#605 Packers Unscripted: Last call

network viewing area. And then also we'll have your quarter by quarter updates my live game blog on Packers dot Com. So all kinds of ways to follow this preseason finale, but let's just do a little bit here in each of the three phases as far as what to look for in this final preseason game on the offensive side of the ball. What are you watching well? First and forwards, Mike, it feels like just two weeks ago the preseason started well, because it did just start two weeks ago. West, it

still feels that way. But yeah, it's gonna be This next week and a half is going to kind of be uncharted territory for old veterans like me and you that are so used to one's exact sort of format for how the end of training camp goes. But you know that being said, this is such a huge game,

and I really look at those guards. I know you and I every week it seems like we've stepped on this this set and we've discussed this, but I don't recall a time in which both guard positions were kind of in up in the air, en up for grabs. And in this training camp we've seen basically every different maschination of of what this art you know, this combination

is going to look like. And it's Ben Royce Newman, the fourth round pick out of Old miss that has sort of grabbed that right guard position and really run with it. I mean ever since that that the end of that preseason game against the Texans where you could tell he really impressed the coaching staff with how he finished that game. He got an opportunity the following week

to step in there and he's filled that out. And I think over the last week now you never know what's going to happen, but it does look like Lucas Patrick has sort of settled to that left guard spot. John Runyan still rotating there a little bit. Lucas Patrick made a bit of a comeback and he really standing camp, you know, because he he didn't get off to a good start. He was sort of he was always in the rotation, but he was kind of relegated to the

second team offensive line for a while. Now in this last week because he did not start the second preseason game. But now in this last week, Lucas Patrick is back, is back in there as one of the first rotation

guys with the number one offensive line. Does he I know, this was a little bit before he started covering the team, and maybe I'm only drawing this comparison because the guy actually works for the team now, But does he kind of remind you of sort of a modern day Gray Rug a little bit, you know, just in terms of a guy that he hasn't had like a set spot, but he's reliable, he's consistent, and he's been a guy here that's now suddenly been in Green Bay for five years.

It's kind of interesting the way that his story is gone. Yeah. Absolutely, and certainly as we know from from his you know, humble roots so to speak, and being a tryout guy, you know, not only wasn't drafted, but didn't even get that initial undrafted free agent contract coming out of the draft. He had to earn it by going to uh, you know,

coming to the Packers rookie orientation for a tryout. Then he landed that contract, and you know, practice squad and all that at the beginning, and now here he is. And I digress from the original point. But the other thing I want to say too is John Runyan still very much in this thing. Ben Braden has been working at right tackle now a little bit. With Dennis Kelly being injured with the knee, Josh Naiman has been a guy that has kind of run away with that backup

left tackle job. How do the Packers consider that when they get down to final cuts? A guy that has basically been running with those big units since Elton Jenkins been sitting down, you know, anybody's basically been at that one spot. These are all the things that Brian Goodkins and his scouts are gonna have to determine when it comes down to next Tuesday. But it's the deepest group I've ever seen, Mike. I mean, in my years covering the team, there, I think a two thousand twelve is

one of them. You kind of watched the number two units, he said, Okay, Evan Smith and Don Barkley, who else is there even left? And this year, you know they go into that third team unit with guys that I think can legitimately play in the National Football League. Yeah, with a lot of young guys. Obviously, there are with Simon Stepanak having retired their five draft picks on the offensive line from the last two years that are trying to find their way either onto the fifty three or

onto the practice squad here. That's all part of the offensive line competition as well. And the other position, obviously, if Jordan's Love is healthy enough, this will be an important developmental game for him at quarterback and we can certainly talk about how things go with him next week. We talked on our last show about the whole decision with Kurt Banker and the number three quarterback, whether that will be fifty three or practice squad. Will he be

exposed to waivers? The other position that a lot of people obviously will have their on as wide receiver. And we went into this training camp West pretty much knowing that the first five wide receivers on this roster, barring injury, were set. You have Davante Adams, Marquis Velda scandling Al Lazard a Marii Rodgers, the rookie third round pick, and then Randall Cobb, the veteran edition who came in right at the start of training camp. Are the Packers going

to keep six? Are they going to keep seven wide receivers? We will have to see. Devin Funcius will not be one of those wide receivers on the fifty three. The Packers placed him on injured reserve on Wednesday, So kind of feels like, you know, Malik Taylor has had two really solid preseason games, Equinomius st Brown has been in and out of practice with injuries. Hasn't played in a preseason game yet, could use a really big game on

Saturday in Buffalo to state his case. Reggie Begelton, who's in his second um training camp here with Green Bay, the former CFL star who's who's trying to carve out his spot. And I would have said Juwan Winfrey would be in this mix, except he got injured early in camp after a strong start and we haven't seen him since then. So those are, you know, kind of the guys to be to be thinking about here as the as the Packers make their final decisions at that position.

The NFL, for the right reasons, does not allow players placed on injured reserve before our final cuts to be eligible to be designated return. So in that regard, Devin Funch is his season with the Green Bay Packers is over. Now, you could reach injury settlement with him, he'd be then free once that settlement is once he's cleared to go

and sign elsewhere green Bay. Just to give people the full you know, understanding of this, green Bay actually can resign a guy that reaches an injury settlement, but it has to be six weeks after that player is cleared. So it's not looking good in that regard. But you know, Jowan Winfrey is a really interesting one too because he came out so hot, Mike, he was probably one of the big m vps of the off season program when the main receivers weren't here, and now he's not been

able to practice for a few weeks now. So in this interim, a guy like Malik Taylor reminded everybody, I'm still here and this is what I have to offer. After Devin fun just had a really strong performance against the Texans. Malik Taylor, who had a good showing himself against Houston came back and led the Packers and receiving in that game against the Jets and Equinemia st Brown.

Just I know there's been the injury issues. So there's been the knee issues, but this week in practice was running with the one when when st Brown has been on the practice field, he has been with the front units and and getting those reps and making some plays. We just haven't seen him in a preseason game yet because of the injury issues. So getting down to your point, I think they're for sure keeping six. The question is going to be for the first time in six years,

would they keep seven? And the reason they did that back in two thousand fifteen is because you had the positional versatility with time Montgomery. You look at some of these guys like Tyler Irvin, they allow you to blur the lines a little bit with the numbers. So maybe you could see it happening with a Mari Rogers being on this roster. But no matter which way you slice it, Mike, for these receivers, everybody that suits up and puts the pads on in Buffalo, this is the game of their

lifetime to show what they have to offer. Yeah. Absolutely, Well, before we switch gears to the defensive side of the ball, a little bit of sponsored business 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. And at Cousins Subs we have something for everyone like our Wisconsin Cheese Kurds, mac and Cheese, golden fries, and creamy shakes, all paired with your favorite sub or

sub in a bowl. Cousin Subs we believe in better. I gotta say it, Mike. We didn't talk about the last show, but our producer Matt Arvin, wonderfully known as Marvin, actually sent us a photo went to a Cousin Subs Gotta Shake, and I think he was a pretty big fan of it. I do think he gave it the

sign of approval for sure. Thumbs up from Marv somewhere in the studio right now, all right, while on the defensive side of the ball west to me, the position I'm looking at the most that the packers have to sort out here is the safety position um a veteran much like we just talked about at wide receiver with a veteran like Devin Funcius going on, I R a veteran who has been here for several years. Will Redmond

is on injured reserve. We thought at the start of training camp he would probably be the number three safety behind Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage. But with Redmond out of the picture because of the injury, suddenly you have four very young guys Henry Black Vernon Scott who are both with the team last year an an undrafted rookie year ago in Black, a seventh round pick in Scott, and then two undrafted rookies this year Christian up off

in its gains. Now, special teams will factor into these decisions. You know who's the best fit for sort of you know, a dime defensive back role, all of that, All of that factors into this year. But this is these are four young players who, now, with with Will Redmond going on, I are suddenly suddenly have a bigger opportunity than maybe even they envisioned. They really do, and I do think a week from now, all four of those guys are

going to be wearing a Packers uniform. The only question is whether or not it's the fifty three or the practice squad. I totally agree with They've all played well, and it's funny, Mike, all these years they've had undrafted guys that have had success at the safety position. You think of Sean Richardson, you think of Chris Banjo, you know,

Raven Green. The last few years, I don't know if they've ever had as many as they have all at one time, right, Yeah, all all all battling at once to to sort out this roster site and they all offer something different. Christian up Off was a six ft three prodigy, you know, from where he came from and being able to play at that level and now contribute as a as a special teamer. And we've seen what he's done as a gunner in his gains Man. We

heard his story this week. I mean it is. I mean it is as much of a picking yourself up by your bootstraps and just getting to work story as there is a guy that was out of football all last year as he was recovering from an a c L. He had a chance to work out one football team called this football team on his birthday Augustine, but then had to go the whole fall and into the winter without a contract until the Packers finally sign him to

a futures deal. Thump, as he's affectionately known, has been a thumper throughout training camp. Not without flaw, but you can see the motor in that young man and what pushes him and Henry Blank is just that's just been a model of consistency. When Redman was down, Black was the one on the back end and for him to be able to be the guy that he's been since he's coming the door. Uh, there's just they're so deep.

Vernon Scott unfortunately has had the hamstring injury, so he's been down, but a lightning quick, big bodied safety that has played well in the past for Green Bay. Really difficult decision lies ahead for the Packers on how they handle that position. Yeah, Earlier in training camp, as far as you know, some of those sub packages on defense, we were seeing Henry Black and Vernon Scott getting some

opportunities there. Then with Scott being injured and not being able to practice for a while, then then Black was really getting more of those. But then we've seen Christian up often in his gains, you know, not only getting some snaps on defense, but then also trying to make their mark on special teams. And that's that's obviously a phase that's going to factor into into these final decisions.

As we've talked about the Packers looking to change the culture, change the narrative on special teams, and one of those young guys who is trying to land a roster spot here with with his special team's ability is the rookie sixth round pick, the linebacker out of Boston College. I

had McDuffie. And this preseason finale and Buffalo is a really interesting story for him because, as you will have a story posted on Friday on our website on Packers dot com, he's heading back to the stadium in Buffalo where he won a state high school football championship with his father as his football coach. Yeah, it's a really fascinating story. His dad's Steve, a longtime coach now at

Bennett High School. The way that the New York system works with actually high school athletics, it was took a long time for the Buffalo public schools to get integrated into what Wisconsin would referred to as like the w I A A. And what the way that this played out for them is, it's called the section. They were in a section sex and six, which is like the best of that region. Western New York and for them, they went three years in a row and they had to play at what I believe at that time would

be New Era Field, the Buffalo Bill Stadium. That's where the game was played. The first year they go his sophomore year, Isaiah sophomore year, they lose on a hail Mary with one second to go in the game. His second year, they go back and they're losing overtime, they get the touchdown, but go for two of the opponent gets a touchdown, kicks the field goal, wins and both times it was incredible listening to Steve tell this story. A lot of kids are down. There's a lot of emotion,

you know, there's disappointment after the first time. Isaiah was the one, and you can see the way he speaks, you can see the way he acts. He is about as even keel as it gets in terms of the human being, in terms of a person, he was the guy saying we got to get back to work. We have to come back next year. As our year finished that whole last season as senior year in two thousands sixteen, they wanted to finish. They came back the following year

beat Star Point. Finally won that game, a moment that still brings tears to Steve's eyes. And this weekend they actually played one other time. They played four times because then they played the state semifinal there after that. But this will be the fifth time Isaiah McDuffie gets to play inside that stadium, having about fifty mostly family, a few friends, but fifty family members that will be in attendance there. He grew up in Buffalo, the city of Buffalo.

He is Buffalo through and through. Getting a chance to talk to him, I know how much this means to him and how excited he is to be able to wear the Packers uniform at that field. Yeah, and this is a young man who overcame a knee injury while he was at Boston College to get back on the field towards the end of his uh his junior year essentially, and then and then played a solid senior season and then had to overcome an injury at the start of training camp here with the Packers as he's trying to

to land a roster spot and carve out his NFL future. So, um, you know, both a big opportunity career wise, but also I'm sure a lot of emotions for him and his family walking back into that stadium on Saturday. There's a lot of Blake Martinez in this young man and getting

a chance to talk to his dad about it. I mean, he's a guy that you know in college, in high school, he'd had eight hour workouts, like you almost had to like pry him out of the weight room and cry him away from you know, his training, and sometimes it's even worked to his detriment a little bit so, but he's at driven and he loves the sport that much. And for him to get this opportunity, He's family members, his dad, his uncle's they played at Buffalo, they stayed

in Stay. They you know, went to some other schools, but ultimately finished up at Buffalo. They had some looks at the NFL. Isaiah was the first one to get drafted, though, and that means a world to him and for them to get this opportunity. Steve was even saying it during an interview and he's like, I want to thank the head coach, I want to thank the GM I want to thank everybody, the Green Bay Packers forgive him my

son a chance to live out his dream. And you know, a week from now, hopefully in his case, trying to make this fifty three man roster. Yeah. Well, the preseason finale is on Saturday, the roster cuts are due to the league on Tuesday, and then we shift into regular season mode from there. So with that, we'll call it

a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscript. Would be sure to follow all of our coverage of that last preseason game and the conclusion of training camp, roster cuts, all of that, we'll have it for you on Packers dot com for West, I'm Mike. Thank you for tuning in, everybody, See you next time.