GREEN BAY – Three days before his team’s rematch against the NFC North rival Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur spent several minutes discussing his team’s rash of penalties last week.
It’s an area the Packers will need to improve given the major injuries that have impacted their roster. With less talent, there is even more importance on playing clean. The Packers had 10 penalties against the Denver Broncos, including presnap procedural issues and poor decisions after the whistle.
Here are LaFleur’s thoughts on the penalties:
Matt LaFleur challenges players to ‘keep their heads’ in what will likely be chippy rematch against Bears
LaFleur is expecting the Packers’ game in Chicago will turn into a “chippy” showdown given how the last game went.
“You’re talking about a rivalry game,” LaFleur said. “An NFC North rival. It was chippy last time we played. So I would say that’s a pretty good indicator of how it’s going to be. We’ve just got to make sure we maintain our poise. I’m sure they’re saying the exact same thing I’m saying.”
The Packers struggled to stay poised at times last week in Denver. It started with a pregame scuffle against the Broncos and lingered into three unnecessary roughness penalties during the game.
LaFleur didn’t dismiss the scuffle, but he acknowledged it’s part of the pregame routine that tends to happen occasionally.
“I feel like that kind of happens quite a bit,” he said. “It shouldn’t happen, but it does happen. People just got to keep their heads. I get it. It’s an emotional game. There’s a lot invested in this, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to keep your poise.”
LaFleur was much more dissatisfied with the penalties during the game. On Javon Bullard’s late hit against Broncos receiver Troy Franklin, LaFleur said the second-year nickel back needed to be more aware. Bullard dumped Franklin to the ground after the whistle, rather than setting him down.
“I think that was one of those plays,” LaFleur said, “it was more or less the position the player was in. You can’t dump a guy when his feet are off the ground. I don’t think it was a crazy, egregious penalty.”
LaFleur said he was especially “disappointed” with Kingsley Enagbare’s unnecessary roughness penalty against Jeremy Crawshaw.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” LaFleur said, “the emotion of the game. Felt like he was held, didn’t get a call and then he took it out on the punter. Like, we can’t do that. That’s not winning football. So certainly addressed that with the guys. I think you can’t (have those kind of penalties) especially in the magnitude of those types of games. Now, was it ultimately the difference in the game? I would say no, but you’ve got to be disciplined enough, and you’ve got to control yourself.
“We had a costly penalty last time we played these guys (the Bears) – we had a couple of them – but one I feel like is within our control. And we’ve got to be disciplined. If guys see a guy losing his mind, they’ve got to grab him.”
LaFleur said he expects his players to keep control of their emotions this week.
“The unsportsmanlike really bothered me,” LaFleur said. “I take those ones personal. We just can’t allow, football is a game of emotion, but you can’t allow the emotion of the game to put you in a spot where you go out and do something that costs the team.”
Packers’ procedural penalties return at poor time
The Packers offense had cleaned up their pre-snap issues that plagued them at the season’s midway point, but they returned in Denver.
Half of the Packers’ penalties were on the offensive line, including four on left tackle Rasheed Walker. Rookie Anthony Belton was flagged for a false start, while Walker had two false starts and ineligible man downfield. Walker’s offensive holding penalty was declined.
Tight end John FitzPatrick also was penalized for an illegal shift.
“I just wish there was some consistency in how the league calls that,” LaFleur said. “Sometimes it’s tighter than others. They had a couple illegal shifts that didn’t get called, so it is what it is.”
It might be the only penalty LaFleur was willing to excuse.
“We’ve got to be better than that,” LaFleur said. “We’ve got to pay attention, we need urgency out of the huddle. It always starts, and I tell the guys this, it starts with the play call coming to the huddle and then getting to the line of scrimmage – especially in a road environment, where it’s tough to communicate – with time to operate. When we’re late out of the huddle, it rushes everything. I think that’s a byproduct. Those penalties are a byproduct of some of that stuff. The point of emphasis is the sense of urgency in terms of getting into the huddle, hearing the call and then getting to the line of scrimmage. And then you better know your plan inside and out.”
Matt LaFleur shrugs off question about postgame handshake with Ben Johnson after last Bears matchup
One thing LaFleur doesn’t care about: His abrupt postgame handshake with Bears coach Ben Johnson after the Packers’ win two weeks ago.
“I didn’t think much of it,” LaFleur said.
Johnson reinvigorated the NFL’s oldest rivalry not just in his introductory press conference in January, saying how much he enjoyed beating LaFleur twice a year, but in leading the Bears to a surprise run atop the NFC North. He’ll need to beat LaFleur once this year to keep that top spot next week.
“I think it’s probably more fun for you guys,” LaFleur said. “It’s obviously a challenge for both teams involved, but that’s what makes this league so great, is the competitive balance. Watching two really good late in December go at it for a lot at stake.”
This article originally appeared on Packers News: Matt LaFleur challenges Packers players to ‘keep their heads’ vs. Bears
Reporting by Ryan Wood, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Packers News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
