#535 Packers Unscripted: Packers getting started

this season takes us. But what I just said is really the key phrase. Training camp is underway. Training camp finally is underway, Mike, And what does that mean? That means we have football to talk about again, and that's a positive thing. It was a heck of an offseason. I've said this time and time again. I know inbox readers got tired of me saying it. That was about is challenging of an offseason as I've covered, uh not not just as a Packers beat writer, but just in

general of doing this as a profession. I mean so many of us. The line you have to walk there is you don't want to beat the dead horse. You also want to provide people with a service and let people know what is going on and where things are at. It just moved at such a snail's pace this offseason until we finally got to this point. The positive thing is you're healthy. I'm healthy healthy. Larry McCarron is healthy.

We've got to August now, agreement packers have put their protocols in place, and now everybody in a cautiously optimistic way, hoping we can have football here within the next month. Yeah, and we certainly hope you and yours, all of you watching listening to the return of our show here that you are safe and healthy as well. The start of training camp obviously very different from other years. The main thing that has been going on thus far over the

last several days is the COVID testing. All the players are getting listed on a daily basis, and as far as the work of training camp goes, it's been meetings and it's been some playbook walkthrough type of exercises. There's going to be a slow ramp up here to the full contact, padded practices that are the tradition of training camp. Those are going to start somewhere around the middle of August. So we have a little while yet before we get

to that point. But then once those start, it's going to be a few weeks of those padded practices to get ready for week one, because West, there are no preseason games this summer. There are not, Mike, And to be perfectly honest with you, I was really a huge fan of the ramp up period idea. These guys didn't have an offseason, a physical offseason program. Certainly Matt Lafleur felt like there was a great value and then being able to to stay home, stay in their playbooks and

get to know the system. But you and I both know the game changes once you hit the practice field, and these guys need an acclamation period. This is how I feel personally to be able to get back into the groove here in a day to that it will also allows them the early window there to test guys, to get a barometer of what they're looking at in terms of COVID cases coming in and hopefully keeping them

out once practices do begin. Now, all that being said, Aaron Rodgers in his conference call with reporters on Monday, he brought up a real salient point and that this is going to be a big challenge you basically have three three and a half weeks now before you you know, start going out there with with real you know, football going on, so trying to get the scheme in. Certainly they've done the installs mentally and virtually, but doing that

on a practice field is going to be important. Matt Lafleur already said, even though there won't be preseason games, they are trying to find ways to simulate that competition. They're gonna potentially have live scrimmage periods. They're going to practice, likely inside lambeau Field more than just the traditional family and I practice to give guys an idea of what it's like to be in a stadium like that. Certainly, it's it's gonna be different. This whole process is going

to be strange. But the first and foremost it's the health and and well being of the players and their families, and then beyond that, trying to you know, potentially play some football and win some football games. So the Packers have their priorities straight. The testing is in place, and now it's just kind of a fingers crossed approach that they can get to the start line here of the

regular season. Yeah, yeah, and everyone we've heard from so far at the time we're taping this, we've heard from Brian Goodacuts, Matt Lafleur, Aaron Rodgers, and Kenny Clark, and all of them in one uh former fashion, have emphasized how much the success of this season, not only for the Green Bay Packers, but for the NFL in general, to try to play a sixteen game regular season through a pandemic, it's going to come down to personal accountability,

personal responsibility. The Packers doing everything they can within the facility to keep players safe to last around lock there's you know, meetings are are virtual, more spread out, different locations, all of those kinds of things. Obviously, the practice field is going to be the practice field, but the Packers are trying to mitigate the risks every where else. It's on the players everybody. I mean even you and me West to a certain extent, because we will be you know,

watching practice and things like that. But the players, the coaches, all the support staff that's in contact with the players every day, they have to take the personal accountability and responsibility to do the right things away from the facility so that that virus does not come into twelve sixty five and create an outbreak or create a problem that the team has to deal with. Now, will there be positive tests? Yeah, most likely. And there can be positive

tests because somebody, not because somebody does something wrong. Somebody can do everything right and you can still get this virus. So that's why the onus is on, uh, what you do away from the facility, the things that you can control. That's what the message has been from the GM, the head coach, the quarterback, everybody all the way down. It's on everybody to do their part here over the long haul. Yeah, and I don't remember who said this, it was one

of the coaches in the NFL. If I had have done my research, proud really beforehand, I could have gotten you a name. But they mentioned that this isn't even just about player A tow player B. This isn't about your teammates. It's about that teammates family. It's about making sure that you keep that circle small and making sure that you keep those people healthy. Kenny Clarke touched on it yesterday too. He's in a great position where he's not, you know, married, he doesn't have a child right now.

His focus is mainly on football. And then he also has his family. There's guys that have small children that are gonna be playing in the league this season. There's guys that are gonna have family members that are gonna be with them. They're going to be able to, uh, They're gonna want to be able to keep them as healthy as possible throughout this process. So having that accountability.

It's one thing for Wes Hotkowitz to walk in the building and want to make sure that Mike Spofford stays healthy, But it's another thing to make sure that Mike Spofford's wife does that, Mike Spofford's children, that Larry McCarron's wife. Those are the things that are paramount. That's the things on my mind as well. It's that, yeah, there is a there's a certain commitment and accountability to each other, but it's also that commitment that goes on to someone's

family as well. And I think one thing that Brian Goodacuin's Matt Floor have done an exemptionary, exceptional job about exemplary job the boat. I was trying to say both of those words, uh this offseason was was reiterating that to the players and telling them that this isn't just about football. It's about making sure that you know you guys are teammates, your brothers, your family, and making sure

that you take care of each other. And that includes being disciplined because there's going to be instances when things just happen. It's the way the world is right now. But are you making smart choices to minimize those risks? Yeah? And we did have one Packers player thus far who has opted out of the season due to the coronavirus pandemic,

and that was free agent wide receiver Devin Functious. He decided not to play this season and West We talked a lot during the off season, before the draft, after the draft. It's still going to be a topic obviously, all the way through training camp the Packers wide receiver position. Devin Funcious was the primary addition to that group. The Packers did not spend a draft pick on a wide receiver.

They did add Reggie Begelton if I'm saying that correctly from TfL and an under after rookie and Darryl Stewart from Michigan State are Producer Marv's alma mater, by the way, so um throw that and there for you, Mark anyhow,

But with Funcious no longer in the mix. The packers knew these receivers you're talking about, Alan Wazard, Marquis Valdis, Scandling e Q st Brown, j Kumero, these guys, they knew there was going to be a huge opportunity for them in twenty that opportunity just got bigger in an exponential sort of way with Devin Funcious opting out and essentially the number two receiver spot in this offense behind

Davante Adams is completely wide open. It is yeah, and that's gonna make this competition fun to watch once guys do get on the grass because more so than any position, Mike, I'm sure you could talk to Larry and and he can break down all the stuff of guard play and what he likes to see from guys in training camp. But to the novices, to the naked eye, the one position that has the best chance and usually of standing

out in training camp practices is the receiver spot. That's how last year we knew that Alan Lazard was really the real eel. It's also how you know you look at Darius Shepherd in the way that he separated himself to earn a roster spot. It was through how he performed in those those training camp settings. So the funcious thing, I have so much respect for him. You know, I've been touched well, one, I have family members now that I've had COVID into not immediate, but I know people

and and too. You know there's certain people in my family that that have health risks as well. So I understand the wholeheartedly. One, how this this virus, in this disease has touched him, and to the the amount of discipline and really how much he must have thought about this decision. You gotta remember this the guy that played one game last year before his season ending injury. I have to imagine he was champing at the bit to get back out there this year. But he made the

best decision for himself and his family. Aaron Rodgers mentioning how much he respected that. All that being said, it goes back to Alan Lazard being the player that he was at the end of last season. The Packers need him to be a number two caliber type receiver and not just a really good story And based on his disposition, if he can stay healthy, I think was Art has

all the tools to do that. And then it also Mike goes back to marc Quisbaldo Scandling and Equinemia st Brown, the two draft picks that they had in two thousand eighteen. Can those guys be the real deal? Can MBS get back to his eighteen form? And can eq show some of the bright spots that he showed at the end

of that rookie season. Yeah, e Q st Brown obviously coming back from an injury that cost him his entire second season in the NFL, so he hasn't played since the tail end of his rookie year, but that was when he was really starting to show some promise and quite frankly, was probably the leader of the Packers rookie receivers at that point. Um Marcuis Avelde Scandling got off to a really strong start last year. Things faded statistically

production wise down the stretch for him. He was dealing with some injuries as well, so he's looking to to bounce back in that respect in addition to the receiver position. And we'll talk about more of these topics in depth, I think as any camp goes along, but in terms of hitting the highlights of what the offense is looking at. Transitioning to Rick Wagner, right tackle Um as he takes over for Brian Bulaga who left in free agency. You have Um replacing Jimmy Graham at tight end, Jay Sternberger

as the guy stepping up. Josiah Deguara was drafted in the third round. Marcedes Lewis back as the veteran guy in that group at the running back position. A j Dill in a second round pick, how quickly does he get worked into that mix with Aaron Jones and Jamal Williams and you know, will Matt Lafleur truly create a three headed backfield here? And then obviously a quarterback. Jordan loved the first round draft pick. He'll be competing with

Tim Boyle for the backup spot behind Aaron Rodgers. Really puts a rookie draft pick in a tough spot to earn that number two quarterback job when there wasn't any offseason, there won't be any preseason games. Uh, the It's a difficult spot for Jordan's love to be in. But the nice spot that the Packers are in is they don't necessarily need him to be the number two because they have Tim Boyle, who's been here for a couple of

years and performed well in the preseason in the past. Yeah, and Mike, you've been editing enough in my insider inbox. Is one of the drums I've been beating all offseason is the fact that if you're an NFL team, this is how I feel personally. Maybe GMS would feel differently. I feel like you have to have three quarterbacks this year. You have to have three quarterbacks on your active roster. If a team goes with two, I think you're you're playing, you know, with fire a little bit. And the Packers

are fortunate now Boyle has had two full seasons. Not not obviously, you know everyone always brings up playing time that that is important. You need to be out there, you need to get the reps. But also just being around Aaron Rodgers, understanding what he needs on game days,

understanding what the preparation process is like. That's gonna be very valuable, not only to have that experience, but also to kind of show Jordan's loved the way and what's gonna be asked of him here in his rookie season. Very important components. It's I'm it's unfortunate we the preseason is not gonna happen because I would have loved have seen all these running backs too. With a j billing, you imagine he would have gotten a lot of reps.

Dexter Williams is still in that equation. Those are reps that they're not going to be able to get back. They'll do their best to do them in training camp, but you know those are usually the stars of those preseason settings. And then also, if I can just quickly touch on offensive line, if there was one position offensively that I think I feel the strongest about right now for the Packers, it is their offensive line that is a huge hole that they have to fill at right tackle.

Not not undermining that at all with what they lose and not being able to bring back Brian Bulaga, but Lane Taylor's back. He has experienced at three different positions. Lucas Patrick has been a backup center now for Corey Lindsley and has been an in game settings. You have arguably the best left tackle in football right now in a really darn good prospect next to him and Elton Jenkins. Certainly, if Rick Wagner can pick up where he left off before some of these injuries had come up on him.

That he's been a veteran presence as well. So I think they're deep at the positions they need to be deep at, and that some of those young skill positions they're gonna need guys to step up. But with them being on the younger side of this thing now, I think there's plenty of ceiling there for these guys to be able to reach. Yeah, And just to touch on some of the defensive story lines will obviously be following throughout training camp. The ones that come to mind for

me first us obviously the run defense. What are the Packers going to do? Are they going to change some looks? How are how are things going to change as far as defending the run after the way last season ended. Now, we're not really going to get any answers to that until the Packers face Dalvin Cook in the Minnesota Vikings in Week one, but that is certainly going to be an ongoing storyline. You have Christian Kirksey stepping in for

Blake Martinez. He'll be the new signal signal caller on the defense, the one in the midst of it, and he will obviously be a big part of the run defense as well. And then when you look at some of the young guys, Rashaan Gary. The expectation is last year's first round pick is going to take on a much larger role in this defense in his second year.

And then I will also go with h mentioned the other first round pick from last year, Darnell Savage, who has a full season under his belt, started just about every game other than missing a couple with an injury as a rookie. But this is a guy who the Packers know that Darnell Savage is not a finished product, just like Sean Gary is no work close to being a finished product. Those are the guys, and they were obviously,

you know, first round draft picks for a reason. Those are the guys who potentially have a chance to take this defense to another level because of sort of the the untapped potential, untapped ability to this point in their young career. Yeah, without question, to start off on your first point with the run defense, it was a very surprising move. The Packers did not draft a defensive lineman.

You and I talked about this numerous times. Twenty four years since the last time they have not drafted what you would consider to be a prototypical, you know, defensive tackle. Uh. In the other side of this equation too, is the fact that Christian Kirksy comes in now at inside linebacker. Kirks He's only played in nine games the last two seasons, but before that was one of the real big up

and comers in this league at that position. Where what can he do picking up where he left off, you know in two thousand, fifteen and sixteen with Mike Petton, to to be able to maybe reclaim some of that glory again and maybe be one of the answers for the Packers in that run defense, because certainly, judging by the moves Mike, we know how these things go, Brian

Goodkin's Mike Petton. They felt confident enough with the makeup of that defensive line to keep it basically the same, with the exception of bringing in Trevin Hester into that equation as well. So, uh, this is a lot of it's gonna be on Kirksey. The number one question I have, and we're not gonna get any of these answers in the next month, is what is Mike Petton thinking? As far as the nickel though, are we gonna see a

tried and true inside linebacker in that spot? In or in Burke's a tie summers or are we going to continue to go down that road with the hybrid safety potentially you know a number of different guys that could fit into that. Raven Green is obviously back as well. So that's gonna be the question mark because it's been said time and time again, the Packers ran more dime defense, more six defensive back defense than any team in the

NFL last year. Do they feel like they can go that direction again or do they need to fortify that defensive front a little bit with perhaps an extra inside linebacker. Yeah, I think there's some depth chart questions as far as the defense goes. We will be looking at you mentioned on the defensive line. We all know about Clarks, He's the guy who's front and center. The Packers want to reduce his snap count a little bit so that you know, he can really be full strength for the bulk of

the season and late into the year. So how does that rotation work out between Dean Lowry, Tyler Lancaster you mentioned Hester, the new edition, Kingsley, Kiki, the draft pick from a year ago. All those guys are going to be worked into the mix and then the same thing from a depth chart perspective as you were just alluding to at inside linebacker, who's going to line up next to Christian Kirksey on a regular basis? Will it be or and Burke's Will it be Ty Summers? Will it

be Curtis Bolton? Will the fifth round rookie draft pick from Minnesota, Kamal Martin make a make a push for playing time on defense? The guy that I think is going to step right in potentially on special teams for the Packers here as a rookie. So some of those depth chart alignment type of questions will get answered maybe

as we go along. But again, I think a lot of these things, especially without having any preseason games, were not really going to know a whole heck of a lot until that ball is snapped for the first time in Minnesota on September. Yeah, if Don was still around, this has been the perfect year to try busting the quad out. Yeah, nobody, nobody's gonna see it, nobody's gonna know anything about it until you will roll it out

in the game and give it a shot. Yeah, that's not gonna get disseminated any other scouts around the league with this situation. But um to close on this defensive point, that the lynch pin for all of this is gonna be the Smiths, It's gonna be Rashan Gary and seeing what Mike Petton can do with those pieces. Uh, certainly, you're gonna need your defensive linemen, You're gonna need your inside linebackers. But how are those players utilized? You've heard

pett And say it. I think I was even the one to ask him the question about Gary and his upside earlier this offseason. He sees a lot of the same traits developmentally in Gary that he sees right now with with Zadarius Smith. Both Smith's him and in Preston played a ton of snaps. I think they both played over the defensive snaps last year. Can the Packers take

some of that off of those guys? And how can Gary, you know, pretend should be the release pin for that and being able to to give them maybe some snaps off, particularly inside in the Dine package. That's something to follow because you want to have the Smiths on the field as much as possible, You want to have Kenny Clark

on the field as much as possible. But what can those rotations around those three players do to make sure that it doesn't always have to be them that Sometimes it is more of the all eleven guys, you know, finding a way to contribute and giving them a chance to catch their breath. Yeah, definitely plenty to watch to see exactly what adjustments are made from nineteen. But with that we will call it a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. That is our training camp preview episode.

We will be with you a couple of times per week throughout training camp, and I promise at some point, I'm not sure when, but at some point we will be in our brand new studio. Not just yet, but when we are, trust me, it's gonna look pretty cool. So Jack, with that, I know you are, I know you're exciting. You're probably excited to get out of that bonus room above your garage to anyhow, thanks for watching and listening everybody for West I am like, take care. We will see you next time. M