WEBVTT - #660 Packers Unscripted: Call from the Hall 0:00:01.240 --> 0:00:10.160 Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from 0:00:10.160 --> 0:00:13.800 Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spofford, joined by the 0:00:13.840 --> 0:00:16.239 one and only Weston Hodkowitz. We're coming to you here 0:00:16.239 --> 0:00:19.520 from our studios at lambeau Field and West. Since we 0:00:19.680 --> 0:00:24.320 last spoke, the Packers conducted their first full pads practice. 0:00:24.440 --> 0:00:29.280 Monday was just a shoulder pads practice. Tuesday was full 0:00:29.360 --> 0:00:32.800 pads And the biggest thing that stood out to me, 0:00:32.880 --> 0:00:34.920 and I think you would agree with me as well, 0:00:35.159 --> 0:00:40.600 is we saw one of those days where the progress, 0:00:40.680 --> 0:00:47.320 the development um of quarterback Jordan's Love was on display. 0:00:47.400 --> 0:00:53.560 And it wasn't just a couple of really, really good quality, 0:00:53.680 --> 0:00:57.320 impressive throws that he made, but it was that he did. 0:00:57.480 --> 0:01:01.080 He executed a couple of those throws in the blitz 0:01:01.160 --> 0:01:04.360 period where the defense was coming after him. He had 0:01:04.400 --> 0:01:06.039 guys in his face, and now, of course he can't 0:01:06.040 --> 0:01:09.960 get hit, but he stood in there and delivered. And 0:01:10.000 --> 0:01:13.360 I thought, Tuesday's practice We're gonna see obviously more in 0:01:13.360 --> 0:01:17.240 the preseason games coming up here in August, but Tuesday's 0:01:17.280 --> 0:01:21.119 practice was a significant step forward, I think for Jordan's Love. 0:01:21.319 --> 0:01:24.120 And Love had such an interesting first week of training 0:01:24.160 --> 0:01:26.720 camp because you and I were remarking going into what 0:01:26.840 --> 0:01:30.679 would be Monday, you know, he was pretty like steady, 0:01:30.760 --> 0:01:34.200 quiet but really steady, yeah, and no issues in that regard. 0:01:34.600 --> 0:01:37.840 And then he has that two minute period during Monday's 0:01:37.840 --> 0:01:40.160 practice where three plays in he gets picked up by 0:01:40.240 --> 0:01:42.399 Vernon Scott to play that. You know, he admits he 0:01:42.440 --> 0:01:45.720 wanted back not not the way you want to end practice. 0:01:45.760 --> 0:01:47.440 I mean that's the kind of thing that that had 0:01:47.480 --> 0:01:50.480 to stick with Jordan's love, you know, all through the 0:01:50.520 --> 0:01:52.560 rest of Monday, until he could get back on the 0:01:52.600 --> 0:01:56.600 field Tuesday, that interception, and yet he responded, he answered 0:01:56.600 --> 0:01:58.400 the call. He really did. And it was a day 0:01:58.400 --> 0:02:00.360 in which there was a lot of pressure. It was 0:02:00.400 --> 0:02:02.080 just the blitz is or just a little bit of 0:02:02.120 --> 0:02:05.440 you know, you know, breakdowns on the line where he 0:02:05.520 --> 0:02:07.800 had some pass rushers in his face. Matt wellfre said, 0:02:07.800 --> 0:02:09.440 you know, if it was a game situation, he's not 0:02:09.480 --> 0:02:10.799 sure whether or not he would have been able to 0:02:10.800 --> 0:02:13.160 get it off or not. But that being said, he 0:02:13.320 --> 0:02:15.959 stood and delivered the football. He did it with authority. 0:02:16.880 --> 0:02:19.600 Love talked to his locker for a long time on Tuesday, 0:02:19.639 --> 0:02:22.440 but it was really Aaron Rodgers in his session where 0:02:22.680 --> 0:02:25.040 they were talking about Tom Clements and the kind of 0:02:25.080 --> 0:02:27.799 the difference he's made the Packers long time quarterbacks coach 0:02:27.800 --> 0:02:32.000 you returned this offseason, and the stress on fundamentals and 0:02:32.120 --> 0:02:34.120 how he feels like that's sort of rubbing off on 0:02:34.200 --> 0:02:36.800 love now. And he mentioned that it wasn't just if, 0:02:37.000 --> 0:02:40.040 for example, that that deep over route that he was 0:02:40.080 --> 0:02:42.320 able to hit Sammy Watkins on the one that basically 0:02:42.360 --> 0:02:44.720 everybody said was sort of his best play, uh in 0:02:44.840 --> 0:02:46.919 terms of really being able to make a downfield throw 0:02:46.919 --> 0:02:49.280 and make it accurately, but it was the way in 0:02:49.320 --> 0:02:52.120 which his his footwork was in sync with everything. And 0:02:52.160 --> 0:02:55.120 as Rogers sort of explained, when you're lining up and 0:02:55.120 --> 0:02:57.600 there's no waste in motion at all the throw in 0:02:57.680 --> 0:02:59.880 some ways almost it kind of makes it for you. 0:03:00.040 --> 0:03:02.640 And that's what happened on that play with Watkins. Later 0:03:02.720 --> 0:03:04.560 on in practice, you know that they were able to 0:03:04.720 --> 0:03:06.480 I think he had the pass also to Dobbs if 0:03:06.520 --> 0:03:08.359 I remember correctly, that was him that threw that in 0:03:08.400 --> 0:03:11.240 the end zone, right, Yeah, it was love to Dobbs 0:03:11.280 --> 0:03:14.080 with with Rico Gafford right on him, and Dobbs was 0:03:14.120 --> 0:03:16.520 able to snag it and and get both feed in 0:03:16.639 --> 0:03:19.400 right by the pylon. Offense had a nice celebration after that. 0:03:19.800 --> 0:03:22.520 So like and as Matt laf said, in three years now, 0:03:22.639 --> 0:03:25.520 three camps of working with Love, this is potentially one 0:03:25.520 --> 0:03:28.480 of his very best. And to me again, we always 0:03:28.480 --> 0:03:32.560 hold that June nine practice and mini camp up as 0:03:32.600 --> 0:03:35.240 sort of the gold standard of love, but this wasn't 0:03:35.280 --> 0:03:38.400 that far off of it. The young man came to play. Yeah, absolutely, 0:03:39.040 --> 0:03:42.200 and a couple of things that that I really liked 0:03:42.200 --> 0:03:44.760 and that were somewhat educational for me as well. One 0:03:44.880 --> 0:03:47.360 is that you know, Jordan's Love for all of the 0:03:48.000 --> 0:03:50.960 all the scrutiny he's been under, the criticism that that 0:03:51.000 --> 0:03:54.240 he has taken the fact that the start against Kansas 0:03:54.240 --> 0:03:56.480 City last year didn't go all that well, the second 0:03:56.520 --> 0:03:59.760 half against Detroit in week eighteen didn't really go all 0:03:59.800 --> 0:04:03.400 that well. So everybody's been been waiting to see and 0:04:03.440 --> 0:04:06.040 as I say, we're gonna have these preseason games coming 0:04:06.120 --> 0:04:09.480 up here in August. But after a really really good 0:04:09.520 --> 0:04:12.720 practice on Tuesday, Jordan's Love didn't stand at his locker 0:04:12.800 --> 0:04:15.360 and and talk to reporters in any sort of like 0:04:15.480 --> 0:04:18.080 you know, well I've arrived moment, And yeah, this was 0:04:18.200 --> 0:04:19.880 this was a great day. He was like, yeah, I 0:04:20.440 --> 0:04:22.599 made some good throws, but you know, I want to 0:04:22.640 --> 0:04:25.760 be better. I want to be more consistent. He's after 0:04:25.800 --> 0:04:29.000 a practice like that and he's answering questions from reporters 0:04:29.040 --> 0:04:31.920 about these really good throws he made in some tough situations. 0:04:32.360 --> 0:04:35.760 He's still thinking about the ones that you know, kind 0:04:35.760 --> 0:04:37.800 of got away from him, or maybe he didn't quite 0:04:37.880 --> 0:04:40.960 hit the right hot read against the blitz, and those 0:04:40.960 --> 0:04:42.880 are the things he's thinking about. Is he's about to 0:04:42.920 --> 0:04:46.919 take his iPad after he's done, you know, talking to reporters. 0:04:46.920 --> 0:04:49.400 He's going to take that tablet and go eat lunch 0:04:49.640 --> 0:04:52.400 and watch the film of practice before he even goes 0:04:52.440 --> 0:04:56.320 into the meeting room um with Aaron Rodgers and Tom 0:04:56.320 --> 0:04:59.640 Clements to then review the practice again. So just getting 0:04:59.640 --> 0:05:02.120 a little bit of insight into into the psyche as 0:05:02.120 --> 0:05:04.720 well as as the routine there. And the other thing 0:05:04.760 --> 0:05:07.400 you mentioned what Rogers was talking about it his locker 0:05:07.520 --> 0:05:11.680 after Wednesday's practice and in saying that, I mean, you know, 0:05:11.720 --> 0:05:13.920 and Aaron Rodgers has been doing this for so long 0:05:14.120 --> 0:05:16.239 as as one of the best, if not the best, 0:05:16.240 --> 0:05:19.800 in the league, and he talked about, you know, if 0:05:20.000 --> 0:05:22.880 if your footwork is right, the fundamentals are right, if 0:05:22.920 --> 0:05:25.440 your eyes are in the right place, if the timing 0:05:25.480 --> 0:05:29.200 of everything with regard to the to the protection, the rollout, 0:05:29.279 --> 0:05:31.320 what you know, whatever else goes into the play, the 0:05:31.320 --> 0:05:34.760 play action fake. If all of that timing and everything 0:05:34.839 --> 0:05:37.760 is right and all those fundamentals are right, the throw, 0:05:38.560 --> 0:05:41.200 whether it's a ten yard hitch or whether it's a 0:05:41.320 --> 0:05:44.560 forty five yards shot down the scene, the throw is 0:05:44.600 --> 0:05:47.760 the easiest part when you get all of that other 0:05:47.880 --> 0:05:50.560 stuff together and in sync. And those are the kinds 0:05:50.560 --> 0:05:52.479 of things I think when you know, we watch football, 0:05:52.520 --> 0:05:54.640 we see the highlights, you look at the great throws 0:05:54.680 --> 0:05:58.000 and all of this. We talked about how Aaron Rodgers 0:05:58.080 --> 0:06:01.120 can make that stuff look so easy. He makes it 0:06:01.160 --> 0:06:05.479 look easy because in those instances sometimes the throw is 0:06:05.520 --> 0:06:09.560 the easiest part for him because everything else plays such 0:06:09.600 --> 0:06:12.320 a big part in getting that play to work and 0:06:12.360 --> 0:06:16.200 be executed properly. Absolutely, and it's ultimately really what has 0:06:16.240 --> 0:06:18.760 separated him at the top of this game for so 0:06:18.800 --> 0:06:22.040 long when you look at how his fundamentals, you know, 0:06:22.080 --> 0:06:24.440 from day one, I mean, he mentions, even talking with 0:06:24.480 --> 0:06:27.560 Clement said, what he's enjoyed is is he knew what 0:06:27.720 --> 0:06:30.080 it looked like when Aaron wasn't refined. He knew what 0:06:30.120 --> 0:06:32.960 it didn't look like when the footwork wasn't maybe necessarily 0:06:33.160 --> 0:06:35.800 right to be. And being able to have that voice 0:06:35.800 --> 0:06:37.520 back in the room this year, he thinks, not only 0:06:37.560 --> 0:06:39.440 does it help love, it's it's going to help him 0:06:39.440 --> 0:06:41.719 in the long run and being able to actually, you know, 0:06:42.279 --> 0:06:45.120 find his own way again and and try to put 0:06:45.160 --> 0:06:49.120 together a third consecutive m v P season. But it's 0:06:49.160 --> 0:06:52.320 just such a complicated position, Like there's so many times 0:06:52.320 --> 0:06:54.839 where I almost kind of get almost a little bit 0:06:54.920 --> 0:06:59.400 of a anxiety attack when when you listen to all 0:06:59.440 --> 0:07:02.200 of them and new usha that's involved with playing that position. 0:07:02.279 --> 0:07:05.200 It just isn't going out there, dropping back and throwing 0:07:05.200 --> 0:07:07.080 a football as hard as you can. There's so much 0:07:07.120 --> 0:07:09.600 that plays into it. Because he said, it's not just love, 0:07:09.640 --> 0:07:12.760 it's also Danny Etling. It's these young guys that when 0:07:12.800 --> 0:07:15.840 you come in understanding what's going to be asked of 0:07:15.880 --> 0:07:19.080 you in that position and ultimately being able to improve 0:07:19.120 --> 0:07:22.360 your yourself to get yourself in the best position possible. 0:07:22.400 --> 0:07:26.000 So Aaron Rodgers was not making any predictions on the preseason, 0:07:26.040 --> 0:07:28.200 did not go there when he was asked about the preseason. 0:07:28.240 --> 0:07:29.640 But we know we're going to see a lot of 0:07:29.720 --> 0:07:31.840 Jordan's love and a lot of Danny Etling and for love. 0:07:32.200 --> 0:07:34.640 This was the perfect way and my estimation going into 0:07:34.680 --> 0:07:37.320 Family Night trying to build some momentum up into that 0:07:37.400 --> 0:07:40.640 game against San Francisco. Yeah. Absolutely, Well, next up for 0:07:40.720 --> 0:07:45.600 the Packers a padded practice, full pads practice on Thursday, 0:07:46.280 --> 0:07:51.840 Family Night on Friday, and then heading into the following week, 0:07:51.920 --> 0:07:56.160 the preparation for the preseason opener at San Francisco. I 0:07:56.200 --> 0:07:59.200 want to shift gears here to a completely different topic 0:07:59.240 --> 0:08:01.640 here for the rest of the show. But first I 0:08:01.680 --> 0:08:04.240 want to take care of our sponsored business Sirius x M. 0:08:04.320 --> 0:08:07.360 NFL Radio delivers hard hitting analysis and up to them 0:08:07.400 --> 0:08:12.400 in NFL News that true football fanatics need seven three 0:08:13.200 --> 0:08:16.120 and at Cousin Subs, we have something for everyone like 0:08:16.160 --> 0:08:19.480 our Wisconsin cheese curds, mac and Cheese, golden fries, and 0:08:19.480 --> 0:08:22.280 creamy shakes, all paired with your favorite sub or sub 0:08:22.280 --> 0:08:26.200 in a bowl. Cousin Subs we believe in better. Alright, 0:08:26.240 --> 0:08:28.160 the rest of the show West we need to talk 0:08:28.200 --> 0:08:32.040 about Well, first off, I'm gonna say bond Voyage because 0:08:32.080 --> 0:08:38.240 you are off to Canton, Ohio for an extended weekend 0:08:38.600 --> 0:08:43.120 to cover Leroy Butler's long awaited but i'll say better 0:08:43.200 --> 0:08:47.880 late than never long awaited Hall of Fame induction. And 0:08:48.400 --> 0:08:50.480 I've been to Canton a couple of times. I covered 0:08:50.480 --> 0:08:54.560 Brett Fire's induction as well as Jerry Kramer's UM in 0:08:54.679 --> 0:08:58.360 my time here before that, you know Vic Catchman, your 0:08:58.480 --> 0:09:02.720 predecessor here as as you know the two man writing team. 0:09:02.880 --> 0:09:07.200 Vick covered Ron Wolf and Dave Robinson being inducted into 0:09:07.280 --> 0:09:09.320 the Packers Hall of Fame. So a lot of Canton 0:09:09.360 --> 0:09:12.240 trips over the last decade here, which is a good 0:09:12.280 --> 0:09:15.559 thing um for the franchise. But anyway, I wish you 0:09:16.480 --> 0:09:22.480 save travels and uh. And with regard to Butler's induction UM, 0:09:22.520 --> 0:09:25.400 the Kramer induction a few years ago was one thing 0:09:25.520 --> 0:09:29.360 right because of how long he had to wait. But 0:09:29.400 --> 0:09:32.440 with with Butler, it's almost With Kramer, there was a 0:09:32.440 --> 0:09:36.280 sense of relief because it seemed like it was a 0:09:36.400 --> 0:09:39.880 fifty year like wrong that finally had to be righted. 0:09:40.440 --> 0:09:45.040 With Butler, I just I've never been around a Packers 0:09:45.120 --> 0:09:49.000 player where the Hall of Fame induction And I should 0:09:49.000 --> 0:09:52.000 mention Charles Woodson as well last year. Because of COVID 0:09:52.040 --> 0:09:54.360 restrictions and all that, we weren't known any cover it. 0:09:54.400 --> 0:09:56.160 We didn't cover it in the same way that we've 0:09:56.160 --> 0:09:58.080 covered other inductions. Although I would have loved to have 0:09:58.080 --> 0:10:01.960 been there for Charles le roi'son induction. There is a 0:10:02.280 --> 0:10:07.360 there is a true celebration and joy and everything that 0:10:07.360 --> 0:10:10.680 that is going into this for for him, for his 0:10:10.800 --> 0:10:14.280 family because they've had to wait a little bit longer 0:10:14.320 --> 0:10:16.400 than you would have liked. But I think in a 0:10:16.400 --> 0:10:18.640 lot of ways it's made it even that much sweeter 0:10:18.720 --> 0:10:21.480 for Leroy to get to this point. It has and 0:10:21.600 --> 0:10:25.440 I think everybody involved with this process. I mean, Leroy 0:10:25.600 --> 0:10:28.400 is going in and he said this time and time again, 0:10:28.440 --> 0:10:30.520 and you know the conversations he had with his mom, 0:10:30.559 --> 0:10:33.800 who's since passed about the Hall of Fame, and you know, 0:10:33.840 --> 0:10:36.040 it's not the headline is not Leroy, Butler's going to 0:10:36.080 --> 0:10:39.680 the Hall of Fame. It's everybody around him. And while 0:10:39.960 --> 0:10:43.200 he certainly was built by, you know, a village of 0:10:43.200 --> 0:10:47.839 of contributors, coaches, teammates, loved ones that helped him get 0:10:47.840 --> 0:10:51.160 to this point, I also think about all the people 0:10:51.240 --> 0:10:53.800 that have been around him that are kind of going 0:10:53.840 --> 0:10:57.400 on this journey to UM. I can't and I and 0:10:57.440 --> 0:10:59.520 I no longer do I have to act like I'm impartial. 0:10:59.679 --> 0:11:03.920 I'm not um. But I did radio for four years 0:11:03.920 --> 0:11:06.120 with Leroy, and that was the first time I really 0:11:06.160 --> 0:11:07.520 got a chance to meet him. I knew him a 0:11:07.559 --> 0:11:10.000 little bit beforehand from Rob Dmowski and some of my 0:11:10.000 --> 0:11:12.040 colleagues at the Press Gazette, but it was when I 0:11:12.080 --> 0:11:14.000 started doing radio with him in thirteen I got to 0:11:14.000 --> 0:11:17.439 know him better as a human being. And the thing 0:11:17.480 --> 0:11:21.640 that stands out the most to me was what he 0:11:21.920 --> 0:11:25.640 meant to this fan base and what that fan base 0:11:25.760 --> 0:11:29.600 means to him. It is a popular cliche for people 0:11:29.640 --> 0:11:31.960 to talk about the Packers having the best fans of football, 0:11:32.400 --> 0:11:34.520 you know, and some guys, you know, I'm not saying 0:11:34.559 --> 0:11:36.440 they don't mean it, but I'm just saying it's always 0:11:36.440 --> 0:11:39.400 something easy to go back to Leroy. Butler it's a 0:11:39.480 --> 0:11:42.560 different deal and it always has been that way, going 0:11:42.600 --> 0:11:44.480 back to when he invented the leap, which is now 0:11:44.520 --> 0:11:50.640 almost thirty years ago. That he lives for his fans 0:11:51.360 --> 0:11:56.719 and to see this celebration when he finally does get 0:11:56.760 --> 0:11:59.280 in because there were guys like me that were obviously 0:11:59.280 --> 0:12:02.000 really discontent with Steve Attwater getting in first and John 0:12:02.080 --> 0:12:05.040 Lynch getting in first, and obviously, you know, trolly Paula 0:12:05.080 --> 0:12:06.719 Maller was a first ballot Hall of Famer. I don't 0:12:06.720 --> 0:12:10.199 think anyone was arguing that but Leroy was waiting and 0:12:10.200 --> 0:12:12.440 waiting and waiting, and it's like, this is the guy 0:12:12.480 --> 0:12:15.240 that was the first one with twenty sacks and twenty interceptions. 0:12:15.240 --> 0:12:18.200 This is a guy that I think the people that 0:12:18.240 --> 0:12:22.080 could have stumped the hardest for him aren't here. You know, 0:12:22.160 --> 0:12:25.760 Reggie White passed away in two thousand four, Fritz Shermer 0:12:26.080 --> 0:12:31.360 passed away. They the people that knew what he could 0:12:31.400 --> 0:12:33.720 do and had the voices to tell it. A lot 0:12:33.720 --> 0:12:37.560 of those voices weren't available for him. And for a 0:12:37.640 --> 0:12:41.240 time I grew frustrated. But then when he did make 0:12:41.280 --> 0:12:44.040 semifinalist and you start to talk to him more about 0:12:44.120 --> 0:12:46.320 this and his vantage point on things and how his 0:12:46.360 --> 0:12:49.760 mom affected him in that way, this is a guy 0:12:49.800 --> 0:12:52.200 that was content, and he kind of had this sort 0:12:52.240 --> 0:12:56.520 of empowerment, like almost manifesting that I'm going to be 0:12:56.559 --> 0:12:57.920 in the Hall of Fame someday. I don't need to 0:12:57.920 --> 0:13:00.280 worry about it. I don't worry about the order that 0:13:00.360 --> 0:13:02.480 I think it. It made it even sweeter when he 0:13:02.520 --> 0:13:05.439 finally did get that knock on the door, when Charles 0:13:05.480 --> 0:13:07.960 Woodson did show up at his house and was able 0:13:08.000 --> 0:13:09.719 to actually tell him, you're going to be welcoming to 0:13:09.760 --> 0:13:13.880 the greatest fraternity and professional football. So it's an extremely 0:13:13.920 --> 0:13:15.680 long answer for you, Mike, But I guess the way 0:13:15.720 --> 0:13:17.760 I think as we go days out from this event 0:13:17.880 --> 0:13:20.360 is just the emotions involved with it, in the fact 0:13:20.440 --> 0:13:23.839 that this isn't just a guy, This isn't just a 0:13:24.000 --> 0:13:29.600 safety with stats that revitalized the revolutionize the position. Leroy 0:13:29.679 --> 0:13:34.200 Butler is a tried and true Green Bay Packer. He's 0:13:34.240 --> 0:13:36.720 from Jacksonville, Florida, but you might as well just put 0:13:36.760 --> 0:13:39.880 hometown of title Town on there. That's the way he 0:13:39.920 --> 0:13:42.280 approached this thing, and he still makes his home in Wisconsin. 0:13:42.320 --> 0:13:44.320 I could not be more thrilled for him. Yeah, I 0:13:44.360 --> 0:13:46.720 tell you it's it's interesting. And I don't know Leroy 0:13:46.880 --> 0:13:49.240 as well as you do. And this is not a 0:13:49.320 --> 0:13:51.679 story that he would remember by any stretch. And I'm 0:13:51.679 --> 0:13:54.440 not even sure if I've told you this story. But 0:13:54.800 --> 0:13:57.640 back in my early newspaper days, I was at the 0:13:57.640 --> 0:14:00.680 wasa daily Herald, as you know, and one of the 0:14:00.720 --> 0:14:05.360 first times I came over to Green Bay to provide 0:14:05.360 --> 0:14:09.520 some coverage of the Packers for the daily paperback in Wassa. 0:14:09.640 --> 0:14:13.160 It was training camp of n and of course we 0:14:13.200 --> 0:14:16.480 all know what happened in the Packers were coming off 0:14:16.520 --> 0:14:20.160 of reaching the NFC Championship Game UM and losing to 0:14:20.240 --> 0:14:23.000 Dallas the previous year. So I came over in training 0:14:23.040 --> 0:14:26.680 camp was doing was working on a set of stories 0:14:26.720 --> 0:14:30.440 for a special you know, football tab section for the 0:14:30.480 --> 0:14:33.120 paper that was going to include all the high schools, 0:14:33.120 --> 0:14:37.360 but then also some some exclusive Packer coverage. And I 0:14:37.440 --> 0:14:40.880 was able to get UM through Aaron Popkey, who's still 0:14:40.920 --> 0:14:45.080 one of our colleagues here. Popkey, Aaron was working UM 0:14:45.120 --> 0:14:48.880 in football communications then he's more in all of the 0:14:49.000 --> 0:14:53.120 involved in all the non daily football communications here with 0:14:53.160 --> 0:14:56.360 the organization now. But I was able to get after 0:14:56.400 --> 0:14:59.080 practice in training camp, was able to get a one 0:14:59.080 --> 0:15:03.120 on one interview with Butler just in a little side room, 0:15:03.200 --> 0:15:05.320 you know. And this is way before you know the 0:15:05.640 --> 0:15:08.640 renovation and everything, a little side room off to the 0:15:08.680 --> 0:15:12.120 side of of the locker room and everything. And uh, 0:15:12.200 --> 0:15:15.680 and he didn't he didn't know me from Adam. I 0:15:15.680 --> 0:15:18.040 mean I literally it was the first time I had 0:15:18.080 --> 0:15:21.400 been around lambeau Field and around the locker room at all, 0:15:22.360 --> 0:15:25.360 and uh um. And he sat down and talked with 0:15:25.400 --> 0:15:27.920 me for like fifteen minutes about the defense. You know, 0:15:28.000 --> 0:15:32.040 about Fritz and about Reggie and Santana Dots and and all, 0:15:32.160 --> 0:15:34.240 and you know, all the plans and what the you know, 0:15:34.280 --> 0:15:36.520 how confident they were in the unit they had, which 0:15:36.600 --> 0:15:39.200 ended up being the number one scoring defense in the 0:15:39.280 --> 0:15:44.600 league that year. And I was what would that have been, 0:15:44.640 --> 0:15:47.760 summer of ninety six. I was twenty three years old, 0:15:48.760 --> 0:15:52.160 pretty young cub reporter as they used to say. And 0:15:52.680 --> 0:15:56.880 he he gave he gave me such an amazing interview 0:15:56.920 --> 0:15:59.400 that helped me with these training camp stories that I 0:15:59.440 --> 0:16:02.480 was working. And he didn't he didn't know me, He 0:16:02.560 --> 0:16:05.760 had no he had no reason to give me that 0:16:05.800 --> 0:16:09.360 type of interview, give me that time of day. And 0:16:09.400 --> 0:16:12.680 I've always I've always remembered that, and I've and and 0:16:12.880 --> 0:16:16.600 the longer you're in this business, the more you realize 0:16:16.640 --> 0:16:19.240 that they aren't all made like le Roy Ball. So 0:16:19.600 --> 0:16:22.160 I just wanted to share that because because that's one 0:16:22.280 --> 0:16:26.280 for my very early days in this business, in in 0:16:26.360 --> 0:16:30.600 getting connected to the Packers and professional football, um right 0:16:30.640 --> 0:16:32.800 at the very very beginning stages. And he was a 0:16:32.800 --> 0:16:34.600 part of it for me and uh and I have 0:16:34.680 --> 0:16:38.120 a lot to thank for him, thank him for that 0:16:38.680 --> 0:16:42.280 um because of because of that particular day, I loved 0:16:42.320 --> 0:16:44.720 one of the stories. I was talking with Gilbert Brown, 0:16:44.920 --> 0:16:47.720 who's one of the presenters for Leroy, and he mentioned, 0:16:47.760 --> 0:16:51.440 you know, he gets basically signed from the Vikings. He 0:16:51.520 --> 0:16:53.400 was a third round pick, but he got cut right 0:16:53.480 --> 0:16:55.680 that first year. So what do the Green Bay Packers do? Well, 0:16:55.680 --> 0:16:57.840 they put him in a locker right next to Leewright Butler. 0:16:58.400 --> 0:17:00.160 So when I was asking about it, like just his 0:17:00.200 --> 0:17:02.880 first impressions where he's like, I thought he ran his 0:17:02.920 --> 0:17:06.440 mouth too much because and he's like everybody and their 0:17:06.480 --> 0:17:08.560 mothers sitting there trying to get an interview with him. 0:17:08.600 --> 0:17:12.200 I can never get into my locker, like he basically saying, 0:17:12.240 --> 0:17:13.919 it's a little annoyed by this guy. But then there 0:17:13.920 --> 0:17:15.960 has a time, you know, turned out they end up 0:17:15.960 --> 0:17:19.240 becoming best friends almost mostly like brothers. And I think 0:17:19.359 --> 0:17:22.800 anybody that's met Leroy, whether it's whether you're meetinga or 0:17:22.800 --> 0:17:24.480 whether or not, it could have been a guy, you know, 0:17:24.560 --> 0:17:28.720 someone going to an event. He has a gift of 0:17:28.800 --> 0:17:32.560 gab unlike any other. And it was funny listening to 0:17:32.640 --> 0:17:35.800 his wife, Genesis talked about this because she said, what's 0:17:35.800 --> 0:17:39.800 really interesting about Leroy is one like he he understands 0:17:40.480 --> 0:17:42.920 he's never going to meet every Packer fan. There's too 0:17:42.920 --> 0:17:47.160 many of them, too many different states but in countries. 0:17:48.480 --> 0:17:52.119 But he in that moment when he talks to people, 0:17:52.320 --> 0:17:55.320 it maybe three minutes, five minutes, ten minutes, whatever he gets. 0:17:55.960 --> 0:17:57.440 He's like, you know, there's a lot of times where 0:17:57.480 --> 0:17:59.480 he's at things and you know he has a line 0:17:59.520 --> 0:18:02.320 and he always steadily works through it. He has like 0:18:02.359 --> 0:18:05.399 the perfect process for wanting to actually show people the 0:18:05.400 --> 0:18:08.760 appreciation of being able to have that interaction and their 0:18:08.800 --> 0:18:12.520 support um and also being able to you know, try 0:18:12.560 --> 0:18:15.440 to get to as many people as possible. And that's 0:18:15.480 --> 0:18:18.879 something again that his mother instilled in him, and just 0:18:18.960 --> 0:18:21.680 the idea that you know, you're gonna have the leap, 0:18:21.720 --> 0:18:23.520 you're gonna have the interceptions, you're gonna be one of 0:18:23.560 --> 0:18:25.840 the highest paid safeties in the National Football League at 0:18:25.840 --> 0:18:29.080 one point in time, but at some point you won't 0:18:29.080 --> 0:18:32.520 be an NFL football player. Anymore. But if you if 0:18:32.560 --> 0:18:35.960 you care for and you appreciate your fans, they're still 0:18:35.960 --> 0:18:38.479 going to be there for you. So that's what has 0:18:38.520 --> 0:18:40.560 really stood out to me the most. One of the 0:18:40.600 --> 0:18:43.280 big reasons why I think Jerry Kramer, in addition to 0:18:43.359 --> 0:18:45.800 being a five time All Pro guard and all the 0:18:45.840 --> 0:18:47.800 things that he did in his career, one of the 0:18:47.840 --> 0:18:51.840 reasons that that that fire never died trying to get 0:18:51.920 --> 0:18:54.199 him into Canton is because of the fact he was, 0:18:54.240 --> 0:18:58.160 in my opinion, the greatest ambassador of Packers football there's 0:18:58.200 --> 0:19:00.320 ever been. The guy's done it all, see in it all, 0:19:00.359 --> 0:19:04.440 and he did it ten years fifteen years before anybody else. Right. Leroy, 0:19:04.520 --> 0:19:07.560 in my mind, is like a modern day Jerry Kramer. 0:19:07.600 --> 0:19:09.520 I think he's a guy that will continue to carry 0:19:09.520 --> 0:19:12.320 that green and gold torch for this organization. He's a 0:19:12.359 --> 0:19:13.960 guy that you can go and talk to and feel 0:19:14.000 --> 0:19:16.200 like you've known him for ten years. Oh and by 0:19:16.240 --> 0:19:21.080 the way, he's an incredibly deserving football player. The ways 0:19:21.119 --> 0:19:25.720 in which Fritz Shermer utilized him were unprecedented at the time. 0:19:25.760 --> 0:19:28.560 And you know, you had your Ronnie Lotts, you know 0:19:28.640 --> 0:19:30.919 you had your your you know you're Darren Woodson's You 0:19:30.960 --> 0:19:33.719 had guys that were making this transition at that time 0:19:34.119 --> 0:19:36.760 when defenses were starting to evolve a little bit and 0:19:37.040 --> 0:19:39.280 understanding you could just always live in your base unit. 0:19:39.280 --> 0:19:42.000 You're gonna have to have sub packages, and guys like 0:19:42.080 --> 0:19:44.679 Leroy were worth their weight in gold just based on 0:19:44.840 --> 0:19:48.200 what they could do and how really dependable they could be. 0:19:48.640 --> 0:19:51.399 The credit has to go first and foremost to Ray Rhodes. 0:19:51.400 --> 0:19:54.480 He was the one that started that switch in, but 0:19:54.560 --> 0:19:57.160 once Shermer got in and where they took that thing. 0:19:57.200 --> 0:19:59.600 I wrote this in my profile on him, fifteen and 0:19:59.640 --> 0:20:01.440 a half of his twenty and a half SAX came 0:20:01.480 --> 0:20:04.640 when he was operating those five seasons in Friz Shermer's defense. Yeah, 0:20:05.040 --> 0:20:08.200 he used him almost like another pass rusher to the point, 0:20:08.240 --> 0:20:10.040 like Gilbert was saying, some of the guys on the 0:20:10.080 --> 0:20:12.760 front were like, this guy's taking our set, you know. 0:20:13.440 --> 0:20:15.800 But that's just the type of playmaker he was, and 0:20:15.800 --> 0:20:17.959 they entrusted him in a way in which few GET 0:20:18.040 --> 0:20:20.600 people have have really been trusted. You look at Leroy, 0:20:20.640 --> 0:20:24.160 butler you look at Charles Woodson in two thousand and ten, 0:20:24.640 --> 0:20:29.480 those type of defensive backs really had a huge contribution 0:20:29.520 --> 0:20:32.639 to Super Bowl Championships and ultimately keeping the title in 0:20:32.680 --> 0:20:36.280 Title Town. Yeah. Absolutely, When when you think of Leroy Butler, Uh, 0:20:36.440 --> 0:20:41.000 the words dependable and impactful are the ones that that 0:20:41.080 --> 0:20:44.600 come to mind for me and Um, Well, I certainly 0:20:44.880 --> 0:20:47.480 congratulate Leroy. I wish him the best. I hope he 0:20:47.520 --> 0:20:52.719 has the greatest celebration weekend ever um in Canton, Ohio. 0:20:52.760 --> 0:20:54.680 I'm excited for you to be able to be able 0:20:54.680 --> 0:20:56.600 to be a part of that one last thing before 0:20:56.600 --> 0:21:00.480