#598 Packers Unscripted: Personality insight

has not been a padded practice yet. So rather than pontificate on non padded practices, I thought we could actually focus this episode on some of the insight that we are getting into veteran players on this roster as they have come into the media auditorium to speak to the media at the podium for for an extended period of

time over the last several days. I'm telling you, fans, if you haven't had a chance to go on Packers dot com and watch some of these press conferences, you will really get a feel for the personalities of some of these players. The players who have been with the Packers for several years now and I want to start with Marcedes Lewis West because his session with the media yesterday was um was as enlightening, as entertaining, as down to earth as maybe one that I have heard in

quite some time. He is really he's not just a special football player and a special presence in that locker room for the Packers. He's a He's just a really really special human. I could sit and listen to him talk about football life and leadership all day long. Yeah. I think that was pretty much the sentiment of every reporter leaving the auditorium. I heard Jason will They say that as well as soon as he walked off the podium after an eighteen minute news conference on Monday. Listen.

I touched on this an Insider Inbox on my Tuesday edition. That's him. That's the guy that came into the Packers locker room three years ago, and I think just sort of blew everybody away, earned the respect of Aaron Rodgers, a guy that you know is it's so funny for Louis saying over and over again he's not a rock guy. Even said I'm not somebody's gonna walk in locker and be like, ah, you know, like there can only be one Highlander. But the way he conducts himself, he's the

guy given the pregame speeches after tough losses. He's a guy given the postgame speech to the locker room. From a player perspective, that's just the way this guy is built. But as you said, I really thoroughly enjoyed this transition back to having in person press conferences. Now it's still not quite the same as we're just all huddled around a guy just kind of being able to shoot the breeze a little bit, but it is a big step

forward from Zoom. And as good as Louis was last year on zoom and he still was very thoughtful in that capacity, there's something about his energy and the way he conducts himself that it just it meshes well, uh, human interpersonal communication and just hearing a little bit you'll match and even asking that first question, why are you still here sixteen years of NFL football and seventeen regular

season games? What keeps you coming back? And he told a really neat story about actually really a sad story and uplifting story, but about his mom, who gave birth to him at fifteen and seeing everything that she went through to help raise him, and how difficult that was, how nothing he could ever do touches that. Having that kind of foundation and that framework, I think that set him up for a really humble approach to professional football.

When you're a first round pick at the tight end position in two thousand and six, that isn't always going to be a position of humility. But I think because of that base, it's allowed him to make adjustments throughout the course of his career. That's made it accepting of roles, and in this particular case, it's, as you know, the

wise veteran on this ball club. Yeah, and I think it's not even just accepting of roles, but honestly like embracing whatever role that he has given because this is a guy we've seen him catch a couple of touchdown passes here and there. He does get involved in the passing game, but it's still very rarely. He he really has looked at as as that extra offensive lineman for

a lot of the running packages. He does a lot of the dirty work, and he is counted on to have that presence in the locker room and especially within his own position group. You wrote it's a story on our website now that the relationship that's developed between Marcedes Lewis and and Robert Tonyan, you know, the mentor mentee, but something that you know. And and he's not gonna, as you said, he's not the U raw ra guy.

He's not going to be running out on the field and slapping Robert Tonyan on the rear end after a touchdown catch or something. But he takes a lot of pride in what Tonyan has accomplished because Tonyon is a guy who has been in his ear, you know, practically from day one, been in his hip pocket to try to learn to absorbed, to take in everything he can about all of the the different facets of the tight end position and how to become a complete pro at

that position. And you couldn't ask for somebody better than Marcedes Lewis to impart that wisdom because he does it. He does it so willingly and uh and so enthusiastically to those guys who are who are asking for Yeah, and naturally, you know it's not something that's forced. It's something you can tell that he enjoys. And I remember sitting down with Tony in back when we used to be able to be in the locker room in two

thousand and eighteen. It was his first training camp when he was trying a sort of a long shot to make the roster as a number three or number four tight end. And I remember him talking about what it's been like working with Jimmy Graham in Mercedes Lewis at the time, Graham he was working with one of the best pass catching tight ends in NFL history. And Lewis, who pound for pound for what he does and the job that he feels, one of the most well rounded

tight ends in the modern era. And and he hasn't change that perspective. He still enjoys seeking information and Louis even touched on it. I mean him going to the tight end you thing that Kittle and and Toungya and all these tight ends were putting on this offseason in Nashville. He enjoyed going there and speaking for twenty minutes because the position he plays, the tight end, is one that's

long been disrespected in the National Football League. The last thought I had is as Lewis walked off the podium, and this is no disrespect to anybody, but something crossed my mind. I thought to myself, how did the Jacksonville Jaguars. Ever, let this guy go. I don't care if your record is one in fifteen, fifteen and one. You want to have Mercedes Lewis in your locker room now. It ended up being good for Louis because it gave him a chance to have a real legitimate shot here getting that

Super Bowl ring that's alluded him. But when you have a specimen, a human being, a guy that thinks the way that Lewis thinks, that that's going to make the rest of your football team better. And that's why Lewis, at thirty seven years old, he said, the athletic ability is gonna wane, it just happens. But his art, his size,

in his approach to the game that never stops. Yeah, and it's and it's second and none quite frankly, and a lot of those categories um quickly with serious x M. NFL Radio delivers hard hitting analysis and up to the minute NFL news that true football fanatics need. Seven three sixty five. Well, another veteran player we heard from yesterday, and I really enjoyed getting his perspective. And I'm talking about Preston Smith because you know, his first year here

and even a good chunk of last year. Most of what we got from Preston media wise was always, you know, Preston and Sadarius doing their media thing together. They're really good friends. They have a lot of fun with it. That's all fine and good. Zadarius Smith currently not practicing. He's on the NFI list. Preston spoke with the media at at the podium, and you know, he didn't he didn't shy away at all from the questions about, you know,

the lack of productivity sast year. His sacks went from he had twelve and twenty nineteen a couple more in the playoffs that year too, then he only had four last season. He did talk about the fact that, yeah, his role changed. Kyler Facrol did a lot of the dropping into coverage and whatnot. In twenty nineteen, he was gone. He left as a free agent, so in Preston Smith was the best guy they had at that position to

handle some of that. So pass rushing opportunities dwindled. But he also said, I don't want to have the same season I had last year. He acknowledged that he didn't play as well. Um, he knows he can play better. He knows he can get back to the form of twenty nineteen, and um, I'll just say this was you know, I say it a lot of insider inbox. You never underestimate a motivated professional athlete, and Preston Smith looks to me like a motivated professional athlete. He very much does.

And what's interesting, I don't know if it's because it's been so long since a lot of these guys have had face to face interaction with the media, or the fact that you know, they're not being asked to do interviews every day, but we've been on the string here of like guys having all time press conferences like the last three or four days. JayR Alexander had one too at the end of last week. In my opinion, that was Preston Smith's best press conference as a member of

the Green Bay Packers. Maybe not the most entertaining, but I mean in terms of the what came out of it, Yeah, the insight that you get. I mean Randall Cobbs last week when he was brought back, same type of thing, Which is why I wanted to talk about these in the show today because they really, they really do. They really are giving us members of the media, reporters everybody who's listening, the fans who watched the press conferences on the website, you really do get a better feel for

the personalities of these players. And I want to touch really quickly on the Kyler facul thing because I know some people are going to hear Preston talk about that and be like, Oh, that's just an excuse whatever. Go back to two thousand and nineteen, Go back to those press conferences with the Smith bros. And with Mike Smith outside linebackers coach. How many times did they talk about what Kyler fac All meant to that group because he was the one doing a lot of that dirty work.

He was the one having to pick up those assignments. Last year, they didn't have that guy. Rashaan Garry is more in that mold of Zadarius Smith where it's a lot of there's versatility there, but it's all pretty much happening on the defensive front. So Preston Smith had to be kind of the guy that picked up that weight.

So what I my takeaway was when he mentioned this is that you know, the question was asked, did you think after at the end of last season, that could be it for you here and He's like no, and he he had a line in there. I'm gonna butcher it here because I don't have it directly in front of me, but basically saying something along the lines of I wanted to do what I had to do to come back with his contract everything else, because he he knew what was in place here in the direction things

were heading. And Joe Barry, to his credit, at the new defensive coordinator. I made the tweet on Monday watching him during the team periods just hopping up and down. That's a guy in what is mid fifties now at this point, hopping up and down like a kid as his defense is getting set and trying to make the adjustments to and Roger's adjustments. You can tell these guys are motivated by by Barry's message, and in Preston specific case, this is a guy he played for before in Washington.

So I just think with the way that Barry is gonna lay this thing out once you get to Darius Smith back from the back injury, the direction that Rashawn Garry's heading, and in Preston was very complimentary of him in that regard. I think those three outside linebackers there's gonna be a big opportunity if they can stay healthy this year for all three of them make a big impact. Yeah. Well, Preston kept it pretty simple. I mean he was asked about, you know what, why did you decide to come back?

He had to accept, you know, a salary reduction, a contract restructure with incent all these incentives built in an opportunity to win back the money. We've seen that work before here by the way, with a guy named Mason Crosby. So I'll just throw that out there. But but keptain. Preston kept it pretty simple. And then he's like, hey, we're right there. You know this team is right there. I haven't been to NFC Championship games. I didn't get to do that in Washington. I've been to NFC Championship

games twice in a row. We know we have a shot here and um, and you know, I appreciated the candor and I love you. You brought the Mason Crosby example up. You know, two thousand twelve, things did not go his way. Two thousand and thirteen, Mason reduced his salary. You're like eight hundred thousand dollars, took millions off his salary. But the way they worked the bonuses as he could earn every dime back, and he did. He had a

career year at the time. So for Press's perspective, he said, he's not thinking about the sack totals that will get the you know, the enhancers in there. He's thinking about what's in front of him. And I just I gotta

say it, Mike. I mean, when you come off a year like last year, which can be frustrating, can be humbling, I think you're gonna see a guy coming back now, especially with this structure in place, that's going to be motivated to show that he's still that same player that broke out for the Green Bay Packers in two thousand nineteen when maybe a lot of folks weren't expecting it. Yeah, well, another motivated player, um, and we'll flip back to the

offensive side of the ball. Another motivated player here in one without questions. Mark que Sveelda Scantling, the wide receiver. He is now entering his fourth season, fifth round draft pick in eighteen, so this is the final year of his rookie deal. Now he's coming off of his career highs in terms of yardage, touchdowns. You know, six hundred and ninety yards I think was roughly the number six touchdowns in the regular season, had a big time performance

in the NFC Championship Game against Tampa Bay. But the thing, the thing I like, the thing I like about ENVS. And I know fans get frustrated with the drop passes in the inconsistency and everything like that. But as much as MVS doesn't revisit those down moments with the media, he also doesn't stand in front of the cameras and talk, you know, say, hey, well, what about my seventy two yard touchdown against the Bears that helped get the number

one seed. What about my fifty yard touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship game. He doesn't go that route either. He's just it's all about what's in front of him, and and he's got a lot in front of him here. This is a pivotal year in his career, and the Packers aren't necessarily worried right now about whatever the next contract is going to be for him, and he's not either. It's just whatever happens in one it's it's going to tell the story, and

it's going to speak for itself. That's kind of where things are with this guy. Yeah, and especially the entire construct right now, these offensive skill position players. I mean, there's no gambling in Bushwood here, sir, But I mean I wouldn't put a single penny down on what the snap totals are gonna look like the opener against the Saints. Because you have Davante Adams, You're always going to play

a lot. But these other chess pieces here, whether it is Lewis and Tonyan or whether it's MBS and and Alan Lazard and Randall Cobb and Amari Cooper, Mary Cooper, Amari Rodgers, some of these other guys that are involved the running backs. There's so many different directions they can go.

But what intrigues me the most about Valdes Scantling with the way that the Packers have built out these offensive weapons, is he's a guy that when he's on the field, you know the defensive coordinator and the safeties are paying attention to him. Because it's been shown time and time again how this guy can hurt you if you don't account for him on the field. You can't just ask

cornerback to go and play him straight up. You need to have some type of attention over there just in case he ends up going over the top of you. And Valdis Scantling said when he was asked that the news conference, Hey, Eric Stokes is in here with the four to five forty, who's the fastest guy on the team. And before you can even get that last word out, MVS with a straight face, was like, yeah, no, it's

still me. I mean, the guy is confident in his abilities and and certainly I thought the last year the end of the season, that to me and you kind of asked Matt la Floor about this, but that to me, the way that guy ended the season, that is a sweet taste to have your mouth going to the next season. Not saying that you're gonna get complacent, but it's a lot different when you have something like that to build off of, rather than thinking of some disappointment and what

how you performed. Yeah, I mean, Matt la Fleur said for MVS. And and it goes for you know what we've seen of him throughout his career. It's all about the consistency. I mean, this guy is among the league leaders over the last over the three years of his career in terms of forty plus yard receptions, forty plus yard touchdowns. He's he's right up there at the at

the top of the league. But you look at last year, even with the career high and yardage and touchdowns, he still had five games where he didn't catch a pass and two other games where he only caught one pass. The the potential. Now, granted, this is an offense, as you said, I mean, there's Davante Adams. Now, there's Randall Cobbamari Rodgers is in the mix. Al Lazard is right there.

So there's only so many footballs to go around, right, But you just you look at the game, you look at the game by game production, and uh, and there's there's certainly more out there for mvs. And I think, uh, you know, I think he's certainly going to have a chance too to have that you know, career year at the right time here in year four. One other guy I want to get to before we go, and you brought it up, you brought it up earlier in terms

of his news conference, and it's Jairo Alexander. That was, um that was rather entertaining. We've seen him on zoom with the sunglasses and and all of that before but um, but you asked him, you know, and you wrote the story. It's on our website for those, uh, for those who

want to go find it. This is a guy who I mean, he's he's got the Pro Bowl and the All Pro recognition and everything now three years into, uh, three years into his NFL career, and this is a guy that that back in high school, even in college to a certain extent, couldn't get anybody to pay attention to the ability that he had. And uh, and you know, guys don't. Guys usually don't get overly bothered or worried necessarily about those accolades. And I'm not saying that Jaye

Alexander has. But at the same time, the recognition that he's getting as an NFL player really means something to him. It's a juxtaposition to everything he went through his first twenty one years of his life. Yeah. And if you sit down for me, Mike, So this is my tenth year doing this as a Packers reporter. I'm now going

to my fifteen sixteenth year as an actual sports reporter. JR. Alexander unequivocally is the most fascinating human being I've covered in any sport I don't care if it was Bayport, a cross Country or the Green Bay Packers. He fascinates me because his story is incredible if you know where he comes from from, just from a family perspective and what this means to his family for him to make it to this step to understanding why he carries himself

the way he is. You can hear him speak, you can read his words in a newspaper, but you got to understand the meaning behind those words. When he says I'm the best, he says that because nobody wanted to even say he was good. He says that, I'm I feel like I can be the greatest cornerback of all time because there was people out there didn't think he was the best cornerback and even the city of Charlotte.

This is an individual that has been at countless points of his life the only person that believed in himself, maybe outside of his family, but I mean in terms of just knowing that, hey, I feel like I can do this. I'm gonna do it. I don't care what anyone else says. So that's why I asked him the question about the All Pro and the Pro Bowl. Is

that for the very first time. This is a guy that's now being thrown in the conversation with Stefan Gilmore, He's being thrown in the conversation with Jalen Ramsey and these young corners in this league that are basically ushering the next generation of that position. And for him to be able to clear out everything and just focus on once in front of him, that's what makes him special.

The forty time. The athleticism, the vertical the press man skills, all that stuff made him a first round pick, but it's that aspect of his mental approach that's going to make him a really, really noteworthy player for years to come well. And it speaks to the respect that he's garnered from his peers with regard to Pro Bowl and whatnot, and coaches, other players around the league and all that, and from the media with regard to the second team

All Pro recognition. That a guy at his position at cornerback gets an interception in Week one and that's his only interception of the regular season, and yet at by season's end he does have those accolades, and then he goes out in the NFC Championship Game and picks off Tom Brady two times. So um we have not seen the best yet of Ji year Alexander. I think that's uh. I think that's a pretty safe statement, and uh, I

can't wait to see what exactly lies ahead. You covered this team longer than I have, I still have yet to see someone, at least in Green Bay that teams just won't even throw at. Like they just said, there were intervals last year where they just gave up throwing at him. It's incredible. There were there were times when I first got here in two thousand that two thousand and six, two thousand seven where there were quarterbacks who

definitely stayed away from al Harris at times. Um, but I would say not quite to the extent that we've seen almost a fear of challenging Ji R Alexander and just four quarters of shutouts. I mean I didn't get a chance to go back and look at the numbers, but I mean he threw a couple of shutouts for

sure last season. And again, it's that type of guy that when you talk about building a championship calibular defense, this top five defense the Packers have been looking for for the last ten years, Alexander's a guy that could do it. Yeah, all right, well, with that, we're going to call it a wrap on this edition of Packers on Script and be sure to follow all of our coverage of training camp on packers dot com. The pads go on today, it's going to start to ramp up

and get a little bit more interesting for Wes. I am Mike. Thank you for tuning in everybody. We will see you next time.