Packers continue moving ‘on to the next game’

[Cheesehead]

Or like the third-down pass break-up by former undrafted defensive back Chandon Sullivan on All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce with just over five minutes left, which LaFleur called “a great play on a really good player.”


Or like the 39-yard drive with three first downs to drain the clock, a possession that started on the 2-yard line and immediately looked promising with Jones’ 6-yard run on first down. LaFleur said the “line surge” on that first snap gave him the confidence as a play-caller to keep pounding the Chiefs with the run.


Getting those results in the big moments when the team’s run of success is on the line goes back to having prepared with the right mentality on a daily basis.


“I think it’s more or less we’ve got great leadership in that locker room,” LaFleur said. “We’ve got a high-character locker room and I think these guys really care for one another. They’ve bought into our team and doing what’s best for our football team.”


Count the head coach among those not getting distracted by the hoopla, either.


LaFleur didn’t dance around the fact that the Packers’ defense missed too many tackles against the Chiefs on Sunday and continues to give up too many explosive gains. He praised the unit’s resilience but also needs to see better, more consistent fundamentals.


The offense continues to evolve as well, as LaFleur and his offensive coaches figure out which players do what things best. One product of that exploration has been the extensive involvement of running backs Jones and Jamaal Williams in the passing game, and the next challenge will be at some point – possibly as soon as this week – re-integrating top receiver Davante Adams into an offense that doesn’t look like the one he last played in a month ago.


“Those are good problems to have,” he said. “So we’ll figure it out.”


While staying grounded, head man included.


“I don’t sit back and think about it too much,” said LaFleur, whose seven wins match the collective total of the other five rookie head coaches in the NFL. “It’s just on to the next game just because I know how hard it is to win each and every week. If you don’t put all your energy into that, you’re not going to be as successful.


“Luckily for myself and our staff, we’ve come into a pretty good situation where we’ve got a lot of good players – not only good football players but good people – and I can’t say enough about that locker room, the guys pulling all in the same direction with one common goal and that is to go 1-0 every week.”