WEBVTT - #412 Packers Unscripted: OTAs — Week 3 0:00:00.600 --> 0:00:20.720 Yeah, Hi, everybody. Welcome to Packers unscripted from Packers dot Com. 0:00:20.760 --> 0:00:24.279 I am Mike Spofford, joined by my trusted colleague West Hodkowits. 0:00:24.320 --> 0:00:27.240 We're coming to you here from our studios at lambau 0:00:27.280 --> 0:00:30.120 Field West. It is week three of O T as 0:00:30.160 --> 0:00:31.840 the final week of O T A S for the 0:00:31.880 --> 0:00:36.160 Packers before they transition to the mandatory minicamp next week, 0:00:36.200 --> 0:00:40.159 which is what will conclude the off season program. But 0:00:40.240 --> 0:00:42.879 we have an injury to talk about, and it's actually 0:00:42.960 --> 0:00:45.760 not to a player. It is to new head coach 0:00:46.240 --> 0:00:51.279 Matt Lafleur. Apparently a basketball mishap of swords resulted in 0:00:51.360 --> 0:00:56.120 a blown achilles tendon and the new head coach had 0:00:56.160 --> 0:01:00.680 surgery on Sunday. And I guess we'll see this means 0:01:00.760 --> 0:01:02.800 he's going to be cruising around on a golf card 0:01:02.840 --> 0:01:06.240 on the practice field to see his players and communicate. 0:01:06.280 --> 0:01:08.919 I don't know, We'll have to see how this unfolds. 0:01:09.000 --> 0:01:12.000 But um, but the new head coach got a bit 0:01:12.080 --> 0:01:14.720 by the injury bug this spring. So I obviously was 0:01:14.760 --> 0:01:17.160 not a collegiate or professional athlete at any point in 0:01:17.160 --> 0:01:19.880 my lifetime. I did play in the city league here 0:01:19.920 --> 0:01:22.160 in Green Bay for basketball for three years though, And 0:01:22.200 --> 0:01:24.760 I'll be honest with you, Michael, every single time I 0:01:24.840 --> 0:01:27.440 walked into that gymnasium, whether it was Green Bay Southwest 0:01:27.520 --> 0:01:30.440 or Franklin Middle School, I always thought to myself, I 0:01:30.480 --> 0:01:32.640 just want to walk out with all my tendons and tact, 0:01:32.959 --> 0:01:37.320 all my legaments intact. I succeeded at that, but unfortunately 0:01:37.360 --> 0:01:40.600 for Matt Lafloor, not so lucky. A knockout game. I 0:01:40.640 --> 0:01:42.800 don't even know if I ever played knockout. I wasn't 0:01:42.880 --> 0:01:46.240 quick enough to play it. Uh, And that that certainly 0:01:46.240 --> 0:01:48.600 did it. Walking around with a boot throw out throughout 0:01:48.640 --> 0:01:52.760 the opening pitch at the Soft Charity softball game on Saturday, 0:01:52.760 --> 0:01:55.520 A real trooper pushing through that. And now for the 0:01:55.560 --> 0:01:58.520 time being, now post stop surgery is gonna, you know, 0:01:58.640 --> 0:02:01.480 be a little encumber here for the next couple of 0:02:01.480 --> 0:02:03.720 weeks and months. Yeah, I guess we'll see, Uh, we'll 0:02:03.760 --> 0:02:06.360 see what happens. But a coach who likes to be 0:02:06.400 --> 0:02:09.120 obviously highly involved in practice A kind of feel like 0:02:09.160 --> 0:02:11.320 he's almost that the doctors are going to have to 0:02:11.680 --> 0:02:15.000 have to chain him down like an animal or something, 0:02:15.040 --> 0:02:17.519 because he's gonna want to do more than he's really 0:02:17.560 --> 0:02:20.359 allowed to do. And you know he'll be post surgery 0:02:20.440 --> 0:02:22.560 this week. He needs to let the thing hell and 0:02:22.560 --> 0:02:25.280 and get himself better. But you know he's going to 0:02:25.360 --> 0:02:27.200 be eager and want to be up and running around. 0:02:27.280 --> 0:02:29.239 So I'm in a much better mood today. At the 0:02:29.320 --> 0:02:32.040 end of last week, I was really stewing because I 0:02:32.080 --> 0:02:34.040 was getting these questions and inbox like does this mean 0:02:34.080 --> 0:02:36.920 the practices are gonna go longer? Yeah? Is this gonna 0:02:36.960 --> 0:02:39.000 How is this gonna affect the preparation of the football team? 0:02:39.040 --> 0:02:41.200 And I was getting so annoyed. He might have sensed 0:02:41.200 --> 0:02:43.640 it in Saturday's inbox where it was just like, you 0:02:43.720 --> 0:02:46.080 gotta be kidding me. They've been playing this game for 0:02:46.120 --> 0:02:48.919 a century now. Not every coach has to throw to 0:02:48.960 --> 0:02:52.160 the quarterback. They've got plus assistant coaches on the staff. 0:02:52.200 --> 0:02:54.200 These things can be handled well. And the other thing 0:02:54.200 --> 0:02:56.280 I wrote an inbox too, I can guarantee you I'm 0:02:56.320 --> 0:02:58.959 not going to name names. There has been much more 0:02:59.000 --> 0:03:02.480 important health issues that have happened with the Packers coaching 0:03:02.480 --> 0:03:05.120 staff over the last ten years. Then a ruptured achilles 0:03:05.160 --> 0:03:08.560 tended it never bubbled to the surface. So for Matt Lafleur. 0:03:08.600 --> 0:03:10.440 It's gonna be a little bit more challenging. It's gonna 0:03:10.840 --> 0:03:13.120 it's gonna make him have to alter his coaching style 0:03:13.120 --> 0:03:15.919 a little bit. But I have pretty good confidence he's 0:03:15.919 --> 0:03:18.120 still gonna be able to lead practices without having to 0:03:18.120 --> 0:03:20.640 throw a football. Yeah, I think he'll be okay in 0:03:20.680 --> 0:03:24.040 that respect. Turning our attention to the players and the 0:03:24.080 --> 0:03:27.119 guys in the locker room. Um story that I posted 0:03:27.680 --> 0:03:31.160 late last week on the website, just taking a real overview, 0:03:31.680 --> 0:03:36.000 bird's eye view, so to speak, of this revamped outside 0:03:36.000 --> 0:03:38.120 linebacker corps for the Green Bay Packers. A few of 0:03:38.160 --> 0:03:42.400 them talked last week after the open practice, and it's 0:03:42.440 --> 0:03:44.920 interesting less I'm trying try to paint a picture here 0:03:44.960 --> 0:03:47.560 for the fans, those who know something about the Packers 0:03:47.600 --> 0:03:50.600 locker room. It's in the shape of a football, and 0:03:50.880 --> 0:03:52.960 so if you picture it, at one end of what 0:03:53.000 --> 0:03:55.640 would be sort of like one of the semi pointed 0:03:55.840 --> 0:03:59.000 ends of the football is where the majority of the 0:03:59.000 --> 0:04:01.760 outside linebackers are. And it just so happens that the 0:04:01.800 --> 0:04:06.200 top four outside linebackers right now on this team have 0:04:06.320 --> 0:04:08.680 their lockers all right next to each other. So you 0:04:08.720 --> 0:04:12.760 look up at the name plates and it goes Smith, Gary, 0:04:13.240 --> 0:04:16.320 Smith and fact Girl like right in a row. It's 0:04:16.360 --> 0:04:18.440 kind of interesting, kind of cool the way it worked out. 0:04:18.440 --> 0:04:21.039 But but the other thing I want to point out 0:04:21.040 --> 0:04:24.200 with regards to this is that it's not an accident 0:04:24.960 --> 0:04:27.480 that Rashan Gary, the first round draft pick at number 0:04:27.520 --> 0:04:30.680 twelve overall, that they placed his locker right in between 0:04:31.200 --> 0:04:34.400 Preston Smith and Zadarius Smith, the two guys who are now, 0:04:34.800 --> 0:04:36.360 yes they're new to Green Bay, but they are the 0:04:36.440 --> 0:04:38.760 veterans at the position there in their fifth year in 0:04:38.760 --> 0:04:42.400 the NFL. They have the most accomplished resumes in this league. 0:04:42.640 --> 0:04:46.000 Kyler Facl right behind them. So the rookie is right 0:04:46.000 --> 0:04:48.600 in between those two guys, and boy, if he's got 0:04:48.640 --> 0:04:51.440 any questions, he's got plenty of ears that are willing 0:04:51.480 --> 0:04:53.640 to listen and take in what he has to say. 0:04:53.680 --> 0:04:55.200 And each of these guys are going to be their 0:04:55.200 --> 0:04:57.320 own football players. I don't want to paint it as 0:04:57.400 --> 0:04:59.800 you know, Rashan Gary is going to be a prototype 0:04:59.800 --> 0:05:03.080 of Zadarius or anything like that, But I just think 0:05:03.120 --> 0:05:06.359 about the amount of knowledge in the backs, the background 0:05:06.440 --> 0:05:09.919 that you know, Smith has in this offense now, in 0:05:10.000 --> 0:05:11.800 what he's going to be able to relay to Gary 0:05:11.880 --> 0:05:14.200 because I think when you when you really break it down, 0:05:14.240 --> 0:05:17.520 Michael Preston Smith is a really important piece. He's gonna 0:05:17.560 --> 0:05:19.040 be a player that's gonna play a lot for them 0:05:19.040 --> 0:05:22.080 this season, a good track record with durability. Kyler Facra 0:05:22.240 --> 0:05:24.599 came on last year ten and a half sacks, But 0:05:24.680 --> 0:05:27.960 Sadarius is the guy. Sadarius Smith that is, is the 0:05:27.960 --> 0:05:30.960 guy that was the first signing right, the one that 0:05:31.120 --> 0:05:34.000 drew the headlines. And Rashan Gary is the first round 0:05:34.000 --> 0:05:37.599 pick twelfth overall, that's the future of this defense, not 0:05:37.640 --> 0:05:39.080 only just in terms of what they bring to the 0:05:39.120 --> 0:05:41.400 table athletically, but the way that they're going to use 0:05:41.440 --> 0:05:44.000 these guys. So seeing those two build off each other, 0:05:44.320 --> 0:05:45.800 I think it's gonna be really important. It's gonna be 0:05:45.800 --> 0:05:48.400 important in two thousand nineteen. It's gonna be portant moving forward. 0:05:48.880 --> 0:05:50.520 And the thing I like the most out of all 0:05:50.560 --> 0:05:54.320 my years covering this team, there's just so many different 0:05:54.480 --> 0:05:57.039 facets to that pass rush. Now when you look at 0:05:57.400 --> 0:06:00.880 Kenny Clark inside, the way Dean Lowry's mon Mike Daniels 0:06:00.880 --> 0:06:04.160 coming back from injury, and then this plethora of outside 0:06:04.160 --> 0:06:07.359 backers that brings so many different skill sets in strength 0:06:07.440 --> 0:06:10.800 to the table. Jayer Alexander mentioned this a little bit. 0:06:10.800 --> 0:06:12.880 I believe it was Jayre talking to the media saying, 0:06:13.839 --> 0:06:15.760 you know, those guys are gonna get after it there. 0:06:15.760 --> 0:06:17.920 There's a lot of talent up there. It's gonna open 0:06:18.000 --> 0:06:20.080 up things for us on the back end as well. 0:06:20.120 --> 0:06:22.080 So seeing how those two areas play off each other, 0:06:22.120 --> 0:06:24.800 the pass rush, trying to get more takeaways, it's gonna 0:06:24.800 --> 0:06:26.400 be fun to watch. Yeah. And one thing I want 0:06:26.440 --> 0:06:29.920 to clarify a little bit or maybe differentiate uh this 0:06:30.000 --> 0:06:33.240 year compared to last year and in season's past, we're 0:06:33.279 --> 0:06:36.000 hearing a lot of the talk about versatility with these 0:06:36.000 --> 0:06:38.400 outside linebackers, that they can line up on the edge, 0:06:38.600 --> 0:06:41.960 they can also kick inside and attack as a pass 0:06:42.040 --> 0:06:45.280 rusher from the interior. We heard a lot about that 0:06:45.839 --> 0:06:49.520 over the last several years as well. And I don't 0:06:49.520 --> 0:06:51.919 mean this. I don't want anybody to take me the 0:06:51.960 --> 0:06:54.600 wrong way here. This is not a criticism of Clay Matthews, 0:06:54.600 --> 0:06:56.280 but I'm going to use him as an example here. 0:06:56.279 --> 0:07:00.520 Clay Matthews was two pounds off the ball, you know, so, 0:07:01.520 --> 0:07:03.520 but you take a look at this now, Preston Smith 0:07:03.600 --> 0:07:07.680 is t sixt Zadarius Smith is two seventy two where 0:07:07.720 --> 0:07:12.080 Shawn Gary is to seventy seven. You kick those guys inside, 0:07:13.200 --> 0:07:16.160 they're a little bit more equipped physically to take on 0:07:16.320 --> 0:07:18.720 the guards and the centers when it comes to providing 0:07:18.760 --> 0:07:21.720 that interior rush. The Packers like to move Matthews around 0:07:21.720 --> 0:07:23.640 a lot because they didn't want an offense to just 0:07:23.760 --> 0:07:26.240 zero in on Okay, Clay Matthews is lining up here 0:07:26.640 --> 0:07:29.240 every play, and if we want to do a chip 0:07:29.280 --> 0:07:30.840 with a tight end or a running back or a 0:07:30.880 --> 0:07:32.720 double team of some kind, like they knew where he 0:07:32.760 --> 0:07:34.840 was going to be, the Packers wanted to move him around. 0:07:35.320 --> 0:07:38.040 But I think the body types the Packers have now 0:07:38.880 --> 0:07:42.160 at this outside linebacker spot that they brought in lends 0:07:42.200 --> 0:07:45.760 itself to a little bit more effectiveness with the versatility 0:07:45.800 --> 0:07:47.680 in terms of if a guy is gonna be one 0:07:47.720 --> 0:07:50.080 on one with a guard, Yeah, having an extra ten 0:07:50.160 --> 0:07:53.280 or fifteen or twenty pounds, it's gonna make a difference. 0:07:53.280 --> 0:07:55.880 In Kyler factrol for that matter. At two forty five, 0:07:56.360 --> 0:07:59.440 he doesn't necessarily have to kick inside to to add 0:07:59.440 --> 0:08:01.760 to this verse utility thing, but he can stay on 0:08:01.800 --> 0:08:04.480 the edge where he is the best when he rotates 0:08:04.520 --> 0:08:07.600 in and let those other bigger guys go inside if 0:08:07.600 --> 0:08:09.760 Mike Petton wants. It's a great point you bring up, 0:08:09.800 --> 0:08:11.880 because and I don't want to make any comparisons between 0:08:11.960 --> 0:08:14.960 Kyler Facral and Matthews. Matthews was his own player, but 0:08:14.960 --> 0:08:17.160 but Facral has more of that skill set in terms 0:08:17.160 --> 0:08:19.400 of the athleticism at the position. That's why the Packers 0:08:19.480 --> 0:08:21.600 drafted him. Yeah, they wanted him to be a really 0:08:21.600 --> 0:08:25.080 good solid member that rotation as a pass rusher. But 0:08:25.200 --> 0:08:27.040 you heard Mike Smith talk about as well. He's also 0:08:27.080 --> 0:08:29.440 their best zone dropping guy. He's a guy that can 0:08:29.520 --> 0:08:33.920 move around at that second level like Matthews did. The 0:08:33.960 --> 0:08:36.360 difference with these guys is it's in the trenches. It's 0:08:36.360 --> 0:08:39.320 in a three point stance, to be perfectly honest with you, Mike, 0:08:39.360 --> 0:08:40.880 and all my years covering the team, I felt like 0:08:40.920 --> 0:08:44.080 they had one guy that did that very well, and 0:08:44.080 --> 0:08:47.240 it was Julius Peppers. Otherwise, yeah, you had Mike Neil 0:08:47.320 --> 0:08:49.200 do it a little bit. They tried it with Nick Perry. 0:08:49.360 --> 0:08:51.679 The only one that I thought was truly like a 0:08:51.720 --> 0:08:55.800 big difference maker at that spot was Peppers and what 0:08:55.840 --> 0:08:57.160 he was able to do and I think the stats 0:08:57.200 --> 0:09:00.920 bear that out. What's exciting about Perkins and also in 0:09:01.000 --> 0:09:04.120 this Perkins excuse me, wow, Gary, I don't want to 0:09:04.200 --> 0:09:07.400 thinking Perkins. And also what Smith is that those guys 0:09:07.400 --> 0:09:10.240 can move inside and they can still be at home. 0:09:10.920 --> 0:09:12.200 And I think that's gonna be a big thing for 0:09:12.240 --> 0:09:14.200 what Mike Pett wants to do with this defense. Yeah, 0:09:14.240 --> 0:09:16.600 I think so too, And I'm really interested to see 0:09:16.600 --> 0:09:18.400 how this shakes out because when you look at the 0:09:18.400 --> 0:09:20.920 depth of the unit, and we'll see beyond these top four, 0:09:21.400 --> 0:09:24.680 where you have Reggie Gilbert, you have Kendall Donnerson, you know, 0:09:24.760 --> 0:09:28.199 you have a couple of undrafted rookies that were brought 0:09:28.360 --> 0:09:31.000 that were brought in and we'll see how that shakes out. 0:09:31.240 --> 0:09:33.720 But when you look at these top four, there's a 0:09:33.720 --> 0:09:35.600 couple of different ways you can go with it. You 0:09:35.640 --> 0:09:39.640 can have Smith and Smith and then if your number 0:09:39.640 --> 0:09:42.640 two set or your number two pair is Gary and Factul, 0:09:42.760 --> 0:09:45.600 you have a bit of a rotation there. Or you 0:09:45.640 --> 0:09:49.120 can have three of those guys or maybe even all 0:09:49.160 --> 0:09:51.120 four of them on the field at once in a 0:09:51.160 --> 0:09:53.680 certain package. As I said, because the body types lend 0:09:53.679 --> 0:09:56.720 themselves to a little bit more of the shifting around. 0:09:56.760 --> 0:10:00.959 So that's where I think all the talk about versatility, 0:10:01.000 --> 0:10:03.640 it's it's not just a word, it's a word that 0:10:03.679 --> 0:10:07.000 we hear a lot. I think the application of it 0:10:07.080 --> 0:10:09.960 is going to look very different this year and hopefully 0:10:09.960 --> 0:10:12.199 more effective this year than perhaps what we've seen in 0:10:12.240 --> 0:10:14.240 the past. Yeah, and you have to cross your you know, 0:10:14.320 --> 0:10:16.000 your fingers a little bit that you can get through 0:10:16.040 --> 0:10:18.720 the offseason program and training camp without injuries to actually 0:10:18.760 --> 0:10:20.800 see that come to fruition. Yeah, you want to see 0:10:20.840 --> 0:10:22.760 these guys stay healthy because I mean, how many times 0:10:22.760 --> 0:10:24.160 and we talk about it, I'd be great to see 0:10:24.200 --> 0:10:26.840 Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers both rushing from the inside 0:10:27.320 --> 0:10:29.920 for from the outside. Very rarely didn't end up working 0:10:29.920 --> 0:10:31.840 out that way over the three years with Matthews moving 0:10:31.880 --> 0:10:33.440 inside back or for a year and a half of it. 0:10:33.559 --> 0:10:35.880 So again, there are gonna be so many different things 0:10:35.880 --> 0:10:38.080 that play into that. But as I was talking about 0:10:38.160 --> 0:10:40.280 last week with Brian Goodakin someone the interviews I did 0:10:40.320 --> 0:10:43.800 with them, if you're able to actually do that, the 0:10:43.840 --> 0:10:46.520 waves of pass rushers that you can send at teams 0:10:47.000 --> 0:10:51.040 with the crescendo being third down dime packages and potentially 0:10:51.080 --> 0:10:53.960 having all four of them on the field. That's that's 0:10:53.960 --> 0:10:56.280 how it's drawn up right now, with with with what 0:10:56.320 --> 0:10:58.320 the Packers want to achieve. Yeah, and as I like 0:10:58.400 --> 0:11:01.080 to say, one sack in the worth quarters worth two 0:11:01.080 --> 0:11:03.640 in the first quarter. It really, it really can be 0:11:03.679 --> 0:11:05.760 in this league. And it sounds like the thing is too, 0:11:05.840 --> 0:11:07.720 is that it's not even just about what the impact 0:11:07.800 --> 0:11:09.920 of that play but the position that players have to 0:11:09.960 --> 0:11:12.200 put themselves in to still be able to bring it 0:11:12.280 --> 0:11:14.319 that way in the fourth quarter as well late in 0:11:14.360 --> 0:11:16.560 the game. You've been out. You know, the game has 0:11:16.559 --> 0:11:18.720 been going on for two and a half, two and 0:11:18.760 --> 0:11:21.400 three quarter hours, and you got to make a play 0:11:21.440 --> 0:11:23.880 defensively when the game is online. You want those pass 0:11:23.960 --> 0:11:26.480 rushers to have some juice. They need something in their 0:11:26.559 --> 0:11:30.240 legs for the finishing kick. Yeah, alright, West, The green 0:11:30.280 --> 0:11:33.319 Bay Packers get ready for game day with the powerful 0:11:33.400 --> 0:11:37.079 noise canceling technology of Bo's Quiet Comfort thirty five headphones. 0:11:37.120 --> 0:11:41.040 To learn more at www dot bos dot com. Slash 0:11:41.080 --> 0:11:45.160 Backers Bows the official headphones of the Green Bay Packers, 0:11:45.160 --> 0:11:46.880 and ad Homer Here in the stands, we all know 0:11:46.960 --> 0:11:48.640 that Green Bay fans give it their all and that 0:11:48.679 --> 0:11:50.720 takes a lot of energy, So grab a warm bowl 0:11:51.280 --> 0:11:54.080 Campbell's Chunky Soup. It's meaty goodness fuels the greatness of 0:11:54.080 --> 0:11:57.360 Packers fans everywhere. Try the delicious classic chicken noodle soup. 0:11:57.480 --> 0:12:01.120 Just visit your local supermarket and ask for Campbell's Chunky Soup. 0:12:01.559 --> 0:12:04.920 Official sup partner of the Green Bay Packers. Staying on 0:12:04.960 --> 0:12:08.439 the defensive side of the ball, here's another player who 0:12:08.600 --> 0:12:11.480 spoke to the media after last week's open practice. Had 0:12:11.480 --> 0:12:14.640 some interesting comments to deliver. And I'm talking about second 0:12:14.720 --> 0:12:20.280 year cornerback Jaiyear Alexander. And strictly from a demeanor standpoint, 0:12:21.040 --> 0:12:24.839 you mentioned it. This is a guy who's after practice. Boy, 0:12:24.960 --> 0:12:28.160 he was all business. All business. Yeah, a very straight 0:12:28.280 --> 0:12:31.199 laced probably the most serious I've ever seen Jaire Alexander, 0:12:31.200 --> 0:12:34.400 because usually you know he's he's fun. He still was fun, 0:12:34.400 --> 0:12:37.600 but I mean he's he's very just just confident and 0:12:37.679 --> 0:12:41.880 just just sort of like takes everything and relaxed luson relaxed. 0:12:42.200 --> 0:12:44.439 It just looked to me like a guy that he 0:12:44.800 --> 0:12:47.880 knows what he did last year p f W. A 0:12:47.920 --> 0:12:51.880 all rookie team member, certainly you know, a team later 0:12:52.000 --> 0:12:55.040 even though he was only two years old, and now 0:12:55.080 --> 0:12:57.040 he wants to make that next step. He didn't talk 0:12:57.080 --> 0:12:59.440 for long, but I thought the words that he said 0:12:59.480 --> 0:13:01.319 were power full. Yeah, you know, he looks at he 0:13:01.360 --> 0:13:02.720 wants to be a pro bowler. He wants to be 0:13:02.720 --> 0:13:05.520 an all pro. He looks at last year is a 0:13:05.559 --> 0:13:07.520 good starting point for him, but as he said, now 0:13:07.520 --> 0:13:09.520 he wants to put his stamp on it. He also 0:13:09.559 --> 0:13:11.559 had a phrase of saying that this is his dog year. 0:13:11.880 --> 0:13:14.560 I have no idea what that means, but it sounds 0:13:14.600 --> 0:13:17.200 pretty cool. And the fact that you look at the 0:13:17.200 --> 0:13:21.440 way that this defense is structured right now, this young man, 0:13:22.120 --> 0:13:25.080 with the impact he was able to make moving around 0:13:25.080 --> 0:13:27.520 as much as he had to last year, there's a 0:13:27.600 --> 0:13:29.640 lot of reasons to be excited about Jarey Alexander. And 0:13:29.679 --> 0:13:32.840 I think from a mental standpoint, it's only June right now. 0:13:33.200 --> 0:13:35.040 There's so many things that have to happen between now 0:13:35.080 --> 0:13:37.200 in that first game against the Bears on September five. 0:13:37.720 --> 0:13:39.280 But I just think that this is a guy with 0:13:39.480 --> 0:13:42.559 that is just primed to achieve those goals. Yeah, I mean, 0:13:42.600 --> 0:13:45.920 I really like the the attitude, the approach that we're 0:13:45.920 --> 0:13:48.360 seeing and hearing from a guy like Year. As you said, 0:13:48.679 --> 0:13:52.240 he makes the All Rookie team, but you know, certainly 0:13:52.240 --> 0:13:54.960 not satisfied with that by any means he's got. He's 0:13:55.000 --> 0:13:58.040 got much larger, loftier goals for himself. I think I 0:13:58.080 --> 0:14:00.800 mentioned this on the show before. Earlier spring, I did 0:14:00.880 --> 0:14:05.120 interviews with both Alexander and Kevin King for a feature 0:14:05.120 --> 0:14:07.520 story I'm working on for the Packers yearbook about them 0:14:07.559 --> 0:14:10.840 being the two young you know, one to punch at 0:14:10.880 --> 0:14:14.959 at cornerback and how unfortunately they weren't on the field 0:14:14.960 --> 0:14:17.760 together all that much last year because both were dealing 0:14:17.840 --> 0:14:21.200 with injuries at different times. But one thing that stood 0:14:21.240 --> 0:14:22.720 out to me in the interview that I had with 0:14:22.800 --> 0:14:25.120 Jayar I asked him about that game out in Los 0:14:25.120 --> 0:14:27.880 Angeles against the Rams when he had the five deflecting 0:14:27.920 --> 0:14:31.120 passes um five broken up passes in that game, which 0:14:31.160 --> 0:14:33.640 is probably the one game of his rookie year that 0:14:33.720 --> 0:14:36.479 sticks out in your mind the most as far as 0:14:35.960 --> 0:14:39.520 a complete and total perform other than that interception that 0:14:39.600 --> 0:14:42.160 ended up getting called. Well, yeah, the interception that didn't count. 0:14:42.200 --> 0:14:48.000 We talked about that one too, and yeah, But the 0:14:48.040 --> 0:14:50.280 thing that I really liked and that was interesting to 0:14:50.320 --> 0:14:52.360 me when I asked him about that game is almost 0:14:52.400 --> 0:14:55.240 the first thing that was out of his mouth is that, hey, 0:14:55.480 --> 0:14:57.760 if I can get my hands on the ball five times, 0:14:58.240 --> 0:14:59.920 I gotta get one or two picks out of it. 0:15:00.440 --> 0:15:03.240 Like he's looking back at that game and saying, Okay, yeah, 0:15:03.320 --> 0:15:06.040 great performance, And everybody was talking about it for a 0:15:06.080 --> 0:15:08.440 long time and everything, but to him, it still wasn't 0:15:08.440 --> 0:15:11.720 good enough, because, as he said, get your hands on 0:15:11.760 --> 0:15:14.000 the ball a handful of times, he wants to have 0:15:14.040 --> 0:15:16.920 one or two turnovers out of that. That's the next 0:15:17.000 --> 0:15:18.880 step that he wants to take. Yeah. And as he 0:15:18.920 --> 0:15:21.000 mentioned too, as I talked about in our last segment, 0:15:21.280 --> 0:15:24.520 the pass rush and and the amount of bodies that 0:15:24.600 --> 0:15:26.520 the Packers have right now, if you can keep those healthy, 0:15:26.560 --> 0:15:28.320 he thinks that's going to help them on the back end, 0:15:28.880 --> 0:15:31.640 you know, shorten up that play clock, forcing the quarterbacks 0:15:31.680 --> 0:15:34.160 to make errors, and then if the ball is in 0:15:34.200 --> 0:15:36.640 the vicinity, going up and getting it. The thing I 0:15:36.720 --> 0:15:39.560 really like about Alexander though, in terms of his skill set, 0:15:39.800 --> 0:15:41.720 we saw it so far in the offseason program. He's 0:15:41.720 --> 0:15:43.360 been lining up a lot outside, seeing a lot of 0:15:43.400 --> 0:15:47.360 Davante Adams in practice. I really like the idea of 0:15:47.520 --> 0:15:50.320 keeping him out there and and having Kevin King on 0:15:50.360 --> 0:15:52.960 the other side, And then when you get into situations 0:15:52.960 --> 0:15:54.600 when you want to trail guys, when you want to 0:15:54.680 --> 0:15:57.480 you know, shadow them, then you start moving Alexander around. 0:15:57.520 --> 0:15:58.920 He can play the slot. He probably can be an 0:15:58.920 --> 0:16:01.040 All Pro player in the slot if you want him there. 0:16:01.080 --> 0:16:03.120 But I just think there's a real value and having 0:16:03.120 --> 0:16:06.200 a guy that doesn't appear like there's really a let 0:16:06.280 --> 0:16:08.280 up at either position, you know what I'm saying. The 0:16:08.320 --> 0:16:10.600 Mary's Randall had a lot of skill in the slot, 0:16:10.960 --> 0:16:12.720 and I think but it was it was a better 0:16:12.720 --> 0:16:14.520 spot for him than when he was on the boundary. 0:16:15.040 --> 0:16:17.720 In some ways. It was similar with like Micah Hyde, right, 0:16:18.040 --> 0:16:20.840 but with Alexander, it just feels like, whether he's in 0:16:20.880 --> 0:16:24.640 the slot or he's outside, he's the best cornerback on 0:16:24.680 --> 0:16:26.320 the field. He's the best player, one of the best 0:16:26.320 --> 0:16:29.120 players on the field. And then with having King and 0:16:29.320 --> 0:16:31.520 six three and four four you're going to write about 0:16:31.520 --> 0:16:33.320 in your story, but I asked him to and he 0:16:33.360 --> 0:16:35.640 gave a really quick answer, but it was truthful, and 0:16:35.680 --> 0:16:37.680 that what does King give you when he's healthy and 0:16:37.680 --> 0:16:40.080 on the field to shut down cornerbacks? And if you 0:16:40.120 --> 0:16:42.360 ask any head coach and he defensive coordinator in the league. 0:16:42.680 --> 0:16:44.480 That's what you want. Yeah, And I think and I 0:16:44.520 --> 0:16:46.640 think what I like the best about them as a 0:16:46.680 --> 0:16:51.480 pair is the two different physical body types. Kevin King 0:16:51.480 --> 0:16:54.480 and JayR Alexander can probably you put him in a 0:16:54.480 --> 0:16:58.840 forty year dash and it's a photo finish. But Kevin 0:16:58.960 --> 0:17:02.960 King is the sixth at three and Jaire Alexander is 0:17:02.960 --> 0:17:05.480 is the shorter but quicker and shiftier in the short 0:17:05.560 --> 0:17:09.760 area type of thing. From a defensive coordinator's perspective, Mike 0:17:09.760 --> 0:17:13.719 Petton really likes almost in almost in the way that 0:17:13.760 --> 0:17:16.560 Matt Lafleur was talking about wide receivers last week and 0:17:16.720 --> 0:17:19.879 in that discussion about you know, having different areas of 0:17:19.920 --> 0:17:22.840 expertise so that you can look for certain matchups. Defensive 0:17:22.840 --> 0:17:24.880 coordinators want to do that too, They want to match 0:17:24.960 --> 0:17:28.199 up certain guys on certain guys. And yeah, it'd be 0:17:28.240 --> 0:17:29.800 great if you can have, if you could have a 0:17:29.800 --> 0:17:32.520 whole stable of six ft three, six ft four cornerbacks, 0:17:32.520 --> 0:17:34.720 but they're pretty rare. You're not gonna you're not gonna 0:17:34.760 --> 0:17:36.359 have three or four of them on the same team. 0:17:36.320 --> 0:17:41.320 You have to have that coordination, yea. Yeah, So having 0:17:41.440 --> 0:17:43.880 having those different body types. Again, it just gives Mike 0:17:43.920 --> 0:17:47.000 Petton more options in terms of looks at the receiving 0:17:47.000 --> 0:17:48.800 core of the opponent. Okay, how do we want to 0:17:48.840 --> 0:17:51.760 match these guys up? I think from my discussion with them, 0:17:51.880 --> 0:17:54.320 I think Alexander and King are going to argue a 0:17:54.400 --> 0:17:56.320 little bit over who should get the number one guy 0:17:56.400 --> 0:18:00.320 because they both have that competitive mentality. That's really gonna 0:18:00.359 --> 0:18:01.679 be up to Mike pett and I think it's going 0:18:01.720 --> 0:18:04.520 to be a matchup issue based on physical characteristics in 0:18:04.520 --> 0:18:06.480 a lot of ways totally, and it's something will probably 0:18:06.480 --> 0:18:08.280 get set a little bit in training camp if King 0:18:08.320 --> 0:18:09.720 is able to stay out there and put you know, 0:18:09.800 --> 0:18:12.720 some of those soft muscle injuries behind him into some regard. 0:18:12.760 --> 0:18:14.560 The same thing with King, he I should say, with 0:18:14.560 --> 0:18:17.200 Alexander had to battle through some groin injuries. But the 0:18:17.200 --> 0:18:19.199 thing I that really stood out to me with well, 0:18:19.240 --> 0:18:21.199 how much we saw Alexander last year. I don't know 0:18:21.240 --> 0:18:24.639 if you feel differently about this, but maybe Trumon Williams 0:18:24.680 --> 0:18:26.119 and his prime, But I'm just trying to think of 0:18:26.160 --> 0:18:29.240 anyone that's played that position that is able to stay 0:18:29.359 --> 0:18:31.480 step for step, not necessarily with the receiver down the 0:18:31.520 --> 0:18:35.280 sideline on a go route, but when they get that break. Uh. 0:18:35.560 --> 0:18:38.920 Alexander was like glue on receivers last year that if 0:18:39.040 --> 0:18:40.960 you know, if they do a quick out or they 0:18:41.119 --> 0:18:44.199 do an out and in, he's able to stay stride 0:18:44.240 --> 0:18:48.720 for stride and contest those catches. That's special because a 0:18:48.720 --> 0:18:50.879 lot of times what happens, you gotta play your certain leverage. 0:18:50.880 --> 0:18:52.400 You've got to know where you're gonna be able to 0:18:52.400 --> 0:18:55.359 to get to. Alexander actually seems to have the quickness 0:18:55.760 --> 0:18:57.679 that if there is an error, he's going to be 0:18:57.680 --> 0:18:59.320