WEBVTT - #595 Packers Unscripted: Minicamp madness 0:00:00.520 --> 0:00:10.879 Hi, everybody. Welcome to a Mini Camp edition of Packers 0:00:11.000 --> 0:00:14.440 Unscripted from Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spofford, joined 0:00:15.000 --> 0:00:18.120 as always by my partner and Crime West Hodkowitz. We're 0:00:18.120 --> 0:00:21.320 coming to you here from our studios at lambeau Field West. 0:00:21.360 --> 0:00:24.320 Two of the three mini Camp practices are in the books. 0:00:24.320 --> 0:00:26.920 Shortly after we get done recording this episode, we will 0:00:26.960 --> 0:00:30.319 head out to Clark hinkle Field for practice number three. 0:00:30.400 --> 0:00:33.720 But the biggest happening of the week, and we have 0:00:33.760 --> 0:00:35.800 a few of them to talk about here on the show, 0:00:35.840 --> 0:00:39.720 but the biggest one was definitely that performance by Jordan's 0:00:39.760 --> 0:00:44.480 Love in practice on Wednesday. First, I'll get your thoughts, 0:00:44.479 --> 0:00:45.960 and of course we can go back and forth on 0:00:46.000 --> 0:00:48.440 this a little bit because we both we both walked 0:00:48.440 --> 0:00:51.200 away pretty impressed. Well, my first thought would be, if 0:00:51.240 --> 0:00:53.600 this is actually mini camp and it's supposed to be 0:00:53.600 --> 0:00:56.240 preparing for training camp, I'm in nowhere in the shape 0:00:56.240 --> 0:00:58.200 I need to be in for training camp right now. 0:00:58.440 --> 0:01:00.520 I was as wiped out as a think I've ever 0:01:00.560 --> 0:01:02.920 been by the time I left the office on Wednesday. Well, 0:01:03.000 --> 0:01:06.600 usually mini camp is not ninety degrees in early to 0:01:06.760 --> 0:01:09.479 mid June, so we are we are dealing with that, 0:01:09.560 --> 0:01:11.679 but I know no one has any sympathy for us. 0:01:11.720 --> 0:01:13.920 That's okay, it is it does feel a little bit 0:01:13.920 --> 0:01:16.360 different out there. It does feel a little different out 0:01:16.400 --> 0:01:19.240 there these days. To your point, Jordan's love, man, I 0:01:19.240 --> 0:01:25.360 mean again, Matt Lafleur, Jordan's love. Everybody cushioned this and said, okay, 0:01:25.440 --> 0:01:27.880 it's it's one day. There's gonna be highs and they're 0:01:27.920 --> 0:01:30.640 gonna be lows. But I mean, Mike, I said it 0:01:30.680 --> 0:01:33.560 after practice, Larry McCarron said, after we got done shooting 0:01:33.560 --> 0:01:35.920 three things, that was his best practice as a pro. 0:01:36.280 --> 0:01:39.040 It just was at least in the sessions that we're 0:01:39.040 --> 0:01:41.640 able to attend and see because last year, Mike, we 0:01:41.640 --> 0:01:43.760 didn't see much. I mean, he did the young guys 0:01:43.800 --> 0:01:46.480 periods and that was a growing process. But to go 0:01:46.760 --> 0:01:49.000 and have as he mentioned, it's as Love talked about 0:01:49.040 --> 0:01:51.960 two to have the practice on Tuesday that wasn't really 0:01:52.000 --> 0:01:54.920 what he wanted. Um, you know, left leaving some plays 0:01:54.920 --> 0:01:58.200 out there, kind of struggling to find his accuracy. It 0:01:58.200 --> 0:02:00.240 seemed like he was in a little bit better rhythm. 0:02:00.360 --> 0:02:04.840 Something clicked on Wednesday, though, and whether it was that 0:02:05.200 --> 0:02:07.440 wheel route to a j Dillon, which I think you 0:02:07.440 --> 0:02:10.320 could really sense the swagger developed with him after he 0:02:10.400 --> 0:02:13.200 hit that pass. He comes back and he hits Aaron 0:02:13.280 --> 0:02:16.120 Jones on a nice pattern down the sideline, and Aaron 0:02:16.200 --> 0:02:18.160 I saw like my my tweet too. I mean, it 0:02:18.200 --> 0:02:21.280 was a spectacular catch by Aaron Jones, as good as 0:02:21.280 --> 0:02:24.080 the chast was. But then it was just running the 0:02:24.120 --> 0:02:28.000 offense man, I mean Juwan Winfrey coming free and and 0:02:28.160 --> 0:02:32.200 him hitting him wide open again. As Darnell Savage said afterwards, 0:02:32.200 --> 0:02:34.680 they thought it was an offside situation. So the defense 0:02:34.720 --> 0:02:37.040 isn't really sure what to do. But in those breaking, 0:02:37.120 --> 0:02:40.320 those broke down situations, the receivers there the quarterback has 0:02:40.360 --> 0:02:42.720 to hit him. And Love did his job there. His 0:02:42.800 --> 0:02:45.120 out routes looked good. He just seemed like he had 0:02:45.160 --> 0:02:46.680 a lot of zip on his ball on it on 0:02:46.760 --> 0:02:49.919 his passes. I was really impressed with what Jordan's Love 0:02:49.960 --> 0:02:51.960 put together in that practice. Yeah, I think the thing 0:02:52.000 --> 0:02:55.760 that impressed me the most was it wasn't it wasn't 0:02:55.880 --> 0:02:59.520 just the end routes, or it wasn't just the wheel 0:02:59.600 --> 0:03:02.440 routes of the running backs you know, out of the backfield. 0:03:02.480 --> 0:03:05.519 It was the variety of passes he was hitting through 0:03:05.560 --> 0:03:08.160 the course of different eleven on eleven periods, which also 0:03:08.200 --> 0:03:12.119 included a two minute drill where he hit a deep 0:03:12.160 --> 0:03:15.239 corner route to eq St. Brown and a slant to St. 0:03:15.280 --> 0:03:18.280 Brown and a screen passed to a J. Dilan. You know, 0:03:18.360 --> 0:03:20.560 and as you mentioned before, there were there, there were 0:03:20.560 --> 0:03:23.320 the corner routes. It was the variety of it that 0:03:23.400 --> 0:03:25.720 really impressed me. It wasn't like, Okay, he's got this 0:03:25.760 --> 0:03:28.000 one down, so bang bang bang, he keeps hitting the 0:03:28.040 --> 0:03:30.440 same one the other thing. And this is how I 0:03:30.520 --> 0:03:33.360 described it in our three Things video and also in 0:03:33.400 --> 0:03:36.680 the story that I wrote after practice on on packers 0:03:36.720 --> 0:03:40.400 dot com. We saw the first two weeks of O 0:03:40.520 --> 0:03:42.640 T s. We got to see one practice each time, 0:03:42.800 --> 0:03:46.200 and I think we we saw a young quarterback who 0:03:47.120 --> 0:03:51.080 he was very methodical, very hesitant in working through his 0:03:51.160 --> 0:03:53.800 progressions in the eleven on eleven and most of the 0:03:53.840 --> 0:03:57.720 time taking the checkdown throws to the running backs, the 0:03:57.720 --> 0:04:00.200 safety valve, whoever it might be. We saw that for 0:04:00.240 --> 0:04:03.320 a couple of weeks. Then Tuesday, in the first day 0:04:03.320 --> 0:04:06.680 of mini camp practice, we saw more timing, and we 0:04:06.720 --> 0:04:09.240 saw more rhythm, and we saw the ball coming out. 0:04:09.600 --> 0:04:12.080 We saw some you know, more of the throws down 0:04:12.120 --> 0:04:15.520 the field, except the accuracy wasn't there. He was missing 0:04:15.520 --> 0:04:17.320 some guys who were open, you know, the balls a 0:04:17.320 --> 0:04:19.360 few feet too high, it's a few feet too far 0:04:19.440 --> 0:04:22.000 outside on the out route, those those kinds of things. 0:04:22.600 --> 0:04:26.520 Then on Wednesday, it was another step in the progress 0:04:26.600 --> 0:04:29.599 where the timing and the rhythm was there, then the 0:04:29.680 --> 0:04:32.919 accuracy was there. And once that started to click, you 0:04:32.920 --> 0:04:36.360 could see the confidence just grew. And then he had 0:04:36.400 --> 0:04:40.320 no problem making those challenges, you know, taking the challenge 0:04:41.320 --> 0:04:45.240 of the downfield throws, and he wasn't as concerned about 0:04:45.360 --> 0:04:48.160 the check down or you know, I mean you could 0:04:48.160 --> 0:04:50.400 just you could see the growth in the progress. And 0:04:50.480 --> 0:04:54.240 yes it's only one day now. His biggest challenge with 0:04:54.600 --> 0:04:58.120 today's mini camp practice which is shortly after this session 0:04:58.240 --> 0:05:00.280 right here, and then with one more we of o 0:05:00.440 --> 0:05:04.680 T as next week, does he establish another a level 0:05:04.720 --> 0:05:08.479 of consistency, like where what is going to be his 0:05:08.760 --> 0:05:12.800 level that he takes into training camp because Wednesday's practice 0:05:12.800 --> 0:05:15.240 will be hard for him to replicate. Quite frankly, but 0:05:15.320 --> 0:05:18.640 what you don't want to see is suddenly a reversion 0:05:18.680 --> 0:05:20.480 back to what we were seeing in the O T 0:05:20.640 --> 0:05:23.200 A S with the hesitancy and the and the you know, 0:05:23.279 --> 0:05:26.720 the methodic way he was going about his progression. So 0:05:27.000 --> 0:05:29.040 that's what we're going to be watching now in these 0:05:29.120 --> 0:05:31.200 last couple of practices that we get to witness. And 0:05:31.240 --> 0:05:33.000 this is what's exciting for me too, because this is 0:05:33.040 --> 0:05:35.200 the first time ever watched a quarterback kind of grow 0:05:35.320 --> 0:05:37.400 in front of my eyes. Now that's not to say 0:05:37.400 --> 0:05:39.479 that Tim Boyle didn't and these other guys that have 0:05:39.560 --> 0:05:43.240 come through, but they did it with very limited reps. Uh, 0:05:43.240 --> 0:05:45.359 in these team periods. The way it's working out is 0:05:46.360 --> 0:05:48.800 he's taking, as I wrote an insider inbox, he's basically 0:05:48.800 --> 0:05:51.240 taking the first and second team reps and then the 0:05:51.279 --> 0:05:53.680 rest of the quarterbacks are handling like those number three ones. 0:05:54.000 --> 0:05:56.080 The team run period that it started with, he got 0:05:56.080 --> 0:05:58.479 the first ten reps and then Blake Bortles came in 0:05:58.520 --> 0:06:00.560 for two. He got ten more, and then it was 0:06:00.640 --> 0:06:04.280 Kurt Ben Kurt, Kurt Ben Kurt, Sorry, Kurt, Uh. But 0:06:04.839 --> 0:06:06.760 the thing that I impressed me and I'm curious, see 0:06:06.760 --> 0:06:10.799 what you think about this. They started off very basic 0:06:10.920 --> 0:06:13.640 with that team run period. You know, it was I think, 0:06:13.680 --> 0:06:15.719 what was it a quick out? I'm trying to remember 0:06:15.720 --> 0:06:18.000 what the first pass was to, like Malik Taylor or 0:06:18.080 --> 0:06:20.760 something like that. The first the first the first pass 0:06:20.839 --> 0:06:23.240 I remember, which actually I thought was a pretty good throw. 0:06:23.600 --> 0:06:27.039 It was MVS on a comes MBS on a comeback 0:06:27.120 --> 0:06:30.040 route and Boomy hit it and and MBS actually kind 0:06:30.040 --> 0:06:32.000 of escaped the defense and it turned into a little 0:06:32.000 --> 0:06:33.839 bit of a big play and then you kind of 0:06:33.880 --> 0:06:37.719 go okay, and then you know, then it was the 0:06:36.760 --> 0:06:40.120 the the play action, quick little rollout to the tight 0:06:40.240 --> 0:06:42.160 end to tune in, which is what we've seen in 0:06:42.160 --> 0:06:45.039 this offense. You know, time and time again and the 0:06:45.080 --> 0:06:47.680 timing and everything that was just right, and you could 0:06:47.720 --> 0:06:49.919 just you as we talked about, you could see the 0:06:50.000 --> 0:06:53.640 confidence building with a couple of those on time, you know, 0:06:53.760 --> 0:06:56.000 rhythm type of plays and uh and the rest of 0:06:56.040 --> 0:06:58.159 the practice just went off from there. You're right, it 0:06:58.240 --> 0:07:00.000 was MBS. I didn't have my notes in front of me, 0:07:00.040 --> 0:07:02.000 but it was those two plays that after that, it 0:07:02.080 --> 0:07:04.720 just seemed like that's when he started completing pass after 0:07:04.800 --> 0:07:06.640 pass and you know, to go. I think it was 0:07:06.720 --> 0:07:09.039 twenty thirty one and a couple of those were throwaways 0:07:09.040 --> 0:07:11.680 in the red zone period during two minutes the guy 0:07:11.760 --> 0:07:14.200 I I really thought showed up. I thought he looked good. 0:07:14.440 --> 0:07:17.920 And you can't discount this, Mike. I know DeVante Adams 0:07:17.960 --> 0:07:20.960 isn't out there, but having a guy like Alan Lazard, 0:07:21.040 --> 0:07:23.480 you know, leaping to make an end zone grab, you know, 0:07:23.480 --> 0:07:25.280 an eight yard touchdown at the end of two minutes. 0:07:25.320 --> 0:07:28.040 I know there was some debate with the defense. The 0:07:28.040 --> 0:07:30.480 defense wasn't sure about that toe tap in the back 0:07:30.480 --> 0:07:32.040 of the end zone there. They didn't want to give 0:07:32.560 --> 0:07:35.360 Love and Lazard that touchdown. But that's a six ft 0:07:35.400 --> 0:07:38.320 five guy with a massive catch radius in Love put 0:07:38.360 --> 0:07:40.160 it where Lazard was going to be able to make 0:07:40.160 --> 0:07:42.560 a play on the ball. Those are the moments that 0:07:42.600 --> 0:07:44.680 I think are really important here, now that he has 0:07:44.760 --> 0:07:47.160 some of these receivers back and being able to get 0:07:47.200 --> 0:07:49.560 a little bit better semblance of what this offense is 0:07:49.560 --> 0:07:51.200 going to look like. Yeah, and I don't want to 0:07:51.200 --> 0:07:54.360 be too misleading here. As I also said in Three Things, 0:07:54.360 --> 0:07:56.320 I don't want to give the impression that Jordan's Love 0:07:56.440 --> 0:07:59.160 just you know, owned everybody on the practice field. He 0:07:59.240 --> 0:08:01.720 did miss a cup of throws. There were a couple 0:08:01.720 --> 0:08:04.960 of throws that were almost picked off. Darnell Savage almost 0:08:04.960 --> 0:08:06.960 had to pick Josh Jackson almost had a pick on 0:08:06.960 --> 0:08:10.040 the ball that he deflected, uh deep down the sideline. 0:08:10.080 --> 0:08:14.040 So it wasn't uh, it wasn't perfect by any means, 0:08:14.720 --> 0:08:16.960 but it was impressive and it was and it was 0:08:17.000 --> 0:08:20.280 certainly the best that we've that we've seen Jordan's love. 0:08:20.360 --> 0:08:24.160 Now with regard to the wide receivers, they the top 0:08:24.240 --> 0:08:30.040 five wide receivers Adams, Functious, Mvs. Lazard and Eq. They 0:08:30.040 --> 0:08:32.040 were not at the first two weeks of O T 0:08:32.200 --> 0:08:35.680 A S, but they are here at the mandatory minicamp. 0:08:35.720 --> 0:08:39.760 Adams is not taking the eleven on eleven reps, but 0:08:39.880 --> 0:08:42.840 the other guys have been. And uh, and this is 0:08:42.840 --> 0:08:45.360 the first time we've gotten to see Devin Funcious in 0:08:45.400 --> 0:08:50.160 a Packers uniform out there, and um, my first impression, 0:08:50.320 --> 0:08:55.040 a physically imposing presence on the practice field. This guy's 0:08:55.120 --> 0:08:58.120 this guy's got some size. I mean, Davante Adams is 0:08:58.160 --> 0:09:00.720 no small potatoes when it comes to being, you know, 0:09:01.400 --> 0:09:05.080 a big physical receiver. And and even he said, this 0:09:05.120 --> 0:09:08.160 guy is big man. He is. And I know we 0:09:08.240 --> 0:09:11.320 have him listed on Think on the website at six four. 0:09:11.880 --> 0:09:13.959 I mean we're talking, we're talking a couple of hair 0:09:14.040 --> 0:09:17.880 follicles away from six fives. I think so. And I again, 0:09:17.960 --> 0:09:21.040 I always cushing all this by saying that I make 0:09:21.120 --> 0:09:23.120 everybody look really big. I mean, you can put me 0:09:23.160 --> 0:09:25.160 next to Mercedes Lewis and you'd think he was Andre 0:09:25.240 --> 0:09:27.320 the Giant. I mean it's that kind of deal. But 0:09:27.920 --> 0:09:30.280 I mean when I watch Funches, I mean I read everything. 0:09:30.320 --> 0:09:31.920 I've talked to people that have covered him in the 0:09:31.960 --> 0:09:35.880 league and just seeing his size and the speed of 0:09:35.960 --> 0:09:40.040 which he plays. He even mentioned during his media Zoom 0:09:40.080 --> 0:09:41.839 call on Tuesday, he still feels like he has some 0:09:41.880 --> 0:09:44.280 of the best feet in the NFL. Uh. This is 0:09:44.320 --> 0:09:45.720 a guy that you can see why he was a 0:09:45.720 --> 0:09:48.440 second round pick. You can see why Carolina was as 0:09:48.520 --> 0:09:49.840 high on him as they were, and you can see 0:09:49.840 --> 0:09:52.480 why this guy started in Super Bowl fifty. I mean, 0:09:52.520 --> 0:09:54.680 there there are a lot of intangibles that you can't 0:09:54.720 --> 0:09:57.800 coach with Devin Funches. The question is going to be now, 0:09:58.040 --> 0:10:00.280 when he stepped on the field on Tuesday, that was 0:10:00.360 --> 0:10:03.800 twenty one months exactly from the last NFL game he 0:10:03.880 --> 0:10:06.520 played in. He missed most of that year because of 0:10:06.520 --> 0:10:08.960 a broken collar bone. That was his one year with Indie. 0:10:09.040 --> 0:10:11.320 The one year with Indie and then last year, to 0:10:11.520 --> 0:10:13.600 his credits, stepped away from the game. As he said, 0:10:13.600 --> 0:10:15.360 he had to make a sacrifice. He had to give 0:10:15.440 --> 0:10:17.400 up the paycheck because he had to take care of 0:10:17.440 --> 0:10:19.640 his own situation at home with some family members that 0:10:19.679 --> 0:10:23.400 were impacted by COVID nineteen. All that being said, he's 0:10:23.440 --> 0:10:26.400 back now. He's still twenty seven, soon to be twenty eight, 0:10:26.400 --> 0:10:28.200 but still you know, he feels in the prime of 0:10:28.240 --> 0:10:31.480 his career and he's excited to compete with these guys. 0:10:31.480 --> 0:10:33.440 He said it even in a zoom call. He's not 0:10:33.520 --> 0:10:35.480 here to take anything away from anybody. He's here to 0:10:35.520 --> 0:10:38.760 add to an already talented room. Davante Adams mentions he's 0:10:38.760 --> 0:10:41.840 talked to him six seven times this offseason alone over FaceTime. 0:10:42.080 --> 0:10:44.120 Packers feel like they know this guy pretty well and 0:10:44.160 --> 0:10:46.800 now he's finally here. Yeah. Well, the bottom line is, 0:10:47.280 --> 0:10:49.960 you know, as we know, the Packers had the number 0:10:49.960 --> 0:10:52.960 one offense, the top scoring offense in the league last year. Yes, 0:10:53.000 --> 0:10:55.760 there there is still an unresolved issue with the quarterback. 0:10:55.840 --> 0:10:58.160 We get that. We will be I'm sure talking about 0:10:58.160 --> 0:11:02.880 it come the end of July. But you add Devin 0:11:02.960 --> 0:11:05.920 Funcious and a Marie Rogers a third round draft pick 0:11:06.000 --> 0:11:09.360 at receiver. You add those two guys to a receiver 0:11:09.440 --> 0:11:13.240 group that was pretty darn productive despite all of the 0:11:13.280 --> 0:11:16.520 criticism of the Packers not drafting a wide receiver the 0:11:16.600 --> 0:11:20.160 previous year. Um, it's going to be there's going to 0:11:20.200 --> 0:11:23.440 be some interesting competition here in training camp in terms of, 0:11:23.920 --> 0:11:26.400 you know, maybe what the pecking order exactly is going 0:11:26.440 --> 0:11:29.199 to be when the regular season rolls around. When you're 0:11:29.200 --> 0:11:33.040 adding a veteran like Functious and then um a draft 0:11:33.080 --> 0:11:35.880 pick whom the Packers traded up to select with a 0:11:35.960 --> 0:11:38.679 Marie Rogers. Yeah, and you can see the wheels kind 0:11:38.679 --> 0:11:41.560 of turning in Nathaniel Hacket and Matt Lafleur's head because 0:11:42.000 --> 0:11:44.160 certainly there's gonna be jobs won and loss. That's what 0:11:44.200 --> 0:11:46.640 training camp always comes down to. We've got to see 0:11:46.679 --> 0:11:48.320 how this depth chart is gonna look like. But once 0:11:48.360 --> 0:11:51.160 they settle these depth charts at running back, receiver, and 0:11:51.240 --> 0:11:54.640 tight end, the multitude of packages and personnel groupings that 0:11:54.679 --> 0:11:57.080 they can come up with is extraordinary. Mike, I don't 0:11:57.080 --> 0:11:59.480 know if I've ever seen anything like it, because, yeah, 0:11:59.520 --> 0:12:02.240 they've gone some of these taller receivers before, you know, 0:12:02.320 --> 0:12:06.120 e q mvs and um Lazard obviously all fit that 0:12:06.160 --> 0:12:08.439 and certainly, as we just talked, both punches. But now 0:12:08.480 --> 0:12:10.480 you've got somebody like a Mari Rodgers, and we saw 0:12:10.520 --> 0:12:12.640 some of the jet motion concepts with him and where 0:12:12.640 --> 0:12:15.000 he could fit in there. You got a j Dillon 0:12:15.080 --> 0:12:17.559 catching wheel routes and those type of things. And you've 0:12:17.559 --> 0:12:19.880 got all these tight ends, you know, with Josiah Deguire 0:12:19.920 --> 0:12:22.800 potentially being back here at some point, Robert Touny in 0:12:22.880 --> 0:12:25.760 coming back off the eleven touchdown season, and obviously the 0:12:25.760 --> 0:12:29.280 old war horse in Mercedes Lewis. There are just you 0:12:29.360 --> 0:12:32.719 think about the five, you know, skill position players you 0:12:32.720 --> 0:12:35.560 can put on the field at any given time. Obviously 0:12:35.640 --> 0:12:37.360 Davante Adams is gonna be a big one of those, 0:12:37.679 --> 0:12:40.319 but those other four man there's just so many different 0:12:40.320 --> 0:12:42.360 ways that the Packers could roll with that. Yeah, I 0:12:42.400 --> 0:12:45.319 want to talk about a couple of guys on defense here, 0:12:45.360 --> 0:12:48.800 But first West Serious x M NFL Radio delivers hard 0:12:48.880 --> 0:12:51.800 hitting analysis and up to the minute NFL news that 0:12:51.880 --> 0:12:56.920 true football fanatics need seven three sixty five all right 0:12:57.000 --> 0:13:00.240 on the defensive side of the ball. He was not 0:13:00.480 --> 0:13:02.760 here during the first couple of weeks of O t 0:13:03.000 --> 0:13:05.600 S when we were watching practice. But we have now 0:13:05.679 --> 0:13:10.719 seen JayR Alexander back on the practice field. And I'll 0:13:10.760 --> 0:13:14.520 tell you what I mean. If Week one were this 0:13:14.600 --> 0:13:18.000 Sunday year, Alexander would be ready to play. Yeah, and 0:13:18.080 --> 0:13:21.360 you look at him like the way he's built. Larry 0:13:21.440 --> 0:13:23.040 McCarron was the first one that mentioned this. I think 0:13:23.080 --> 0:13:24.720 you and I could see it, but Larry actually put 0:13:24.720 --> 0:13:29.360 words to it. Jayer came back in fantastic shape. What 0:13:29.559 --> 0:13:31.280 you know, he wasn't here during the O t A s. 0:13:31.320 --> 0:13:33.880 But again, this wasn't a guy sitting on his coach 0:13:33.920 --> 0:13:37.720 eating potato chips. And he he looks like you talk about, 0:13:38.040 --> 0:13:40.720 looks like he's never eating a potato chip life at 0:13:40.720 --> 0:13:43.920 this point exactly. But he he looks like a year 0:13:43.920 --> 0:13:47.439 old all pro cornerback. That's and he understands the opportunity 0:13:47.440 --> 0:13:49.160 in front of him here these next two years to 0:13:49.679 --> 0:13:51.920 you know, really change his life and his family's life. 0:13:51.920 --> 0:13:54.240 So I you know, he's one of the hungriest players 0:13:54.280 --> 0:13:56.040 I've ever met, one of the most motivated players I've 0:13:56.040 --> 0:13:58.760 ever met. And just watching some of these plays, man, 0:13:58.800 --> 0:14:00.679 you talk about Jordan's love, he he may he put 0:14:00.760 --> 0:14:03.600 some nice passes out there to MVS the last you know, 0:14:03.800 --> 0:14:08.920 two practices and there's JR. Alexander with a freaking Superman 0:14:09.040 --> 0:14:11.520 cape on flying out of nowhere to break it up. 0:14:11.559 --> 0:14:15.120 I mean, Sam Shields had really elite closing speed. That's 0:14:15.160 --> 0:14:16.679 what allowed him to kind of make up for some 0:14:16.720 --> 0:14:19.760 deficiencies in his game. He just was incredibly talented and 0:14:19.800 --> 0:14:25.160 gifted athletically. Jaire is almost picture perfect from a technique standpoint, 0:14:25.240 --> 0:14:28.160 and then you add in all those athletic intangibles. Uh, 0:14:28.200 --> 0:14:30.400 this guy is on the precipice and becoming a really 0:14:30.440 --> 0:14:33.720 special special quarnerback in this league. Yeah. Absolutely. I think 0:14:33.760 --> 0:14:35.840 the thing that impressed me the most and you're you're 0:14:35.880 --> 0:14:39.280 reminded of it, uh in practice when you see him 0:14:39.440 --> 0:14:42.720 matched up against MVS, for example, is this is this 0:14:42.800 --> 0:14:45.240 is a cornerback who's you know, five ten, five eleven. 0:14:45.280 --> 0:14:49.200 I'm not sure exactly where he is there he's against 0:14:49.480 --> 0:14:52.080 He's going up against a six three wide receiver. You know, 0:14:52.240 --> 0:14:55.760 forget about the speed thing too, which MBS is obviously fast, 0:14:55.760 --> 0:14:58.600 but JR. Alexander is no slow poke. He's giving up 0:14:58.680 --> 0:15:02.400 multiple inches to plenty of wide receivers that he covers. 0:15:02.800 --> 0:15:04.600 But yet when you watch it. It's like you wouldn't 0:15:04.680 --> 0:15:06.640 you wouldn't know that. I mean, it's not just it's 0:15:06.640 --> 0:15:08.520 not just that he doesn't It's not just that he 0:15:08.560 --> 0:15:11.120 doesn't back down from the challenge. It's that you don't 0:15:11.160 --> 0:15:15.400 even notice the size difference that you know that he 0:15:15.480 --> 0:15:19.000 has to deal with on the field, um in certain matchups. 0:15:19.040 --> 0:15:23.440 And and that's a luxury for Joe Berry, for Jerry Gray. 0:15:23.480 --> 0:15:26.480 When you're talking about going into game planning and whatnot, 0:15:26.720 --> 0:15:28.920 it's not like, oh, you know, Jayre has to be 0:15:29.000 --> 0:15:31.960 matched up against like they can put them against whoever 0:15:32.000 --> 0:15:34.240 they want. And that's what I think we're going to 0:15:34.280 --> 0:15:37.000 continue to see. I can't wait to see what Joe 0:15:37.040 --> 0:15:39.920 Berry comes up with with jyr Alexander. It will be fun. 0:15:40.120 --> 0:15:43.440 Alexander excelled in Mike Petton system too. But you talk 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:46.040 about a new defensive coordinator coming in and having, you know, 0:15:46.080 --> 0:15:48.120 one of the brightest toys to be able to play 0:15:48.160 --> 0:15:51.880 with in a defensive scheme. That's Jayre to a t. 0:15:52.560 --> 0:15:54.320 And the other thing too. You and I were walking 0:15:54.360 --> 0:15:56.480 back up from practice getting ready for the Zoom calls 0:15:56.560 --> 0:15:59.520 on Thursday on Wednesday, and I even remarked it to you. 0:15:59.520 --> 0:16:01.400 I mean, The thing that impresses me the most about 0:16:01.480 --> 0:16:04.440 Alexander at this point is in this this point in 0:16:04.480 --> 0:16:07.520 time and history of the NFL, and referees are just 0:16:07.640 --> 0:16:09.600 looking for a reason to throw a flag on a 0:16:09.640 --> 0:16:13.560 cornerback these days, especially if nothing has happened for the 0:16:13.600 --> 0:16:15.880 previous three and a half quarters and then Kevin King 0:16:15.920 --> 0:16:18.840 holds onto a jersey for too long and a guy decides, Okay, 0:16:18.840 --> 0:16:23.720 now is the time to go. But but but I digress. No, 0:16:23.800 --> 0:16:26.880 but they're they're looking for any reason to to to 0:16:26.960 --> 0:16:30.840 blow their whistle. And jay ere the way he plays 0:16:30.920 --> 0:16:35.240 this game, his technique standpoint, all that stuff. I can't 0:16:35.280 --> 0:16:37.640 remember the last time he's been flagged for a defensive 0:16:37.680 --> 0:16:40.040 holding or past interference. Again, it goes back to the 0:16:40.040 --> 0:16:44.160 fact that he's so technically proficient that his game man 0:16:44.240 --> 0:16:47.000 just rises to another level. Yeah, I said you have 0:16:47.080 --> 0:16:51.320 to practice yesterday. We we've we've talked to countless numbers 0:16:51.320 --> 0:16:54.200 of players over the course of our careers, and you know, 0:16:54.280 --> 0:16:59.280 Alexander has a very very distinct personality to him and 0:17:00.200 --> 0:17:03.440 from plenty of guys, plenty of highly touted players, highly 0:17:03.520 --> 0:17:07.000 successful players in this league who always talk about wanting 0:17:07.119 --> 0:17:08.639 wanting to be the best. They want to be the 0:17:08.640 --> 0:17:11.719 best at what they do. Alexander is one of those 0:17:12.080 --> 0:17:14.440 one of those guys who actually means it. It's not 0:17:14.520 --> 0:17:16.639 it's not just some kind of thing to say to 0:17:16.680 --> 0:17:19.439 the media, so to speak. He he really means it. 0:17:19.480 --> 0:17:21.639 He goes he goes about his he goes about his 0:17:21.760 --> 0:17:24.280 job that way, and it's really really impressed. I'll continue 0:17:24.320 --> 0:17:25.960 to say this. I mean, he has one of the 0:17:26.000 --> 0:17:28.760 most inspiring backstories. He doesn't really like talking about it, 0:17:29.200 --> 0:17:31.280 but he has one of the most inspiring backstories of 0:17:31.320 --> 0:17:33.320 anyone I've ever covered. And this is a guy that 0:17:33.359 --> 0:17:35.560 he came from nothing and people told him he was nothing. 0:17:36.040 --> 0:17:38.560 And the only time that I think he ever really 0:17:39.119 --> 0:17:41.320 you know, he never questioned himself and it was like, 0:17:41.400 --> 0:17:43.200 I know, I'm better than a two or three star 0:17:43.240 --> 0:17:45.280 recruit wherever he was. I know, I'm better than all 0:17:45.280 --> 0:17:48.080 these other guys out of Charlotte that the newspaper and 0:17:48.119 --> 0:17:50.840 in different you know, scouting agencies are putting up over me. 0:17:50.960 --> 0:17:53.080 I know it. But he just needed to be able 0:17:53.080 --> 0:17:55.000 to have the opportunity to prove it, and he eventually 0:17:55.000 --> 0:17:58.240 did that. So there's nothing stopping that guy. He's he's 0:17:58.240 --> 0:18:00.400 ready to go. Yeah, one of the thing I want 0:18:00.400 --> 0:18:03.320 to get to on defense before we wrap up today. 0:18:03.920 --> 0:18:07.760 We talked on a previous show about the pending competition 0:18:07.960 --> 0:18:11.400 at inside linebacker that we were seeing the reps being 0:18:11.480 --> 0:18:13.119 divvied up in the O T A s. When you're 0:18:13.160 --> 0:18:16.320 looking at Chris Barnes and Kamal Martin and Ty Summers 0:18:16.359 --> 0:18:18.520 and or In Burkes and you have a rookie sixth 0:18:18.560 --> 0:18:22.360 round pick Isaiah McDuffie in that mix. Well, now there's 0:18:22.359 --> 0:18:25.480 another veteran thrown in there, because the Packers have signed 0:18:26.000 --> 0:18:29.959 Devandre Campbell, who is entering his sixth year in the NFL, 0:18:30.080 --> 0:18:33.000 IS first four years with the Atlanta Falcons and then 0:18:33.560 --> 0:18:37.960 a fifth year last season with the Arizona Cardinals. And um, 0:18:38.000 --> 0:18:41.160 you know we've been talking about how how that inside 0:18:41.160 --> 0:18:45.160 linebacker group is so young for Green Bay. Well they 0:18:45.160 --> 0:18:47.439 moved on from Christian Kirksey. They decided to bring in 0:18:47.480 --> 0:18:50.199 another veteran presence here in Campbell. And I'm interested to 0:18:50.200 --> 0:18:52.760 see what what Joe Barry and his scheme has in 0:18:52.800 --> 0:18:55.119 store for this guy. I wasn't kidding when I said this, Mike, 0:18:55.200 --> 0:18:57.920 I didn't know Campbell was still a free agent. Um 0:18:57.960 --> 0:19:00.240 you know, he he signed a nice little deal last 0:19:00.320 --> 0:19:02.680 year or the Arizona and by all accounts played well there. 0:19:02.760 --> 0:19:04.879 I mean, now Arizona has made some big changes with 0:19:04.920 --> 0:19:07.320 their inside linebacker corpse, so I understand why he wasn't 0:19:07.359 --> 0:19:10.760 back there, but started all sixteen games. He's averaged a 0:19:10.800 --> 0:19:13.000 hundred and thirteen tackles or something like that over the 0:19:13.119 --> 0:19:15.680 last four years. And he also gives you some flexibility 0:19:15.720 --> 0:19:17.600 as a as a as a blitzer. As you know, 0:19:17.640 --> 0:19:19.920 he's a sack artist too. I mean he's basically had 0:19:19.920 --> 0:19:21.320 I think one and a a half or two and every 0:19:21.400 --> 0:19:23.679 year that he's been in the NFL, in addition to 0:19:23.680 --> 0:19:26.200