Tag: matt lafleur

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur answered specific questions about nine different players ahead of Wednesday’s training camp practice.

Here’s a quick rundown of LaFleur’s comments on various players:

On QB Sean Clifford: Can’t say it was his best practice on Tuesday. Looking for more consistency. “He had some good plays, but we’re going to coach a guy to be perfect, knowing that’s probably unattainable.”

On OT Andre Dillard: “I think there’s been some moments for him.” Looking for more consistency, down in and down out. Really talented guy, can play left or right side, very athletic, fits what Packers do. Still learning the offense. “Just looking to get that consistency to the level where we need it.”

On LB Eric Wilson: “You talk about a pro. He does everything the right way. So dependable. You can trust what he’s going to do out there.” Big impact on special teams, continuing to get better at linebacker. Great guy to have in the linebacker room.

On DL Devonte Wyatt: Thinks he can take a big step. “He’s done a great job.” In great shape. Big-time effort between whistles. “I do expect him to take a leap this year, what we’re doing with him is beneficial to his skill set. I’m excited for him.”

On WR Grant DuBose: Had the back injury last year during offseason/training camp. “That’s tough on a young player.” Had a healthy offseason, full season on the practice squad learning the offense. “Very detailed guy, gives great effort, great hands, can run through the ball, strong.” Excited to see what he can do in preseason games.

On CB Keisean Nixon: “K-9 has done a great job.” Embraced slot role. Has previous history with this style of defense, knows ins and outs of the scheme. “He continues to get better and better.”

On WR Romeo Doubs: How he prepares, very deliberate. Takes coaching, you can coach Rome very hard. Night and day better than when he was a rookie. “Ability to get off the ball, he’s a great route runner, takes a lot of pride in his routes, very strong hands, he catches more balls than anyone in this building, pre and post practice. He’s always working…it’s not a shock to me. The guy puts in the work and you’re seeing the benefits of that.”

On TE Tucker Kraft: No practice for Kraft on Wednesday. “He is getting close, he’s asking to be out there every day.”

On RB MarShawn Lloyd: “He’s a work in progress, he’s missed a lot of time. A lot of valuable reps. Got to get him back in football shape.” Needs on field reps. Very excited about his skill set. Was locked in mentally while recovering from hip injury.

LIVE: Head Coach Matt LaFleur meets with the media at training camp. 🎙️@BellinHealth | #PackersCamp https://t.co/jnsf7ff5fS

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) July 31, 2024

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur answered questions with the assembled media at Lambeau Field after constructing his new coaching staff — including defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley — for the 2024 season and before the start of the NFL Scouting Combine.

Here are the top things to know from the session:

— “A lot of thought and deliberation” went into making a change at defensive coordinator. Called it a “tough decision” to replace Joe Barry but acknowledged it is his job to make tough decisions to help the team.

— Interviewed a lot of candidates, many went on to get coordinator jobs elsewhere. Impressed with Jeff Hafley’s ability to lead and connect. “Excited to see what he’ll bring.”

— LaFleur confirmed the defensive scheme will change, suggesting a 4-3 base. Expects the pieces in place will make an easy transition.

— On defense’s emphasis: “I want us to be fast and physical, and attack the ball. We will be a little more vision-based on the backend.” Thinks the vision to the quarterback will help create more takeaways.

— On Hafley’s experience as a head coach: “He’s sat in the same seat.” Has that perspective, and the two can bounce ideas off each other.

— Emphasis on “making it easy.” Can’t overload players. Want players playing fast. Knowing personnel is key.

— “Definitely” appealing that Hafley comes from a defensive back background. Will “lead from the backend.” Believes Hafley has a great knowledge base of all three levels.

— More vision based? “More visuals on the quarterback.” Reiterates that a big part of the coverage plan will be having more eyes on the quarterback.

— Replacing Chris Gizzi at strength and conditioning coach was another “tough decision.” Didn’t blame strength department for soft tissue injuries in 2023. Said new leadership could be “beneficial.” Likes newcomer Aaron Hill. LaFleur has close relationship with Dustin Perry, the 49ers strength coach and his wife’s first cousin. Hill worked under Perry for five seasons.

— LaFleur said Sean Mannion will be an offensive assistant, working primarily out of the quarterback room. “Love his past experience, coached him before.” Respected his process, the way he prepared. LaFleur said Mannion was getting ready to interview with Bears, so the two jumped on a Zoom call. Mannion eventually picked Packers over Bears. “He’s going to have a bright future for us and in the coaching profession.”

— Defense is about style. Attack the football, approach the ball carrier, relentless every play, effort. Staple of 49ers, Jets, Texans defenses. “It comes down to style of play.”

— Confident the new defensive coaching staff will bring “energy” that translates to the players and product on the field.

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur wrapped up the 2023 season during a 30-minute press conference on Monday from inside Lambeau Field. The Packers finished 9-8, made the playoffs as the No. 7 seed, beat the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium but came up just short of upsetting the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers on Saturday at Levi’s Stadium.

Here are the highlights from LaFleur’s season-ending appearance:

— LaFleur said he was “so proud” of his team for holding on and battling. Team improved greatly from start to end of the year.

— Felt like the Packers “outplayed” the 49ers for the “majority” of the game on Saturday night. Didn’t make the critical plays.

— On the future and improving: “Just because we got to a certain spot, doesn’t mean that’s guaranteed moving forward. The expectation is when they come back on April 15, they’re better than the team that left today.” Said coaches are meeting with players to highlight one or two things to work on in the early phase of the offseason.

— LaFleur hasn’t met with coaches, still in the evaluation phase of the season wrap up. Expecting to meet with coordinators and position coaches starting Monday.

— Why did the Packers improve? “We were committed to our process for the full season.” Fighting through tough times and sticking together helped the growth.

— On heightened expectations: “Just understand, the expectations going into this (past) season are not going to be the same expectations going into next season, and they’ve earned that. With that, you better put in the work, nothing is guaranteed.”

— LaFleur said the Packers “have a plan in place” to help Christian Watson fix his recurring hamstring injuries. “That’s something we need to figure out because he’s an impact player…we’re better when he’s on the grass.”

— On returning assistants: “Haven’t even thought about that.”

— On Tom Rinaldi’s FOX report on Anders Carlson: “Extremely disappointed” in how it was portrayed. Has talked to Carlson about it. Said he made a joke and called it a “learning experience” for himself.

— LaFleur said the Packers would consider adding competition at kicker but the team wants competition at all positions.

— On Jordan Love: “Every situation he’s been in, he’s learned from it.” Said Love forced the pass on the final drive. “There was nothing there, and sometimes the best play was a throwaway.”

— LaFleur said he thought there were “10 plays” that could have changed the outcome of the game. We here at Packers Wire identified 15.

— LaFleur on Love: “He had a hell of a year.” Praised Love’s growth as a “commander” of the offense.

— LaFleur on Jon Runyan Jr.: “He’s been a very valuable member of our football team these past few years.” Doesn’t know what will happen with his future. Runyan is a free agent.

— LaFleur said he’ll “go through the process” at his own pace in terms of deciding his coaching staff moving forward.

— On Jaire Alexander’s response after his suspension: “I thought he did an outstanding job.” Communication improved between the two after. “I love how he responded. That’s life. You have two choices. You can go in the tank or you can learn and grow and be better for it.”

— LaFleur wouldn’t rule out giving up playcalling if he thought it would improve the team. Has a lot of confidence in Adam Stenavich. Open to anything.

— On Tom Clements returning: Wants him to return…still determining if Clements wants to come back for another year. “I’m hopeful.” Highly complimentary of what Clements brought to the team over the last few seasons.

— On Aaron Jones entering age-30 season: “Tough” to evaluate aging running backs, but the “product looked pretty good to me.” Jones finished with five straight 100-yard rushing game. Mentioned impact on offense, team and locker room.

— Understands expectations are going to go up. “I’d be disappointed if we didn’t improve.”

— Mentioned once again that he feels like the loss in Pittsburgh was the season’s big turning point.

— On David Bakhtiari: Possible he’s the left tackle in 2024. “He’s a hell of a player and he a big-time injury. We’ll evaluate that, get more information, talk to Dave, and some of those decisions will be made in the near future.”

— On late-game scenarios: “That’s an area we need to improve on, those end-of-game situations. Jordan and I have talked about that, what we’re calling, what we’re asking guys to do.” Said he’s seen growth, and he thinks late-game is an area where the Packers could improve with more time on task in 2024.

— LaFleur said he believes there is no long-term concern over A.J. Dillon’s stinger injury in his neck. Dillon’s value as a runner magnified at the end of the year. “I told him, I’d love to have him back here.”

— LaFleur said Brian Gutekunst and the front office “hit the jackpot” on the last few draft classes. “Getting guys who love football, love the grind.” Loved seeing the growth of the young players over the course of the year.

— Any worry about a fracturing locker room during the season: “There were some trying moments, no doubt about it, but I think that’s true of every season…what you don’t want is for the world to see some of the cracks.” Said he wants business kept in-house. Wants business kept in-house better moving forward, but everyone stuck together.

— On special teams: Wants a winning performance each and every game. Margins are so thin on the special teams rankings (Gosselin). “Finding ways to be a little more consistent.” Loves the culture of the special teams. “I think we’re tough, we’re competitive.” Thinks they can be better moving forward.

LIVE: Head Coach Matt LaFleur meets with the media on Monday. 🎙️ https://t.co/psD1N6TbRp

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) January 22, 2024