Pace of Packers’ practices still not to Matt LaFleur’s liking

[Cheesehead]

GREEN BAY – Head Coach Matt LaFleur would like to have joint practices with another team again someday.


But whenever that happens, he wants to see his players pick up their game.


LaFleur was not pleased after Tuesday’s second joint practice with the Houston Texans, saying “there was no energy” from the Packers in the workout and being particularly critical of the offense’s slow pace in and out of the huddle.


“The only thing I want to stress to our guys is, it takes no talent to give effort and to have a sense of urgency, and we’ve got to do a better job of that,” LaFleur said. “And it starts with the coaching, too.”


Working mostly red zone and two-minute against the Texans, Houston’s defense had the edge. The same was true on the other end of Nitschke Field, where Green Bay’s No. 1 defense shut down the Texans’ two-minute drive.


LaFleur clarified there wasn’t any lack of effort on the plays themselves, but more of a malaise between snaps that slowed the pace and drained any juice from the practice. Penalties and other sloppiness didn’t help, but he believes things will change once the Packers install their no-huddle package, because then that becomes an option to jump-start any drive, whether in a practice or a game.


For his part, quarterback Aaron Rodgers is looking forward to the upcoming no-huddle work in a system he said he likes “a lot,” but he didn’t express any enthusiasm for joint practices in general, noting both teams held back a lot schematically.