#398 Packers Unscripted: Back in the saddle

agents have arrived, players have departed, others have retired. There has been a whole bunch of Packers related news here since the last time we sat at this desk. Where do you want to start? Well, I mean you could start in a million different places, right, I mean the fact that it's so funny no matter what the offense, the off season and moved so fast, so many things happen, and I think for my money, it's those first forty

eight hours of the negotiating period. The fact that the Packers did come to agreements with four different free agents sign them right at the start of free agency. The outside linebacker situation is going to look a hundred different for the Green Bay Packers this year. Overall, it's just been a lot of change, But I think at the same time, with Mike Petton coming back, you bring an agent and Amos now is sort of the commander there.

On the defense, you have, you know, the two Smiths coming in to help anchor the pass rush, a lot of optimism about the defense and potentially how they can move forward now and offensively. The big thing is Aaron Rodgers, Matt Lafleur and building that foundation now for the offense. And I think because we start to get into this offseason program they've already started up. We have guys coming

in for the strength and conditioning program. Seeing where these teams go, where this team goes, where these players go with thee the puzzle pieces in place is going to be one of the more intriguing things now as we get going into O t A s and mini camps and things of that nature. Yeah, well, what to call it? A flurry of activity in the first couple of days of free agent. He might be the understatement of the off season here in Green Bay. Four players are signed.

You mentioned the two outside linebackers, the pass rushers, and Darius Smith from Baltimore and Preston Smith from Washington. Then you had Adrian Amos from division rival Chicago at safety, and then offensive lineman Billy Turner, a guy who I at least I look at all four of these guys

as starters for the Packers in twenty nineteen. The Packers aren't necessarily saying exactly where Billy Turner is gonna play, but all signs would indicate he's gonna be your guy at right guard when you have that spot essentially wide open here and you sign a guy that early in free agency. And as you said, now the players are getting rolling with offseason workouts, they're in the building, they're getting to know Matt Lafleur and the new coaches that

are here. Nathaniel Hackety, you mentioned Mike Patton obviously has returned for year two as defensive coordinator. There's a lot of energy in this building. There's a lot going on for April, there's a lot. There's a lot going on

around here. And as you said, some certainly some some optimism here, especially on the defensive side of the ball, with the combination of pett and coming back and then some young up and coming players that the Packers have signed as free agents with the idea that their best years are ahead of them, right, And I mean you wrote about it about a month ago already, the fact that the Packers signed a bunch of guys all in that twenty six year old Range Goodkins had such a

great comment going back to the owners meetings about how, you know, he's not really looking for one or two year rental players. He wants guys that are coming into their formative years in the NFL. And I think when you look, you know, Zadarius Smith, Preston Smith, both of those guys have been remarkably durable throughout their career and

have kind of been on the incline. Specifically in Zadarius case eight and a half sacks last year for the best defense in the league, lead them in sacks, and I think he's one of those guys that always had that type of potential. You know, Brian Goodicuins mentioned they've been looking at him back in the two thousand fifteen draft Milt Hendrickson and the Ray Evans ended up getting them in Baltimore, and he's been on this steady rise.

So the biggest thing, I think when you look back to two thousand and eighteen, the Packers were missing something with their pass rush. Now it got home quite a bit. You know, they ended up putting up a lot of sacks, but it was about the consistency side of it and also trying to weather through some of those injuries. Clay Matthews moves on to l A, the Packers move on from Nick Perry, and now you have Kyler Facker on.

These two young pass rushers that I think really are going to bring a new energy to that side of the game. And then Amos, I think is a spot on I think could really under the radar, be the best signing for them this offseason because he brings stability to you know, arguably the most unstable position for them last year with all the difference safeties they had to go through. So I think it's a really good first step. Again, it's all on paper. You have to do it in

on the field, but the potential certainly there. Yeah, I'm really interested to see Amos, certainly, as you mentioned in the back end here with the Packers, because you look at his track records so far with the Bears coming out of Penn Stay it as a draft choice a handful of years ago. Not a lot of the big,

flashy splash plays and whatnot. Um. The Packers signed him not only because he's a reliable guy and they feel like they know exactly what they're getting, but because but also because they feel like the interceptions and the splash plays maybe are gonna start to come for him as he continues to get more and more comfortable in his pro career. All of these free agent signings really were

projection signings for the Packers. They're they're looking at, Hey, it's not about what these not just about what these guys have done, but about what we think they're going to do here in the very near future. The Packers are hoping to capitalize on players who they believe their arrows are pointing up as they say, yeah exactly. And I think when you look at all these guys being twenty six age range, it worked out perfectly for them.

And the two thousand fifteen draft class for the Packers, it it didn't work out the way they wanted it to. But now you've been able to go and get some guys, some really successful players out of that draft class. I think to kind of augment at those positions. I think a guy like Billy Turner too, brings a lot to the offensive line in terms of his versatility. You know, when you pay a player that much money, you would

expect he will start right guard. Appears to be the starting opening right now, but it's understandable the Packers don't want to pay him in a box at this case. And then not to mention you also were able to get Cole Madison back, returning for the start of the offseason program after being away from the team last year. So you know a lot of people in insider inbox have talked about that being almost like an extra draft

pick this year as well. So I think as you go into the draft now in a couple of weeks, Michael, the Packers have been able to address enough of their quote unquote needs that It just when you look at twelve, when you look at thirty, when you look at forty four, it doesn't appear to me that it's like, Okay, you have to get player X, you have to get position X. Here Brian Goodacunts is going to have all of his

options on the table. Yeah. I think that's the biggest thing that this splurge and free agency did for the Packers, and Goodacut's mentioned it immediately when he addressed the media. You make these kinds of moves in free agency, and it gives you all kinds of flexibility heading into the draft. He was going to have some measure of flexibility anyway, because he's going in with ten picks. He has the extra first round pick um at the end of the

first round from the trade last year. Ten picks total. But now, as you said, from a position standpoint, we all know you you want to take the best player available. You don't want to leave better players for your competition to draft. You got to take the best guy who's there at that time. But we also know that roster needs can sometimes start to you know, push the equations or or throw things a little bit out of balance.

Goodakos doesn't have to look at it that way. With the moves that he made in free agency, all the flexibility for what he wants to do, take a best player here, trade up, or trade back. He's got everything as at his disposal now heading into the draft. And I think that's one of the biggest things that these early days of free agency accomplished for the Packers. YEA, and and you want to be able to if you're going to spend money, you want to spend it early.

You want to get the top end, guys, I think you can make a case the Packers got the two most coveted pass rushers there. I think Adrian Amos was right up there as far as safety's and Billy Turner, I think is a lot of potential in front of him, even though he only has about one one and a half two years of starting experience, a lot of versatility, a lot of options, and as as you mentioned with Brian Goodikins going into now his second draft is GM ten picks to work with. The draft is his oyster

so to speak at this point in time. Yeah. Well, in our upcoming couple of episodes, we're gonna take a little bit closer look at the draft and where the Packers stand at some different positions. But before I get too far out of practice, here west the Green Bay Packers get ready for game day with the powerful noise

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Just visit your local supermarket and asked for Campbell's Chunky sup Official sup partner of the Green Bay Packers. Okay, we mentioned players came back a week ago Monday on April eight, if I'm getting my date correct. For the start of offseason workouts, Packers get one extra week of offseason workouts this year because of having a new head coach, so they started a little bit earlier than a lot

of the other teams. But in sticking with things on the defensive side of the ball, I think if there was one thing that I heard from the two defensive players who addressed the media on that that first week of offseason workouts, Blake Martinez and Kenny Clark answered some questions, I really sensed a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of excitement for the fact that Mike Patton is back to continue what he started with this Packers defense. And those were a couple of really key veterans, I thought,

expressing that very clearly and very open. Yeah. Absolutely, And I mean you and I talked about it countless times last season, and I'm not gonna sit here and go, you know, on a diet tribe about you know, last year was one of the top ten seasons for a Packers defense. It wasn't there was a lot to be desired there yet. But when you look at what Petton was up against, the fact that Truman Williams finished the year at safety, even though that wasn't the plan at

all when they brought him back. The fact that they had guys like Eddie Pleasant and I mean you look at all these roster moves Abraham Campbell that come in off the street and are in the starting lineup after a week or two due to injuries. The fact, well your defensive line that you wanted to start the year with Mike Daniels, Kenny Clark and Mohammed Wilkerson. By December,

all three of those guys were an injured reserve. And you're turning to Dean Lowry and Tyler Lancaster and guys like that who really stepped up their games and are showing a lot of promise here for nineteen. As as the Packers get those injured guys back, and nobody was a better example I guess of what the Packers that the course the Packers defense took last year than Dan Lowery. I mean, this is a guy through the first month of the season barely played. At the end of the season,

they couldn't get him off the field. It's just the way the cookie crumbled for the Packers. But I think now and again, you always have to knock on wood in these cases. You never know exactly what's going to happen. But I just think the team is better position to stay healthy to have success. When you look at the signings of a Preston Smith, he started every game, played

in every game that he's been in the league. Couldn't even remember the last time he was down due to injury, probably went back to high school, if not even before that. You look at Zadarius Smith and being able to play as often as he did. Adrian amsmiss what three games and four seasons with the Bears, So you you never know.

You can't protict the future, but you know the past is going to lead you to you know where where you're going to be in the in the presence, So by those guys not having injury history, I think is positive. I think when you look at the areas of which the Packers are building their defense around with Kenny Clark, with with Blake Martinez, with the cornerbacks which you're Alexander, they have studs in place. They have guys that can

be playmakers and difference makers and leaders in place. But they needed to find a way to expedite that process. I think these free agent additions have done that. Yeah. And on the offensive side of the ball, the two players we heard from when offseason workouts began, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, wide receiver Davante Adams. No real surprises there. Rogers certainly addressed as he had done on the radio, all the stuff about the Bleacher Report article. I don't know about you.

I don't really want to get into it. I think it's been rehashed and redone plenty. The key message being the Packers leaders on offense, whether you're talking Rogers or Adams or David Baktiari, Brian Bulaga, whoever you want to pick, this offense is all about moving forward now. It's about Matt Lafleur, it's about Nathaniel Hackett, It's about where the future is and the immediate future as these guys start

to sink their teeth into the teeth into the playbook. Um, we know they're not going to be doing any on field stuff quite yet, but that's that's certainly coming up. They're having meetings going for you know, some of the some of the x's and os on the big screen, all that kind of stuff, and um, again I sense it. It's an excitement thing. There's there there's a newness. There's a freshness to everything that's going on here. And when your veteran players are are voicing that, I think that

speaks volumes to how things have gotten started. The There was a line I made an inbox about two or three weeks ago. And I'm not usually onet just to toute my writing, but there was there was a point I was trying to make with it, and that's if you fix the fox fauce at the leaks stop right, if you win football games, the outside noise quiet people. I'd ask, you know, are these things that Rogers needs

to address that Matt Lafourns are addressed. In my thought the entire time has been you need to concentrate on what's in the locker room. Now, if that's something that La Fleur and Rogers want to talk about in a private setting, that's up to them. But in terms of that locker room, what's happened in the past, what happened in two thousand eighteen doesn't dictate what happens in two

thousand nineteen. And I thought the amount of people that stepped up, uh, not not just about the bleacher report thing. I'm talking about, you know, just Rodgers leadership, about this team being six nine and one last year, about you know, Mike McCarthy era ending, La Fleur era starting It's been pretty important. I think if you talk to Matt la Flour to start a new you know, you look at the things he's done around the building, the new murals that he's put up, the lighting has changed near the

locker room. They are trying to put their own imprint on this thing. And for Matt Lafleur, it's about building that relationship with Aaron Rodgers and getting them back on track. There was a great question that was asked her in the news conference with dot Davante Adams basically saying, Hey, do you think Aaron Rodgers just wants to go out there and you know, shove it up. Everybody's you know what, you don't play well, and Adams said his first response was, well,

I know, I do. So there are guys on this football team that are dedicated to Rogers that they want to be successful again. That two thousand sixteen draft class we were just talking about. Those guys went to an NFC championship game and haven't been to the playoffs the past two years. Aaron Jones has not been to a playoff game played at Utah where they didn't have a whole heck of a lot of success. There is a

hunger to be able to turn this thing around. And as Aaron Rodgers said his most poignant statement in his time addressing the media for eighteen minutes, he looks at it from the fact that there is no grace period. You are the Green Bay Packers. He's a two time m v P quarterback, they have a veteran line, they

have a veteran corps. You gotta go out win some ballgames. Yeah, And I think, as as I had mentioned when we did a three Things video with Larry McCarron and in in box other discussions that we've had that line about no grace period, I I really took that one to heart, because I don't think that was that was Rogers just saying that. UM put it this way. I think he

was saying it for multiple reasons. Number One, whatever pressure is going to be on him to perform and to return to his m v P level, he's saying, bring it on. I'm he's not. He's not gonna and there at his locker every week and give excuses about, you know, trying to learn the new offense and this, and that. He's already drawn the line in the sand in that respect.

But I think he was also sending a message to his teammates, to the rest of those guys in that locker room that hey, there's no grace period for me. There's none for you either whether you're in the second year of Mike Patton's defense or the first year of Matt Lafleur's offense. However you want to look at it, this team is the goal is to win. The goal is to get back to the playoffs and get back

to where this team has been. And and this isn't about you know, being able to take a red shirt year, so to speak, and just say, well, nobody's going to expect anything of the Packers with the first year head coach, and you know we'll worry about that's uh, your leader number twelve there, the quarterback is saying, that's not the approach. And everybody in there is a professional athlete at this point. They're making good money to do what they do. Uh,

they are the cream of the crop. They are guys who have gone through the scouting process with the Packers. They felt that these are players that can become contributors and become Pro Bowlers and All pros and be able to win championships. And as Rogers said, that's what we have to get back to, competing for championships. He even made a little bit of a joke about the success that the Brewers and the Bucks are having, Well, maybe it's time for the Green Bay Packers to pick it

up too. That's what it ultimately comes down to, because there is a culture that's been established and when you go back to back seasons without making the playoffs, whatever reasons played into that, the fact that you didn't do that was the first time in what twenty eight years that that's happened. You have to find a way to get some answers. I just think people want change, they want adjustments, they want something new. The Packers certainly did

that from the top down this offseason. Something you gotta roll the dice and see how it comes out. But I mean the fact that they're at this point in time now and at least there is that new energy that you're talking about. I think in terms of just the off season, it's mission accomplished. Yeah. One other thing I want to touch on here before we sign off on our first show back West. Four Packers players in recent weeks have announced their hirenment John Kuhn, Jordy Nelson,

Josh Sitting, and t J. Lang. It's quite a list. I didn't think about it. I'm just gonna throw to you all four of those guys Packers Hall of Famers. Yeah, and equivocally, I think it's gonna be tough to get them all in the same year. Yeah. That might. We We'll have to see how they how it gets spaced and parsed out here once they become eligible for the Packers Hall of Fame. But I'm with you. I think

they all belong. I just think, and you know, and I know everybody had a varying contribution to the Super Bowl forty five team, Sitting was young and his career as a starter. T J was still a backup. Jordy came on late that season. John Kuhn was John kun But the culture that they built, the cornerstones that they were, and I think to you, man, the toughness that each of them showed throughout their career. Yeah, you can't say

enough about it. It is weird, though, I will admit this, and you've gone through this a little bit now having covered the team since two thousand and six. It is strange for me a little bit to see this start happening because I remember, like it yesterday of writing a story in the Packers locker room about how t J. Lang and Josh Sitton were the youngest veterans on a offensive line in the NFL. They were both like twenty six or twenty seven years old, and it wasn't close.

A lot of teams had thirty year olds. They were the two youngest, the two youngest guys to be leading a room in the NFL. And that was like two thousand twelve, and now they're retired. I mean, the NFL moves quickly. It's why you have to make every game count but to each of them, I think Packer fans certainly owe a debt of gratitude for their contributions in

Green Bay. Yeah, I think you said it best. If there's one characteristic I would apply to all four of those guys across the board and everything they did for Green Bay, it was toughness. It was it was getting out there, giving everything they had, no matter what injuries they were dealing with and what not, to get out there and play. And uh, that's that's a group that won a lot of football games. Yeah. And I think Mark Murphy has talked about this a little bit too.

At some point it sounds like the Packers will hold the retirement ceremony for Jordy Nelson. That's going to be emotional. Yeah, because, as I wrote an inbox, I think shortly after the announcement, I don't know if there's ever been a player, Honestly, goodness, Michael, I don't know if there's been a player in my lifetime that's connected as well with the fan base as Jordy Nelson did. He could have walked into any living room in Green Bay, Wisconsin and fit in just like

another member of the family. I mean, that's just the kind of guy he was, and certainly for him to to step away the game at this point when I think he could probably still play if he wants to, probably says a lot about his outlook on life as well. Yeah, certainly up there in adoration with another guy at his position and Donald Driver in terms of the way the fan base feels about him. So a couple of house

cleaning things, so to speak. I want to alert the fans to keep an eye out on our website for our pre draft position by position series that will be launching this week. It'll go through this week and next week taking a look at just where the Packers roster stands at various positions heading into the draft. As I mentioned, we'll be talking a little bit more about the draft

and our upcoming shows. And then also the word is the NFL schedule for twenty nineteen is coming out this week, so we will have that coverage on our website as well as hopefully some time on a show to talk about that when it happens. Absolutely, and one other thing I want to throw out there too. We get so caught up, Michael, and you're in my video presence here on Packers dot Com. And the Packers Mobile app. A reminder, you can also find us on iTunes the Packers app

on there as well. Big shout out to our podcast listeners. We we love the audience absolutely subscribe like it if you don't want to look at us always, or if you just want the comfort of listening to us through your earbuds, that's also an option as well. We appreciate it as always, all right, And with that, we will sign off on Packers Unscripted for now, but we'll be back with more shows, trying to do roughly maybe two shows a week here for the next couple of months.

We'll see how that goes. Don't hold us to it exactly. With that, you can follow him on Twitter at west Hot I am at Mike Spofford at Packers for the team account, Thank you for tuning, and everybody, we'll see you next time. A