#519 Packers Unscripted: Combine chatter

takeaway from the information that they provided. I think it starts with the fact Matt Lafleur mentioning this team is the hunted again. I mean, you go two years where they were out of the playoffs, they were trying to play catch up again within the NFC and obviously the NFC North, and here they are again, thirteen and three, getting back to an NFC title game. In what they need to do not only to maintain that, but take that next step. And I look at this roster right now,

it's young, it's deep, it's talented. You need to find those extra prospects through this process, and maybe another one of these free agents or two that can help put you over the hump. But this team very much is confident where it's going, the direction that it's in, and obviously what it's going to take to get where they want to go. Yeah, Larry, how about you, Mike? I found it interesting the different points of view when you ask them the receiver question, are you interested? Do you

have to upgrade there? Because Brian Goodkins kind of played up more middle of the road because we're talking about whether you go with what you've done before, the big tall range you guys, because the Packers haven't mess him, whether you go with it or you kind of dip into those smaller receivers and Brian Whylle, we'd love to

have that big guy that can do it all. But when I asked Matt Lafleur the same question, that said, you know, if we can hit a guy on a shallow cross or you can take a sixty yards or a touchdown, that's the guy I'm looking for. Sure, it'll be interesting how that dynamic plays out. Yeah, I think so. Getting back to your point, West, Larry, you and I both covered the entirety of Mike McCarthy's coaching career, and if he said it once, he said it a hundred times.

One of the biggest challenges in this league, if not the biggest challenge, is handling success. And as Matt Lafleur said, the Packers are one of the hunted again. This is a team that is going to have to learn in how to handle success. Now, there are plenty of guys in that locker room who have been through this before, but there are also a lot of guys in that locker room who hadn't been to the playoffs before, who had gone through the two losing seasons in eighteen and

that's all they knew in the NFL. Larry, I'm interested in your perspective here. You went through some ups and downs in your career with the Packers. Well, but thanks for bringing it up. But there were there there people can't even remember anymore. I could say it a ten time Super Bowl champion Warriors right there. Now, he played

with Fuzzy and Jerry. But how did things change when you were going into an off season and getting prepared for another season, when the expectations from the outside were maybe a little higher than they had been previously. I think that's a great thing. I think expectations are absolutely fine. And I found an interesting yesterday talking to Matt Furre.

He said, you know, we're either getting better or getting worse no matter how you ended the season, and if you're in the final four or a long way from it, you are on a daily basis, both collectively and individually, you are either getting better or worse. And as long as you take that approach, expectations be whatever they may be. So what it's about here, what's inside here, and what you expect of yourself and your teammates. You know, in

some ways too, I look at this team. You know, they went farther than what happened in two thousand line, but I think that this could really be the launching point for them getting with younger guys on this roster who hadn't experience playoff football before. There's no false confidence with these guys. I mean a guy like jyr Alexander, he's as confident as anyone's ever walked into that locker room in my time on the beat, and now he

has that experience behind him of playing postseason football. So I don't think you chase fourteen wins. I don't think you're looking for these you know, statistics or maybe numerals in terms of what makes you better. But I think that if the packers are able to sort of use it as a launching point, use it as sort of something that can really springboard them now into two thousand twenty, the pieces are there and in so many different facets. Now, are they gonna lose a couple of guys here in

a couple of weeks. Undoubtedly that's what happens with the NFL in the free agent process. But you look at this entire roster and the depth that they built up through the course of the year, and how they did respond to the few moments of adversity that they saw along the way, I think there's a reason to believe that this is only the beginning of bigger things to come. Here's a prediction for you. The guys, the rank and file are going to get tired of being asked about

measuring up to last year, bettering last year. They're gonna get sick and tired of last year. And here's another thing, just personal opinion, last year is not going to play any kind of a role in this year. The dynamics change on both sides of the equation. Your locker room, your personnel, Your everything changes a bit from year to year. As much as you'd go to bottle it up and keep some of the stuff they had, keeping that locker room,

keep that good health, how would that be. As much as you want to bottle it just doesn't happen that way. And every year you gotta earn it once again. And I think that's the challenge that faces the Green Bay Packers, and I think, as I mentioned, they're gonna be more than ready for that challenge because they're gonna get sick

here and about last year. Yeah, And that speaks to something Brian Goodakoon's has emphasized over and over again here is we've heard from him in the off season, and that is that this offseason is not about just chasing the San Francisco forty niners and figuring out how to beat them, because as you said, Larry, it's a year to year thing. You never know how it's going to come together, not only for the Packers, but for the other teams in the league. You don't know who's going

to be that team to beat. Maybe it'll be Green Bay, maybe it'll be San Francisco again, maybe it'll be somebody else who wasn't in the playoffs the last couple of years, just like the forty Niners and the Packers were in twenty nineteen. They were in that position. So Brian Goudacuin's his personnel staff, the coaching staff. This is about putting together and building a roster that's going to be able to withstand the adversity, withstand whatever storms come your way.

It's not about the opponents. It's about what's going on at twelve sixty five and fortifying and building that roster, using the combine here to look to the future and put things together so that, as Larry said, you can keep getting better so you don't start going the other way. Yeah, and history is always the biggest predictor of future success and what's going to happen. And just look at what has happened over the last ten years in the NFC.

If you were looking at the New York Giant in two thousand eleven, well then there comes to San Francisco, forty Niners, Seattle comes right after that, Arizona gets hot, and then you obviously had the run that you had with the Atlanta Falcons and so on and so forth. The league changes, the league evolves in one year does not necessarily just indicate what's going to happen the next There is a challenge. I think it's gonna be a really deep NFC again next year. But the Packers are

back to where they want to be. This isn't like last year where there was questions about, well, you didn't have anybody left from the two thousand fifteen draft. What are you gonna do about some of these positions where there's been uncertainty. They have found a way. And I tip my cap to Brian Goudicus with this that they went and found for free agents that were immediate upgrades

for them. They were able to influence and change the offensive culture and Aaron Jones becomes a legitimate playmaker in this league. There are more answers than questions, and now it's okay, where do we need to find the ways to learn from what happened in the past to put them back in a Super Bowl? Yeah? Well, I want to get back to to Larry's original point about the Packers looking at some wide receivers. They're looking at obviously some upgrades on offense here as they look to the future.

But we also heard about the running back position yesterday as well, and the Packers trying to maybe build some more depth at running back. You talked about Aaron Jones, there's Jamal Williams. Well, both those guys are going into a contract year, so you don't know how long necessarily you keep that duo together. So fortifying that position, building some depth there, That's something Matt Lafleur talked about as well in terms of what he wants to the extra

thing that he wants to bring to this offense. Well, and the thing I keep bringing up as a San Francisco forty niners two years ago, they went and signed Jeric McKinnon. That was supposed to be the guy that was gonna be their offensive You know Bell Cow, and he's had injury after injury where he moster comes out of relatively nowhere off of all these different practice squads to become one of their leading rushers this season. Obviously,

you look at Tavon Coleman. I mean, that's a very legitimate guy that the Packers have become very familiar with. But when they need to go to Jeff Wilson, they did it. When they had to go to Kyle us Check, they did it. I think That just shows you that you don't necessarily want eight running backs. You don't know who you're running with, but you need to have options over the course of a long season. I think that's

the point the Floor is trying to bring up. Also, you know, you look at what the New England Patriots did for a lot of years match up football, not really knowing who they're going to hit you with in any given week. There is something to be said for that kind of unpredictability as well, where hey, maybe it's not always Aaron Jones and Jamal Williams. Maybe there's a third option they can really beat you with. Guys, something about the running back position, and history will bear this out.

As a matter of fact, Pro Football Focused did a scientific study encompasses the last fourteen years in the National Football League. You can find running backs anywhere, any round, you can find them. The Packers are great testament to the jam I mean her and Jones. I mean he was highly a big time first day while round one draft choice, but look at the season he had. But

history says you can find running backs anywhere. So just if he's one of the picks in the sixth or the seventh round, doesn't mean he's not a player because you can find him. James Starks was another one of them. When you go back to two thousand Town. I mean what he provided for them, they are there. It's just trying to find maybe a third option to really give you that extra dimension to that offense. Yeah, and Matt Lafleur also talked about in terms of refining revising some

things offensively talked about the play calling, the verbiage. I think, you know, they want to tighten that up so that maybe the no huddle, the up tempo stuff becomes a little bit more of an option, not just in the two minute drill and whatnot. My point is, I think we're going to see this Matt Lafleur offense evolved. We didn't see the whole shooting match, so to speak, in nineteen. There are some more things that that he wants to do going forward. Yeah, it was one of those things too.

I'd never really got to grow accustomed to watching Rogers with the know the sleeve. I never had been really used to. I was surprised that Din become more of a story because as the season we're on, people just got kind of used to it. And I would like at the end of the year. If I had thought of it, I would have asked, Hey, how did you like the wrist band it? But nobody really ever focused

on that story as time went on. But the thing that was my biggest takeaway if you go back to last month's season ending news conference, was the fleur kind of talking about the fact they didn't really get into their hurry up stuff. They're no huddle other than you know, moments of necessity, and I think that is a really big calling card when you have Aaron Rodgers as your quarterback, to sort of have that that card up your sleeve. And there's a lot of things that play into that.

Rogers is part of it. The pieces around him are part of that. But I think with him mentioning the verbiage and in the offensive coaches working to, you know, maybe simplify some of those things that can go a long way, especially when you're plugging playing different types of athletes.

I think there's a couple of things going on at work here when you talk about the Packers and where's the offense headed Number one is the things you're talking about right now, and that's adding to the list of things you do and so forth and the other thing. And don't underestimate because this because now that you have a season of getting acclimated. I'm not talking just Aaron Rodgers. I'm talking about you have a whole season working it.

What you do, the things you hang your hat on, you will do better because you've got another year in the system. There's two avenues for improvement when you're talking Green Bay Packer offensive football. Yeah, a couple of other pieces of news to pass along. Matt Lafleur did mention on Tuesday that it sounds like there's an agreement in place for the Packers to host joint practices for a couple of days in training camp again next summer, but he wasn't quite prepared to reveal what team that was

going to be. The other thing is he also spoke very highly of the new defensive backs coach that he hired in Jerry Gray. A veteran guy. He's been a coordinator in this league for a couple of years. Most recently he spent several years coaching the secondary with the Minnesota Vikings. He's very excited about the experience that a guy like Jerry Gray bring will bring to the secondary room. And it sounds like he's kind of maybe looking for an experienced type of guy for that wide either coach

position that is still open. Yeah, they're still looking to fill that right now, obviously getting some help scouting prospects, but getting back to Gray, I think having a new voice in there and in Jason Simmons did a wonderful job. Joe Wit did a wonderful job during their time in Green Bay. But you look at his credentials and what he accomplished in Minnesota. There are some Blue Chippers that he helped develop and they weren't all first round draft picks.

So to see what he brings to this group, and in something I thought that was interesting to the floor mentioned it's not just the defensive backs. He's really excited to see what he could potentially add to that whole defensive staff as they you know, try to get some more options there as well. Gray is also a former player, which does not necessarily make you a good coach. However, from what I've heard, he has incorporated that approach, that

experience that you just can't replace. He's incorporated that into his coaching style and the guys really respect him. If you are a good coach and happened to be a former player. It's like a double bonus. But like I've mentioned, just because you play doesn't make you a good coach, but in some cases it puts you over the top as far as being a position coach. Well, over our first two days here in Indy, we have heard from the vast majority of the offensive prospects college players who

are heading into the draft. Before we go today, I want to ask you, guys for the best story you've heard from a prospect at these podiums behind us through these first couple of days. Larry is the one that sticks out to you. It's really a shame, Mike, that you came to me first on this, because I'm not a big sound bite guy, especially in this atmosphere. Now, everybody's on their best behavior. Nobody has fumbled, nobody has

missed a block, nobody has missed a tackle. The birds are singing, and the sky is blue as far as football goes. I'm not a real big sound bite guy at this point, and what I want to do is when the thing kind of gets focused a little more, to start grind and tape, and then when I see a guy's a play here, The next step for me is seeing what he has to say. But first I gotta decide if he used to play. Sorry, but that's

the way I look at all right. I gotta throw a quick little plug for James Morgan uh my former life as a newspaper man. This is one of the last guys that I actually covered when I was at the newspaper. The Green Bay Press Gazette covered him when

they won a state championship in the relay. And he is a really interesting story because not only is he looking to become the first area quarterback from the Green Bay metroary to get drafted in thirty two years, he also grew up a brat fare fan like many kids in the Green Bay area. The story I love from him the most. He wore number four growing up all the way until his eighth grade year. Then he switched

over to number twelve. When he was asked about why he made that decision, he basically said, you can figure it out. So those were his two big idols. He's a quarterback that I think when you look at where he came from, he felt like he was under recruited in the state of Wisconsin. He thinks that's something that a lot of young guys in this state have had to really overcome. But he went to Ball State and then I just say Bowling Green and then he also went down to f I you and he very well

could be drafted here in two months time. Who was the last Bay quarterback to get drafted? Budd Keys from He was after Jerry tagging Jerry and I played a little better. Well one story. I want to pass along quickly because you hear a lot of great ones. And I have no idea if the Packers are interested in this player, and that's not why I'm bringing him up. And he may not even be drafted until the late rounds of this draft. But Adam Troutman the tight end

from the Dayton Flyers. Now, when you say Dayton Flyers, people usually think basketball, right, this is a non scholarship football program. In high school, he was a veer triple option quarterback. He also played corner as like a six three kid. He said he was one of the biggest cornerbacks on the field. Well, he tries to email college programs to get some interest and get a scholarship. He says he was ghosted. Nobody replied to him at all.

He ends up going to Dayton as a non scholarship football player, just jumps in as a tight end, makes a diving catch one day in practice. The coaches like, all right, there's our tight end, and now here he is at the scouting combine. He's probably going to get drafted at some point when a few years ago he wasn't even thinking he'd be able to play college football,

get anybody to pay attention to him. So those are the kinds of stories that are really fun to listen here to here at the combine, and we'll get some more the next couple of days from the defensive guys. Yeah, that's what's cool, because as big as that Joe Burrows like media scrum can get, and obviously Jonathan Taylor just spoke a little while ago, it's those guys that maybe just got here by chance, by happenstance, and at the

end of the day end up becoming NFL football players. Yeah, alright, Well, with that, we will sign off on this edition of Packers Unscripted from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Will have another episode here before we go. Until then, for Larry and West, I'm Mike, we will see you next time,