WEBVTT - #317 Packers Unscripted: Setting the stage 0:00:00.760 --> 0:00:20.880 Hi, everybody, Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:21.000 --> 0:00:25.200 I am Mike Spofford, sitting alongside my trusted colleague West Hodkowitz. 0:00:25.200 --> 0:00:28.760 Were coming to you here from our studios at lambeau Field. West. 0:00:28.840 --> 0:00:32.280 We are one day closer to Week one Packers Bears 0:00:32.320 --> 0:00:36.600 Sunday Night football here at lambeau Field. And uh, it 0:00:36.640 --> 0:00:39.559 didn't take long this week for the first shot at 0:00:39.640 --> 0:00:42.720 bulletin board material. I guess you could say a chem 0:00:42.840 --> 0:00:46.080 Hicks defensive lineman lad the Packers and Sacks last year 0:00:46.120 --> 0:00:50.279 did a conference call with Green Bay Media and Um 0:00:50.720 --> 0:00:54.000 basically said, I don't think the Packers can block Khalil Mack. Now, 0:00:54.560 --> 0:00:58.240 for context, apparently he was in the trainer's room doing 0:00:58.280 --> 0:01:00.880 this conference call, and Khalil Mack was kind of right 0:01:00.920 --> 0:01:03.640 next to him, or at least within earshot. So I 0:01:03.680 --> 0:01:06.440 think he was having a little bit of fun and 0:01:06.440 --> 0:01:10.119 and you know, getting his new teammates attention in terms 0:01:10.160 --> 0:01:12.960 of the confidence that he has in him. Um, I 0:01:13.000 --> 0:01:15.880 think more fun than anything else. But yet you know, 0:01:15.959 --> 0:01:18.440 something to get people talking, Yeah, it was, I think 0:01:18.440 --> 0:01:21.080 it was. Brian Bulaga had the perfect comment about this, 0:01:21.160 --> 0:01:24.760 Like his teammates Koil Mac he's excited. He should be excited. 0:01:25.280 --> 0:01:27.280 Uh and and certainly when you add a guy of 0:01:27.360 --> 0:01:30.640 his caliber, how young he is, how accomplished he is 0:01:30.680 --> 0:01:33.440 despite being that young. Um, it's gonna add a lot 0:01:33.440 --> 0:01:35.600 of juice to a room. There's no question about that. 0:01:36.160 --> 0:01:39.319 The bigger thing I think that's it's always tough with 0:01:39.360 --> 0:01:41.880 stuff like this because I think sometimes things the context 0:01:41.880 --> 0:01:45.720 gets lost if you're just looking at a quote. Uh 0:01:45.880 --> 0:01:48.160 A Keem Hicks, I don't think he got on that 0:01:48.200 --> 0:01:50.920 conference call being like, oh, I just want to disrespect everybody. 0:01:51.320 --> 0:01:53.400 I think he just wanted to really pump up his 0:01:53.440 --> 0:01:56.080 teammate and talked about how excited he is personally. You know, 0:01:56.160 --> 0:01:58.800 he's he's coming off a pretty darn good year as well. 0:01:58.840 --> 0:02:00.280 And he said, you know, when you get a guy 0:02:00.360 --> 0:02:03.440 like you know, Khalil Mack in a defense, now that's 0:02:03.440 --> 0:02:05.280 gonna open up more one on ones for me. So 0:02:05.320 --> 0:02:06.880 it isn't just about what it's going to do to 0:02:06.920 --> 0:02:08.680 improve that group, it's what it's gonna do to help 0:02:08.760 --> 0:02:11.480 him as a pass rusher as well. Uh do you 0:02:11.520 --> 0:02:14.640 look at Mac and and you know Mattnege moments before 0:02:15.200 --> 0:02:17.320 Hicks was on the conference called nag was talking to 0:02:17.360 --> 0:02:19.639 Green Bay media, and you know, this whole week has 0:02:19.680 --> 0:02:23.040 basically been dedicated with Vic Fangio and those in those 0:02:23.080 --> 0:02:25.239 defensive coaches to try and to get Mac up to 0:02:25.320 --> 0:02:27.560 speed on what is going to be asked of him 0:02:27.560 --> 0:02:30.960 in this game. And from the Packers perspective, yes, it's 0:02:30.960 --> 0:02:34.120 an unscouted look if you look at your entire off season, 0:02:34.639 --> 0:02:37.120 but Brian Blog has seen him before. The Packers have 0:02:37.280 --> 0:02:40.240 gone against Mac before. It's gonna be about taking that knowledge, 0:02:40.280 --> 0:02:43.240 processing it quickly, and trying to put a good product 0:02:43.280 --> 0:02:45.080 out on the field on Sunday night. Yeah, what do 0:02:45.080 --> 0:02:47.839 you think of this matchup? Assuming that the matchup ends 0:02:47.880 --> 0:02:50.480 up being blogged against Mac, which is what most people 0:02:50.520 --> 0:02:54.320 are anticipating based on where Mac has lined up the 0:02:54.360 --> 0:02:57.240 majority of his career for the Oakland Raiders. You look 0:02:57.240 --> 0:03:01.240 back at that game in Oakland, when the Packers went 0:03:01.639 --> 0:03:04.440 out there first quarter. I believe I looked it up. 0:03:04.440 --> 0:03:06.520 I believe it was the second series of the game. 0:03:07.080 --> 0:03:10.320 Mac makes a wicked spin move and ends up getting 0:03:10.320 --> 0:03:13.240 a sack on Aaron Rodgers. And you know that early 0:03:13.280 --> 0:03:15.280 in the game, you're you're like, oh boy, here we go. 0:03:15.360 --> 0:03:17.639 And as you mentioned yesterday Mac was on this like 0:03:17.760 --> 0:03:22.040 you know, sack barrage of the last few weeks. But 0:03:22.120 --> 0:03:25.440 then for three the last three and a half quarters 0:03:25.440 --> 0:03:29.639 of that game, Khalil Mac added one assisted tackle to 0:03:29.720 --> 0:03:32.520 his stat line for the game, and that was over 0:03:32.639 --> 0:03:35.880 three and a half quarters. Now, Brian Blaga, to his credit, 0:03:35.960 --> 0:03:38.760 he's not he wasn't standing at his locker yesterday, you know, 0:03:38.840 --> 0:03:41.480 resting on that performance and saying, oh, you know, Khalil 0:03:41.560 --> 0:03:44.119 Mack I handled him before. You know, that's not That's 0:03:44.160 --> 0:03:48.240 not Brian's approach, as it shouldn't be. He knows he's 0:03:48.400 --> 0:03:50.320 going to have his hands full. It's going to be 0:03:50.360 --> 0:03:52.600 a fired up player. Guy wants to make the right 0:03:52.640 --> 0:03:55.160 impression with his new teammates, all of that kind of stuff. 0:03:55.560 --> 0:03:58.960 But Brian Blaga is, uh, he's down to business. He's 0:03:59.000 --> 0:04:01.480 a serious about this as it gets. He's confident in 0:04:01.560 --> 0:04:04.000 what he can do, but he also respects his opponent. Yeah, 0:04:04.000 --> 0:04:06.560 I mean, Brian blagh is such a pro at this point. 0:04:06.560 --> 0:04:10.040 I mean he's nine, you know, nine seasons into this now, Uh, 0:04:10.240 --> 0:04:14.160 nothing is really new to him. And the you know 0:04:14.240 --> 0:04:16.760 kind of analogy I threw out there, sort of thinking 0:04:16.800 --> 0:04:19.720 at this whole process is this isn't you and your 0:04:19.760 --> 0:04:23.839 buddies getting together for a football game on Saturday morning 0:04:23.960 --> 0:04:26.240 and going up against another group of players, another group 0:04:26.240 --> 0:04:28.920 of guys, and then somebody just brings out this you know, 0:04:29.080 --> 0:04:32.599 college former, you know, college player, Yeah, the ringer, And 0:04:32.640 --> 0:04:35.600 it's like, oh man, what are we gonna do about this? Um? Yeah, 0:04:35.600 --> 0:04:38.600 there is a short window here to prepare. I get that, 0:04:39.160 --> 0:04:42.880 but this is you know, the coaching staff, James Campon 0:04:43.480 --> 0:04:46.160 and Bolaga, you know, maybe even David Bactr a little bit, 0:04:46.160 --> 0:04:48.520 depending on how they want to use Mac. They're all 0:04:48.560 --> 0:04:50.560 prepared for this. You know. It's not like they're just 0:04:50.600 --> 0:04:53.080 going to be completely caught off guard. And you know, 0:04:53.120 --> 0:04:55.640 and I was thinking about Bolaga and kind of what 0:04:55.720 --> 0:04:57.400 you're talking about there with that Oakland game, and it 0:04:57.400 --> 0:05:00.120 goes back to something he said in Kansas City when 0:05:00.120 --> 0:05:01.440 he got the chance to go out there for a 0:05:01.440 --> 0:05:04.120 handful of snaps. The biggest thing he got out of 0:05:04.120 --> 0:05:08.279 those reps were going out there getting initial feel for 0:05:08.320 --> 0:05:11.400 the game, in making those in game adjustments, making the 0:05:11.480 --> 0:05:14.720 corrections that you can't make really when you're in practice. Yeah, 0:05:14.839 --> 0:05:17.640 you can do certain things, but it's different when it's live. 0:05:18.440 --> 0:05:20.760 I think that Oakland game was a perfect analogy of 0:05:20.839 --> 0:05:23.200 that in that you know, Mac threw a move out 0:05:23.200 --> 0:05:26.320 there early on, he learned from it, he adjusted, and 0:05:26.320 --> 0:05:28.160 then pitched to shut out the rest of the way. 0:05:28.800 --> 0:05:30.560 That's what you have to do against the player of 0:05:30.560 --> 0:05:33.799 this caliber, because he's a guy that's gonna get his rushes, 0:05:33.839 --> 0:05:36.279 he's gonna get his opportunities. He's too good not to. 0:05:36.960 --> 0:05:40.760 But it's about limiting those moments and really continuing to 0:05:40.760 --> 0:05:43.560 have consistency through the ups and downs of a game. 0:05:43.839 --> 0:05:45.520 And that's why I think it's really valuable having a 0:05:45.520 --> 0:05:48.040 guy like Brian Blog with his experience that you don't 0:05:48.080 --> 0:05:50.560 necessarily have a first or second year tackle out there 0:05:50.600 --> 0:05:53.599 against Mac. You have a guy that's been through everything 0:05:54.240 --> 0:05:56.720 right tackle can go through in this game, And for 0:05:56.760 --> 0:05:58.480 my money, that's the reason why I think going into 0:05:58.480 --> 0:06:00.280 this game, it's an excellent matchup to watch, but it's 0:06:00.279 --> 0:06:02.760 also not one that I think is really panic stricken. Yeah, 0:06:02.800 --> 0:06:05.120 playmakers are going to make plays in this league on 0:06:05.160 --> 0:06:07.200 both sides and the ball. What it comes down to 0:06:07.480 --> 0:06:11.360 is when you're in charge of trying to limit them 0:06:11.440 --> 0:06:13.800 or trying to stop that other guy, When do they 0:06:13.839 --> 0:06:15.680 make that play, if they make it early in the 0:06:15.680 --> 0:06:17.760 game as opposed to late in the game, that's a 0:06:17.800 --> 0:06:20.960 win for you because, as you said, they made something happen, 0:06:21.040 --> 0:06:24.359 You've made the adjustment, and you've you've won the war, 0:06:24.520 --> 0:06:26.479 even though you might have lost that early battle. And 0:06:26.640 --> 0:06:29.320 and that's how these games are decided totally. Yeah, And 0:06:29.360 --> 0:06:31.080 it's it's one of those things too that I think 0:06:31.080 --> 0:06:33.200 when you look at, you know, on the other side 0:06:33.200 --> 0:06:34.920 of the coin. And I was thinking about this too 0:06:34.960 --> 0:06:37.719 after we talked about our preview for the Bears. There's 0:06:37.760 --> 0:06:39.679 a certain element to that. Right now with the Bears 0:06:39.760 --> 0:06:42.280 offensive line, you know, you have Nick Perry, you have 0:06:42.320 --> 0:06:45.360 Clay Matthews, you have a new system with Mike Petton. 0:06:45.440 --> 0:06:47.680 They have to make those same type of adjustments. Yeah, 0:06:47.720 --> 0:06:50.080 they've had four or five six months to prepare for 0:06:50.080 --> 0:06:53.719 this now, but it's still unscouted. There's still gonna be 0:06:53.720 --> 0:06:55.520 things that both sides are gonna be thrown at each other. 0:06:55.560 --> 0:06:57.599 And when you look historically the teams that prevail in 0:06:57.600 --> 0:07:00.800 these instances, it's the ones that conquer that. And I 0:07:00.800 --> 0:07:02.520 think that's going to be one of the determining factors 0:07:02.520 --> 0:07:04.640 in this ballgame. On Sunday Night. Yeah, I totally agree 0:07:04.680 --> 0:07:07.520 with you. Real quick though, West, some sponsor business. It's 0:07:07.560 --> 0:07:10.400 time to enter the Cousins Subs Best Seats in the 0:07:10.400 --> 0:07:12.520 House promotion. You and a guest could win a chance 0:07:12.520 --> 0:07:14.679 to kick back on the fifty yard line in style. 0:07:14.760 --> 0:07:17.560 Two pairs of lucky Packers fans will be chosen prior 0:07:17.640 --> 0:07:19.920 to each home game for this v I P experience. 0:07:20.040 --> 0:07:23.480 Enter daily now through December sixteen by completing the entry 0:07:23.480 --> 0:07:26.520 form and submitting. For complete rules and eligibility, go to 0:07:26.560 --> 0:07:30.280 Packers dot com slash Best Seats Cousin Subs. We believe 0:07:30.280 --> 0:07:33.400 in better. Okay, another guy I want to talk about here, West, 0:07:33.440 --> 0:07:37.120 with regards to this Week one matchup. You look at 0:07:37.120 --> 0:07:40.080 this Packers offense. If you were to pick one guy 0:07:40.560 --> 0:07:45.120 who is walking into this new season taking on a 0:07:45.240 --> 0:07:49.920 larger role and a larger responsibility than he's ever had before, 0:07:50.120 --> 0:07:53.280 and that change being greater than anybody else on the 0:07:53.320 --> 0:07:59.360 Packers offense, I think it's Geronimo Alison um He's held 0:07:59.360 --> 0:08:01.840 down that No. Or Three receiver spot from the start 0:08:01.840 --> 0:08:05.640 of the off season to now. The drafting three wide receivers. 0:08:05.760 --> 0:08:10.000 Jake Kumero's emergence everything all of that, notwithstanding, nobody budged 0:08:10.040 --> 0:08:12.640 him from that number three spot. But this is a 0:08:12.640 --> 0:08:14.960 guy who's never come into the season, come into a 0:08:15.000 --> 0:08:18.480 season before with this place on a depth chart and 0:08:18.560 --> 0:08:21.680 with these types of expectations in terms of how he 0:08:21.720 --> 0:08:24.840 can perform. And one thing that's really stood out to 0:08:24.880 --> 0:08:27.240 me is that you go around the locker room. You 0:08:27.280 --> 0:08:30.320 can ask Aaron Rodgers, you can ask other receivers, any 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:33.240 guys in that locker room, there isn't anybody who doesn't 0:08:33.280 --> 0:08:36.360 have the confidence that Geronimo Allison is up to this, 0:08:36.800 --> 0:08:39.240 even though this is a big change in a big 0:08:39.280 --> 0:08:41.360 shift for him. Do you get the same sense I do? 0:08:41.520 --> 0:08:43.920 And I've gotten that sense really going back early into 0:08:44.000 --> 0:08:46.360 the off season program that there was a lot of 0:08:46.400 --> 0:08:48.920 confidence that even though you maybe don't have that veteran 0:08:49.080 --> 0:08:52.280 leadership and into everything that Jordy Nelson presents as a receiver, 0:08:52.880 --> 0:08:55.560 that there was an understanding that Allison in many ways 0:08:55.640 --> 0:08:57.920 is the next guy up and and he was ready 0:08:57.960 --> 0:09:01.240 to be able to take that task gone. The thing 0:09:01.280 --> 0:09:02.719 I thought was most interesting, if you haven't had a 0:09:02.800 --> 0:09:05.559 chance to check out spot story on packers dot com 0:09:05.559 --> 0:09:08.080 talking to Allison and kind of reflecting on his journey 0:09:08.160 --> 0:09:10.160 is you know, he's been through a lot in his 0:09:10.240 --> 0:09:14.960 life personally, even you know, professionally at you know, as 0:09:14.960 --> 0:09:17.840 an amateur athlete, a lot of ebbs and flows to 0:09:17.960 --> 0:09:20.600 this thing. And there's such a great quote in there 0:09:20.640 --> 0:09:23.160 about and I'll probably end up watching this because I'm 0:09:23.200 --> 0:09:26.520 not good at these things, but basically saying that, you know, 0:09:26.559 --> 0:09:30.040 the environment he came from, he let it shape him. 0:09:30.080 --> 0:09:33.080 He didn't let it become him. You know, it's just 0:09:33.160 --> 0:09:35.480 a part of who he is. And and he was 0:09:35.520 --> 0:09:37.440 able in a lot of ways to get out of 0:09:37.440 --> 0:09:40.480 that where he came from in Tampa Bay. But it 0:09:40.559 --> 0:09:43.000 also allowed him to really learn how he needs to 0:09:43.040 --> 0:09:45.760 overcome adversity and what he needs to do to be successful. 0:09:46.360 --> 0:09:48.960 You know, he goes from Tampa, he goes to Iowa Western, 0:09:49.400 --> 0:09:51.880 he ends up at Illinois. He's still kind of an 0:09:51.960 --> 0:09:54.200 unfinished product when it comes to a receiver when he 0:09:54.200 --> 0:09:56.400 gets to Green Bay. And I wrote about this an 0:09:56.400 --> 0:09:58.880 inbox I think two or three weeks ago. Every single 0:09:58.960 --> 0:10:01.440 year has just been a cont and progression of him, 0:10:01.679 --> 0:10:04.880 his understanding of the offense and what Aaron Rodgers requires 0:10:04.880 --> 0:10:07.559 of him. So I think, out of anybody, I think 0:10:07.559 --> 0:10:09.760 This is gonna be the most exciting to see where 0:10:09.800 --> 0:10:12.520 he takes his game now, because now reps really aren't 0:10:12.520 --> 0:10:14.280 a question. You know, he's gonna get snaps. You know 0:10:14.320 --> 0:10:17.679 he's gonna get opportunities, and how does he capitalize on them? Yeah, 0:10:17.800 --> 0:10:21.080 And as I wrote in the story, Mike McCarthy was 0:10:21.120 --> 0:10:24.800 asked about Geronimo Allison multiple times throughout training camp, throughout 0:10:24.800 --> 0:10:27.200 the preseason because he was having such a steady camp 0:10:27.240 --> 0:10:29.120 and as I said, no one was budging him from 0:10:29.120 --> 0:10:33.719 that number three receiver spot behind Adams and Cobb and McCarthy. 0:10:33.880 --> 0:10:36.760 Every time he talked about Geronimo Alison, he used either 0:10:36.800 --> 0:10:41.000 the word toughness or the word tenacity. And those characteristics 0:10:41.040 --> 0:10:43.320 are really a part of who he is. And I 0:10:43.360 --> 0:10:46.280 asked him about that and he said it comes from 0:10:46.360 --> 0:10:49.559 the upbringing. He grew up in a rough part of Tampa, Florida. 0:10:50.000 --> 0:10:52.440 He played only one year of high school football and 0:10:52.440 --> 0:10:55.280 then took the junior college route, went to Iowa Iowa 0:10:55.280 --> 0:10:58.640 Western for two years, then made his way to Champagne, Illinois. 0:10:59.000 --> 0:11:02.480 Comes to the Packers is an undrafted receiver when this 0:11:02.559 --> 0:11:05.840 receiving corps was pretty darn deep. If I recall so 0:11:06.080 --> 0:11:09.559 he starts out pretty darn low. Begins his rookie season 0:11:09.640 --> 0:11:12.560 on the practice squad. First game, he gets called up 0:11:12.559 --> 0:11:15.080 from the practice squad. First game in Atlanta, catches a 0:11:15.080 --> 0:11:17.800 touchdown pass. We know then what happened at the end 0:11:17.800 --> 0:11:21.720 of his rookie season. Had that tremendous touchdown on Rogers, 0:11:21.880 --> 0:11:24.679 you know, forever scrambled drill in Detroit where then he 0:11:25.000 --> 0:11:26.480 you know, whips it into the back of the end 0:11:26.559 --> 0:11:29.559 zone and Allison makes the diving catch. Had three catches 0:11:29.600 --> 0:11:32.120 all for first downs in the Dallas playoff game. Had 0:11:32.160 --> 0:11:35.480 the big seventy two yard catching running overtime to beat 0:11:35.520 --> 0:11:40.720 Cincinnati last year in Week three. So every time, you know, 0:11:40.800 --> 0:11:43.400 every time the bell has been wrung, so to speak, 0:11:43.480 --> 0:11:46.920 he's he's answered that call and the other thing. And 0:11:47.000 --> 0:11:49.520 I know you've heard this from his receiving mates, from 0:11:49.559 --> 0:11:51.760 guys like Adams and Cob and I have as well. 0:11:52.640 --> 0:11:55.839 The other way that he's earned respect is not just 0:11:55.920 --> 0:11:58.480 the way he's performed on the field, but that confidence 0:11:58.480 --> 0:12:01.440 from his teammates comes from they've seen in the meeting room, 0:12:01.760 --> 0:12:04.320 what they've seen in the weight room. Everybody that you 0:12:04.360 --> 0:12:06.880 talked to about geronim Way Allison says, this guy's a pro. 0:12:07.600 --> 0:12:10.520 And you don't hear other players say that about a 0:12:10.559 --> 0:12:13.320 guy not only just an undrafted guy who's still so young, 0:12:13.400 --> 0:12:16.839 you know, only in his third year, but a guy who, 0:12:17.040 --> 0:12:18.640 you know, let's face it, if you just look at 0:12:18.640 --> 0:12:21.480 the statistics, hasn't accomplished a whole heck of a lot. 0:12:21.640 --> 0:12:24.480 But he's got that respect and confidence of his teammates 0:12:24.840 --> 0:12:27.480 that he is ready for this role now being thrust 0:12:27.559 --> 0:12:30.440 upon him. Yeah, and he's understood exactly what that role 0:12:30.480 --> 0:12:33.160 has been, you know. And and he's had to be 0:12:33.200 --> 0:12:35.839 the guy that's been ready to step in for Jordy 0:12:35.920 --> 0:12:40.520 Nelson or Randall Cobb or Davonte Adams. He's been really 0:12:40.520 --> 0:12:43.760 that next guy here the last two seasons, and now 0:12:43.800 --> 0:12:45.680 he's stepping into a different role where he has to 0:12:45.679 --> 0:12:49.040 be prepared to be that number three depending on how 0:12:49.040 --> 0:12:51.200 many times we see those packages throughout the course of 0:12:51.200 --> 0:12:54.720 the season. Historically that's been sort of the base offense 0:12:54.760 --> 0:12:57.400 here the last three or four years. So that's a 0:12:57.480 --> 0:13:00.440 huge chance for him to really elevate game to the 0:13:00.480 --> 0:13:02.920 next level. And getting back to your original point about 0:13:02.920 --> 0:13:06.760 the meetings that we hear almost to a point where 0:13:07.240 --> 0:13:09.640 you know, you almost sometimes didn't take it. You took 0:13:09.679 --> 0:13:11.840 it for granted. But when Edgar Bennett would talk about 0:13:11.840 --> 0:13:14.280 it's starting in the classroom, when he was working with 0:13:14.360 --> 0:13:17.000 him as an offensive coordinator, when you had you know, 0:13:17.080 --> 0:13:20.840 David Ryan there now and before that, Luke GETSI you 0:13:20.920 --> 0:13:23.800 had a guy in Allison that was willing to sit 0:13:23.880 --> 0:13:26.160 next to Jordy Nelson, was willing to sit in front 0:13:26.200 --> 0:13:29.199 of him and sort of have that absorption of information. 0:13:29.280 --> 0:13:32.600 And it's so easy for a young guy just to 0:13:32.600 --> 0:13:35.320 tone that out and not really pay attention and not 0:13:35.400 --> 0:13:37.559 really care and just want to do his own game. 0:13:37.600 --> 0:13:39.160 But I think one of the benefits to him is 0:13:39.200 --> 0:13:41.360 that he did come to this light. He played only 0:13:41.400 --> 0:13:43.880 one year in high school football. So every time he 0:13:43.960 --> 0:13:47.640 has a chance to really be able to to learn something, 0:13:48.280 --> 0:13:50.640 he's capitalized on it. And I think for a lot 0:13:50.679 --> 0:13:52.720 of people now, and you look at all the storylines 0:13:52.720 --> 0:13:55.800 going in the regular season, Michael, I think seeing Allison 0:13:55.840 --> 0:13:58.199 where he's at and where he could potentially go is 0:13:58.600 --> 0:14:00.360 one of the most intriguing ones to watch because when 0:14:00.360 --> 0:14:02.080 you have Aaron Rodgers as your quarterback, is he said 0:14:02.080 --> 0:14:04.839 in your story, it's all about getting open you get open, 0:14:05.120 --> 0:14:06.680 He's going to take care of you. Yeah. And the 0:14:06.679 --> 0:14:09.280 other thing I like about Alison's journey in a sense, 0:14:09.320 --> 0:14:11.640 I guess saying I like it maybe isn't the right word. 0:14:11.679 --> 0:14:15.160 But what also I think contributes to the confidence is 0:14:15.440 --> 0:14:18.520 this hasn't this hasn't been a completely smooth ride even 0:14:18.559 --> 0:14:21.160 since he made it total in the NFL. He was 0:14:21.240 --> 0:14:23.800 suspended for the first game of last season because of 0:14:23.800 --> 0:14:27.720 a substance abuse violation. He had a big fumble at 0:14:27.800 --> 0:14:31.080 Carolina last year that you know, dash the Packers comeback 0:14:31.120 --> 0:14:33.320 hopes in that game and their playoff hopes and Aaron 0:14:33.400 --> 0:14:35.800 Rodgers comeback hopes for the season after the broken collar 0:14:35.880 --> 0:14:38.800 bone and all of that. He's had some things at 0:14:38.840 --> 0:14:42.480 the NFL level that he's had to recover from and 0:14:42.520 --> 0:14:45.880 bounce back from. And and to see just the confidence 0:14:45.920 --> 0:14:49.200 that his teammates have in him is uh. I think 0:14:49.200 --> 0:14:53.640 it's really important heading into this season for a young guy. Totally. Yeah. 0:14:53.720 --> 0:14:55.480 And there's you know, a lot of talented receivers on 0:14:55.520 --> 0:14:58.000 this roster. If they kept eight of them, the fact 0:14:58.000 --> 0:15:00.960 that Allison is the number three after they drafted all 0:15:01.000 --> 0:15:03.240 these guys, you had Trevor Davis coming back I think 0:15:03.240 --> 0:15:04.720 it says a lot about him and the fact that 0:15:04.760 --> 0:15:06.320 he was able to he he was in front of 0:15:06.320 --> 0:15:09.760 the race when he started, and he consistently stayed there. Yeah. Well, 0:15:09.800 --> 0:15:12.000 another topic to hit on here, West before we go. 0:15:12.200 --> 0:15:13.880 I know you've been talking to some of the guys 0:15:13.880 --> 0:15:15.920 in the Packers locker room. You're going to continue some 0:15:15.960 --> 0:15:20.920 more interviews, But um, we're all eagerly anticipating the great 0:15:21.040 --> 0:15:25.840 unveiling of the Mike Petton defense here for the Green 0:15:25.880 --> 0:15:28.520 Bay Packers, because, as we know, there's only so much 0:15:28.600 --> 0:15:31.600 that they're putting on film for opponents in the preseason. 0:15:32.000 --> 0:15:34.760 Most of the you know, the real practicing that they're 0:15:34.800 --> 0:15:37.600 doing with the scheme and everything that they're going to 0:15:37.840 --> 0:15:40.760 use in a lot of games is the stuff that's 0:15:40.760 --> 0:15:44.800 in practice, that's behind closed doors and whatnot. What's your sense? 0:15:44.800 --> 0:15:47.040 I mean, the sense that I get is, uh is, 0:15:47.120 --> 0:15:49.760 these guys can't wait to take the field and and 0:15:49.800 --> 0:15:53.920 start playing these calls, and there's just there there's the 0:15:53.920 --> 0:15:57.520 the whole renewed, refreshed sense of everything, which which is 0:15:57.520 --> 0:16:00.520 what we've sent since the offseason. Programs Packers probably played 0:16:00.520 --> 0:16:04.440 about based during the preseason that should tell you everything. 0:16:04.480 --> 0:16:06.440 You need to know about what what that type of 0:16:06.480 --> 0:16:08.480 the year is like in terms of just the the 0:16:08.560 --> 0:16:11.600 vanilla nature of it. What I like the most though, 0:16:11.840 --> 0:16:14.760 particularly just to quickly point out one specific area I 0:16:14.800 --> 0:16:16.760 think is going to be exciting is the dime in 0:16:16.800 --> 0:16:19.640 the third down units. I just we've seen and even 0:16:19.680 --> 0:16:21.920 in the preseason games, some of these rush packages they've 0:16:21.960 --> 0:16:24.200 come up with, it appears like, you know, they got 0:16:24.240 --> 0:16:26.520 some He's had some double a gap looks with the 0:16:26.520 --> 0:16:29.600 inside backers. The big thing is and Petton talked about 0:16:29.640 --> 0:16:32.040 it from the beginning. On any given down, if you're 0:16:32.080 --> 0:16:34.840 in that box, he doesn't want the quarterback to know 0:16:34.880 --> 0:16:36.720 who's coming at him. And I thought there was a 0:16:36.720 --> 0:16:39.520 couple of instances, especially in those last two preseason games. 0:16:39.560 --> 0:16:41.320 And I get that he's going up against a lot 0:16:41.320 --> 0:16:44.920 of backups, but that being said, he was utilizing a 0:16:44.960 --> 0:16:46.880 lot of backups and being able to to kind of 0:16:46.880 --> 0:16:49.640 get their feet hot in the pocket and not allow 0:16:49.680 --> 0:16:52.160 the quarterback to get comfortable. I think we saw him 0:16:52.200 --> 0:16:55.440 force some some errors in that way. I'm really excited 0:16:55.480 --> 0:16:56.960 to see what he can do now that he has 0:16:57.240 --> 0:16:59.560 Clay Matthews available and Nick Perry and in some of 0:16:59.560 --> 0:17:02.880 these slot cornerback combinations we've seen. There is so many 0:17:03.000 --> 0:17:06.520 unknowns right now, even to to us who watched a 0:17:06.560 --> 0:17:09.359 majority of the training camp practices, I think it's just 0:17:09.359 --> 0:17:11.760 gonna be really interesting to see those domino effects kind 0:17:11.800 --> 0:17:14.399 of layout and and you can just tell listening to 0:17:14.440 --> 0:17:15.880 some of these guys talking about in the locker room. 0:17:15.960 --> 0:17:18.920 Kevin King after the game in Kansas City last week 0:17:19.359 --> 0:17:21.520 was already talking about how excited he is to finally 0:17:21.520 --> 0:17:25.080 get in that first regular season game because you've had 0:17:25.119 --> 0:17:28.080 five six months where they've put in now to learning 0:17:28.080 --> 0:17:30.000 this scheme and wanting to you know, be able to 0:17:30.000 --> 0:17:32.919 really implement it, and now we're days away. Yeah, And 0:17:33.240 --> 0:17:35.320 for those who want to get a little bit of 0:17:35.359 --> 0:17:38.080 a sense x as and OHS wise of how this works, 0:17:38.119 --> 0:17:40.720 Larry McCarron has a rock report that he put on 0:17:40.760 --> 0:17:44.360 our website where he breaks down in really good detail 0:17:45.040 --> 0:17:49.639 the uh it was a pressure package against Oakland in 0:17:49.760 --> 0:17:53.080 the preseason game where the Packers kind of schemed things 0:17:53.160 --> 0:17:55.760 up and they were able to get safety Kentroll Bryce 0:17:56.119 --> 0:17:58.560 blitzing free because nobody picked him up, and it led 0:17:58.560 --> 0:18:01.320 to a quarterback hit and in fleet pass because he 0:18:01.320 --> 0:18:03.159 he sped up the play wasn't even a sack. But 0:18:03.200 --> 0:18:06.280 it's that that sort of effect on the quarterback and 0:18:06.359 --> 0:18:09.840 effect on the offense that that dialing these things up 0:18:09.880 --> 0:18:12.440 can do. Now, as you said, you know that those 0:18:12.480 --> 0:18:14.640 maybe we're against some backups. You know that, I mean 0:18:15.080 --> 0:18:18.080 a number one offensive line of veteran running back who 0:18:18.160 --> 0:18:20.000 knows how to pick up blitz is. You know, these 0:18:20.080 --> 0:18:22.800 kinds of things are are not easy. But but a 0:18:22.840 --> 0:18:26.080 couple of those, you know, flat free type rushers, if 0:18:26.160 --> 0:18:28.640 you can get those, those are the opportunities where big 0:18:28.680 --> 0:18:31.199 plays can happen on the defensive side. Absolutely, And the 0:18:31.240 --> 0:18:32.760 thing that I like too, as I mentioned, is a 0:18:32.800 --> 0:18:34.639 double sided coin. The Packers now are going to have 0:18:34.640 --> 0:18:38.439 their full source assortment of weapons defensively and Mike for 0:18:38.480 --> 0:18:40.240 all the years that I've covered this team, now there 0:18:40.240 --> 0:18:43.160 are so many guys that can play so many different spots, 0:18:43.480 --> 0:18:46.679 the blend between the cornerback and the safety positions, the 0:18:46.720 --> 0:18:50.440 safety to the inside linebacker, defensive linemen to the outside backers. 0:18:50.960 --> 0:18:53.000 So many different guys can line up anywhere now and 0:18:53.280 --> 0:18:55.280 we've seen this evolution over the last five years with 0:18:55.359 --> 0:18:58.280 the NFL. But I think Petton has proven especially in 0:18:58.320 --> 0:19:00.399 this new CBA environment to be able to do that 0:19:00.720 --> 0:19:03.240 and keep it simple. Now, the Packers are hoping that 0:19:03.280 --> 0:19:04.639 it leads to them being, you know, one of the 0:19:04.680 --> 0:19:06.880 top units in the NFL again when it comes to defense. 0:19:06.920 --> 0:19:08.679 All right, well, we've got one more show to do 0:19:08.880 --> 0:19:11.159 this week, and we will kind of hit our final 0:19:11.240 --> 0:19:14.399 preview elements for Packers Bears. But for now, we'll call 0:19:14.440 --> 0:19:16.800 it a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be 0:19:16.800 --> 0:19:19.080 sure to follow all of our coverage of the team 0:19:19.119 --> 0:19:21.520 on Packers dot com on Twitter, you can find him 0:19:21.520 --> 0:19:24.680 at west Hot. I'm at Mike Spofford at Packers still 0:19:24.720 --> 0:19:27.240 the team account. Thanks for tuning in, everybody, See you 0:19:27.280 --> 0:19:27.720 next time.