It certainly seems that there’s a bit of a rift in the idea of what level of physicality should be present during training camp. The Green Bay Packers put on pads on Monday, and since then have had one player hurt, MarShawn Lloyd, a player punitively benched as a result, Nate Hobbs, and a scuffle at the end of practice between trench players Rasheed Walker and Kingsley Enagbare.
Sounds like a normal training camp to many, if not most, football fans, but head coach Matt LaFleur isn’t having it. He’s the one who pulled Hobbs out of drills, and he’s the one who laid into Walker and told him to take a lap after the scuffle.
Packers tight end Tucker Kraft, having already felt like LaFleur tossed him under the bus, defended the physicality in practice.
Tucker Kraft pushes back on concern over Packers practice edge
“There’s a lot of guys that are just trying to find their footing right now, and being able to put the pads on kind of brings a new level to that,” Kraft said. “Your technique should always be your main focus, but having the pads on allows you to play a little bit harder, more physical. But yeah, I love popping the pads. I think it’s a great opportunity for people to find out more about themselves on the field here at the pro level.”
Kraft’s lighthearted gripe with LaFleur was related to his name being specifically mentioned in relation to offensive fumbles. Kraft called it a “bus fine” but otherwise waved it off and said he’s working on correcting the issue while adhering to the rules of practice, which prohibit stiff arms.
Nonetheless, the third-year tight end did somewhat play both sides, defending Hobbs’ physicality while also understanding LaFleur’s call for the team to take care of one another.
“We’re not the only team dealing with people playing on the edge. He’s [Hobbs] a new face; there’s different ways people practice at different facilities,” Kraft said. “It’s just instrumental to make sure everybody is on the same page moving forward. We want to avoid, obviously, anything extra. We don’t want to create any division by our playstyles. We want to keep everyone healthy.”
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Kraft’s point resonates with anyone who has put the pads on in July at any level. Players are eager to add the contact element of the game. Add in July heat, and you get some chippiness. There is a line to be drawn, but the line has to be tested in practice to find what constitutes team building and season preparation versus negligent and reckless behavior. Sometimes players police themselves on these matters, sometimes it’s the coaches.
While LaFleur is policing, his response at the end of practice Tuesday with Walker, which resulted in Kraft and several other offensive players running the lap with Walker, doesn’t seem to have come across as particularly popular.
Whether or not that proves problematic to the team’s overall cohesion remains to be seen, but it’s rather unlikely that things get to sour between the players and their head coach. After all, the Packers get to rough up the New York Jets in less than two weeks. Hitting different colors, even if it’s just a different shade of green, always helps ease the tension at practice.