GREEN BAY – Early in the Green Bay Packers’ second preseason week, coach Matt LaFleur met with the media. Here are some highlights of his conversation before practice.
Matt LaFleur likes chip on Keisean Nixon’s shoulder
LaFleur smiled when asked about cornerback Keisean Nixon’s comment he felt “punished” for being enmeshed in a competition for his job midway through camp.
“He loves making a headline, doesn’t he?” LaFleur said.
LaFleur said he did not read Nixon’s comment, though a public relations staffer alerted him to it. The coach believes it’s a positive that Nixon feels he’s capable of more than the split reps between starter and backup he’s gotten in camp.
“You guys will take it different than me,” LaFleur said to the media. “Because the way I look at it is this: I guess our whole team is being punished, because everybody is in competition. So I’m a big believer that competition will bring the best out of people. I want everybody to play with a chip on their shoulder. If they feel like they have something to prove, you’re probably going to get more out of them.”
Matt LaFleur OK with practice fights, not with touching his quarterback
In their most recent practice Aug. 16, the Packers finally got feisty.
There were two fights on Ray Nitschke Field, their first of camp. Linebacker Zaire Franklin and running back Chris Brooks tussled on the ground after a running play. Later in practice, rookie defensive tackle Chris McClellan put a hard hit on a running back. Offensive lineman Travis Glover took exception, shoving McClellan. After the shove, McClellan open-palmed slapped Glover in the facemask.
LaFleur indicated practice fights come with the territory in camp, but he wants his players to treat each encounter like they’re in a game.
“We want these guys to play with an edge,” LaFleur said, “and sometimes things happen. I just want them to be smart in regards to don’t do something that you can’t do in a game. So if a guy takes a swing, he’s out of the game, he gets fined a substantial amount, and it really hurts the team.”
An area LaFleur does not want his players to treat like an actual game is rushing the quarterback.
Second-year edge rusher Barryn Sorrell got kicked out of practice because he was too close to Jordan Love on a rep. LaFleur made clear he does not want his quarterbacks touched during a rep, and he believed Sorrell crossed that line.
“I’m not going to be out there with my tape measure,” LaFleur said, “but I can see when it’s too close. And I do think there’s something to the fact that, let’s be honest, when you watch football – especially up front – it’s not always pretty. The quarterback has got to be able to feel some of that, and he’s got to be able to either move or get the ball out of his hand. So I think there’s some good that comes from that. You just always get worried about, obviously if a guy is hitting the quarterback, that’s never good in practice. But also on their follow through, if a guy is hitting their helmet, that’s all bad.”
Matt LaFleur says plan is for starters to play in Denver
Running back Josh Jacobs will return to practice Aug. 16 after missing more than a week with a groin injury, LaFleur said. It’s unclear if he’ll play in the Packers’ second preseason game at Denver on Aug. 21, but he’s planning to give his healthy starters another dose of snaps – including quarterback Jordan Love.
“I think it’s pretty fluid,” LaFleur said. “A lot of it is just the circumstances. Who do we have available to go out there and play? Some of it is just a little bit of a gut feel, but I’ve said it many times now. I do think there’s a lot of value, whether you’re getting ready to play one play or a complete football game, to getting your mind right to go into battle.”
The Packers will not have a joint practice in Denver, unlike their preseason trip to the Rockies two years ago. Their lone joint practice will come next week against the Arizona Cardinals in Green Bay. LaFleur’s plan is to maximize their lone joint practice with his starters, not playing them in the preseason finale at Lambeau Field.
LaFleur said he preferred to have more than one joint practice in camp, but judging on the work his team got done on their last preseason trip to Denver, he believed more could be accomplished without practicing against the Broncos. He doesn’t expect much adjustment with the altitude on their short trip.
“I don’t know what you can do outside of making sure they’re on their hydration,” LaFleur said. “That usually has a huge impact, and we do a hydration test with these guys – we did one this morning – just making sure they’re up to speed on that. And then just feeling their body the right way, but we’re in and out in like 24 hours or whatever it is. So it shouldn’t have as big of an impact, but I definitely recognize that it’s different.”
Matt LaFleur not surprised how well Tucker Kraft is returning from torn ACL
One practice back in team reps, Tucker Kraft already looks like himself.
LaFleur was not surprised Kraft caught every target thrown his way Aug. 16, including a 12-yard touchdown on a slant. He said the challenge will be managing his workload as Kraft continues his recovery, especially considering how good he’s looked every step along the way.
“You’ve got to be able to adapt and adjust in this league,” LaFleur said. “Certainly, any time a guy is coming off a significant injury, you’ve got to think it’s not a sprint, it is a marathon. The season is long, and we need him for the long haul. Because you guys saw practice the other day. He was pretty impactful when he was out there. So it is what it is. We’ll adjust to whatever circumstances bring us, and we’ll have him ready to go.”
This article originally appeared on Packers News: Packers coach Matt LaFleur likes the chip on Keisean Nixon’s shoulder