Hi, everyone, Welcome to Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spofford. He is the one and only wes Hodkoits. We're coming to you here from our studios at lambeau Field West. The first preseason game is upon US Packers versus the Tennessee Titans Thursday night, seven pm, kickoff at lambeau Field. Let's get right into it. There's a lot of things to be paying attention to here
in the preseason opener. The first thing that comes to mind for me is this backup quarterback battle Deshaun Kaiser Brett Hunley. It's going to last throughout the preseason, all four games, but this is sort of stage number one. Since the beginning of time, Mike, since they decided they want to do an exhibition season, going back to when there was six games and fifth he practices in training camp. The precinct games always seemed to come down to the
quarterbacks and seeing what these guys look like. Because, as we talked about and some of the other videos we've done, and even some of our discussions for stories, so much of practice you only can make so much out of it. I think there's conclusions you can draw. You see guys like Jake Kumeuro stepping up. Um. You know, guys who you thought were relatively obscure become sort of names. But at the end of the day, you have to get
in the preseason action. I think the quarterback position epitomizes that. Deshaun Kaiser, my first impression of him, has an NFL caliber arm. You look at him standing, he looks like
an NFL quarterback, uh, and some good athleticism there. Now, can he take everything he learned from last year with the with the Browns and kind of getting thrown in the fire and now working with Frank Signetti here in Green Bay and Mike McCarthy and trying to make those adjustments and really show that he's grown as a player still only twenty two years old, a lot of football
ahead of him. And then conversely with Brett Hunley also played a lot last year, also got thrown in the fire in some reguard and seeing if he can be her for it. Yeah, I think it's a matter of seeing the progress from both of these guys. Brett Hunley has nine starts from a season ago tape that he was able to digest throughout the offseason. Running this offense. There were some tweaks to the offense, some new things to get adjusted to, but he's looking to show the
progress that he's made. And with Kaiser, he talked in the spring about really how his fundamentals were kind of broken down by this coaching staff. They changed a lot of things with his footwork, some things with his mechanics, all of that kind of stuff. And I think Aaron Rodgers said the other day, it's starting to look a
little bit more comfortable for Kaiser. It looks like he's starting to have a little bit more fun out there on the field, doesn't need to isn't quite as bogged down, maybe, so to speak, in the lack of success a year ago in Cleveland. This is a fresh start for him. It's an opportunity for him to take advantage of. The Packers wanted a competition at backup quarterback to really find who the best guy is going to be. If heaven forbid, something were to happen again to Aaron Jers, and this
is the competition they've been looking for. So it's time for someone to to take that first leg up and and start to take charge of it. The Packers took a scrub brush approach with their playbook this offseason. I think for de Shaun Kaiser it's taking a scrub brush approach to his rookie season because you go back Steve Young didn't have a great start with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brett Farve did not have a great start with the
Atlanta Falcons as a second round pick as well. So for Kaiser, him being thrown in the way he was, it's just it's not realistic. And I understand, and my thoughts are with the Browns for the situation they were in. They felt like that's what gave them the best chance of trying to get a victory. But a twenty one year old quarterback that that entered the league early was making the adjustments he had to make and having to have arguably one of the worst rosters in the NFL
to play with. It's it's tough for anybody to overcome. So I think what's gonna be interesting for him is the reps he does get in this preseason. I think for Hunley too, in some ways, everything's gonna slow down a little bit now because of how fast you know, the two thousand seventeen season, when when you know all
those bolts were flying in the snaps really matter. Yeah, Well, when this game kicks off on Thursday night, it's going to be a long list of young wide receivers who are going to be trying to make an impression themselves and help out these quarterbacks and decide this backup quarterback battle. Now, Aaron Rodgers had some very interesting comments at his locker
after Tuesday's practice. He pointed out, as far as the young receivers go, he likes the progress he's seen from Geronimo Allison, D'Angelo, Yancey and Jake Kumero you mentioned him earlier, but very critical of of the effort level, the concentration level, the mental mistakes that he's seen in practice after practice from a lot of the other young receivers. Now, if that isn't a kick in the butt, I don't I
don't know what is. I mean. These guys are going to be motivated enough, obviously, these young guys their first NFL preseason action to to make an impression. But hey, you also you want to catch number twelves I here and and and say hey, I'm I'm improving, I'm doing better.
I heard what you said. I'm going to get this thing straightened out because they all want to get on the same page with wall I'm glad you brought this up to Michael because for me, the one thing you know, and you've covered Rodgers basically his entire career here, he doesn't say anything for the sake of saying it. There's always meaning behind it, there's a reason. And when he was talking about that, yes, you can perseverate on what his comments were about some of the young receivers and things.
But the thing I thought about was two years ago in those scout team reps. At that time, Geronimo Allison was a nobody. He was a guy that played a couple of seasons at Illinois, had a little bit of buzz to him as an undrafted free agent. Aaron Rodgers goes in there and run some of that scout team stuff. While I believe at the time, I want to say it was what Brett Hunley and Scott Tolzine basically running the first team stuff. Going into that first preseason game,
Geronimo Allison started to make plays. Geronimo Allison started to show something to Aaron Rodgers. It's a challenge, it's a challenge to those young receivers on this roster to be the next Geronimo Allison. Not maybe necessarily from the stand point of a college free agent trying to make a roster, but as a young player trying to show that their skill set, their tools can apply to this level. You
can't have any let up. We know how important these training camp practices are, especially when they're in the pads. You only get so many of them. You have to make that work count and I think for those young guys that definitely is going to be a challenge for them to, you know, rise next time they around the field with him. Yeah, when you talk about a guy like Jake Kumero, Aaron Rodgers has been very praiseworthy of
this young man. He spent time a couple of years on the practice squad with the Cincinnati Bengals, also some practice squad time with the New England Patriots. The Packers brought him in right at the end of last season, then signed him to the offseason roster when when things were done, he's talked about, you know, he learned from a guy like a j. Green and Cincinnati one of the best in the league sort of, you know, his
his preparation, how he goes about his job. And uh, as I said in our Final Thoughts video, which will be up on Packers dot Com, which we just got done taping before we stepped in here, I don't know what else Jay Kumarro can do on the practice field. The preseason games are here. Now it's like, okay, now, let's see what he can do in the game setting.
And if he continues to make the impression that he's made, it could be very difficult to leave him off of this rous Well, and what's funny to me, Mike, In no disrespect to the wonderful University of Wisconsin, Whitewater won numerous Division three championships, but heck of a program. How this guy ever ended up at the D three level. This is a Division one caliber athlete. You look at his bloodlines, where his family comes from, and he did start there, but but he was a walk on. He
didn't get a Division one scholarship. Yeah. So, I mean in Gerontoy Ellison talking with him, you know last week he even mentioned they didn't play together, their time didn't correlate, but they played with some of the same people. And uh, they really was a big thinking there that this is a kid that could could be a player, and for him and you even saw, like look at Jared Aberdaris at Wisconsin what he did walking on at a Big ten school and then becoming a draft pick later on
and having the success he did. I look at Kumro and and I just I don't see a Division three players. What I'm trying to say it is, he said, And I thought it was his best quote so far this whole camp is when he's on the field, he doesn't think of himself as a D three player. He thinks of himself is one of ten or eleven, twelve receivers trying to make a roster. He was watching, he was listing when the Packers drafted three receivers in the draft.
What does that tell you to him? It wasn't that he well, this is just, uh, you know, there's no chance I'm gonna make this roster now. It was telling him that there's opportunity here and they're looking for these young guys to step up. And I think he's really done that through the first two weeks of camp and now needs to do it in a preseason game. Yeah. It's one of those things that once everybody's in here
in camp and you get to these preseason games. It doesn't matter where you came from, doesn't matter where you were drafted, how you got to Green Bay. It's what you do on the field in in those preseason games. And these guys are gonna be watched close. In a similar message to for D'Angelo Yancey. He he had a big career at Purdue. He was a fifth round draft pick last year, didn't make the roster, spent the whole
year on the priests and the practice squad. He's coming back this year as a practice squad guy, trying to make this roster. And I think he's done some nice things. I like how he operates in the slot. And Aaron Rodgers, you know, even mentioned to the progress he's made. It's noticeable going from year one to year two. Yeah. Well, another position that will definitely be watching on the offensive side of the ball is offensive tackle. Brian Bulaga back
in practice on a limited basis. I would imagine he's not going to play Thursday night. David Baktari is currently out with an ankle injury. Fortunately said nothing catastrophic, your basic garden variety basketball sprained ankle, so he'll just need some time to heal. But that puts the competition for the backup tackle positions and the pecking order. They're kind of into the spotlight. You have Kyle Murphy, Jason Spriggs to third year guys coming off of injuries of their
own from last year. And then a veteran Byron Bell who was brought in as a free agent, has started for multiple teams that multiple positions across the line through his career thus far. These guys are going to get a lot of snaps at offensive tackle, left side, right side, whatever you want to say on Thursday night, and uh, it's it's a chance for them to make an impression as well as the coaching staff is going to decide, Okay, if there's a game that Bolaga or bok tr can't play,
who's the guy that we're going to call? Yeah, exactly. And you look at Spriggs, he put on that extra weight this offseason, right in that twenty pound range. He looks more, he looks fuller, he looks like an NFL tackle now and trying to make the progress and the steps there. Kyle Murphy coming back off the foot injury, I really liked what I saw from Murphy last year. I mean before Justin mccraie became kind of a thing with with him being thrown in at basically every position
and having to make do. Kyle Murphy was actually that first guy. He was sort of practicing the entire offseason program. At first, he was working at guard. There was thought that maybe he compete for a starting job there before
Jerry Evans was signed. Then he's working at right tackle for a spell, and then sure enough, probably one of the freakiest of freak injuries you'll ever see with the BAKR and the opener, and now Kyle Murphy had to be the starting left tackle for the Green Bay Packers, and I thought he managed that role well for two weeks, unfortunately suffered that foot injury. But now coming back and in working both those sides, it's valuable experience. And Mike
McCarthy says it time and time again. You want to be able to just get a guy work at one spot. That's what's happening with McCray this year. But realistically, when you're the sixth or seventh offensive lineman going into a regular season, you have to be ready to play anywhere McCray did an except exceptional job of that last year. Now you're looking at Murphy and Spriggs trying to do
the same thing. Yeah, I will say for the lack of experience that Murphy had his rookie season, he hardly played maybe a little bit on special teams like on field goal protection or something like that, he when he was thrown into it, especially at left tackle, you're protecting the blind side of the franchise here in Aaron Rodgers. I thought he was a pleasant surprise in terms of
really how he held up. And as we talk about with offensive lineman, there a story going into the game, but then if they're not a story coming out of the game, that's a good thing. And I thought after that first start he had at left tackle, we weren't really talking about com more. If it's like, okay, he's holding his own, you know, he'll be all right. And and that's a credit to him because nobody really knew
except for him. He's a very confident guy. He was very confident in his abilities, but nobody else knew on the outside, you know, really what to expect. He showed up and unfortunately the injury. Now he's come back from it. He's been working both sides, as you said, and uh, and this is another chance for him to to start fresh and to make that impression through the preseason. And then the side did that too, Mike, I I've wrote
about in the offseason. You tip your cap to James camp and because what they had to go through last year, lane Taylor playing left tackle game, you had to have all these different moving parts. Justin McCrae was a street free agent at the end of March and he ends up starting eight games for you at multiple positions. The Packers don't want to repeat that again, but I thought that was one of the ultimate silver linings for that
offense last year, is the way they actually dealt with that. Yeah, all right, Well, before we pivot to the defensive side of the ball here, West, I want to take care of some sponsor business at home or here in the stands. We all know that Green Bay fans give it their all and that takes a lot of energy. So grab a warm bowl of Campbell's Chunky Soup. It's meaty goodness fuels the greatness of Packers fans everywhere. Try the delicious
classic chicken noodle soup. Just visit your local supermarket and ask for Campbell's Chunky Soup, the official sup partner of the Green Bay Packers. Okay, defensive side of the ball here, preseason game number one. I know there's a lot that needs to be sorted out in the secondary, a very deep group that the Packers have. We've seen Kevin King, Jayra Alexander not practicing this week with would have been
termed as minor injuries. I'm not necessarily going to be watching the secondary as much in this game as I am the linebackers, because whether you're talking inside or outside linebackers, there's a lot of young guys here that frankly need to get ready to play in and they haven't played a whole heck of a lot of NFL football at this point. Starting on the inside. You know Jake Ryan season ending a c L injury. This is an awfully big game for a guy like orn Burke's, isn't it.
It really is a third round draft pick. Talking to him about a week and a half ago, he mentioned this is his opportunity, This is his big shot to show why he was a third round draft pick and why the Packers had the belief in him to make him that that selection and and really I've wrote about this too. No matter what happened with Jake, Ryan, Orn Burks was going to have a role on this defense this year. He was. They talked to Hi about the
coverage linebacker duties. You know how a season goes the inside linebacker position, the amount of contact there is at that spot. You have to have multiple options. The last three years have proven that, and Joe Thomas was one of those fixtures along with Ryan and Martinez. Well he's gone now, so now you have Oren Burks coming in. I love his measurables, I love his speed, athleticism. Needs to show that he can be come in and be
an impact player right off the bat. There may be nobody being coached harder on the practice field right now than or Burks. I'll just say that for anybody who's been at practice. You hear inside linebackers coach run game
defensive run game coordinator Patrick Graham. You're hearing his voice all the time, and he's saying, oh, b a lot for or and Burks because there's he's he's just on him, and it's it's just a reflection of the sense of urgency because they leaving this kid, third round pick out of Vanderbilt, and his role got exponentially larger in when Jake Ryan went down. He did and and you know, we get these questions a lot in inbox, Mike. I
know you've been answering him. I've been answering him. You know, why don't the Packers go out sign a veteran inside linebacker? And the point I want to make is one Brian Goodcoin's the scouting department, even the coaching staff to some extent, they're challenging these young guys. A guy like a Mod Thomas coming back off the practice squad, also a converted safety trying to make that move. Grim Martiniz had a really impressive camp so far as an undrafted free agent,
playing on a lot of special teams. You lot of special teams, drills and and they have quite a few options there. The reason why you don't always see a team, not just the Packers, but any NFL team, Okay, well we have an injury in a big position, go out sign a free agent. Well, now you're kind of pigeonholed into that free agent. He can't bring a guy in and then maybe not like what you see and just throw him on the bench. You have to know what
you're doing. When the Packers did that with Cedric Benson in two thousand twelve, it was almost a worst case scenario, in case of emergency, break the glass kind of thing, and we saw it would end up been there. The Packers end up going with their young guys. Anyway, that's the big thing here. You have young guys, you've taken them, you've trusted them, you've developed them since April. You got to trust them to step up to this challenge. Yeah, you've got to see what they have in the preseason
games when the lights come on, and we'll see what happens. Obviously, you never know if they're going to be more injuries. Maybe some guys emerge, maybe some guys don't pan out. We saw at the end of last season guys like Quentin Dial and a Mod Brooks were veterans who were brought in late in the process when the Packers felt they did need to fortify somethings. So just because they aren't signing somebody now doesn't mean they aren't going to.
But at the same time, they're going to give these young guys that they've been developing a chance to show what they have and all you're doing by bringing a veteran guy now is taking away very valuable practice in preseason reps from the guys that you that you want
to prove themselves. And if you do the maddened thing that I think all these fans want to do, not all them, but some, you know, that eliminates the potential of having a Justin McCrae or a Geronimo Allison or even like a Reggie Gilbert if to stack that group up. You know, who knows if Reggie Gilbert gets the opportunity that he did at the end of last year to kind of step up and now potentially be a contributor in this defense. Yeah, you have to trust your development process.
It's a young man's game. There is certain times that it fits for a veteran. I think Jerry Evans was a good example that last year. But at the end of the day, you have young guys and you're developing them for a reason. And I think, again, we have to see all this preseason turns out, how the training camp turns out. But right now, with having Blake Martinez established and finding options next to him, the course action makes sense for the Packers. Yeah, with regards to the
outside linebackers, Nick Perry is still on pup. Looks like he's maybe getting close to practicing, but has not been cleared yet. This first preseason game not likely. I would think that Clay Matthews would play, or if he does, it will be very limited. So here we go, Reggie Gilbert, Vince Biegel, Chris Odom, Kendall, Donnerson, Kyler Facral. You know,
here's your chance. You know, show that you as we talked about with the offensive tackles, show that you're the guy that the coaches are going to call on first when Nick Perry or Clay Matthews needs to take a playoff or a game off as something happens with you know, an injury so to speak. So this is, uh, this is where it starts. There are four these preseason games. These guys are going to get a lot of reps and uh, and it's like, hey, who can set the
edge and who can get after the quarterback. I've said this time and time again. I think there was kind of the spoiling factor a little bit with having Julius Peppers there. That doesn't happen not only in Green Bay, but anywhere in the NFL that you have a guy like him just waiting in the wings and being able to use him in as many different ways as the
Packers did well a couple other things too. I mean, when you look back at those years, I mentioned this an insider inbox, you you also had Mike Neil, who was an accomplished professional player. And then you had a former first round draft pick in Dayton Jones who was transitioning to outside linebacker, a guy who you know did have a few accomplishments in the league even before he shifted over. This is a completely different situation in terms
of the depth. It's about finding out what these guys have. And I've covered teams too, and I've said this before. Desmos has started six games for the Packers in two thousand twelve. I mean, there is good, healthy talent at that position. Forank Zambo got a sack in the Super Bowl. I mean as a rookie. So you have Kyler Facral, third round pick Vince Bagel did not get a chance to play in the preseason last year, coming back as
a fourth round pick. I think Reggie Gilbert's been in the system for two solid years of development and making that switch. And Chris Odam is a guy that could have easily been drafted a year ago, had been talking to the Packers, so they have ability. Now can you rise up to that occasion? And that's why for me and I mentioned our our final Thoughts video for the website, that's the position I'm looking the most at because they're going to have an abundance of opportunities in this game
against the Titans. Yeah, no question about it. Before we go west, one last thing in the spotlight here it's the new surface at lambeau Field. I know, family night, the lights were on everything. By all accounts, the surface held up well. But Mike McCarthy even said, now you're
playing a game. It's full sixty minute and everything. And the Packers are actually going to play two games on this new surface now in a span of eight days, two consecutive Thursday nights before then there's a break before that season opener Sunday night football against the Chicago Bears. So you know, all the reports so far the surfaces in great shape. Everybody loves it. Hats off to Alan Johnson and his crew. But but yeah, now we get to see what it really looks like. I'm throwing a
nice little adjective there for you as well. From our public relations court or public affairs coordinator, Katie Hermson, she said it was cute. It was a cute field. It's acute, so for for my for my money though, it's a pristine. I was blown away by how nice it looked. I wasn't here in two thousand seven when they put in the last one. Uh. It's it is a everything you wanted to be and I'm excited to see how it plays out now now that we got some football games.
All right, With that, we will sign off on this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team and of Thursday nights game, of course, on Packers dot com on Twitter. He is a West hot I met Mike Spofford at Packers for the team account. Thanks for tuning in, everybody, See you next time. H