Hi, everybody.
Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spofford, joined as always by my trusted colleague Weston Hodko. It's coming to you hear from our studios at lambeau Field West, final show of the twenty twenty four off season here for us, we spent the last couple of days out there at mini camp practice. There were a couple press conferences, a bunch of locker room interviews. So let's review the end of the tail
end of the off season program here. I'll just throw it out to you.
What was your.
Biggest takeaway from this two day mini camp.
Jordan Love was locked in, and you know, the defense had their moments. I've mentioned this to you before. I think Edrin Cooper seeing the athleticism, the explosiveness of him, you know, thought I thought some of the defensive front really got some nice penetration, some pressure as much as
you can in non padded practices. But at the end of the day, man, we were looking for Jordan Love to take a step and I felt like seeing his progression from twenty twenty one where it was like, Okay, well we're seeing this young guy start to learn the position more and get more comfortable to where Matt Lafleur was talking about, he's allowing him to call his own two minute offense at times, he's allowing him to kind of expand his repertoire and in his understanding of where
things are. Jordan Love is one of the coolest, calmest customers that I think I've ever covered, regardless of the position he plays, and just seeing him bring together the experience factor now is fascinating. He still has yet to play more than thirteen hundred offensive snaps in the National Football League. He's still twenty five years old. And I quoted Rick Flair and Insider Inbox. He got to edit that on Thursday. But it's only just begun, I guess also the carpenters.
Right, Yeah, that's that's true. That's true too. I mean, I'm totally with you on Jordan Love. I thought I thought there were periods in each of those practices Tuesday and Wednesday where he looked ultra sharp, where he really had that first unit offense clicking for as much as you can say that when it's not in pads and and you know, the blocking up front is you know is not the same of course when when guys aren't fully dressed, but along those same lines, I just get this.
I got this vibe over the couple of days that and I maybe, yes, I probably said this earlier on one of our shows earlier during OTAs, but I just get the sense that this Packers team is ready to go. If training camp were on Monday, these guys would be like, all right, let's roll here. Let you know, let's get to it. You know that that's that's the that's the sense I get from the locker room in general, both from the veteran guys and the younger guys. Everybody wants
to take their break. Don't get me wrong.
For Sean Gary might not.
What's that for Sean Gary might? Yeah, I don't know if I'm not sure if Sean Gary ever ever takes a break.
But you know, there is there is a time to there is a time here to to relax a little bit, to recharge, to reset. But at the same time, I think, I think these guys when when they do come back for training camp, they will one hundred percent be ready to go and get into that full one hundred percent preparation mode for the regular season.
I think listening to Romeo Dobbs, to whom I'll discuss in a minute, because he's another one of the guys that really stood out to me again this offseason stopped me for heard that before the last two summers.
Or two springs.
But right Romeo Dobbs was talking about how special, uh, this locker room is and the camaraderie of this team is. And I think a really good indicator of that is I wrote a couple of weeks ago. Actually it was earlier this week. Sorry, everything's getting meshed together about Jaden Reid and Dantavian Wicks living together for two months leading up to coming back for the off season program. Dobbs said he's already gotten together with Jordan Love before they
came back for the off season program. Obviously they share a coach, an off season coach, that they get some working together. It sounds like the receivers are going to get together with Jordan again during this break. And then Rashan Gary, who also said he wishes there was another week of the offseason program. This kind of a funny moment, he said, him, Preston Smith and Kenny Clark are actually going to pull together the defensive line either down in
Dallas or California. They haven't sorted that out yet to get together for some workouts as well. This is a group that generally enjoys being around one another, and that is not always a given in the National Football League. This is a business. People have families, they have interest, they have things they want to do in those four or five weeks that they can get away from here before quarterbacks and young players have to report back on
July seventeenth. But you can tell that the leadership in there and the way that they handle their day to day business, this is a group that generally enjoys being around one another. And it's not even just the position groups. I was in the scrum with Preston Smith and Carington Valentine is coming over talking to him afterwards. They're having
the fun back and forth over some stuff. That is what I think often will separate the good teams from the potentially great ones, is when it isn't that you're just going out there and doing a job, it's that you're playing for one another. And you know, Kai Walker mentioned it too. He's been on national championship teams, He's played on some really good football teams in the past.
The camaraderie for June twelfth is already there. And that's the thing that when the season gets long and when you face adversity, is what you often have to lean back on, is that camaraderie. Yeah.
Absolutely, Getting back to the impressions that some players made on us, you mentioned Edgrin Cooper a minute ago, and I have to say, you could see when when that defensive call from Jeff Hafley or whoever was calling it during the eleven on eleven and OTAs when there was a call that turned Edgern Cooper loose. You could see how an off ball linebacker had eight sacks last season in college, which is a ridiculous number for a guy who doesn't even line up on the line of scrimmage.
Right Brian Gudakunst had made a comment, and one of the other that we heard from during the draft made a similar comment. It might have been John Eric Sullivan, but it was something to something to the effect of that Edgrin Cooper's speed is just different.
It just looks different out there.
And I thought, particularly during this mini camp, when Cooper seemed to be just settling in a little bit more in terms of knowing what he's doing on defense, and as I said, some calls that were turning him loose a little bit and just letting him, letting him attack the backfield and either go after the quarterback or go after that TfL on a running play. I thought, I mean, his his speed absolutely jumps off the field. There's there's
no there's no denying it. And and it's not a surprise when when you see that for the first time in person, at least for me, it's not a surprise then that this guy was drafted where he was and and was, you know, one of the first off ball linebackers to be taken in this draft.
His forty time is better than half the cornerbacks that were drafted. I mean when he's running in four or five one, which was a hundredth of a second faster than Kay Walker's a year earlier or two years earlier. This guy is a real physical specimen. Now, I cautioned, I think both an inbox and in a on Twitter saying there's a lot that goes into play an inside linebacker beyond just athleticism. But one of the things we saw from Jeff Hafley in these mini camp practices, they
dialed up a lot of blitzes. And it wasn't just the third down variety. I mean they brought a lot of it.
They were they weren't holding back.
Eric Wilson was doing it. They were running you know, Corey Ballantine. They were running a lot of these things to throw some extra pressure at the opposing quarterback. But when it was Edgrin Cooper, it was almost like that suffocating speed where it's like Mike McCarthy used to like that used to use that two point five second shot clock to throw the football.
It's more it's more like it needs to be two point two, you know, Like there's just there's that there's that little extra edge to it that you know, well, you know the quarterback is speeding up that clock in his head when it's number fifty six, who gets turned loose.
And that's why it's gonna be fun to watch him when you get the linebacker first, running backs, pass protection drills, when you see some of the team stuff, when the pads come on during training camp, the guy is very exciting to watch. And the Packers are taking this thing slow. He's not in there every time with the ones they're using Isaam McDuffie. Eric Wilson's getting a lot of reps
there as well. But when you look at Cooper and if kway Walker shows that he's able to handle that mic role really well this year, Cooper's gonna find his way on the field, there's just gonna be too much. He is too much of an athlete, not too Yeah.
Absolutely, I think we're gonna be seeing I think we're gonna be seeing a lot of him. There's very little doubt about that. You mentioned Romeo Dobbs earlier. I'll let
you I'll let you take it from there. The steadiness, the steadiness with which he performs, and I thought, you know, his his rookie year, he was starting to establish that, but then he had some moments in games that were were some letdown moments where where you're just like, oh, like, you know, he failed to maybe take you know, make the make the play that everybody was hoping he was gonna make in a certain situation. But but man, oh man, we just see you know, Romeo Dobbs, he doesn't he
doesn't look any different, you know. I mean, I'm sure you know his body is a little bit different than than it was as a rookie, but he doesn't really look any different. He's running, he's running his routes the same. He's you know, he's got he's got the strong hands and everything. But there's something he's he's added something to where he just has a presence on the practice field now even though he's you know, he's not Christian Watson
and you know, beating everybody deep and whatever. He doesn't have that doesn't have that breakaway speed or whatever at wide receiver. But you can feel Romeo dobs presence on the practice field when he and Jordan Love sort of you know, have their little telepathy going. And I thought that started to show through here towards the particularly towards.
The end of the off season.
From Dob said it on Wednesday, Jordan Love was his quarterback first in Green Bay when he was running with the you know, the twos or whatever you want to call him back in twenty twenty two, before he started to establish himself as a starter. He was with Love every day in practice. That telepathy that's been building up now for over two calendar years. And what I enjoy most about watching Romeo because it was what hit me the most I was very impressed with his practice on Wednesday,
thought he he catches the ball effortlessly. Everything is so seamless. The greatest like Jordy Nelson, make it look so easy. It makes it look like anybody can go out there and do this.
It makes every play, he makes every play look routine, routine when what is when what is going on out there in terms of in terms of the read and the break and sometimes the catch not always the most routine, but he makes it look that way.
Absolutely so when you bring it back and Matt Lafleur goes up to the podium and he was asked yesterday or on Wednesday about him, and he says, you know, I thought he had an outstanding spring, And I immediately thought to myself and I'm like, he had an outstanding spring in twenty twenty three too. He had an outstanding spring in twenty twenty two to get himself on the radar as a guy that hey with Alan Lazard and Sammy Watkins and Randall Cobb, this guy could potentially contribute
right out of the gate too. And I just don't And as Lafloor also added, he didn't even know if he had a bad practice this spring. And that's just the way Romeo is. If he drops a ball, you're surprised if he's not in the right spot. It's almost unheard of. The guy is so about his business, and it's the way he carries himself off the field, it's the way he handles himself on the field. He has
a neat personality. He was joking around. You and I were laughing at some of the stuff he was doing on the punt return drill, you know, kind of joshing around with some of the other guys on the punt coverage unit. But at the end of the day, when it comes to playing professional football again, I don't want to get into this wide receiver one, wide receiver two. But Jordan Love knows if he needs to turn to number eighty seven, that guy's gonna come through for him.
Yeah.
And the way and the way Dobbs goes about his business, the extra work he puts in, the the intense focus with which he goes about every drill, whether it's an individual drill, whether it's an eleven on eleven snap. He's not looking. He's not looking for attention or accolades for the work. Ethic and how he goes about it to Romeo Dobbslake, I'm a professional wide receiver. This is how you're supposed to do the job right, and and he just.
He takes it.
He takes it seriously, absolutely every every minute that he's in this building. One other thing, he's built record wide receiver.
Two. Yeah, that was the thing when you're talking about his physique when I was watching him. Not to interrupt you, but no, no, that was one point I wanted to make. He's how you design a wide receiver. And I think that's why I think you could put him in any era of Packers football, whether it was the twenty tens, the twenty twenties, when the Mike McCarthy era started, this guy would have success. He just he is that type of football player.
Yeah, I totally, I totally agree with you. One other thing I'll throw at you with regard to you know, call it a you know, mini epiphany or whatever that I have many there you go, j R. Alexander was one of the veterans. There were a few veterans Alexander, Xavier McKinney, Keishawn Nixon who were excused from the mini camp. They weren't there so there was some shuffling going on in the defensive backfield in terms of the combinations and who was with the ones and the twos and the rotations,
et cetera, et cetera. But it dawned on me watching Eric Stokes and Carrington Valentine essentially be the starting outside corners with the number one defense. This is setting up to be a heck of a training camp competition for who's going to be cornerback number two between these two guys. And they're two of the most I guess you'd say, jovial type guys in the locker room. You know, they're laughing and joking around and all this kind of stuff.
But man, those two are gonna go at it on the field in training camp to see who is going to be the outside boundary corner starter opposite of Jay or Alexander, and it's gonna be it's gonna be entertaining to watch.
Valentine is everything that's great about the National Football League, because again it shows you there can be two hundred and thirty one picks and then two thirty two ends up being a guy that looks like he could be a bona fide starter in this league and just you know, went out a little early, was probably a little small, didn't have as many plays as he probably need to make at Kentucky, just didn't have the resume built up for a team to go out and want to make
that pick earlier. But boy, oh boy, when you look at the size he put on, when you look at the charisma that he has and the way he plays the position, there is a knack. There is a X factor that I think is associated with being able to play cornerback. I wrote about this and Insider. I don't know if you saw the video or not, but when when Randall Cobb was talking about he was asked on Busting with the Boys about what is the hardest position to play? And he stopped in his tracks and he
said it is cornerback. And he listed off eight different reasons why immediately about why that spot is difficult to play, and it then dawned on me. I had my mini epiphany where you can have every tool in the toolbox, Mike, but if you don't have the mentals down, if you're not willing to play on that island and understand what comes along with that, it ain't gonna go very good for you. Karenon Valentine has that now seeing him compete now with Eric Stokes is gonna be fun to watch.
And as we've seen time and time again, you need as many of those guys as possible to survive a season. But Stokes kind of flirted around with playing in the slot. He's not a slot corner, at least not in the traditional sense. He's a perimeter guy.
I agree, So.
You may need both, maybe you only have one at the beginning. Who knows, depending on how the starting lineup shorts out. But to your point, and as you wrote, I think in the five this is one of the things that I think is going to really be what Jeff Hafley, with his background, is looking to accomplish during this training campusy and exactly who's going to be the best fit for that outside spot.
Yeah. Absolutely.
And when you talk about that, you talk about that mentality that a cornerback needs. I think I mentioned this an Insider Inbox a couple of days ago. I mean, you have you you have to take the field knowing that you're going to be attacked, that the rules in many ways are geared against you. The rules are tilted
toward the offensive player. To make plays against you. Plays are going to be made against you even when you do everything exactly right, and you have to be able to just to just forget the whatever bad stuff happens. You have to be able to forget it instantly and line up again, because none of those other parameters that I just mentioned are going to change. They are going to be there every single play, and and it really is.
It's it's a position that has that requires a mentality like no other in a lot of respects because of the way the game is played, the way the game is officiated, and just the combination of the smarts and athleticism it takes to play it effectively.
It's like defenseman in hockey. I mean, you have to be so apt at running backwards and keeping your balance and flipping your hips and being able to have such insane control of your body. Oh and then, by the way, also don't get hurt. I mean, like, there's so much that goes along with being able to succeed in that position. But to be honest with you, I think that's one of the reasons why this is gonna be really exciting to watch, because the Packers have options at all these positions.
The secondary. We saw without Zavier McKinney here, Evan Williams got some run back there. Zane Anderson had three interceptions, Yeah, in tuesday's practice.
And welcome to the competition, right.
Welcome to the competition. I mean he was very humble about after he said that it was fun. Three plays. Two of them probably were right in my lap. But that being said, that's what Zane Anderson needs to do to interject his name into this thing. Yes, with three incoming draft picks, with you know the amount of resources they put into that position, with Xavier McKinney coming in, Anthony Johnson Junior is back and has gotten a lot
of snaps in the starting secondary this offseason. So that competition again, it's up to Matt Lafleur, Jeff Hafley, these coaches that decide whin that how far this thing drags on. But Michael, I don't know in the first week of a training camp practice leading up to when they finally get those pads on, if I can remember a time in which there have been this many jobs up for grabs, but all the options are pretty darn good. Yeah, you're
not looking for somebody to surprise you. You're wondering who's going to be the one that is sort of the cream that rises to the top of that position.
Yeah.
Absolutely, And I want to get back to the sort of the opening of training camp coming up here in a minute. But I don't want to forget about our sponsors. A serious, serious XMNFL Radio delivers hard hitting analysis and up to the minute NFL news that true football fanatics need twenty four to seven, three sixty five. And at 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 and a
bowl Cousin Subs fifty plus years of better. All right, The last thing I wanted to throw at you before we sign off for a while goes to the upcoming start of training camp and what do you feel will be the biggest story. What will we be talking about when we return to these chairs and to this show and to these cameras. What will we be talking about most when training camp opens?
Do you think it's an excellent question? I think to me is where the rotations are and who's all involved in those? Right off the bat, because I've often said, and you and I remember when we were previewing the offen season program or OTAs, don't pay attention to lineups, don't pay attention to the depth charts. None of that stuff exists right now. And Matt Lafleur even said it
on Wednesday. They just want to get guys opportunities. Jordan Morgan played four different positions this training camp or this offseason program. They want to get these guys in position to compete for jobs at training camp. But the thing that's always interesting is when you see the game of musical chairs start to slow down and guys settle into certain spots. I look at this receiving corps. I look at this cornerback unit. I look at inside linebacker, I
look at defensive line Mike. The multitude of guys that Green Bay can go interior, exterior, there's so many. I was talking to Paul Brettel about this at the end of practice on Wednesday. You know, you have Lucas Vans and Rashan Gary and Preston Smith and kings Leanning Bardy. But like I thought, Brenton Cox had a really nice offseason, extremely strong hands and just violent at the point of attack. You know, Deslin, Alexander I thought had some good place.
It's really interesting to see who can capitalize on these chances. So my biggest storyline coming out of this is where are all the pieces aligned when we get back and one week into that thing, who's starting to make that climb into their positions?
Yeah?
Absolutely, I think that that is definitely what we're going to be watching. I think and hope one of the big stories as training camp opens is that Jordan Loves going to have a new contract. I think I think that that is going to happen, And even if it doesn't happen maybe by the first day of training camp.
It'll definitely happen on the day you're on PTO.
Yeah, as soon as they take a day off, it'll happen.
Right. But aside from that, which I think will be will will certainly be a big story. But the one, the one name when you're talking about some of the shifting in musical chairs and stuff that've been going on, the one name that I'm going to be watching the most closely as to where he is is Jordan Morgan, the first round draft pick on the offensive line. Where
is he going to be lining up now. If Zach Tom isn't back from isn't fully back from his pectoral injury at the start of training camp, then we may still be in this OTA mode in terms of where guys are, because we know that when Zach Tom is healthy, he's one of the best five he's going to be He's going to be the guy there. But as you said, Morgan's been lining up pretty much everywhere but center during
this offseason program. I don't think with a first round pick and a guy that they see as someone who could legitimately compete for a starting job as a rookie, I don't know if they're gonna continue to, you know, keep moving him around. They might they might decide to put him somewhere and go, Okay, go and take that job if you want it, you know, prove to us, that proved to us that you're the best, that you're the best option there. That's the one I think above
others that I'm gonna have my eye. And of course, I mean I'm expecting Edger and Cooper to be out there with the ones. On defense, I'm expecting Javon Bullard probably to be lining up next to Xavier McKinney, those kinds of things with those draft picks. Morgan is the guy that sort of has this question mark right now as to exactly where is he going to fit. And maybe it's not the first couple days of training camp, but maybe it's once the pads go on, they're gonna
make a decision. Okay, Jordan, you know, here's here's your spot.
Go for it.
But I think that's going to be a story to follow at the beginning and throughout training camp with the first round draft pick.
It's an excellent point and seeing how he responds to that, because I go back and he wasn't a first round pick, but I do think about Zach tom two years ago, Yeah, where he was still rotating around. But what impressed me the most with him was they would go to their one on one periods and they would line him up as a guard, they'd line him up as a tackle, and it didn't matter if he was facing a Kenny Clark or he was going up against you know, a look as Van Ess or Overshan Garry. He held his
point of attack. And that is what, ultimately I think when you look for guys trying to carve out roles in a starting lineup. It is how you handle that that coursework all of that stuff you get thrown at. That's how you find your spot in this league. It is an interesting spot. It's the way these offensive lines are built. Now. You don't just have a guy coming in playing okay, the two tackle positions or the two guard positions, or this guy's a center, and then we're
gonna have him work other spots. Jordan Morgan has had the full entree in terms of trying to digest what an NFL playbook is like. Yeah, but this was the time to get those reps and unfortunately you didn't have Zach Tom. They gave him an opportunity and hopefully he can learn from it. There. It wasn't perfect. There were some false starts, there were some plays that I'm sure
he wanted to have back. But at the end of the day, he has that pedigree and I still look at his build and I'm just reminded so much of the Elton Jenkins to some extent Zach Tom, although it's still just I just can't get over just what Zach's been doing at right tackle. But he has that malleable frame that wherever you put him structurally it makes sense.
And here's the beauty of it with how the Packers, how Brian Guda Kunston his staff in the personnel department have constructed this ross, and with where the Packers are with their depth. If Jordan Morgan doesn't rise up and sees a starting spot as a rookie first round draft pick, nobody's gonna panic. No, you know it, They're they're not. They're not begging Jordan Morgan to say it, to say like, hey, we need you to prove that you know that that's
They're gonna give him the opportunity. But if he's but if for whatever reason, it's not there yet, it doesn't quite come together in the first year for for this young man that that that's okay the Packers. The Packers have what they need. But h but I think I think he's going to be a very curious case to follow through training camp just to see where this goes.
Every single guy, if you think about hit Mike that has been on the Packers offensive line as like an entrench starter, got there basically via injury, even to some extent Josh Sitton, you know, right, But because you think about Bachtiari, he's not starting at left tackle. If Bologa doesn't blow out his ACL, Elton Jenkins probably isn't a full time starter. If Alane Taylor doesn't go down with the biceps injury, uh Bloga goes in for an injured Mark Tauscher, right Tjan The list goes on and on
and on. That's why it really just comes down to being ready for if that moment does strike.
Corey Linsley for j C.
Tritder, that's the biggest one as a rookie, as a rookie in twenty fourteen. But yeah, you're right, I mean, it's it's a it's a pretty lengthy list in terms of the history of that position group in Green Bay, and.
JC got through the entire training camp before getting hurt at the very end, which led to Corey Linsley's first in game snaps happening with Aaron Rodgers when the team went to Seattle in Week one. Yeah, it's that type of stuff that can happen in this sport. But be that as it may, I felt like the Packers' rookie class, by and large what we were able to see, it's
an impressive looking group. We'll get closer to real football now day by day, week by week, and then next thing you know, you and I will be in South Paulo, Brazil.
Yeah, I'm still trying to I'm still trying to wrap my head around that one because because I think that's gonna be before we know it.
But I just want an ici E Bowl. That's all I want. Okay, that's all I'm asking for. All Right, I heard the ass is amazing down there.
Well, July twenty second is the day. It is a Monday. It will be the first practice of training camp. The day after that will be our first show back. On July twenty third, we will return from our little hiatus and we'll be back with packers unscripted twice a week and all that kind of stuff. So I know you and I are going to be kind of in and out of the office like over the next several weeks and whatnot. So whatever break you do get, my friend,
enjoy it, and let's come back ready to roll. On July twenty two.
I think my Connor McGregor fights falling apart. I mean, I'm still gonna go to Vegas regardless, but.
I just say, what do you. I'm like, you booked your tickets to Vegas.
Oh yeah, that's done.
Yeah, that's paid off.
But it looks like McGregor and Michael Chandler might not happen. Oh man, yeah that would suck. Yeah. So here we're going in on a high note here and.
Here and here.
I'm I'm I'm just like, you know, trying to make my plans to go see some Brewers games and and you know, do a little tailgating and sitting in the upper deck at Amfam Field with my scorecard watch watching baseball.
That's the best type thing to do. But just imagine like if you were in my shoes in that situation where you go down to Miller Park or am Fam Field now and then it's the the Nashville Sounds are playing instead.
It's like it's just not the same, man. Very true.
If I want to see minor league baseball, which is a lot of fun as well, I just go down to Appleton to watch the Timber rallers.
I've done. I've done that as well and probably will do that again.
Don't go to Vegas, No, no, definitely not.
Well.
I'll have my fingers crossed for you, my friend, thank you, and with that we will call it a rap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team. As I said, we will be taking a little bit of a break here, but we will be back right here in these chairs with these cameras on when training can't begin. So for Wes, I am Mike. Thank you for tuning in everybody, and we will see you next time.