#258 Packers Unscripted: Long-awaited recognition

discussed the particulars. So we're going to continue on this show today with our discussion of new GM Brian good A Kunst and Um West. It's an interesting situation in that he's the new GM of the Packers. He's replacing the guy who is his mentor really in Ted Thompson. And Ted Thompson is remaining on the Packers staff in a senior advisory role. In fact, has been out scouting this week for a based on some pictures that we've seen.

Uh forever a scout for sure, but uh, but a really neat situation really for for good A Kunst and uh and to to get things started and and have somebody that that he learned so much from, you know, still right there anytime he needs him. Yeah, and it

was funny too. He mentioned on Monday when he was talking with some of the reporters in the side session that before, you know, he talked with Ted throughout this process every day, he said, he talked to him during the interview process and before he went up to the podium to be introduced in front of his family in

front of the media. Uh. Ted actually gave him a little bit of advice, saying, make sure you smile, because you know, that's one thing if I could go back to two thousand five, I wish I would have smiled more. And into Ted's credit, he has a great deadpen sense of humor. If you do go back to look at that photo gallery of two thousand five, Ted didn't smile a little, So I think there was some self awareness.

They're involved. But as you said, I think this is such a unique opportunity for good uns because Ted is a scout first and foremost. We've heard this for years. I think he'd been telling media that's going back to the Super Bowl, uh, in the aftermath of that, that once he's done as GM, he'd like to be an area scout. He'd like to be you know, just be able to travel a little bit, continue doing what he loves and this new arrangement allows him to do that.

And from Gouda Kun's perspective, yes, he was hired during the Ron wolf era, had two great years with wolf Um, and then spend some time obviously when Mike Sherman was the GM here in his personnel department, but a bulk of his nineteen years at the Packers organization was spent with Ted Thompson, and he talked a lot about being able to learn from him both not only just with the transactions and that's nature, but just what it's like and what you have to do to be a successful GM.

Sitting in that chair, Yeah, and as we all know, every GM is going to have that moment, that decision they have to make that maybe they don't even know it at the time, sometimes they do, but it will be a decision that comes to define their tenure as a general manager. And we all know with Ted Thompson it was what he went through in two thousand and eight making that transition from Brett Farve All of Fame quarterback to Aaron Rodgers, who we now know is a

future Hall of Fame quarterback. Ted Thompson, you know, believed that was the right move, even though it was highly unpopular with many fans. He stuck to his guns, so to speak. So did Mike McCarthy. They did this together. And at the time, even though Gudaknst was a scout really mostly out on the road, uh, you know, not necessarily in the building full time, which uh he started um in that type of position a handful of years ago in more of the director roles where he's not

out on the road as much. But at that time he was an area scout, but he was watching very closely how Ted Thompson navigated that situation and and he had some words about that as well. Then, I think is what taught him the most about what it means to be a GM. You can draft, you can scout, you can feel like you know everything that's going on in the NFL, but there's always that that move where you're gonna have to push all in it seems like,

and really risk it all. Ted Thompson did that, and to be honest with you, Ted Thompson did that with a lot of class, uh, and and the fact that he was trying to do the right thing and as good An said, there were so many times, you know, sitting down and talking with him, Ted reiterated over and over again, I'm just trying to do the right thing in an in enviable position for him to be in, because, let's be honest, Mike, with the way that the NFL structured, a lot of guys don't get to go out on

their own terms. Injuries happen, different scenarios play out in far situation was so unique categorically, you know, almost an anomaly in that, you know, for a number of years he talked about retirement, he hinted that retirement, and then this end up being a guy that played until he was forty. Ted Thompson when he got here in two thousand five, You've heard all the things is out there about you know, that draft and that Aaron Rodgers was the only guy left with the first round grade that year.

He trusted his eyes to take him even when that might not have been the guy that was going to help them the most right away, and then to stand by him in two thousand and eight. I always kind of go back to that, you know, you have to have a touch of madness, like the old mad hatter reference, and that you have to be willing to wager at

all ron Wolf did it. Imagine in two thousand and eighteen, if ron Wolf would have traded a first round pick for Brett Farve after he had two picks and was a second rounder a year before, you know, and had been nothing but a backup, hadn't basically hadn't played at all exactly, And you have to be able to do that. In seeing the way that Thompson handled that situation, I

think is what talkod it comes to a lot. Yeah, yeah, absolutely with that, we're gonna toss it to a break back with moreen Packers unscripted right after this, Welcome Back to Packers Unscripted. Mike Spofford in this chair, Wes Hodkowits in that one and West. It's worth mentioning here when we talk about the history and where some of these guys come from as they as they make their way along. Um Brian good Kunts now is the sixth general manager

from the ron Wolf Tree. So I don't know if do you call it branches or limbs, or or however you look, however you characterize it, but six guys, half a dozen from from that that that ron Wolf Tree that's impressive. It's remarkable, it really is. And the fact that you and I before we started this segment, we're just trying to name all the people, make sure we don't forget anybody off the top of our heads is

really tell you everything. Tells you everything you need to know about Wolf and Good counts even said, I mean the way that they break down players still to this day, the way they scout college players is still rooted in the principles of Ron Wolf. And I think the thing that's interesting about Good at cons is he's sort of a product of all of the guys, all six of those guys that have become gms. You go back. He was looking to become a coach was his original thought process.

And I think he said he was working it was like a country club he was working at. It was eleven PM. There was a wedding reception going on. John Dorsey from the Green Bay Packers calls him and basically ask can you be here in a week to be

a scouting intern for us? Because what happened? As he tells the story, it's his assertion that Dorsey actually wanted a different one of his lacrosse teammates, but that guy had just gone another way in his life and that he was the backup, and that Dorsey and Reggie mackenzie, who went on to become the GM of the Raiders, were actually trying to basically was like this little bit of a rat race for these guys in the personnel department of Wolf to find scouts, to find you know,

developmental prospects because Ron Wolf was worried after the Super Bowl that they were going to be losing guys scouts scouting scout scouts, scouting scouts, so, you know, he spends the year as an intern. Then John Snyder, who ended up being a packer's personal executive for a number of years, also another disciple from Wolf. He's in Kansas City, takes Good Coon's with into Kansas City. After a year there, he comes back as a full time college scout under Wolf.

You know, and he mentioned I think we talked about this in yesterday's show. You know, Scott mccluan, who ends up becoming the GM of the of Washington, he ends up having a really tight relationship with him. When guys were scared to go to Wolf with a question or something, they went to mcclewan worked under Dorsey worked with Mackenzie. All these different guys have had an impact on obviously goods, with the first one probably the one that had the

biggest one being Ted Thompson. So it's very interesting to see his path and when you're in an organization for twenty years now, um, all the different people that you've interacted with along the way. Yeah, and you see the you see the contacts, the way the tree continues to branch out and grow, and we saw it with the recent introduction of Jon Gruden as the as the head

coach again. I was gonna say new head coach, but he's sort of the head coach again with the Oakland soon to be Las Vegas Raiders and Reggie Mackenzie is the general manager there. And you know, Jon Gruden was a an assistant coach, riding a bicycle to work in

Green Bay in I think even in the wintertime. He talked about bringing his bringing his bike to lambeau Field to get to work, and you know it all so much of this traces traces back to Ron wolf and and Ron Wolfe obviously has roots with the Raiders as well. There's history there, so um, really it's hard to get

your brain around it completely. But you just have to sit back and respect and appreciate how much influence over the NFL as a whole that a guy like Ron Wolf, who deservedly now is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, how much influence he has had. Yeah, And it's one thing to be in the Pro Football of Fame. It was probably another thing for him to be the first among those Cat contributors to make it in underneath that

r the new category. He not only has a substantial footprint in the NFL, it's a footprint that's incredibly deep as well. And I thought that said a lot. Gruden gets introduced on Tuesday as the new head coach of the Raiders, Mackenzie sitting next to him, and Ruden even made the comment about, you know, we're just a couple. You know, we were just a couple of young Green Bay Packers way back when coming up in that system, learning from Mike Holmgren, learning from Ron Wolf. And to

see the impact that that has now today. Sean Harrock, who was a personal executive for the Packers a number of years, he's with Mackenzie, certainly, Alonzo Highsmith, Elliot Wolf. It's not even just the gms. It's the guys that are running personnel departments, the guys that are high ranking executives in the league that all come from his path. And another thing too, Mike, these gms they've had success.

Mackenzie took the Raiders from a bottom dweller, from a laughing stock, from being in cap jail to making them a contender, a twelve win team a year ago that's now looking to try to continue that, you know, consistency. Dorsey revamps Kansas City now, he completely rebuilt him, you know, much like Mackenzie and Oakland rebuilt a roster and got them back to the playoffs much sooner than anybody thought

could happen exactly. And then John Schneider, I think the job he's done in Seattle, you know, one of the most heralded gms in the league right now. The guy had he went to Seattle, had some phenomenal drafts those first three or four years that set them up for this this run they've been on all of that. Everybody has their own philosophy. I'm not going to say they're all just carbon copies of each other, but all of them going back to the things that they learned from

Ron Wolf. I think that was the number one thing I took away from this whole process the last week is seeing what his impact has been on the entire National Football League. In the Green Bay Packers, Mark Murphy appreciating that and understanding that having someone steeped in those principles like Brian Goodkus was the right way for this

organization to go. Yeah, when you look at where it all started with Ron Wolf with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I believe in night teen seventy six, I think that was the season that sprouted the great John McKay quote as a head coach, and he was asked after one of the Buccaneers losses, what did you think of your team's execution to day? And his answer was, I'd be in favor of it, um. But that's that's the team

that Ron will start with. And he's always been very self deprecating about the fact that, especially when he was going into the Hall of Fame, that he's like, hey, I didn't win everywhere I went. You know, you take some lumps along the way in this business. But the one thing about Ron Wolf, and I think you see it in every one of these other gms that have come along and perhaps future ones like Elliot Wolf and Alonso Highsmith who probably will get there someday as well.

They have the courage of their convictions. Because Ron Wolf had the courage to pull the trigger on the Brett Farve trade that completely changed a franchise around. And these guys that have that have learned under him, grown up under him and under Ted Thompson, they have the courage of their convictions as well. You cannot waiver, you cannot waffle. You have to have confidence in your ability. And also I'll point out to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gave up

on Ron Wolf a little too early. While they did not win while he was there, he set them up for making a run the year after he left, right, And I think that says a lot about the team that he built right the late seventies, they reached the NFC Championship Game, a team that nobody thought. Nobody gave a lot of chance to do that part of it, and it's certainly something I think that adds to his legacy. Yeah,

no question about it. With that, we'll toss it to a breakback with more on Packerds unscripted right after this welcome back to Packers unscripted. Mike Spofford here, Wes Hodkowitz over there, and we's a little bit of news with regards to the Pro Bowl because Packers defensive tackle Mike Daniels has been named to the Pro Bowl team. We kind of knew this was going to happen. He was a first alternate. All it takes is one guy to

step aside. In this case, it was Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald, who, following the Rams loss to the Falcons, has backed out of the Pro Bowl due to an injury. What I'll say about this is it's overdue for Mike Daniels. But this is how the Pro Bowl works. It was overdue for Josh Sitton when he finally got there. Excuse me. It was overdue for t J. Lang. It was overdue for David bak tr This is just kind of how it goes. Hats off to Mike Daniels.

He's earned it and I hope he has a good time at the at all the festivities. Yeah, and here's the thing that's interesting about this whole process. It was a third consecutive year he was an alternate. This is the first year he was a first alternate, which, as you said, pretty much puts you on the doorstep because between injuries and teams going to the Super Bowl, there's a better than average chance, especially at that position, a contact position, that you're gonna end up being able to go.

Definitely didn't take it for granted though, Um you know, I know he was disappointed not to be voted in on Pond first balloting, But I thought it's said a lot about the fact that the league is starting to catch on a little bit more about what he's all about. Um, Aaron Donald's has just an amazing physical specimen, and for him to have the success he's had at that position, I think says a lot about him. Not gonna mince words, I think if he can play for another ten years,

he's a Pro Football Hall of Famer. He's on that trajectory right now. But for a lot of defensive tackles, it's tough to get those kind of accolades because the sack numbers aren't always there. You don't always get the fanciest statistics. It's just it's just not something that routinely happens.

But the fact that Daniels, now I think we were talking about this at the end of the season is I want to say it's three and a half sack shy of what is the franchise record for sacks by a nose tackle, which I believe is held by Colin Jenkins. I think Daniels is at twenty six. Colin Jenkins was twenty nine point five. The fact that he's that close to that now, um, I think says a lot about him. His consistency. He's had at least four sacks basically every

year since two thousand thirteen. I think he said another record for himself as far as tackles. Incredibly consistent, well rounded football player, and now is finally getting a chance to go show himself on the you know, Pro Bowl level. Yeah, and you wonder if he might have actually gotten in gotten to the Pro Bowl through the initial process if it hadn't been for that injury in Week two against Atlanta, because he started the season like gangbusters. Against Seattle that

game here at Lambeufield in Week one, he was dominant. Yeah, I would agree, he was absolutely dominant against Seattle's offensive line. Whoever they used to try to block him, it didn't matter. And that game was nationally televised or you know, the late afternoon. You know, most of the country watched that game. But then the following week he gets injured. Um, he and he did come back fairly quickly from the injury, but you know, a guy is not necessarily going to

be a hundred percent. It's still going to take a little while. And then we really didn't see the full scope of that Mike Daniels Kenny Clark tandem in the middle of the Packers defensive line until the stretch run late in the year when all the attention obviously was on Aaron Rodgers coming back and are the Packers going to hang in the playoff race and all of that kind of stuff. So some circumstances they're unfortunately you know, led him being an alternate, but certainly glad that that

he's going to get the opportunity. And you know, a guy like Daniels, you know, he's gonna go down there and have some fun. He's gonna you know, he's gonna chat it up with all the other guys down there and and take it all in. I'm sure he's going to make the most of it. I'm just really interesting. You don't they always say that thing about like people playing at half speed in the Pro Bowl. I mean, dude, I have to imagine he's going to tick some people off.

I can't see playing at half speed and somebody whoever that coach style. I don't know who that coaching staff is yet. I don't know if they've if they've we've gotten that far but in the process, but they're probably gonna have to remind Daniels that you can't hit the

quarterback in the Pro Bowl. So I think that's one thing to kind of keep an eye on, but certainly a good honor for him and an opportunity to not only have to go to this Pro Bowl, but this is what sets you up now if you can keep playing at a high level to get voted on first balloting. Next right, the recognition continues to come. But before we go to a break, attention, packers fans, we're calling you

to fill up with Campbell's Chunky Chicken Noodle soup. We're talking delicious, hearty soup packaged in an exclusive Packer super Fan can. These cans are limited edition for all you football fanatics out there, so don't miss out. Go on, huddle up and fill up with this hearty soup. Chunky Soup, the official sup partner of the Green Bay Packers, back with more on Packers Unscripted right after this Welcome back to Packers Unscripted Mike Spofford alongside Wes Hodkowitz and West.

Before we go, I want to get back to where we ended yesterday's show, and that's with regards to that Saints Panthers wild card game. I know I asked you about the intentional grounding call at the end there on Cam Newton, but really the end of that game had so much going on you. I mean, the Panthers are down twelve. They get the big play to Christian McCaffrey for a touchdown, so they get within five, and then the New Orleans Saints have fourth and two at midfield.

The Panthers have no time outslift they decided to go for it. They don't get it, but then the Panthers in the secondary, Mike Adams, I believe it is intercepts the ball instead of just knocking it down. He costs his team twenty yards of field position, so they have it at the thirty instead of at the fifty. And then the intentional grounding call when they get inside. I think to the twenty five yard liner. So the intentional grounding call completely ruins Carolina's chance at at the game

winning drive. Really an amazing finish too to the game. I don't know where you want to start with all that, but I'm just curious your thoughts on how that thing wrapped up, you know. And it's so weird to me because it's like, I'm not an NFL player. I obviously have not really been athletic enough to even make a high school football team. But the atoms, So is it just can you just not get yourself to not catch

that ball? Yeah, I don't know, Like it's just it's just a mental it's just a mental thing where you're you're as a safety, you're just you're always naturally trying to intercept the ball and and you just you just don't think about the fact that it's fourth down and it's not the regular season. So like, okay, I get that. Sometimes it's like you want to pad your stats out a little bit. I respect that nobody cares what the

stats are in the postseason. I mean, we'll bring him up every once in a while, but nobody could tell you how many interceptions of Packers have had in the

postseason since two thousand ten or anything like that. So it was a very odd play, and I thought, to be honest with you, I thought that zapped a lot of momentum from Carolina in what could have been a really big momentum turning play for the Saints to get that aggressive and then to have to basically have it blow up in their face and then the Panthers sort of give it back to him a little bit, almost like a botch punt in a way. Yeah, I was just stunned. I was stunned that Sean Payton decided to

go for it on fourth and two. There the Panthers have no time outs. You can put them back presumably to the ten yard line. Maybe even better, they need a touchdown, they have to go the length of the field. This is the same head coach who started a second half of a Super Bowl with an onside kick, So I get that he's as aggressive and perhaps maybe as

unorthodox in some of those decisions as they come. But boy, oh boy, the book says point nine percent of the time you punt the football there and trust your defense is the best defense the Saints have had for however long, And he acted like he didn't trust him. I I just I didn't understand that it was weird. It was a weird game. And then obviously you saw the follow out for the Panthers here with all the reports of you know, Shula being out and the changes that they're

making with the offensive coaching staff. Um, it was I think it was a really it's a game or both teams sort of turned a corner. I think, you know, obviously, the Carolina Panthers have made a big commitment to Ron Rivera now for another two years, but he's trying to reorganize his staff. The Saints, I think it's a really good learning experience for them because they do need to learn how to trust that defense. Uh, this is a

game against the Minnesota Vikings. You can't take for granted. Yeah, that Saints Vikings game coming up this weekend will be a big one, and we'll we'll talk as the week wraps up looking ahead to some of those divisional around games. But with that, we'll call it a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team on Packers dot com on Twitter. He's at west Hod, I'm at Mike Spofford at Packers

for the team account. Thanks for tuning in, everybody. We'll see you next time. H M.