WEBVTT - #275 Packers Unscripted: Thoughts from the leaders 0:00:01.040 --> 0:00:20.720 Hi, everybody. Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:20.720 --> 0:00:23.440 I am Mike Spofford, joined as always by Wes hod Kowitz, 0:00:23.480 --> 0:00:26.120 and we are very pleased to have special guest Larry 0:00:26.160 --> 0:00:29.520 mccaren with us as well. We are here at the 0:00:29.560 --> 0:00:33.480 Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis, coming to you from 0:00:33.520 --> 0:00:37.600 the NFL Scouting Combine and guys. Yesterday we heard from 0:00:37.760 --> 0:00:41.960 Packers GM Brian Goodacunstan head coach Mike McCarthy, and one 0:00:42.000 --> 0:00:45.360 of the big topics of conversation was the new contract 0:00:45.400 --> 0:00:49.320 extension that the Packers are working on with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. 0:00:49.640 --> 0:00:52.000 Goudacon has made it pretty clear that this is something 0:00:52.040 --> 0:00:55.120 they would like to get done this offseason. West We 0:00:55.160 --> 0:00:58.200 talked about it in a previous show that the Packers 0:00:58.280 --> 0:01:00.520 want to do this with two years left done Aaron 0:01:00.600 --> 0:01:04.520 Rodgers contract, the same time frame in which they executed 0:01:04.560 --> 0:01:08.040 his last extension. In what are your thoughts on where 0:01:08.040 --> 0:01:10.480 this is headed? It makes total sense for the Packers 0:01:10.560 --> 0:01:13.160 from that perspective. Obviously, is Good said, this is the 0:01:13.160 --> 0:01:15.559 best player in the NFL. It's not going to be inexpensive. 0:01:15.600 --> 0:01:17.840 It's something that you have to get done. The The 0:01:17.880 --> 0:01:19.560 interesting part of it though, is that you do have 0:01:19.600 --> 0:01:21.280 the two years left on the deal. So what does 0:01:21.280 --> 0:01:22.720 that allow you to do. It allows you to spread 0:01:22.760 --> 0:01:24.400 out the signing bonus, It allows you to be more 0:01:24.440 --> 0:01:26.760 manageable with the cap hit. We all saw what Jimmy 0:01:26.760 --> 0:01:28.800 Garoppolo's cap hit ended up being with the San Francisco 0:01:28.840 --> 0:01:32.120 forty Niners when a player is going into unrestricted free agency. 0:01:32.319 --> 0:01:34.640 Then you also saw what the Jacksonville Jaguars did in 0:01:34.720 --> 0:01:37.160 extending Blake Bordles and how they were able to reduce it. 0:01:37.280 --> 0:01:40.320 So having that under control, but also taking care of 0:01:40.360 --> 0:01:44.119 Aaron Rodgers, the franchise quarterback, is really the penultimate thing 0:01:44.160 --> 0:01:46.320 I think on this offseason, in addition to trying to 0:01:46.360 --> 0:01:48.520 figure out, you know, what direction the team's going to 0:01:48.560 --> 0:01:50.680 take in two thousand eighteen. Yeah, and now, Larry you 0:01:50.760 --> 0:01:53.960 said yesterday, this is obviously a no brainer. The Packers 0:01:53.960 --> 0:01:59.120 are going to extend Aaron Rodgers. He is going to stay. Yeah, 0:01:59.160 --> 0:02:01.960 of course, right, So, but this is kind of a 0:02:01.960 --> 0:02:04.320 tricky thing because you want to get this done, but 0:02:04.480 --> 0:02:08.000 you also want to leave at least some financial flexibility 0:02:08.320 --> 0:02:10.560 to continue to upgrade the team and make another run 0:02:10.560 --> 0:02:12.960 of the Super Bowl. Oh absolutely. And there's a couple 0:02:12.960 --> 0:02:16.480 of points about the whole thing. Number one, the markets changed. 0:02:16.720 --> 0:02:19.720 They have to do this. I mean Aaron Rodgers, believe 0:02:19.760 --> 0:02:21.760 it or not. At one time when he signed his deals, 0:02:21.800 --> 0:02:24.119 highest payer player in the league, and now he's under 0:02:24.120 --> 0:02:25.920 page So they got to do something to keep the 0:02:25.960 --> 0:02:28.880 big guy happy, which they are doing. The other thing 0:02:29.560 --> 0:02:34.480 is it's all as Brian Gudun said yesterday very appropriately, 0:02:34.520 --> 0:02:36.920 it's all part of the puzzle. They got to know 0:02:37.280 --> 0:02:40.799 how this piece fits before they can make a lot 0:02:40.880 --> 0:02:44.160 of other decisions as far as people they asked to 0:02:44.200 --> 0:02:47.280 take pay cuts, people they may not be able to afford. 0:02:47.400 --> 0:02:51.080 All those types of issues can be determined to some 0:02:51.240 --> 0:02:54.359 extent when they find out how big a piece of 0:02:54.400 --> 0:02:56.520 the salary cap pie he's going to go to one 0:02:56.639 --> 0:02:59.760 Aaron Rodgers, and he certainly deserves it. Yeah, and it's 0:02:59.800 --> 0:03:02.959 on russ Ball to structure this contract in the way 0:03:02.960 --> 0:03:04.840 that's going to work for the packers, as he has 0:03:04.880 --> 0:03:08.560 done over the years many times. And good Kun said 0:03:09.160 --> 0:03:11.920 they're looking at all kinds of different scenarios in terms 0:03:11.919 --> 0:03:14.080 of how this could play out and what the immediate 0:03:14.120 --> 0:03:16.520 cap hit is going to be on this new deal 0:03:16.560 --> 0:03:19.280 and what sort of flexibility would give them in order 0:03:19.320 --> 0:03:22.640 to make other moves. You don't know exactly how this 0:03:22.720 --> 0:03:24.600 is going to play out and when the contract is 0:03:24.600 --> 0:03:26.919 going to be signed. As I talked about last week, West, 0:03:27.480 --> 0:03:29.800 it's hard to believe that for me anyway, that Aaron 0:03:29.919 --> 0:03:32.640 Rodgers would sign this deal before Kirk Cousins, who's the 0:03:32.639 --> 0:03:39.400 top quarterback in free agency heading into free agent? Hey, 0:03:39.480 --> 0:03:44.720 I mean exactly, I'm just being real here. I mean, 0:03:44.720 --> 0:03:47.160 if i'm if I'm Aaron Rodgers, if Kirk Cousins is 0:03:47.160 --> 0:03:51.280 gonna calculate if he's going to become the top guy 0:03:51.320 --> 0:03:54.760 and and surpassed Jimmy Garoppolo's deal, and Garoppolo's deals surpassed 0:03:54.800 --> 0:03:59.200 Matthew Stafford. Can you believe those two names are in 0:03:59.240 --> 0:04:07.040 the same sentence? Yeah, crazy quarterback. I'm sorry, No, No, 0:04:07.080 --> 0:04:09.160 that's okay. But you're right. But as the salary cap 0:04:09.200 --> 0:04:12.000 goes up and the importance of the quarterback position certainly 0:04:12.000 --> 0:04:15.119 doesn't diminish in this league, you've got to take care 0:04:15.120 --> 0:04:17.520 of your guy when you have your guy, absolutely, and 0:04:17.520 --> 0:04:19.440 you look at how the cap has swelled, you know, 0:04:19.440 --> 0:04:21.360 in the last five years. I always tell that story 0:04:21.400 --> 0:04:23.560 over and over again. The day I started on the Packers, 0:04:23.560 --> 0:04:25.920 be two thousand and twelve, it was a hundred and 0:04:25.920 --> 0:04:28.440 twenty million dollars in the cap. The way it's going 0:04:28.520 --> 0:04:30.440 right now, hundred and seventy eight million is what it's 0:04:30.480 --> 0:04:33.320 looking like going into two thousand and eighteen. What does 0:04:33.360 --> 0:04:35.240 that mean? It means the price of pokers going up 0:04:35.240 --> 0:04:37.720 for quarterbacks and you have to be in lockstep with that. 0:04:38.120 --> 0:04:40.120 And because of that, with all these teams we saw 0:04:40.160 --> 0:04:42.400 going back to the Joe Flacco deal with the Baltimore Ravens, 0:04:42.400 --> 0:04:45.120 with all these teams trying to find the guy, and 0:04:45.120 --> 0:04:46.400 then when you feel like you have a guy that 0:04:46.480 --> 0:04:49.520 can be the guy, you're gonna get paid. So what 0:04:49.720 --> 0:04:53.320 the measures are not only just for the Cousins contract, 0:04:53.360 --> 0:04:56.000 but you have Drew Brees out there yet. Agi McCarron's 0:04:56.000 --> 0:04:58.000 a name that you're not hearing talked about here at 0:04:58.040 --> 0:05:00.320 all because nobody wants to get in trouble. But that's 0:05:00.320 --> 0:05:02.479 gonna be a very interesting one to follow in March fourteenth, 0:05:02.760 --> 0:05:04.960 and much like in two thousand thirteen when the Packers 0:05:04.960 --> 0:05:07.599 took Carrion Rodgers, that extension in the lead up to 0:05:07.640 --> 0:05:10.600 the two thousand thirteen NFL Draft days before, hours before it. 0:05:10.920 --> 0:05:12.839 I think you're gonna see all those pieces fall and 0:05:12.880 --> 0:05:14.880 then everything go from there. Yeah. And the other thing 0:05:14.960 --> 0:05:17.800 that the Packers will certainly be watching Packers fans is 0:05:17.800 --> 0:05:20.560 what Minnesota is going to do at quarterback. They decided 0:05:20.600 --> 0:05:24.720 not to franchise Case Keenum, Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Bradford. At 0:05:24.720 --> 0:05:27.080 this point, they're all headed to free agency. There's word 0:05:27.120 --> 0:05:28.560 that the Vikings are going to get in on the 0:05:29.040 --> 0:05:31.640 Kirk Cousins thing. You got any feeling, Larry as to 0:05:31.720 --> 0:05:34.640 what the Vikings are gonna ultimately do at quarterback zero, 0:05:34.680 --> 0:05:37.200 And to be honest, don't care. All I know we're 0:05:37.240 --> 0:05:44.600 not m financially. The world is coming to it alright. 0:05:44.640 --> 0:05:46.440 With that, we're going to toss it to a break 0:05:46.440 --> 0:05:49.760 back with more on Packers Unscripted from the NFL Scouting 0:05:49.800 --> 0:06:06.600 Combine right after this. Welcome back to Packers Unscripted. Mike Spofford, 0:06:06.640 --> 0:06:09.120 along with Wes Hodkowitz and Larry McCarron, coming to you 0:06:09.200 --> 0:06:12.800 from downtown Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine. Now, as 0:06:12.880 --> 0:06:16.560 we talk about the Packers salary cap situation heading into 0:06:16.279 --> 0:06:19.440 teen West, one of the other topics that came up 0:06:19.440 --> 0:06:24.159 and talking with general manager Brian Goodacunts yesterday was Jordy 0:06:24.240 --> 0:06:27.560 Nelson and Randall Cobb and their cap numbers, along with 0:06:27.600 --> 0:06:31.320 obviously the extension to given to Davante Adams at the 0:06:31.400 --> 0:06:33.360 end of the regular season. Packers have a lot of 0:06:33.360 --> 0:06:37.200 money in invested right now at wide receiver. Gouda Kuntz 0:06:37.240 --> 0:06:39.960 wasn't making any proclamations as to what's going to happen, 0:06:40.000 --> 0:06:42.880 but he sounded to me like a GM who is 0:06:43.040 --> 0:06:46.359 very determined to make this work because he likes what 0:06:46.440 --> 0:06:49.120 the Packers have in Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson, and 0:06:49.200 --> 0:06:51.960 he said he doesn't want to see really good football 0:06:51.960 --> 0:06:53.880 players walk out the door. Yeah, And I think Mike 0:06:53.960 --> 0:06:56.440 McCarthy echoed those comments as well in terms of just 0:06:56.480 --> 0:06:58.800 being able to look at the situation, the landscape of 0:06:58.800 --> 0:07:01.320 the NFL receiver and keeping in mind what a lot 0:07:01.360 --> 0:07:03.200 of these guys are making now on the market. Jarvis 0:07:03.240 --> 0:07:06.400 Landry being the newest of that group with the Miami Dolphins. 0:07:06.600 --> 0:07:08.640 They knocked out the biggest thing they had to right 0:07:08.720 --> 0:07:10.840 at the end of the season with Davante Adams and 0:07:10.840 --> 0:07:13.400 getting that extension done. Jordy Nelson was up front right 0:07:13.400 --> 0:07:15.520 from the beginning, saying that he's going to make more 0:07:15.520 --> 0:07:18.320 money than Elson ever did on a contract. Jordi did 0:07:18.320 --> 0:07:20.520 a lot of contracts underneath value. If you go back 0:07:20.560 --> 0:07:22.520 to his first extension back in two thousand eleven, I 0:07:22.600 --> 0:07:24.440 believe it was, and then the next one he did 0:07:24.640 --> 0:07:27.680 and believe it was two thousand and fourteen. By doing that, 0:07:27.800 --> 0:07:29.880 it allowed the Packers to get ahead of those things, 0:07:30.040 --> 0:07:31.880 and that's one reason why they're in the position they've 0:07:31.920 --> 0:07:34.000 been in where the cap hasn't really come into question 0:07:34.040 --> 0:07:37.680 a lot. Randall cob toughier for him, another injury kind 0:07:37.680 --> 0:07:39.760 of riddled season, but they know what he can do, 0:07:39.800 --> 0:07:41.600 and he's still only gonna be twenty eight years old 0:07:41.640 --> 0:07:44.960 going into two thousand eighteen. That unit, the chemistry that 0:07:45.000 --> 0:07:47.080 they have with Aaron Rodgers, you can't produce that overnight. 0:07:47.120 --> 0:07:49.160 And I think that's something that both Good Cuts McCarthy 0:07:49.200 --> 0:07:52.880 really value. Yeah, and we'll see what happens financially, Larry, 0:07:52.880 --> 0:07:54.720 as you talked about, maybe there will be some pay 0:07:54.760 --> 0:07:57.320 cuts with some guys and whatnot. But I don't like 0:07:57.400 --> 0:07:59.800 to put words in the quarterback's mouth, but I gotta 0:08:00.080 --> 0:08:03.840 leave he wants this receiving Corps, Davante Adams, Jorty Nelson, 0:08:03.920 --> 0:08:06.640 Randall Cobb and others. He wants to keep it intact 0:08:06.680 --> 0:08:10.200 here coming back from that colibone injury. Yeah, well I 0:08:10.280 --> 0:08:13.240 found it interesting. I was reading an article just by 0:08:13.320 --> 0:08:16.880 chance the other day and one of the Cowboy executives, 0:08:17.440 --> 0:08:19.880 I see enough he's related to Jerry Jones. I don't 0:08:19.880 --> 0:08:24.760 know how that was talking about Tony Romo and when 0:08:24.800 --> 0:08:27.960 you have and not that Tony Romo is even in 0:08:28.120 --> 0:08:32.760 Aaron Rodgers Lee's but when you have the guy at quarterback, 0:08:33.559 --> 0:08:35.840 you kind of get it's a collaboration and go and 0:08:35.880 --> 0:08:39.480 work together, and you sit down and say how far 0:08:39.559 --> 0:08:42.480 do you want to go? And you know what that 0:08:42.520 --> 0:08:46.000 does for those around you? How much can you work 0:08:46.080 --> 0:08:49.679 with us? And I think Aaron Rodgers will always go 0:08:49.800 --> 0:08:53.720 down as a team player. He wants quality around him, 0:08:54.040 --> 0:08:57.319 and I think he'll do what every candid his end 0:08:57.600 --> 0:09:00.640 to make it a camp friendly deal so they packers 0:09:00.760 --> 0:09:04.559 can address other people. And certainly they got a situation 0:09:04.760 --> 0:09:08.800 rising in the wide receiver group, as you guys have detailed, 0:09:08.800 --> 0:09:11.840 where they're paying everybody at the top three guys, they're 0:09:11.840 --> 0:09:15.360 paying them top receiver money. So what's gonna happen there. 0:09:15.400 --> 0:09:18.280 We don't know. I thought yesterday the comments from Brian 0:09:18.600 --> 0:09:22.480 and Mike said one thing, they like these guys, but 0:09:22.559 --> 0:09:27.040 they're still leaving their options open and seeing what develops. Yeah, 0:09:27.040 --> 0:09:30.240 the Packers definitely want to improve as well. They're here 0:09:30.280 --> 0:09:33.560 at the draft to maybe find the next Jordy Nelson 0:09:33.640 --> 0:09:36.520 or the next Davante Adams, who three or four down 0:09:36.559 --> 0:09:38.319 the year, three or four years down the road, we 0:09:38.400 --> 0:09:40.439 might be talking about as the as the guy getting 0:09:40.440 --> 0:09:43.480 the next contract and for the future, maybe from the 0:09:43.480 --> 0:09:46.000 second round of the from the second that that's that's 0:09:46.000 --> 0:09:48.560 been a pretty good one. We'll we'll see what happens there. 0:09:48.600 --> 0:09:51.760 But um, but I think I think the Packers are 0:09:51.760 --> 0:09:54.560 going to try to do whatever they can to keep 0:09:54.559 --> 0:09:56.360 this group together because when you look at the first 0:09:56.440 --> 0:09:59.920 five games of West, the Packers are four and one. 0:10:00.080 --> 0:10:03.520 Jordy Nelson had six touchdown catches in those five games. 0:10:03.679 --> 0:10:05.760 I mean, there was nothing wrong with the offense at 0:10:05.800 --> 0:10:07.960 that stage. No, there wasn't, and Aaron Rodgers was looking 0:10:07.960 --> 0:10:10.240 like a legitimate m VP candidate at that point in time. 0:10:10.280 --> 0:10:12.120 There were four and one going into that game against 0:10:12.160 --> 0:10:14.480 the Minnesota Vikings, The thing that stands out to me 0:10:14.520 --> 0:10:16.600 the most when you look at that, really that partnership 0:10:16.640 --> 0:10:18.960 between Nelson and Rodgers is the fact that that is 0:10:18.960 --> 0:10:22.200 the longest tenured quarterback receiver duo in the league and 0:10:22.200 --> 0:10:24.960 it's not even close. So for him, and he said 0:10:24.960 --> 0:10:26.320 it at the end of the season two, he still 0:10:26.320 --> 0:10:28.680 thinks there's a lot of Jews left with Jordy Nelson. 0:10:28.960 --> 0:10:30.680 Randall Cobb, I thought really did come on at the 0:10:30.720 --> 0:10:33.000 end of last season was really an important piece against 0:10:33.000 --> 0:10:35.719 the Carolina Panthers. So to see what they can get 0:10:35.720 --> 0:10:38.360 and obviously it's a big caveat, and there's always hypotheticals 0:10:38.400 --> 0:10:40.200 with injuries, but to see what they have with those 0:10:40.240 --> 0:10:42.959 three guys giving it one more shot, I think it 0:10:43.040 --> 0:10:45.080 might be worth it. But again, those are all decisions 0:10:45.080 --> 0:10:46.960 that Brian Goody Clints is probably gonna have to make 0:10:47.000 --> 0:10:48.640 here in the next two weeks figuring out that vision 0:10:48.640 --> 0:10:50.920 for two thousand eighteen. Yeah, and you mentioned the Carolina 0:10:50.960 --> 0:10:54.000 game and Larry. If anybody is wondering about Randall Cobb 0:10:54.040 --> 0:10:55.600 and where he is, all you have to do is 0:10:55.640 --> 0:10:58.600 look at that touchdown catch on that little scramble play 0:10:58.640 --> 0:11:01.800 with Aaron Rodgers down and Arolina. Randall Cops still brings 0:11:01.800 --> 0:11:04.200 a lot to the table. Yeah, he does. And the 0:11:04.320 --> 0:11:09.880 thing he brings his suddenness. And ironically enough, since we're 0:11:09.920 --> 0:11:12.880 here at the scouting combine, that's one of the things 0:11:12.960 --> 0:11:15.800 they think they can measure, but they really can't because 0:11:16.120 --> 0:11:18.440 there's a difference in that because you think about it 0:11:18.800 --> 0:11:20.720 when you can pre plan it and you see where 0:11:20.720 --> 0:11:23.959 the cones are at and you're they're measuring change in direction. 0:11:24.240 --> 0:11:27.959 But mentally you can pre program yourself to get around 0:11:28.040 --> 0:11:30.960 him and things like that. But in the heat of battle, 0:11:31.400 --> 0:11:33.599 when we've seen it's like Randall Cops got eyes in 0:11:33.679 --> 0:11:35.920 the back of his head. He just makes moves. You 0:11:35.920 --> 0:11:38.120 don't know where those moves come from. And it's like 0:11:38.200 --> 0:11:40.839 he's got terrific vision and he can translate it to 0:11:40.880 --> 0:11:44.280 the quickness of his feet. But you can't plan that. 0:11:44.280 --> 0:11:47.240 That's a reaction type suddenness. And while they've tried to 0:11:47.240 --> 0:11:50.120 measure it today, they're not converted. The next few days 0:11:50.200 --> 0:11:51.720 they're not going to be able to not like Randall 0:11:51.760 --> 0:11:54.560 Cop dosn't. Yeah, and you mentioned it West. The second 0:11:54.640 --> 0:11:57.560 round has been really that that was where Ted Thompson 0:11:57.600 --> 0:12:00.079 found all of his wide receivers. You go back to 0:12:00.160 --> 0:12:03.320 Greg Jennings. James Jones obviously was the third rounder, but 0:12:03.400 --> 0:12:07.200 Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Davante Adams all second round picks. 0:12:07.640 --> 0:12:11.200 Do you see the Packers maybe making a move Brian Gudakunsta, 0:12:11.440 --> 0:12:13.920 you know, going along those same lines. Not this year, 0:12:14.000 --> 0:12:15.800 but I think it's still in the cards for them 0:12:15.880 --> 0:12:18.280 potentially look at that position again. They have had success 0:12:18.320 --> 0:12:19.520 in the middle rounds too. When you look at a 0:12:19.520 --> 0:12:22.400 guy like James Jones, but right now and I think 0:12:22.440 --> 0:12:23.640 you look at some of the other needs they have 0:12:23.679 --> 0:12:26.080 depending on what they do at fourteen, I'd be surprised 0:12:26.080 --> 0:12:27.559 if it's this year, but I guess you never really 0:12:27.640 --> 0:12:30.439 quite know. Yeah, and Larry just quickly your thoughts. We've 0:12:30.440 --> 0:12:32.240 been talking about the guys at the top, but the 0:12:32.240 --> 0:12:35.240 Packers have some other receivers who are still looking to 0:12:35.280 --> 0:12:38.800 grow in their careers. Trevor Davis, Geronimo Allison, guys like that. 0:12:39.040 --> 0:12:43.800 What did you see from them in as you look ahead? 0:12:44.360 --> 0:12:47.480 Young guys trying to go n Morrells and Michael Clark, 0:12:47.760 --> 0:12:51.520 I mean, guys with some interesting raw tools, but then 0:12:51.800 --> 0:12:53.320 you got to get out there and do it and 0:12:53.360 --> 0:12:57.160 you got the thing. We watched so consistently with young 0:12:57.200 --> 0:13:00.920 guys regardless of position, but especially a wide receiver living 0:13:01.120 --> 0:13:04.640 and learning on the job. So many times guys that 0:13:04.679 --> 0:13:07.679 were drafted the Packers even drafted in the second round, 0:13:08.160 --> 0:13:10.240 it took him a year. Now, those guys come with 0:13:10.280 --> 0:13:12.600 a lot of bona fides and a pedigree and all 0:13:12.640 --> 0:13:15.959 that stuff. And some of the guys we we're talking about, 0:13:16.000 --> 0:13:19.640 we're undrafted free agents, and so living and learning on 0:13:19.720 --> 0:13:22.720 the job and how quickly you can do that basically 0:13:22.840 --> 0:13:25.440 determinant what kind of career you're gonna had in the 0:13:25.520 --> 0:13:29.160 NFL because of the patients level is only so much. Yeah, 0:13:29.200 --> 0:13:31.760 we'll give you a couple of scholarship years so you 0:13:31.800 --> 0:13:33.200 can live and learn on the job, but man, we 0:13:33.240 --> 0:13:35.880 gotta see performance at some point. That's what I saw. Yeah. 0:13:36.240 --> 0:13:38.360 With that, we'll toss it to a breakback with more 0:13:38.440 --> 0:13:42.040 from the NFL Scouting Combine on Packers Unscripted right after this. 0:13:54.280 --> 0:13:57.920 Welcome back to Packers unscripted from downtown Indianapolis at the 0:13:58.040 --> 0:14:02.400 NFL Scouting Combine, Mike Spofford with Wes Hodkowitz and Larry McCarron. Guys, 0:14:02.440 --> 0:14:05.520 we've been talking all about offense for the first couple 0:14:05.520 --> 0:14:08.400 of segments of the show. Here let's switch gears to 0:14:08.480 --> 0:14:11.400 the defensive side west Mike McCarthy said that we were 0:14:11.400 --> 0:14:15.360 all in a lunch downtown here with some other reporters 0:14:15.360 --> 0:14:19.280 that cover the Packers with Brian Goodacunsten, Mike McCarthy, and 0:14:19.320 --> 0:14:22.960 one of the really interesting lines that Mike McCarthy used 0:14:23.320 --> 0:14:25.520 with regards to the defense, he says, Hey, I'm sick 0:14:25.520 --> 0:14:27.840 and tired of the defense on this team being like 0:14:27.920 --> 0:14:32.320 the step child, and uh, upgrading the defense. That's one 0:14:32.320 --> 0:14:34.200 of the biggest reasons, one of the biggest things the 0:14:34.200 --> 0:14:36.240 Packers are looking for here in India. It's a two 0:14:36.280 --> 0:14:39.760 sided approach. Mentally, it's telling the players that are coming back, 0:14:40.040 --> 0:14:42.360 you're not the step child. You're in this thing too. 0:14:42.680 --> 0:14:45.280 And two, it's finding the tools and the resources to 0:14:45.360 --> 0:14:47.560 pair with those guys to get the most out of them. 0:14:47.880 --> 0:14:49.080 So I think you look at a lot of the 0:14:49.400 --> 0:14:52.240 bright spots that defense last year that didn't exactly translate 0:14:52.400 --> 0:14:54.880 to a statue or to production. I mean the year 0:14:54.920 --> 0:14:57.800 that Kenny Clark had Blake Martinez was number two in 0:14:57.800 --> 0:14:59.680 the league and tackles, I mean, you did have a 0:14:59.720 --> 0:15:02.000 relati Si the productive season out of Clay Matthews, but 0:15:02.080 --> 0:15:05.320 overall it just wasn't enough. So now telling them and 0:15:05.360 --> 0:15:08.160 having that challenge, it was there since January four. He 0:15:08.200 --> 0:15:09.880 went out there. He said, we need the defense to 0:15:09.880 --> 0:15:12.000 be just as good as the offense. That's the mentality. 0:15:12.160 --> 0:15:13.760 They're not in the back seat. We don't want them 0:15:13.760 --> 0:15:15.320 to be in the back seat. And if you go 0:15:15.360 --> 0:15:17.280 back and look at it, I think there's been five 0:15:17.320 --> 0:15:20.200 times since two thous I should say since the Green 0:15:20.240 --> 0:15:22.440 Bay Packers have finished in the top ten and total 0:15:22.480 --> 0:15:24.760 offense and total defense. Three of those times they ended 0:15:24.800 --> 0:15:26.800 up in the Super Bowl. The odds are really in 0:15:26.800 --> 0:15:29.040 their favorite thing. Get that accomplished. Yeah, and Larry, I'm 0:15:29.040 --> 0:15:31.040 not sure if you heard it the same way I did. 0:15:31.080 --> 0:15:33.080 But one of the other comments that I thought was 0:15:33.120 --> 0:15:35.840 really poignant from Mike McCarthy was when he talked about 0:15:35.880 --> 0:15:39.120 the defense being like the thermostat of the team. And 0:15:39.480 --> 0:15:42.320 what I heard from that is that as a head coach, 0:15:42.400 --> 0:15:46.040 he's looking for some consistency and some reliability on the 0:15:46.080 --> 0:15:49.080 defensive side, because the offensive side is where things maybe 0:15:49.120 --> 0:15:50.960 are going to swing a little more wildly. You can 0:15:51.000 --> 0:15:53.560 have your big, huge offensive days and then other days 0:15:53.560 --> 0:15:56.040 where things just don't go right. The defense is the 0:15:56.040 --> 0:15:58.040 one that needs to kind of be the steady hand. 0:15:58.320 --> 0:16:01.440 That's what the head coach is looking for. Actually, I 0:16:01.480 --> 0:16:04.200 think I would disagree on this. I don't look at 0:16:04.240 --> 0:16:07.960 that comment as a steady hand. When he talked about thermostat, 0:16:08.360 --> 0:16:12.160 I mean, he's talking about aggression and things like that 0:16:13.200 --> 0:16:16.240 goes back to defense has got to be better than 0:16:16.240 --> 0:16:18.880 the offense. That's what he said a couple of months 0:16:18.880 --> 0:16:22.560 ago or whenever at the season under okay to me, Okay, 0:16:22.560 --> 0:16:26.000 the locker room, who's the kings of the barnyard On 0:16:26.080 --> 0:16:29.080 a lot of teams, when you talk about physical, tough, 0:16:29.680 --> 0:16:32.680 that's on the defensive side. Those guys kind of strut 0:16:32.720 --> 0:16:35.400 around the locker room and they look at the offense like, hey, 0:16:35.440 --> 0:16:38.240 you know what, anytime we want, we can line you 0:16:38.360 --> 0:16:40.760 up and kick your button. I mean. And then on 0:16:40.880 --> 0:16:43.440 a lot of teams, guys, a lot of teams, that's 0:16:43.480 --> 0:16:46.960 the way it is. The rough and tumble guys are 0:16:47.040 --> 0:16:51.000 on defense now, fortunately for the Packers, and it's helped them. 0:16:51.040 --> 0:16:54.160 They got some rough and tumble dudes on offense. And plus, 0:16:54.320 --> 0:16:58.600 leadership starts with performance and the offense is performing at 0:16:58.600 --> 0:17:00.720 a higher level than the defense. And you know, and 0:17:00.720 --> 0:17:02.960 that's when you get this step child there. You need 0:17:03.520 --> 0:17:06.800 defensive guys like mc daniels, got that chest out, bring 0:17:06.800 --> 0:17:09.399 it on, And I think that's what and when you 0:17:09.480 --> 0:17:12.080 talk about it's kind of like where a special teams 0:17:12.080 --> 0:17:14.680 are an indicator of a team's attitude because how had 0:17:14.800 --> 0:17:17.240 they cover, how had they play? Things like that? That 0:17:17.480 --> 0:17:19.159 was the sense I got when you look at a 0:17:19.520 --> 0:17:22.040 thermostat of football team, Hey, are we a rough and 0:17:22.080 --> 0:17:24.840 tough outfit? I mean, are we gonna out hit people? 0:17:25.400 --> 0:17:27.640 We're gonna do things like that, you know, the the 0:17:27.720 --> 0:17:30.600 core of the game. Usually your defense can be an 0:17:30.600 --> 0:17:32.639 indicator that I might be wrong. But that's where I 0:17:32.640 --> 0:17:34.960 told him, Yeah, and Wes, you brought up guys like 0:17:35.040 --> 0:17:38.320 Kenny Clark and Blake Martinez. We talked with Mike McCarthy 0:17:38.359 --> 0:17:40.840 about you know, those are the types of guys who 0:17:40.840 --> 0:17:43.840 are making that next step in their careers. They did 0:17:43.880 --> 0:17:46.280 the second year jump that we've always talked about. But 0:17:46.400 --> 0:17:48.840 now the next step is for them to become the 0:17:48.840 --> 0:17:52.080 core players on this team, the next Mike Daniels, the 0:17:52.080 --> 0:17:55.520 next Clay Matthews or Nick Perry, guys like that and 0:17:55.800 --> 0:17:57.840 Clark and Martinez. There's gonna be a lot on those 0:17:57.880 --> 0:18:00.840 two guys in team based on what he did last season. 0:18:00.840 --> 0:18:02.720 And let's be honest, Mike, the Green Bay Packers in 0:18:02.720 --> 0:18:05.360 two months time could take Marcus Davenport, they could take 0:18:05.400 --> 0:18:09.119 some of these top guys at number fourteen in the draft. Ultimately, 0:18:09.440 --> 0:18:11.240 where they're gonna go in two thousand eighteen is gonna 0:18:11.240 --> 0:18:13.120 be driven by those second and third year players. History 0:18:13.160 --> 0:18:14.520 has proven that. You go back and look at the 0:18:14.600 --> 0:18:17.320 success Mike Petton had with the New York Jets. A 0:18:17.400 --> 0:18:19.680 lot of it, especially in those early years, was making 0:18:19.720 --> 0:18:22.360 do with what he already had in creating stars out 0:18:22.400 --> 0:18:24.440 of that the Darrell rivas Is of the world. I'm 0:18:24.480 --> 0:18:26.600 not saying that they need to Marius Randall to become 0:18:26.640 --> 0:18:29.040 that player, but the more you get out of those guys, 0:18:29.040 --> 0:18:31.680 the more you can harness that ability is ultimately I think, 0:18:31.680 --> 0:18:33.720 going to take this defense to where they wanted to be. Yeah, 0:18:33.720 --> 0:18:36.480 and Larry, do you subscribe to the theory as well? Obviously, 0:18:36.560 --> 0:18:39.000 the Packers are here, the free agency's coming up there 0:18:39.040 --> 0:18:41.600 here for the draft, They're going to make player acquisitions 0:18:41.640 --> 0:18:44.520 to improve the team. But do you also subscribe to 0:18:44.600 --> 0:18:47.680 that theory that the greatest improvement is going to come 0:18:47.920 --> 0:18:50.840 from the guys who are already in the locker room. 0:18:50.960 --> 0:18:53.800 That's usually been the case. History says as much. And 0:18:53.880 --> 0:18:57.800 to expect a draft class, even one, if it winds 0:18:57.880 --> 0:19:02.240 up numbering twelve two weeks fact, it's gonna totally change 0:19:02.920 --> 0:19:05.920 everything about the team for the better. Well, those are 0:19:06.000 --> 0:19:10.320 awfully big expectations. Now, can you hit on a few? 0:19:10.480 --> 0:19:12.159 You hit on a few, you know, the difference between 0:19:12.160 --> 0:19:15.000 winning and losing and good and not so good, not 0:19:15.119 --> 0:19:17.920 a great deal. And you get started on the right foot, 0:19:17.960 --> 0:19:20.080 and you get guys kind of rallying and believing, and 0:19:20.119 --> 0:19:22.800 suddenly a guy or two that can make a player 0:19:22.920 --> 0:19:26.240 two can make a big difference. Yeah. Absolutely, With that, 0:19:26.280 --> 0:19:28.080 we will throw it to a break back with more 0:19:28.200 --> 0:19:32.040 on Packers Unscripted from the NFL Scouting Combine right after this. 0:19:43.720 --> 0:19:47.080 Welcome back to Packers Unscripted from the NFL Scouting Combine 0:19:47.119 --> 0:19:51.480 in downtown Indy, Larry McCarron, Mike Spofford, and Wes Hodkowits 0:19:51.520 --> 0:19:55.800 and West before we go, Ted Thompson, former Packers general manager, 0:19:55.840 --> 0:19:59.240 actually not here at the NFL scouting combine. I can't 0:19:59.280 --> 0:20:02.439 even imagine. Maybe one was the last time he wasn't 0:20:02.760 --> 0:20:11.640 at a scouting comment. Probably not, but um, but Brian, Yeah, 0:20:11.640 --> 0:20:15.640 maybe Brian Goodacoon is telling us that that Ted Thompson 0:20:15.760 --> 0:20:18.160