WEBVTT - #900 Packers Unscripted: Final week 0:00:06.910 --> 0:00:10.950 Hi everybody, welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from Packers.com. 0:00:11.030 --> 0:00:13.550 I am Mike Spofford, joined as always by my trusted 0:00:13.610 --> 0:00:15.910 colleague Wes Hodkowitz. We're coming to you here from the 0:00:16.030 --> 0:00:20.520 Pottawatomie Sportsbook studio inside the walls of Lambeau Field. And Wes, 0:00:20.560 --> 0:00:23.780 shortly before we turn the cameras on here, the Packers 0:00:23.820 --> 0:00:27.760 revealed their new Rivalry's uniforms, which will be worn this 0:00:27.820 --> 0:00:31.100 season in the home game at Lambeau Field. against the 0:00:31.160 --> 0:00:33.330 Chicago Bears. Give me your initial reaction. 0:00:33.409 --> 0:00:34.949 I love them. I love them. 0:00:35.190 --> 0:00:37.870 I think it's the coolest uniform we've put together yet, 0:00:38.430 --> 0:00:41.080 other than obviously the traditional green and gold home and away. 0:00:41.880 --> 0:00:44.280 There's just so much about it, so much intricate detail 0:00:44.640 --> 0:00:48.600 involved with it. The Lombardi monochrome being on the shoulder. 0:00:48.820 --> 0:00:49.600 That's my favorite part. 0:00:49.620 --> 0:00:51.320 On the chest is the coolest thing in the world 0:00:51.360 --> 0:00:51.580 to me. 0:00:51.920 --> 0:00:53.159 I mean, if it's not going to be on the helmet, 0:00:53.220 --> 0:00:54.460 I want to see the G. I want to have 0:00:54.480 --> 0:00:56.100 the traditional G. I don't want to get away from that. 0:00:56.680 --> 0:00:58.720 But I love they still found a way to incorporate 0:00:58.760 --> 0:01:01.800 that Lombardi. If you know the backstory of that, Lombardi 0:01:01.830 --> 0:01:04.289 and the coaching staff, 1959, they come in. That was 0:01:04.330 --> 0:01:07.490 almost like their own personal insignia. And then it's obviously 0:01:07.510 --> 0:01:11.229 taken on its own kind of heritage and lore. So 0:01:11.250 --> 0:01:14.170 to see that part of Packers history being acknowledged as well, 0:01:14.690 --> 0:01:17.220 in addition to the various other logos that we've had, 0:01:17.580 --> 0:01:19.039 that was something that really hit home for me. 0:01:19.160 --> 0:01:23.900 Yeah, that's my favorite part is that logo that you 0:01:23.959 --> 0:01:27.480 see in the caps that Lombardi wore, his coaching staff 0:01:27.520 --> 0:01:31.000 wore and everything during the 60s, to see that on 0:01:31.040 --> 0:01:34.080 the shoulder of the uniform. And then the green and 0:01:34.100 --> 0:01:38.220 gold stripe down the middle of the white helmet. Those 0:01:38.280 --> 0:01:40.360 are the two pieces. The rest of it, I'm kind 0:01:40.380 --> 0:01:43.040 of like, okay, you know, I mean, I'm not crazy 0:01:43.080 --> 0:01:45.919 about changing fonts with numbers and letters and stuff like that. 0:01:45.940 --> 0:01:48.480 It's like, okay, that's what they wanted to do. Those 0:01:48.560 --> 0:01:50.890 two pieces, the shoulder and the stripe and the helmet, 0:01:51.210 --> 0:01:52.890 that's what jumps out to me. It looks pretty cool. 0:01:52.970 --> 0:01:55.370 And to have the watermark that's similar to, you know, 0:01:55.390 --> 0:01:57.990 the Packers stock logo. I mean, there's just so many 0:01:58.110 --> 0:02:01.110 things that just, the small intricate details, I think that 0:02:01.150 --> 0:02:02.130 really make it special. 0:02:02.190 --> 0:02:03.950 I think it's going to really flare, you know, in 0:02:04.000 --> 0:02:04.420 that game. 0:02:04.920 --> 0:02:07.350 Uh, it's going to be interesting, you know, watching the 0:02:07.410 --> 0:02:10.890 contrast of the two uniforms, right? Cause like the bears is, 0:02:11.030 --> 0:02:13.260 you know, the, the dark blue and sort of that 0:02:14.060 --> 0:02:16.320 blood orange kind of color. So it's gonna be, it's 0:02:16.340 --> 0:02:21.550 gonna be interesting watching that sort of unfold. But, um, Certainly, 0:02:21.570 --> 0:02:22.950 I mean, everyone's going to know who's on which team, 0:02:23.010 --> 0:02:23.710 so that's not a big deal. 0:02:23.750 --> 0:02:27.429 I don't think there's going to be any problem differentiating that. 0:02:27.510 --> 0:02:30.010 But we do have some football to talk about. The 0:02:30.050 --> 0:02:34.130 Packers are back from, obviously, the second preseason game in Denver. 0:02:34.169 --> 0:02:38.669 There's been another practice, open practice at Nitschke Field since 0:02:38.710 --> 0:02:43.190 then as well. 33-13 was the final score in Denver. 0:02:43.770 --> 0:02:46.970 Not that those numbers necessarily mattered all that much, but 0:02:46.990 --> 0:02:49.180 there was a lot of good stuff in that game. 0:02:49.910 --> 0:02:52.170 from the Packers' perspective, so I'll just throw it out 0:02:52.190 --> 0:02:56.030 to you as an open-ended question. What was your favorite thing? 0:02:56.410 --> 0:02:59.370 What jumped out at you the most from what you 0:02:59.430 --> 0:03:00.240 saw in Denver? 0:03:00.340 --> 0:03:03.640 You have to read my chicken scratch and edit through everything. 0:03:03.700 --> 0:03:05.339 And one of the big things I said going into 0:03:05.380 --> 0:03:07.380 this game is I did not care what the final 0:03:07.419 --> 0:03:10.060 result was. I wanted to see how it looked. And that, 0:03:10.120 --> 0:03:13.260 to me, was a full four-quarter, something to like in 0:03:13.440 --> 0:03:16.630 every phase of the game-type football game. The Packers, if 0:03:16.669 --> 0:03:19.550 you think about it, you know, preseason wins and losses 0:03:19.610 --> 0:03:22.290 don't matter, but I like the fact that, you know, 0:03:22.310 --> 0:03:24.649 the first team unit goes out, they go down the field, 0:03:24.650 --> 0:03:27.519 12 place scoring drive. Marshawn Lloyd gets his first touchdown 0:03:27.560 --> 0:03:30.040 in three years. That is something to make the first 0:03:30.080 --> 0:03:32.240 team offense feel good about. I think the defense did 0:03:32.260 --> 0:03:35.040 some good things overall, but then what was one of 0:03:35.060 --> 0:03:36.970 the big criticisms you and I had coming out of 0:03:37.540 --> 0:03:40.570 the Pittsburgh game? It was that the second half, They 0:03:40.610 --> 0:03:42.210 started all right, but then the second half it kind 0:03:42.230 --> 0:03:43.770 of got away from them. I felt like they kept 0:03:43.790 --> 0:03:45.290 the foot on the pedal the whole time. I think 0:03:45.430 --> 0:03:49.200 everybody from player number one to player number 91 on 0:03:49.400 --> 0:03:53.100 the roster, they all were competing hard and put their 0:03:53.120 --> 0:03:55.460 best foot forward. When you're going on a road trip, 0:03:55.480 --> 0:03:58.570 when you're going across the country pretty much, two and 0:03:58.590 --> 0:04:02.410 a half hour trip over to Denver, direct flight, It's 0:04:02.470 --> 0:04:04.350 not the easiest thing in the world to do, but 0:04:04.370 --> 0:04:06.590 I thought the guys showed a lot of urgency and 0:04:06.630 --> 0:04:09.110 at elevation played very well, all things considered. 0:04:09.310 --> 0:04:12.080 Yeah, what I liked the best, that opening drive by 0:04:12.100 --> 0:04:13.980 the number one offense, there was a little bit of 0:04:14.040 --> 0:04:16.600 fits and starts with regard to the penalties and whatnot. 0:04:17.220 --> 0:04:20.660 But when you look at it, that was essentially this 0:04:20.839 --> 0:04:25.539 reconfigured Packers offensive line, right, that had some starters sitting 0:04:25.660 --> 0:04:27.570 out and other guys who had been filling in a 0:04:27.750 --> 0:04:31.550 lot during practice. So it was a reconfigured line against– 0:04:31.820 --> 0:04:34.120 the defensive front that's led the NFL in sacks for 0:04:34.140 --> 0:04:36.309 the past couple of years. So there were some plays 0:04:36.330 --> 0:04:39.349 that didn't look pretty. Things didn't necessarily look smooth. But 0:04:39.390 --> 0:04:42.169 then when you look back at the 12-play sequence, the 0:04:42.190 --> 0:04:44.750 Packers didn't face anything worse than a third and three 0:04:45.010 --> 0:04:47.550 in that drive. That's a victory in and of itself. 0:04:47.589 --> 0:04:49.830 They didn't put themselves in some kind of a crazy 0:04:49.910 --> 0:04:52.510 third and long where Nick Benito and these guys can 0:04:52.560 --> 0:04:55.120 just tee off and come after Jordan Love. So I 0:04:55.160 --> 0:04:57.760 think that part of that perspective, even though the drive 0:04:57.800 --> 0:05:00.960 didn't necessarily look the cleanest or the smoothest, You have 0:05:00.980 --> 0:05:04.339 to remember who you're going against and the current offensive 0:05:04.400 --> 0:05:07.420 line that the Packers had out there. I thought the 0:05:07.500 --> 0:05:12.040 fourth down conversion, Matthew Golden against Pat Sertan, a great 0:05:12.100 --> 0:05:15.640 play by the young receiver, good throw by Jordan Love, 0:05:16.110 --> 0:05:19.930 really clutch conversion there. You mentioned Marshawn Lloyd getting into 0:05:19.970 --> 0:05:22.470 the end zone for the first time since his college days. 0:05:23.410 --> 0:05:26.310 That was really good. Trey Smack has another really good night, 0:05:26.330 --> 0:05:30.390 a 59-yard field goal, a 51-yard field goal. the rookie 0:05:30.450 --> 0:05:34.060 kicker doing some really good things again in his second 0:05:34.100 --> 0:05:40.160 preseason game. The one thing that you'd say was disappointing, 0:05:40.200 --> 0:05:42.900 probably the most disappointing thing in the game, was the Packers' 0:05:42.940 --> 0:05:45.849 number one defense giving up that touchdown drive at the start. 0:05:46.610 --> 0:05:49.830 And to me, that drive was a reminder of how 0:05:49.910 --> 0:05:52.310 tough it can be sometimes to play defense in this 0:05:52.390 --> 0:05:55.350 league because it was roughly, I think, a 65-yard drive 0:05:55.370 --> 0:05:59.450 or 70-yard drive. But the vast majority of the yards 0:05:59.510 --> 0:06:03.220 were on two plays. Packers got him in a third down. 0:06:03.260 --> 0:06:06.420 I believe it was a third and five coverage breakdown 0:06:06.620 --> 0:06:09.260 and a big explosive play for 35 yards. And then 0:06:09.300 --> 0:06:12.360 a few plays later, the wheel route out of the backfield. 0:06:13.380 --> 0:06:15.840 It's tough to play defense in this league, especially against 0:06:15.880 --> 0:06:18.820 good quarterbacks. And Bo Nix is becoming one of the 0:06:18.920 --> 0:06:21.440 rising stars in this league. I thought it was one 0:06:21.460 --> 0:06:23.840 of those things as disappointing as it was to see 0:06:23.860 --> 0:06:27.180 the Packers defense give up that drive. It's a good 0:06:27.240 --> 0:06:29.460 thing that they're going to have that film to look 0:06:29.520 --> 0:06:32.349 at now and figure out before they get to where 0:06:32.370 --> 0:06:36.030 it really counts in week one because Bo Nix really 0:06:36.070 --> 0:06:36.589 took it to them. 0:06:36.630 --> 0:06:38.890 Yeah, and I don't want to raise the red alarm 0:06:38.950 --> 0:06:41.570 or anything. I think there's still plenty to look at. Obviously, 0:06:41.610 --> 0:06:44.210 they're going to be somewhat vanilla defensively, but this game 0:06:44.270 --> 0:06:45.510 did kind of remind me a little bit of that 0:06:45.550 --> 0:06:49.360 Baltimore preseason game in 2019 where there's a lot of hype. 0:06:49.860 --> 0:06:53.000 We're talking about Zedaria Smith coming in, Preston Smith. I mean, 0:06:53.200 --> 0:06:55.760 this new direction they're going defensively in Matt LaFleur's first 0:06:55.800 --> 0:06:58.289 season is And then they go out against Baltimore, and 0:06:58.330 --> 0:07:00.230 Baltimore kind of kicks them in the mouth. And it 0:07:00.270 --> 0:07:03.130 ended up leading to the defensive starters all pulling the 0:07:03.150 --> 0:07:06.250 team together afterwards, that phase together afterwards to talk about 0:07:06.270 --> 0:07:08.060 it inside Lambeau Field in the middle of the night. 0:07:09.070 --> 0:07:10.820 Not that you needed that type of wake-up call, and 0:07:10.840 --> 0:07:12.480 I don't think it's also to that level. I mean, 0:07:12.520 --> 0:07:15.600 Lamar that night played like two series and was unstoppable. 0:07:15.720 --> 0:07:15.940 Yeah. 0:07:16.300 --> 0:07:19.200 Nix just made some nice plays in Green Bay. Obviously, 0:07:19.220 --> 0:07:20.540 he was on the receiving end of them. I mean, 0:07:20.580 --> 0:07:23.050 his touchdown pass, I mean, that's prototype. 0:07:23.140 --> 0:07:23.550 I mean, what.. 0:07:23.820 --> 0:07:25.790 What he did there, I mean, certainly you could play 0:07:25.810 --> 0:07:28.770 it better defensively, but he showed so much touch, so 0:07:28.790 --> 0:07:31.930 much poise on that. And I think one of the 0:07:31.990 --> 0:07:35.500 things I kept thinking about in that drive was Sean 0:07:35.540 --> 0:07:39.460 Payton during that draft talking about, yeah, it's fine that 0:07:39.480 --> 0:07:42.280 Minnesota took McCarthy. We wanted Bo Nix no matter what. 0:07:42.320 --> 0:07:44.160 That's who we were getting no matter what we did. 0:07:44.280 --> 0:07:47.990 So obviously it's turned out pretty well for them so far. 0:07:48.060 --> 0:07:48.990 No doubt. 0:07:49.030 --> 0:07:50.890 But Packers defensively, I think the big thing that I 0:07:50.930 --> 0:07:53.960 look at this thing is okay, you're going to have 0:07:54.000 --> 0:07:56.540 exotic pressures. We're going to see a lot of different 0:07:56.560 --> 0:07:59.000 things from Jonathan Gannon's defense, but winning with four is 0:07:59.020 --> 0:08:01.040 going to be important too. And Green Bay kind of 0:08:01.080 --> 0:08:03.060 struggled with that a little bit in this one. And 0:08:03.080 --> 0:08:06.860 then obviously from the turnover aspect, the second team unit, 0:08:07.240 --> 0:08:11.770 huge moment for Mark Perry, but defensively that first team 0:08:11.810 --> 0:08:13.670 unit is still trying to look for those opportunities. Something 0:08:13.690 --> 0:08:15.050 we can kind of keep an eye on now going 0:08:15.070 --> 0:08:15.730 into the regular season. 0:08:15.910 --> 0:08:16.110 Yeah. 0:08:16.150 --> 0:08:18.190 Just to your point about winning with four, I sort 0:08:18.230 --> 0:08:21.390 of felt like Gannon kind of challenged his guys on 0:08:21.450 --> 0:08:23.350 that first drive, right? He's not going to draw up 0:08:23.390 --> 0:08:25.310 a bunch of stuff to try to stop Bo Nix 0:08:25.830 --> 0:08:27.190 on the first drive of the game. He's going to 0:08:27.250 --> 0:08:29.610 challenge his guys and see what happens. And unfortunately, there 0:08:29.630 --> 0:08:33.660 were two explosives that bit him. The interception by Perry 0:08:33.700 --> 0:08:36.599 was really impressive. It was in that sequence at the 0:08:36.640 --> 0:08:38.960 end of the first half where Smack kicks a field goal. 0:08:39.280 --> 0:08:42.540 Then you get the interception and another field goal right 0:08:42.559 --> 0:08:44.780 before halftime, which is how the Packers built the lead. 0:08:45.080 --> 0:08:46.900 I also thought it was good on the offensive side 0:08:46.920 --> 0:08:50.320 to see Tyrod Taylor throw a touchdown pass. Will Shepard 0:08:50.740 --> 0:08:54.120 with really nice footwork. I don't know if I've seen 0:08:54.220 --> 0:08:58.520 two officials discuss a call live during the game as 0:08:58.660 --> 0:09:00.900 long as they did. It's one of those things. I mean, 0:09:00.940 --> 0:09:03.000 we're sitting there in the press box going, just call 0:09:03.040 --> 0:09:05.300 it a touchdown so it's automatically reviewed and we'll get 0:09:05.350 --> 0:09:07.870 this thing figured out. Like, I mean, we don't need 0:09:07.880 --> 0:09:10.390 to take three minutes discussing it. But anyway, it was 0:09:10.470 --> 0:09:14.210 great footwork by Shepard. A really good pass by Taylor. 0:09:14.590 --> 0:09:17.990 I thought that was good to see because we had 0:09:18.030 --> 0:09:21.070 talked last week on our last show heading into the 0:09:21.110 --> 0:09:24.070 game about wanting to see that sort of that number 0:09:24.130 --> 0:09:27.809 two group on offense put something together a little more effectively. 0:09:27.850 --> 0:09:31.650 I mean, helped by the roughing the passer call with 0:09:31.890 --> 0:09:34.130 Taylor over there by the sideline. But that was a 0:09:34.170 --> 0:09:36.030 good throw by Taylor and a good catch by Shepard. 0:09:36.090 --> 0:09:38.510 Okay, so a couple things here. One, huge moment for 0:09:38.530 --> 0:09:40.670 Will Shepard. This is a guy that was signed just 0:09:40.750 --> 0:09:44.260 before training camp last year, made a good bid to 0:09:44.300 --> 0:09:46.700 make the 53, ultimately ends up on the practice squad 0:09:46.720 --> 0:09:48.920 for a majority of the season, comes back this year. 0:09:48.960 --> 0:09:50.679 It's actually his first offseason in Green Bay, and I 0:09:50.700 --> 0:09:53.210 think he's had some big moments. Not as tall, not 0:09:53.250 --> 0:09:56.929 as lengthy as Isaiah Nair or Christian Watson, but you 0:09:56.950 --> 0:09:57.489 stand next to him. 0:09:57.510 --> 0:09:58.350 The guy's got size. 0:09:58.550 --> 0:10:01.050 He's not far behind those guys. in that regard. 0:10:01.090 --> 0:10:01.590 And he's thick. 0:10:02.010 --> 0:10:04.229 So I think in talking to him afterwards in the 0:10:04.250 --> 0:10:06.079 locker room, you could tell what that moment meant to him. 0:10:06.220 --> 0:10:08.840 He played at Colorado. That's where he finished his college career. 0:10:08.890 --> 0:10:11.100 So he mentioned there was people in the stands that 0:10:11.120 --> 0:10:14.300 were saying, you know, go Buffs. And he appreciated the 0:10:14.320 --> 0:10:16.000 people that still kind of remembered what he did there. 0:10:16.920 --> 0:10:21.160 But secondly, the other moment with... the penalties I think 0:10:21.200 --> 0:10:23.210 is very important to key in on is, yeah, Land 0:10:23.250 --> 0:10:25.870 Clark's crew was, you know, throwing around the hanky like everyone. 0:10:25.610 --> 0:10:27.190 Had a cold. I mean, it is what it is. 0:10:27.790 --> 0:10:31.590 But it does show you, if you can win that battle, 0:10:31.809 --> 0:10:34.270 how critical it can be in the formulation of a 0:10:34.330 --> 0:10:36.550 football game, right? I think Green Bay, for as many 0:10:36.590 --> 0:10:39.189 flags as there were, Denver was getting just pelted with them. 0:10:39.990 --> 0:10:42.920 So I felt like that little bit of a learning 0:10:42.960 --> 0:10:44.960 lesson can be a reminder. I mean, Cam Acord kind 0:10:45.000 --> 0:10:46.959 of talked about it on Saturday, too. you got to 0:10:47.000 --> 0:10:49.620 play clean, especially in the special teams phase. I mean, 0:10:49.720 --> 0:10:51.900 that can have a huge impact in terms of field 0:10:51.940 --> 0:10:55.440 position and wins and losses. So plenty to look at 0:10:55.500 --> 0:10:57.420 from that perspective. And then, as you also said, I mean, 0:10:57.520 --> 0:10:59.660 a feather in the cap of Tyrod Taylor showed nice 0:10:59.700 --> 0:11:02.719 touch on the touchdown pass to Will Shepard. And again, 0:11:02.760 --> 0:11:05.179 I felt like he was only 17 passing yards, but 0:11:05.860 --> 0:11:09.120 the way all three teams, first team with Love, second 0:11:09.140 --> 0:11:11.949 team with Taylor, and then when McCord came in, They 0:11:12.190 --> 0:11:14.150 all were able to have some success, and you could 0:11:14.230 --> 0:11:15.890 feel that energy in the locker room afterwards. 0:11:15.929 --> 0:11:17.910 Guys felt good about this one, and they should. 0:11:18.590 --> 0:11:21.410 And a couple last thoughts on the game. You mentioned 0:11:21.690 --> 0:11:25.490 special teams. I talked about smack earlier, but we saw 0:11:25.790 --> 0:11:29.810 Pierre Strong Jr. with a 60-plus yard kickoff return. We 0:11:29.850 --> 0:11:32.630 saw Sky Moore field a punt at the 6-yard line, 0:11:32.690 --> 0:11:37.229 get out across the 20-yard line for the offense. Those 0:11:37.250 --> 0:11:40.709 are no small things. And granted, we don't know if 0:11:41.010 --> 0:11:43.730 Pierre Strong Jr. is going to be the one returning 0:11:44.690 --> 0:11:48.679 kickoffs come the regular season. But I thought Cam Acord's 0:11:48.700 --> 0:11:52.940 special teams unit took another step forward. We saw, for 0:11:52.960 --> 0:11:55.780 the most part, clean play in Pittsburgh. I think there 0:11:55.800 --> 0:11:58.860 was maybe one penalty on the special teams in Pittsburgh. 0:11:59.280 --> 0:12:03.830 We saw a couple of dynamic returns in Denver that 0:12:04.260 --> 0:12:07.300 And again, a nice step forward for those units. 0:12:07.490 --> 0:12:11.329 I couldn't care less about the kickoff returner in this 0:12:11.390 --> 0:12:16.109 particular case. I thought Pierre Strong, give him so much credit, 0:12:16.110 --> 0:12:18.689 68 yards. What a great showing for him, a young 0:12:18.730 --> 0:12:21.470 man that is trying to make this roster. What was 0:12:21.550 --> 0:12:23.930 so encouraging to me, talking to both Strong and then 0:12:23.970 --> 0:12:27.910 also talking to Sky Moore on Monday, the blocking on 0:12:27.950 --> 0:12:30.410 the kickoff return. I think there's so many times that 0:12:30.450 --> 0:12:32.500 we put so much of it on okay, who's the 0:12:32.540 --> 0:12:33.059 punt returner? 0:12:33.100 --> 0:12:35.220 Who's the kickoff returner? If they're not doing well, it's 0:12:35.260 --> 0:12:37.750 all on them. It isn't. It comes down to blocking. 0:12:37.760 --> 0:12:38.710 It comes down to scheme. 0:12:39.230 --> 0:12:41.730 And I felt like, you know, Pierre mentioning that he 0:12:41.770 --> 0:12:43.990 knew he was going to break that big one because 0:12:44.030 --> 0:12:46.070 of how the Packers blocked it the first time. They 0:12:46.110 --> 0:12:49.010 missed one block and he ended up getting stopped at 0:12:49.010 --> 0:12:52.590 24 yards. The second time they made that block, he 0:12:52.630 --> 0:12:54.200 got into the open field. He said it's up to 0:12:54.240 --> 0:12:55.939 him to finish it from there. He had to beat 0:12:55.980 --> 0:12:57.400 the kicker. He had to beat the rest of that 0:12:57.580 --> 0:12:58.920 unit to be able to get it to the end zone. 0:12:59.020 --> 0:13:02.110 But to be able to have that thing blocked up 0:13:02.150 --> 0:13:04.929 the way it is, regardless of it's strong, regardless of 0:13:05.010 --> 0:13:07.630 it's Savion Williams, regardless of it's, you know, Sky Moore, 0:13:07.710 --> 0:13:09.530 Bo Melton, who have been pretty much the ones. 0:13:09.570 --> 0:13:09.790 Yeah. 0:13:10.250 --> 0:13:12.410 All those guys are going to be able to maximize 0:13:12.450 --> 0:13:14.410 those chances if they get it blocked up like that. 0:13:14.450 --> 0:13:18.790 That is unbelievably encouraging for me because again, we focus 0:13:18.850 --> 0:13:21.910 so much on kickers and on long snappers and on 0:13:21.970 --> 0:13:25.080 holders and punters and especially in, you know, returners, but 0:13:25.130 --> 0:13:28.660 it really is the other 10 guys outside of those 0:13:28.720 --> 0:13:33.320 positions that that are oftentimes dictating the penalties, dictating the blocking, 0:13:33.820 --> 0:13:36.199 dictating whether or not you jam something up. Sky Moore 0:13:36.240 --> 0:13:37.920 mentioned one of the reasons why he took it out 0:13:37.940 --> 0:13:40.110 from the six on his punt return that went for 0:13:40.110 --> 0:13:43.339 16 yards. is because I believe it was Catano Ladapo 0:13:43.700 --> 0:13:46.360 and Pierre Strong, how they had wiped out one side. 0:13:46.400 --> 0:13:48.760 So he felt like he could be more aggressive in 0:13:48.800 --> 0:13:52.420 that case. All those things fit together to having special 0:13:52.460 --> 0:13:56.170 teams that not only aren't hurting you, but also helping 0:13:56.210 --> 0:13:57.969 you win a football game. Yeah. 0:13:57.990 --> 0:14:01.090 And certainly there's a major difference in a real game 0:14:01.130 --> 0:14:03.290 between having to fair catch a punt on the six 0:14:03.330 --> 0:14:05.860 yard line and getting that ball out across the 20 0:14:05.860 --> 0:14:09.630 for Jordan Love in the offense. So, um, The final 0:14:09.670 --> 0:14:11.670 week of training camp is underway, and I want to 0:14:11.730 --> 0:14:14.510 turn the page to that. But first, let's hear a 0:14:14.550 --> 0:14:18.860 quick word from our sponsors. Sirius XM NFL Radio delivers 0:14:18.940 --> 0:14:23.520 hard-hitting analysis and up-to-the-minute NFL news that true football fanatics 0:14:23.800 --> 0:14:28.100 need 24-7, 365. Did you know Lambeau Field is just 0:14:28.300 --> 0:14:32.040 one of our state's many wonders? Start making unforgettable memories 0:14:32.120 --> 0:14:35.700 on your next vacation. Discover the Apostle Islands and more 0:14:36.120 --> 0:14:42.400 at TravelWisconsin.com slash wonders. Welcome back to Packers Unscripted. All right, Wes, 0:14:43.300 --> 0:14:45.860 the Packers were back on the practice field at Nitschke 0:14:45.900 --> 0:14:49.060 Field on Monday for a full pads practice. The joint 0:14:49.100 --> 0:14:51.920 practice with the Arizona Cardinals is coming up on Wednesday. 0:14:52.000 --> 0:14:55.780 The preseason finale against the Cardinals is on Friday. Quick 0:14:55.920 --> 0:14:59.450 programming note, this will be our only show this week 0:14:59.510 --> 0:15:02.410 because I actually have to be gone on Thursday. Between 0:15:02.450 --> 0:15:06.510 the joint practice and the preseason finale, I have a 0:15:06.530 --> 0:15:08.770 little trip to make and I'm going to go out 0:15:08.870 --> 0:15:10.890 and get back and But it will not allow us 0:15:10.960 --> 0:15:12.560 to record a second show this week. 0:15:12.620 --> 0:15:14.820 So if you're wondering when Tucker Craft's extension is going 0:15:14.840 --> 0:15:15.300 to happen. 0:15:15.560 --> 0:15:18.320 There you go. That was what I was going to say. 0:15:20.200 --> 0:15:21.660 Great minds or bad minds. 0:15:21.680 --> 0:15:27.380 Because it feels like it's inevitable at this point. So, yeah, 0:15:27.420 --> 0:15:30.100 we'll have a Tucker Craft contract extension to talk about 0:15:30.120 --> 0:15:34.380 on next week's show after I return. But, all right, 0:15:34.600 --> 0:15:39.130 this Monday practice at Nitschke Field. Pretty spirited. 0:15:39.150 --> 0:15:39.790 Yeah. 0:15:39.860 --> 0:15:43.420 You and I got into it a little bit. 0:15:43.880 --> 0:15:48.520 Emotions running high out there. But some of the pushing 0:15:48.560 --> 0:15:53.470 and shoving and whatnot aside, I thought you couldn't have 0:15:53.650 --> 0:15:57.670 asked for a more impressive showing overall by the Packers 0:15:57.730 --> 0:16:02.360 defense and specifically– by two guys with the number one unit, 0:16:02.460 --> 0:16:04.940 Edgerin Cooper and Keyshawn Nixon. I thought those two guys 0:16:05.200 --> 0:16:07.660 were shining stars on the practice field Monday. 0:16:08.080 --> 0:16:08.300 I do. 0:16:08.320 --> 0:16:11.100 I've said it since 2022. I just, I love the 0:16:11.140 --> 0:16:15.360 way Keyshawn Nixon plays this game. And I understand fans 0:16:15.440 --> 0:16:18.240 frustrations and all these other things and how they, but 0:16:18.280 --> 0:16:21.270 the guy legitimately, if you just pull yourself back, he's 0:16:21.390 --> 0:16:24.830 been the same guy since day one. Nothing has changed 0:16:24.850 --> 0:16:27.790 with Keyshawn Nixon. It's like a, it's like watching like 0:16:27.830 --> 0:16:30.050 a prism, right? And which way the light shines through it. 0:16:30.690 --> 0:16:34.070 It's still all the same. And, and for him, like 0:16:34.210 --> 0:16:36.580 during this competition, I understand there was some words said 0:16:36.620 --> 0:16:38.979 and whatnot. And I honestly think most of them in 0:16:39.000 --> 0:16:43.300 a joking, humorous type of dry tone, but this guy 0:16:43.340 --> 0:16:45.540 doesn't shy away from competition. He would have never been 0:16:45.580 --> 0:16:47.880 in a position to play over 800 snaps on defense 0:16:47.900 --> 0:16:49.920 in each of the past two years. if Keyshawn Nixon 0:16:49.980 --> 0:16:51.360 wasn't afraid to go out there and play the game 0:16:51.400 --> 0:16:53.740 of football. Yeah. Like he's, he's good with it. And 0:16:54.080 --> 0:16:56.780 to see how he responded to this, I mean, competitive 0:16:56.860 --> 0:17:00.810 pass deflections in this practice, the two minute drill, he's, 0:17:00.990 --> 0:17:04.270 he leapt up, by the way, fourth down, you know, 0:17:04.330 --> 0:17:06.590 it's like, okay, they're just trying to make something. He 0:17:06.750 --> 0:17:09.109 made a play still happen for the defense and had 0:17:09.130 --> 0:17:10.880 the whole sideline in front of him after he made 0:17:10.890 --> 0:17:14.000 that pick. Uh, I've said it once, I've said it again, 0:17:14.060 --> 0:17:16.590 until Keyshawn Nixon is not on this roster, Keyshawn Nixon 0:17:16.619 --> 0:17:19.970 is going to help this football team. And especially in 0:17:20.010 --> 0:17:22.669 this particular practice where Benjamin St. Juice was down with 0:17:22.690 --> 0:17:25.230 the hamstring, and it's going to be Brandon Cisse and 0:17:25.250 --> 0:17:28.929 Keyshawn Nixon with the ones, and Carrington Valentine and Damani 0:17:28.950 --> 0:17:32.359 Jackson with the twos. With Nixon getting the full helping 0:17:32.420 --> 0:17:35.639 of first team reps, I felt like he definitely maximized them. 0:17:35.800 --> 0:17:39.500 Yeah, and I was really impressed with Edger and Cooper. 0:17:39.619 --> 0:17:43.580 He nearly had... the what might have gone down as 0:17:43.680 --> 0:17:47.560 the defensive play of training camps. He steps in front 0:17:47.600 --> 0:17:50.200 of Tucker craft on one of those quick hitter type 0:17:50.240 --> 0:17:52.800 throws to the tight end and look like the ball 0:17:52.840 --> 0:17:54.480 kind of went right through his hands. I mean, it 0:17:54.530 --> 0:17:56.570 would have been, it would have been a pick six 0:17:56.710 --> 0:18:00.550 on a pass to Tucker craft, which Tucker craft has 0:18:00.590 --> 0:18:02.970 been really tough to stop since he got back into 0:18:02.970 --> 0:18:06.129 11 on 11. And, uh, and before that Cooper had 0:18:06.190 --> 0:18:08.840 actually deflected a pass, uh, on one to Kraft and 0:18:08.859 --> 0:18:11.300 actually got an incompletion there. Then he almost has the 0:18:11.340 --> 0:18:14.100 pick six. And then against the run, we see him 0:18:14.180 --> 0:18:16.540 knifing into the backfield a couple of times to get 0:18:16.640 --> 0:18:18.720 to Marshawn Lloyd for what would have been tackles for 0:18:18.780 --> 0:18:24.270 loss if it had been live action. We're seeing, we're 0:18:24.310 --> 0:18:26.929 seeing the, and it has to happen quickly, right? But 0:18:26.950 --> 0:18:30.209 there'll also be this process throughout the regular season. But 0:18:30.250 --> 0:18:33.270 we're seeing a young player like Cooper. He's learning a 0:18:33.330 --> 0:18:36.570 new defense. He's got a new linebacker partner there in 0:18:36.880 --> 0:18:41.590 Zyre Franklin. it's coming along, right? Like he's, he's, it's, 0:18:41.700 --> 0:18:46.409 it's like the sprouting is, is beginning here in, in 0:18:46.470 --> 0:18:50.150 late August. And I think, I think this linebacker pair, 0:18:50.230 --> 0:18:53.100 I said it before, right in the early stages of 0:18:53.140 --> 0:18:55.899 training camp, I think this linebacker pairing of Franklin and 0:18:55.960 --> 0:18:58.609 Cooper is, could be really, really special for the Packers 0:18:58.670 --> 0:18:59.650 in 2026. 0:18:59.650 --> 0:19:02.410 Opposites attract. That's the one thing I've been thinking this 0:19:02.450 --> 0:19:05.490 entire camp. I mean, Quay Walker is an unbelievably talented 0:19:05.570 --> 0:19:08.709 first round caliber worthy inside linebacker who did a lot 0:19:08.730 --> 0:19:10.629 of good things in Green Bay. But I think when 0:19:10.650 --> 0:19:13.220