Cheesehead
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- Mar 19, 2019
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LaFleur has a plan for training camp, but he’s also ready to adjust. He’s worked under first-time NFL head coaches each of the last two years, so he knows to expect the unexpected.
The whole process, including building a relationship with Rodgers, is a challenge he enjoys. He sees Rodgers’ ultra-competitiveness as an element that can set the tone of training camp as a whole as well as keep him on his toes as he works through all the firsts he’ll encounter.
“He’s an extremely intelligent player who’s played a lot of ball, so you’d better know what you’re talking about,” LaFleur said of working with Rodgers. As the offense takes shape, LaFleur’s emphasis on the run game will be evident.
“A philosophical belief of mine is that you need to marry the run with the pass. You want plays that play off of one another try to keep the defense off-balance. In regard to exactly what those plays are, we have a pretty big menu, and we have to hone in on that menu. We have to figure out what exactly we do the best and build off that.”
On the defensive side, where second-year coordinator Mike Pettine has a mixture of returning veterans and new faces taking prominent roles, all the attention on the eve of camp was the pending release of defensive lineman Mike Daniels.
General Manager Brian Gutekunst was scheduled to address the roster move later Wednesday. It coincides in some respects with the contract extension signed Tuesday by 2016 fourth-round draft pick Dean Lowry, who was rewarded for his steady improvement over his first three NFL seasons, a climb that was most evident in his strong finish to 2018.
“He’s played at a high level and he’s just about all the right things you want in a player,” LaFleur said. “He’s a team guy, he gives great effort every day, he’s reliable and accountable. I love the energy he brings to the defense. From my perspective, I’m just happy we have him locked up for four years.”