#601 Packers Unscripted: Preseason prep

to be watching for here in this preseason opener? And I think it starts first and foremost with quarterback Jordan's love. First time Jordan's love hopping under center and an actual regulation football game in really twenty months is what it boils down to. You know, this is a young man that he's done everything he can do over the virtual zoom meetings. Last year he was he had three weeks worth of training camp where he saw a little bit of snaps and some of those young guy developmental periods.

Then he's holding the clipboard the rest of the the you know, the season, he's had to train, He's had to do all this other stuff, kind of like the build up to Christmas. He's been waiting for that opportunity to sort of put everything to work, and now it's before him. And you know, the thing I want to see the most from Jordan's love is just how he responds to the variables. Because he's had some really good days.

He's had some days to learn from in practice. But no matter what, you can see the intangibles, you can see the arm talent, and you can see the what you know, the characteristics that made him a first round pick. Now can he apply them to an actual in game situation. Yeah? Absolutely, And you know, right or wrong, fair, unfair. The pressure is going to be on him here. He knows the spotlight is on him. Everybody is going to be watching

to see how he performs. I just hope that the general media, the fans, that they keep this in perspective because this is this is one game. As you said, it's his first game in twenty months. He's going to have two more preseason games. Um. Just take a look at almost any NFL quarterbacks first preseason game, like they don't They normally don't go very well or they're full of you know what, Whatever is good can be offset

by the bad. That's just the way this goes. I'm very curious to see how he performs, but I think we all have to be careful not I mean this. I said this an insider inbox. This is not going This performance Saturday Night is not going to define Jordan's Love. It is just the beginning of this next chapter, the beginning of this next piece of the story. We're all very excited and anxious and eager to see what it's

going to be. But it's not going to be some sort of definitive statement on who Jordan's Love is or what kind of quarterback he's going to be in the NFL. Until three weeks ago, no pack of fan and really ever seen him play at all, practice anything other than maybe a few clips that they caught on the local news or on our website. So the fact that he's going to finally be in an in game situation, you know how society is, they're going to rush to conclusions.

If he has a hundred fifty eight points re pass rating, this guy's the goat. If it doesn't work out that way, what the heck are the Packers doing the difference here with Love as opposed to any other quarterback I've covered You can't say this. Your situation was a little bit different with Aaron Rodgers, But there actually are expectations. Really weren't a whole lot of expectations on these quarterbacks, these

backups during my time covering the Packers. People wanted to see Brett Hunley, but Brett Huntley was a fifth round pick. People wanted to see if Graham Harold could hold onto the backup job, but grand Harold was a former undrafted free agent. Taysom Hill was a pleasant surprise. Nobody really expected a lot from Tim Boyle. Well, this young man has a lot of expectations on him. But the thing about it that I think people have to realize is Jordan's love. This isn't a guy that just flew into

Green Bay and decided to play quarterback. He's been playing quarterback his entire life. And while he isn't the most you know, expressive guy when it comes to being in a news conference or wanting to speak his mind, he goes about his business in a very professional manner. In this sport means a lot to him. So I have to imagine he's champing at the bid here to get out there to show what he has to offer, and then you know, getting these bulk of the reps, we'll

see what that first team offensive line looks like. You know, I don't know if we're gonna see Elton Jenkins or not, but I mean there's gonna probably be a lot of guys that will be on the NFL roster here at the start of the season that will be blocking for him at the beginning of the game. So a really good opportunity for him to come out and show what

he has to offer. I think one thing we are going to see on the offensive line more than likely is the continued rotation of those three guards that are battling essentially for the two spots at guard while Elton Jenkins is playing left tackle with the number one line

here during training camp. And of course I'm talking about Lucas Patrick, John Runyon, and Ben Braden, And you know, really there's other than the fact that on Family Night last weekend, the coaches went with Runyan and Patrick for pretty much all of the snap with the number one

offensive line. Now, there were some practice periods that were canceled and all that kind of stuff because of the weather, so we don't know if they were planning to rotate, But as far as the practices we've seen at Ray Nitchky Field, it has been a steady rotation of those three guys in the two spots with the number one line.

I think that's going to continue here in the preseason and we'll see if somewhere along the line there's some kind of a decision, some kind of a separation as to how the coaches want to want to go with this. The part I love the most about this. All three of those guys are gonna play this season. If they get through healthy through training camp, they're all gonna play. One of my favorite stories was three two years ago now, Lane Taylor competing with Elton Jenkins for what I think

was a starting right guard job. At that time, we're starting left graf remember how that worked out, But it was this whole camp competition. We talked about it the entire way, and ultimately Taylor ended up starting. But then they started working in Elton Jenkins for some snaps. Uh. They bring him in for a series or two, and unfortunately then Lane ends up having I believe it was the biceps injury, and he misses the whole season. Elton Jenkins had to be the eyes. So John Runyon, Lucas Patrick,

Ben Braden, Packers are going to need those dudes. I don't want to put Braden on the roster, but where he's been taking snaps, you would think that he's definitely in this equation for the fifty three. In the other aspect of this too, to keep in mind, Packers don't have a proven, natural, established veteran backup center to Josh Myers. They do have Jake Hansen, former sixth round pick who played that position at Oregon, but he was on the

practice squad last year. So Lucas Patrick and John running have both been rotating in that number two spot at center. So there's a lot of snaps to go around. There's gonna be a lot of guys playing in a lot of different positions, I would imagine during that game against the Texans and seeing who those guys are and how they adapt to it, that's ultimately going to be the big indicator I think on that first game against the Saints,

who's starting? Yeah? Absolutely? Um serious. X M NFL Radio West delivers hard hitting analysis and up to the minute NFL news that true football fanatics need seven three, six and at Cousins subs. We have something for everyone, like our Wisconsin Cheese kurds, mac and Cheese, golden fries, and creamy shakes. I know you like those shakes, all paired with your favorite sub or sub in a bowl. Cousin subs.

We believe in better Well. We've heard from head coach Matt Lafleur that we know they're going to be several starters, if not the vast majority of the veteran starters on this team will not be playing in this first preseason game, and they may not play many snaps, if any at all, in these three preseason games. It sounds like A. J. Dillon is going to start at running back and maybe get the opening series, but then after that, here we

go West. The competition for the number three running back spot really gets going between Patrick Taylor Kyl and Hill Dexter Williams. I think this is and this is not going to be decided in one game either, but this is where this is where it really kind of gets rolling. It does, and I want to talk about the running x but before we do, I want to mention one

thing about the preseason. There's a lot of ways in which I thought Madden Football the video game was actually ahead of the NFL some of the trends I thought you saw with with you know, play calls and the way guys go about their offenses. Remember Mike McCarthy kind of talking about that, that that that generation is starting to have its impact on the actual game. Preseason allocation of starters is also a part of that. When I was a kid, Brett Farve, I'm on Green, none of

those guys ever saw action in the preseason. It's funny to me now that in two thousand twenty one we are getting to this place that, yeah, you're not gonna see it was all in all likelihood, you won't see Aaron Rodgers. I wonder if you'll see Devontas I wonder if you see Jaire Alexander those type of players because he needs them for Week one. It has been really interesting watching that shift. I want everyone at lambeau Field

to have a fantastic time. There's gonna be some great battles and we're gonna talk about one of them here in a second, but that's really the biggest thing. Can you get your guys to Week one? Because we saw what happened with Jordy Nelson six years ago, and that's not the scenario you want. That being said, the number three back competition is as fun as I can remember it because there's a legitimate spot there. The Packers need three running backs. It's not like, Okay, these guys are

gonna compete, we'll see if any of them stick. No, I mean one of those guys is sticking, and each guy brings something different to the party. Kylan Hill has tremendous one cut ability. His explosiveness is something that really jumped off the page to me. Certainly was an ultra ultra productive running back in the SEC at Mississippi State, but trying to kind of get things back going again after sort of that that that weird last year under

Mike Leach. But I wrote about Patrick Taylor, and Patrick Taylor's a guy who had my eye on since the Packers signed him last year. Because he had the List Frank injury. He basically tried to do a six to eight weeks surgery to get back, which he did but just ended up making it worse, ends up having to have another surgery. Dr Robert Anderson here in Green Bay a month before the draft wipes out his rookie season.

The Packers still like this kid's a talent enough to sign him, to keep him on the roster and give him that red shirt. Ear Well, now I think we're starting to see what they liked about him. Now it's gonna be different once you get into a game. But his build, his makeup, what he brings as an athlete, Uh, it's not something that's your typical undrafted free agent. There's a lot to make this guy tick. Yeah, That's what's so intriguing to me about Taylor is we we've talked

a lot about Kyle and Hilen. As you said, we can see the that one cut, explosive nous on the practice field. Patrick Taylor is a completely different body type from Kyle and Hill, you know. And there's uh, we we've you know, we've we chat on the sidelines as

as practice goes along. That you see and I don't want to draw to um Strong a comparison, but you see a little bit of of James Starks in in in Patrick Taylor, just in terms of in terms of the size and and the body lean and the way you know, the way he moves his shoulders to protect the ball and this and that. Now we'll see because you know a lot of this, a lot of this starts to look different when the brackling is for real

and these guys have the ball in their hands. They're trying to break tackles, you know, trying to you know, shed guys. They have to take a hit, protect the ball, all of that um and and that's where the separation is going to come here in these preseason games to see, you know, who's going to be that number three guy.

But the other thing we've got going on here to West with these running backs is we have heard that both Hill and Taylor are being looked at as possible kickoff return options for Maury Straight and the new special

teams coordinator. We're expecting obviously a Marii Rodgers, the third round draft pick, to be the number one part returner, but the kickoff return and l granted, there's whatever percentage of kickoffs or touchbacks these days, and to get that, but um, but there are going to be some opportunities to to return some kicks. And the Packers want to try out these running backs and see and see if one of these guys is the right fit for that spot.

You gotta remember, one of their big core special teamers I mean he was the number two, but Paul Williams did a lot on teams four years in Green Bay, including returning kickoffs. There's something about the running back position. I haven't quite put my finger on it yet, but Mike McCarthy used to always talk about this too. They liked back in McCarthy's time. They liked having that number

three guy as a kickoff return option. Remember Dawan Harris did it a little bit, Jonathan Franklin did it, unfortunately up until his neck injury. They liked incorporating that guy, and obviously swerved last year. They like having them involved in that. And the cool thing that I think it's gonna be really fun to watch in the preseason because you have to imagine they're gonna get some opportunities if

it's safe and it makes sense. I can see them being a couple of steps in the end zone and bringing it out to try to make a play and make an impression. If the situation calls for it, well, and they want to evaluate those other guys on the unit, the blockers, all that kind of stuff. They want to they want to take those opportunities. But I've never seen a scenario in which one of the guys has returned one kickoff in college. I don't know if the other guy,

kyl and Hill even did it. I mean, there this is a little bit of a new era for them, so to speak. But you know, as Patrick Taylor are said, I'm sure Kyle and Old say it again when he talks to us, is this is what you have to do when you're trying to make the league as a late round pick or as an undrafted free agent. You've got to offer more than just what your natural position. Is an incredible opportunity for them. If anything, I thought it was more telling that they are not looking at

Amori Rodgers in that scenario. They see him as like the starting punt returner guy, but you know, kickoff returns, and maybe there's something because that way, if it's the number three guy, then all they have to do is focus on returning, and it's not a guy having a return gas himself and then come out for the next play. All those things kind of fluttered through my mind. But either way, Uh, certainly some big opportunities for those young men in that game. Yeah, and special teams in general.

This is really the start of the new era with with modrat and they don't really do any live, fully live special teams periods and practice. So whether it's the punt, the punt return, the kickoff, the kickoff return, all of these live reps that they're going to get in these preseason games, guys are going to be evaluated. They want to change the culture on special teams. The rankings past year weren't good, as guys have talked about, as we all know, they want to turn those things around. And

and it starts with finding the right players. And those right players are going to step step up, step forward in the preseason too, uh, to make a name for themselves and and to get noticed. I want to ask you a lot of a lot of players will be essentially putting on a Packers uniform in a game situation for the first time new Packers in who's the guy that you're most interested to see play for the Green

Bay Packers for the first time. Well, I'm not gonna I go myself, but Patrick Taylor is one of them, just because there's so much intrigue I think when guys haven't played for this long and you've been wanting even wanting to actually see him out there. Um, this is also kind of a copo. But I really want to see Joe side Deguara. And I know he played a little bit for them last year, but what but we didn't We only saw those few reps in the regular season.

We never really got to see him in a featured role, which is probably what more of what he would have done in the preseason. So Deguar is one that I really want to see. And then you know, you look at these other positions like Eric Stokes. I mean, you have to imagine Eric Stokes is gonna play a lot. You got to be careful with it because we don't know what the scenario is going to be or what

the timeline is for Kevin King. Eric Stokes might legitimately have to play in Week one, but you just want to see that guy after going up against Davante Adams and Davante Adams and more Davante Adams. What does he do when he's going up against other rookies, other guys that are maybe number four or five on a depth chart. How do his skills apply there? Sometimes you gotta get some wins, you know, get your confidence up. And I think for Stokes, this is gonna be a really good opportunity. Yeah,

definitely excited to see Stokes. Interested to see a Mari Rodgers. As we talked about, I mean, he's he's gonna be he's gonna be running the jet sweeps, he's gonna be slot receiver as we talked about, he's gonna be returning punts. Here's the other guy I'm interested in and I'm not. I can't say for sure how much he's going to play.

We really don't know for certain. But Devandre Campbell the new linebacker, veteran linebacker that the Packers science find him in, you know, early to mid June, right towards the end of the offseason program, bringing in to have that one veteran presence in in the room that has Chris Barnes, Comal Martin, although Martin is injured right now, Ty Summers and Oran Burke's who are your reserve guys at that

position and your leaders on special teams. But Campbell is really intriguing to me because, as we've talked about, it's a he's a body type at inside linebacker the Packers really have not had around here. And when you look at his production where he's been with Atlanta, with Arizona, you look at his production. You just wonder, is there is there another level with a guy like Campbell if he if he gets he's in a new setting, maybe the scheme ends up being the right fit for him.

The way he gets used. You wonder if there's another level, right, I mean, indulge me for a second year. Charles Woodson Hall of Fame talent in Oakland, became a Hall of Fame player in Green Bay, right, Wes Hodkowitz Hall of Fame talent at the Green Bay Press because that having a Hall of Fame career with Packers dot Com? All right, now, sorry,

I just you gotta do it. You do it. I'm not saying Devandre Campbell is the next Hall of Famer, but you get what I'm saying that sometimes sometimes the change of the change of scenery, the right environment, the right scheme for a guy. Maybe there's another level to Devandre Campbell's career that the Packers are going to find here. And I don't know. I don't want to oversell it because there's a part of me like I've been wondering,

like am I too excited about this guy? Just because the Packers have been looking for that guy at inside linebackers seemingly for so long now that that just because that possibility is there, maybe I'm getting a little bit too excited, so I'm trying to temper it a little bit. But I am really interested to see because they a six three six four inside linebacker just is not something we have seen around here, and I'm really interested what

he can do. The last time I remember a body type like that playing that position, it was Brad Jones, and when they first made that switch, I believe in two thousand and thirteen, Jones end up having the best season of his career in that role just because he was a little bit more of a longer range year athlete who could kind of trail on running backs and

things of that nature. But ever since then and credited you know, Blake Martinez and Jake Ryan and these guys they've had in here, Packers really have been searching for a coverage type linebacker. I'm not saying that the mike. I'm not saying a guy who's gonna play all three downs, but I'm saying a guy that can allow them to stay in Nickel Moore than what they've done the last few seasons. And the other thing you got to keep

in mind too, Mike. For a number of years there, they would get to the end of training camp and whether it was you know, b J Goodson or they had to make that trade for Antonio Morrison, they found themselves for one reason or another having to bring in a guy like a week before the start of the regular season, and that guy ended up being that first down and second down linebacker. Devandre Campbell is a guy that I think, in most seasons would have gotten a

nice contract. He would have been able to you know, maybe multiple years. Maybe it would have been another one year, proven deal like he got in Arizona. But with the way that this cap went, as we've talked about before, the same thing with Dennis Kelly, there are these mid level free agents and there's no mid level exemption like the NBA. I mean, these guys that probably deserved a couple more bucks and they got that sat on the market a little bit longer than he should have. And

I that's what I'm excited about with Devandre Campbell. This is a guy that appears to me not to be a stop gap, not to be a guy that they're just bringing into Philip position because of an injury or somebody's departure. This is a guy that actually makes a lot of sense for what Joe Berry wants to do, and it allows Chris Barnes kind of focus on what he's been the best at so far, which is communicating the defense and getting after running backs. Yeah, it seems

like we've been talking about it. Those two Campbell and Barnes have been the pair when there's two inside linebackers on the field with the number one defense. That has been the Paris since day one of training camp. That hasn't changed. I think we're going to see at least a little bit, maybe not this first preseason game, but at some point in the preseason those two guys, you know, playing side by side as they as they sort some some things out here before the regular season. And I'll

say this too. You mentioned Kamal Martin's injury. That's why they went and got Campbell because in case something happens, whether it was Martin weather, it was Burke's where it was Summer's weather, it was Barnes, they needed to have another veteran in the fold after losing Christian Kirksy and Devandra. Campbell's that guy. Yeah, all right, Well, With that, we will call it a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow all of our coverage of training camp,

coverage of the preseason game on Saturday night. It's all for you on Packers dot com for West, I'm Mike. Thank you for tuning in. Everybody. We will see you next time.