Cheesehead
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- Mar 19, 2019
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"Adam Stenavich and Luke Butkus do a great job with that room," LaFleur said, referring to his two offensive line coaches. "But also those guys take it upon themselves to prepare the right way. This is the best O-line group I've ever been around, and I'm not just talking about the players. I'm talking about the mindset in that room."
On a personal level, the team feels for Bakhtiari, one of the most respected and accomplished veterans in the locker room. He's the third-longest tenured Packers player after Aaron Rodgers and Mason Crosby, and he recently signed a contract extension making him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the league.
"It's tough to see a guy go down at practice like that," said Rodgers, a best friend. "You're hoping for the best. I got a call from him yesterday late in the afternoon. I was hoping for some good news, didn't get it.
"You gotta move on but right now it's still a little raw. We're still sad and hurting for Dave just because it's our brother and it's our left tackle, our teammate. It's been a tough time for us, and times that by infinity is probably where he's at right now."
LaFleur said when the injury happened, it took the team a while to refocus during Thursday's practice. He added the team responded well Friday with a "clean" practice.
The psyche of the team is naturally a concern when a blow like this is delivered right before playing an important game at this stage of the season. The Packers are trying to secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs while the Bears are pushing to earn a wild-card spot. And whether or not the Packers get that top seed and a bye, the postseason is right around the corner.
"I think my job is just to stress to our guys the importance of what we have in front of us, and to attack each moment of every day," LaFleur said.
"You can't let it affect your attitude, the way you prepare, the effort you give, the focus you bring every day. We've got a job to do and that is to go on Sunday and play a team that is fighting for everything they have in front of them as well."