer, was 0:11:03.320 --> 0:11:06.200 with me as well to be at Jerry Kramer's private party. 0:11:06.760 --> 0:11:08.640 And uh, I don't know if you saw the picture 0:11:08.679 --> 0:11:10.600 that I posted on Twitter, but I happened to get 0:11:10.600 --> 0:11:13.720 a snapshot of Paul Hornick sitting next to Jerry Kramer, 0:11:13.760 --> 0:11:15.800 both of them wearing their gold jackets. And there was 0:11:15.840 --> 0:11:19.600 something really really special about that. And then the speech 0:11:19.640 --> 0:11:23.560 on Saturday night, I mean, wow, blew me away, Absolutely 0:11:23.600 --> 0:11:25.680 blew me away. I had to I had to gather 0:11:25.760 --> 0:11:28.000 my thoughts quickly and get a story. I wanted to 0:11:28.000 --> 0:11:30.160 get a story up on our website about that speech 0:11:30.200 --> 0:11:32.680 as quickly as possible. But the more I've thought about 0:11:32.679 --> 0:11:35.320 it since Saturday night, I've I've just been absolutely blown 0:11:35.320 --> 0:11:37.120 away by what he did up on that stage. And 0:11:37.160 --> 0:11:39.600 before I get into my little two cents on this, 0:11:39.600 --> 0:11:41.640 because I'll be honest with you, Mike, the show is unscripted. 0:11:41.679 --> 0:11:43.520 I was thinking all morning long of what I wanted 0:11:43.520 --> 0:11:46.400 to say in this segment and in indirect correlation with 0:11:46.440 --> 0:11:48.560 that speech. But if you haven't had a chance yet, 0:11:48.640 --> 0:11:51.320 check out spots column from Saturday night. It was exceptional. 0:11:51.520 --> 0:11:54.560 I thought, really captured the moment and exactly what the 0:11:54.600 --> 0:11:57.559 emotions are like for a man that's now eighty two 0:11:57.600 --> 0:12:00.480 years old, is still a sharpened way he as ever 0:12:00.840 --> 0:12:05.440 aboutely to my for my money, Um, I think that 0:12:05.520 --> 0:12:06.959 asked to go down as one of the top ten 0:12:07.000 --> 0:12:09.400 top five all time Hall of Fame speeches, and and 0:12:09.400 --> 0:12:13.040 I have a number of reasons for this one. At 0:12:13.040 --> 0:12:16.040 no point in that speech did it ever really feel 0:12:16.080 --> 0:12:18.480 like it was about Kramer, do you know what I mean? 0:12:19.200 --> 0:12:20.800 It was about his high school coach. It was about 0:12:20.880 --> 0:12:23.280 Vince Lombardi. And that was something that pointed out. Yeah, 0:12:23.280 --> 0:12:25.040 and that was something I pointed out as well. I 0:12:25.080 --> 0:12:28.880 thought it was incredibly classy and respectful of him that 0:12:28.960 --> 0:12:31.480 not once in an eighteen and a half minute speech. 0:12:31.800 --> 0:12:34.440 Did he even mention that he had to wait forty 0:12:34.440 --> 0:12:37.079 plus years for this incredible moment to happen for him? 0:12:37.320 --> 0:12:40.760 That was an afterthought. It it never It never came up, 0:12:40.840 --> 0:12:43.079 and you would have thought it would have, and nobody 0:12:43.120 --> 0:12:45.000 would have blamed him if he had talked about it. 0:12:45.160 --> 0:12:47.680 He didn't. He didn't make it about himself. He made 0:12:47.679 --> 0:12:52.320 it about his feelings about about his team and and 0:12:52.400 --> 0:12:55.480 about what that team accomplished and how he got to 0:12:55.920 --> 0:12:58.800 where he did, and the people who inspired him along 0:12:58.840 --> 0:13:01.720 the way. And he was using that speech to just 0:13:01.840 --> 0:13:05.200 try to inspire others, much as he has done throughout 0:13:05.320 --> 0:13:07.840 his entire life, in the whole if you can, you 0:13:07.880 --> 0:13:11.240 will speech. And and here here's what stood out to 0:13:11.240 --> 0:13:13.000 me though the most. And obviously I was trying to 0:13:13.000 --> 0:13:15.199 cover family night, and we were we had a monitor 0:13:15.280 --> 0:13:17.400 up trying to watch the Hall of Fame speeches as well. 0:13:17.400 --> 0:13:20.360 But with all due respect to Hall of Fame guys 0:13:20.400 --> 0:13:22.040 that have gone in there, and you know, given these 0:13:22.120 --> 0:13:25.360 high salute and speeches and kind of sort of bast 0:13:25.440 --> 0:13:27.800 in their own greatness, I think that that happens quite 0:13:27.800 --> 0:13:31.760 a bit. Jerry Kramer. What I love the most about 0:13:31.800 --> 0:13:33.959 his speeches. It was eighteen minutes long. He could have 0:13:34.040 --> 0:13:36.200 talked for two hours if you wanted to, and nobody 0:13:36.240 --> 0:13:38.720 would have complained. Nobody would have complained. He was straight 0:13:38.760 --> 0:13:41.480 to the point and he's captivating, Michael, and that isn't 0:13:41.559 --> 0:13:43.679 news to you. And I know we've talked to him, 0:13:43.679 --> 0:13:46.680 we've interviewed him, We've seen how he associates with people. 0:13:46.840 --> 0:13:50.040 Such an engaging man. He's an engaging man with tremendous stories. 0:13:50.040 --> 0:13:53.360 That Don Chandler story I thought was really interesting. Um 0:13:53.600 --> 0:13:56.280 I I was in the press box was an absolute 0:13:56.280 --> 0:13:59.240 stitches when he told that story about them losing fifty 0:13:59.320 --> 0:14:01.679 six and nothing to the Baltimore Colts. Uh. And you 0:14:01.720 --> 0:14:04.120 know he's saying that they almost killed the poor pony 0:14:04.160 --> 0:14:06.760 that was running around after every touchdown for the Colts. Yeah, 0:14:06.760 --> 0:14:09.320 the press box and Canton was was cracking up on 0:14:09.320 --> 0:14:11.880 that one. It was tremendous. But the thing I want 0:14:11.880 --> 0:14:13.520 to ask you the most, because you were there, you 0:14:13.520 --> 0:14:16.560 were experiencing it. We talked so much about Alicia and 0:14:16.559 --> 0:14:18.560 you had a chance to speak with her two going 0:14:18.600 --> 0:14:21.920 into this thing. How emotional was this for them? Because 0:14:21.920 --> 0:14:24.440 if you watch the monitors, his children in the stands 0:14:24.480 --> 0:14:27.520 her on the stage, a guy that committed his entire 0:14:27.560 --> 0:14:30.160 life to football. You could tell both for him and 0:14:30.200 --> 0:14:33.120 the family just how meaningful that moment was. Yeah, it was. 0:14:33.160 --> 0:14:35.880 It was really incredible. I got a chance to interview Alicia. 0:14:35.960 --> 0:14:38.160 She was nice enough to come on camera with us 0:14:38.240 --> 0:14:41.640 at the party on Saturday afternoon. And this is, you know, 0:14:42.000 --> 0:14:44.560 the Friday night, the gold jacket ceremony is all over. 0:14:44.600 --> 0:14:47.160 Everybody's had a good night's rest, and everybody's in this 0:14:47.240 --> 0:14:50.200 great mood for for a party, A fantastic party that 0:14:50.320 --> 0:14:52.880 was put on. And uh, I get her on camera 0:14:52.880 --> 0:14:55.120 and just ask her about the gold jacket ceremony, and 0:14:55.160 --> 0:14:57.840 you could see the emotions like just instantly come back. 0:14:57.880 --> 0:15:00.800 I mean, you can't escape it. I mean it was, 0:15:00.960 --> 0:15:04.440 it was. It was really something special. And to see 0:15:04.760 --> 0:15:07.560 to see her put the jacket on him and then 0:15:07.680 --> 0:15:09.920 and then to watch Cramer just kind of you know, 0:15:10.040 --> 0:15:12.360 flash the hands like hey you know here, I mean, 0:15:12.760 --> 0:15:15.000 it was, it was. It was a great moment. She 0:15:15.080 --> 0:15:18.080 actually told us then when we did the interview with her, 0:15:18.400 --> 0:15:20.720 she said she whispered to her dad on the stage 0:15:20.760 --> 0:15:22.840 just as they were getting ready. She's like, okay, you're 0:15:22.840 --> 0:15:26.040 ready dad, you know I mean, what a moment. I mean, 0:15:26.080 --> 0:15:28.160 you know, and and and for that to be a 0:15:28.200 --> 0:15:30.960 private moment with them at the time on Friday night, 0:15:31.000 --> 0:15:33.160 with you know, thousands of people in the stands at 0:15:33.160 --> 0:15:36.920 the Sacivic Center and National Television watching the whole ceremony, 0:15:36.920 --> 0:15:39.320 and they actually get to share that little moment between 0:15:39.360 --> 0:15:41.440 the two of them when all this is going on. 0:15:41.480 --> 0:15:43.840 Pretty cool stuff. It was absolutely adorable too. And they 0:15:43.920 --> 0:15:46.120 did the whole gold jacket ceremony, the hot Mike that 0:15:46.200 --> 0:15:48.360 was picking up everything Jerry was saying. So when they 0:15:48.360 --> 0:15:50.840 finished the video package, I was just laughing my my 0:15:50.880 --> 0:15:53.920 butt off. When he did the whole long time they 0:15:53.920 --> 0:15:57.120 were talking about our long time ago whenever you put that, 0:15:57.280 --> 0:16:00.000 and um, you know again, it's such an emotional moment 0:16:00.080 --> 0:16:01.800 for everybody. And the other thing, the other point I 0:16:01.840 --> 0:16:04.320 want to make two is I just think there's something 0:16:04.400 --> 0:16:07.000 poetic about a man who's eighty two years old. I 0:16:07.000 --> 0:16:08.800 think graduated high school I want to say, in like 0:16:08.880 --> 0:16:12.480 nineteen fifty four or something like that. And it to me, 0:16:12.600 --> 0:16:15.320 in my opinion, it was a power of social media 0:16:15.600 --> 0:16:19.680 that really helped him elevate his campaign. Alicia, I remember 0:16:19.720 --> 0:16:23.680 when I went absolutely and Alicia when I went on 0:16:24.120 --> 0:16:25.440 you know, when I got on the beat in two 0:16:25.480 --> 0:16:27.800 thousand twelve, I remember she was just starting her campaign 0:16:27.800 --> 0:16:30.240 and it was almost heartbreaking every year when they would 0:16:30.240 --> 0:16:32.640 do the Senior Finalists and he wouldn't get nominated. And 0:16:32.640 --> 0:16:34.920 I remember reading that in her post, and she always 0:16:34.920 --> 0:16:37.560 tried to stay positive in thirteen and fourteen and fifteen, 0:16:37.800 --> 0:16:41.840 and then when it finally happened last fall, uh, last summer, 0:16:41.880 --> 0:16:45.040 it was just it was incredible, an incredible development, incredible 0:16:45.080 --> 0:16:47.920 situation for them, and and yeah, I think there was 0:16:48.000 --> 0:16:50.440 an undeniable factor to it. Rick Goslin said that to 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:52.360 you too. I mean there was kind of this wart 0:16:52.720 --> 0:16:54.960 on the Pro Football Hall of Fame, like why are 0:16:55.000 --> 0:16:57.560 you turning your nose up at a guy that was 0:16:57.560 --> 0:17:00.440 a member of the all All sixties decade team, you know, 0:17:00.560 --> 0:17:03.240 had all the credentials that he had. But yet even 0:17:03.280 --> 0:17:06.000 despite being eleven time finalists and a former Senior finalists, 0:17:06.040 --> 0:17:08.280 the only one that my recollection hadn't gotten in in 0:17:08.400 --> 0:17:10.760 terms of the last twenty five years as a senior finalist. 0:17:11.320 --> 0:17:12.879 It was disappointing, and it was good to see them 0:17:12.960 --> 0:17:17.040 right that wrong. Yeah, I was. I was really pleased 0:17:17.040 --> 0:17:19.880 to get a chance to talk with Rick Goslin on Friday. 0:17:19.920 --> 0:17:21.919 We we did an interview with him, and then I 0:17:21.960 --> 0:17:24.040 was able to fashion a story out of a lot 0:17:24.040 --> 0:17:26.840 of his comments. Very insightful guy, obviously. For those who 0:17:26.920 --> 0:17:29.879 don't know Rick, he's a longtime NFL writer. Spent the 0:17:29.920 --> 0:17:33.080 bulk of his career in newspaper at the Dallas Morning News, 0:17:33.359 --> 0:17:35.920 covered the NFL on a national landscape. He's now with 0:17:36.000 --> 0:17:39.640 the Talk of Fame network, but he has been um 0:17:39.800 --> 0:17:42.720 a Hall of Fame Selection Committee voter for over twenty 0:17:42.800 --> 0:17:45.560 years and he's also on the Hall of Fame Senior Committee. 0:17:45.600 --> 0:17:51.399 So he was very instrumental in just getting Kramer's candidacy 0:17:51.480 --> 0:17:53.399 pushed forth again in terms of in front of the 0:17:53.440 --> 0:17:55.879 Senior Committee, where then they named him a finalist. He 0:17:55.960 --> 0:18:00.040 gave the presentation at the actual selection committee meeting, the 0:18:00.160 --> 0:18:04.080 voting meeting on Super Bowl weekend in uh this last 0:18:04.080 --> 0:18:07.720 winner in Minneapolis, and so getting a chance to talk 0:18:07.760 --> 0:18:10.400 to him and and and just here his perspective was 0:18:10.400 --> 0:18:12.399 was really interesting. What I didn't know is that he 0:18:12.400 --> 0:18:16.560 grew up in Detroit watching the Packers sweep and Jerry 0:18:16.640 --> 0:18:20.479 Kramer leading that sweep to demolish his Detroit Lions, the 0:18:20.480 --> 0:18:23.080 team that that he grew up rooting for. So but 0:18:23.440 --> 0:18:27.760 m Rick's perspective very very valuable in this instance. And 0:18:27.960 --> 0:18:31.320 uh and yeah, the most poignant comment I thought from 0:18:31.400 --> 0:18:33.680 him was when he said the Hall of Fame had 0:18:33.720 --> 0:18:36.720 a credibility problem with Jerry Kramer not being in the 0:18:36.760 --> 0:18:39.840 only member of the fiftieth Anniversary team that was chosen 0:18:40.160 --> 0:18:43.159 by the same Hall of Fame committee, UM, one of 0:18:43.200 --> 0:18:46.679 only two members of the All sixties Decade team. UM 0:18:46.720 --> 0:18:49.560 not in the Hall of Fame, five time Pro bowler, 0:18:49.680 --> 0:18:53.359 key member of you know, five championship teams, obviously, the 0:18:53.359 --> 0:18:56.040 block in the Ice Bowl. He brought up the field goals, 0:18:56.119 --> 0:18:59.399