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CheeseTalk S1 Episode 26 Packer, Diving, and Life with @lindseyinok
23 Plays5 months ago
In this episode, my guest, Lindsey, and I talk about diving and Packers football. What it takes to be a competitive diver, their schedule, etc.. Next, we talked about the @packers and what our thoughts are on this current team, including the draft, etc... Who is going to have a breakout year, favorite player, the city of GreenBay, the history of the Packers, etc... ENJOY!
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Transcript
Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:00:44
Speaker
everybody. Welcome to the cheese talk podcast. I am your host. Well, I got my cat here, Lou and on my lap, but he's co-host tonight. I guess a co-co-host. I'm joined with my Twitter follower, friend, Packer backer, fellow Packer backer, Lindsay. How are you doing, Lindsay? I'm doing great. How are you today, Brian? I'm doing great and enjoying this cool weather compared to what you're getting down there in Oklahoma, right? Yes. Yes. Super hot today. Um, first I want to give a shout out to, uh, the open network for giving me the chance to pod under their umbrella, the open network. Currently they are 51 followers away on Twitter or X, uh, reaching the goal of 523 followers to be able to give away an eight by 10 autographed Jair Alexander picture, 51 more followers.
Lindsay's Diving Journey
00:01:32
Speaker
So Lindsay, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? ah Sure. Yeah. I'm like Brian said, I'm Lindsay. I'm ready.
00:01:43
Speaker
I've lived in Fargo, North Dakota for about 10 years before, transferring grad school to the University of Oklahoma. So I'm coming to you live from OU's campus in Norman, Oklahoma. I have been a Dyer Packers fan for about 30 years, obviously loves football. um I love college football as well. You know, being at OU has kind of really strengthened my passion for that. um I'm also super passionate about the sport of springboard diving. So did you, now I know I've talked to you you off air, obviously, to get you on the show, but you said you were used to be a like a diving coach? Yeah, yeah, I was. on My journey into coaching was kind of unorthodox. I basically started diving when I was about 12 years old. The dive coach came into our gymnastics gym and asked if anybody would want to be interested in trying diving. And so I jumped at that chance. um I already was swimming as a competitive swimmer and I didn't super love swimming. And I thought, you know, if I try diving, this will be a great chance for me to not have to swim as much and try something else.
00:02:37
Speaker
um of course not didnt really pan out because they do ask you to do both if you are able to submit all lia high school so is so began diving um I went to college originally right after graduation um with no intention to be a college athlete. I made it one year in college and I didn't do so hot and so I took about a four-year break from college. um When I was 23, 24, I went back in and I took my shot at the sport. I loved it and and went on to the dive team at Minnesota State. I dove there for one season. um I dealt with a nagging shoulder injury that had kind of been
00:03:09
Speaker
like in my career thrts and so i dont for one season and then i actually ended up being asked to take over as the couch And so I ended up coaching my former teammates for, you know, I was a sophomore in college. So coaching full time and going to school and managing that was was difficult, but I, you know, my love for this board group. I had never coached a day of diving in my life before I started um
Coaching Experiences and Methods
00:03:30
Speaker
collegiate coaching. And so that's you know kind of a different story, but I've worked with diving at a few different levels. I've coached um high school diving. at coach usa I'm a coach for a, I coach for division too. So most recently I have been with back to the university swimming and diving. I was with them from 2013 until 2021 when our program was cut after that season. So overall about 16 years of collegiate diving um coaching experience. I've had.
00:03:58
Speaker
you know, some success with a national champion at division two and a handful of all Americans and lots of NAIA championships. And so it's been amazing to still contribute to the sport. I do go and judge division two nationals whenever I'm asked and everything. So it's a nice way to stay ah connected, even without being super active in the sport anymore. Sure. So what is it? What's the average schedule of a diver, like a college diver? of it Is it like, is it like year round or is it just like, Well, so the competition season for swimming and diving, you start having meets usually in mid to late September and then your championships are going to be usually like the first second weekend in March. And so it is a pretty long season. um It's technically considered a winter sport. So, you know, but but between all the preseason stuff and postseason stuff, basically you're doing it all year all throughou throughout the academic year. So there really aren't breaks. And of course, when they go home for summer, they do want to still to try to train a little bit or at least stay in shape so they're not losing anything when they come back into the next academic year.
Becoming a Packers Fan
00:04:54
Speaker
Um, but typically, you know, college athletes are allowed to have 20 hours a week of of practice time. And so we definitely um we're hitting that every week. Typically, there's a morning session that will be, you know, cardio weights kind of strength training and then usually 1 dive session a day as well. um If we're on break from school, like, we usually over winter session, typically we'd go on a training trip and there'd be like, 2 full sessions a day along with. with weights and cardio That's crazy. Yeah. i at The life of a diver. Now you said they had to do, you were doing both diving and competitive swimming. I was in high school. Yeah. I did not swim in college. And thankfully there were enough talented summers on the team that I did not end up having to swim in college. But I did in high school. I was a breaststroker, so I swam breaststroke
Packers Draft and Team Dynamics
00:05:36
Speaker
and sometimes, you know, fruit freestyle on the relays and everything. But um definitely diving was more passionate for me. I, you know, I I still follow the sport. Of course, we've got Olympic trials and everything going on right now. And so,
00:05:49
Speaker
I have been glued to my television and rewatching trials just to kind of keep up with what's going on. So you pretty much you, you shadow their, their schedule kind of in a way, right? You're there for the 20 hours a week and you're probably working more than 20 hours a week trying to figure things out. And yeah, yeah, you know, definitely, um, you know, as a coach, you want to, you want to put in your planning time. So you're planning your workouts, you're deciding how you want to run athletes through progressions and train new skills along with. making sure your current list is ready to use and competition at any time. So, you know, there's definitely some planning that goes into it. just to make sure your athlete feel ready and they feel confident in developing those new skills and so yeah you know when i first started coaching like i said since i
00:06:28
Speaker
hadn't really coached before i coached gym natics but i had ever coached dining and so i used to record all of the practices using a tebow and so after the athletes were down i would rewind the practice and watch it again myself just kind of looking for those corrections and trying to yeah better myself as a council i would feel confident giving that feedback at facultys need to succeed That's crazy. all ah You think of all the stuff that goes into every sport, every sport's different. so it's ah that's kudos to you. I right now I coach uh you 15 to 19 girls and then I coach you 15 boys. I got two daughters that are in the U15 to 19. Well, my younger daughter got brought up to the girls team because I was a coach and it you know let my sister or my sisters, my daughters play together and then i my mother other two boys I coached them in the U15
00:07:18
Speaker
And just keeping them active, keeping them doing drills that is going to hopefully make them be successful in the season. It's just you're constantly all outside of work or outside of you know practice, trying to think of different ways to you know maybe do this drill, do that drill. And then in the fall and winter, I coach basketball for my youngest boy. okay That mess is crazy. You know, this, this down cheering just to get out of the house, you know? Yeah. But even if it's volunteer, like there's still a lot of work that goes into that, you know, I mean, it doesn't matter what level you're at. You're still having to put forth a lot of effort to make everything clear. Yeah, then my youngest boy, he want he wants to go for football this fall. So I volunteered to coach football. So it's just, I'm busy, but it keeps me busy and it keeps them busy and out of trouble. So it's a win-win for both of us. Yeah, it's really interesting how your kids' interests sort of direct your career in a way. I mean, you know, I was excited to see when parents are willing to jump in and volunteer and stuff. And I think it's ah awesome to be connected with your kids through their interests for sure. Yeah, certainly.
00:08:21
Speaker
now You're a Packers fan. What made you become a Packer fan? OK, so I get this question a lot from you know having grown up in Minnesota. Obviously, Vikings are everything where I'm from. you know But when I was about 12 or so, my sister started dating a man who grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. That's where I'm from. Really? OK, so they're married now. Obviously, they lived in He's in radio, and so they they lived in Depure for quite some time, like 10-ish years. He was on air there and everything. And so- That's where I live now. Okay, well, awesome. What is going on? I'm so great. And I hope you don't already know each other outside of this. But yeah, so so you know my sister's then a boyfriend was a Packers fan, and my family ourselves, we weren't super big into professional football. and you Nobody was really watching the Vikings or anything, with the exception of maybe a couple of my uncles. But I really, I remember when I started being a pakistanism when brett carter was playing and so
00:09:20
Speaker
Of course, like, you know, him, like Donald Driver, just like seeing those connections and seeing the success that they were having and how passionate um everybody was about it. And just the good team vibe. It just sort of made me fall in love with professional football. And I thought, you know what, like this packer scene was a great story. I love how they are citizen owned and everything. I think that's just so different from other structures in
Upcoming Season Prospects
00:09:39
Speaker
the league. And ever since I've kind of been a lifelong fan, and obviously it's been a wild ride for all of us packer fans over recent years and and everything. But yeah, so i basically gotgies because someone else is a fan and i
00:09:53
Speaker
i you know decided to follow along with them. Yeah that's that's a very cool story because you everyone becomes a fan at different points in their life. I can remember I was born in 1982 so I remember the early 90s with Brett Favre. Yes. Now just how fun it was to watch him play. Oh yeah just several graphics all the time you know. Yeah for sure. So what are your thoughts on this year's draft and who was your favorite pick? um definitely cooper is my favorite pick obviously of being down here and we oh you heading into the scc and so we're you know them pay fans and teams and all that but
00:10:25
Speaker
um definitely i thought he was a great college player i think he's going to bring a lot of um strength and speed to the position And I'm super excited that we were able to sign sign him. And um I'm excited to watch for sure. Yeah. Yeah. My favorite pick, there's a couple of them. Cooper and Javon Bullard out of Georgia. I think they're bringing this they bring some of the missing swagger in certain areas of our defense. I mean, you have Jair at corner. Then you got, well we got Xavier McKinney too. Yeah. Oh, yeah. For sure. Huge offseason out for sure.
00:10:58
Speaker
Yeah. What are your thoughts on that? Oh, my gosh. I'm just so excited to watch them play together, to watch Alexander and McKinney play together. I think it's going to be so great. Like I said, I think it's going to be a lot more speed, a lot more explosiveness, and a lot more of those, like, big, show-timey plays. I just can't wait to watch it. Yeah. Because, I mean, you you figure you're going to have probably Bullard and McKinney, Jair, and maybe Stokes, the other corner? I'm not going to say healthy. I know we have to try to get dealt with some injuries the last couple of seasons that we haven't seen, um I think, as much from him as you know keep all putting forth and i hope that He's baseball health f who's going to have a stellar season. Yeah, because I mean, our defense, if you look back into our in our draft the last few years, we've drafted a lot of stud defensive players. I mean, and you look at Roshan Gary's offseason video, and Helis looks scary. you know yeah He's a man on a mission. He's going to, I think, go back into some of the formation when he was at Michigan down in on his hands and the on the corner rushing from the edge. And that should have some fact that's ah that should have some teams worried, i i would I would think so.
00:11:59
Speaker
yeah And then you got Kenny Clark, you got Devontae Wyatt, you got Kway Walker. I mean, Luke Van Ness. Absolutely. I'm super excited to see kind of Kway Walker's stuff, but hopefully it's into more of a leadership role. Obviously, it was sad to lose Russell Douglas. us I think a lot of us were as fans, and so I'm sort of hoping that you know he can step up into a leadership role and really kind of you know build it build up the young guys and just make And I think you will, because you look at his first year, a couple of his penalties where he laid hands on trainers and stuff. And then last year, he was the first one that you saw walk away from a situation. So I think he's maturing real quick. Absolutely. Just you know kind of like night and day from the first season, I just think you know he did such a great job second season of sort of staying within himself and not letting and himself get carried away by anything going on in the field and just kind of harvesting that energy into his field of play. I think it's going to be great to watch. For sure.
00:12:54
Speaker
What makes this team better than last year's team? I think experience, um you know, obviously we went through what people would would call a rebuild. um All of us fans know that rebuild lasted what maybe all of four months before we really started to see results. But I think, you know, with having all of our young receivers and everybody having had time together now, being through the season, being through the public season experience, I just really think the team chemistry is there. and so i would just excited to to watch do look about they' enslad again i mean of course everyone had their doubts after having this legacy of
00:13:25
Speaker
great quarterback that green bay has had
00:13:31
Speaker
and just grow throughout the season. And I'm so excited to watch him in his sophomore season. Yeah, I always say that like going into last year, we didn't know what we're going to have to play with because, you know, with Aaron Rodgers situation and whatnot, but then going into this last year's draft, we kind of, we knew what we had before we drafted. So we kind of, and I believe that we had the money to go out and make some key acquisitions with McKinney and Josh Jacobs. I think it's going to be huge. It sucks losing Aaron Jones, but if something weren't already there, something happened and this is whatever. It's the business. Jacobs is three years younger, same type of running running style. He went out and got possibly the best running back in the draft to Marshawn Lloyd, who was like a mini version of, or maybe a bigger version of of Josh Jacobs. So I mean,
00:14:24
Speaker
It's just, it sucks to see him go, but it, it is what it is, you know? Yeah, the potential is definitely there for us to have a great running back court. I'm CA Dylan has someone put on even more, uh, body build. I don't know how it's possible, but he looks great. Um, you know, I think it was maybe, what was it like the greatest hour in Packers fandom when we had, um, Aaron Jones, I don't take it. Somebody was like, Oh my gosh, this is going to be the greatest season ever. And then. that what we have is als I think it is too and y back to it. You think of you know, yeah, I mean the last two, two or th he played, he gave us eve how much was he on the f years? Yeah, that was a g
00:15:18
Speaker
where where are we getting you know the absolute best every time well no you certainly can't if your injur and of course when he's on the field, it was obviously great. I mean, world-class. But yeah, I think, you know, you want to you want to be able to invest your money and in a player that's going to become maybe remain healthy and be able to contribute for you every game. Yeah. And definitely, I could see them doing something. I know they signed Josh Jacobs to a four-year deal what with drafting Marsha Lloyd and seeing how he develops. I wouldn't see Jacobs last in those four years in Green Bay.
00:15:49
Speaker
yeah yeah counts possible they maybe you just mean to someone to come in that did have a lot of gametime experience a lot of you know st performances on his previ that's good for those you that have that role mon along. But you know, as we'v long until the young guys c you know, guys that have been around um but I think it is really gre for them all to train together what do you think of the, ah our r Oh my gosh. ah Well, I think you know' for sure we're on one more awesome year of having all these players together and having all these buttons for jordan love i don't know what's goingnna happen with the salary cap moving into next season. I don't know if we're going to be able to retain all of our pieces that we have in place now. And I know there's a lot of discourse around, you know, who's the number one, like, who I receive here in Green Bay. And I don't know that that even needs to be an issue. I feel like Jordan Love used all of those weapons last year. They all play very different roles. And so I'm excited to see what what they're going to do this year and and who's going to stand out, and especially knowing that, you know, there's maybe a contract you're coming for some people. And we're obviously not going to have the money to keep everybody that we've got now but i think we're goingnna have them all for it for this season i think it's going to be a really exciting round. Yeah, I believe that it would be nice to see the receiving corps knowing how good they can be to all take a pit and take a pay cut and just stick around. And just because, look how many receivers want to go after all the big money, then they go and they disappear. I mean, look at Ellen desired. What happened to him? What happened to him? It's just MVS was, I guess,
00:17:22
Speaker
another example, but he actually won two rings, not solely because of him, but, you know, because of the thieves, but, and then you got to think about too, if you have five or six decent receivers, you got to filter through and figure who's going to be the best investment and the other ones before the contract comes up to try to trade them for draft picks. And that way you can do the same thing you did with them in the future. You can draft young receivers and develop them and keep using what you're drafting and get, you know, return, um, i personally can't wait to see more from jane re this year i
00:17:54
Speaker
watching number eleven last year i thought you so electric and so like you just sort of wa that you didn't, you know, you you were thinking like, how is this the first year guy like how was he doing this? And it' to see him develop a littl Yeah, we got out of him what we wanted out of uh maria Rogers w drafted him, but he just didn't a panel so you know, um you you mentioned um nps i felt like ah you know style of play was also very similar as it was with green bay but yet he was able to have more success because i think they need are more complete team and so
00:18:25
Speaker
i think we're working our way toward a really great complete team by me a sort of cycle of bringing in young guys having themuring with seasoned people and then just sort of cycling through. It seems like we don't necessarily have a lot of weak pieces, just a lot of young guys that are here to play. Yeah, I don't know. We got a new training staff. They had Christian Watson and I think it was Jair Alexander went down to the UW-Madison to figure out the hamstrings. So they're the main business. So that's it's good to see you because he always You know, it's like we you sit there in the season during next game. Oh, so-and-so is not playing. well but what What even happened with him? Like, would he pull his hammy walking up his stairs or, you know? Right. I'm just glad I finally, you know, I'm willing to invest the resources and time and figure this out. and
00:19:08
Speaker
I don't know if there were any changes to the strength and conditioning staff um that were made to maybe sort of prevent this from happening in the future. But I think, you know, it's it's always good when a franchise is going to invest in people to get down to the root of the problem and solve it so that you're not missing game time and you're able
Packers Fandom and Culture
00:19:22
Speaker
to produce. Pretty sure they got a whole new staff. Okay. Well, there we go. I think they got a offend they got some people from the 49ers organization to have to come over and pull me on that. But I could have swore I heard that. Really glad to hear that Christian has been dealing with that nighting and dream more and hopefully um his production will go up. See, I think if he's 100% healthy, I think he's our number one. Yeah, yeah, but I would tend to agree as well. I mean, last year we just got to see so many different looks because of um the staff that we had. So um it'll be interesting to see what a fully healthy Christian Watson looks like this year for us. What do you think the turning point was last year?
00:20:02
Speaker
I would say, you know, but again, again, we don't obviously get all of the games broadcast down here because we are in a different market that doesn't totally show Green Bay games all the time. But from who I did see, it looked to kind of be, you know, when you really start, when Jordan Love really started to make those connections with one, with young receivers, like when he found Wix, when he's finding Reed, I think it was just a whole season of building chemistry and just, you know, having confidence behind throwing the ball and knowing that you got, a lot of people out there who are going to go up and get it. And those guys were willing to take the chance. And so I think, you know, when they really started to trust in each other, maybe game four, game five at the end of the year, um it just really started to kind of click. And we just kind of saw it grow from there and it was so exciting to watch.
00:20:41
Speaker
Yeah, it was. Some of those throws that he he was making is just incredible. like there was that i no I know what what I'm talking about, but I can't remember what game it was where he they threw it, and it went past one defender's hands, and and another defender's hands, and a third defender's hands right in the, was it Dobs or Reed in the end zone? I think maybe Dobs. I feel like I'm not positive, but yeah. Was that against the Cowboys? Well, I know I'm not sure. So many great plays in that game I can't remember. Yeah, yeah. Obviously the Cowboys game that's on my mind is that playoff game this year. So yeah, that's what I'm thinking of. My husband is a Cowboys fan and so we are obviously a house divided when it comes down to that, but he still um appreciates Green Bay and has you know become a fan of Green Bay as his number ten number two team. So whenever they're not playing each other, he's able to root for them. But yeah, I'm going to like family, thanksgivings and Christmases and everything is, it's a little bit different. Of course I wear my Packard gear all the time because I just have to start trouble, but you know,
00:21:41
Speaker
So when you guys watch that, when when they played last year in the playoffs, were you guys in the same room? Oh yeah, we were were. We actually had a little bit of a bet. um whoever Whoever's team won, um you know, got to pick a ah clothing item a clothing item, like a parallel item of their choice that the other person had to buy. And so I did get a Packer sweatshirt out of the deal that I'd been eyeing. um And I just think my husband thought maybe this isn't possible with this young team. and you know But he ah he's very critical of his team as well. I think as all, you know, good fans are, you gotta be able to spot the issues. And so we talked through that quite a bit, but yeah. They could be in some trouble here pretty soon.
00:22:15
Speaker
I really think so. they don't If they don't get CDYM and then they get rid of if they don't resign Prescott, I mean that's. Yeah, as far as I can tell, some of the fans are a little bit ready to move on from Prescott. um you know, he's, he's a, he's a great player and he's winning them games, but not necessarily when it counts. And I'm just wondering how long the Prescott experience is going to last. Um, if they don't start producing in the post-season. Well, and the money that he's getting paid, they he needs to, he needs to produce off that money. I mean, look at, I mean, Aaron Rodgers was making 60 million a year and he got us eight wins his last year in Green Bay. I mean, right.
00:22:51
Speaker
So yeah, ah if I were them, I would get like a meet, obviously this year, if you're going to stick with Dak and then, I don't even know who their backup is, but i guess the get in the draft. You know what I'm saying? I can't remember who their backup is either. I don't know offhand, but yeah, I mean, they definitely need to make a decision here and decide if they're going to continue to spend money on on somebody who you know has not necessarily proven them and putting themselves in the postseason. And you know Jerry's looking for that postseason win, and he's looking for it all every year.
Green Bay's Future and NFL Impact
00:23:23
Speaker
But you've got to make moves on your roster that are conducive to that. And so um it's just kind of an interesting dynamic in Dallas.
00:23:29
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's always fun to look at, isn't it? Yeah, yeah. Especially in your household. For sure. And of course, us as soccer fans have the luxury to sit back and be like, oh, yeah, you know, like we just sort of don't necessarily all the way worry about it. It's like we just know our administration is going to take care of what needs to be taken care of. And we've been enjoying success. Obviously, you know, ultimate success is you win the Super Bowl or, or you know, or and that's it. That's not going to happen for every team every year, but I was super excited to see that in Jordan Love's first year we did win a playoff game and get to the next round. And so I think there's a lot of exciting stuff to build on in the future. For sure. Yeah, that's definitely, you know, we're kind of, you know, you sat behind Rodgers for three or four years and then he came in and it's like he had a couple speed bumps, but he got it together and played played really well.
00:24:16
Speaker
so um Yeah, both me but go ahead. Just waiting on that contract now, right? Like, where is it? What's going on? Yeah, I was going to say, there's rumors that it's going to happen before training camp. Okay. Well, tick tock because that's coming up, right? Yeah, absolutely. I have no idea what it will be, but I really feel like it's it's worth every penny. um You know, I think we saw what he had to offer last year and we're only going to see that continue to grow. And so in my opinion, you invest in this person and you pay him. Yeah. and And then even getting McKinney and Jacobs in their press conference when they first got to Green Bay, they said Jordan Love was part of the reason why they came to Green Bay. Yeah. People want to play with him. It's just, you know, it's electric. It's electric watching him. I just felt like the whole vibe last year, the team felt so young and so inexperienced, but then it just kept growing and growing and doing these things that people, you know, they counted us out. They did. And I think that was a mistake.
00:25:06
Speaker
And you said, you know, they're young, but I don't think they realize your potential. And that's once it hits, it's going to be crazy. Yeah. And sometimes like these young guys coming in, like, you know, they just like, they play like without fear. they Like they're not in their heads. They play without fear. Sometimes, you know, as you develop in a sport, you kind of, it's definitely just the way with diving. Like you learn sort of what to be afraid of, but when you're young and going in, like you just play with reckless abandon and you have no fear. And I think that's maybe a little bit of what we were seeing last year. Yeah. I, uh, you know, I loved, uh, Aaron for everything he did for Green Bay. But I think the last few years was kind of like could have been prevented. I just felt, I just felt like as a fan, like we're kind of just sitting in this purgatory of like, okay, we know that like, you know, the end clock is running here. What are we going to do with this situation? And it just sort of felt like it was dragging out and we just needed some new life kind of breathed into the organization, which I think is what we got with Jordan Love.
00:26:03
Speaker
Yeah, and the thing too is that what really pushed me over the edge was the last game. I mean, after I was playing at the broken finger, you know, for majority of the year. Well, if you go and you say, you know, Jordan love is this good and this and that he's a hell of a player, hell of a kid. Let them go and sit on the bench, get your thumb better. Yeah. When when you sacrifice a team success, cause you had a broken thumb. I mean, whatever is it to so like. And you've got someone clearly running waiting in the wings to take over and to give it a shot. So yeah. And some of the decisions I didn't totally understand near the end of the Rogers era, but.
00:26:37
Speaker
Um, I know I'm hopeful. I'm hopeful that the organization is doing the right things with the, with how they're piecing together, their roster and and giving everybody. Oh, he's young they are. I mean, you can, you can just get that vibe that good. He's not going to play around and all that. We actually have money to go out and do stuff. We did something. You know what I mean? like won't We won't be taking the cap, hit some air and box yard here shortly. And we're going to have money to go out and spend. Yeah, yep. And maybe that's bringing in a a couple more you know seasoned veteran pieces that still have some some good years in them. I don't know exactly what that would look like, but um so far all of our young guys are knocking it and I just cannot cannot wait for football to start this year. Yeah, I'm i'm super excited for sure. ah I know we talked about Dallas, so McCarthy or Matt LaFleur? Oh, Matt LaFleur, of course. I mean, I remember when they hired McCarthy and I was thinking for my husband, you know,
00:27:27
Speaker
For you guys, I think this is a good hire because you've been having Jason Garrett for all of these years and you've had similar every year is kind of the same result. um Obviously, it's not only on the head coach um for that reason. But after a while, you kind of got a question and and and decide if you know what you what you've tied your organization to is the right choice. And I think. For them in that time, I think McCarthy was a good hire. I mean, we've seen what he can do. Obviously, Green Bay experienced success with him. It isn't like he is an experienced coach. He's been to the highest of levels, of course. I think it was a good hire for them. Nothing down on McCarthy, but I'd rather have Matt Loeffler personally. Didn't Mike or McCarthy have that quote? I'm a highly successful coach. Just ask me. Probably. That's what I want, right? Yeah. The train has left the station.
00:28:11
Speaker
check I know some of these sports shows up here, sports talk shows, when they had ah but McCarthy, even some of the song clips in their intro and stuff, they would have that that clip, the trainers left the station.
00:28:27
Speaker
ah So well have you been to Green Bay, correct? Yes, I have. Yeah, I've never actually been to a game a game at Lambo. It's totally on the bucket list. I've been to Lambo to see it and end and like to eat at Curly's and stuff, but I have not actually been during a game. My husband got to go when he was a child. They drove all the way up to Green Bay and said, you know, that it was the winter. And so, of course, they were very cold and unprepared and that all the fans were so welcoming and nice. And I hope to have that experience one day. But so far, no, I have not been to see a game. I have just been to the field. So when you hear Green Bay, what comes to mind?
00:28:59
Speaker
Oh, she says, of course. I just think that she said is one of the coolest novelty things that fans can have. I would love to find one for my dog. I don't know if they make those, but I'm really interested into looking for one. You could always get one to put a strap on. Yeah, I mean, you think she says, you of course think Lambeau Field. You think Lombardi. I mean, the Lombardi Trophy is called what it is for a reason. And so I just think about the great history there, the great stories from a great program. yeah yeah just how Yeah, I just think it's very like encompassing of the city. like The city of Green Bay owns the Packers and they're all into it. they're all It just seems like tailgating. There would be so much fun, such a good environment for a game. I love love to watch on TV when it's like nighttime games. It's snowing. It's just like its such a cool ambiance and such a cool environment. I think it would be really exciting to play there. Yeah, they have like a two-story
00:29:54
Speaker
which is two or three story at Lambeau and one of the wings. You know how they have like the like the square pylons in each corner. They have, they have an open glass and not open it, but ah a big glass window. They have like a three story Lombardi trophy. That's crazy. But yeah, they have like a Packers hall of fame that has history from the beginning to now. And it's just stadium tour is amazing. We had our, our, uh, Dinner rehearsal for our wedding at Lambeau. Back when it was Curly's Pub and Ollie's changed names of the restaurant there. but
00:30:30
Speaker
We had that there was like, everything. And I had a cheese head replica from a groom's cake at my wedding. And um love that we took a stadium tour at nighttime there. And when we walked out of the tunnel where the Packers run out, it was dark out and somebody, the fire alarms went off and like all the press boxes and everything had those stroke, those fire alarm stroke whites. And it was going all around the stadium back and forth. It was pretty cool. Oh, that is so cool. I love that. I love you got to have your reception dinner there and all that or your rehearsal dinner. That's so cool. Yeah, we see my wife is from DePeer and I'm from Madison. So when we first met and got married, she moved in with me down there and we were there for less than a year and we moved back back north. And I never thought I'd be living this close to Lambeau Field. And every time you go by, you just get goosebumps, you know. Yeah. Yeah. It's just I mean, it really is just like right in the middle of like its residential area, like right across the street from it, you know.
00:31:28
Speaker
Yeah, it's really cool. It really is just smack dab in the middle of the town. Yeah and then you Lombardi Avenue, people think of it as like there's some long road that's like not even a mile long. You go 41 to Ashland and then in the in between Lombardi Avenue and but it's really built up around the area. Big time. Yeah, so what do you think about Green Bay hosting the draft? I know there's been a lot of hot takes on this but um Well, they own pretty much all the property from 41 to Lambo and beyond. They've but been buying property left and right. I think it's awesome. I think it puts more of a spotlight on Green Bay and how historical of a place it is. and
00:32:07
Speaker
you know I tell people, even if you're not a fan of the Packers, just the history that's inside of and inside in the building. I mean, they have game warring c cleats and jerseys and pants in the the Hall of Fame tour of of Reggie White, ah Brett Favre, and you know all this stuff. And Lombardi's desk, his phone, his lamps, his this you know all then like championship jackets that the Lombardis bought to play his wives back in the 60s. it's it's crazy you all It's just I think it's going to draw e can the economy in Green Bay is going to skyrocket. I'm going to have my wife drop me off on the corner of Lombardy and Ashley, and I'll walk there. Yeah. yeah i'll I'll have her come pick me back up, but yeah I'm definitely going to be there. I want to be there. Yeah. Oh, I mean, that'd be so cool. i mean i like oh you know People were like, oh, how is the infrastructure in Green Bay going to handle all these
00:32:59
Speaker
you know what I think they're going to prove everybody wrong. I think they're going to give everyone a great time. People are i think going to be so surprised at how fun it's going to be and just kind of you know the the kind of obvious that Green Bay can create for this event. I think it's going to be so cool. Well, it's not even it's not even this Green Bay. You you figure Milwaukee, you you're going to have traffic in Chicago, Madison, Wausau, all those areas are going to be the whole state of Wisconsin is going to be booked out. ah yeah yeah The UP everywhere. If you have a cabin or anything. out folks because it's gonna sell yeah as I guarantee it's already full. I mean, I could be an Uber driver, like ah like a tour guy. next a big bank ah Who is your all-time favorite packer? Oh gosh. You know, I have a few...
00:33:54
Speaker
I'm watching Jordan Nelson play. I just think that's so great. And I love it where I hate him. You know, I personally also always will love Mason Kroski. I just think he's from the organization so well for so long. You know, I'd be remiss not to mention players like Farrar, Rogers, and everything, of course. But for me, Donald Rogers is my all-time favorite player. OK. Mine is Charles Woodson. OK. Yeah. Yeah. ah he Huge Badger fan. But ever since his Michigan days, I've always followed him and everything. I do have a Raiders. What's in Jersey? how I know that. OK. Yeah, yeah. I'm looking at it. I still have not bought my first jersey. I'm looking to get one. But I've got to decide which player I want to get, you know? Because you want to go with one people who has already played there, had a storied career. Or do you want to go with someone who's up and coming? I mean, i it's a really hard decision. And I'm not sure what to do with that. I'd go Jordan Love. Yeah, I think that's probably the way to go as well. I have a good feeling he's going to be around for a while. Yeah, the only package review I have, all I have ah
00:34:53
Speaker
I read you white one, and I have a green Woodson one, and I have a black Woodson one, and I have a Raiders Woodson. So those are the only football jerseys I have. i I should have more, but spending that kind of money on something, I'd feel bad if I got it dirty or, you know, so I'm picky about it. I always think I have like, if I wear this somewhere and I get something grease on it, then trying to, use million things go through my mind when i I'm picking out what to wear. you You can usually catch me in sports shorts and a cut off. it works just as well you're not any less of a fan you know and you're happy to be spelling like chicken wing their mother on jersey so And that's year round wear for me up here too.
00:35:40
Speaker
yeah which are hu Yeah, I've i've been knowing the shovel and in my earlier years up here, shovel in shorts, cut off in sandals. OK. Well, I think I can do it myself, since dan petertons now but you But otherwise, interesting choice. It's got to keep the snow out gotta to keep the snow pushed in front of you. You can't be walking in it. Sure. You're doing it right. Your feet aren't going to get cold, right? Absolutely. Just keep on moving. The blood the blood keeps flowing.
00:36:11
Speaker
What is, uh, what, if you go into a tailgate, what are you bringing? Well, I think every tailgate needs some sort of entertainment, like long game type of situation. And so, you know, whether it's going to be like a giant sized beer pong, a all sorts of situations. That's always fun. So I'm thinking long games are important. Obviously you gotta have stuff to grill, you gotta have stuff to drink, you gotta have your fan attire. I think those are kind of basically what makes up tailgating experience. Definitely to bring my Packer's Bake toss, sat there. Yep, yep, gotta have that. We kind of touched on free agency earlier. What are your thoughts on the free agency pickups that we got?
00:37:01
Speaker
ill get who they got because i'm not super verse on it Well, I mean, obviously we got AJ Dillon back. Yeah. Yeah. Um, we got Josh Jacobs and we got x Xavier McKinney. Yeah. Okay. i'll say Okay. So, I mean, super excited for McKinney. Like I said, I think he and Jay are back there. are good to you know They already seem like they're getting along really well, that they're sort of kind of turning together, that they're been building this friendship. And I think that's going to make a difference in the attitude. that we're seeing from alexander this year i already feel like It's 180 from where it was at this point last year. I mean, for one thing, he is present, and he was not. And so that makes a big difference. But obviously, you know, Josh Jacobs is going to be a huge get for us, especially with the release of Aaron Jones. Josh Jacobs will play a huge role. There's no doubt about it. He is seasoned. He's going to give the young guys a really good example of a role model to follow up. And what was the other one? AJ Dillon. AJ Dillon. You know, I was really happy to see them bring back Dillon. everything that he does outside of football not to mention like I mean he's Quanzilla right like he is a strong player he can get those yards he's a utility player and I'm excited to watch him have a great season as well you know i'm obviously there's gonna be decisions that we'll have to be made moving forward but i think for this year we're in a good spot and i'm super excited to watch them all play
00:38:17
Speaker
It's funny about AJ Dillon because when we have the trade, or not the trade, when we got, when we signed Josh Jacobs and then we let Aaron Jones go and Dillon was still out there, I could go back on my tweets, but I got so many of them, I don't want to spend that much time doing it, but I could go back and find where I tweeted something like, hmm, is AJ Dillon still available? Dot, dot, dot. And like, less than a week later, they signed him. They signed him for a really cheap price. He's the mayor of Door Co on. Exactly. If you have a one-year contractor now, I believe so. Yeah. Okay, so again this is something we may revisit again af he continues to make an i role. I think that, uh, you know he's getting he's, he's solidifying h he can kind of maintain th
00:39:03
Speaker
a little bit more production than he had last year And the thing with Mckinney and Jacobs too, they're both captains. They're both captains. So you bring in a captain on the defense, captain on the offense. I mean, good locker room guys. I'm i'm excited. step You know your players are invested and you know those young guys are going to look up and follow. it So I think it's just a great situation all around. Absolutely. Who do you think is the biggest rival to the Packers? I can't be the, it can't be the berries because the berries haven't won in 10 games. I know. I know. I was gonna say, I think that the bears think that are they are our biggest rivals. I think that the Vikings think that they are our biggest rivals, right? I think for us, I mean, what I see in terms of rivalship, man, we gotta beat San Francisco. Like you gotta be young. Like every time it seems like so many times we get into the playoff, we'll win one game, we'll move on and then bam. Like for some reason, this team is destroying us. I mean, not that it was total destruction. um It was a close game. but
00:39:53
Speaker
um just don' know what it is i don't know what it's going to take for us to get over the hunting and be able to meet san francisco you know again i dont i call it necessarily a rival because we don't play all the time And it's certainly not in conference, but I do think something needs to be done. now We gotta beat them. We gotta get past that round and we've gotta be able to beat them. Um, also, I really, really like what Dan Campbell has done in Detroit. I think we'd be remiss not to talk about that. They are in our conference. I do see them as our biggest conference threat right now. Sorry, Chicago. Sorry, Minnesota. you know You've got track records and you need to break out of that cycle for me to consider that. But I do see that Detroit is kind of on the on the rise and it's really important to see what but Jack Campbell has done there. Isn't that crazy though? Like how good their point last year and they came to our home and they kicked our body out in Lambeau. Then we went to Detroit and we whooped them in Detroit. Isn't that crazy? It's crazy. And you you think that you know the the home advantage would would have that be the opposite. But it just goes to show that both teams are so strong and both teams are very gritty and they're not going to back down um no matter what the environment is. And so I think that's really important for it um the conference moving forward. Absolutely. Who do you think has a breakout year this year for the Packers?
00:41:01
Speaker
I want to say Jane and Reed. I just love him. I want to see that he is, you know. He kind of had one last year, though. I know, but I feel like there's more. There's more. Yeah, yeah I think more. I think, so like you said, someone's going to define themselves as a wide receiver one. And I know we like Watson. I like him, too. I just feel like Reed is also right there. And so I'd like to see maybe one of those two step up and declare it for themselves. so i think And then I think, you know again, to look for more from Jordan Love. you know I think he's gonna be starting this season just on fire and ready to go. Very confident. He knows what he's doing. He knows how to lead this team. And so I'm excited for him as well.
00:41:37
Speaker
right yeah i I don't know, Wix kind of poured it on last year. I want some stuff out of Malik Heath. Those are depth at receiver, just in case someone does go down, knock on wood. Yeah, it's awesome to have those pieces in place. like but like Like you said, the depth is so great. I mean, you can put anyone out there and they're going to know how to make plays. It'd be nice. It'd be nice to see Devontae Wyatt have a break out here next to Kenny Clark. That'd be huge. Or Van Ness. yeah yeah yeah mean i quickly the quicker they get to t the quicker the balls lea the quicker that the pers the ball to is not where where they need to be and we get the ball and we r So yeah yeah, I like to see M season as well. thought he did pretty well last year I
00:42:27
Speaker
What are your thoughts on the got about five more questions for you and we'll wrap it up. What are your thoughts on the new defensive coordinator and the scheme that he's bringing in? So I guess I'm not super familiar with this game, but I can tell that the players seem to be happy about it. And I think that's the most important part. You've got to have um a coach in place that can get buy-in from the players. And it seems to me like that's already happening. um Clearly, we know what we had in place was not working. There were some unhappy parties involved there. And I feel like ah going in this new direction is going to be great. It seems like he works well with the head coach, of course, because you want those pieces in place to establish your team culture. And I think that that is what's happening. And so that makes the field of play very exciting when you have all this buy-in from your athletes.
00:43:06
Speaker
Yeah, the 4-3 is a 4-3 defensive scheme. I'm pretty sure they they brought that in because how we got scorched in the run game. It helps strengthen the run game and i he seems to have the respect of all the players and they seem to like want to play for him. Jayar actually showed up OTAs where in the past he hasn't shown up because of it. Exactly. It's just like the very, you know. yeah yeah thought people it's important is to to note that the administration and the head coach were willing to make these changes. They're seeing, okay, what we've got, you know, isn't working. We're going to go out and get someone else. We're going to make these changes to invest in our players and in our franchise. And I feel like there's so many franchises that are not willing to do that. People may be
00:43:45
Speaker
stay on just a little bit, I guess maybe season longer than they should, or they they're not willing to take that chance on um putting something new into and in place. And I feel like we haven't able to do that with with players, with coaches. And so far, it's it's been working for us. And so I think it's exciting to kind of continue that trend into the future. Yeah, I'm excited to see the new defense for sure. Favorite type of cheese?
00:44:09
Speaker
Well, I mean, what's not to love about all of them? All cheese is good cheese. I'm a huge Pepper Jack fan myself. I love Pepper Jack. I love sharp cheddar. Cheese curds, amazing. If you people have not had them, they have to try them. But I would say Pepper Jack and sharp cheddar are out there for Mike. Now you know, once I hit 150 subscribers on my YouTube channel, I'm sending out a package of fresh cheese skirts. Oh my gosh. Okay. Well, I'm going to, I'm going to help you get there and see if we can share it away and get you to that number. Cause who does a cheese life t-shirt? Oh, awesome. Perfect. Yeah. I, uh, I like ghost pepper cheese. Oh yeah. Okay. So really good. I mean, so spicy, but so delicious.
00:44:46
Speaker
Yeah, then there's a place just west of Green Bay ah called Maplewood Meats. It's a place that when fire or fire when Rogers was dating. Was that Olivia Mun, whatever her name is? oh you alumni shout out anyway When they were dating, they did like a post or whatever and take and they tagged Maplewood Meats or whatever. and Anyways, my wife was there one day buying meat, obviously, and she found some Carolina Reaper cheddar cheese.
00:45:18
Speaker
And that was really good. Oh, did you put it, were you just like eating it off the block? just like but a like you know Cheese cutter. cutter cut I cut the cheese and I ate it. So like a strawberry style. Yeah. or Or also, if I'm making burgers, I'll top off my burger, put it on, put put the lid on. If you had put it on your burger or not, because I bet that would be really delicious. delicious Yeah, but i'll I'll eat it either way. I love, like I asked one, one guest one day, I asked him, what's your favorite kind of cheese? He said, within reach. yeah true no that's the true You can't just have one. You got to have it all. We had this. I don't know exactly what type of cheese it was, but it was like a dill flavored cheese. And it was so good, which I remember where we found it. But yeah. This cheese shop is like a half a mile from my house, which could be a problem. Right. They have fresh cheese curd, like four days a week. Oh my gosh. And how many days are you there for? Uh-huh. And how many days a week are you there for? No, I just go there enough and get enough to last me a couple of weeks.
00:46:17
Speaker
awesome. But they have like Cajun curds, they have dill curds, they have this. Yeah, they they're they're super good and uh go there in the morning when they open up and the curds are nice and warm and squeaky and oh squeaky are the better. Yeah, that means you're fresh. yeah Do you think Stokes does make up a positive impact this year on defense? You know, I hope so. Like I said again, I think it's all about staying healthy. And so that's my hope. I hope is that he is healthy and so he therefore can make an impact because what we've seen from him when he is healthy has been phenomenal and I don't have any reason to believe that won't continue if he can stay healthy and stay on the field.
00:46:59
Speaker
Right. And I like to, I saw to him his rookie year and he he got beat a handful of times or more, but he recovered and he had, he had like a four, three speed. He's fast. He can use his speed to make up for his mistakes, which yeah you don't want that they'll ask forever. Cause one of those mistakes is going to cost you games at some point. But you just want to make sure that you you know you got the leadership there with Jair and now you got McKinney. and it wass just I think he's going to make a positive impact. I really do. I tend to agree with you, you know especially since they have made changes in their coaching staff, everything. I just hope that the whole scheme and you know the buy-in from the players and the vibe, it's all going to tie together. And we're going to be firing on all cylinders on offense and defense this year. I just can't wait to watch it.
00:47:44
Speaker
Absolutely. Do you, uh, do you have a most annoying fan base? Yes, I do Ryan and it is the Vikings fans. I cannot, I cannot with them. I, there are so many of them on my Twitter and in my hometown and everywhere. And I just, every time I hear sk school, I'm just like, whenever my kids play Madden and I'm always the Packers. But if they're ever playing against like the Vikings, I haven't turned the volume down because they have that stupid, ah stupid chat. And it played i'm on the video game and I just, I can't stand that. It's the stupidest thing I've heard in my life. It literally has made me hate the color purple. Like I cannot, and you know I cannot, I can't with it.
00:48:26
Speaker
Yeah, by by far the most annoying fan base. And I'm sorry to any of you Vikings lovers that are seeing this right now. But I don't know why you're watching this if you're a Vikings lover. So that's the real truth of it. Just don't. Hey, I have i have all fans on. I don't care who it is. I'm sorry if I have offended any Vikings fans. But I feel that you probably feel similarly about me and our fandom as well. Yeah, we're we're we're a little little crazy ourselves, according to some people. Oh, yeah. What are your thoughts on Caleb Williams in the Bears franchise? Well, you know, it's a pretty loaded question because he did originally come from OU and so we got to enjoy him for one season where he took over playing quarterback for Spencer Rattler in the Red River rivalry against Texas. and We were down. Caleb came in. He was Superman. He wanted for us. He carried us through the rest of a really great season. And so, of course, I'm not low for Caleb because I think he's
00:49:17
Speaker
fantastic player. The coaching situation surrounding all of that between OU and USC is a whole other hot mess. I don't think we have the time to get into today. And so I didn't love that his allegiance was to the coach and so the program, I think had he stayed with OU, it would maybe be a little bit different. But then again, you just went number one overall on the draft. And so how much better can it be for you? um You know, I think ah he hes he's got high football IQ. He's a fast player. Um, I hope that they, if they're expecting success, that they put some pieces around him on, Oh, well to keep him on his feet. I think that's going to be probably the biggest question mark right now. Um, is that he was successful at the college level. Again, you know, they, they obviously didn't make college football playoffs or or championship or anything, but he got that Heisman and you don't win that if you're not deserving. Um, and so he's definitely very talented. I think he's going to give us, um,
00:50:08
Speaker
maybe some challenge, but he's got to be able to stay on his feet. He's got to have important O-line around him um to make sure that happens. And and we'll see if it's hype or if it comes to fruition. We'll see. Yeah. I mean, you they had a couple of receivers last or from last year. They got O'Dunze and Keenan Allen, and they got DJ Moore, which Fields and Moore had a good connection last year. Um, i I, I don't know. I mean, I see where you're coming from, but I don't think he's proven. I mean, you can prove at the collegiate level all you want, but but you, you, you come in, you can come from college to the NFL and it depends on.
00:50:45
Speaker
but situation you're put in. If you're really good in college and you go to the NFL, you draft the first pick of a draft, and you're throwing it in a quarterback, how many successful quarterbacks have been just thrown into the fire right away? Yeah, it's it's it's a tough position to be in. I mean, you know, you're transitioning to a whole new style of game, a whole new speed of play. Everything is to bigger bigger, better, and different, right? um And so obviously yeah all these instillate guys are unproven in their rookie season until they get that experience under their belt But you know, it's important to have pieces around around him that's gonna create that success So, you know, you mentioned that deals and more had a good connection And so I don't feel as any reason to think that Williams and Moore will also have a good connection um But yeah, you're right. he He's got to get out on the field. He's got to prove himself
00:51:26
Speaker
And just like along with the rest of the team. you know Right now, they don't really have a lot to to be talking about um in terms of success from last year, any of that. But you know it could be totally different this year. We just have to wait and see. you And you just got to stay on the street too. Absolutely. You can't throw you weapons when you're getting sacked at every other player. Right. Right. Yeah. Which I hope we see when we play them. Right. Yeah. yep yep Last question, how will the NFC North finish this year, top to bottom? Green Bay on top, Detroit in second, Minnesota in third, Chicago in fourth. And that's what I got as well. Yeah, i just that's just how it's going to turn out. I just know it. Perfect. Well, I want to thank you for taking time out of your day to be on my show. um Look forward to having you on in the future. Yeah, thank you so much for having me. It's been a blast.
00:52:19
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. We'll have to switch things up maybe a little bit down the road, and maybe switch some of the questions and maybe we'll get you on during a training camp and see what we, what articles come out, what stories come out and delve in on that. That sounds perfect. I, you know, the next two months of my life will be devoted to watching the Olympics and finishing up watching the trials. I am a huge Olympics stand. I will cry at all the events when America wins. That's just part part of who I am. i'm And so right now I'm just super excited about the Olympics. And can't wait to talk about all that too. And so maybe there's a future episode kind of in that realm for us. Absolutely. Football, diving, life, whatever. We'll talk about it.
00:52:59
Speaker
Yeah, i guess this has been so fun. Thank you so much for having me on. Absolutely. Enjoy the rest of your day. You too, Brian. Thank you. Thank you. Yep.