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Speaker 1: Hi, everybody, Welcome back to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com.

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Speaker 1: I and Mike Spofford, joined as always by my trusted

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Speaker 1: colleague Weston Hodkoitz and Wes. We are back about three

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Speaker 1: months ago I think was our last show, and with

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Speaker 1: this one we will kick off season number nine, season

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Speaker 1: number nine.

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Speaker 2: Putting up with me for eight years. Can you believe.

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Speaker 1: That season number nine of Packers Unscripted as twenty twenty

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Speaker 1: four gets rolling here, we have a lot to catch

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Speaker 1: up on as far as a very very busy off

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Speaker 1: season for the Green Bay Packers. But I'm not going

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Speaker 1: to go in chronological order here because where I want

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Speaker 1: to start is with what turned out to be a

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Speaker 1: wild and crazy and frenetic first forty eight hours or

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Speaker 1: so of free agency in the middle of March, during

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Speaker 1: which time Aaron Jones, David Baktiari, and Devondre Campbell were

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Speaker 1: no longer Green Bay Packers, but two of the top

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Speaker 1: prizes on the free agent market at their respective positions

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Speaker 1: became Green Bay Packers. And of course I'm talking about

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Speaker 1: running back Josh Jacobs and safety Xavier McKinney. What were

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Speaker 1: your thoughts on how those first couple days of free

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Speaker 1: agency unfolded.

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Speaker 3: Well, the interesting thing about the NFL, Michael, and the

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Speaker 3: free agency time in particular, is that you can never

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Speaker 3: plan for anything. What you expect to happen isn't always

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Speaker 3: what happens, and honestly, very rarely does. You were the

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Speaker 3: one in Indianapolis listening to Brian Godkuz him talking about

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Speaker 3: you know, we're expecting Aaron Jones back, trying to make

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Speaker 3: something work. But even though you know Aaron is such

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Speaker 3: a beloved player here, you can tell them how to

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Speaker 3: respect the coaches, the front office, everybody has for him.

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Speaker 3: It's a game of finances, and it's a game of

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Speaker 3: money and Aaron doing what's best for himself and his

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Speaker 3: family in the Packer trying to do what's best for

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Speaker 3: them moving forward. So if you would have ever told

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Speaker 3: me a scenario in which not only is Aaron Jones

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Speaker 3: not going to be a Green Bay Packer in twenty

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Speaker 3: twenty four, but Josh Jacobs, one year removed from being

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Speaker 3: the NFL's rushing champion, Yeah, an all pro, a two

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Speaker 3: time Pro bowler, he ends up being the one that

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Speaker 3: emerges out of free agency, I would have told you

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Speaker 3: you're crazy.

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Speaker 2: I mean when you.

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Speaker 3: Look at it, Michael, the fact that it had been

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Speaker 3: over fifteen years since the last time, actually over almost

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Speaker 3: twenty five years since the last time the Packers had

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Speaker 3: signed a running back as an unrestricted free agent. There

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Speaker 3: has been a homegrown aspect to this thing. The Packers

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Speaker 3: went out, they found a guy three years younger than Aaron,

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Speaker 3: coming off a down season with the Raiders, but a

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Speaker 3: lot of things that were working against him, a lot

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Speaker 3: of inconsistency in that offense, that offensive line, the change

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Speaker 3: with Josh McDaniel's mid season, and now he's here in

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Speaker 3: Green Bay hoping that the stability really kind of propels

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Speaker 3: him back towards being that all Pro running back that

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Speaker 3: he was in twenty twenty two.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and you were down just a couple of weeks

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Speaker 1: after the Josh Jacobs signing. You were down in Florida

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Speaker 1: at the owners meeting, and you heard from Matt Lafleur.

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Speaker 1: And as much as Matt Lafleur is sad that Aaron

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Speaker 1: Jones is no longer a part of the Packers offense,

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Speaker 1: he's awfully excited about getting Josh Jacobs in this offense.

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Speaker 1: And both Jacobs when he spoke to the media for

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Speaker 1: the first time after signing his contract and Lafleur speaking

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Speaker 1: with the media down in Florida. They both talked about

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Speaker 1: being more involved in the passing game, not just being

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Speaker 1: that you know, that bellcow running back, the workhorse that's

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Speaker 1: going to get you know, the twenty to twenty five

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Speaker 1: carries a game, but it's about utilizing him even more

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Speaker 1: in the passing game. Now. It's not that Jacobs hasn't

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Speaker 1: been He averaged I believe, forty receptions or so per

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Speaker 1: season during his years with the Raiders, But that's an aspect.

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Speaker 1: I think that that Jacob's welcomes and Lafleur welcomes as

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Speaker 1: far as you know, getting him the ball in different ways, that.

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Speaker 3: In different ways, and you've seen the last few years

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Speaker 3: the way the Packers use those running backs in Matt

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Speaker 3: Leafloor when you get the multiple options. Certainly, we've talked

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Speaker 3: numerous times about the pony package and being able to

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Speaker 3: get two backs on the field and how being able

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Speaker 3: to manipulate a defense with multiple looks. But the thing

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Speaker 3: that's the most incredible thing to me about Jacobs is

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Speaker 3: he has forty six rushing touchdowns and not a single

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Speaker 3: receiving touchdown during his career, I mean everything. As much

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Speaker 3: as he's been a belcow type back, a guy that

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Speaker 3: averages three hundred touches a season throughout his five seasons

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Speaker 3: with Las Vegas, he hasn't had any of those receiving touchdowns.

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Speaker 2: I think that's going to change in this offense.

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Speaker 3: And as I wrote about in the pre draft picture

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Speaker 3: series that we're currently running on our website, it's not

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Speaker 3: just going to be him. They were able to bring

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Speaker 3: back A J. Dylan. They also have Emmanuel Wilson coming back.

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Speaker 3: There is a sense of familiarity with this backfield, despite

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Speaker 3: the fact there's a new guy that's on the top

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Speaker 3: of the depth chart.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, when you look at the other big free agent

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Speaker 1: signing for the Packers, this dovetails very nicely into the

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Speaker 1: the other really really big piece of news in the offseason,

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Speaker 1: which is that Jeff Hafley has been hired from his

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Speaker 1: job as the head coach at Boston College to be

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Speaker 1: Matt Laffer's new defensive coordinator. Some other assistant coaches on

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Speaker 1: the defensive side, some new faces are coming in to

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Speaker 1: Green Bay as well.

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Speaker 2: But when you.

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Speaker 1: Look at you Halflee and what he has said about

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Speaker 1: his defense and the types of players that he's looking for,

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Speaker 1: and specifically when it comes to how he wants to

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Speaker 1: utilize safeties in the back end of the defense and

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Speaker 1: what he wants what he's going to demand as the

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Speaker 1: defensive coordinator out of that position. Xavier McKinney, to use

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Speaker 1: an overused phrase, checks all the boxes. And it was

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Speaker 1: not a surprise at all really, even though the Packers

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Speaker 1: aren't normally this involved on the opening days of free agency.

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Speaker 1: You have to go back to kind of twenty nineteen

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Speaker 1: for the last time that these sort of signings occurred.

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Speaker 1: But Xavier McKinney is a guy that the Packers feel

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Speaker 1: not only fits this defense that Hafley's going to run

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Speaker 1: very very well, but also as a player that I

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Speaker 1: think Halfley is expecting to showcase from a playmaking standpoint

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Speaker 1: and give him opportunities to make some game changing plays.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, And as Brian Gudikuin's told us in Orlando, I

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Speaker 3: mean it was kind of a question there whether or

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Speaker 3: not either him or Josh Jacobs would even make it

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Speaker 3: to the.

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Speaker 2: Free agent market.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, the option with the franchise tag when McKinney was there,

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Speaker 3: He's you know, Brian said, it himself. I mean, that

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Speaker 3: is an unusual player to be available. I almost liken

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Speaker 3: it to the Shaquille O'Neill effect. Not to put those

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Speaker 3: that lofty of expectations on McKinney, but it's very rare

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Speaker 3: that you see a guy that hass been as productive

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Speaker 3: as he's been and is only twenty four years old

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Speaker 3: when he reaches unrestricted free agency. I mean, as Brian said,

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Speaker 3: right from the get go, they feel like his next

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Speaker 3: three years are going to be his best seasons in

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Speaker 3: the National Football League. We haven't even seen the best

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Speaker 3: version of this guy yet. So when you're paying top

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Speaker 3: dollar for a safety, it's one thing. Packers did it

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Speaker 3: back in twenty nineteen with Adrian Amos when they were

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Speaker 3: really switching things up with that defense the first time. Well,

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Speaker 3: now you not only get McKinney, who I think buy

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Speaker 3: and large everybody would agree was the top target for

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Speaker 3: safeties on the market, you're getting him before he's even

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Speaker 3: reached his prime. And I feel like for the Green

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Speaker 3: Bay Packers, what they need from that safety position, all

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Speaker 3: the ebbs and flows that they went through last year, injuries, inconsistency,

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Speaker 3: if they're going to switch to this type of scheme

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Speaker 3: where maybe you're gonna see a little bit more of

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Speaker 3: the single high. Look again, you need a guy that

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Speaker 3: is going to be able to handle that patrolling of

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Speaker 3: center field. You're gonna need a guy that's gonna be

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Speaker 3: able to close quickly to the football. Jeff Hafley said

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Speaker 3: it in his opening news conference. He wants a guy

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Speaker 3: that's going to race things on defense, and Xavier McKinney

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Speaker 3: definitely does that.

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Speaker 1: I think the thing that stuck out to me the

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Speaker 1: most and continues to stick out to me the most

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Speaker 1: with regard to McKinney is that last season he had

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Speaker 1: one hundred and sixteen tackles, and the various know pro

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Speaker 1: football focused metrics and whatnot, the analyzes that are out

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Speaker 1: there said that he only missed seven tackles. One hundred

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Speaker 1: and sixteen tackles and only seven misses. And then when

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Speaker 1: McKinney spoke to reporters for the first time after signing

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Speaker 1: his contract, I actually I tried to ask him in

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Speaker 1: a kind of roundabout way, well, what makes a good tackler? Like,

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Speaker 1: how did you get so good at this when you

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Speaker 1: can get one hundred and sixteen and only miss seven

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Speaker 1: over the course of an entire season, and his immediate

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Speaker 1: response was, the seven is too many. I've got to

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Speaker 1: get that number down. This is a guy who's one

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Speaker 1: of the better tacklers in the league, and yet he

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Speaker 1: doesn't look at himself that way. He looks at it

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Speaker 1: as I still have to get better. If I'm in

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Speaker 1: a position to make a tackle, I've got to make it.

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Speaker 1: And miss tackles they're going to happen in the NFL.

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Speaker 1: They happen to everybody. I think we've seen over the

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Speaker 1: last couple of years that the Packers have had a

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Speaker 1: few too many of them, and not just one person

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Speaker 1: or one position, but it's been kind of an across

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Speaker 1: the board thing. Things go have gone a little sour

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Speaker 1: on defense, and I think having a guy like McKinney

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Speaker 1: as as a leader, as a veteran guy who's who's

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Speaker 1: been there and done that, and then with this transition

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Speaker 1: to the new defense, it seems like the right fit

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Speaker 1: for everything that halfway in the floor looking for.

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Speaker 3: And it's a high wire act back there. Even if

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Speaker 3: you're playing too high safety, it's not just that if

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Speaker 3: you miss a tackle, it's what are the replication the

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Speaker 3: ramifications of that mistackle? And that's where I think when

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Speaker 3: you mentioned a couple times, green Bay got kind of

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Speaker 3: burned by that last year. It's not an easy position

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Speaker 3: to play. For whatever reason, the NFL is kind of

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Speaker 3: downgraded a little bit. People aren't willing to spend the

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Speaker 3: money on safety like maybe they were ten years ago.

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Speaker 3: But you see the value in it when you look

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Speaker 3: at a player like Xavier McKinney. He's versatile and he's

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Speaker 3: sort of that five tool player that you really need

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Speaker 3: back there. He can, he can hit, he can hit

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Speaker 3: the you know, the running back. He can be able

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Speaker 3: to cover downfield by himself if he needs to. You

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Speaker 3: saw those interceptions he had towards the end of last

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Speaker 3: seasons against Philly. There's some instinctual things that he does

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Speaker 3: along with that speed that he carries that's gonna keep

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Speaker 3: him in this thing for a long time. And I

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Speaker 3: don't know what exactly is gonna happen alongside of him.

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Speaker 3: The Packers still have a big hole there as the

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Speaker 3: safety two spot. Anthony Johnson Junior is gonna come back,

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Speaker 3: maybe the addresses through the draft, maybe there's a free

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Speaker 3: agent out there that they like. But whoever that is,

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Speaker 3: you have a pretty good feeling that McKinney's gonna be

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Speaker 3: able to work with that individual and help bring them along,

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Speaker 3: much like what Adriannamus did with Darnell Savage in twenty nineteen.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and to dive a little bit deeper into the

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Speaker 1: switch at defensive coordinator with Halfley coming from Boston College. Numerically,

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Speaker 1: it's about going from a three to four to a

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Speaker 1: four to three, right. We don't want to overplay that necessarily.

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Speaker 1: It does turn guys like Rashan, Gary Preston Smith, Lucas

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Speaker 1: Fans into more traditional defensive ends. We will see if

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Speaker 1: they play with their hand on the ground or whether

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Speaker 1: they still stand or yeah, yeah, or maybe or maybe

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Speaker 1: it's a you know, it's a combination of things based

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Speaker 1: on what package you know, down in distance, situation, all

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Speaker 1: of that. The what I am most curious about. I'll

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Speaker 1: ask you what you're most curious about to see develop

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Speaker 1: in this first year of Jeff Haffley's defense. For me,

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Speaker 1: it's how is how does Jeff Hafley go about utilizing

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Speaker 1: an athlete and a talent like Quay Walker. Because we

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Speaker 1: saw Walker make some pretty good strides from his rookie

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Speaker 1: year to his second year. We saw him in Week

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Speaker 1: one of his second season get a pick six that

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Speaker 1: Soldier field. But then, you know, not that I'm not

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Speaker 1: saying he had a bad season. He was better in

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Speaker 1: year two than I thought than in year one. But

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Speaker 1: we didn't see a whole lot of the splash plays,

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Speaker 1: the flashy stuff, you know, the game changing type of plays.

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Speaker 1: But kuay Walker is the kind of athlete in the

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Speaker 1: middle of a defense who can make those kind of plays.

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Speaker 1: And I am very curious to see just how Halflee

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Speaker 1: in his defensive assistance go about trying to showcase quay

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Speaker 1: Walker at the linebacker level, as we had talked about

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Speaker 1: with McKinney at the safety level.

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Speaker 3: I just felt like it was one of the questions

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Speaker 3: I asked Matt Lafleur after the season about when he

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Speaker 3: was making this change where Joe Berry is out as

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Speaker 3: defensive coordinator is looking for somebody else. Was he specifically

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Speaker 3: looking to go to a four to three or was

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Speaker 3: that a byproduct of the coordinator that you're picking. And

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Speaker 3: it was a byproduct, is what he said. He wasn't

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Speaker 3: necessarily looking to make a change. But when I look

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Speaker 3: at where Green Bay was last year, I look at

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Speaker 3: their personnel there wasn't a lot there where I said, Man,

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Speaker 3: they really got to fix this. They have to do

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Speaker 3: this differently. I just think sometimes when you're not getting

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Speaker 3: the results, you need to switch things up. And I

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Speaker 3: feel like this switch and again, I'm a guy that

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Speaker 3: you can read. You've read all my stuff for eight years. Yeah,

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Speaker 3: I love the three four. That's where I I've always thought.

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Speaker 3: But with some of the gap issues they had last year,

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Speaker 3: some of the times where they got gashed with the run,

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Speaker 3: I think sometimes you do need to try something different.

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Speaker 3: So when I look at kway Walker bringing it back

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Speaker 3: to your original point, I just think that this is

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Speaker 3: something that's going to compliment him. Well, he's going to

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Speaker 3: be able to read those defenses. He's going to be

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Speaker 3: able to act instinctually. He has a rapport there already

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Speaker 3: with Isaiah McDuffie, who in some form or fashion is

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Speaker 3: going to be incorporated into this defense depending on what

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Speaker 3: they do with that other inside backer spot.

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Speaker 1: I agree.

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Speaker 3: But overall, I feel like the construct is there. I

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Speaker 3: feel like the bodies are there. I feel like the

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Speaker 3: defensive line they got a lot of production from that

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Speaker 3: last year. The defensive line had almost half their sacks

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Speaker 3: of those forty five, with Kenny Clark having a career high,

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Speaker 3: Davonte Wyatt having five and a half, and when you

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Speaker 3: have somebody like kway Walker who also can contribute in

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Speaker 3: that fashion, I just feel like there's going to be

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Speaker 3: a lot for Halfway to utilize there. And he was

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Speaker 3: even asked about it during his original press conference and

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Speaker 3: he said, I mean, one of the first things you

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Speaker 3: do is a defensive coordinator come into Green Bay, you

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Speaker 3: look at kway Walker and you like what you see.

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Speaker 3: And I think the scheme overall is something that's definitely

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Speaker 3: going to benefit him in the long run.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. When I look at these young guys on the

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Speaker 1: Packers defense, obviously Kenny Clark is going to do his thing,

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Speaker 1: Preston Smith is doing his thing. Rareshaun Gary has certainly

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Speaker 1: come into his own, even though he missed half a season,

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Speaker 1: you know, with a torn acl When I look at

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Speaker 1: the young guys on this defense, the quay Walker, quay

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Speaker 1: Walker and Devonte Wyatt and Isaiah McDuffie, I think if

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Speaker 1: Hafley wants to have these young defenders in attack mode,

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Speaker 1: not react mode. He wants he wants to get something

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Speaker 1: established where the defense, the defense is attacking more often

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Speaker 1: than it's reacting. You're going to have to play some

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Speaker 1: situations reactionally on defense. That's the nature of the sport.

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Speaker 1: It's the nature of the game. But the more times

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Speaker 1: you can create situations and create opportunities to be on

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Speaker 1: the attack and with as much young blood, so to speak,

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Speaker 1: as the Packers are going to have on the defensive

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Speaker 1: side of the ball. That's kind of in a general

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Speaker 1: sense where I see this.

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Speaker 3: Going, yeah, and I agree with you, and I think

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Speaker 3: that's going to be exciting because we'll preview the draft

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Speaker 3: a little bit later and we'll get going on how

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Speaker 3: these things are going to shape up and the twenty

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Speaker 3: four landscape is going to be. But Michael, with how

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Speaker 3: many guys stepped up last season, with how many rookies

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Speaker 3: contributed right away, I didn't go into this offseason thinking, man,

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Speaker 3: green Bay has a lot of holes to fill, and

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Speaker 3: they don't have a lot of draft picks. They don't

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Speaker 3: have a lot of money. No, they have more money,

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Speaker 3: they have more draft picks. Now, they still got to

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Speaker 3: build depth. They still have to find guys that can

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Speaker 3: challenge for position right away. They need to find that safety.

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Speaker 3: But my goodness, Michael when you compare what this conversation

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Speaker 3: was like when you and I came back for the

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Speaker 3: first episode of Unscripted last year as opposed to where

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Speaker 3: Green Bay is seating today, It's a night and day difference.

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Speaker 3: There's been a lot of guys that have contributed to that.

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Speaker 3: But I just feel like for Jeff Hafley coming in

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Speaker 3: trying to implement his program, there are so many young

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Speaker 3: stallions here for him to work with to hopefully build

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Speaker 3: something that can become what everybody's expected this defense to be.

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Speaker 1: Well, I want to go through other players that the

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Speaker 1: Packers brought back, guys who left, will sort of analyze

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Speaker 1: a little bit where that is. But for some sponsor

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332
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333
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Speaker 1: fifty plus years of better all right elsewhere in free agency,

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Speaker 1: I'm just gonna rattle off kind of the names as

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Speaker 1: far as who's gone and who's been brought back, as

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Speaker 1: far as who has departed. The Green Bay Packers safeties

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Speaker 1: Darnell Savage and Jonathan Owens, offensive lineman John Runyon and

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Speaker 1: yosh Nyman, tight end Josiah Dguara, and running back Patrick

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Speaker 1: Taylor re signed by the Green Bay Packers Keishawn Nixon,

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Speaker 1: AJ Dillon, Eric Wilson, Corey Ballantine, Christian Welch, and Robert Rochelle.

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Speaker 1: Two things that jump out at me. One is that,

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Speaker 1: as we get asked a lot in insider inbox, almost inevitably,

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Speaker 1: as soon as a season ends and the free agent

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Speaker 1: lists get out there, who's the top priority for the

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Speaker 1: Packers to re sign in free agency to make sure

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Speaker 1: this guy doesn't get away. I think you and I

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Speaker 1: both answered the question exactly the same way. It was

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Speaker 1: Keishawn Nixon, not only because of what he did in

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Speaker 1: a full season as the nickel cornerback and really him

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Speaker 1: playing that position full time for the first time in

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Speaker 1: his career. I think the Packers feel like there's still

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Speaker 1: some more growth and some more progress there, even though

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Speaker 1: Keishaw Nixon is not necessarily a young player anymore with

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Speaker 1: his experience in the league. But then you throw in,

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Speaker 1: obviously what he brings to the return game, and then

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Speaker 1: what the owners passed at the owners meetings as far

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Speaker 1: as the whole new setup and the rules and regulations

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Speaker 1: with regard to kickoffs that are going to promote kickoff

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Speaker 1: return opportunities and instead of as many touchbacks as we've

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Speaker 1: seen in recent years. I thought the re signing of

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Speaker 1: Keishawn Nixon was a big move for the Packers in

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Speaker 1: two phases, both defensively and on special.

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Speaker 3: It was the biggest move Green Bay made. And because

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Speaker 3: let's just start with defense, because Jeff Halfley. This was

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Speaker 3: another question that came up throughout the offseason with Matt Lafleure.

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Speaker 3: You know, they were the ones. Jeff Hafley comes in

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Speaker 3: as he talked about his family still in Boston. You know,

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Speaker 3: he's sitting over here at Lodge Coal or just basically

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Speaker 3: breathing and eating football every single day, and he had

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Speaker 3: a lot of time to crunch film and a big

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Speaker 3: part of that was watching the nine hundred sum snaps

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Speaker 3: that Kishaw Nixon played last year and projecting whether or

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Speaker 3: not this would be a good fit, because if it

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Speaker 3: isn't this is the breaking point. This is where the

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Speaker 3: Packers can let him walk and they can move forward

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Speaker 3: in a new direction. Jeff Hafley looked at that film

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Speaker 3: and said, this is promising for a guy that finally

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Speaker 3: as a full time player, full time starter, is in

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Speaker 3: that role. He liked what he saw, and Brian Goodikin's

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Speaker 3: kind of expounded upon that when we were in Orlando, saying,

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Speaker 3: you gotta remember, it's not just about how you cover,

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Speaker 3: it's about how you tackle, and you need a guy

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Speaker 3: that's built for that contact. You need a guy that's

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Speaker 3: sort of like this hybrid pseudo safety type position, and

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Speaker 3: Kishawn Nixon in a lot of ways fits that bill,

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Speaker 3: especially with his explosiveness. I think the Packers saw what

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Speaker 3: he did last year. It wasn't error free, but they

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Speaker 3: felt like there's something to build off there now. And

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Speaker 3: obviously the fact his durability is such a pivotal piece

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Speaker 3: in Green Bay and he was the guy that ended

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Speaker 3: up being out there more than anybody with those cornerbacks.

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Speaker 3: And if I may just quickly with this kickoff return business,

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Speaker 3: we'll have to see what this all is. Are gonna

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Speaker 3: have plenty of opportunities to discuss this this summer. Will

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Speaker 3: it look different, Will it result in more explosive plays?

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Speaker 3: Will it results result in fewer everybody's got a theory.

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Speaker 2: On this thing.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, But all I'm gonna say is with the moves

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Speaker 3: that Green Bay made, and Kishaw Nixon is a part

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Speaker 3: of that, but he's not all of it. It's some

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Speaker 3: of these Eric Wilson signings too. It is if the

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Speaker 3: Green Bay Packers are going to make this transition into

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Speaker 3: this new season with this new format for the kickoff,

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Speaker 3: you are as well positioned as you're going to be

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Speaker 3: right now with having Kishawn Nixon back there.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I think so too, And it's going to be

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Speaker 1: the big curiosity as far as special teams across the

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Speaker 1: league in twenty twenty four with the implementation of this

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Speaker 1: new kickoff, this modified version, but special teams in general,

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Speaker 1: I thought, I thought the Packers really helped themselves by

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Speaker 1: bringing back these guys like Wilson and Ballantine and Welch

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Speaker 1: and Rochelle. And also as far as that spotlight on

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Speaker 1: special teams, there's a kicking competition right now. Anders Carlson,

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Speaker 1: Jack put Lesnie was signed right after the season ended,

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Speaker 1: and then the veteran Greg Joseph has been brought in.

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Speaker 1: He's been the kicker for the Vikings for the past

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Speaker 1: three seasons. So right now there are three kickers on

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Speaker 1: the roster. I don't know how long that necessarily will continue,

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Speaker 1: but one way or another, there is going to be

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Speaker 1: a competition for the kicker position in Green Bay. So

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Speaker 1: a lot of a lot of eyes on special teams

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Speaker 1: and how some of this stuff is going to sort

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Speaker 1: itself out as the Packers make their way towards Week one.

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Speaker 2: Well, and then this is something you got to keep

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Speaker 2: in mind too.

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Speaker 3: I mean, kickers are going to have a role to

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Speaker 3: play in this kickoff return business now as well, because

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Speaker 3: if you're doing touchbacks and those sort of things, now

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Speaker 3: it's coming out to the thirty. If the opposing team

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Speaker 3: wants to kneel it down or let it go through

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Speaker 3: the end zone, you have to make sure you hit

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Speaker 3: it within the landing zone or otherwise it's going to

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Speaker 3: be going to the forty. It's a difficult situation, I

434
00:20:44,240 --> 00:20:46,320
Speaker 3: really felt when you and I were breaking down at

435
00:20:46,320 --> 00:20:47,879
Speaker 3: the end of the season, we were talking about some

436
00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:50,680
Speaker 3: of the issues that Anders had and that NFC Divisional

437
00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:53,040
Speaker 3: playoff game I just felt like he's at a point

438
00:20:53,119 --> 00:20:54,960
Speaker 3: right now where he can benefit for some competition.

439
00:20:55,080 --> 00:20:55,240
Speaker 2: Now.

440
00:20:55,240 --> 00:20:57,959
Speaker 3: They didn't go out and pay Matt Gay all that

441
00:20:58,040 --> 00:21:01,879
Speaker 3: money like the Colts did last year. Greg Joseph is

442
00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:03,879
Speaker 3: more of that moderate type, signing a guy that's going

443
00:21:03,920 --> 00:21:06,080
Speaker 3: to get an honest opportunity at winning that job, but

444
00:21:06,119 --> 00:21:08,960
Speaker 3: you're not tied to him financially it doesn't work out.

445
00:21:09,600 --> 00:21:11,280
Speaker 3: That's the thing I think is going to be very

446
00:21:11,320 --> 00:21:14,000
Speaker 3: important for them because you look, even like O'Daniel Wheeland

447
00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:17,040
Speaker 3: last year, how much he grew throughout camp when he's

448
00:21:17,040 --> 00:21:20,480
Speaker 3: competing with Pad O'Donnell for that job and the only

449
00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:23,439
Speaker 3: one person can win it. So I just feel like

450
00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:25,280
Speaker 3: we're going to see the best version of Honors through

451
00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:27,800
Speaker 3: this thing too. And the green Bait Packers talked about

452
00:21:27,800 --> 00:21:29,679
Speaker 3: it the day that Rich Bisacci got hired. They were

453
00:21:29,720 --> 00:21:31,040
Speaker 3: going to make a commitment they were going to be

454
00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:33,520
Speaker 3: more veteran lated on special teams and they've been a

455
00:21:33,560 --> 00:21:34,160
Speaker 3: man of their word.

456
00:21:35,119 --> 00:21:37,560
Speaker 1: A couple other topics to hit on before we go

457
00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:41,439
Speaker 1: and sign off on our first show. A lot of

458
00:21:41,520 --> 00:21:46,320
Speaker 1: discussion both with both at the Scouting Combine in Indian

459
00:21:46,440 --> 00:21:48,719
Speaker 1: February and then at the owner's meetings at the end

460
00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:52,040
Speaker 1: of March in Orlando with Brian Gudokountz. With regard to

461
00:21:52,080 --> 00:21:56,800
Speaker 1: Jordan Love and a new contract, it sounds like something's

462
00:21:56,840 --> 00:21:59,480
Speaker 1: in the works. The Packers are going Packers and Jordan

463
00:21:59,560 --> 00:22:02,800
Speaker 1: Love's folks are going to work towards something here. It

464
00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:08,560
Speaker 1: can't be nothing can be finalized, signed, whatever until after

465
00:22:08,600 --> 00:22:11,399
Speaker 1: the first few days of May because of the twelve

466
00:22:11,400 --> 00:22:15,560
Speaker 1: month rule with regard to contracts, because the Packers signed

467
00:22:15,640 --> 00:22:18,400
Speaker 1: Jordan Love to a contract extension in the first week

468
00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:22,320
Speaker 1: of May last year, so there's no there's no rush here.

469
00:22:22,359 --> 00:22:24,440
Speaker 1: And certainly the draft is coming up, so a lot

470
00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:27,000
Speaker 1: of attention is on that, and I think very quickly

471
00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:29,560
Speaker 1: after the draft, my guess is that attention will turn

472
00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:33,320
Speaker 1: to this Jordan Love contract and that's going to get done.

473
00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:37,120
Speaker 1: But you know, the Packers obviously are going to are

474
00:22:37,320 --> 00:22:42,240
Speaker 1: making the long term commitment to Jordan Love for obvious reasons,

475
00:22:42,359 --> 00:22:45,000
Speaker 1: and you know it could be could be a fun

476
00:22:45,040 --> 00:22:48,159
Speaker 1: few years around here with with that young man continuing

477
00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:50,160
Speaker 1: to grow and develop as he's done.

478
00:22:50,240 --> 00:22:53,119
Speaker 3: You want to win a championship and and Jordan there

479
00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:54,840
Speaker 3: are things that he's going to want back from that

480
00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:56,720
Speaker 3: first year as a starter, and it goes back to

481
00:22:56,760 --> 00:22:58,560
Speaker 3: even that game against the forty nine ers.

482
00:22:58,560 --> 00:23:01,600
Speaker 2: But I think if you're looking outside of just the.

483
00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:04,879
Speaker 3: Super Bowl and the Lombardi, it was having confidence that

484
00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:07,320
Speaker 3: you found your guy, and I felt like the twenty

485
00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:10,040
Speaker 3: twenty three campaign gave us that confidence. I felt like

486
00:23:10,119 --> 00:23:13,399
Speaker 3: that final stretch of the season, Mike, I would challenge

487
00:23:13,440 --> 00:23:15,520
Speaker 3: you to find me a better quarterback those last six

488
00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:18,160
Speaker 3: seven weeks of the regular season than Jordan Love. He

489
00:23:18,320 --> 00:23:21,720
Speaker 3: was exceptional in every facet of the game and a

490
00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:23,560
Speaker 3: big reason why the Green bit Packers were able to

491
00:23:23,560 --> 00:23:25,480
Speaker 3: mount that rally and a big reason why they were

492
00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:27,960
Speaker 3: able to get in the playoffs and ultimately have this

493
00:23:29,400 --> 00:23:32,800
Speaker 3: sort of excitement now heading into this year two with

494
00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:35,800
Speaker 3: him as QB one. I don't know how the dollars

495
00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:38,120
Speaker 3: and cents work out. It's actually been a minute since

496
00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:42,560
Speaker 3: we've had to do like a true quarterback extension. Aaron

497
00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:44,359
Speaker 3: Rodgers had a few of them there down the end,

498
00:23:44,560 --> 00:23:46,639
Speaker 3: but I mean, ultimately it was mostly just kind of

499
00:23:47,320 --> 00:23:48,639
Speaker 3: reworking a few things.

500
00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:50,280
Speaker 2: This reminds me.

501
00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:52,840
Speaker 3: A lot of what Aaron got when we got into

502
00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:56,560
Speaker 3: twenty thirteen, when he did that first deal with Green Bay.

503
00:23:56,600 --> 00:23:58,760
Speaker 2: I think what was at the end of the eight season.

504
00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:01,680
Speaker 1: Is, yeah, they extend Aaron Rodgers in the middle of

505
00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:03,840
Speaker 1: the two thousand and eight season, his first year as

506
00:24:03,840 --> 00:24:06,320
Speaker 1: the starters, eight or nine games in, and then he

507
00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:08,919
Speaker 1: got his first you know, it was sort of his

508
00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:10,200
Speaker 1: official second contract.

509
00:24:10,200 --> 00:24:11,359
Speaker 3: And I don't know if you remember that, but that

510
00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:13,440
Speaker 3: twenty twelve season, it just seemed like that was something

511
00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:15,159
Speaker 3: where he was constantly being asked about it, Hey, are

512
00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:17,920
Speaker 3: you playing undervalue your contract or whatever? And then ultimately

513
00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:20,200
Speaker 3: after the Joe flacco'dell, the Packers made him the highest

514
00:24:20,200 --> 00:24:22,760
Speaker 3: paid quarterback in the NFL. I don't know how that's

515
00:24:22,800 --> 00:24:24,800
Speaker 3: all going to work out with Jordan Love, but you

516
00:24:24,920 --> 00:24:27,400
Speaker 3: just feel so happy for him from a personal perspective

517
00:24:27,440 --> 00:24:29,240
Speaker 3: because this is a guy that, in addition to putting

518
00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:31,879
Speaker 3: in the time, in addition to developing and putting this

519
00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:34,359
Speaker 3: all to good use, he led that locker room with

520
00:24:34,359 --> 00:24:37,840
Speaker 3: a very even keel temperament. He's never blinked, he's never

521
00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:41,080
Speaker 3: talked out a line. He's been the consummate professional leader.

522
00:24:41,119 --> 00:24:42,719
Speaker 3: I feel like this locker room needs him to be

523
00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:45,560
Speaker 3: in the one thing that Matt Lafleur mentioned that he

524
00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:47,359
Speaker 3: wants him to work on. That's the big point of

525
00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:51,040
Speaker 3: emphasis going into year two. Now there is no Aaron Jones.

526
00:24:51,600 --> 00:24:55,439
Speaker 3: They there is still a young offense, but there's fewer

527
00:24:55,440 --> 00:24:58,160
Speaker 3: of those leaders on that side of the ball. More

528
00:24:58,280 --> 00:25:00,439
Speaker 3: is going to be asked of Jordan in that and

529
00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:02,640
Speaker 3: I think that's exciting. I think that's an opportunity he's

530
00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:05,400
Speaker 3: gonna relish in understanding that this is my football team

531
00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:07,880
Speaker 3: and you are not on Instagram. You could care less

532
00:25:07,880 --> 00:25:10,880
Speaker 3: about Instagram. But Jordan had a post a couple days

533
00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:12,720
Speaker 3: ago and I don't even know how many likes it

534
00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:14,200
Speaker 3: ended up getting. I oun't know how many views it

535
00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:16,800
Speaker 3: ended up getting. It's a lot, though, And all it

536
00:25:16,920 --> 00:25:19,360
Speaker 3: was was Jordan looking with his back to the camera,

537
00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:24,399
Speaker 3: looking out to the Lambeufield fans and just saying missing this. Yeah,

538
00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:27,199
Speaker 3: these fans are excited for the season. Jordan's excited for

539
00:25:27,240 --> 00:25:29,160
Speaker 3: the season, and number ten is going to be here

540
00:25:29,200 --> 00:25:29,960
Speaker 3: for a long time.

541
00:25:30,640 --> 00:25:34,879
Speaker 1: Well, speaking of the season, the full schedule for twenty

542
00:25:34,960 --> 00:25:37,679
Speaker 1: twenty four has not been released, and that will happen

543
00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:41,440
Speaker 1: presumably a couple weeks after the draft, so roughly about

544
00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:43,920
Speaker 1: a month from now, four weeks from now, something like that,

545
00:25:44,840 --> 00:25:48,240
Speaker 1: but the Packers know Game one they do Week one.

546
00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:53,120
Speaker 1: It will be on the Friday night after the Thursday

547
00:25:53,160 --> 00:25:56,399
Speaker 1: night kickoff opener, which presumably will be in Kansas City

548
00:25:56,480 --> 00:25:59,440
Speaker 1: with the Chiefs hosting the Super Bowl champion Chiefs hosting

549
00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:01,760
Speaker 1: a game at Air Arrowhead. But on the next night,

550
00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:05,679
Speaker 1: on Friday night, the Packers will be in Sal Paulo,

551
00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:10,600
Speaker 1: Brazil to face the Philadelphia Eagles. This is technically a

552
00:26:10,640 --> 00:26:13,479
Speaker 1: home game for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Packers are

553
00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:16,720
Speaker 1: the road team. We just found out about this last week, Wes,

554
00:26:16,920 --> 00:26:20,719
Speaker 1: and I am not exactly looking forward to a twelve

555
00:26:20,720 --> 00:26:23,360
Speaker 1: hour flight to go cover a football game. That will

556
00:26:23,359 --> 00:26:28,199
Speaker 1: definitely be a first for me. But your thoughts on

557
00:26:28,440 --> 00:26:31,080
Speaker 1: this whole Brazil thing, this is just this is kind

558
00:26:31,119 --> 00:26:32,919
Speaker 1: of it kind of came out of nowhere. Yeah, a

559
00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:33,560
Speaker 1: lot of respect.

560
00:26:33,680 --> 00:26:35,520
Speaker 3: And that's why I laugh. I don't laugh for any

561
00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:38,240
Speaker 3: other reason other than for so long, even going back

562
00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:39,879
Speaker 3: to my days at the Press, because that it was like,

563
00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:41,800
Speaker 3: why what are the Packers going to go to London?

564
00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:45,120
Speaker 3: And it's like, okay, well they finally went. Now we're

565
00:26:45,119 --> 00:26:47,280
Speaker 3: going to South America. I could play the first ever

566
00:26:47,359 --> 00:26:49,239
Speaker 3: game in less than America less than two.

567
00:26:49,359 --> 00:26:52,480
Speaker 1: I guess it'd be twenty three months after the trip

568
00:26:52,520 --> 00:26:56,000
Speaker 1: to London. Right here, go go to Brazil, fly fly

569
00:26:56,119 --> 00:26:57,200
Speaker 1: twice as far away.

570
00:26:57,280 --> 00:26:58,840
Speaker 2: Yeah, you were talking about what's going to happen.

571
00:26:58,880 --> 00:27:00,399
Speaker 3: That is probably the closest you and I are going

572
00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:05,639
Speaker 3: to come to having throwing blows, throwing down coming to blows.

573
00:27:05,680 --> 00:27:09,080
Speaker 3: But no, here, here's the thing, Mike. You know my

574
00:27:09,200 --> 00:27:11,800
Speaker 3: stance on this. I was really against it, only from

575
00:27:11,800 --> 00:27:13,960
Speaker 3: the standpoint of what the travel is and the fact

576
00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:16,240
Speaker 3: that you open the season with such a taxing trip.

577
00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:16,640
Speaker 1: Yep.

578
00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:20,199
Speaker 3: But I have to give credit to the Brazilian fans

579
00:27:20,240 --> 00:27:23,680
Speaker 3: and honestly South American Packers fans, because we've gotten things

580
00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:27,720
Speaker 3: an insider inbox with people from Argentina, from Uruguay, people

581
00:27:27,760 --> 00:27:30,560
Speaker 3: that are gonna make this trip just because they're in

582
00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:31,040
Speaker 3: the region.

583
00:27:31,160 --> 00:27:32,840
Speaker 2: Absolutely I get.

584
00:27:32,880 --> 00:27:34,880
Speaker 3: I have so much respect for them because you can

585
00:27:34,920 --> 00:27:37,440
Speaker 3: feel their fandom. This isn't just oh, some novelty the

586
00:27:37,480 --> 00:27:39,320
Speaker 3: Packers are going to go down there and yayaya, let's

587
00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:41,400
Speaker 3: go check it out. No, these are people that live

588
00:27:41,400 --> 00:27:44,920
Speaker 3: and breathe football, just like John Olton Wasau does, and

589
00:27:44,960 --> 00:27:48,000
Speaker 3: this is for them potentially a once in a lifetime opportunity.

590
00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:49,440
Speaker 2: I don't think we're going to be going to.

591
00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:53,399
Speaker 3: Brazil every other year, so for us to be able

592
00:27:53,440 --> 00:27:57,800
Speaker 3: to make that trip, you appreciate what it means culturally,

593
00:27:57,880 --> 00:28:00,000
Speaker 3: you appreciate what it means for the National Football League

594
00:28:00,119 --> 00:28:03,680
Speaker 3: to put Jordan love in this football team on display.

595
00:28:03,240 --> 00:28:03,760
Speaker 2: Like they are.

596
00:28:04,320 --> 00:28:07,119
Speaker 3: But more importantly, it is about expanding this game. And

597
00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:08,920
Speaker 3: I don't know how many more years you're going to

598
00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:11,000
Speaker 3: do this. I said, I always have about nineteen left,

599
00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:13,760
Speaker 3: give or take. I'm going to see a lot of

600
00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:16,479
Speaker 3: different parts of this country, but parts of this globe.

601
00:28:16,560 --> 00:28:18,640
Speaker 3: If I stick around, and if the Packers don't want

602
00:28:18,640 --> 00:28:20,280
Speaker 3: to let me go and hand me a pink slip,

603
00:28:21,640 --> 00:28:23,280
Speaker 3: I don't know if I'll ever be in Brazil again

604
00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:26,120
Speaker 3: from a vacation standpoint or a work standpoint. So from

605
00:28:26,119 --> 00:28:29,000
Speaker 3: that aspect, I'm really embracing it. But it is going

606
00:28:29,040 --> 00:28:30,760
Speaker 3: to be very interesting to see how both of these

607
00:28:30,800 --> 00:28:32,840
Speaker 3: teams come out of it, because it is something unlike

608
00:28:32,880 --> 00:28:35,960
Speaker 3: anything else I think the NFL has really tried so far.

609
00:28:36,119 --> 00:28:39,120
Speaker 1: Yeah, and logistically, the only reason you know this really

610
00:28:39,200 --> 00:28:41,880
Speaker 1: is even a possibility to do in week one is

611
00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:44,840
Speaker 1: because of the change of a few years ago of

612
00:28:44,920 --> 00:28:48,400
Speaker 1: going to just the three preseason games where there's essentially

613
00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:50,560
Speaker 1: a you know, kind of an off week in terms

614
00:28:50,600 --> 00:28:53,920
Speaker 1: of playing games, there's no longer that fourth preseason game

615
00:28:54,280 --> 00:28:56,840
Speaker 1: before week one. So because that gap is in there,

616
00:28:57,160 --> 00:28:59,600
Speaker 1: the NFL sort of looks at the calendar and goes, oh, yeah,

617
00:28:59,640 --> 00:29:02,640
Speaker 1: well let's let's send a couple of teams on along

618
00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:05,520
Speaker 1: road trip because it's because it's certainly more doable now

619
00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:06,680
Speaker 1: than it would have been a f You know what.

620
00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:07,239
Speaker 2: This feels like.

621
00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:10,200
Speaker 3: It feels like when you get the call from like, uh,

622
00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:13,120
Speaker 3: I don't know, a pick your cable company or you know,

623
00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:16,320
Speaker 3: sometime telemarketing thing where they offer you like the first

624
00:29:16,320 --> 00:29:18,160
Speaker 3: three months and then you end up getting hit with

625
00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:19,200
Speaker 3: something on the other end of it.

626
00:29:19,400 --> 00:29:20,960
Speaker 2: A couple of years ago, the NFL is like.

627
00:29:20,960 --> 00:29:22,640
Speaker 3: Hey, we're gonna take we're gonna get rid of that

628
00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:23,840
Speaker 3: last preseason game.

629
00:29:23,920 --> 00:29:26,600
Speaker 2: Everything's cool. We'll add the other regular season game, but

630
00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:27,280
Speaker 2: everything's cool.

631
00:29:27,480 --> 00:29:30,360
Speaker 3: And now we're already chipping back into right that off

632
00:29:30,400 --> 00:29:31,760
Speaker 3: time before week one again.

633
00:29:31,880 --> 00:29:35,479
Speaker 1: Exactly, it's like you got again, you know that is

634
00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:39,200
Speaker 1: that is exactly what this feels like. Well, Hey, I

635
00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:41,240
Speaker 1: know a lot of people are fired up about the draft.

636
00:29:41,280 --> 00:29:43,920
Speaker 1: There's plenty to discuss with regard to the draft, and

637
00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:46,560
Speaker 1: now that we have reviewed the off season, we will

638
00:29:46,560 --> 00:29:50,200
Speaker 1: shift into draft mode. We have another show later this week.

639
00:29:50,280 --> 00:29:52,760
Speaker 1: We will have another one next week, also prior to

640
00:29:52,800 --> 00:29:55,160
Speaker 1: the draft, and we'll try to look at this twenty

641
00:29:55,200 --> 00:29:58,480
Speaker 1: twenty four NFL Draft from all angles, so be sure

642
00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:01,720
Speaker 1: to tune in for that. But till then, for WES,

643
00:30:01,960 --> 00:30:04,760
Speaker 1: I am Mike. Thank you for tuning in everybody. We

644
00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:06,280
Speaker 1: will see you next time.

645
00:30:09,360 --> 00:30:09,400
Speaker 3: M