Five Packers Who Must Be Good - Quay Walker

[Music] what is up Packers fans and welcome back to another episode of pack Report TV I am your host and the publisher of that very website Ross uglam and very excited today to be continuing our five guys that have to be good uh real briefly again it goes back to Packers if you didn't watch the TJ Slayton episode um or if these aren't being brought out in order uh this is about kind of rooll guys uh or maybe starters but maybe not the the the tip of the iceberg right we're not talking about Jordan love we're not talking about Christian Watson we're not talking about Josh Jacobs um we're not talking about Jer Alexander like these are guys um like in 2010 because this the series really was born from um who could step up so that the Packers could get back to the promised land because that was really when I got my start was like 2012 2013 2014 2015 like trying to get back to the super Bowl um now the Super Bowl is like 14 years ago and it's it's kind of doesn't seem like you're trying to get back especially since Rogers isn't the quarterback anymore um but but trying to find that Desmond Bishop right trying to find Howard green trying to find Charlie peepa trying to find you know James Starks guys that just had huge roles um that were afterthoughts in the training camp leading up to that Super Bowl championship in search of we're now in search of Green Bay's 14th um world title and today's one is interesting uh today today's one is interesting we're going to look at um Quay Walker talk about some reasons he has to be good and and I can hear a lot of you now like what the hell are you talking about you just said roll guy y ya full disclosure Quay Walker might lead the defense in total snaps he might he might never come off the field he's been durable and considering that he's got the Green Dot considering where they're playing him I mean he could have as big a role from a simple snap count perspective as any player on the team I get it totally I hear what you're saying he's a first round pick again I hear what you're saying this is not some lowprofile sneaky in the weeds like backup guard this is Quay Walker and I get it um with that said you know he hasn't been good he hasn't been good um you you you you can argue to to whatever degree you can blame that on Joe Barry I'll I'll jump right in there and do that with you you know nobody I don't I don't know who has uh uh you know blamed more Joe Barry or disliked the way that Joe Barry handled his business than me um but but I also I also don't don't like the way that that Quay has played um neither do the friends at at at at Pro Football Focus I'm not going to say you know that they're the gospel here but I'll tell you um just based on defensive grade right so last year 2023 um I think this numberers about right so I I set the minimum snap count at 400 and in a 32 Team league there are 77 linebackers that played at least 400 snaps depending if you play 34 or 43 depending on how much you're in base I think 77 is a good good level good sample size of those 77 linebackers off the- ball guys that played at least 400 snaps Quay ranked 63rd meaning he was there were only basically 15 14 15 guys that played worse than him according to Pro Football Focus okay well let's go back one year let's go back to 2022 um you know again we're talking about guys that played at least 400 snaps so we're we're we're trying to you know identify starters or at the very least guys that played starter level uh snap counts again I think we got to a good number 72 get 32 Team league some teams playing a 4-3 some teams playing a 34 where really only two guys are off the ball um so a lot of teams play in sub so your third linebacker might not get to 400 snaps well 72 is a good number Quay Walker as a rookie ranked 62nd out of 72 so he's been one of the lower graded linebackers in pro football both of his first two years again you want to blame that on Joe Barry I'll be right there with you but to say that it has been good I think is is just incorrect is irresponsible it has not been good whose fault that is like DeAndre Campbell is kind of like quad dog got aot meat okay but that's also not really what they're going to ask him to do moving forward and and I think that's the most interesting part of this whole conversation and why I picked Quay Walker as a guy that has to be good um he's now being asked to really play a position that he was not scouted as or or or coming out of school and I'm not convinced it makes a ton of sense qu's the Mike guys not only is Quay the Mike but qu is the Green Dot um he is going to be the leader of this defense he's going to be the lynchpin and I always viewed him as a run and chase guy as as as a very big will linebacker but as like a prototypical will linebacker one of the greatest athletes in the history of of that right um and and I mean athlete just is is simple testing I know his Ras score was absolutely through the roof played of course high high level football at the University of Georgia no questions about a level of competition no questions about at least tested timed measured athleticism he's that dude he's Hercules he's the Hulk he's Spider-Man he's whatever you need him to be he's unbelievable from an athleticism standpoint but not even at Georgia and they they're really more kind of a NFL odd type front like their their pass rushes are mostly two-point stance like if you go watch them play it looks a lot like what Green Bay ran not not not as much quarters but up front the front looked a lot like what Green Bay ran right your your big rushers are more often than not in a two-point sance they're getting drafted at the next level as you know standup Rush line linebackers not necessarily as 4-3 edges that are 270 or you know whatever the case may be so they didn't have they being the the um Georgia Bulldogs they didn't have him play Mike I don't think they had him call the defense um not something he was asked to do there not something he's been asked to do in Green Bay of course DeAndre Campbell took care of that both of the years that Quay Walker was in town and I just from a scouting standpoint from what he has been standpoint from what dandre camp said about him from just so many different Avenues I don't really understand why you would have Quay Walker be the Mike linebacker um he's it sure seems like he's gonna be the one making the calls right he's going to be with the Green Dot he's gonna be conveying and communicating everything and you just had dandre Campbell talking about qu's a dog you gotta let him just go that's not what they're going to do now the whole structure of the defense is is attacking okay the whole structure of the defense is go forward towards the quarterback and I love that and I get that I just wish they would have found somebody in the draft or in free agency to kind of be that dude or I kind of wish that they would just be asking Isaiah M McDuffy to be that dude so that he and EDR and Cooper could just fly around and murder everyone right like I I don't know um but it is what it is and he's not going to come off the field and that's one of the reasons why he had has to be good there has to be coach campanil and and Coach Halley have to get more out of quay than than than coach Al Avid and and Joe Barry did he has to be better because he's gonna play 900 freaking snaps this year if he stays healthy they're not gonna take him off the field McDuffy Quay I don't know what Hopper but like McDuffy Quay and Eric Wilson are like involved you go to camp they're involved okay so there's going to be some sort of a rotation there um I don't think spend the 45th overall pick to not play edrian Cooper especially some of the things he's flashed here in Camp but the one guy that's not coming off the field is seven Quay Walker staying on the field and so he needs to be good but I I really think it's important that he's consistent I think he needs to be more assignment sure than he's ever been he needs to be a good communicator he needs to sort of be the Rock and that's what they needed dandre Campbell to be so that Quay could go make plays but then the way that you sort of got explained Joe Barry system was they were both the Rock and they were both sort of waiting and diagnosing and thinking and processing and like dandre said even sometimes making other guys right I don't need more than one backer on the field doing that and and and in halfway system I don't think there will be but Quay has to play really solid football Quay has to play really solid football and I think specifically as much as Quay Walker is designed to be the splash play guy right run hit the pick six against the Bears you go back and watch his Georgia tape you look at his athletic profile you know we were even talking about I remember trying to sort of parse through that selection because it it it knocked a bunch of us kind of on our butts we're like What really you you you you move up in the first round for trading Devonte Adams and at 22 you're G to take an off ball linebacker who had a part-time role at Georgia then you start to look at the athletic profile you start to look at some of the things was able to do well tell you this too and this is not going to be a d this isn't a dump on Quay podcast although I've been sort of negative like Edan Cooper is a much better Prospect to me than Quay now Quay is two years in the league so now he just is what he is but like they were in two very different buckets for me but you started to project you know hey well maybe qu can be used as outside linebacker in a 34 maybe he could be a rushan like he's he's pretty big he's pretty huge compared to you know what a what a norm Mike or a will would be and they've just done none of that and now I think he kind of has to be the the solid consistent dude because more than likely I think the splash guy especially when you see where he's lining up when you go to Camp I think the splash guy is edrian Cooper and I think that's why they spent the 45th pick on edrian Cooper so you're now counting on Quay Walker to be the heart and soul your defense and that's something I've never ever ever questioned qu in fact this is too much I mean he is a heart and soul guy right Gott kicked out of games because he's got too much heart and too much soul I mean the passion the fire the pride of being a Green Bay Packer wanting to get it done there's no I never question Quay Walker's want to can he be consistent can he get the calls in can he communicate can he get guys lined up can he be in the right place down in down out so an inexperienced but crazy crazy good linebacker like edrian Cooper can be free to go nuts now I think zavier m is going to be huge in this I do I think you know McKenna was a Green Dot guy for the Giants I think he's going to be able to help Quay so much getting guys lined up using those back three linebackers as as kind of part of that back seven and really I think being able to communicate well making sure that that things are are being done the right way I don't think this is all going to be on on qu's plate I get it most of this has been negative most of this has been questioning where they're playing him why are they playing him at why didn't they find a mic to play him alongside why couldn't he play Sam and and and and then have you know Edge at at at will and then you know find a mic now that matters now because you you gotta go with you got to dance with the girl that you brought and and and and Quay Walker is uh you know for no lack of a better term the girl that they brought to play Mike linebacker with that said he is one of the most athletic linebackers in history um he has the tools he can do everything and now I think he's got a great linebackers coach I'm hopeful that he's got a great defensive coordinator and if he is good this defense could be extremely scary because I think Xavier mckin is one of the best three or four safeties in the league I think with his head's on right I think Jer Alexander is one of the best three or four corners in the league I think the Packers by the year end could have three of the top 30 pass rushers in football Preston LVN and Gary that's high praise and a lot of projection for LVN but they could have like three really really good guys with enig Bari being a good enough player to be a starter on a lot of other teams they could be really really special if Quay is an above average linebacker they could be really special if he takes a leap and they really get and they unlock what he could be this it could be to the Moon I mean you you could be talking a top four five six seven defense via dvoa and I mean there could be a massive offensive regression coming that I don't see or understand or project or feel like could happen whatever if this defense is actually Elite this team's going to play deep into January if they're not playing in February guys thank you so much for watching or listening if you are on the podcast side um going to kind of split up when I'm recording these don't know when you're get them hopefully going to be a little bit more prepared with that that fun partnership that we were talking about I'm I'm really excited about that one um and we'll get more information out to you guys as it comes but do everything you're supposed to do like subscribe click the Bell get the notifications so that you guys can get every bit of Packa Report TV content right here on the Packa day YouTube channel and podcast Network have a great rest of your day guys go pack go