WEBVTT - #419 Packers Unscripted: Another perspective 0:00:00.600 --> 0:00:15.400 Ye. Welcome to Packers Unscripted. I am Mike Spoffer, joined 0:00:15.400 --> 0:00:18.880 today by a very special guest, Aaron Nagler. Welcome to 0:00:18.920 --> 0:00:21.360 the show. Well, thanks for having me. I couldn't believe 0:00:21.360 --> 0:00:23.279 I got in the door. It's pretty impressive. This is 0:00:23.320 --> 0:00:25.079 a nice set up you guys got. Well, Aaron is 0:00:25.160 --> 0:00:28.240 here for covering Packers training camp for the first couple 0:00:28.280 --> 0:00:31.040 of weeks. We thought we'd take advantage of his visit 0:00:31.320 --> 0:00:33.040 to get him on the show and talk a little 0:00:33.080 --> 0:00:36.600 Packers football. Aaron, We're coming off of Family Night last 0:00:36.600 --> 0:00:40.000 Friday night, kind of the big moment, you'd say, in 0:00:40.080 --> 0:00:43.920 training camp before that first preseason game. A lot of 0:00:43.920 --> 0:00:46.040 different standouts on both sides of the ball, But I 0:00:46.040 --> 0:00:48.760 want to start on the offensive side. What caught your 0:00:48.800 --> 0:00:51.239 eye on Family Night? Well, it's interesting. I know a 0:00:51.280 --> 0:00:54.560 lot of headlines have been generated around the receivers, you know, 0:00:54.600 --> 0:00:57.560 Trevor Davis, et cetera. But I'm gonna go with Dexter 0:00:57.640 --> 0:01:01.120 Williams and I don't think he had an standing evening. 0:01:01.160 --> 0:01:04.120 I mean, he had his ups and downs, but continually 0:01:04.360 --> 0:01:07.959 through camp so far, and then particularly on Family Night, 0:01:08.240 --> 0:01:11.880 you saw him in Blitz pick up. Really know his 0:01:11.920 --> 0:01:14.960 assignments have them down. And you've been around a long 0:01:15.000 --> 0:01:17.560 time watching Packers rookie backs come in and just be 0:01:18.000 --> 0:01:20.680 completely overwhelmed when it comes to picking up the blitz, right, 0:01:20.840 --> 0:01:23.920 I think it's really encouraging to see where he is 0:01:24.080 --> 0:01:28.039 at this point. Yeah. Well, certainly nobody wanted Aaron Jones 0:01:28.080 --> 0:01:30.319 and Jamal Williams to have to sit out the time 0:01:30.319 --> 0:01:33.319 that they have with some minor injuries. But it's been 0:01:33.360 --> 0:01:35.800 a heck of an opportunity for Dexter Williams, a sixth 0:01:35.840 --> 0:01:38.200 round pick out of Notre Dame, coming into camp as 0:01:38.200 --> 0:01:41.080 the number three running back, to not only get reps 0:01:41.120 --> 0:01:44.440 with the number one offense, but just the sheer volume 0:01:44.480 --> 0:01:48.760 of opportunity getting Yeah, and I mean this can be 0:01:48.800 --> 0:01:52.240 really important for a young guy that the Packers they 0:01:52.320 --> 0:01:55.080 drafted him for a reason, they want to find where 0:01:55.120 --> 0:01:58.200 he fits in this offense. Even though you know Aaron 0:01:58.280 --> 0:02:00.560 Jones when healthy is going to be the number one 0:02:00.560 --> 0:02:03.120 guy here. But where do you see Dexter Williams perhaps 0:02:03.160 --> 0:02:06.120 fitting into this mix. Well, he does seem to be 0:02:06.200 --> 0:02:09.200 such a perfect scheme fit. A lot was talked about 0:02:09.240 --> 0:02:12.280 after the draft about the zone scheme in his place 0:02:12.360 --> 0:02:13.959 in it and his ability to stick his foot in 0:02:14.000 --> 0:02:15.959 the ground and get up field when he sees that crease. 0:02:16.040 --> 0:02:19.000 And you've seen that on the practice field. You've seen 0:02:19.080 --> 0:02:21.640 where you know, he hits his aiming point and all 0:02:21.680 --> 0:02:25.840 of a sudden he spies that little cutback and he's gone. Um. 0:02:25.880 --> 0:02:29.320 It is interesting. Jamal Williams obviously has been out much 0:02:29.360 --> 0:02:33.160 longer than Aaron Jones has. I do wonder if that 0:02:33.320 --> 0:02:36.520 gives Dexter Williams a bit of an opportunity to maybe 0:02:36.600 --> 0:02:40.359 become Obviously, I don't think he's going to be splitting 0:02:40.360 --> 0:02:43.560 carries with Aaron Jones anytime soon, but it could give 0:02:43.639 --> 0:02:46.400 him a bit of a crease to wedge himself in 0:02:46.400 --> 0:02:48.720 there to be the guy who's in the rotation. And 0:02:48.760 --> 0:02:51.080 the longer Jamal is out, you never know what these injuries, 0:02:51.120 --> 0:02:54.560 but the longer he's out, the more opportunities Dexter has 0:02:54.600 --> 0:02:57.000 to put stuff on tape and to make the coaching 0:02:57.040 --> 0:02:59.839 staff more comfortable with him. I could see him being 0:02:59.840 --> 0:03:02.680 a guy who gets, you know, five six touches a game, 0:03:03.040 --> 0:03:04.880 at least early on in the season. Yeah, I think 0:03:04.919 --> 0:03:07.480 that's definitely a possibility, and we'll see how the rest 0:03:07.520 --> 0:03:10.639 of this preseason goes. But with Jamal Williams out as 0:03:10.680 --> 0:03:13.040 long as he has been to this point, you would 0:03:13.040 --> 0:03:15.440 certainly think that Dexter Williams is going to get a 0:03:15.440 --> 0:03:18.280 big opportunity in this opening preseason game against the Houston 0:03:18.320 --> 0:03:21.919 Texans to really cement what he's done in the first 0:03:21.919 --> 0:03:26.200 couple of weeks of training camp. Elsewhere offensively, you mentioned, 0:03:26.240 --> 0:03:29.360 obviously the receivers Trevor Davis and Jake Kumer. I thought, 0:03:29.400 --> 0:03:34.240 simply continued continued what they've been doing all training camp 0:03:34.520 --> 0:03:37.160 in terms of their bids to to make this team 0:03:37.160 --> 0:03:40.320 and to get into the receiver rotation. The other thing 0:03:40.320 --> 0:03:43.240 I thought that stood out, and I know Matt Lafleur's 0:03:43.320 --> 0:03:45.920 kind of was joking in a couple of press commerce 0:03:46.040 --> 0:03:49.080 is about how the officials were a little generous with 0:03:49.160 --> 0:03:51.680 the with where they were spotting the ball and how 0:03:51.720 --> 0:03:53.680 many yards they were giving the offense here and there. 0:03:53.680 --> 0:03:57.000 But I thought in one of the move the ball 0:03:57.080 --> 0:03:59.680 drills and in the two minute drive, I thought this 0:03:59.720 --> 0:04:03.120 path Ker's offense, the ones with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, 0:04:03.160 --> 0:04:05.720 I thought they looked as smooth and efficient as they've 0:04:05.760 --> 0:04:08.600 looked really throughout camp. And the thing that stood out 0:04:08.600 --> 0:04:11.360 to me about it more than anything, was the way 0:04:11.440 --> 0:04:14.160 Rogers was spreading the ball around. It was Adams, then 0:04:14.160 --> 0:04:16.279 it was Kumero, then it was Jimmy Graham, and it 0:04:16.320 --> 0:04:18.760 was Geronimo Alison. That ball was going to four or 0:04:18.800 --> 0:04:22.240 five different receivers within a given drive. That's exactly what 0:04:22.279 --> 0:04:25.839 Matt Lafleur wants, right, Yeah, and the ability. It's funny 0:04:25.839 --> 0:04:28.120 because we saw early on in camp it was the 0:04:28.240 --> 0:04:31.560 Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams show. I mean, day in 0:04:31.560 --> 0:04:33.400 and day out, it was clear. And some of that 0:04:33.520 --> 0:04:36.000 is because obviously Davante is the number one guy in 0:04:36.040 --> 0:04:38.279 the progression, so you're gonna if he's open, he's gonna 0:04:38.320 --> 0:04:40.280 get the ball. And Davante Adams is open a lot. 0:04:40.960 --> 0:04:44.559 But as camp has gone on, you've seen Aaron really 0:04:44.600 --> 0:04:47.440 start to work with these other guys, really spreading it out, 0:04:47.440 --> 0:04:50.240 like you said, and I do think I mean it's 0:04:50.240 --> 0:04:52.560 funny because you've seen one guy we haven't talked about 0:04:52.600 --> 0:04:56.280 in that mixes Uh Vitality, the fullback who has been 0:04:56.360 --> 0:04:59.880 a legit receiving weapon. I mean, people traditionally don't think 0:04:59.880 --> 0:05:03.320 of the fullback as a receiver, but he certainly has 0:05:03.360 --> 0:05:05.400 been so far in camp in this offense. You talk 0:05:05.440 --> 0:05:09.240 about Matt Lafleur's hopes and dreams for this offense. Not 0:05:09.360 --> 0:05:10.960 only is he going to spread it out to all 0:05:11.000 --> 0:05:13.800 these different receivers, but he can play with personnel in 0:05:13.839 --> 0:05:16.600 a way. Okay, you bring a fullback in you think 0:05:16.640 --> 0:05:19.599 as a defensive coordinator. Okay, I got a counter with power, 0:05:19.640 --> 0:05:22.160 I got a counter with going big, and then all 0:05:22.160 --> 0:05:23.760 of a sudden, we saw it the other day where 0:05:23.839 --> 0:05:27.080 Vitality motions out of the backfield into the slot and 0:05:27.120 --> 0:05:30.440 then runs a wheel route. I mean, that's not traditionally 0:05:30.440 --> 0:05:33.080 what you're looking for from your fullback. It's all over 0:05:33.120 --> 0:05:36.080 the place, and I think all the receiving options are 0:05:36.160 --> 0:05:38.600 starting to gel with the quarterback and that's exciting. Yeah. 0:05:38.600 --> 0:05:41.039 And I think for those who want to read more 0:05:41.080 --> 0:05:44.560 about the fullback position, West actually has a story on 0:05:44.560 --> 0:05:47.440 our website right now about Vitality and everything that's been 0:05:47.480 --> 0:05:49.839 going on in training camp, going back to the very 0:05:49.880 --> 0:05:53.640 first day of camp. As I think you know, right, 0:05:53.680 --> 0:05:55.520 and that's what I was going to say. The very 0:05:55.560 --> 0:05:59.160 first pass in eleven on eleven in this training camp 0:05:59.200 --> 0:06:01.240 went to day anybody tell you? And I actually mentioned 0:06:01.240 --> 0:06:03.680 that in our Three Things video that we do with 0:06:03.800 --> 0:06:06.080 Larry and John that it's like, if you want to 0:06:06.120 --> 0:06:08.760 sign that there's a place for a fullback in this offense. 0:06:08.839 --> 0:06:11.040 Look at the very first play of eleven on eleven 0:06:11.080 --> 0:06:13.839 in this training camp. But as you said, it's not 0:06:13.960 --> 0:06:16.880 just the fullback leaking out as like a checkdown guy. 0:06:17.440 --> 0:06:20.240 That there is some of that, but there is also 0:06:20.320 --> 0:06:23.279 the fullback running a wheel route or even running down 0:06:23.279 --> 0:06:25.200 the scene, like down the hash and if it's there 0:06:25.240 --> 0:06:27.719 and if it's the right matchup, Roger's gonna throw the 0:06:27.720 --> 0:06:30.360 ball at direction. What's great is it On Sunday they 0:06:30.440 --> 0:06:33.799 ran Vitality down the scene and he was wide open, 0:06:34.000 --> 0:06:36.479 I mean wide open. Rogers hays something for a big game. 0:06:36.920 --> 0:06:39.640 So that tells you, you know, the defense is so 0:06:39.680 --> 0:06:42.600 worried about those other receiving options. If Aaron can get 0:06:42.640 --> 0:06:45.360 those going, they're going to forget about the fullback because 0:06:45.400 --> 0:06:48.400 you're not as a defensive back or a defensive coordinator. 0:06:48.640 --> 0:06:51.040 It's just not You're the primary guy you're gonna be 0:06:51.080 --> 0:06:53.720 focusing on. You're gonna be rolling coverage to Adams. You're 0:06:53.760 --> 0:06:55.919 gonna be worried about Jimmy Graham up the same and 0:06:55.920 --> 0:06:58.880 then here comes vitality screaming wide open, and it's a 0:06:58.880 --> 0:07:01.880 lot of possibilities. Yeah, well before we switch gears to 0:07:01.920 --> 0:07:04.000 the defensive side, Aaron, and you take care of a 0:07:04.000 --> 0:07:08.440 little bit of sponsor business. Select Cousin Subs locations are 0:07:08.480 --> 0:07:12.320 now offering delivery. Whether you're ordering catering or your favorite sub, 0:07:12.400 --> 0:07:15.560 they're delivering right to you when you order online at 0:07:15.600 --> 0:07:20.440 Cousin Subs dot com. Cousin Subs. We believe in better alright, 0:07:20.520 --> 0:07:23.080 defensive side of the ball. When it comes to Family Night, 0:07:23.360 --> 0:07:25.960 what caught your eye? You know, there were a number 0:07:26.000 --> 0:07:29.720 of plays where you know, you always like to watch 0:07:29.720 --> 0:07:32.200 the young guys, you know. Aaron Rodgers mentioned it at 0:07:32.200 --> 0:07:34.920 his locker last week in regards to what he was 0:07:34.920 --> 0:07:38.000 looking forward to for Family Night, And you want to 0:07:38.000 --> 0:07:40.000 watch the young guys how they respond to being under 0:07:40.000 --> 0:07:42.960 the lights. It's such a big crowd for a practice. Um, 0:07:43.000 --> 0:07:47.120 I thought a couple of guys too, In particular, Montravius 0:07:47.160 --> 0:07:49.360 Adams had a play where he was so quick off 0:07:49.360 --> 0:07:52.120 the ball he completely ruined everything they were trying to 0:07:52.160 --> 0:07:56.360 do on offense. And then Rashan Gary, I think, holy cow, 0:07:56.520 --> 0:07:59.239 you see the athleticism you see the burst, you see 0:07:59.600 --> 0:08:02.480 the pot stability is the ceiling, as scouts like to say, 0:08:02.720 --> 0:08:06.400 is so so high because he can do. No man 0:08:06.440 --> 0:08:08.600 that big and that's strong should be running that fast. 0:08:08.720 --> 0:08:11.320 And there are so many instances where and some of 0:08:11.320 --> 0:08:12.760 this was against the two, so you take it with 0:08:12.800 --> 0:08:15.840 a grain of salt, right, He's just wrecking things and 0:08:16.680 --> 0:08:20.800 closing on the ball so quickly. You do think this 0:08:20.840 --> 0:08:23.680 is a major chess piece for Mike Patton. Yeah, well, 0:08:23.680 --> 0:08:25.400 that's what I was going to say. And I mentioned 0:08:25.440 --> 0:08:27.840 this in our Insider Inbox column the other day because 0:08:27.840 --> 0:08:29.800 a lot of people are asking about Gary West, and 0:08:29.800 --> 0:08:31.880 I have been talking about him a lot because he 0:08:32.000 --> 0:08:35.080 does stand out on the practice field almost every day. 0:08:35.120 --> 0:08:38.520 But it's time for Rashaan Gary to get more reps 0:08:38.520 --> 0:08:42.760 against number one offensive because because the twos and the threes, 0:08:43.160 --> 0:08:45.240 he has nothing left to prove against those. I mean, 0:08:45.240 --> 0:08:48.160 he stole to beer Soul yesterday on the practice field. 0:08:48.400 --> 0:08:51.400 There are just moments where he is a complete mismatch 0:08:51.520 --> 0:08:54.160 for some of these, you know, and that's these guys 0:08:54.200 --> 0:08:57.240 are doing work. They're doing you know, They're every rep 0:08:57.280 --> 0:08:59.400 is valuable. You're gonna learn something from both sides of 0:08:59.440 --> 0:09:03.000 the ball. But if you're continually winning with ease, okay, 0:09:03.040 --> 0:09:05.439 it's time to let's let's see him go against Ryan 0:09:05.440 --> 0:09:08.040 Bolago or David Batari, Right yeah, I mean it's it's 0:09:08.080 --> 0:09:10.280 definitely gotten to that point, and I think we're going 0:09:10.320 --> 0:09:12.959 to see that as camp goes along, and certainly he's 0:09:12.960 --> 0:09:16.040 going to get reps in the preseason games, hopefully when 0:09:16.080 --> 0:09:19.080 the other team has its number one offensive line out there. 0:09:19.360 --> 0:09:22.240 Obviously the other thing with regards to family and on 0:09:22.280 --> 0:09:25.920 the defensive side of the ball, a couple of big interceptions. UH. 0:09:26.040 --> 0:09:29.360 Packers working on their cornerback depth, which now Kevin King 0:09:29.480 --> 0:09:31.959 has another hamstring injury, he's dealing with it. The depth 0:09:31.960 --> 0:09:35.520 at the cornerback position is going to be important, and 0:09:35.640 --> 0:09:38.640 UH we saw Tony Brown with a pick six. He 0:09:38.720 --> 0:09:42.160 jumps the sideline route, uh snags Deshaun Kaiser's pass and 0:09:42.200 --> 0:09:44.040 takes to the house and then kedar Holm in the 0:09:44.120 --> 0:09:48.080 rookie sixth round pick out of um A heck of 0:09:48.080 --> 0:09:51.880 a heck of a play. He attacks a essentially I 0:09:51.880 --> 0:09:53.240 don't know if you call it a slant or a 0:09:53.240 --> 0:09:56.440 stop route either way, but he gets the deflection, the 0:09:56.440 --> 0:09:58.720 ball pops way up in the air and then Chandon 0:09:58.760 --> 0:10:03.640 Sullivan another uck he comes and makes a diving interception. Um. 0:10:03.679 --> 0:10:06.200 A really good play by by both players there. But 0:10:06.480 --> 0:10:08.679 these guys number twenty and twenty nine, and they happened 0:10:08.679 --> 0:10:11.079 to be consecutive on the roster. But Tony Brown and 0:10:11.320 --> 0:10:14.160 dar Holman, these are two guys who could end up 0:10:14.160 --> 0:10:16.840 playing some important roles on this defense going forward. You 0:10:16.920 --> 0:10:19.439 mentioned Kevin King being out, Tony Brown steps in with 0:10:19.480 --> 0:10:23.080 the ones on stirring Sunday's practice. So you know that's 0:10:23.160 --> 0:10:26.080 the confidence the coaches seem to have in him. And 0:10:26.120 --> 0:10:29.320 I think for good reason. Anybody who has uh come 0:10:29.360 --> 0:10:32.280 here from Cheese Had TV knows. I've talked Tony Brown 0:10:32.400 --> 0:10:35.680 up all summer. I thought he got limited playing time, 0:10:35.720 --> 0:10:37.320 even more a little more playing time towards the end 0:10:37.320 --> 0:10:40.280 of the year last year. UM. I think people, most 0:10:40.320 --> 0:10:43.200 fans maybe remember him for the penalties, the two penalties 0:10:43.240 --> 0:10:45.280 earlier in the season last year. But I'm here to 0:10:45.280 --> 0:10:48.040 tell you this kid can play. He's got everything they 0:10:48.080 --> 0:10:53.520 need in Petton's defense, manning man defense especially, UM. And 0:10:53.600 --> 0:10:55.240 I don't I think he's picked up right where he 0:10:55.360 --> 0:10:57.240 left off. He's continuing to be I think he's an 0:10:57.240 --> 0:11:00.520 ascending player, and I'm with you. I mean, I've had 0:11:00.520 --> 0:11:02.120 a lot of kind of pushback for the pick six, 0:11:02.160 --> 0:11:04.120 people saying, oh, it was a poor throw, but there 0:11:04.160 --> 0:11:07.319 are no poor throws on Sundays in the NFL weekend 0:11:07.320 --> 0:11:11.120 a week out. There are poor throws. Job back is 0:11:11.160 --> 0:11:14.000 to take advantage of it. That's exactly what he did. Um. 0:11:14.000 --> 0:11:17.360 I'm really excited about Tony Brown and I Holman. What 0:11:17.480 --> 0:11:20.560 a find. This kid can play some man defense. Yeah, 0:11:21.080 --> 0:11:24.000 obviously that's pretty important in Mike scheme. He's an aggressive, 0:11:24.120 --> 0:11:26.959 in your face corner. Another guy who's getting some reps 0:11:27.000 --> 0:11:29.960 with the ones. So it's clear that the work they've 0:11:30.000 --> 0:11:32.720 done this offseason is starting to translate here when the 0:11:32.720 --> 0:11:36.240 pads are on, they're they're going in live situations. And 0:11:36.559 --> 0:11:39.080 I mean, so far, and it's still very early, but 0:11:39.160 --> 0:11:41.439 so far, these guys are answering the bell. Yeah. Well, 0:11:41.480 --> 0:11:44.400 I talked with Tony Brown after practice on Sunday. I'm 0:11:44.400 --> 0:11:47.840 actually working on a story for later in the week 0:11:47.920 --> 0:11:50.600 with as you said, him stepping in for Kevin King 0:11:50.640 --> 0:11:53.320 and working with that number one Nickel defense as a 0:11:53.320 --> 0:11:56.240 boundary corner. I talked to him about how things got 0:11:56.280 --> 0:11:58.520 off to a bit of a rocky start last year. 0:11:58.920 --> 0:12:06.400 He had that really bad on sportsmanlike conduct. But but 0:12:06.480 --> 0:12:08.600 what I what I asked him about when a when 0:12:08.600 --> 0:12:11.480 a brand new undrafted guy comes on the team and 0:12:11.559 --> 0:12:15.080 basically that's his his first foray onto the field in 0:12:15.080 --> 0:12:18.160 a game, and you make a really really bad and 0:12:18.200 --> 0:12:20.560 what a lot of people would consider a stupid mistake 0:12:20.640 --> 0:12:23.040 like that. I asked him to, you know, did you 0:12:23.080 --> 0:12:24.880 think you were even gonna be able to stick around here? 0:12:25.080 --> 0:12:27.960 And the fact that he did and he and he said, hey, 0:12:28.040 --> 0:12:32.400 you know, he obviously made the case that Okay, I 0:12:32.400 --> 0:12:35.679 gotta learn from it. It's not going to happen again, etcetera, etcetera. 0:12:36.360 --> 0:12:39.160 But the fact that the Packers stuck with him says 0:12:39.240 --> 0:12:41.280 something about his talent, because there are a lot of 0:12:41.280 --> 0:12:45.719 guys in that situation with really no pedigree. They make 0:12:45.760 --> 0:12:47.480 a mistake like that in the game that the team 0:12:47.559 --> 0:12:50.320 ends up losing there on the street and the GM 0:12:50.400 --> 0:12:52.320 is finding another guy on the roster to replace him 0:12:52.320 --> 0:12:54.720 the next day. That didn't happen with Tony Brown, and 0:12:54.760 --> 0:12:57.800 that says something about what this personnel department thinks he 0:12:57.840 --> 0:13:00.160 can become. Absolutely, I mean, like I said, I've think 0:13:00.280 --> 0:13:03.040 all the tools and the talent are there. And it's funny. 0:13:03.200 --> 0:13:05.720 People remember the penalty, but they don't remember he's celebrating 0:13:06.080 --> 0:13:08.959 because he makes He makes a great play on third 0:13:09.000 --> 0:13:11.160 down which should have got them off the field, but 0:13:11.200 --> 0:13:14.360 it didn't because of penalty. But it just he the 0:13:14.440 --> 0:13:17.040 kid makes plays. He is in position more often than not. 0:13:17.120 --> 0:13:18.520 And if you're going to test him, and you got 0:13:18.600 --> 0:13:21.840 to think if for whatever reason, he has to play, 0:13:22.440 --> 0:13:25.679 you know, significant minutes this season. Well, people aren't going 0:13:25.720 --> 0:13:28.280 after Alexander. They're going to go after Tony Brown. Yeah, 0:13:28.280 --> 0:13:30.640 they're going to attack. So hey, good luck to you, 0:13:30.679 --> 0:13:32.000 because I think this kid is gonna be up to 0:13:32.040 --> 0:13:33.800 the challenge. Yeah, and this is a kid he likes 0:13:33.840 --> 0:13:37.040 to trash with a with Aaron Rodgers no less two. 0:13:37.040 --> 0:13:40.520 He likes to try to get it. He said, you 0:13:40.600 --> 0:13:45.040 like completing one on him, so he shuts up. Yeah. Yeah, 0:13:45.400 --> 0:13:47.640 Well we got a few more minutes here, Aaron. And 0:13:47.760 --> 0:13:49.760 you've been here since the start of training camp. I 0:13:49.760 --> 0:13:52.320 think you're you're here through the first preseason, right after 0:13:52.320 --> 0:13:54.480 the I'll be here through the Texans preseason game, then 0:13:54.480 --> 0:13:57.080 I fly out on Friday. Okay, well, just give me 0:13:57.120 --> 0:14:00.240 your general observations. This is the first we've really seen 0:14:00.640 --> 0:14:04.040 this Matt Laflor offense in eleven on eleven, full contact 0:14:04.080 --> 0:14:08.480 type of work. What are your overall impressions from from 0:14:08.480 --> 0:14:11.240 a scheme perspective, What jumps out at you in terms 0:14:11.240 --> 0:14:13.800 of what you're seeing out there. Well, it's funny. The 0:14:14.880 --> 0:14:18.680 watchwords have been the phrase that both he and Aaron 0:14:18.760 --> 0:14:21.880 Rodgers have kind of glommed onto repeatedly as work in progress, 0:14:22.160 --> 0:14:24.520 and I think that's certainly what we've seen so far, 0:14:25.680 --> 0:14:29.720 especially recently on Sunday. The defense just owned the offense, 0:14:29.840 --> 0:14:31.680 and I think part of it They're going against a 0:14:31.760 --> 0:14:33.920 very talented group on the defensive side of the ball, 0:14:33.920 --> 0:14:35.360 so I think there was always going to be a 0:14:35.360 --> 0:14:38.520 bit of stubbing your toe as you get going. When 0:14:38.560 --> 0:14:41.880 things start flowing on offense, and they have in like 0:14:42.600 --> 0:14:45.320 bits and pieces here and there. It's exciting to watch, 0:14:45.600 --> 0:14:47.720 and you do get that sense of they could hurt 0:14:47.760 --> 0:14:51.400 you any possible way, like whether it's at one point 0:14:51.480 --> 0:14:54.640 they were working five wide, which is kind of a 0:14:54.720 --> 0:14:57.560 very Mike McCarthy esque looking thing, but they can go 0:14:57.640 --> 0:14:59.880 there if they want. And Aaron was so great. My 0:15:00.160 --> 0:15:02.040 was Patton was trying to bring all these blitzes, and 0:15:02.040 --> 0:15:04.400 they were working on picking up pressure in an empty situation, 0:15:04.800 --> 0:15:07.640 Aaron just picks it apart or they go power and 0:15:07.800 --> 0:15:10.640 they're running that zone scheme, and all of a sudden, 0:15:10.640 --> 0:15:13.040 you got these backs with holes open and you see 0:15:13.320 --> 0:15:16.560 like the possibilities, and then bootleg action off of that, 0:15:16.600 --> 0:15:20.440 which is the Shanahan tree staple from the quarterback um, 0:15:20.520 --> 0:15:23.720 and then you've got all the receiving options. I think 0:15:24.640 --> 0:15:28.360 it's gonna be slow going, and I know people want to. 0:15:29.120 --> 0:15:31.920 I think the sense I get from some fans is, well, 0:15:32.000 --> 0:15:34.840 it's the Sean McVeigh offense. It's the Kyle Shanahan offense. 0:15:34.960 --> 0:15:37.320 We're gonna look like that, right, And I just don't 0:15:37.320 --> 0:15:40.000 think it's that simple. I think it will be a 0:15:40.080 --> 0:15:43.040 bit kind of stop and start fits and starts as 0:15:43.080 --> 0:15:47.520 the season begins. But the potential you can see it 0:15:47.560 --> 0:15:50.000 each and every day on the practice field there. It 0:15:50.040 --> 0:15:52.240 will take a bit for it all to gel, but 0:15:52.320 --> 0:15:54.440 once it does, it's going to be scary. Yeah. Well, 0:15:54.440 --> 0:15:57.280 one thing our colleague John Coon has talked about a 0:15:57.320 --> 0:16:00.280 lot in our Three Things videos and other play is 0:16:00.520 --> 0:16:02.880 all of the shifts and motions that we're going on 0:16:03.080 --> 0:16:07.000 with this offense. And you see you see jet sweep 0:16:07.040 --> 0:16:10.360 type action with the wide sometimes sometimes they get the ball, 0:16:10.400 --> 0:16:12.840 sometimes they don't. And those are the kinds of things 0:16:12.880 --> 0:16:15.920 that you know, they're they're running the bootleg action and 0:16:15.960 --> 0:16:19.960 things like that off of that. There's they're just there 0:16:19.960 --> 0:16:23.760 are so many things going on, you know, so to 0:16:23.800 --> 0:16:26.360 speak that and and that's what Matt Lafleur means when 0:16:26.360 --> 0:16:29.280 he talks about the the illusion of complexity, because for 0:16:29.320 --> 0:16:33.560 the players out there, it's not necessarily complex for them, 0:16:34.000 --> 0:16:38.120 but it's throwing a lot of the motions at the 0:16:38.240 --> 0:16:42.000 defense to get them to to distract them essentially, get 0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:44.560 them off their keys and uh, and to get them 0:16:44.560 --> 0:16:47.560 think something is coming when it's something else that is 0:16:47.600 --> 0:16:49.920 built off of something that was run four or five 0:16:49.960 --> 0:16:53.600 plays ago. Um, that kind of thing. Most offenses are 0:16:53.680 --> 0:16:56.720 like that, I just in terms of in terms of 0:16:56.720 --> 0:16:58.560 how they build off of other things, you know what 0:16:58.560 --> 0:17:00.480 I mean. There's so much you talk about, like the 0:17:00.480 --> 0:17:03.880 shifts in the motion. Yeah, that's that's what that's And 0:17:03.920 --> 0:17:06.520 it's funny because you've seen and I think it kind 0:17:06.520 --> 0:17:08.879 of got onto the La Fleur's skin last week where 0:17:09.640 --> 0:17:12.560 there were like a number of plays in succession where 0:17:12.600 --> 0:17:15.879 there were pre snap penalties. You know, guys moving early, 0:17:16.200 --> 0:17:17.880 or two guys move at the same time, et cetera. 0:17:18.000 --> 0:17:21.000 Things you just can't have. And I think it's to 0:17:21.040 --> 0:17:25.000 be expected when you're incorporating everything we're talking about here. 0:17:25.560 --> 0:17:28.560 It's it's very new for some of these guys, and 0:17:28.640 --> 0:17:30.840 so I think you stepped back and you look at 0:17:30.880 --> 0:17:32.760 it thirty feet You're like, yeah, of course this is 0:17:32.760 --> 0:17:34.720 going to happen. This is how you've got to expect 0:17:34.760 --> 0:17:37.480 to begin. But if you're the head coach, you've got 0:17:37.480 --> 0:17:41.000 to demand that they clean this up because you can't. 0:17:40.280 --> 0:17:43.439 It's got to get sharp. And it's interesting. It's a 0:17:43.440 --> 0:17:45.800 fun juxtaposition when you're out there with all the music 0:17:46.119 --> 0:17:49.480 that the floor has going from the moment I mean, 0:17:49.560 --> 0:17:51.479 from the moment you step on the practice field, at 0:17:51.480 --> 0:17:54.640 the moment it's over, there is blaring music and it's 0:17:54.640 --> 0:17:56.320 a great I mean, it's a great mix. I'm I'm 0:17:56.359 --> 0:17:58.479 not I love it, but I don't have to like 0:17:58.680 --> 0:18:03.280 practice in it, you know, I mean, And then all 0:18:03.320 --> 0:18:05.720 of a sudden, it's like, Okay, now I gotta go like, okay, well, 0:18:05.760 --> 0:18:07.520 then why do you think there are priest and penalties 0:18:07.520 --> 0:18:10.320 because guys are like kind of vibe and it's been 0:18:10.320 --> 0:18:13.200 a fun mix in that regard in it, it's been 0:18:13.240 --> 0:18:16.440 a big time departure from what we've been used to. Well. 0:18:16.440 --> 0:18:20.280 On the defensive side, you mentioned obviously Mike Petton second year, 0:18:21.080 --> 0:18:24.400 a lot of new personnel, but we're seeing the defense 0:18:24.440 --> 0:18:27.199 certainly ahead of the offense in training camp, which is 0:18:27.320 --> 0:18:29.720 which is to be expected. One guy that I wrote 0:18:29.720 --> 0:18:34.000 about on our website after Sunday's practice was Darius Smith. 0:18:34.080 --> 0:18:36.480 We heard from him in the locker room with interviews 0:18:36.520 --> 0:18:39.960 for the first time since training camp started, and uh, 0:18:40.160 --> 0:18:43.240 this is a really You talked about Rashan Gary before 0:18:43.240 --> 0:18:46.960 as being an interesting piece. Zadarius Smith is a really 0:18:47.000 --> 0:18:50.360 really intriguing guy to me because me and a few 0:18:50.359 --> 0:18:52.960 other reporters we were trying to pin him down like Okay, well, 0:18:52.960 --> 0:18:55.720 what's your best pass restaurants, what's the what's your favorite 0:18:55.720 --> 0:18:57.320 spot where you want to line up? And he's like 0:18:57.640 --> 0:19:01.720 he's not interested in being pigeonhole day at all. He's like, Hey, 0:19:01.760 --> 0:19:04.040 I'll go to any move I'll line up anywhere you 0:19:04.040 --> 0:19:06.200 want me to line up. This is a this is 0:19:06.280 --> 0:19:11.320 a really interesting guy who was in essence, a backup 0:19:11.359 --> 0:19:14.560 guy behind some really, really good players in Baltimore the 0:19:14.600 --> 0:19:17.320 first four years of his career. But from the day 0:19:17.359 --> 0:19:20.359 he walked into this Packers locker room, he became a 0:19:20.480 --> 0:19:22.560 leader on this defense. And that was even before Mike 0:19:22.600 --> 0:19:25.360 Daniels was released. And I think it's interesting you talk 0:19:25.400 --> 0:19:27.840 about everything he can do, You've seen that day in 0:19:27.840 --> 0:19:30.160 and day out on the practice field. I mean, he's 0:19:30.160 --> 0:19:33.280 a real chess piece. He's a guy that can dominate 0:19:33.359 --> 0:19:37.320 and dictate to the offense, and those guys are rare, 0:19:37.359 --> 0:19:40.879 and they tilt the field. And I think if you 0:19:40.880 --> 0:19:43.840 look at this defense as far as what it could be, 0:19:44.520 --> 0:19:48.720 he's a key, if not the key piece, because you 0:19:48.760 --> 0:19:51.440 can come from anywhere. Uh, he's going to cause all 0:19:51.440 --> 0:19:54.080 sorts of problems, and you're gonna have to kind of 0:19:54.160 --> 0:19:57.280 key on him as an offense and as an offensive 0:19:57.280 --> 0:20:00.480