WEBVTT - #606 Packers Unscripted: Roster ruminations 0:00:00.560 --> 0:00:11.000 Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from 0:00:11.000 --> 0:00:14.040 Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spofford, joined by my 0:00:14.160 --> 0:00:16.920 partner in crime, Weston Hodkowitz. We're coming to you here 0:00:16.960 --> 0:00:20.439 from our studios at lambeau Field. We're a little late 0:00:20.520 --> 0:00:22.840 getting into the studio this week, West, but it's been 0:00:22.920 --> 0:00:26.480 kind of a busy week with regard to the Packers 0:00:26.760 --> 0:00:30.400 making their roster decisions, trimming things down to the initial 0:00:30.960 --> 0:00:33.879 fifty three man or I guess at the moment two 0:00:33.960 --> 0:00:38.600 man roster for season. I want to start with what 0:00:38.680 --> 0:00:40.640 I think are the two biggest pieces of news to 0:00:40.720 --> 0:00:43.600 come out of the roster decisions from this week. One 0:00:43.720 --> 0:00:47.280 is that the Packers decided to put David bak Tr 0:00:47.520 --> 0:00:51.400 on regular season pu p that means physically unable to perform. 0:00:51.479 --> 0:00:54.160 He was on the pup list for all of training camp. 0:00:55.040 --> 0:00:58.160 Starting the regular season, there means that he is out 0:00:58.960 --> 0:01:01.120 for a minimum of the for six weeks of the 0:01:01.120 --> 0:01:04.080 regular season, so Elton Jenkins will be this team's left 0:01:04.120 --> 0:01:07.360 tackle for at least the first six games of one 0:01:07.440 --> 0:01:09.280 And the other big piece of news is the Packers 0:01:09.280 --> 0:01:12.120 are going to have a new punter in with the 0:01:12.160 --> 0:01:15.479 release of J K. Scott and a trade in the work. 0:01:15.520 --> 0:01:18.479 So I will let you start on those two nuggets 0:01:18.480 --> 0:01:20.560 and let me know your thoughts. One I thought was 0:01:20.640 --> 0:01:23.479 kind of a little bit of the inevitable. One kind 0:01:23.480 --> 0:01:26.200 of caught me by surprise, and and really the decision 0:01:26.200 --> 0:01:28.160 at Puncher was the only thing that I think kind 0:01:28.160 --> 0:01:31.959 of surprised me throughout this process. And generally speaking, I 0:01:32.000 --> 0:01:35.480 thought green Bay really did win the roster reduction. I 0:01:35.520 --> 0:01:38.600 think they put together a really strong sixteen man practice squad, 0:01:38.920 --> 0:01:41.080 and I like the way they built the fifty three. 0:01:41.080 --> 0:01:43.959 It made a lot of sense, uh for for box 0:01:44.000 --> 0:01:47.280 Tri though, this was something that I actually have to 0:01:47.319 --> 0:01:50.600 admit I was not fully educated on. I originally was 0:01:50.680 --> 0:01:53.280 operating under the assumption the packers would be able to 0:01:53.320 --> 0:01:56.080 bring him back onto the the active roster and then 0:01:56.080 --> 0:01:58.280 place him on injury reserve. That is not the case. 0:01:58.760 --> 0:02:00.680 If a guy is going to be placed in I 0:02:00.760 --> 0:02:03.400 ARE he has to pass a physical first and then 0:02:03.520 --> 0:02:06.240 either have whether it would be an aggravation or different 0:02:06.240 --> 0:02:08.640 injury than be eligible for i R. So box tr 0:02:08.800 --> 0:02:11.640 actually wasn't going to be able to go that route. 0:02:12.080 --> 0:02:14.799 In the past that never mattered, But with the way 0:02:14.840 --> 0:02:17.799 the NFL has shifted to having a three week injured reserve. Now, 0:02:18.200 --> 0:02:20.320 that's why it was sort of a topic. So what 0:02:20.480 --> 0:02:23.000 the facts are is that he's on the physically unable 0:02:23.000 --> 0:02:25.680 to perform list regular season that takes him out for 0:02:25.720 --> 0:02:27.520 the first six games of the year. Here, he would 0:02:27.520 --> 0:02:30.200 be eligible to come back for Washington. For a lot 0:02:30.240 --> 0:02:33.240 of organizations, For a lot of football teams, this would 0:02:33.280 --> 0:02:36.400 be doomsday type news to lose a five time All 0:02:36.480 --> 0:02:39.880 Pro left tackle. The Green Bay Packers not saying they 0:02:39.880 --> 0:02:42.400 don't want to have David bok tr out there, but 0:02:42.480 --> 0:02:44.520 they have probably as good of a safety net as 0:02:44.520 --> 0:02:46.960 you're going to find in the NFL with Elton Jenkins 0:02:46.960 --> 0:02:49.280 being able to play that position. There were so many 0:02:49.400 --> 0:02:52.079 articles I read this summer, Mike about teams that were 0:02:52.160 --> 0:02:55.600 dealing with injuries at left tackle, the indian Indianapolis Colts 0:02:55.639 --> 0:02:57.960 among them, and there were a lot of questions as 0:02:58.000 --> 0:02:59.600 far as who was going to be able to man 0:02:59.639 --> 0:03:03.160 that position. Since the day that this team reported back 0:03:03.200 --> 0:03:05.640 in July, that has not been a question here. Elton 0:03:05.720 --> 0:03:07.560 Jenkins has been the guy in the Packers feel pretty 0:03:07.560 --> 0:03:09.480 good about him going into the regular season. Yeah, and 0:03:09.520 --> 0:03:11.960 as much as the Packers do feel good about the 0:03:11.960 --> 0:03:14.280 way things are set up on the offensive line. With 0:03:14.320 --> 0:03:17.000 Elton Jenkins moving to left tackle. Looks like you're going 0:03:17.080 --> 0:03:20.720 to have a rookie starting at guard in Royce Newman. 0:03:20.800 --> 0:03:24.560 We all know obviously since the day he arrived, Josh 0:03:24.639 --> 0:03:27.680 Myers will be the rookie second round draft picks starting 0:03:27.680 --> 0:03:31.839 at center. As good as the Packers feel about their 0:03:31.880 --> 0:03:34.200 offensive line and how it sets up to navigate this 0:03:34.280 --> 0:03:36.839 absence of box TR, we do have to make one 0:03:36.880 --> 0:03:41.000 thing clear, and the the status of the offensive line 0:03:41.040 --> 0:03:43.800 didn't really have to do with the decision on bok TR. 0:03:44.000 --> 0:03:48.040 This decision on bok TR is about protecting a major 0:03:48.200 --> 0:03:50.520 investment in one of the best players in the game. 0:03:50.560 --> 0:03:53.800 The Packers recently extended him, signed him to a big, 0:03:54.120 --> 0:03:57.480 long term contract. The last thing they are going to 0:03:57.560 --> 0:04:00.880 do is jeopardize that by rushing him back and bringing 0:04:00.960 --> 0:04:03.160 him back too early. This wasn't going to be a 0:04:03.200 --> 0:04:05.680 case of, you know, oh well, if they don't have 0:04:05.720 --> 0:04:08.280 Elton Jenkins to play left tackle, and there's all these questions, 0:04:08.320 --> 0:04:10.960 we're gonna rush David Barton. No, that's not what the 0:04:11.000 --> 0:04:14.240 approach of this organization was going to be. They do 0:04:14.320 --> 0:04:16.520 feel good about where they are on the offensive line. 0:04:16.560 --> 0:04:19.760 But the box tr decision was about David bok tr 0:04:20.080 --> 0:04:23.040 situation first and foremost. Yeah, and it was good. I mean, 0:04:23.040 --> 0:04:25.880 Brian good Con said, I mean he didn't feel comfortable 0:04:26.160 --> 0:04:29.320 him personally putting back Tr in that position. I'm sure David, 0:04:29.360 --> 0:04:31.599 if he had his brothers, would be out there against 0:04:31.600 --> 0:04:34.440 New Orleans. But the story I'll tell everybody now that 0:04:34.520 --> 0:04:37.440 we have a real in house example is in his gains, 0:04:37.480 --> 0:04:39.280 I mean in his gains tears as a c L 0:04:39.400 --> 0:04:42.240 during his junior year against TCU. He comes back playing 0:04:42.279 --> 0:04:45.360 four TCU, comes back in six months and ends up 0:04:45.360 --> 0:04:48.320 tearing the same knee again. That's what you're looking to 0:04:48.400 --> 0:04:51.159 avoid the Packers, like they mentioned, there's a nine to 0:04:51.240 --> 0:04:53.719 eleven month window there for a lot of offensive lineman 0:04:53.720 --> 0:04:57.479 returning from this injury. There's really, especially early in the 0:04:57.480 --> 0:05:00.279 season here, where they have some fluidity, There's some you know, 0:05:00.600 --> 0:05:03.279 versatility that they can take advantage of with that offensive line. 0:05:03.600 --> 0:05:06.000 It's better to be able to make sure that Bat 0:05:06.279 --> 0:05:08.000 is in a good spot so that this team that 0:05:08.040 --> 0:05:10.480 has real Super Bowl hopes for two thousand and twenty 0:05:10.480 --> 0:05:13.159 one can have their best player available down you know, 0:05:13.200 --> 0:05:15.360 whatever point it comes, but definitely down the stretch yea. 0:05:15.440 --> 0:05:18.240 And just to provide some perspective on the timeline here, 0:05:18.520 --> 0:05:21.280 the fastest we've ever seen anybody come back from an 0:05:21.320 --> 0:05:23.680 a c L in Green Bay was Brian Bolag a 0:05:23.720 --> 0:05:28.159 few years ago. And botr E being on pup for 0:05:28.200 --> 0:05:32.200 at least the first six weeks of one season. Essentially, 0:05:32.240 --> 0:05:35.280 when he's eligible to come off p pup within a 0:05:35.320 --> 0:05:39.239 week or so is almost almost matches up to Brian 0:05:39.240 --> 0:05:42.440 Bulag's timeline. So now every injury is different. I'm not 0:05:42.440 --> 0:05:44.919 saying the Packers are following the Brian Bolagh a timeline 0:05:44.920 --> 0:05:48.279 because every individual individual and every injury is different. But 0:05:48.360 --> 0:05:51.240 just to provide that perspective. That was eye opening too 0:05:51.240 --> 0:05:53.560 when Bolaga did that. You guy, remember he actually toured 0:05:53.600 --> 0:05:56.279 at the beginning of November and he was ready for 0:05:56.400 --> 0:05:58.599 week one. This is a little bit different. This was 0:05:58.920 --> 0:06:02.680 New Year's Day or New Years even New Years Practice 0:06:02.720 --> 0:06:05.600 of week seventeen, almost two full months later. So Box 0:06:05.760 --> 0:06:08.280 are very much still on the same timeline, just trying 0:06:08.279 --> 0:06:10.080 to make sure you can get him healthy. Yeah, and 0:06:10.120 --> 0:06:12.080 with regard to a new punter, a trade is in 0:06:12.120 --> 0:06:16.520 the works for Corey b yor Quaz hopefully I'm pronouncing 0:06:16.560 --> 0:06:21.240 that correctly, punted three seasons for the Buffalo Bills, was 0:06:21.480 --> 0:06:25.000 in training camp this summer with the Los Angeles Rams, 0:06:25.040 --> 0:06:28.279 but the Rams decided despite Bi york was having a 0:06:28.360 --> 0:06:31.680 really impressive preseason, they decided to stick with their tried 0:06:31.720 --> 0:06:35.839 and true veteran, the All Pro Johnny Hecker. So the Packers, 0:06:35.839 --> 0:06:39.400 seeing that by Us was going to become available. But 0:06:39.560 --> 0:06:42.680 the Packers, being a conference runner up from a year ago, 0:06:42.960 --> 0:06:46.040 very very low in the waiver claim order, Brian Gudokuntz 0:06:46.120 --> 0:06:49.680 was not going to take the chance that this punter 0:06:49.760 --> 0:06:53.039 could be claimed in front of him. So a little 0:06:53.040 --> 0:06:55.600 swap of draft picks for the future down the road 0:06:55.920 --> 0:06:58.640 guarantees that the Packers get him. B York was doesn't 0:06:58.640 --> 0:07:01.400 actually go on waivers, and he's on his way to 0:07:01.560 --> 0:07:03.400 Green Bay to join the Packers. And this is a 0:07:03.440 --> 0:07:07.320 punter that Brian Goodacom is the personnel staff feel is 0:07:07.320 --> 0:07:09.680 is one of these young players with the arrow pointing 0:07:09.720 --> 0:07:11.560 up and you just have to look at his statistics 0:07:11.880 --> 0:07:16.600 from twenty nineteen in Buffalo to to see, um, you 0:07:16.600 --> 0:07:19.040 know that that arrow pointing up for this young man. Yeah, 0:07:19.040 --> 0:07:20.560 and you know the Bills. They ended up going in 0:07:20.560 --> 0:07:22.760 a different direction. They signed Matt Hack, who was a 0:07:22.760 --> 0:07:25.320 little bit more of an established punter this offseason, so 0:07:25.360 --> 0:07:27.640 that allowed york has to kind of hit free agency 0:07:27.640 --> 0:07:31.119 in a month into it felt like maybe Los Angeles, rams, 0:07:31.160 --> 0:07:34.160 a place where he's actually from southern California, might be 0:07:34.200 --> 0:07:35.840 a good fit for him. As you mentioned here, there 0:07:35.920 --> 0:07:38.239 was a five time four time All Pro and Johnny 0:07:38.240 --> 0:07:40.800 Hecker there, but Hecker's had some you know, injuries, There's 0:07:40.840 --> 0:07:42.600 been some issues there the last few seasons. So it 0:07:42.640 --> 0:07:45.040 was a legitimate competition right down to the final bell. 0:07:45.280 --> 0:07:47.440 There was a contract thing kind of going on with 0:07:47.440 --> 0:07:50.120 with Hecker as well, which is also partly why b 0:07:50.240 --> 0:07:53.080 York was maybe wasn't brought back to Buffalo because of 0:07:53.240 --> 0:07:56.840 becoming a restricted free agent and and with the depressed 0:07:56.880 --> 0:07:59.760 cap and all of that. So lots of circumstances lead 0:07:59.800 --> 0:08:02.160 to the thing. And now suddenly Corey borku was is 0:08:02.200 --> 0:08:04.200 a Green Bay Packer. But and as I told people 0:08:04.200 --> 0:08:06.760 an insider inbox, because they were asking about special teams, 0:08:06.760 --> 0:08:08.920 what are the Packers doing to improve their special teams? 0:08:09.240 --> 0:08:12.120 I said that they are turning over all the stones. 0:08:12.200 --> 0:08:15.000 Now they are taking a look. They're casting a wide net. 0:08:15.120 --> 0:08:17.840 JJ Molson came back on the practice squad as a kicker. 0:08:18.360 --> 0:08:20.680 I don't remember the last time the Packers kept a 0:08:20.800 --> 0:08:23.720 kicker on the initial roster going into the season on 0:08:23.760 --> 0:08:25.960 the practice squad. Obviously, Molson was there at the end 0:08:25.960 --> 0:08:28.320 of the last season as the COVID replacement. You know, 0:08:28.360 --> 0:08:30.120 there's questions they're about, you know, how they're going to 0:08:30.200 --> 0:08:32.640 handle these coverage units. At the end of the day. 0:08:32.720 --> 0:08:36.480 J K. Scott probably the most talented punter during my 0:08:36.640 --> 0:08:38.440 time on the beat that the Packers have had, but 0:08:38.760 --> 0:08:41.520 consistency was an issue. They feel like the Orcus is 0:08:41.559 --> 0:08:44.120 a guy that can help kind of calm those waters 0:08:44.160 --> 0:08:46.840 a little bit. And with some cold weather experience having 0:08:46.880 --> 0:08:49.600 punted in Buffalo for a couple of seasons. Absolutely, And 0:08:49.640 --> 0:08:52.240 even though he's a left footed punter, a right footed holder, 0:08:52.320 --> 0:08:56.680 right footed, right footed, right, that would be a trick West, 0:08:56.800 --> 0:08:59.600 that would be something that would actually get some ratings. 0:09:00.400 --> 0:09:04.320 All right handed gentleman despite being a left footed punders. 0:09:04.360 --> 0:09:07.760 So what we'll see how it all shakes out. Yeah, well, um, quickly, 0:09:07.800 --> 0:09:10.839 here we's some sponsor business. Serious x M NFL Radio 0:09:10.880 --> 0:09:13.600 delivers hard hitting analysis and up to the minute NFL 0:09:13.640 --> 0:09:18.400 news that true football fanatics need seven three and at 0:09:18.440 --> 0:09:21.719 Cousin Subs, we have something for everyone like our Wisconsin 0:09:21.800 --> 0:09:24.480 Cheese curds, mac and Cheese, golden fries, and creamy shakes, 0:09:24.520 --> 0:09:27.240 all paired with your favorite sub or sub in a bowl. 0:09:27.320 --> 0:09:30.920 Cousin Subs. We believe in better all right. A few 0:09:30.920 --> 0:09:34.080 other things to touch on here with regard to the 0:09:34.080 --> 0:09:38.520 Packers roster as it sits right now. We we've talked 0:09:38.600 --> 0:09:42.520 before about about how as rare as it can be, 0:09:42.679 --> 0:09:45.720 you can never necessarily count out these guys that show 0:09:45.840 --> 0:09:48.520 up part way through training camp. Everybody kind of wonders, like, 0:09:48.800 --> 0:09:51.000 why are you bringing someone in like after the first 0:09:51.000 --> 0:09:53.000 preseason game. How does he get a chance to show 0:09:53.000 --> 0:09:57.959 what he can do well? Three guys Dennis Kelly, I 0:09:58.120 --> 0:10:01.800 key at Um the cornerback, Kelly being the backup offensive tackle, 0:10:01.840 --> 0:10:05.959 I keat him at cornerback, and Chauncey Rivers the edge rusher. 0:10:06.559 --> 0:10:09.560 All three of those guys show up after training camp starts, 0:10:09.559 --> 0:10:13.160 and all three of them end up surviving final cuts 0:10:13.160 --> 0:10:17.240 and are on this Packers roster. And uh and Rivers 0:10:17.280 --> 0:10:19.839 a really interesting story and just in terms of a 0:10:19.920 --> 0:10:22.520 lot of the connections here. He went to junior college 0:10:22.600 --> 0:10:25.720 route played at East Mississippi Community College, the school made 0:10:25.760 --> 0:10:29.800 famous by the Last Chance You show on Netflix, which 0:10:29.840 --> 0:10:33.880 was also a school that Zadarius Smith attended earlier in 0:10:33.920 --> 0:10:37.559 his career. Rivers also went to the same high school, 0:10:37.960 --> 0:10:40.079 not at the same time, but the same high school 0:10:40.120 --> 0:10:43.400 as Preston Smith, and both of those guys also coming 0:10:43.440 --> 0:10:46.720 out of Mississippi State, and the Packers with other younger 0:10:46.760 --> 0:10:51.720 Mississippi State players like kyl and Hill, like Elton Jenkins, 0:10:52.000 --> 0:10:55.520 guys that Chauncey Rivers played with, it must not have 0:10:55.559 --> 0:10:59.040 been a whole lot of a big transition for that 0:10:59.080 --> 0:11:00.960 guy to walk into the Packers locker room. A lot 0:11:01.000 --> 0:11:02.679 of familiar faces. Yeah, I think he even said he 0:11:02.720 --> 0:11:04.960 walked in the cafeteria and like Preston was like laughing 0:11:04.960 --> 0:11:07.840 whenever they locked eyes the first time. So yeah, for 0:11:07.880 --> 0:11:10.160 a guy that's showing up on August fifth or whatever 0:11:10.160 --> 0:11:13.160 it was, I mean, obviously, uh, he's been around this 0:11:13.480 --> 0:11:15.720 some of these guys on this football team. You know. 0:11:15.800 --> 0:11:19.480 The thing that's great about Chauncey Rivers story is this 0:11:19.559 --> 0:11:21.120 is a guy that when you talk about the deck 0:11:21.160 --> 0:11:23.079 kind of being stacked against you. Last year, he's trying 0:11:23.120 --> 0:11:25.720 to make Baltimore's roster as an undrafted free agent during 0:11:25.760 --> 0:11:28.480 COVID H he sticks on the practice squad all year, 0:11:28.520 --> 0:11:31.120 got elevated for one game, but ultimately came back trying 0:11:31.160 --> 0:11:33.360 to crack the roster this year, and then a weekend 0:11:33.360 --> 0:11:35.599 a training camp gets cut. Now, as I wrote in 0:11:35.640 --> 0:11:37.600 the story that we have on Packers dot com, that 0:11:37.720 --> 0:11:41.240 is a death knell usually for players that are undrafted 0:11:41.240 --> 0:11:43.080 free agents or first two players getting cut the first 0:11:43.080 --> 0:11:45.720 week at camp. Because you know, everybody likes to talk about, oh, 0:11:45.760 --> 0:11:48.040 who's gonna these guys are gonna get claimed, or or 0:11:48.080 --> 0:11:49.320 this guy is not gonna be able to make our 0:11:49.320 --> 0:11:51.640 fifty three, but the other thirty teams are gonna want him. 0:11:51.760 --> 0:11:54.520 The reality is is that these teams have been developing 0:11:54.520 --> 0:11:57.400 their own rosters for three four months. When a guy 0:11:57.440 --> 0:12:00.760 comes free at the beginning of August, it's a really 0:12:00.760 --> 0:12:03.080 long odds for him to make the fifty three man roster. 0:12:03.240 --> 0:12:06.240 Some have done it, you know, Jamal Jamal Crawford, James 0:12:06.240 --> 0:12:08.760 Crawford a number of years ago did it with Green Bay. 0:12:08.800 --> 0:12:11.360 But for Rivers to come in and make the statement 0:12:11.440 --> 0:12:13.600 that he made. He's not the tallest pass rusher you've 0:12:13.600 --> 0:12:16.080 ever seen, six ft two two and fifty nine pounds, 0:12:16.520 --> 0:12:19.120 but he just was explosive and as he said, I 0:12:19.120 --> 0:12:21.480 mean he had a fire and inside himself. After the 0:12:21.520 --> 0:12:24.440 Baltimore Ravers, Ravens cut him. And for Green Bay, it 0:12:24.480 --> 0:12:27.040 was perfect timing. They just lost Randy Ramsey to that 0:12:27.080 --> 0:12:30.640 ankle injury. They needed bodies at outside linebacker with said 0:12:30.679 --> 0:12:34.000 Darius Smith being injured, with Rashawn Gary and Preston Smith 0:12:34.080 --> 0:12:37.000 sitting out of the preseason games, and here's Chauncey Rivers 0:12:37.000 --> 0:12:39.880 getting a big opportunity and he capitalized it, especially against Buffalo. 0:12:40.040 --> 0:12:42.440 I was going to say, we've talked a lot, and 0:12:42.480 --> 0:12:44.840 we were talking last week about there's always going to 0:12:44.880 --> 0:12:48.040 be somebody who states their case and and earns a 0:12:48.160 --> 0:12:51.240 roster spot in that last preseason game, somebody that you 0:12:51.320 --> 0:12:53.880 don't think is necessary, or somebody who is definitely on 0:12:53.920 --> 0:12:57.680 the bubble has not solidified a spot on the roster. 0:12:57.760 --> 0:12:59.640 And I would say, really, two guys, in my mind 0:12:59.679 --> 0:13:03.760 did that. Rivers did that. The Packers had been with 0:13:03.760 --> 0:13:06.560 with the Smith's and Gary not playing in the preseason games, 0:13:06.559 --> 0:13:09.440 the Packers had not had much edge rush pressure in 0:13:09.480 --> 0:13:12.920 the preseason games, and then in the first half against Buffalo, 0:13:12.960 --> 0:13:16.320 Buffalo starters are on the field and Chauncey Rivers gets 0:13:16.320 --> 0:13:19.280 a ten yard sack of All Pro quarterback Josh Allen. 0:13:19.360 --> 0:13:22.600 Those are the kinds of things that that make people 0:13:22.640 --> 0:13:24.560 take notice of you. The other guy, I would say, 0:13:24.600 --> 0:13:28.000 in my opinion, earned his roster spot in that final 0:13:28.080 --> 0:13:31.000 preseason game in Buffalo was the sixth round draft pick 0:13:31.000 --> 0:13:34.000 out of Boston College, Isaiah McDuffie. This was a young 0:13:34.040 --> 0:13:36.800 man who was dealing with I believe it was a 0:13:36.800 --> 0:13:40.680 hamstring injury early in camp. Miss some time. I'll miss 0:13:40.760 --> 0:13:44.640 the first preseason game if I'm not mistaken. Second preseason game, 0:13:44.800 --> 0:13:46.880 you know, did find a little bit up and down. 0:13:47.160 --> 0:13:49.679 Then the third preseason game he showed up to play 0:13:49.960 --> 0:13:53.720 um defense, special teams. It was all there, and as 0:13:53.720 --> 0:13:56.880 a result, the Packers end up keeping five inside linebackers, 0:13:56.960 --> 0:14:00.320 McDuffie being that fifth guy to go along with with 0:14:00.360 --> 0:14:02.199 the other veterans in front of him. Yeah, I was 0:14:02.240 --> 0:14:04.440 able to play the whole game. Packers only had three 0:14:04.440 --> 0:14:08.840 inside linebackers active for that, so they excuse me, rotated 0:14:08.880 --> 0:14:12.240 way Ray Wilburn and Scoota Harrison the other spot. And 0:14:12.280 --> 0:14:15.479 here's Isaiah McDuffie every single play serving as a communicator, 0:14:15.520 --> 0:14:18.360 being out there leading this defense. Nine tackles whatever, it 0:14:18.440 --> 0:14:21.240 was a half sack. I mean, the guy wasn'tpactful. And 0:14:21.280 --> 0:14:23.320 as Brian Goodutz was asked, because he's like, okay, you 0:14:23.400 --> 0:14:25.720 kept five inside linebackers. We also have to look at 0:14:25.760 --> 0:14:28.360 it as they only have four safeties right now, one 0:14:28.400 --> 0:14:31.200 of which Vernon Scott is dealing with the hamstring issue. 0:14:31.640 --> 0:14:34.640 The two positions when you talk about core four on 0:14:34.760 --> 0:14:37.000 special teams that they usually get a lot of play 0:14:37.120 --> 0:14:41.000 are inside backer in safety Isaia McDuffie is gonna play, 0:14:41.160 --> 0:14:43.480 Tye Summers is gonna play, or in Burke's I thought 0:14:43.520 --> 0:14:46.320 had a really nice camp, He's gonna play. Packers are 0:14:46.360 --> 0:14:49.560 talking about rebuilding these special teams units. They have a 0:14:49.600 --> 0:14:51.600 core there that I think they really can kind of 0:14:51.600 --> 0:14:54.680 circle around. In addition to the fact that mcduffee's a 0:14:54.760 --> 0:14:58.280 really solid long term prospect for that inside linebacker position, yeah, 0:14:58.320 --> 0:15:01.640 no question about it. A couple of other thoughts, uh, 0:15:01.680 --> 0:15:05.520 the undrafted rookie streak that that we talked about a lot. 0:15:05.640 --> 0:15:10.080 Jack heflin the defensive Lineman out of Iowa, from northern 0:15:10.080 --> 0:15:13.280 Illinois to Iowa now to green Bay ends up making 0:15:13.320 --> 0:15:15.560 the roster. And then, with regard to that wide receiver 0:15:15.680 --> 0:15:19.160 competition that we spent so much time talking about, the 0:15:19.280 --> 0:15:23.120 last wide receiver standing so to speak, uh earning the 0:15:23.200 --> 0:15:26.800 number six spot Malik Taylor, with three of the other 0:15:26.800 --> 0:15:29.480 wide receivers that he beat out being brought back onto 0:15:29.520 --> 0:15:32.360 the practice squad, that being e q st Brown, Juwan 0:15:32.440 --> 0:15:35.200 Winfrey and Chris Blair. Yeah, and Devin funchis who I 0:15:35.240 --> 0:15:37.520 think a lot of people had almost sharpied in for 0:15:37.560 --> 0:15:40.640 a roster spot at the beginning of camp. He ends 0:15:40.680 --> 0:15:43.600 up not being there. This is why I love the preseason, Mike, 0:15:43.680 --> 0:15:46.080 and this is why, while I agree you don't need 0:15:46.080 --> 0:15:49.200 four preseason games, you may not even need three. Malik 0:15:49.320 --> 0:15:52.160 Taylor is the reason why you need preseason games because 0:15:52.160 --> 0:15:54.320 I think that this is just a training camp competition. 0:15:54.360 --> 0:15:56.240 It's gonna be a lot harder for him to make 0:15:56.280 --> 0:15:59.680 the roster. But with Green Bay sitting there four veterans 0:16:00.280 --> 0:16:04.760 during this entire preseason, Malik Taylor played a lot of football, 0:16:04.960 --> 0:16:08.240 maybe more than anybody on the Packers offense this offseason. 0:16:08.280 --> 0:16:10.000 When you factor in the fact he was also at 0:16:10.000 --> 0:16:12.880 the offseason program O t a S Mini Camp. This 0:16:12.920 --> 0:16:14.320 is a guy I think a lot of people sort 0:16:14.320 --> 0:16:16.560 of quote unquote left for dead and in this this 0:16:16.880 --> 0:16:20.760 you know, this really tight, hotly contested receiver competition, and 0:16:20.800 --> 0:16:22.720 he comes out right out of the gate fourteen catches, 0:16:23.160 --> 0:16:26.240 eighty five yards, leads the NFL in the preseason and receptions. 0:16:26.760 --> 0:16:29.160 This is a really impressive young athlete. And as Matt 0:16:29.200 --> 0:16:32.720 Lafleur said on Wednesday, that talent has always been there, 0:16:32.760 --> 0:16:34.320 but you're starting to see him bring some of those 0:16:34.320 --> 0:16:37.440 other things to the table. And then obviously the cherry 0:16:37.440 --> 0:16:39.280 on top is the fact that he also can contribute 0:16:39.320 --> 0:16:41.640 on special teams. Yeah, and how can you not like Jack? 0:16:41.680 --> 0:16:47.320 Heflin stories ods a young man profits town, Prophetstown, Illinois. Uh, 0:16:47.880 --> 0:16:50.960 small town. He's uh, you know he he even said 0:16:51.040 --> 0:16:53.120 he knows he's got a lot of people following him, 0:16:53.160 --> 0:16:54.800 a lot of people counting on him. He's you know, 0:16:54.880 --> 0:16:57.360 he but you know, jokingly, it's like, you know, he 0:16:57.360 --> 0:17:00.480 he wants to he wants to make a name himself, 0:17:00.520 --> 0:17:02.600 making name for his town. I mean, all all that 0:17:02.680 --> 0:17:04.919 kind of stuff, and uh, and here he is that 0:17:05.240 --> 0:17:08.600 you know, the Packers have the four veterans on the 0:17:08.640 --> 0:17:12.560 defensive line in front of him, with Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry, Kingsley, 0:17:12.600 --> 0:17:15.840 Kiki Tyler Lancaster. They spend a fifth round pick on t. J. 0:17:16.000 --> 0:17:19.560 Slaton out of Florida, who was also impressive during camp 0:17:19.600 --> 0:17:22.960 and the preseason games. So there's there's five defensive linemen 0:17:22.960 --> 0:17:25.760 in here. Jack Heflin ends up carving out a six 0:17:25.840 --> 0:17:28.960 spot at that at that position for for him to 0:17:29.000 --> 0:17:31.440 stick and and just uh, you know, if you haven't seen, 0:17:31.720 --> 0:17:34.840 he's now done two press conferences in the media auditory 0:17:34.880 --> 0:17:37.760 and both of those videos are posted on packers dot 0:17:37.800 --> 0:17:39.840 com from within the last week to ten days. So 0:17:39.920 --> 0:17:42.680 if you haven't seen um the interviews that have been 0:17:42.680 --> 0:17:44.760 done with Jack heffln, you gotta go check him out. 0:17:44.800 --> 0:17:46.720 This is h He's he's a fun young man to 0:17:46.760 --> 0:17:48.639 talk to. He's a fun young man to talk to. 0:17:49.000 --> 0:17:51.760 He's amazing to listen to. But actually the most underrated 0:17:51.800 --> 0:17:55.199 thing about him, I love nonverbal communication, Like I just 0:17:55.320 --> 0:17:57.879 I live forward. It's something that's one of my big 0:17:57.920 --> 0:18:01.200 things I sort of majored in. If you ever don't 0:18:01.240 --> 0:18:03.760 just listen to what he says, watch his press conferences, 0:18:03.800 --> 0:18:05.720 because to me, it looks like the mayor of a 0:18:05.800 --> 0:18:08.400 small town, like going up on the podium just kind 0:18:08.400 --> 0:18:10.960 of holding court. I mean, he looks so comfortable. He 0:18:11.000 --> 0:18:13.639 has kind of a posture there that he's just but 0:18:13.640 --> 0:18:15.280 but at the same time, it's kind of a heart 0:18:15.320 --> 0:18:17.680 on your sleeve. It is thing. It's just it's it's 0:18:17.760 --> 0:18:22.120 it's it's endearing, incredible, it's incredible to hear him listen, 0:18:22.160 --> 0:18:24.160 it's incredible to hear him talk about his story. Because yes, 0:18:24.200 --> 0:18:27.000 there's been undrafted players year after year that I've come 0:18:27.000 --> 0:18:29.440 through here and have had success. And some of them 0:18:29.440 --> 0:18:31.960 are like Allen Lazard who just for whatever reason got 0:18:32.000 --> 0:18:35.119 overlooked by NFL scouts even though he was incredibly productive 0:18:35.119 --> 0:18:38.840 at Iowa State, or Chris Barnes. Just people just miss 0:18:38.880 --> 0:18:41.679 on these guys. Jack Heflin, you almost get the feeling 0:18:41.720 --> 0:18:44.400 that nobody was really looking for it, you know, coming 0:18:44.400 --> 0:18:46.720 out of profits town, and the fact that he didn't 0:18:46.720 --> 0:18:48.760 have any d one scholarship offers, and the fact that 0:18:48.800 --> 0:18:51.080 he didn't build a chip on his shoulder because of it, 0:18:51.080 --> 0:18:53.160 it just made him work harder and out of all 0:18:53.160 --> 0:18:55.240 the things he said, in addition to the fact mentioning 0:18:55.240 --> 0:18:57.560 that when Jerry Montgomery called him and woke him up 0:18:57.800 --> 0:18:59.679 to tell him he had made the roster, saying that 0:18:59.680 --> 0:19:02.320 that was the best day of his life. You couldn't. Also, 0:19:02.480 --> 0:19:04.640 you talked about tugging at the heartstrings a little bit, 0:19:04.920 --> 0:19:07.119 the story that he told of calling his mom Judy 0:19:07.200 --> 0:19:09.359 to tell her, hey, I had made the roster. And 0:19:09.440 --> 0:19:11.800 if you remember the first presser he did with the media, 0:19:12.119 --> 0:19:13.840 you know, he was saying, I used to tell her 0:19:13.880 --> 0:19:16.120 I'm going to play at Iowa and She's like, okay, Yeah, 0:19:16.240 --> 0:19:19.000 he went and played at freaking Iowa and now he's 0:19:19.000 --> 0:19:21.360 in the National Football League. Well, and then and then 0:19:21.600 --> 0:19:24.520 his his season at Iowa is shortened by COVID And 0:19:24.520 --> 0:19:27.120 then didn't the Hawk guys end up losing their bowl game? 0:19:27.240 --> 0:19:30.120 Wasn't wasn't their bowl game? I mean you talk about 0:19:30.160 --> 0:19:33.119 trying to get noticed and get film out there for 0:19:33.160 --> 0:19:36.520