As everyone knows, Green Bay Packers games don't truly start until Matt LaFleur yells at the refs. It's becoming a fun weekly game. In an organization full of longstanding traditions, letting the refs absolutely have it is his contribution to Green Bay's storied history.
The latest example came midway through the first quarter of Sunday's game in Chicago. The Packers' pass rush had Bears quarterback Caleb Williams on the run, and he was very clearly headed out of bounds. Then, as soon as he stepped out, Packers safety Xavier McKinney lightly made contact with him. And when I say lightly, I mean that for one tiny moment in time, part of their pads briefly made contact.
It was the type of "hit" that would get made fun of in tape study. It was also, unfortunately, a 15-yard penalty, because of course it was.
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Williams probably didn't even need to sell it as hard as he did – on the TV broadcast, Tom Brady called him out almost immediately – but he did, and got the flag. The moment didn't sit all that well with LaFleur, who wasted no time finding the refs and letting them know how he felt. Communication is key to any good relationship.
Matt LaFleur had some very specific things to say to the refs about Caleb Williams' flop
"Soft ass call ... Bullshit" -- Matt LaFleur accurately describing that penalty.
— Peter Bukowski (@Peter_Bukowski) November 17, 2024
I mean, he's not wrong? It was legitimately one of the softer unnecessary roughness penalties that the Packers have been called for all season. The only reason everyone saw the flag coming is because that's how the NFL works these days; the broadcasters even joked that any other player getting "hit" like that wouldn't get any attention. (But also maybe coach your guys not to do that?)
Now that we have the LaFleur screaming out of the way, the Packers can focus on business. It's like that first hit a QB takes (or in Williams' case, fakes) – once you get it out of the way, you can really get into the rhythm of the game. Let's play ball.