Drive Time: Robert Hunt Chat, NFC North Preview with Wes Hodkiewicz - podcast episode cover

Drive Time: Robert Hunt Chat, NFC North Preview with Wes Hodkiewicz

Jul 06, 202354 min
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Episode description

Staying on the offensive line and in the northern divisions, Travis chats with Dolphins OL Robert Hunt and previews the NFC North with Wes Hodkiewicz of [Packers.com](http://Packers.com).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

Speaker 1

You are listening to the Miami Dolphins podcast Network.

Speaker 2

This is Drive Time with Travis Wingfield.

Speaker 3

Back to throw to a looking clips about.

Speaker 4

A wide Dolphin touchdown, trickquel, uncolievable, just blue by it for.

Speaker 5

A second time.

Speaker 3

Don knew where he was going right away.

Speaker 5

I want to hit that man.

Speaker 4

I'm wanna help you.

Speaker 3

Someone will stup on his man.

Speaker 4

Away Wattle Wadle to a shotgun, back to throw, looking at them, it's up Myers touchdown.

Speaker 3

It's Waddle his sixth touchdown, Parados the King.

Speaker 2

Drive Time with Travis Wingfield begins.

Speaker 3

Now check your pulse if you're not of.

Speaker 2

What is up? Dolphins? And welcome to the Drift.

Speaker 4

Time podcast, part of the Miami Dolphins podcast Network, covering your team, your Miami Dolphins. How's it going everybody? I am your host, Travis Wingfield. And on today's show, another edition of the summer preview series, I See North is up today with my good friend Wes Hodkowitz from Green Bay Packers dot com. Plus we'll hear from Dolphins offensive lineman Rob Hunt. All of that and more from the Baptist Health Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex.

Speaker 2

This is the Draft Time.

Speaker 5

Pard he fish.

Speaker 4

Let's jump straight away into my interview, my walk and talk with Dolphins offensive lineman Rob Hunt. Well, guys, another edition of one hundred yards here with Travis Wingfield. That's me from my Dolphins offensive lineman Rob Hunt.

Speaker 5

Today.

Speaker 4

Let's go ahead and get going down here, Rob, What have you been up to the summer? Man, It's been a long off season looking forward to football. But what have you been doing to refresh your mind in your body a little bit.

Speaker 5

Prior to football?

Speaker 1

I just went I went to Hawaii and got a little bit with my own family.

Speaker 5

That was really fun.

Speaker 1

And then I've just been fishing, man, doing a lot of fishing, trying to keep up and get better at that. So I'm been doing that mainly for this off season.

Speaker 2

Did you get off the fence weekend?

Speaker 1

I did it up. Yeah, that was pretty fun. Caught four fis myself. I call two, but my book cut four. I thought too of them.

Speaker 5

I know, it was fun.

Speaker 1

My first time ever deep sea fishing, so it was a little different, but it was fine.

Speaker 2

Fifty percent of the production coming from you, it's a pretty big time.

Speaker 4

Yeah.

Speaker 5

Yeay. What could I say of a fishing.

Speaker 4

You mentioned Hawaii? I obviously have to go to two on that. Did he give you any advice on places of travel, places to see?

Speaker 5

No, So actually it was Connor.

Speaker 1

So Connor was out there for a while, him and his family and they were in Kawaii and he's like, hey, this place is beautiful, just like selling me on and like you should come out. And then we got up and went out and it was it was beautiful, man. It was just bread taking magical place. One of my one of my favorite kids.

Speaker 2

It's the best I got married in Kawai.

Speaker 5

Really.

Speaker 2

Yeah, it's like the Drastic film Drastic.

Speaker 5

Yes, yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, beautiful. Yeah.

Speaker 4

So last summer at training camp, you'd mentioned and you'd played in a similar offense that really prioritized coming off the ball and speed on stuff in Louisiana and you it's had a comment that I still think about more than I should. I'm crazy about this game, so I do that stuff. But you mentioned do you want to play in this scheme for the rest of your career. I was curious to kind of just get like a one year refresher and update on how you feel about that and how you felt you performed in.

Speaker 5

This new system. I feel the same way, man.

Speaker 1

I think this is the system that I would want to play for until I'm done. I think it gives me an advantage to run off the football and put my big body on another body and try to, you know, move them from point A to point B. And uh, it's been it's been good, man. I thought I had a better year last year, just improving each year I've been in the lead, and hopefully I can do the same this year.

Speaker 4

How do you feel like all the experience from last year and going into the second year in the system, how do you think that familiarity can help you? Guys get even better? Number six offense last year, but it can still get better.

Speaker 2

How do you feel you will help?

Speaker 5

I feel good, man, I think we'll do well.

Speaker 1

We've got a lot of guys coming back on on the office side of the ball. Second year in the offense. I think we'll I think we all do better.

Speaker 5

Than last year. That's my opinion. Hopefully we can. We'll see how I go. But a lot of work to be done, but I think we can do something.

Speaker 4

We believe.

Speaker 2

It's already year four for you.

Speaker 4

Isn't that crazy to think about?

Speaker 1

That's really crazy to think about actually get flies by man. Like they always say that we haven't fun time flies, right, and that's why I'm having fun.

Speaker 5

Man, I'm blessed to be in this position and it's flying.

Speaker 4

We think you can take away from all like if you're an experiencer, you're going from a college because obviously now you're a grizzled veteran, like, right, well, you learning that four years as a man, as a player.

Speaker 1

Right man, as a lot as you learn in those four years man from from looking the houses to buying the houses, to tax taxes man, to buying car all that kind of stuff. Man, family, and then it's on the field, just growing man from a young pup and it's coming from a sunbeat school. The speed is a little different. And then you know, once you get just to the game of the speed man, it's it's it's it's a fun game. And it's been their journey has been a grind. But I'm thankful and I'm happy to be here.

Speaker 4

Appreciate, thank you, thank you, and away he goes to great Rob Hunt. Let's go ahead and take our first break right there and come back on the other side and get to my other guest today, Wes Hodkowitz, Packers dot Com breaking down everything NFC North. That's next Draft Time podcast. Your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation and Beck for his second appearance on the Drive Time podcast. He helped us preview last year's Christmas Day game. A senior writer at Packers dot Com and

part of the Packers Unscripted podcast, He's Wes Hodkowitz. And Wes, you told me before we came on the air here that maybe it would have been best sur for you, because I had to ask you how to pronounce the name after I've met you a few times.

Speaker 3

And you aced it by the way.

Speaker 2

Well, you help me, you walked.

Speaker 4

Me there, you took me to the answer, but you mentioned a possible pen name.

Speaker 2

I'm just curious. You got me thinking, what would that have been for you.

Speaker 6

My wife's maiden name is Fitzgerald. I would have actually considered that. I think Weston Fitzgerald would have been a really good one. We weren't married at the time, though that probably have been a little controversial. I usually will use my middle name sometimes, but that's not great either. That's Lee because that was a compromise between my parents. My mom wanted to name me Wesley. My dad wasn't having it, so, like all good marriages, you find compromise

in between, so it was Weston Lee instead. So I don't know, man, I probably just changed the whole thing altogether if I really had to go that direction. But I am proud of my family and I'm proud of everything else. It's just the uh back in the day.

Speaker 3

I don't know. You don't really get him as much anymore.

Speaker 6

But like telemarketers when I was a kid, it was always funny when they'd call up and they'd be like, is mister and missus how just available?

Speaker 5

Yeah?

Speaker 3

They just bail on it.

Speaker 4

You know, Well, what Weston Fitzgerald sounds like you belong at a great gaspe party, so I think it does. You would certainly be a high society if that was that was where you went with that direction.

Speaker 2

How co which just sounds like a Green Bay packer of me, So I think you're a good company there.

Speaker 4

How's your off season been going, Man, it's been a long time to be last talked.

Speaker 6

Yeah, it's been good. It obviously was a lot of things that happened April to May. As far as off seasons are concerned, Travis. I think this is my twelve years I've been doing this now on a full time basis. That was the busiest month I think I've ever been a part of. And it certainly is going to be

that way. Right when you trade Aaron Rodgers somebody that is gonna be a first future, first ballot Hall of Famer, arguably the best player in franchise history, It's going to create a lot of stories, news headlines, and everything that goes along with that. But when you factor in the draft, you factor in schedule release. I'm sure you went through that as well, and then now the dawning of the

Jordan Love air here in Green Bay. It made for a very busy offseason, but I think also very exciting one too, because we are sort of venturing into a new territory that I've never been a part of. I've never covered a rookie QB one before our first year started, before Aaron Rodgers was already an MVP a Super Bowl champion by the time I started covering the team. So it was an eventful offseason but also very intriguing one as well.

Speaker 4

It's funny to talk to, you know, people like yourself because you know not making the comparison to quarterbacks and head coaches, but like those positions, there's thirty two of us and some teams have a couple of us.

Speaker 2

I guess maybe like fifty of us, but not that many of us here.

Speaker 4

So it's always interesting to hear you kind of talk about, you know, your schedule, your layout, your content, playing all that fun stuff, and it's good to bounce those ideas off each other so we can kind of maybe help

each other in the long run. You mentioned Packers there and the transition from the going from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love, which obviously is a key storyline here before we get into the Packers, just want to get your thirty thousand foot view, your bird's eye view of the NFC North with you know, changing times here in the division, your key storylines here heading in the year. Just kind of walk us through what you've seen in the NFC North this offseason.

Speaker 6

I think the funniest thing for me, Travis, is the grim mid Packers traded Aaron Rodgers, and yet I still think that that's probably the team that has maybe not even had the most upheaval, you know, when you look at what's happened with the Minnesota Vikings. When you know your thirteen win team and you win the division, and yet in some ways they still sort of tore down

certain parts of it. I don't want to call it a rebuild because I think in the major areas they still are a very, you know, front runner type team. I think they're gonna be a team that sort of drives, you know, this this division in terms of their experience and everything. But the Delvin Cook moving on from that, Zadarias Smith, who we had some experience with in Green Bay, him getting traded down to Cleveland. There's and then certainly

Adam Thielen leaving and now going to Carolina. A lot of different moving pieces and for a team that otherwise appeared to be right in the thick things for the Super Bowl last year. So when you factor that in in Detroit being on the come up here every year, they've taken a step forward. With Dan Campbell Chicago Bears, I still have a lot of questions about that team, but I think if you ask anyone around that area or in the state of Illinois, I think people feel

very strongly about what their potential could be. In the Green Bay Packers for the first time in a you know, really fifteen years with some legitimate questions coming into the season. So it is probably the most wide open that I can remember the division being between either Green Bay. You know, everyone focuses so much on the Packers, right, but I mean the Bears made a Super Bowl in two thousand and six, Minnesota's won plenty of division titles as well.

Detroit's even made the playoffs a few times. So there have been other teams in this division, But in terms of the wide open competition before between the four among the four, I don't recall anything quite like this.

Speaker 4

Yeah, it should be a fun division to take a look at here, and we go ahead and start with the Green Bay Packers, like you mentioned, because where else would you go in a division? Like you said, that seems wide open for the first time in a long time because of that change at quarterback, and you know, we went through some rough times there after Dan Reno retired with the Miami Dolphins. You guys hired the opposite after, you know, going from one Hall of Fame quarterback to

the next. And so I'm curious because and the quarterback that we have now that we're super happy with now was in that same draft class as the guy you will roll out this September to start week number one and Jordan Love, but just like kind of touch on that topic man of going from Far to Rogers and now the next guy, like the pressure on Jordan Love, but also kind of how the team feels about him, because this is a guy that you know, I think

a lot of folks forget that man. The arm, talent, the way that he can hit the ball around the field, and just some of the plays he made at Utah Stay.

Speaker 2

I loved his game out there at college.

Speaker 4

Just kind of give us your I guess you're you're connected to the team conversation about Jordan Love and the expectation and just kind of what he's facing this upcoming season.

Speaker 3

No Travis here, one hundred percent right.

Speaker 6

I think the most exciting part of this entire thing is, let's say Jordan Love actually does you know, work out he ends up being a ten year starter. My goodness, that twenty twenty draft class could end up being incredibly star studded an all timer. It already is there, but if you factor Love into that too, especially the first and then now Jalen Hurts what he's done in Philly.

Speaker 3

It could be really special.

Speaker 6

The part that I don't know if you ever ended up seeing true Detective the first year with Russ Cole when he does the time is a flat circle thing. That's basically the agreement Packers where it's like, Okay, Brett Farv leaves. Aaron Rodgers was a backup for three years, becomes the starter, right, Aaron Rodgers is basically here fifteen years as a starter. Jordan Love is the first round pick waiting for three years. Now he's the starter. It's just this pro just the way the process has worked

in Green Bay. And when you mentioned his arm talent, that is the number one thing that stands out to me. And we actually have been able to watch him quite a bit. The general fan, even Packer fans, haven't been able to see him a whole lot. But with Rogers not being here for the off season program the last two years, for the most part, we saw a lot

of Jordan Love and watching him grow. And I'm sure it's the same thing you went through looking at Tua, you know, going from day one to where he's at now is it is incredible watching him kind of come into his own as a football player. There's so much more that goes into it than arms strength, There's so much more that goes into it than just size and being a first round pick. But the locker room has rallied around this young man. He did everything the way you need him to do it. He did not raise

a fuss for the last three years. You know, there was a lot of you know, consternation outside of Green Bay and with Aaron Rodgers and what his future is going to be.

Speaker 3

Jordan just kept his nose down.

Speaker 6

He kept working. When he had the opportunity to be the number one, he took it. When he didn't, he sat back and he was the number two. And I think from that perspective, he earned a lot of respect within this building. And there's tons of players now on this offense and in that entire locker room that really want to play for him and show that he can be the next guy.

Speaker 4

In that twenty nineteen college season, I was clipping off all the top quarterbacks highlights of every game and talking about what I thought was really you know, strong suits of their game. So if you go to at Wingfield, NFL and type in Jordan Love, you're gonna find a bunch of crazy talented clips of him at Utah State making all kinds of plays.

Speaker 2

Like I said, I was a huge fan of his game.

Speaker 5

He was.

Speaker 2

I was big on the two much. I thought Tua was the.

Speaker 4

Guy that I wanted all along from really, you know, going back to that national championship that he won. But Jordan Love was the guy that I was really intrigued by after that. So A big fan of his game.

And I'm curious here because I almost feel like maybe going from you know, a grizzled veteran like an Aaron Rodgers to a guy like Jordan Love who you want to support and make sure that he has the proper pieces around him to get him going and develop him that way, I almost feel like West they could potentially maybe transition to the offense to more of what it was suited to do in the past. With an age j Dillon and an Aaron Jones. I'm a big fan

of both their games. Do you think we're gonna see more of a running game effort behind a pretty good offensive line as well up there in Green Bay?

Speaker 6

Yeah, especially if the offensive line can get settled this year, Travis. You know, last year, the first half of the season was such a grind for Green Bay because you know, David Bakhtiari was still working his way back from the ACL injury. Elton Jenkins also was unavailable for the first two months coming back from his own ACL that he tore while he was replacing David the previous season. Now both of those guys are back and they both finished last season a high note. Elton end up getting to

a second Pro Bowl. They feel really good about that left side. So I think what is going to be the most important part of this.

Speaker 3

Thing is going to be the Aaron Jones AJ Dillon.

Speaker 6

Aspect because the Packers have invested so many resources there. You saw all the cost cutting that teams around the NFL did with their running backs. The Green Bit Packers did not do that. They did sort of change his contract Aaron's a little bit this season, but they made no bones about it. They want him to still be the primary playmaker in this offense. And you even saw it a little bit last year. When Aaron is right and he's getting the ball and he's producing, this offense

is different. He's going to go. This offense is going to go where he takes them. Now that being said, I think you look at them bringing in a guy like Jaden Reid second round out of Michigan State. He's a little bit more of that traditional slot type receiver that they've sort of been missing. They can use him on some of the jet motions. Christian Watson really came

on strong at the end of last season. Romeo Dobbs has been incredibly consistent so and then with adding the two other tight ends to the draft, I think all the pieces are there for Matt Lafleur to really execute the offense that he wants to play with. And not to say they didn't do that in the past, I

think they very much did. But when you're talking about building up, you know, a scheme for a first time, first year starter, I think that's what the Shanahan offense, with the McVeigh offense, and I think even Matt when you look at what he did in Tennessee before he came to Green Bay, all of that is on the table for him. So I think it is going to be a very QB friendly, you know, type of formation and scheme for Jordan to get comfortable with this season.

In addition to his most veteran player on the offensive side of the ball at least from the skill position standpoint being a Pro Bowl running back.

Speaker 4

One hundred percent, and that I think it also favors if those two young tight ends can get acclimated right away, you could see lots of twelve and maybe even twenty two personnel. Or you have two backs and two tight ends out there and you have a good run heavy offense, use that play action game where Jordan Love can step back there and you know, take his shots down the field to a player that looks like the next great receiver in Christiana Watson.

Speaker 2

So fun offense.

Speaker 4

Man really team a team that I'm really intrigued to watch this year's touch on the defense here before we get back to the division champion from a year ago, the Minnesota Vikings, because I'm looking at this defense and again down the board like pretty good players all across the roster here. But I think I starts with the pass rush, doesn't it, With Preston Smith and what you've got off the edge there, obviously with Rashaun Gary and what he's been able to do so far in his career.

Tell us about this defense and how they're going to get back to being this this team that has really taken the football away in recent years and just kind of been, you know, a pest in the way the gyr Alexander is for all the guys that he faces, this defense can be a pest for opposing offenses.

Speaker 6

Yeah, first and foremost, everything's going to start with them getting Rashawn back, and the Packers lost him last November. With that, acl before that, he had six sacks in his first eight games.

Speaker 3

He really looked like he was.

Speaker 6

In the middle of a breakthrough type Pro Bowl season, a double sack you know, double digit sack season. Green Bay actually played better I think down the stretch after losing Gary. I think that was almost more born out of necessity with what they did.

Speaker 3

Justin Hollins came from LA. He's back this year.

Speaker 6

He's been the guy that's been working across from Preston in these offseason pract is with the number one unit. But they also drafted Lucas Vanas out of Iowa. That was their first round pick, number thirteen overall. He is going to be such an important piece for them because his body type, it kind of is in that Aiden Hutchinson type of role where you can play him in a bunch of different positions. Early on this season, he can factor into that rotation while you're waiting to get

Rashaan back. But once he's back, you can move him and Rashawan around a lot when Joe Berry's defense. When Green Bay's defense is at its best, it's being able to move around those edge rushers and not just have them stationed at one particular spot.

Speaker 3

That's where I think they could be really valuable this year.

Speaker 6

But as you said, when you go back to that game obviously against Miami last season, that's also where Rasul Douglas at cornerback kind of got back into his rhythm. Packers were playing him in the nickel earlier in the season. They lose Eric Stokes in that same game that they lost Rashaan Gary, so then Douglas has to go back outside. He ends up having three interceptions in the month of December. Played really well down the stretch. He's opposite of jay

r Alexander, who now a two time All Pro. Jaws right up there now, I mean the Xavian Howard's those type of players in the National Football League. When you can be a true shutdown cornerback, it opens up so much for your defense and they're going to ride them. You know, I think when you look at last year, I think the Packers had really high expectations for the defense. I don't necessarily believe they met all of them. But this year, especially with this transition to Jordan Love, They're

going to need to rely on that unit. And really, when you look at the experience of this football team, it mostly resides on the defensive side of the ball.

Speaker 4

Yeah, you mentioned the Vikings having a lot of overturn this offseason.

Speaker 2

Not lot for the Packers.

Speaker 4

I mean, but as the quarterback position, can you give me some notable acquisitions because I'm looking at their draft class year and it's mostly just draft picks, man, And they had how many was it? Wes like there's double digit draft?

Speaker 6

There was like thirteen draft picks I had. I had to write bios on every single one of them on draft night.

Speaker 2

That reminds me of twenty twenty.

Speaker 4

We like we like traded a pick out and like just didn't have like we traded back twenty twenty one. I was like, thank you, I just needed like ten minutes to breathe here for a little bit.

Speaker 2

But you guys had four.

Speaker 4

Seventh round picks, two sixth round picks, three man busy, busy draft day for you up there. But so, but that's at end of yeah, yeah, that was pretty much it, right, Nothing in free agency.

Speaker 3

Really, yeah, I mean they did make a couple moves.

Speaker 6

I mean, this is gonna sound kind of silly that I'm saying this, but you know, they signed Matt Orzich, the long snapper from La green Bay. Though you have to understand, as silly as that might sound, Green Bay has been.

Speaker 3

Going through a carousel at long snapper.

Speaker 6

I thought Jack Coco did a nice job last year, but Jack was an undrafted rookie. He was the guy that originally came to Green Bay on a tryout. They want to be able to get back to more of a veteran type guy. So that really is the biggest thing I think when you look at special teams Orzich, and then also now Anders Carlson taking over as the kicker. Mason Crosby has been here the last sixteen years. That's

going to be a huge switch as well. He's still unsigned, but Carlson is the only the younger brother of Daniel Carlson, the only kicker on this roster right now. Other than that, it mostly was a lot of bringing back. You know, they were able to extend Elton Jenkins at the end of last season. That was a huge move for them, But because of kind of a lot of these teams with twenty twenty and COVID, I had to sort of kick the can down.

Speaker 3

The road a little bit with the salary cap.

Speaker 6

Green Bay kind of took its medicine a little bit with that this year to various more comes over from the San Francisco forty nine ers. He's more of a special teams type guy, guy that could potentially factor into that starting job, but is not really you know, guaranteed anything. And then realistically, as you guys saw in that game against Miami, the biggest move that Green Bay made after March was re signing Keyshawn Nixon. He is the guy

that completely turned around the Packers special teams unit. He only was the kickoff returner of the second half of the season, yet he was still first team All Pro. It shows you his value to the Packers and obviously how people around the league respect that. He's also going

to get the opportunity to be the nickel cornerback. So a huge, huge chance right now for Nixon to really solidify himself as a top playmaker in this league coming back in kind of a one year sort of Okay, we're going to give you the chance, now, can you prove that you're going to be a long term guy. But other than that, Travis very much a lot of internal growth that Green Bay is expecting from this roster.

Speaker 4

That right there is why you go to the team team reporter for the in depth analysis on long snappers and special teams right there.

Speaker 2

You love to hear it.

Speaker 4

But I'm a big fan of you know, every year I talk about how the best growth a team can typically have is it growth from their incumbents. So that's definitely the Packers testing that theory out a big time

here in twenty twenty three. You mentioned the vikings off the top of the team that really pivoted from away from a lot of you know, high priced talented Maybe it was in the back end of their career at this point of their career and coming off a thirteen win division championship season in a one and done playoff run, just a really strange year. And I guess it's to me interesting to hear the perspective of how that all played out from a Packers fan and a Packers beat coverage guys.

Speaker 2

Well, what beat coverage guy was? I mean to beat works. I got something.

Speaker 4

You worked with the Packers in some capacity. I all agree on that. But just your perspective on the Vikings that run last year and then the off season that preceded that run.

Speaker 2

Just kind of want to hear your perspective on that.

Speaker 6

Honestly, Trevisa reminded me of the twenty nineteen Packers in a lot of way where I don't think it wasn't that nobody was expecting them.

Speaker 3

Minnesota won't do anything.

Speaker 6

They still had Kirk Cousins, justin Jefferson looks like he's gonna be the next great receiver in this league. Defensively, I think they felt really confident about what they had built. But I with you have told me they were a thirteen win team, I would not have believed you. I even said at the beginning of last season, I thought nine wins was going to win the division. As it turns out that pretty much was the case. It's just that it was Minnesota was the team that was getting

it done. The Vikings beat the teams they needed to beat, and honestly, when you look at the Green Bay Packers this upcoming year, they're gonna have to do the same exact thing. The way these schedules work, You've seen it time and time again, facing the top teams from the divisions, some of those cross conference games. Now, then Minnesota is gonna they're going to be Inford a little bit when

you look at how their schedule lines up. But you know, Kirk Cousins has been so gosh darn consistent, and I know there's some Packer fans that kind of want to disrespect him a little bit and say, well, he's not a super Bowl quarterback in that If you look at Kirk cousins stats against Green Bay, they've been really strong because I think over the years, regardless of who the defensive coordinator is for the Packers, those type of quarterbacks that can get the ball out quickly and also are

able to protect the football, they've given Green Bay a lot of problems. And I think when you look at Kirk Cousins, you know, stat line, he's a guy that doesn't make a lot of mistakes. When he does, it tends to be the undoing of that football team. But when he plays clean football, they're tough to beat and They're going to be leaning on that even more this year, assuming everything goes through with the Delvin Cook trade or

what the release, whatever they end up doing there. In Alexander Madison being the next guy, it's going to be a change. Then I think we're all going to have to see exactly what the Vikings have. It's so weird to say, Travis, but out of four teams in the division, the defending's champion thirteen win team is probably the team that I have the most question marks about right now because you just don't know what you're going to get.

Speaker 2

That's why it's so crazy to me.

Speaker 4

And you talk about, you know, and the team that probably has the most ability at the quarterback position, like you mentioned there in terms of proven veteran that has done it before. And you know, it seems like all of Kirk Cousins' bad games just happen to come on primetime, and I feel like that kind of shapes the perception

around him. But like you talked about, he's a guy that throws for four thousand yards and thirty touchdowns just about every single year and does it by humping the ball to like you talked about, one of the best in the league might be you know, Tyreek Kill I think is the best receiver.

Speaker 2

I might be a little bit oler on that, but I think.

Speaker 6

Seriously though, that's where we are in this thing. I mean, when you see what guys like Hill and Jefferson bring to the table now, I mean, this is the next when we had the era of you know, Larry Fitz and you know DeAndre Hopkins and in DeVante Adams. I'll still throw Tay in there too, but these young guys, when you can mesh the speed and route running ability, and then especially someone like Hill that can be used

in so many various ways. I've just it's been so funny to me that the Green Bay Packers, for as much as they've dominated, you know, this division for the last thirty years, the fact that you've had to see Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson, and I honestly put you know, Justin Jefferson in that now too. They've had to face the elite of an elite when it comes to the receiver position.

Speaker 4

And they also get Jordan Adison to add to that group as well, which I think is going to be a really big get for them in terms of the way he can create separation with his natural route running. Like you see these rookies coming to the league and they shine right away because they are sharp and their route running. And Jordan Aisen's caught a billion balls both at Pittsburgh and USC. So a fun compliment there, I think,

justin Jefferson with that run game. Like you mentioned, let's go ahead and talk about this defensive side of the football here and what the Vikings looking at on that side, because you know, last year they scored plenty of points and a lot of these games were close and crazy at the end because they just couldn't get stops on the defensive side of the football.

Speaker 2

They were trying to learn a new.

Speaker 4

System, you know, kind of an offshoot of the Vic Fangio defense that we're going to see this year in Miami. They just didn't really click for him last year in terms of, you know, keeping that roof on top of the defense, and they allowed a lot of openings underneath in that shell coverage. And now they're going to make a change to a completely different style of defense, one that we know here well as well with the Miami

Dolphins and Brian Flores. How do you think that scheme change will help this Vikings defense and how teams prepare for it.

Speaker 6

Well, I mean they had to do something different, right, I mean, it's just it, it just did not click. And you know, for everything we heard about, you know, Zadaria Smith and Daniel Hunter right after the bat and you know this is gonna be the best defense in the NFL, and it just it did not.

Speaker 3

Go that direction.

Speaker 6

Now, the weird thing is is dumb is they were and as solid and I mean there was a time there, Travis where you could look at the Vikings defense when you know, in the real prime of the Mike Zimmer years, where it's like they had stars and names at every position cornerback. They've not been able to get back to

that level. And as much as it is about the pass rush and as much as they got to get this Hunter situation figured out, it all comes down to whether or not they can stop teams on the perimeter. And you know, Harrison Smith not getting any younger, obviously took a pay cut himself this offseason. When we talk about the questions surrounding the Vikings, I think a lot of that goes to the defense. As much as people want to perseverate on Cousins and things like that, and

what's happening with Cook. It's what are they going to get defensively?

Speaker 5

Now?

Speaker 6

They do have a brilliant mind there. I love what Flores brings to the table. I think they're going to have, you know, an interesting blend of figuring out what worked last year and obviously what didn't and where they need to go this season. But to do that, they need people to step up. They need they need new stars to emerge. And I just feel like over the last five six years it's just been a real slog for them trying to figure out who those staples are going to be on that defense.

Speaker 4

Yeah, trying to figure out what's gonna happen to Neil Hunter is the key, like you mentioned, because they do lose they do lose Smith, but to get Marcus Davenport could be yeah there.

Speaker 3

Yeah, and I like Devenport a lot.

Speaker 6

You know, that was a guy that the Packers had looked at, I think back in eighteen when they made that trade back with the with the Saints.

Speaker 3

But it is it's it's also this.

Speaker 6

Plug and play kind of thing right where you know, they went through Zadarias, they went through some of these other edge rushers and trying to find something that works with Hunter. But Downboard certainly is another one of those guys that you can throw into that equation of guys that probably not only are playing at a certain level, but probably.

Speaker 3

Still have room to grow in their own game.

Speaker 4

Six six, two sixty five, heavy hands. It's the kind of player that Brian Flores loves off the edge there. He brought in Shack Lawson and Emmanuel Ogba his first his first real off season of spending down here, so it makes a lot of sense. They also get Byer Murphy that secondary to help him out as well, so lots of moving parts.

Speaker 2

They're interesting team, the Vikings.

Speaker 4

Let's go ahead and take our last break of the show right here and come back on the other side and talk about one of the most rigging teams in the entire National Football League, possibly the NFC North favorites at this point, the Detroit Lions. We'll do that next Draft Time podcast. My guest today, Wes Hogkowitz. Draft Time

Podcast Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation. Nailed the pronunciation there on the last end of that first knock formerly West and Fitzgerald Westwitz here on the podcast breaking down some NFC North with you guys here today and West, we appreciate your time in doing this with us. It really helps us get through the summer months here and right into the regular season. And might we see this Lions team back on hard knocks again?

Speaker 3

Who knows?

Speaker 2

Uh heard some stuff about that.

Speaker 4

Possibility being one they floated out there earlier this summer. Let's go ahead and talk about this Lions team because to me, it's it's always easy, not easy, but easier to go from you know, that three win team that was kind of slogging it out and had some good showings and just felt like they were better than the record to then make that jump to seven or eight wins.

That's that's the expectation you get there. But to me, the real test is when you go from that year to the third season where you're supposed to win double digit games, you're supposed to compete for a division title. How do you see a young Lion's team that hasn't experienced a whole lot of success dealing with expectations and can they take that next step?

Speaker 6

Well, that's what I've been kind of asking myself, Travis, because Dan Campbell is sort of this mad scientist.

Speaker 3

Right, and obviously, you know, you.

Speaker 6

Look at the way he played his career and the way he kind of rolls up the coaching ranks. He's the guy that plays without fear, and obviously his coach without fear. But now you are sort of entering that front running stage where you need to be a team that produces. You can't just show up and you know, hope to surprise teams. You got to actually be a team that pushes things. I found their offseason to be very quizzical. This is I think a boomer bust offseason

for them. The Jack Campbell pick. I think some people originally had some questions about that. I know some of the people I've talked to said, this guy is an absolute maler. When you talk about Dan Campbell and the you know, motor City Dan kind of thing, like this is this is the guy that you want to have

at the center of your defense in Campbell. Certainly, I think they raised a lot of you know, eyebrows when they traded back and then took it, took a running back, you know, after after passing on arguably the best one, and then in the draft. So it is going to be really interesting to see where they take. A team that has so much talent has defensively, I think, really improved,

even if the statistics don't show it. They put together one of the two the two of their best performances all season were against Green Bay, regardless of where their rankings were, and I think Aiden Hutchinson is going to be a real star in this league for years to come. If they're going to win, I think what they have to do is bring up that blueprint of what the Rams did with Jared Goff, you know, five, six, seven

years ago. Now he's a guy that is going to be able to be competitive and win football games, but he's going to need that core around him. They have arguably the best offensive line in the game. Now they've done it. They've put the they put the time in, they've put the resource into that. That was one area that for so long plagued them during the Matthew Stafford era. That is no longer an issue, but it's about who steps up around them and can they play power football.

My last point I'll make with them, the one that made me raise my eyebrow. The biggest this offseason was the fact that they let Jamal Williams walk. Jamal Williams the guy that obviously we're very familiar with in Green Bay. But when you watch Hard Knocks, when you talk about all that stuff, Travis he was the guy that kind of helped change the culture, right. He's the guy that was in there. He was the one taking those bolts. He was the one saying we're not going to lose anymore.

Oh and then he ended up having fifteen touchdowns last year. To let him walk and to sign David Montgomery, I think is a real risk because I've also seen David Montgomery and while probably pound for pound he's more talent than than Jamal, he does not have the durability of

Jamal Williams. And I felt like last year, even though this isn't what their offense is going to look like anymore with DeAndre Swift, Jamal was the perfect elixir to DeAndre because he was the guy that was going to be there every Sunday for you, and you can allow you to be a little bit more selective with how you use Swift. They don't have that anymore. What is that running back gonna look like? What is that backfield going to look like? In that regard your guests, is as good as mine.

Speaker 4

Well, by far, the best interview in the National Football League Jamal Williams and I, you know, I listened to a lot of NFL material and one of my favorite podcasts around the NFL. They're big into the hard knock scene, and they always play that clip of him talking about if you know, if you're a scared puppy, stay on the piss on the porch.

Speaker 2

Whatever he talks about, you know.

Speaker 4

The whole speech he gave to rally the team about I'm not going three and thirteen again or whatever.

Speaker 2

It was a couple of years ago.

Speaker 4

So it is an interesting dynamic because you talk about like perhaps more talented, but you can kind of, you know, you know, mess with that inner workings of a team and the mindset they have because I look at this team and you mentioned it off the top of the offensive line, that's this identity of this football team is in the trenches. You know, the classic bite their kneecaps off, you know, the Dan campbellisms that we all love to

rip that. But also it's worked for them, and he really fits the mindset of that team in that city. So it's it's cool to see it come together that way, because I look at this team as one that you mentioned Jared Goff like had a really good year last year. But if this team can run the football, stop the run, and you know, dominate the trend, they have a chance

to be pretty good. And I think that what we saw in the second half of the season was you know, a defense that played much much better basically from that Miami game where Tua did what he wanted to do to do that entire game. After that, they got much better. I think the next game was actually it might have been the Pack game that they It was a low scoring game there, but to me, that in the trenches

where they win their games. But I think the biggest acquisition in the division this offseason to me was a guy that fits that mindset, fits the way they play the game. And Chauncey Gardner Johnson talk about his acquisition and that defense and how they might come together on that side of the football, Well.

Speaker 6

That was what they needed to do, right. They've been so pragmatic with their signings and their acquisitions, a lot of this the last two and a half years, and I give a lot of credit to you know, Brad Holmes and John Dorsey and everybody over there for the way they did it, because they one thing that I thought when the Lions were really struggling is they were just like, Okay, let's just get the top three free

agents on the board. It kind of that Jacksonville Jaguars approach, right, and they'll see if they fit.

Speaker 3

Well.

Speaker 6

They were very selective with how they did their veteran contracts and now that they finally they have a base built with some of those players on defense. When you look at a guy like you know, am and Ross Saint Brown, the way he's blossomed for them as a receiver, Jamis and Williams is a huge question mark for them,

but still they invested that first round pick into that position. Well, this is where now you start figuring out, Okay, where do we need the veteran And then when you get someone like Gardner Johnson in there to see where he could potentially take this thing, that was I think sort of the missing piece because they have kind of like Minnesota, they've taken some hits to their defensive backs and their secondary in recent years. You know, they had a really

difficult time replacing Darius Slay. We all know, you know what happened when they you know, they tried to draft the cornerback right after that, and his name is escaping me. Now I apologize, thank you, Jeff Akudah. See, that's what happens when guys end up not working out and then getting cut or traded. I start forgetting their names. But you know, Akudah really struggled, he was hurt, and then he just didn't work out. And then you know, they needed that guy to be a number three overall pick

and didn't have happens. So now that you start building out the secondary, and I think you also see it too, that you know you can never go wrong with depth. You need five six guys to get through a season. And when you can take a star, when you can get a guy in your offense or defense that has that type of experience, Now that that could be the missing piece for them, and certainly I'm sure that's what their expectation is now going into twenty twenty three.

Speaker 4

Now, I know you probably don't want to hear this West, but just from a fan of the league and outside the NFC North in general, seeing Detroit and Chicago rise up would be kind of fun for me, just to see them, you know, It's been a long time since those teams have been competitive.

Speaker 2

I think we kind of are getting to a point.

Speaker 4

To where at least one of them should be, and we'll see what the Chicago Bears we finish up with here on our NFC North preview.

Speaker 5

Who.

Speaker 4

You know, It's funny because I feel like you have teams follow the same three or four different cycles in the NFL nowadays, are the same cycle at three or four different stages, and the Bears are in that post like kind of scale back, spend a bunch of money, go all in in terms of putting a lot of resources into the roster stage their team building cycle behind a third year quarterback who. I think that's where we start here at Chicago Barris with most teams obviously, but

for for Justin Fields. You know, we got a first hand look at him and the way he ran the football against the Dolphins defense a year ago. If he can get you know, that passing game element of the quarterback position just up a little bit, could be a really dangerous player in this league. I'm curious how a Packers fan views that Bears offense led by Justin Fields boom or bust.

Speaker 3

I mean, it's similar sort of thing.

Speaker 6

I mean justin you know, he he had his down moments against Green Bay last year. I think, you know, when you look at a guy that has his skill set, you have to respect it. But as you said, it's also about the passing element, and it's not just totally on fields either. I think the receiver position has been

a huge weakness for them for many years now. And as much as you know, I don't feel like Alan Robinson ever really got his just due there for what he did, I think he was much better than people gave him credit for, even though last year I know it didn't work out very well with the RAM but he you know, they they've just they've not been able to find real resources for him. Cole Comet, you know, it seems like it's going to be, you know, kind of a one two battery with him. You know, Darnell

Mooney had a really strong year two years ago. Last year kind of took a step back. I'm more interested about the pieces around justin fields than just justin fields because I feel like athletically, you know what you're gonna get, and certainly we saw it with this year. I mean, if there were real questions about whether or not Fields was the answer. There were tons of you know, quarterbacks that Chicago could explored. They felt good about how he

finished the season. So I just the one thing I just didn't quite get about Chicago right now is you know, you're seeing these reports out and I think it was Justin Jones or whoever was kind of talking about Packer fans and things like that. That's all good and well for the rivalry, but I wrote about this in our insider inbox Q and A we write like it was like, I just I wanted Aaron Rodgers to state so we get one more shot a him. I want to beat

him at Lambell Field. And it's like, dude, justin, I understand you've only been there one year, but like, yeah, it's it's been it's been five years since the Bears are going to have beaten the Packers Periodicago or green Bay. And here's a spoiler alert. At some point Chicago will beat the Packers again. It's going to happen, just like how Detroit went twenty four years without winning at Lambellfield and now they've kind of had green Bay' number the

lastew years. But it's to me, it's this Monty python thing of like you know, 'tis but a scratch, right, Like I how many strikes do you? Yeah, eventually you're going to win, But I mean it doesn't necessarily So at that part of it, I think it's good for media.

Speaker 3

I think it's good for fans.

Speaker 6

But at the end of the day, the green Bay Packers, they're thinking about that Week one game against Chicago because it's going to be Jordan Love's first start and it's going to be the start of this next season and the ultimate let miss test for green Bay win loser, draw is going to be how does the offense look around Jordan Love? And are we going to be able to build this thing around him in twenty twenty three

and beyond Chicago is what they are? Is what it is, I should say to get my singular grammar right there correctly. But at the end of the day, I just when I look at this division, I think you have a lot of resources, a lot of talent In Detroit. I think you got a lot of experience and some elite talent in Minnesota. Chicago's a team that when I ended last season, I still really don't know what the Bears have.

Speaker 2

Is that Week one game a one o'clock kickoff in the east.

Speaker 6

Three to twenty five. East would be four to twenty five. I think it's America's game of the week.

Speaker 3

Damn. I agree.

Speaker 4

You know. I think I'm probably higher than the general public on both those quarterbacks, Jordan Love and Justin Fields. I think they're both going to be really good players personally. But the Dolphins play at four to twenty five that day as well, so wh'll get a chance to watch that game live. I was hoping that maybe the early kickoff.

We don't get very many late kickoffs here. We usually play at one o'clock our time, so usually I can watch those those early kickoffs when we do have those late games.

Speaker 2

But you know that's not gonna be the case. But this year.

Speaker 6

I just want to mention this because I do want to say I doubt and I think you weren't even saying this, but I do definitely respect Fields. I think he is an elite talent. I think he's going to be a great quarterback for them. I think he's the best chance that they've had at that quarterback position in a long long time. It's just I just really wonder

about the offense line. I wonder both the pieces around him, if it's there yet, and if he's going to have everything he needs to become the passing quarterback that they need him to be rather than the guy that is going to have to end up, you know, using his feed to extend.

Speaker 4

Plays exactly because you know, I mentioned that the team building cycles the Bears seem to be maybe a little bit you know, not incomplete synergy with that because you talk about a third year quarterback on a team that is finally now kind of pushing their chips into the table in terms of going out and getting a DJ Moore, Tremaine Edmunds, you, DeMarcus Walker, Nate Davis, Robert Tanyan, Deontay Foreman.

Speaker 2

They signed a bunch of dudes, But it has.

Speaker 4

To happen quickly because you have to make a decision on your rookie quarterback or your rookie contract quarterback sooner than later. And typically when teams go this heavy in it takes a year, maybe even two for the all to kind of gel and come together. So I'm super intrigued to see how that all does come together for a team that was incredibly aggressive this offseason and using

the resources they had, So it's it's intriguing. You mentioned, you know, the receiving corps with you know, Chase Claypool, the thirty third pick in the draft. I think they used on him in terms of the trade there, so so definitely pushing some chips into the middle of table

with how they invested around justin fields offensively. And I'm also curious on defense because you know, they traded away Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith and back to back weeks last year and the defense fell apart after that, So did they do enough to get that back together? I think is a big question there for the Bears as well.

Speaker 6

Yeah, I mean Jack Sanborn from Wisconsin ended up being kind of a middle of the pack. Not in terms of his skill. I'm just saying like he was their middle linebacker the second half of the season and kind of had to be that gritty guy there.

Speaker 5

You know.

Speaker 6

I think they got Tremaine Edmunds now if I remember correctly. I like the athleticism they have on that side of things. But ultimately, yeah, it is going to be about what are the pieces that A'll fit behind him. Eddie Jackson has been a staple for them for years back there. I think he's kind of sort of recaptured some of the magic that he was missing sort of after that Adrian Amos arrow with him there. So very interesting to

see where this thing goes. To give you one little last story about that, we were talking about like with our game programs in our yearbooks and stuff and getting stuff ready, and I had one of our interns was asking me like, hey, you know, who should we put, you know, other than Justin Jefferson or Justin Jefferson, Justin Fields. Who are the guys? Who are the stars that we should have for the Bears? And it did take me a second because I think that's not necessarily just a

dig on them. I think it is this reset that they're kind of going through and trying to figure out who those next faces are going to be for them. But certainly Eddie Jackson is the guy that they can be able to.

Speaker 3

Hang their hat on there as well.

Speaker 4

Yeah, you can certainly look at a team and say there just doesn a lot of proven you know, resumes in terms of their production across the NFL, and they could work out.

Speaker 2

But right now, like you know, look at the defense.

Speaker 4

Last year, they traded by their top two guys and Eddie Jackson I think was out for some time as well, but I like that secondary they did some good work. They're getting Jakwan Brisker and Kyli Gordon a couple of years back and continue to add to that group there as well. So fun division, man, I'm looking forward to seeing this thing play out. Like like I mentioned earlier, we don't have a game against the team in the NFC North this year. Played that division last year, so

no competition there for the Miami Dolphins. But real quick West, just in a ward or two if you can my divisions to perlatives here, if you don't mind giving me your favorite players with their certain distinctions here across the division, which is challenge and this one actually, I don't know if this one's a given. It kind of has been for the other one so far, like the NFC East and the AFC West. But who do you think is the best quarterback right now in the NFC North?

Speaker 6

So I actually have a very straightforward answer, so you probably can tell what I'm going to say based in our conversation earlier. To me, it's Kirk Cousins because I feel like there's so many people disrespecting what he's done in the National Football League, and by the way, nobody knows him better than Matt Lafleur, who was his first position coach in the NFL when he was in Washington.

Until somebody unseats Kirk Cousins, until somebody proves that they can win thirteen games as a quarterback in this division, I think you got to give him that respect. Now, if you turn it over to the upside question, that's where it turns back to fields, it turns back to love. But to say either of those guys is better than a guy that's a ten year vet, twelve year vet, that has done it at a high level for so

long and proven to be irreplaceable to this point. I know he hasn't gott an extension yet with the Vikings, but they signed him to a big, guaranteed contract many years ago now and they continued to extend him, and he's kept them in the hunt here with this thing, so to me, until proven otherwise, I think Kirk Cousins, not Jerk. Cousins, deserves to get the agulation.

Speaker 2

Hey, quit being a homer. I'll call him a jerk now.

Speaker 4

The way you ask that would be exactly why I would answer that because I think that right now it's Kirk Cousins. But if I projected a year into the future, I think at this time next year it will be either Jordan Love or Justin Fields.

Speaker 2

This next one, I think is very easy. Maybe you disagree.

Speaker 4

We'll see the best non quarterback player on offense in the NFC North.

Speaker 6

It has to be Justin Jefferson right now, and it just again for the same reason I answered before. I mean, I've watched this guy play so many times now, and dude, trust me, you were talking about looking up the Jordan Love film. I remember looking at Justin Jefferson's film when he was coming out and thinking, Okay, could he be there? Could he be available for Green Bay picking in the latter half of the second round or the latter half of the first round?

Speaker 3

Excuse me?

Speaker 6

And unfortunately, I think he ended up going six to seven picks ahead of him to Minnesota. I thought that was a great move for the Vikings, also one of those very one of those very few and far between trades where I think it worked out for both teams.

Speaker 5

Right.

Speaker 6

I think Stefan Diggs was a perfect fit for Buffalo and what they've been able to do there, while Jefferson was sort of that restart and reset that Minnesota needed. Yeah, justin Jefferson is He's an All Pro. He could end up being the best one out of this entire era, and certainly a guy that I think you look at again, looking at the elite talent in this league, A lot of that, you know, starts with that veteran, proven, you know, established players in Minnesota.

Speaker 4

I remember reading about him at LSU and how he felt slightly because of I can't know if it was like the recruiting process that he had in college, but he was just so slighted about that. And he wound up going out and scoring like four touchdowns in the playoff game that year for LSU, and then they'd be passed over by you know, so many teams in that year's draft, especially the Eagles taking Jalen Rager ahead of him.

Speaker 3

You know, I didn't phone his way to Minnesota.

Speaker 4

Yeah, exactly, they wind up with the same team. It's funny how that works out, man.

Speaker 5

Yeah.

Speaker 4

I just guys that have that chip like that, you can't replace that, that mindset. So how about on the other side of the football, best defensive player in your estimation in the NFC Norsers.

Speaker 6

I'm finally using my homework card here. I'm going to say it's jyr Alexander. The Green Bay Packers defense is different with Jyry Alexander. Now, they were able to get through twenty twenty one without him for the most part. I think he played eight defense that like dime snaps in the Divisional playoff game against San Francisco, but otherwise missed the entire season after injuring his shoulder. This guy, I think, is on the precipice of being one of

the truly special players of this era. And it's so fitting that he was also Brian Goodkin's first pick as general manager of the Packers. I'm just so excited by watching him in a twenty six years old the amount of confidence that he plays with Travis you've probably seen it too.

Speaker 3

I Mean when these guys, sometimes.

Speaker 6

You talk to him, they're like, oh, I'm confident, I'm unshakable, And sometimes it's almost like, are you telling me that? Are you trying to prove that to yourself? Jiy Alexander has nothing to prove to anybody, if you know his backstory again, kind of like Jefferson completely overlooked in North Carolina, of all places. He's like a two star recruit in

North Carolina. I'll never forget that, Charlotte, and he ends up being playing beyond his mind at Louisville, makes himself a first round pick despite you know, some size concerns.

Speaker 3

He's one of the best I've ever seen.

Speaker 6

And when he is right, when he's healthy, he can shut down anybody. So when we're talking about the Justin Jeffersons of the world and that concern of the division, you need to shut down cornerback like Jerry Alexander, and I think he's right there at the top of that position in the entire NFL.

Speaker 2

Yeah, he's the man.

Speaker 5

For me.

Speaker 4

It would be either either him or Chauncey Gardner Johnson. But going back to the college clips that I was talking about, there's a play where he shuts down a receiver and then like puts his hands on his hips and follows him around the entire play.

Speaker 2

Afterwards, and just just that brash confidence.

Speaker 5

Man.

Speaker 4

I love that in the player, especially backing up with their play on the field. So no qualms here about that selection. I think this one probably is the easiest one of the entire superlatives portion here top coach in the NFC at North it's gotta be your.

Speaker 6

Guy, and he doesn't get enough respect. That's the thing that ticks me off the most, right. I don't know what it is, and maybe you feel a little bit too down in Miami. There's something about coming from that McVeigh Shanahan coaching tree that I just feel like the people get over they get overlooked. And what ticks me off the most about Lafleur is that. And no disrespect to the AP voters, but the AP Coach of the Year voting never ages well.

Speaker 3

They missed the mark.

Speaker 6

On it so many times because it kind of becomes the flavor of the Month award. Trust me, if a team gets turned around and you do what Brian Dabble did last year with no expectations at all, and with the Giants, I respect it, I get it. But with Lafleur, he came in in nineteen and they won thirteen games. They made the NFC Championship Game, although I know it already goes in before, but nobody expected anything on a team. Everybody thought that Rogers was past it. Okay, so fine,

Rogers is still good. So we'll just let it slide. Well, then in twenty two, in twenty well, Rogers had the best season ever for a quarterback, so you're not going to get that year. And then twenty one, you know, they lose gian year. They have these different things going against him. Now he suddenly has won more games a head coach than any other coach in NFL history in the first three years. And Laflour still doesn't get that respect.

And what's the number one question right now, Travis going into this year, Well, we're really gonna find out about Matt lafluor Now, No, you found out about Matt Lafour the last four years. You found out out a lot about him last year when he pulled that team together after going through his first real adversity. You know, they never lost back to back regular season games until last season.

Speaker 3

I think this is the.

Speaker 6

Type of year that, in addition to I feel do it he's the best right now in this division, absolutely, but I feel like greenmy Packers succeed this year, Jordan Love succeeds. People need to start putting more respect on Matt Laflour's name because what he's done here the last three four years now has been pretty special and kind of like the Ferris Bueller thing. If you don't start paying attention to it, you're gonna miss it.

Speaker 2

I love it, man.

Speaker 4

It's it's such a lazy take to me because like it's it's basically says I didn't watch any of the tape. I'm just gonna give you this take, Like with with Tula for instance, like oh, he got better because he had Tyreek Hill. It's like, no, that's mean, No, he just was. He played really good football. If you watch the games you can see that. So I'm with you all the way there, man. And also the Coach of the Year, like Belichick won that, since like the early Patriots runs back.

Speaker 3

At a fourteen guy, I want to say fourteen maybe he got.

Speaker 4

Because really you could call it the Bill Belichick Awards. Just give to him every year there for like twenty years and we'd be good with that because he probably was that guy for twenty years there or so. But yeah, lots of good points there. West, we go ahead and finish on this division. Chap Man, who you got this year? Are you taking the home squad?

Speaker 6

I have to I have to go with the home squad again. I'm gonna use my homework card on that one. And the big reason for that is because it goes back to what I said from the beginning. This is going to be a wide open race if Jordan Love performs. Though Creampay actually doesn't have that many questions. I thought the two receivers last year proved a lot in Watson and Dobbs. I feel like Luke Muskrave that tight end is going to be a real down the field, middle

to field threat that they've been missing. They have augmented their roster at the positions they need to do it. The one area where they are completely married to where it's like this guy needs to perform is Jordan Love. I think they're going to put him in a position to succeed. And with all the experience he's a now working behind Daron Rodgers and just the disposition that he carries himself with, I personally feel like this is right

there for green Bay to bounce back. I know there was some I think some Sports Illustrated articles already or Monday Morning Quarterback articles talking about how green Bay could be a real strong bounce back candidate this year. If you look at green Bay's schedule with finishing where they finished in the division last year. It actually does set up for them pretty well as far as the how it looks on paper to be able to pull himself back up after a down year in twenty twenty three.

Well twenty twenty two, not twenty three.

Speaker 2

Sorry, I said, we'll close with this. That's my pick as well. Just let you know.

Speaker 4

I'm a big Jordan love fan. I'm gonna back him and support him. I think they're doing the right thing there in Green Bay by going to him and giving him a chance here early or not early, but you know, earlier than too late. Early ish where the contract winds up comes up there at the end. So Wes Hodkowitz Packers dot com. He said it all, man, before you get out of here, tell us what you're working on this summer. What can the folks look forward to at packers dot com with your work?

Speaker 6

Tons of long form features that normally I don't try to produce in June, but it just kind of worked out that way. Actually, my feature finally on the first round pick Lucas van Ness is gonna run next week now, so that'll be fun. And then just kind of some other little projects that you'll see pop up. Fortunately, this will probably end up being my last podcast type appearance.

We just shut ours down yesterday until training camp, so looking forward to that, looking forward to maybe being able to break away a little bit and then see what this upcoming season has to hold in store for us. You know, training camp will be here before we know it.

Speaker 4

Hey man, I'm hoping that we both win the division this year, and that means I think we'd play the NFSC North Top team next year as well as maybe get chance to see Wes in twenty twenty four.

Speaker 2

If that happened.

Speaker 6

In my element, there will be no air conditioning on Christmas Eve at lambeau Field blaring down on my building.

Speaker 4

Man, it was freezing in there, trying to type with my fifty degree temperature fingers. In that press box. Was a little taste of Green Bay there for us on Christmas Day.

Speaker 6

I learned a bad, bad lesson that day, and that is always bring a suit code, no matter if you're in freaking South Beach, bring us suit rare.

Speaker 5

Man.

Speaker 2

That was such a rarity that day.

Speaker 4

I just just want you to know that we usually have beautiful year round down here.

Speaker 2

Wes.

Speaker 4

Thank you so much for your time today. Man, I'll get you out of here. Wed you said plenty, you said enough. Thank you so much you helped us out and have a good rest of your summer.

Speaker 3

Man, all right, thanks for having you tube.

Speaker 4

I mean, how much of a gem is Wes fun podcast? They are talking all things Packers, vikings, lions, embars. Let's get out of here. The next time you guys hear from me will be the AFC East episode on Tuesday, July the eleventh. Evan Lazar from Patriots dot Com will join us for that conversation. Then we have the NFC East and then we go ahead and pick up training camp previews from the week of July seventeenth, all the

way up to the start of training camp. So plenty to come your way here on the Draft Time podcast. You all please be sure to subscribe, rate review, follow all that fun stuff. Check out the fish Tank Podcast with Seth and Juice, our YouTube channel for Dolphins Today, media availabilities.

Speaker 2

And so much more.

Speaker 4

Last but not least, Miami Dolphins dot Com Until next time.

Speaker 2

Finn's Up, Caroline Ecamer and Daddy is coming.

Speaker 1

Hold

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