#831 Packers Unscripted: OTAs up next

off season program before we get to training camp. So let's shift gears a little bit and talk about what we heard on the defensive side, and obviously a coach that a lot of people are very interested in, defensive line coach DeMarcus coving the new hire on the defensive staff.

He comes from the New England Patriots. He had worked his way up from really the bottom position on Bill Belichick's defensive staff all the way up to then becoming the defensive coordinator the year after Belichick is gone when Jared Mayo took over as the head coach there in New England. And I thought it was interesting hearing because I hadn't really thought of this in when we heard

about Covington getting hired. The connection there between members of the Boston College coaching staff and the New England coaching staff. And of course I'm talking about Jeff Halfley when he was the head coach at Boston College, where those two coaching staffs would invite the other to attend practices and just kind of observe and and maybe even sit in on meetings and and pick the brains of both sets

of coaching staffs. And not that there was a super close personal relationship or anything developed between Covington and Halflee, but there was definitely a respectful professional relationship there about how both of them went about their business. And then now there's kind of been this match with Covington coming to work on Hafley staff.

coordinator for the New England Patriots last season. And again, a young man that is still relatively spelt, I would say coaching a position of three hundred and ten, three hundred and twenty pound behemoths. Yeah, a very unique thing. But to your original point, I think it's the relationships you take for granted. We see it all the time.

There'll be members of the Wisconsin coaching staff. Shoot, great guard came up last year for a practice that when you have those internal relationships where it's Green Bay Packers Wisconsin Badgers football, it only makes sense to you know occasionally you know, kind of put your heads together on some things. And it sounds like that's something Belichick was really big on when he was out in New England and challenging his coaches to learn and to see different

ways to do things. And the other thing I thought was really interesting from Covington was him mentioning that he doesn't think he's ever coached a first round pick before, and now he has four of them in the Green Bay Packers on the defensive front. So yeah, a very

unique addition. And as Lafleur also talked about, they interviewed a lot of really high caliber, talented defensive line coaches and Covington end up being the one that emerged in this whole you know, series of interviews, and obviously we're getting a small taste for why.

and to no one's surprise, Anthony Campanelli got snatched up for a coordinator job here in the offseason after just one year in Green Bay. So Sean Duggan, after one year on Jeff Hafley's staff, now has been promoted to a position coach, and so he's already got the familiarity with a lot of the players and what's going on. He obviously has a longer relationship with Isaiah mcduffin, going back to Boston College where he coached McDuffie there too. But a couple of things I heard from Dougan that

were interesting. One is that the word that he used to describe by Isaiah Simmons when he was asked about him is hungry. So that's something to keep an eye on because I've felt that, you know, these two free agent signings the Packers made, one on each side of the ball, Nicole Hardman at wide receiver and returner special teams, and then Isaiah Simmons at linebacker, you know, sort of

hybrid player on defense also maybe on special teams. No guarantee either of those players is going to make the roster. But when you hear about when you hear about a veteran with the time that Isaiah Simmons has put in and here he is in the off season program kind of going through some of these these basic days of the offseason and his position, coach says, I see a

hungry player. Yep, that's something that catches my attention. And then the other was he talked about quay Walker and how he felt towards the end of last season that quay Walker was was really just starting to feel fully comfortable with Jeff Hafley's scheme and what he was being asked to do. And obviously Walker had some injuries, and when you're missing time and you're trying to learn a new system and you're not not always in the lineup weekend and week out, that can certainly have an impact.

But I think there are a lot of a lot of arrows pointing up potentially for kway Walker as he now moves into year two in this defensive scheme.

seven years. Yeah, this is a guy that played at BC was working his way up the coaching tree, then goes and takes a grad assistant job with Ohio State, and ever since then he's kind of been attached at the hip with Halfley throughout this whole thing. And I think a lot of us felt like as soon as Anthony Campanelli moved on and got that opportunity in Jacksonville,

this was the natural progression. And honestly, I think this is the perfect way to build coaching staffs too, where you have these you know, assistants to the assistant so to speak, like Dougan was, and now he's sitting in the captain's chair and has a very talented room that he's going to be working with. Isaiah Simmons. I've loved this signing from day one, and there was multiple reasons

for that. One his intangibles. Man, you just don't get very many NFL players, you don't get very many NFL defenders with his makeup, and yeah, roll the dice on it, see what happens. Also, by the way, could potentially be a special teams contributor as well. He was the last two years for the Giants. But what I really liked about the Simmons signing is it was a very mature

decision from both sides. Simmons came in and did a visit with Packers two weeks before the NFL Draft, then the NFL Draft happens, Packers don't draft anybody at that position, and then Simmons comes in and they sign them. I felt like that made sense for both sides, and he'll obviously add a lot to that competition. Kway Walker fifth year option not exercise. That was a big point of you know, big topic earlier this month. But I think we're going to see the best version of him this year.

I think you're going to see aim motivated Quay not that he hasn't already been, but I think you're going to see a young man that wants to prove to everybody. I am the Mike linebacker of this defense. I can be the face of this defense going forward. We've seen

flashes of it. He has every intangible you want. And one of the big things I've been saying, Michael, the moment that edgern Cooper proved that he could be an every down player for the Packers, the idea of him and Quay Walker on the field together it's kind of like the the Tucker Craft Luke Muskrave and we want to see it it is.

Crazy doesn't happen until the postseason. So that is definitely something and I look at when you look at Walker a first round pick and Cooper a second round pick, and the athletic makeup of those two guys and there and what they could do potentially playing side by side. You hope it's one of those things where Cooper can

help make Walker a better player and vice versa. Walker's presence can help make Cooper a better player, and that could that could really elevate just that, you know, kind of what you call the heart of the defense, the core of the defense, with those guys for the most part lining up in the middle of the field. One other comment I want to reflect on from the defensive

assistant coaches when we heard from them last week. Derek Ainsley, the defensive passing game coordinator, he didn't, you know, wax eloquently in any way about this, but he did mention that he's been impressed so far what he's seen in the offseason program in year two from Kaylin King, seventh round draft out of Penn State from a year ago.

And this will be this will just be something that's interesting to watch because we saw a seventh round draft pick at corner a couple of years ago, and Carrington Valentine came into his own pretty quickly. The Packers took Kaylan King in the seventh round last year. They took

Michael Robinson in the seventh round this year. If you have if if you get the right guys like that late in the draft and they get the right opportunity and and everything with the coaching and all that meshes together, you really have the opportunity to develop players that can help you. And I think I mean Kayle and kayl and King couldn't have asked for a better situation. Quite frankly,

with the Packers. Yes, they brought in Nate Hobbs as a as a big free agent in the offseason, but the Packers didn't draft a corner back until the seventh round. So Kaylan King is going to have an opportunity to prove that that maybe there's a there's a place for him, there's a role for him in this defense, and we'll just have to wait and see.

He looked natural there. But the problem was is that he had a bunch of veteran cornerbacks there that were stalwarts on special teams, and he was trying to make up that gap because ultimately, you have to be able to do it on teams to get your opportunities on defense, as Cox had learned last year and a half until finally getting that summons mid season last year, where he'd been a healthy scratch, then he ends up with four sacks on the season. I see a lot of that

same potential on King. Again. Remember this guy was an all Big ten type player early on. It's like a Colin Oliver situation, right, Like he hit it really hard early on, and then his junior happens and there were some question marks there. But the guy's ability to play the cornerback position I don't think is ever really bad. Question is just trying to find that opportunity. Ainsley's a guy much like you know you look at you know,

Jerry Gray before him, obviously Joe Witt junior. These cornerbacks. The Packers have gotten a lot out of these late round picks over the last decade, and I think King senses that. I know the motivation was there for him watching Carrington Valentine, seeing going from a seventh round pick to a guy that has now become sort of a lynchpin there with this defense, very very curious to learn more about him, and certainly for Ainsley to go out

of his way. I mean he could have answered that in a number of different ways, but to mention how impressed he's been by him, I think probably says a lot to the offseason he's put in up until this point.

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 plus years of better. All right, next week, First, a little housekeeping item. We will not have any Packers unscripted shows next week, unfortunately, because with the holiday on Monday and just some other scheduling things with people involved with the show and what notot going on, We're going to take a week off.

OTA that the media including us, have access to. But you have to remember that the observations are only one day during an entire week of OTAs, and so you just have to kind of have the right perspective, take it with a grain of salt. It doesn't mean that you know, these are decisions that have been made and this is how everything is going to line up for training camp. But we will observe what we can in

the time that that we have the access. So my question for you is what is sort of the first thing that comes to your mind in terms of a storyline for OTAs that you're going to be keeping an eye on when you get a chance to be on the sideline.

I know we just talked about the inside linebackers, but the way that Jeff Hafley kind of propped him up talking about the changes he's seen in him, I'm curious to just see him on the field because at the end of the day, You're right, there's only so much you can surmise from one ota practice non padded Yeah, it'll be in shells, like you're not going to have like these huge collisions, but just seeing that and then also, let's be honest, a lot of times these non contact,

non padded practices, you look to see how Matthew Golden matches up against whomever he's lined up against, you know, in eleven on eleven or seven on seven drills, and seeing how the pace of play and how these guys look. I think we are always a victim of the moment and drawn conclusions way too fast, and not just fans, that's media too. I've done it plenty of times, but it is always cool when you finally see that first practice where all the rookies, all the undrafted free agents,

it all starts right there. That's where the story begins, now meshing in and blending in with all this returning talent that Green Bay has.

up at center with the number one offense? Which will give us the indication of who's the number two center? Yeah, for the Packers when we get to training camp again, this work at this time is all voluntary. I have to say that Elton Jenkins is not getting fined or anything for not being part of the off season program right now. But also on the offensive line, I want to see, Okay, where is Jordan Morgan taking his reps?

Is he getting most of his snaps at left tackle competing with Rashid Walker, or is he getting most of his snaps at right guard, competing with Sean Ryan. And then along those same lines, where are the Packers going to start Anthony Elton. I shouldn't say start as in the starting lineup, but where does he beginin his NFL journey, the second round pick, Anthony Belton? Is he going to be playing tackle? Is he going to be playing guard? Which side of the line is he going to be on?

You know what? What unit will he be with? So those will, those will definitely be things to watch. And again, because it's only one day, like the day next week that we're out there watching practice, we might see Jordan Morgan taking all of his reps at left tackle, and that's gonna end up being a big story in the media.

What we don't know is if the very next day, when we're not there, if he's taking all of his reps at right guard and they're and they're moving him around, and we're not necessarily going to get all of that information just in in the one day that that we get to observe. But those will, those will be what I'm watching for on the offensive side. On the defensive side, I'll be curious about a couple of things we just talked about Walker and Cooper, you know, side by side.

So what's going on with the with the third line back or in the supposed base defense even though the base defense isn't really necessarily a primary position or you know, a primary package. But with as Isaiah McDuffie back and Tyron Hopper a third round pick from a year ago now entering year two, So what does the competition look like there? And then with the defensive backfield, with Nate Hobbs coming in as a free agent, a guy that can line up in the slot or on the boundary,

where does where does he line up first? And what are some of the different alignments that that Jeff Hafley and Ryan Downer and Derek Ainsley, all the defensive backs coaches, how do they how do they want to do things? If you know, are there times that Hobbs is going to be in the slot and so then Nixon and Valley, Nixon and Valentine are on the outside or is it Nixon and Hobbs on the outside and then Bullard is in the slot? Is Bullard playing deep safety?

staff have to figure out. I think his intelligence, his experience, he'll be able to flip however Green Bay wants him to. But ultimately the end of the day, the first thing that popped off in my head when we were talking about the offensive line, for example, with Jordan Morgan. We were watching Morgan work everywhere last year during training camp.

It was tackle, it was guard, and ultimately when he started the season, it was that six man role that he was going to be bouncing around through there could be situations. Again, one thing that Green Bay's kind of popularized is hey, we'll work you as the number one right guard and then when we go to the twos, you're going to be the left tackle. Like those are options as well, depending on when guys rotate into the lineup at the end of a drill and then maybe

going into the next number two period. Be that as it may. When I've said this comment, I've made this comment about this being the deepest roster in terms of positions in my time covering the team. That's what I'm talking about, because there was a time, Mike where you just kind of knew that this is what the alignment

was going to look like. And I don't want to throw anybody under the bus and name names and say, but it was like, Okay, well, you know the player acts is going to be here, and that's just the way it's going to be. I remember my first few years in the Beat, in the off season program, that's a lot of times how it was, well, now, there's a lot of different scenarios that could happen next week and that mini camp in two weeks after that that wouldn't surprise me at all. Depending on how the Packers

want to allocate these resources. That is probably the part of it that is the most interesting to watch. And then also it is going to be finding out exactly who shines. There is only so much you can learn. But Mike and I have had this conversation numerous times. It was that training camp, or I should say that OTAs in twenty twenty two where Jordan Love had one whale of a day. Yeah, And that was the time.

like seeing it doesn't absolutely have to be Love. It could be anybody seeing guys who really step out and impress. It's one practice and there's many that we're missing, but it's still noticeable.

will contribute to sorting out the fifty three. But I feel like with the way this current ninety man roster has been built by Brian Gutekunstan the personnel staff, that when it comes time to deciding on the fifty three, that this year the Packers may be releasing more players who have been on fifty threes, whether in Green Bay or elsewhere. More guys who who have played in the NFL and been on fifty threes are going to be released. Because of the depth on this ninety man roster and

the way this one has been built. There are guys, there are guys who are on Green Bay's fifty three last year who are not going to make the team this year. And I mentioned there are a couple of guys who have played for other teams who have been brought in as free agents who are not locks to make this roster and there will be some decisions to

be made there. I think the Packers are going to be potentially be releasing experienced players, and I'm not talking about the long time vets necessarily, but guys that are going to probably end up on the practice squad and still trying to fight their way back because that spot on the fifty three might not be there for them this year. And that's a good position to be, and you want to be releasing good football players. You don't want the final decisions at cut down time to be easy.

If they're easy, then the personnel department kind of feels like they didn't really do their job. They didn't make it tough. They didn't make it tough on themselves and tough on the coaches to decide who should be on the team. We may be headed for something like that come early September when we get to the end of training camp, but we'll just have to see.

ready day one. You're rashid Walker's of the world that kind of hold down one of those inactive spots. So they're not on the practice squad, but they're not really playing in the games either.

build a fifty three? Green Bay being as productive as they've been in the twenty two to twenty three, twenty four drafts. Is what has set up this position that they're in right now and what does that do? Yes, it keeps you competitive on the field, that it keeps you chasing a championship this year, but it also making sure the guys that do get second contracts are going

to be really, really good football players. So a very interesting year awaits scree bit Packers, but certainly on field in terms of the analysis, maybe even you want to call it the overthinking on the media side of things. That all starts next week with organized team activities.