#828 Packers Unscripted: Coordinator chats

show of this week will focus on that. But for this show on Monday, here at Packers headquarters, we in the media got to hear from the Packers three coordinators, Rich Pasacia, Jeff Hafley Adam Stenovich, the only time that those coordinators will meet with the media until training camp rolls around. So I'm just gonna throw out an open

ended question. We will discuss all three in some way, shape or form and what we heard, but what was your most interesting takeaway from hearing from the coordinators.

two twenty nine, which is the natural progression. I think it's where everyone saw this young man going in year two. Not only does that help in terms of the game of football itself, but also his durability, which was something the Packers were looking for after he battled a couple of little nagging injuries here and there during his rookie season. But Michael, that was really the only blemish on this thing.

This dude, you know, getting some vote votes for Defensive Rookie of the Year obviously an All PFWA rookie member. This is a very very talented young man. And where last year it was a real big question, Okay, where do the Packers fit him in? How do you get him on the field, I think that side of it has gone now. The question is where is he going to play, how often is he going to play there? And how can he affect the overall defense?

and bad things happen all the time. So this doesn't guarantee that Edrin Cooper is going to play every single game for the Packers in twenty twenty five, but he is working to put himself in the best possible shape, in the best possible condition to not have to replay his rookie season where he was in and out of the lineup and also in and out of practice and

training camp for that matter. I mean, he wants to be available and ready to go start to finish, and and when you think about that with the possibilities with this defense, you know, it starts to open your eyes

a little bit. Sticking on the topic of Jeff Hafley, the thing that really stood out to me a line of his that that really spoke to me and just all these years that I've been doing this, and and you know, we try to communicate with fans and and everything else to hear to hear, to hear Jeff Halfley say that he was very proud of the defense and how hard they were playing and how well the unit

was playing at the end of the year. Obviously it was a solid performance against Philadelphia in the wild card game. But then he said the biggest question for him in year two is how fast can the Packers get back to that level? And I thought the way he phrased that was very, very crucial because first he says how fast can the pack get back to that which is an acknowledgment that in this league you can't just pick up where you left off. It doesn't work that way.

As much as the fans would like to say, well, the Packers are playing great defense at the end of twenty twenty four, they ought to be able to start twenty twenty five play in just like that, No, it doesn't. It doesn't work that way. So the mindset of the

defensive coordinator is just this, this is the reality. He's happy with how they finished the season, but now the goal is to get back to that as quickly as possible, and then also along those lines, knowing as the leader of the defense and as the coordinator, the faster he can get that unit back to that level, then the greater opportunity there is for growth and progress to get hopefully to another level for another stretch run for the Packers. In twenty twenty five.

the National Football League offensively too. Just because the Packers had success with some of the exotic looks they had in twenty twenty four, just because in some ways they didn't have the success they won it with the four man rush last season, it isn't a precursor for what's going to happen in twenty twenty five. Jeff Halfley recognizes that. So when he was asked the question by match Nightman, which was a great question about basically what kind of

defense do you want to be? The question is, yeah, you have a you have a construct a concept of a plan that you're going to go into the season with, but can you actually facilitate it the way you think? And if not, is evolution involved in regardless, there is adaptation that is going to be required throughout the course of the season. Look at the twenty fourteen Packers when Clay Matthews moved inside linebacker. But all that being said, what excites me about this, Mike is last season Halfley

was in his first year with this defense. He's trying to figure out which pieces he's going to plug in, which pieces are going to take out of it, and by the end of the year, it was a top five unit because of how they constantly adapted to what their situation was. I think that's what gives me the most really excitement about this scheme. Halfley's a sharp dude with a good scheme, and he proved that whether it's in the middle of a game or week by week,

he can make those adjustments. And you have guys like Cooper. Now that Mike, let's be honest, man, you've been around here a long time. I'd put Cooper at least in my fourteen years covering this team right in the top five for the most impressive rookies that we've seen.

It didn't really work out that way. He had to get a little bit more exotic about how exactly he was going to rush for and cover seven, but that's what he wanted to stay in most of the time. So you try these different fire zone looks and all this, and guys coming from different angles and other guys dropping off the defensive line. Okay, Now, every single opponent on the Packers' schedule for twenty twenty five has all of

that game film to digest of. Okay, this is how This is what Jeff Haffley likes to do in Green Bay, and Halfley knows that, Halflely knows that all the opponents have been studying that. So the really intriguing question, which of course is the one he's not going to answer at the podium, is hey, man, what else you got up your sleeve?

of twenty four or the beginning of twenty five. It's the biggest point from Halfley is that it is a constant evolution in this game, and if you are not evolving on either side of the ball, you are falling behind because the league is just too competitive and everybody has every square inch of film to watch on you of everything that you've ever done.

these guys during the off season program. He has like a fifteen minute window to do interviews and time was up, but yet he still was asking if there's anybody else that needs questions asked, and they weren't all just you know, softball is either there's some tough stuff that he's being asked right now about the construct of this football team. Halfley took the time he did that, and again, this is this is the type of dude I want to

play for. You're talking about head coaches and press conferences and all that. I've said it time and time again. It's like listening to a college an engaging college professor. When he's up there explaining this thing, you can feel his passionate for it.

submona bowl Cousin Subs fifty plus years of better. All right, I saw that you did. All right. So we've touched on Jeff Hafley defensive coordinator, Adam Stenovich offensive coordinator. What was your primary takeaway from hearing him address the media for the first time in the offseason.

last season. He got kind of banged up, obviously a pretty significant shoulder injury that they're expecting him to be healed from going into the season. But that happened in Philly. He was with the slang when we're in the locker room. Jayden Reid went through a lot last year, been the most productive receiver Green Bays had in terms of just his pure statistics the past two seasons. Is there things green Bay can do to take the load off of them?

Can savey On Williams help in that capacity, And as Stenovich said, he thinks Williams and Matthew Golden, the first round pick, both can do things that help him out. From Golden's perspective, this is a guy that runs a four to two nine. You can place him anywhere, and they've he's already, even though they are not catching passes

and doing routes and all that type of stuff. In terms of the in game eleven and eleven seven on seven stuff, he's shown a lot, whether it was the rookie minichamp or just some of the things that they're seeing behind the scenes right now with him a very exciting young player that definitely is mature beyond his years. Saveon Williams, man, I'll tell you what somebody had asked this question an insider inbox that I'm answering for what

will be Tuesday's column. You know, do you think the Packers and Brian Goodkins they were excited they thought they see a you know, a Taysom Hill type player in Williams. While I don't think that's the natural comparable. I think it is really exciting when you see a guy with all this college film and now you get to pick what you want to use him, how you want to use it. What tools does he present that you think

can benefit your offense right off the bat. In that way, I think this is one of the more exciting offenses I think I'm going to cover with the Green Bay Packers because again, as much as you and I talked last year about all these receivers that can do different things. Now you have a guy like Williams that has that many carries under his belt, has thrown a pass at the college level and seems to have a pretty good

arm too. That was interesting and you can just kind of see the enthusiasm, the excitement with Stenovich too, kind of talking about what the potential build of this offense can be with these two rookies coming in.

the beginning. If these young guys are going to be up to contributing and answering the call and and the coaches are going to push them, They're going to test them. How much can they handle schematically? You know, how much can you feed them that they will understand the responsibilities the different roles, and then getting getting those worked into

worked into game plans. The other thing that I kind of got a kick out of listening to Steno at the podium is the the old offensive lineman was showing through there a bit, because, for those who don't know, Adam Stenovich, Wisconsin native Marshfield, Wisconsin in the center of State, went and played left tackle at the University of Michigan in ann Arbor, spent some time during his pro career in Green Bay, but when he got to the NFL, he was one of those left tackles who has moved

inside to guard and then sort of had to become the jack of all trades backup. He had to be ready to ready to step in as a reserve offensive alignment at any position where he might be needed. He really really likes this group that the Packers have continued to put together on the offensive line in terms of versatile players, guys that are that are challenged and expected

to learn and understand multiple positions. And he's really fired up about the competitions that are going to be developing here, whether you're talking about Jordan Morgan and Rashid Walker at left tackle, and if Anthony Belton, the second round draft pick, gets into that mix, or if it's Morgan and Sean

Ryan at at right guard. He's he's really really excited to see just where these different versatile pieces, how they compete for certain spots, and and then how it all comes together, not just the starting five, but then okay, who's number six, seven, and eight, and how many different spots can they rely on six, seven and eight to fill in for when they need them.

to injuries. I mean, how many people last year Mike had Keishawn Nixon earmarked for a perimeter cornerback for most of the season, right, But that's the way the cookie crumbled when you when you look at the offensive line. The Packers were remarkably healthy throughout the course of the season, but then Elton Jenkins insers his shoulder in Philadelphia, and now they're playing multiple guys in those spots. How you build out the line for six, seven, eight is almost

as important as building the starting five itself. And what intrigues me and I talked about this on our show last week, is there are so many different variations and variables in manifest you know, manifest you know, how would I say it?

like that. You have to be able to go there. And when you look at the Packers offensive lines over the last fifteen years. That's where they've been really strong. Everybody was looking at Jordan Morgan a year ago at this time, not a lot of people were talking about Sean Ryan. Sean Ryan ends up starting seventeen games right guard last season. Yep, you have to be able to have plan B, C, D and so on and so forth.

go wrong. Rich Bisacci was talking about basically was pointing out the biggest moments over his three years with Matt Lafleur where he feels the Packers' special teams have let down the squad in terms of their performance. And you know, he articulated the different moments, and everybody knows the major

ones and what they are. I felt like after hearing coach Bisaccia talk like that that I could look at his you know, his coaching resume and go, Okay, he was he was coaching special teams with the Cowboys in twenty fourteen. Okay, Rich, name me a play in twenty fourteen. Where your special teams?

a reason. He talks about we let the team down. He doesn't put it just on the players that there was a failure and that there was a mistake. He feels it. He takes the responsibility for it as the coach that his unit needs to perform better, and that's on him. And I think it's just it speaks to the culture of accountability that we've seen across the board with this team. And it's why even though you know, yes, twenty twenty four didn't finish the way the packers wanted

it to. They didn't get as far as they did in twenty twenty three and all that kind of stuff. But man, there is a culture of accountability around here that they know what went wrong, they know why it went wrong, and they're going to try their darnness to learn from and move forward from it. And that's what has you excited about twenty twenty five.

talking about. The other thing too, I thought was very important that he mentioned was the topic of Kishawn Nixon came up again, and we don't know what's going to happen as far as this return situation. The Packers drafted a couple guys that have return experience, including Golden. They signed Mkole Hardman. He's involved in this thing now. But it did sound in some ways like without talking to Kishaw, and it did sound like cooler heads have kind of prevailed.

As Bisachia said after the Philadelphia game, he wasn't in a great mood either. Nobody was with how that game went, with how that fumble on that kickoff return, everything that came out of that. But Nixon is He always look at Nixon as being the mix with kickoff returns, and he's a two time All Pro. It's something he's done very well at this level. Again, we have to see what the construct of the fifty three looks like, which

your game day roster looks like. But the fact of the matter is Nixon goes back a long, long way with Bisaccia. Yep, those aren't two guys that just got paired together in Green Bay. They're going back to the rookie season for Keishaw now six years ago. There is a bond that has been forged there and we'll see

exactly how it all shuffles out. It was also interesting too hearing him talk a little bit about Nate Hobbs, and Hobbs was effusive in his praise of Bisacia when we first met him back in March, and just how much of an impact he had on him, not only as a player, but as a person. Now he comes into the fold here into Green Bay. In addition to you look at Pisachi being extremely excited about him being here. Also, Jeff Hafley talked about it. He's seen him play inside,

he's seen him play outside. The Packers are going to play him at both. They feel like this guy's entire repertoire is open to them and they want to take advantage of it. So football is so much about connections as it is as much as about the playbook. Like in that type of with those two guys, both Nixon and Hobbs, two former Raiders, you're kind of feeling that so far.

the locker room, you know, become a team. And you know, even though it's the pros and everybody's collecting their paychecks, there's a lot to be said for relationships and the way people relate to one another.

coaching staff, I mean, it was funny. Another thing that came up in insider inboxes I'm putting this together is it's not easy to put together a successful foundation in the National Football League. The Packers have done that. This was the eighth draft of Brian Gudekunst as general manager.