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It works with whatever podcast app you already use. Same episodes every day, just no ads. There's also a members-only group chat for fans of your team, plus a lot more. You can check it out by tapping the Everyday Your Club link in the show notes. The ultimate goal is winning the Super Bowl. And while there's a lot of stuff to talk about right now with the combine and a new special teams coach, it's not clear any of this stuff actually matters when it comes to the Packers trying to go win another trophy. you are locked on Packers your daily Green Bay Packers podcast part of the locked on podcast network your team every day you are locked on Packers part of the locked on podcast network your team every day I'm Peter Bukowski and I cover the Packers for the leap a newsletter I I would love for you to subscribe to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, on Spotify. Brandon makes fun of me. Every time I say iTunes, Apple, Apple podcasts, Apple music, uh, wherever you get podcasts, you will find locked on Packers, the number one Packers podcast on the internet and the show for fans who know what happened. They want to know why and how thanks to everyone who makes locked on Packers their first listen every day. We hope you like starting your day with us as much as we like starting our day with you here on the lockdown podcast network, the number one sports podcast network. It is a Sunday OT show, which means I have to bring in my co-hosts from the Locked on Packers squad show. Brandon Snide joins me now. You're not a guest on this show. On the Sunday OT, you are the co-host, Brandon. I appreciate you as always. And I thought we'd play a little game here. Let's do it. There's a lot to talk about if you really want to get into the granularity and the minutia. And we have football sickos that listen to this show, and they generally like to do that. but when it comes to the business of winning a Super Bowl, I want to see where you are with how much this stuff actually matters. So we've had some breaking news since we last spoke. Since our Friday news dump, it was a special teams Friday news dump for the Green Bay Packers, Cam Achord. That's apparently how you spell his name. I talked to my old pal, Mike DeBate. He used to be our Locked On Patriots host. It is Cam Ach, like Achoo, Achoo. That was what he said, Achord. and so he was one of the first guys that we talked about when we talked about this list of candidates back when we first, probably two weeks ago when the first group came out and of the guys that were out there and I said of the retreads that you could potentially hire he was particularly interesting to me because he comes from that Belichick coaching tree because those coaches tend to be so detail-oriented because he once coached the number one special teams in the NFL. And he was the lead guy in his early 30s. Like that speaks volumes to me. For Bill Belichick, and that was before Belichick went full Nepo with his son, you know, and his mullet and his sideburns and whatever. Like this was a guy who led the number one, the number one special teams group in the NFL six years ago. He's 39. so I think that speaks a lot about the kind of coach he can be and as the play fell off they were a middling special teams unit in the middle there Matthew Slater who is the best special teams player of his generation was saying look this is not on the coach he thinks that Cam is a great coach it was the players who were not executing when I first went through the characteristics of the kind of coach that I felt like the Packers needed You wanted a young guy with upside who could be here for a long time, who had that sort of progressive mindset that I'm going to be looking ahead. I'm going to be thinking about these new rules and the changes and all this stuff that's going to be forward looking. And I feel like that's kind of what the Bill Belichick experience was about. He was always thinking a step ahead. Now, whether the game passed him by later in his career, I think that's worth having a conversation about. the guy was in his 70s cam is not so let's keep that clear here now uh brandon how much do you care about this i don't care because i don't think it matters peter like you could hire jesus as the special teams coordinator and i'm not sure that it would make a difference because until the organization is ready to fundamentally change their approach to special teams i just i don't think it necessarily matters right like look at the chicago bears look how long it took that i hate talking about that team on this show but like think of like think a lot it took them to find a quarterback and how many darts they threw at a wall until they let's let's hire a coach who actually knows what he's doing let's hire a coach who wants to take a different approach into drafting and developing the quarterback position it's kind of like the packer special teams peter 2007 was the last time they had a top 10 unit that's not a rich passaccia issue that's not a Matt LaFleur issue. That's a, that's a green Bay Packers issue for the last almost two decades. I don't, I think it's interesting, right? It gives, it gives us something to digest and break apart and look at the pros and the cons and have some fun during an off season and maybe get a little excited, right? Cause I always like to stay a little bit optimistic, despite what you and coach Jags like to say, but so like, that's the cool part about it. But for me, it like, it doesn't matter because until the Packers really go into wanting to improve their special teams from the top down, like Matt LaFleur saying, I don't talk to kickers. Well, you probably should coach LaFleur and Brian Gunnickens, I give him a little bit more credit because he did go out and address some positions of need when it comes to the special teams When you go and sign Nick Nyman off of the Los Angeles Chargers training camp like there obviously a little bit of care when you build your roster but like Brandon McManus he shouldn have been in he should have been kicking field goals when he was hurt like that tells me right there that the organization just doesn't care so I don't care necessarily no offense to the incoming special teams coordinator who you're going to be because I just until it happens, Peter, I'm not going to buy that the Packers are ready to be a serviceable special teams unit. If, if they make a good hire, I do think that matters on the margins, but I also just, I think Rich Passaccio was a net negative for this team. If you just get a net neutral coach, that's fine. Like really, truly, I think that is fine. Cause Matt LaFleur likes to point out, Hey, we don't make that many mistakes, but when we do their nuclear mistakes, like just cut out the nuclear mistakes you i don't you don't need to have desmond howard in his prime you don't have to have you know mason you don't have to have adam vinatieri at kicker you don't need to have craig hentrix in 1996 as your punter although daniel whelan's pretty close uh just just don't kill them and i think it's all going to be fine uh let's talk about the combine stuff because like my dad for example he listens to the show but through the draft he's just like i'm out i can't i can't get excited about it tell me when the players are in the building and we can talk about them i love all the numbers i love digging into all this stuff i was i was you know enthralled by watching the defensive tackles run 40s because it's like big man move fast like it's those that that that to me like every defensive tackle we saw run even the slow guys are faster than like 99 of the people listening to this show right now including you and I oh absolutely it's it's crazy I I personally love it do you care not a ton but there's three there's three events that I actually care about I I'll be honest with you like half of the names a good chunk of the names I don't necessarily know I'll go back and I'll look at what their highlights were where they went to school oh this is a badger this is Wisconsin badger okay I I remember him from this game or that game there's three events that I really really like the three cone drill the 10 yard split when you talk about big men like 10 yard split for me is that important one right like are you explosive can you get out of your stance like that one is fun for me to watch you mentioned it already uh walking into the the do you care question is the 40 yard dash like when matthew golden ran and and when these other when these fast guys are running like i'm amazed at the speed that they have when it comes to that 40 yard dash so like it and of course it matters what position right when receivers are running the 40 yard dash when running backs when cornerbacks like then i'm like okay that's cool i want to watch that but if it's like linebacker okay give me the three cone drill if it's you know defensive line offensive line give me the 10 yard what are your 10 yard splits like that's the stuff i necessarily care about is it must watch tv for me i'm probably with your dad shout out your dad because i'm like eh like i'll look on you know social media and i'll see maybe a highlight of a guy breaking you know the 40 yard dash record potentially or or something along those lines like the receivers catching the the footballs in the gauntlet like cool like you can catch i hope that is what you can do as a receiver in college going in to the nfl and i don't know how many times you're going to catch a ball you know turning your head every five seconds but so like those things don't that's the one i think that's the most translatable to like real nfl world and his fund is like oh i can see you know that guy i can see the Carnell Tate or whoever like go out and catch passes. That's cool. That's fun. But so the combine is as TV. That's one thing. And I understand people not wanting to watch it. What about the numbers as they relate to what the Packers do? Because I think Brian Gutekinds takes a lot of heat. Your guy, Brian Gutekinds, Locked on Packers squad show fan, Brian Gutekinds, he takes a lot of heat for being seemingly being obsessed with athletic profile, especially early in the draft. So these numbers matter to the Packers. Do you think they matter too much? No, but I would like to see, and I know this has been a topic on social media. I want to see a little bit more college production out of some of these guys. Now I know Peter, not every player it translates, right? Like you're talking about pass rushers mostly, mostly. Yeah. Like you look at like, cause LVN is in that conversation, right? And I know what Clay Matthews did. I know that's a name that was brought up. I don't know if I care more about numbers than I do now about production. And I think when the Packers go out and get guys that have, have high production in college, like that to me translates better than what was your three cone? What was your 40? How many times did you bench press? You know, when you get guys, especially in green Bay, right? Like, because the versatility, right? You get a guy on an offensive line who's never played right guard. It was a left tackle in college. And now he's your right guard. Like I, yeah, because he has good numbers because he's athletic. Yeah. I suppose give me the guys who in college played the positions that that they played in college bring them into the professional ranks put them in that position and have some college production it doesn't need to be every player that the Packers draft like there's been guys where they've drafted that just didn't have college production but it's it's hard I cannot get my head around that was a 2021 draft with LVN when or 2022 I believe it was when you had Christian Gonzalez in JSN 2023, there we go. When you had those guys literally sitting in front of you. And I know that happens in every draft, but LBN didn't produce in college. I don't even think he started at Iowa. And then, yeah, but that, that was a different thing. What, what is funny to me, Brandon is, and I think you're right at times. What's funny is at receiver, they care deeply about production at quarterback. They care deeply about production and what two positions have they drafted better than anyone over the last 35, 40 years, quarterback and receiver. And yet when it comes to pass rushers, they are willing to bet on athletic traits. And it's like, well, could you find both? Like, I know that that's rare. Like the guys that usually have the elite athleticism and the elite production go in the top 10 and the Packers don't pick in the top 10. Right. But when you took Lucas Van Ness, that's a top 15 pick. When you took Rashawn Gary, that's a top 15 pick. those guys you had opportunities to draft players that have the combination of production and athleticism and for whatever reason it's almost like they take a sadistic pleasure in trying to find the diamondy in the roughest possible guy even when they have premium picks and that's where i think sometimes they get into trouble i i know that you guys on the squad show talked about the uh the nfl pa survey data i want to get your thoughts on that when we come back on a locked on packers Sunday OT. Workplace chaos, deadlines stacking up, inbox overflowing, and one position you have to fill still sitting open. When the pressure's on, you need the right hire, and this is a job for sponsored jobs. 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And that is the, the way that they take care of the players, which is the training room, the training facilities, the trainers, the strength and conditioning staff, the food. That was the big one. We talked about that a little bit on our, on our Friday news dump show, but then there's also this head coach drop in grade from an a minus to a B minus and put him near the bottom of the league. Brandon, do you care? No, no, not really. because I think, Peter, the only thing I think this is is like losing, right? Like if the Packers had a bad – and I know the survey happened before the season end, but I just don't know if vibes were great throughout the course of the season. The Packers were on a little bit of a run late there, you know, from that Thanksgiving game on, you know, with that Denver game in between there. They were on a little bit of a run. But, like, I've said this before, and I have a theory for this, Peter, and you can correct me maybe if I'm a little bit off base here, but I had this theory. I will. A lot of these guys and the Packers are now the third year in a row. They're the youngest team in the NFL. So a lot of these guys are coming straight from the college rinks. And since they have been in high school, they have been wined and dined. They have had the red carpet rolled out for them everywhere they have gone, whether it be in high school, into college, and the facilities they've had in college and the NIL opportunities they've had in college. Some of them are probably making less money in the NFL than they made in the college rinks. And that's just more money going back to school than Tyler Shuck made as a quarterback, more money in one year than his whole than Tyler Shucks, whole rookie contract. So and Jags brought up a good point on the Lockdown Packers squad show. You can listen to that wherever you get audio podcast. Also over here on YouTube. But he said, like, it was never a conversation when we were when it was when he was in Green Bay. Like it was always great. And the and the things that are ranked ahead of the Packers, this is why I don't like you're going to tell me Soldier Fields. home field is ranked better than Lambeau. You're going to tell me, Peter, you're going to tell me two coaches off the top of my head that were fired were better than Matt LaFleur. Tennessee, Peter, they don't even have a head coach is ranked ahead of Matt. Why should I take this serious? Like, why am I taking like, and here's the other thing too. And maybe this is the Homer, the bias to me, like green Bay has taken their, has taken steps to fix this. A lot of this, right? The parking structure at Lambeau Field, completely redone. The locker room, completely redone. I know the grade reflects that from a B to an A for the Green Bay Packers from 25 to 26. They're redoing the training room. I understand there's some questions around the training staff. I've talked to players that have dealt with that exact training staff and they say they're the best in the NFL and they've played in other places in the NFL. So I don't know if the Green Bay Packers are filling out this survey and they're still asking Kurt Bankert, you know, his opinions on it like i don't know if that's what's going on but i just don't understand how you go some of these are full letter grades peter training room and a minus to a c like how is that so different yeah that doesn't make it just doesn't make any sense right like and that's where i'm at like i'm looking at this and i'm like i just don't i i just i it's hard for me to about the young players is so spot on because if you look at the facilities like remember a couple years ago lsu made a big deal about their new facility and you were just like holy god like what Alabama's in that right and Georgia's in that and it's actually this is what's crazy is and and I think people are just starting to now realize some of this stuff um almost every major college like blue blood facility is better than half the facilities in the NFL yeah comfortably comfortably and so I think the NFL is finally realizing like they don't because the NFL doesn't have to recruit and college does college needs to they they realize they need to have that stuff what the NFL, I think, is starting to realize, especially in a league that is skewing younger and younger, is you need to make sure that these guys want to be there. It's like in tech, Brandon. The cool thing in tech for the longest time was not, oh, look, we're going to pay you so much more money. No, we're going to give you stock options. And the office is going to be a kind of place you want to hang out with basketball courts and free food and all of this stuff to You make it, you make you just, you feel happier at work. And the point that I made on the, on the live stream on Friday was there is a direct correlation between nutrition and injury. And the fact that the Packers are getting a C, I think has to make them as an organization. It's not just Matt LaFleur. And I said this, I don't think Matt LaFleur needs to be like listening to Andrew Huberman podcasts and making sure that like everyone is maximizing their longevity, but someone in the building does. Someone in the building has to be in charge of that stuff whether it operations whether it you know building services I don I don know who in the hierarchy of green bay needs to be on that stuff but someone does and the fact that the training staff is getting this c grade like i talked to a player who said i didn't i didn't see any difference i had multiple injuries this is the player speaking i had multiple different kinds of injuries and got basically the same treatment for it so that seems that seems suboptimal i'm not a doctor but that that And that was the player's perspective on it was like, this doesn't seem right to me. Even if it was, sometimes it doesn't, the perception doesn't seem right. What do you think about the Matt LaFleur piece of this though? What could have possibly changed in a year that would have players going, I don't know, this is not great. And by the way, the grading is like respect for the players from the head coach, not how good do you think your head coach is? And I think that's an important difference here. Yeah, that needs to be said. out loud certainly on social media because fans are going crazy with that one. But I look at it, Peter, you remember at the end of the year, right? The Packers losing Soldier Field, awful ending to the season. Wait, they lost? Yeah. Well, no. I mean, sort of. It's a blur, but like they lose five in a row, right? To end their season. And like the vibes were hashtag not great. But then you see Tucker Craft, Xavier McKinney, Josh Jacobs, Jordan Love, Micah Parsons, all coming out in defense of Jordan Love. Zach Tom was also in that. Like, and so like, for me, it's like, it's like, okay, how is one, how, how is the, the core of your locker room vocally defending the head coach, but then his grade doesn't reflect that. So what is, are the players lying? Are the people that are being asked to complete these surveys not being interviewed? Like it just doesn't, for me, it doesn't match up directly. And I, and here's the other thing too, is everybody wanted rich Passaccia fired, right? He gets the B plus, like he gets a better grade than Matt LaFleur. and people are, that's the thing with fans. Like, which one are you on? Because you blamed Rich Passaccia for the special teams. The players loved him. But the players loved him. So you can't have it both ways when it comes to Matt LaFleur. Honestly, this is not a good answer for the Lockdown Packers Sunday OT. I don't really know what to make of it. I can't buy into it. I put zero stock, zero stock into this NFLPA thing. And I kind of understand why the New York Jets want to get rid of it. I just don't understand. Woody Johnson wants to get rid of it. johnson wants to get rid of it i just don't understand how a full letter grade too and where you have multiple other coaches as i already talked about that are ahead of him i for me it's it's it's head scratching i understand matt lafleur is under a lot of scrutiny i understand matt lafleur quote unquote could be on the hot seat entering the 26 season even though he just signed a contract extension i know expectations are really really high in green bay and rightfully so but he also ushered in the Jordan Love era very, very seamlessly from Aaron Rodgers. And I think he doesn't get enough credit for that. And fans are just pounding their fists on the table. I want a Superbowl. I want a Superbowl, but it is very difficult. I know it's a cliche saying it is difficult and very hard to win. And the Packers have found a way to do it every single year. And Micah Parsons brother for whatever it's worth on Twitter yesterday, X, whatever it's called said one of the main reasons Micah came to Green Bay wasn't because of the destination, although it is a destination in my opinion, but said it was because of Matt LaFleur. Like it was because of Matt LaFleur. Like that carries a little bit of weight. And I don't understand the B minus a full letter grade drop for Matt LaFleur and coaches ahead of him. Raheem Morris, Jonathan Gannon. Can I give you my low stakes conspiracy theory on this? Absolutely. Look at some of the other coaches at the bottom of the list. Pete Carroll, Jim Harbaugh. These are old school coaches. And I know Matt LaFleur has a reputation among some fans that he's soft, that he doesn't hold these guys accountable. I don't think that's true. And in fact, I have heard directly that he is hard on these guys. And there is a reputation. I'm not going to make any sweeping broad judgments. I'm saying there is a reputation of a certain generation of players, of people, human beings, that that's just, they don't respond to that stuff. And that maybe there needs to be an adjustment of how the players are communicated to, especially in the NIL era where everyone is catered to everyone. You have to understand your people and you have to coach your, your players, right? Like you have to teach to your students. You have, all those things are true. You have to, you have to, um, you know, when, when you're a leader in a company, you have to make sure that you are communicating in a way that your employees are going to resonate with it and it does make me wonder a little bit like i i actually think this is proof of the opposite problem that fans have with matt lafleur and that maybe he needs to be a little bit more of an arm around the shoulder guy than a kick in the ass guy i don't this is just like my this is kind of my my working theory on on what on what is going on here because this is the youngest team in the league it's a lot of 22 23 24 year olds it's just it's puzzling because when you hear those guys, Peter, at the end of the season say, you know, and I'm paraphrasing them that we want him. He's our, he's one of the reasons I came here. I think that was almost a direct quote from Micah, Micah. He said he reached out to Matt LaFleur when he saw the news about like potential firings. And he was like, that's nonsense. You're my guy. Like he didn't have to say, people will say, Oh, what is he supposed to say? Well, he doesn't have to say that. Like he doesn't have to be that effusive. He doesn't have to go that far. That's, that's how, that's where I'm at with it. Like it To me, it just doesn't add up. It doesn't make sense. And I know it's the big talking point throughout Packer Nation right now, throughout the NFL, but the Packers, you're telling me, Peter, and I know you've been around the NFL, that that Green Bay organization, 21st in the National Football League. It's nonsense. Zero stock. I don't buy it at all. All right, we're going to have to start adding entitled town fans with entitled town players. Unfortunately, it sounds like, Brandon, we appreciate the time. As always, my friend, make sure you're subscribing to Locked On Packers wherever you get podcasts, check out the squad show twice a week. We're there. We're on YouTube and subscribe on YouTube. And if you're someone who listens to the show every day, and I know a lot of you are, join the Everyday Air Club. Lockedonpackers.supercast.com is the website to do that. There's a link in the show notes you can click on to join the Everyday Air Club, get ad-free Locked On Packers, join the group chat, and always stay Locked On Packers. meet the energy shot that tastes just like birthday cake confetti craze extra strength five-hour energy tastes like a rich buttery vanilla birthday cake frosting and all light the candles make a wish and get ready to celebrate with every sip feel unstoppable energized with as much caffeine as your favorite 12 ounce fancy coffee but with zero sugar for zero sugar crashes For more information and to get the party started, visit 5hourenergy.com or visit Amazon today.
