Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur did something he had never done as an NFL coach before because he was not happy with yesterday’s practice.
“Tempers flared” at the Green Bay camp on Tuesday, which is to be expected, particularly once the pads are placed on during training camp. Few, if any, coaches responded the way LaFleur did, even though they are by no means the only group to experience player conflict.
“Left tackle After a play, Rasheed Walker seemed to pull down defensive end Kingsley Enagbare, which infuriated LaFleur. Walker was urged to run when LaFleur pulled him along with the other starters.
Walker paused, but he followed the running back Josh Jacobs and tight end Tucker Kraft once the rest of the starting O-line began to run, according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.
The action is not new; during his first training camp with the New York Giants, head coach Joe Judge famously forced players and other coaches run for a variety of infractions. Even if Judge’s plan didn’t work out, LaFleur has a different (or better) reputation, especially with the players, some of whom have played for him in each of the six seasons since he took over as coach of the Packers.
However, certain members of the Green Bay roster appeared to be experiencing a cultural shock.
According to Demovsky, Walker stated, “I haven’t run a lap since probably like freshman year of high school.”
“That has never occurred before,” Zach remarked. Walker’s fellow offensive lineman, Tom. Since high school, I haven’t seen anything like it. We said, “Let’s go with him,” since we didn’t want him to be alone. We clearly have his back.
LaFleur concluded practice with a “expletive-laced speech,” according to Demovsky, possibly referring to the “chippiness.”
LaFleur’s dissatisfaction is probably shared by many NFL coaches since, in addition to reflecting negatively on the team’s discipline, which could result in penalties during the season, the extracurricular activities also run the risk of causing injury, which is the worst-case scenario for a coach.
The Packers enter the 2025 season following an 11-win campaign the previous season, which concluded in a 22-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the eventual Super Bowl champions, in the Wild Card round. In LaFleur’s six seasons as head coach, it was the fifth time the Packers had been to the postseason and the first time Green Bay had failed to advance at least to the Divisional round.
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