#666 Packers Unscripted: Taking shape

question to begin here. What was your top observation or thing that sort of caught your fancy with regard to how this fifty three shook out? We are finally seeing how the practice squad rules changing is starting to alter the complexion of a fifty three man roster. I totally agree with you. The first and foremost agreement Packers making the decision to keep two running backs to traditional running backs on their fifty three man roster, and Aaron Jones

and a J. Dillon. You might have heard of them. If you go back, and I always start in two thousand nine because that you can go back farther if you want. But that's when the Packers made the switch to the three four. I consider that to be kind of the modern era underneath my own unofficial metric. Well, going back to two thousand nine, there's only been two

instances where the Packers got through. The initial cut to fifty three with only two running backs on the roster was two thousand eighteen, and that's when Aaron Jones had to be suspended for a week miss week one. They signed Darius Jackson the following day. And then there's two thousand and ten where James Starks started on PUP, So you had Ryan Grant in Brandon Jackson, but they also

had three fullback three fullbacks that year. This particular year, yes you have Kylan Hill on PUP, but there are no more fullbacks and the Packers are just going with Joe and Dylan. Brian Goodquin's mentioned yes, if worst case scenario and you don't have somebody else elevated, you do have a Mari Rodgers potentially being able to play that spot.

But the Packers have this little wild card now where they can bring up up to three times elevate a player, one specific player from the practice squad up to three times. So Tyler Goodson squeaks through to the practice squad. Patrick Taylor, who's been here for two years now, he's on the

practice squad. So you're gonna see this a lot, you know, and I think even you know Joan Winfrey, the reports out that he's going to be coming back, there's going to be these guys that aren't on the fifty three that are still going to collect a traditional game check because of the ability now to call people up, and that is altering the way we're seeing some of these initial active rosters. Yeah, I I totally agree with you.

I think it's a I think it's a very it's it's it's an obvious shift in the thinking, the process how some of these final decisions are being made. Because the Packers are not going to go into a regular season game with just Aaron Jones and a J. Dillon is the only active running backs for a game like, because anything happens to either one of those guys, suddenly you're taking a huge chunk of the game plan or the playbook and throwing it in the garbage. I mean,

you can't, you can't take that risk. You have to have a third running back. But as you said, West, the rules, the practice squad rules, and the multiple elevations mean that you don't necessarily have to have that third running back on the fifty three man roster. The Packers, in in essence, I don't know if it's going to play out this way. This is one way to look

at it. Dave in essence, bought themselves six more weeks, the first six weeks of the regular season to decide who really is the number three running back, because they can elevate Patrick Taylor and or Tyler Goodson three times apiece, and then at that at that point one or both of them needs to be on the fifty three or then uh, you know, you would have to x bose them again or they would end up having to stay on the practice squad the remainder of the season and

getting no more elevation. So all of this, you know, it's almost as though this battle for the number three running back spot, maybe the coaches know who it is and who's going to be the one elevated for Week one, But in some senses, it's the competition is continuing. Right there's still whether Patrick Taylor's in the lead or Tyler

Goodson's in the lead. Right now, there's still a chance for that to shift because either or both could be elevated on a on a game day coming up here in September and coming up in a couple of weeks, you know, they could theoretically also returned Kylan Hill to practice. And now Kylin Hill is stating his claim after a pretty impressive start with Green Bay last summer, right with with the pup now the regular season pup being just a four week minimum instead of the six week minimum

from previous years. Another change in the rules in terms of the roster manipulation, and Rogers kind of talked about that Aaron Rodgers that is at is Cokker on what would be Wednesday. I'm trying to get my days down, Mike, when you work like fourteen in a row and you start losing track of which one it is. But you know about how there's going to be some of these changes now because conversely, the Packers kept all eleven of

their draft picks on this fifty three man roster. They went with seven receivers for the third time in five years. And then one other change that the NFL implemented that I think you're always gonna see loaded offensive lines is you need to have eight offensive lineman active on game day. To be able to have forty eight players dressed for the game. You don't do that. You only get forty seven. So yeah, a lot of these teams now you're gonna

see nine ten offensive linemen making this roster. The Packers, there were a lot of difficult decisions they had to make during these final cuts. Danny Etling goes on the practice squad, Caleb Jones goes on the practice squad. You keep a guy like Rashid Walker on the fifty three, who finished camp really strong, had a nice showing at right tackle in Kansas City, had to come back from an injury during training camp. Once he got out there

in the preseason, the film look pretty good. And that's the that's the toughest part of this job for Brian goodcuts in the scouts, they lost one guy to waivers. That was Tye Summers. I think everybody kind of expected that's what was going to happen once they decided to release him ahead of time before the final cuts, and you know, it worked out the way it worked out. There was some great stories like Mica Abernathy making the

fifty three after only being here for twenty days. But then there was also the reality of what the National Football League is like where Rudy Ford was signed the next day and Abernathy was released. So, uh, Mason Crosby's

back there. There's so many different scenarios and storylines that came out of this cutdown day that I think one it made for a huge day on our website numbers wise, but too, I just think there were so many questions that people had that weren't going to be answered until you know, Brian Goodacuins filled out that personnel report and sent it to the league office by three pm on Tuesday. Yeah, from a news perspective, Mason Crosby was activated off pup.

The Packers feeling very good about his progress. This Week one still the target for him. We will see what we will see what happens there. But the backup kicker um Ahmed Ramis Ahmed Um He was released but did clear waivers in his back on the practice squad. So depending on what happens with Crosby again, because of these elevation UM game day elevation rules, the Packers will have another option there for Week one UM if they were

to need it. That you mentioned the ten offensive lineman I think as training camp in the preseason developed, and certainly with the remaining uncertainty with regard to David baktr and Ellen Jenkins, I think, I think we saw the ten offensive lineman coming and we're wondering if maybe even they would go with eleven Um and Uh And as it turned out, as you said, Caleb Jones, Um did make it through waivers in his back on the practice squad.

And yeah, the cruel world of of NFL roster decisions with Mica Abernathy, a great story shows up, gets signed because of injuries at safety, gets signed two days before the first preseason game. Um absolutely balls out in all three. I mean he's on the field in a preseason game two days after he arrives in Green Bay, which is pretty remarkable in in and of itself. Then a week later he gets an interception and a tackle for loss in the preseason game at lambeau Field. Um makes the

initial fifty three. But then when a safety and special teams stalwart from Jacksonville named Rudy Ford becomes available, the Packers decided to sign him and Uh and Abernathy is released one day after being this great Cinderella story that had made the fifty three. But that leads me to I think another very obvious observation with regard to how Bran gudacoonsten his staff Matt Lafleur, the coach, is how they went about putting together this fifty three man roster.

And of course I'm talking about special teams because as I pointed out on the three Things video that we shot with Larry yesterday, this the mindset, the approach that they want to take with special teams. This wasn't just

about changing the coaches. It's about changing the personnel, and it's about having guys like Keyshaw Nixon and Dalen Levitt, who, yes, they will be reserves in the defensive backfield, but the the the top item on their job responsibility list is going to be special teams because they've done it a lot, they can be leaders in that area. Obviously, the Packers also brought in a new punter, a new long snapper.

The undrafted rookie Jack Coco does make the team, and then Rudy Ford ends up getting signed here just as as the roster reductions are made, and then you can you can potentially have some of these rookies from the draft class we may see Romeo Dops on special teams. We may see Trek Carpenter the seventh round pick um at at safety, kind of an oversized safety who might

be an interesting, intriguing prospect on special teams. The makeover of the special teams has been months in the making here and uh, and now it's time for new coordinator Rich Pisaccia. Byron store his that that that group of coaches, they've got their guys now, this is this is who they've got, so they're going to move forward and uh. And the idea is obviously for the Packers to be

much much improved in that phase of things. Yeah, and that was one of the big reasons why I also implored people not to get too over the top about how the preseason looks. Yeah, I was. I was doing that. I was doing the same thing. It was a search for personnel. That's that's the way I looked at. Yeah, and the way of which they're trying to augment those teams. You know, there there's going to be a lot of

established veterans playing for Ritz Besaccia too. I think about the field goal protection unit and the amount of starters we saw on this um. This past summer. There were times last season where I don't remember there being a quote unquote starter on field goal protection. It was a lot of backup offensive lineman. It was a lot of backup defensive linemen. But there's a huge emphasis there. I never saw Corey Lindsley play on a special teams unit. Josh Myers is playing as a wing right now on

the field goal protection quay walker Adrian Amos. I think the plan is to hopefully not have to use Amos, but when Daln Levitt went down with the shoulder in San Francisco, Amos was the one feeling and his personal protector on the punt team, Russell Douglas, Eric Stokes. There was a line that really stood out to me during Brian and Brian Goodicuns and Matt floor Ball talked about

this emphasis. But when Brian Goodicun said we had to get out of our comfort zone a little bit with how we're building these teams, that really I thought was telling because he admitted we've not been good enough for far too long. We need to be better in that area,

and I feel like the resources have been committed. Certainly, you and I watched these practices having Rich Pisacchi as that the general there I think has made a huge difference, the tempo, how they get in and out of periods, the urgency when they do have the special teams period.

You know, this goes back years. This isn't just about you know, Modraton or or anybody's in specific, but you know there there was a lot of years Mike where I would cover these training camp practices and be like, Okay, team periods are done, We're gonna do some special teams. Al Right, everybody, ten minutes, we'll be back. We'll do some more team periods. Now Man special teams. This year that was a period in and of itself. When they were doing their lineups, whether it be for kickoff return

or punt return. Even the way they integrated their their field goals I thought was really interesting. There wasn't a set Okay, we're just gonna kick eight field goals. No, it was okay, we're gonna do a team period and we're gonna do two field goals. Quick, do another tum period, go back a couple more yards and do some more

field goals. They're just the the urgency is there. You need the execution, you need to be able to turn the owner in the regular season, but certainly everybody from the top down understands why that phase needs to improve and really what happens if you don't get it to

where it needs to be. Yeah, and we actually got to look not that the Packers wanted to punt as often as they did in Kansas City in that preseason finale, but we gotta look at what Pat O'Donnell might be able to do here as a as a veteran punter. I thought he I thought in mixing and matching, you know, the Aussee style, the swing away. I mean, he kind

of showed it all in in in Kansas City. Now they get the personnel they want to cover those punts, and and you know, the the fifty five yard gross doesn't necessarily just become a forty yard met because of a fifteen yard return. You cover those better and uh, and that net average on the punt gets to where

Rich Pisacci wants it to be. And it isn't interesting after that game in Casey Mattlaflore talking about, Yeah, there were some things going on there with the returns, and then within five days here comes Rudy Ford was considered one of the fastest best gunners in the National Football League. When I go back to thinking about when special teams appeared to be turning the corner of the first time, for Green Bay, it was because I thought Jeff Janis

was an excellent gunner, Dmitri Goodson. They had guys that sort of stepped up in that Jared Bush roll, and then they kind of fell off a little bit in terms of the team that having a rudy for their potentially using some starters. I think that's going to make a big difference. Yeah, it's going to be interesting to see how that evolves now with the with the regular season right around the corner, and who is on the

field for those snaps um some sponsor business. Here West Serious x M NFL Radio delivers hard hitting analysis and up to the minute NFL news that true football fanatics need seven three and had Cousin Subs. We have something for everyone like our Wisconsin cheese curds, mac and Cheese, golden fries, and creamy shakes, all paired with your favorite sub or sub in a bowl. Cousin Subs fifty years

of better. An interesting final day, I I say final day, last day of practice on Wednesday, but for the players get kind of an extended break here through the weekend and then they'll return after the weekend to begin the full fledged preparation for the Minnesota Vikings in Week one.

A couple of visitors to practice. First off, Morgan Burnett, former Packer safety who came back to Green Bay to officially retire as a Packer, hasn't played in the NFL for a couple of years, played his first he was a third round draft pick in two thousand and ten, played his first eight years in the NFL with Green Bay, a couple of other years with with a pair of

a f C North teams. Um he officially retires as a Packer and then newly enshrined Pro Football Hall of Famer Leroy Butler also was at practice, and we found out that both of those individuals, who happened to both play the position of safety and played it quite well here in Green Bay, both had a chance to talk to the team give a little bit of an inspirational message and message excuse me, and it sounded like, um, it was both of both of those who were received

quite well. Yeah. Starting with Butler, Aaron Rodgers even mentioned he felt like that was one of the best kind of pre practice camp speeches they've had in his time, at least over the last ten years, I think, is what his quote was. Uh. And and Butler's message was one that I can see why it hit home with Rogers but definitely the entire football team, and that it

goes by fast, so enjoy it. You know, Leroy played twelve years in the National Football League, took him a couple of years to find his way, and then obviously the shoulder injury ended his last season. But in between there, I mean, what did a remarkable run he got on And we talked at nauseum this summer about you know, his Hall of Fame candidacy and finally getting in Trine

and Canton to be able to bring him back. I thought was such an important thing because you know, we talked about Leary being long winded, and he can be, but I think, as he also showed in Canton, you know, he can be really concise with his thoughts too, and make a point, um, not just with his words, but how he says things. And kind of reflecting on this and and mentioning afterwards that Morgan Burnett spoke to the team after practice. You know, that idea of being in

the present. I think the way Randall Cobb termed it was, you know, standing in your shoes, you know, not worrying about what's happened in the past, not trying to think about the future, but literally just being present right now. Um, not just in the practices, not just in the games, being in the cafeteria, being in the locker room, just being able to to enjoy this with people around you, um that are kind of living out their dreams as well.

And for the packers, I mean, you look at this type of year, with the expectations being as high as they are, it is important at times to actually step back and reflect in and appreciate the opportunity that's in front of them. And I feel like, without hearing the message ourselves, it definitely sounds like that's sort of the

thing that both Butler and Burnett hit home on. And I'll be honest with you, Mike, I tweeted or I put on my Instagram as I was getting ready for bed last night, the fact that Morgan Burnett is retired from the National Football League, Um, you got to see his entire career. I got most of it. That that kind of that hits even a guy like me a little bit because now I'm thirty four years old. I

think Morgan might be thirty three. You know, it reminds you, you know, these guys come in at two years old in the blanket, and I you're thirty and you're onund to that next phase of your life. So you definitely do want to appreciate that moment when it's in front

of you. Yeah, no question about. Well, the other thing with regard to Wednesday's practice UM, Matt Law flew through a changeup at the guys so to speak, because what he ended up doing and again before giving them a few days off, he set up practice UM with a lot of eleven on eleven essentially like almost like four quarters of eleven on eleven, you know, ones versus ones um, and also some twos versus twos, And we didn't get

to see that. We're at the point, just so people understand, we're at the point with regard to practice, where as opposed to a regular training camp practice, when we get to watch the entire thing. Now in regular season practice mode, the media is allowed for the opening portion of practice and some of the individual drills, but then once they go to eleven on eleven, the media is dismissed and

it's a it's a closed private practice. But it sounded like the eleven on eleven this four quarters and whatever running clock that they put on, and it was there were also some special teams snaps that were mixed in sort of between quarters. Everything that we found out about this practice in the locker room afterward, it sounded like it was pretty darn competitive and the guys really both

sides of the ball, really really got after it. And um, the timing of it couldn't have been better because I can see from a head coaches perspective, Alright, guys, we'll go other than tackling to the ground, We're not going to be you know, laying guys out and everything, but go, We're gonna go really really hard today because now you've got a few days off to recover. Like, let's make this practice as game like as as we can. And

it sounded like it was a hit with the players. Yeah, for Aaron Rodgers, you asked the question for Rogers to say right off the bat that it was the best practice camp. I think it really reiterated, um how successful it was and also the fact that Rogers the thing that sit out to me the most him mentioning that he kind of hopes that this is something that maybe

they'll integrate into the traditional train. Yeah, something something to consider, something to consider in the future, sort of to to break up maybe to break up the monotony of the installations or this or that of of you know, weeks of training camp practices. Just one day go alright, guys, we're going eleven on eleven for four quarters. Let's go, you know. I mean, it would be that that would be a lot of fun. That would be a lot of fun for us and for the fans that the

stands at Nichky Field. If that would be an open practice, that would be a blast for everybody to u to watch and see what unfolds. Yeah. One of the two very subtle things that happened though, when Rogers was explaining it is one it sounds like Robert Tonyan is doing really well. Um, this is a guy that was just getting back into the team program last week, just getting back into some of the individual periods and sound like he had a couple of touchdown passes as well. Uh,

one I believe was from Rogers. Another one was in a two minute with George and you know, for for Tony in trying to get back into the swing of things. Uh, it sounds like that first week has gone really well. But Rogers again was effusive in his praise of Sammy Watkins and just the corner that he turned after that first practice against the Saints. I mean, Mike, you look

at the stats. I talked about it frequently, but I mean, this guy is in the conversation as being among the best Week one receivers in the National Football League over the last you know, eight years in which he's been here. I mean, he's just it's one big performance after another, and I don't think that's a coincidence. I think everybody appreciates and understands what this young man is still capable

of if he's healthy. And for him and Randall Cobb and being able to get all these guys that are figured to be important the list for this offense to the start of the regular season without injury. I think it's one of the things that Matt Lafleur did really well in this camp, and a part of that is not playing in the preseason, and a part of it is being really smart when you do decide to finally push that button to to get guys ramping up a

little bit. Yeah, this and the players talked about how this for the starters, the veteran starters in particular, because we did see some of the younger starters on offense and defense taking snaps in the preseason game. But for the veteran starters, this was their preseason action. It was it was the ones versus ones in an intense environment on the practice field. Rogers did talk about Watkins. He also talked about how the last week to ten days

that Randall Cobb has really come on UM. Somewhat quiet throughout training camp, just a veteran going about his business, but but the last week or so, Randall Cobb has gotten a lot more action in the eleven on eleven. And you mentioned Robert tunn In very recently returned to the eleven on eleven work um with with getting cleared through his A c L rehab, and it sounds like he's showing up quite a bit as well, even though we haven't had the opportunity to see it um as

members of the media. So a lot going on there. The team now on a little bit of a break and uh, and then they'll come back and it will be uh, it will be a big turn the page moment because because the Minnesota Vikings will be right around the corner, big division rival on the road. All that and uh and an entire week to prepare. So it's almost here, my friend. Yeah, the transition is so interesting now with them making this switch to three preseason games,

and everybody mentioned that's for the positive. Brian Goodkin's even said, as much as he would love the more evaluation opportunities, that this is the best for the league and for the players. But it does it creates this weird little vacuum um where you really don't know what to make of anything. You know, even those practices last weekend. We're getting ready for final cuts, but you want to keep

the guys working. I felt like this was a perfect way to to make it a little it more competitive, uh, and and not just have it being okay, well, we're all just kind of sitting around looking for something to do this week now, I mean, get one more heavy practice in and then Monday comes around and suddenly you're game planning again. So, as you said, Mike, it's incredible. Um,

it seems like juicy. Yesterday I was sitting on that bench waiting for Mark Murphy to come out at the shareholders meeting and give his speech, and then suddenly we're here and the Packers have a pretty pivotal division matchup coming out right at the gate. Yeah, it's going to be uh, it's it's going to be quite the start. Vikings Week one, bears in Week two and uh a lot on a lot on the line in the NFC North here in the early weeks. One last thing before

we go. Running short on time, but wanted to give a quick shout out to two new members of the Packers Hall of Fame being inducted UH this week talking about Greg Jennings and Tim Harris. West and I will have stories based from their press conferences their induction on Packers dot com, so be sure to check those out. But congratulations to Greg Jennings and Tim Harris, very deserving new members of the Packers Hall of Fame. And with that we'll call it a rap on this edition of

Packers Unscripted. We'll have everything for you on Packers dot com. Be sure to continue to check it out as the regular season rolls around. For Wes, I am Mike, thank you for tuning in. Everybody, We'll see you next time.