Matt LaFleur wasn't happy, and he shouldn't be.
Penalties continued to plague the Green Bay Packers in their second preseason contest. Stop me if you've heard that before. Second-round rookie Anthony Belton felt the full force of LaFleur's anger after drawing five first-half penalties. Yes, five.
"Matt LaFleur is letting Anthony Belton have it as he runs off the field at halftime. Brutal first half from the rookie second-round pick," Matt Schneidman of The Athletic writes.
Matt LaFleur's frustration boils over after rookie Anthony Belton endures nightmare second game with Packers
Perhaps Belton's most frustrating moment came on an unnecessary roughness penalty after shoving a Colts player out of bounds for no reason. It was the definition of "unnecessary roughness." You could just as easily argue that back-to-back illegal formation penalties provided the worst moment.
Or another penalty that negated a beautiful 20-yard touchdown pass from Taylor Elgersma to Ben Sims, yet another infuriating unforced error for the Packers' offense.
Needless to say, LaFleur had good reason to feel frustrated.
Pro Football Focus also credited Belton with three pressures allowed. But not everything went against the rookie tackle.
If there's a positive, it's that penalties and inconsistent play aside, Belton has shown signs of real potential. The Packers have their share of interior offensive line concerns and may need to look for help, but Belton's arrival has strengthened the depth at tackle.
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He clearly still has work to do to improve his discipline, but the talent is there. Belton made a crucial block on a second effort to help Amar Johnson's touchdown run, just as he did a week ago. It was a strong response after a nightmare first-half performance.
But until Belton can fix the unforced errors, LaFleur is unlikely to trust him in the starting lineup. The Packers have far too many issues with penalties, and they need to trust that Belton won't make any frustrating decisions like shoving a player out of bounds and drawing a 15-yard penalty.
The preseason is the perfect time to learn from these mistakes and not carry them into the regular season. It's one thing to have a tough performance despite giving it everything, but avoidable, needless penalties are never acceptable.
Belton has shown potential, but LaFleur sent a clear message to the rookie second-round pick.