#408 Packers Unscripted: OTA preview — defense

of one of the practices. So let's continue with the preview but switched to the defensive side of the ball here as the Packers embark on three weeks of O t a S and a week of mini camp. There's a little bit of news at the safety position already, and that there's a report out that Josh Jones is skipping the voluntary O t A S. He he's not happy with how things are going with him and reportedly

has asked to be traded. We're going to see what Matt Lafleur has to say about that and see what develops here this first week of O t a S with regards to that, and maybe address it on another show. But I did want to talk a little bit about the safety position because you raised an interesting point. In our last show six years ago, two thousand and thirteen, the Packers drafted Eddie Lacey in the second round, but oh t A started with Alex Green as the number

one running back. So what I'm interested to see, because different coaching staffs handled this differently. Darnell Savage drafted at number twenty one overall, the Packers traded up for him. By all accounts, he's the guy who's going to step in and start next to Adrian Amos, the free agent acquisition at safety. But we'll see if this coaching staff is going to plug him in right away with the first unit, right from the get go, or if it's going to be an Alex Green Eddie ac situation where

things are handled a little a little differently. At the end of the day, I'm not sure how much it matters, but I'm just curious how Matt Lafleur and his coaching staff is going to handle this situation. Mike, I'm gonna take you down memorily lane. Second. Here it's two thousand thirteen again, both of us are here. Is a little darker, a few less racles, a little one thing that happened at that camp in addition to the Alex Green Eddie

lazy thing. I don't know if you remember this, but Sam Shields held out that year because he had gotten the restricted tender. He wanted to get a long term contract. He reported for the mandatory minicamp, but he didn't participate in O t A s the voluntary portion. Voluntary portion, there was a young man by the name of Casey Hayward, by the name of Devon House. A lot of young guys in this roster ended up getting a lot of

reps that summer because Shields wasn't there. I'm not sure how this all sorts out with Josh Jones and where Savage fits into the big picture, but I think you and I both can agree when you look at the way the depth charted sit stuated right now, this young man is in a position to get a lot of reps, to get a lot of experience. I can't give you an exact example of Okay, well, here was just a rookie that came in the offseason program. It was slotted

in as a starter right away. There weren't many because for the most part, the packers of drafted guys where they already had established starters, and they were sort of bringing these guys up to the pipeline. You were here for Nick collins In and basically the bulk of his career. I'm not sure how they handled him in those early years because basically everyone acknowledged from day one he was

going to be a starter. Morgan Burnette was a guy that ended up being basically a day one starter as well. Safety lends itself to, for whatever reason, as much experience and as much as you know command that it takes for those players to really have on a defense, it lends itself to those guys being able to play right away. And I think when you listen to Savage, you understand his backstory and also the playmaking ability has in him. Uh.

I don't want to compare him to Jaire Alexander. I don't want to put those expectations out there for him, but it just does seem like this is a young man that could come in right away and make an impact. Yeah.

I think that's what he was drafted for. I think that's what that's why Brian Goodacunt has made the investment in that that he didn't trade it away to fourth round picks to move up and make sure that he got him, And Goudacun said later on in the draft, I know for a fact he wasn't going to be there at thirty if he had sat there at the bottom of the first round and waited to try to

get him at that opportunity. So, um, like I said, at the end of the day, whether he's with the number one unit on the first day or the first week of O T a S or if he eventually gets to that spot, in some ways it really doesn't matter. But for me it's more of a curiosity thing from this particular coaching staff because um, it is a new staff, or the bulk of it is is new, and coaching staffs handle these things differently in terms of there's there's

pros and cons to it. There's you're the one way is to put him in there from day one, and you are clear about the expectations for this player that this is what is going to be expected of you. The flip side of it is there are guys who have been here, there are guys who know the system better, and from day one, make the younger guy that you expect to be the starter, beat those guys out, make make them, make them earn that spot to some degree instead of just handing it to him right from the

get go. So there's different ways to go about it well. And it's like the Mike Spofford, you know, let's be real moment of the week here. If you had Raven Green stay healthy last year, we're probably looking at a different situation right now. If Abrahem Campbell doesn't have the significant knee injury that he did, maybe he's on this roster right now. The way the shuffles out is there's so much opportunity with the safety position right now, with

the way the NFL is structured. You can use them in the slot, you can use them in the box as an inside linebacker. They did that last year with Josh Jones, with Campbell, with Eddie Pleasant, all those guys filled that role at different points, even Jermaine Whitehead before he was released. So there is a lot of most multiplicity to that position that lends itself to those guys

being able to get in there right away. The thing I like about Savage and the idea of him playing right away back there with Adrian Amos is you're playing with one of excuse me, what a lot of people I think would consider to be one of the elite young safeties in this league at this point. To have someone to build off of with that, I think would be incredibly beneficial to win because when you look at some of the really good safeties the Packers have had

in the past, they haven't always had that benefit. Nick Collins had to go in and be the man from day one. I just think if Savage does get those reps, and again, we'll see how it works out, but the more work he gets with Amos, I think the better it is going to be for him being able to contribute your one well. And I think another thing about Savages situation here too, is that with Amos, yes, he's new to the Packers, but he is a veteran. He's played in the NFL for four years. He started dozens

of games for a really good Chicago Bears defense. You're not asking Darnell Savage to step in and be the communicator and the signal caller and all of that. Adrian Amos is that guy because he's the veteran, and he's got the experience, and he's, in my opinion, is going to be able to pick up my Petton system without

a whole heck of a lot of difficulties. He's a smart player, all of his The reputation that he brings over from Chicago is you want all of your safeties to have the communication skills, obviously, but Amos is the one who's going to be leaned on um for that responsibility.

So you don't have to put too much on Darnell Savage's plate if you want him to play right away, which is again why I think this could be a really good opportunity for him, because when you go back and look at it, Nick Collins was part of a defensive renovation way back when Morgan Burnett was supposed to be paired with Nick Collins. He gets injured right away with the a c L. The next year, Collins has

the neck injury. The one true example of this is probably Burnett being able to shepherd Micah Hyde and and Ha Clinton. Dick's a little bit, but for the most part, it's been really difficult to get that young and veteran combination together. The Packers are positioned to do that right now in two thousand nineteen. Yeah. Well, another spot, certainly on the defense where opportunity is knocking and it's a spot we've talked about before, and it's inside linebacker, because

the Packers didn't uh draft anybody high. Tye Summers was a seventh round draft pick in the last of the eight picks the Packers made. But you have Blake Martinez as your as your stalwart there at inside linebacker and the guy who's going to be, as Mike Petton likes to say, the nerve center of the defense. But Oren Burks was the third round draft pick last year the Packers traded up for him. The shoulder injury during the preseason, unfortunately,

was a big setback. But this is an opportunity here for or and Burks to potentially step in. Um. Now, granted, different packages, different down and distant situations, you're not always going to have to pure bred, so to speak, inside linebackers on the field. But this is an opportunity for or and Burks to stand up and say, you know, hey, I'm gonna I want to play a fair amount of

snaps in this defense. Yeah, and exactly when you look at it to Mike, the fact that they let go of Antonio Morrison, they didn't go out and just sign another veteran to replace him. They understand the upside with Oren Burks what they want him to be as a player in this league. So from that perspective, I think it is going to be beneficial for him to get

as many reps as he can this summer. It was positioned for him last year to be the guy next to Blake Martinez once Jake Ryan was out of the picture. How many stories did everybody on the beat right last year about how Oren Burks is gonna have to be a year one starter. They go and get Antonio Morrison. You know. That kind of got them through last season,

especially in those early down packages. But the one detriment to that I felt was that you weren't able to get Burks as much defensive experience as you probably want for a third round draft pick. The game has changed a little bit. We'll see exactly what Mike Petton wants to do with a healthy Burks, With a healthy you know,

Blake Martinez. Does he use as many safeties and defensive backs as he did last year in the box next to Martinez that we've talked about, but as much familiarity that those two can develop together, it's going to be better for this defense and and seeing exactly who could be the hybrid option. Those are things you always have to weigh out. But the fact of the matter is Michael, when they drafted or in Burke's, he was sold as

already one of those type of players. Yeah, and that's obviously the goald I think the Packers have for him in the long run. Yeah, I think Burke's is a really intriguing player because one, he's smart. And I say that not just because he went to Vanderbilt, but I've talked to him a couple of times, and this is

a really really sharp guy. He's very self aware. He knows what his limitations were last year, and not just because of the injury, but you know why he wasn't quite able to maybe get the playing time on defense that he wanted. To his credit, he didn't sit and sulk about it and all that. He was asked to be a big time player on special teams and he was one of the leaders on special teams in terms of coverage, tackles and whatnot for this team. Now it's it's a year two for him. It's time to take

the next step. And you know this is this is a guy who's motivate it in a hungry he doesn't have to learn a new system this year because Mike Petton is back. There's a lot of things that could that point to, you know, the arrow pointing up, so to speak, for a guy like Burke. And we've talked so much about this, but when you look at how Blake Martinez made that year one a year to jump.

There were questions about Blake coming off his rookie year about if he could be an every down player, if he was going to be able to actually beat out Jake Ryan and Joe Thomas for regular playing time in the defense. He did that and once he got in that role, and once he you know, he caught up to the speed of the game, he proved that he could handle in every down role in this defense. I think Burke's is in the same situation. Now. This is

a really big camp for him, really big opportunity. You want to get him as much work as possible, and behind him, you still have James Crawford, who was a special team's ace for him last year. Ty Summers coming in. I wanted to show that he belongs. Brady Shelton is a six five inside linebacker that finished last year on the practice squad. So there are a lot of different options to push those guys. And also with keeping in mind you know some the special team attributes as as well.

You may not have a fourth or fifth year veteran that got brought into the mix, but I still think the competition is there amongst those guys. Yeah, alrighty, Well, a little bit of sponsored business here west the Green Bay Packers get ready for game day with the powerful noise canceling technology of Bo's Quiet Comfort thirty five headphones.

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superficial suit partner of the Green Bay Packers. Okay, staying on the defensive side of the ball with regards to O T A S. I think we're curious to see. Obviously, get our first look at Rashawn Gary, first round draft pick out of Michigan, number twelve overall, see how he fixs fits into this at outside linebacker with Zadarius Smith and Preston Smith, the two free agent acquisitions, you have Kyler Facro coming back at outside linebacker off of a

double digit sack season. As I said on our last show, you can't read too much into what's going on in O. T A s. But and these are the kinds of things that we can't necessarily report on until you get to the games in the regular season. But we're gonna be keeping keeping an eye a little bit on personnel packages, you know who in certain situations when they're doing eleven on eleven, who's on the field in the front seven, who's lining up inside, who's lining up outside, those kinds

of things. You and I just kind of make some notes in our notebook and then and then pull those back out in training camp and see where things stand. You can't draw, as you mentioned, you can't draw an overwhelming conclusions based on the three O T eight practices that will be open to the media, even the you know, two or three mini camp practices there's just so much going on. It's hard to actually draw too many conclusions

when guy are in shells. What I will say though, going back, because that's just the theme of today's episode as the two thirteen draft, that first camp practice was when Micah Hyde caught my eye and getting an idea of what he could do on the field, and how smart he was and how instinctive he was, even when he didn't have the back knowledge of the defense at his grasp. He was one of those guys that stood out to me. I think over the years, Mike, there

are guys, there are receivers. You know, your Davante Adams of the world. Adams got off to a great start back in two thousand and fourteen. The next year, even as difficult as that season was for him, Mike McCarthy praised him for being their offseason m v P. This is a chance for the young guys, in particular for me to to see those guys now going up against the veterans on this roster and see how they look, see if they belong to, see if they they look

like they're in the right place. You're not looking for anyone to beat David baktri in a pass rushing drill or to intercept Aaron Rodgers. But it's just trying to get a better feel for what these guys are in for with this league. And and that's always my biggest takeaway. You know, you never write a insider like, oh, who's today's m VP. It doesn't work like that, But it does give you a chance because I've seen it the other side too over the years, um to get an

idea for you know, if these guys really belong here. Yeah, I mean I think we may see. I mean, we don't know exactly how these practices are going to be run.

But one thing, whenever there's the one on one pass rush, past blocking drill, that always gets a lot of attention, but yet to me, when they're not in pads, it's hard to really put too much into that, you know, in in training camp, when it's full pads and full gear and everything, I think those those one on ones become a little bit more meaningful in terms of just

seeing what a guy brings to the table. Receiver versus defensive back is always the fun one right now, because yeah, that one the pads and the full contact is not as crucial to the evaluation part of it, I guess, is what I'm trying to say, because with receivers you can kind of get a feel for how to get in and out of their brakes a little bit, how they come off the line of scrimmage, what kind of techniques they're trying to use, what they might be good at,

and the dbs with their hands, and how hands he is a guy or is or is he able to mirror a guy and not commit the illegal contact or the defensive holding exactly. Yeah, and also to throw one more thing out their quarterbacks. I mean, this has been a couple of years where I mean, you go back to two thousand and fifteen, Brett Hunley didn't get off to a great start, and then that kind of sort of set the table for Scott Tolzine holding onto that job.

You go back to two years ago, I think Taysom Hill shot right out of the gate and really started to catch some attention. Tim Boyle. This is where the fat the fascination started with him last year when you saw the ball come out of his hands with the amount of energy that it did. So, yeah, there's still stuff to be drawn from, but you take everything with a grain of salt, but you also kind of keeping that grain of salt in their back in your mind

once you get to July. Yeah, that's for sure. Quickly before we go with regards to special teams, Um, Sam Ficken is here on the roster as a second kicker alongside Mason Usby. Um, but I think you and I have talked about if there's a specialist that we're really going to have our eye on here through the off season, certainly through training camp. It's j K. Scott, the second year punter. This is a guy who could really really make a difference as the Packers look to take a

big step on special teams. In twenty nineteen, ye as I wrote an insider in box for Tuesday two. You look at what last year with was that Michael Dixon did for Seattle going in there and the weapon that he became as a as a rookie. It was an all pro I believe right out of the gate. J K. Scott, for my money, as every bit as talented as he is. I think I think you look at the leg power, you look at the things he did last year during the summer, Mike, he had a great camp last year,

he had a great off season program. It was just and he he started his rookie season the first month. For six weeks he was really really good. He started to I talked to him after the season was over. It was it was almost a conditioning issue. He felt he physically was wearing down a little bit towards the end of the year. So he's gear ring everything this offseason to getting ready for all twenty games, four preseason,

sixteen regular season, and potentially beyond. The Packers made a heavy investment last year when they drafted him in the fifth round. They took Hunter Bradley in the seventh. They didn't add competition at either of those spots. They expect those two guys to solidify themselves in those roles and become guys that can be here for ten and twelve years and on. You know, the other side of things,

Mason Crosby still doing his thing and you're thirteen. They bring in Fick in, We'll see how much of a real competition that is or how much that is just trying to take some of the work off of Crosby throughout the summer. Regardless, though, I'm sure if you talk to Ficking, any chance a kicker can have to get into a camp to be able to kick in preseason games. That is super valuable because if you're not out there doing it, if you're not on a roster doing it,

it's easy to lose track of you. So for Ficking coming in, he had a couple of cups of coffee with the Rams. This is big for him to be able to get that opportunity to come in and show that he's still is something a guy that could kick in this league for the foreseeable future. And I will certainly plenty to watch. And pretty soon we got to get out to the practice field, so we're gonna wrap

up this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team all through O, T A S and the mandatory minicamp coming up later in June on Packers dot com. Subscribe to us like us on podcast services. We've got the podcast. If you don't like looking at our faces while we talk, you can just listen to us. That's okay too. On Twitter, he's at west Hot I'm at Mike Spofford at Packers for the team account. Thanks for tuning in, everybody, See you next time.