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Flying under-the-radar, RB Chris Brooks’ late-game contributions crucial for Packers

Paul Bretl | 10/29/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Running back Chris Brooks has been another under-the-radar addition by GM Brian Gutekunst, but one that has proven to be an important pickup over these last few games.

“I think Chris Brooks has been a huge asset to our team, a great pick-up,” said Matt LaFleur after Sunday’s win in Jacksonville. “You’ve got to give Gutey and his group a ton of credit for that one, to be able to identify that guy.

“I know (Anthony) Campanile was super fired up when we brought him in, he was with him last year in Miami and just said a ton of great things about the guy and it’s holding true. He’s starting to get more and more time on offense; he’s obviously contributed on we-fense, and just lucky to have a guy like that.”

Brooks went undrafted in 2023 out of BYU and spent his rookie season with Miami. He would appear in four games that season, playing 36 offensive snaps, and showcasing some big play ability, averaging 5.6 yards per rush with nine missed tackles forced and two rushes of over 15 yards.

However, in a crowded Dolphins’ running back room, Brooks was released during roster cutdowns in late-August. The Packers signed him to the practice squad prior to Week 1, and then promoted him to the 53-man roster after MarShawn Lloyd was placed on injured reserve.

Coming from the Mike McDaniel offense with Miami, there is a lot of overlap in terminology and play-designs with the Packers playbook, which helped Brooks’ transition.

“He’s done a great job since the moment we got him,” said Matt LaFleur after the Texans’ win. “Very intelligent guy. Definitely can contribute on teams, as well. He’s been excellent in understanding the protection scheme. So he was familiar with our version of how we do our six-man protection. He’s reliable, consistent and does a great job. We’ve seen it in practice. That’s why he was in there at the end of the game.”

Brooks’ has seen regular playing time in each of the last three games. He’s carried the ball eight times during that span, averaging 4.6 yards per attempt. However, where he’s made the biggest impact is in pass protection.

During the final four plays of the Packers’ game-winning drive against Houston, it was Brooks who was in at running back. With the Packers in field goal range at the Texans 37-yard line, Brooks picked up Houston blitzers on three consecutive plays. Two of those passes were completed, which made for a shorter field goal attempt.

But surrendering a sack in that situation, could have knocked Green Bay out of field goal range or at the very least, made the attempt much longer than what it was.

“I think we were pretty confident in it,” said LaFleur of Brooks’ ability in pass protection when the team first signed him. “But ultimately again, he’s got to demonstrate that in order for us to have confidence in him to go out there and do it. I mean, he’s been doing that pretty well. I mean, he’s stoning backers as they try to run through the line of scrimmage. That’s been a huge get for us.”

This past Sunday against Jacksonville, with the Packers at the 12 yard line, on a handoff to Brooks the Jaguars defensive line gave way as they wanted Green Bay to score in an effort to get the ball back with some time on the clock.

However, Brooks, who keep in mind, has never scored an NFL touchdown, made a very heads up play and went down on his own at the four-yard line. This then allowed the Packers to run the clock down to a few seconds before another Brandon McManus game-winner left no time remaining.

“He’s a selfless guy,” said LaFleur of that rush. “He does what we ask him to do. We told him in the situation that it was — we call it a ‘Rolex’ situation so no matter what, that you’re going down, the clock’s got to run. Obviously you’re playing for the field goal right there, and he did a good job of executing and not scoring. He’ll get his time. I’m confident of that.”

In addition to Brooks’ emerging contributions on offense, he’s been a core special teams player since joining the active roster in Week 3, playing 41 snaps across three different phases over the last six games.

Back on the offensive side of the ball, in the Arizona game specifically and in addition to the all-important pass protection component, we saw Brooks being utilized next to Josh Jacobs in some two running back sets late in the game. This was something that the Packers were implementing during training camp with AJ Dillon as the second back in those situations.

Following roster cutdowns and after Dillon was placed on season-ending IR, LaFleur mentioned that the team had a “pretty clear vision” for how they wanted to use Dillon this season and it wasn’t only in the run game. With his blocking ability and overall versatility, there was a specific role that Dillon had carved out within the offense.

“It certainly leaves us with a void,” said LaFleur about losing Dillon.

But since then, Brooks has proven to be a very capable blocker. The Packers are also beginning to move him around more in the offensive formation, which includes snaps at fullback, in-line, and from the slot, along with using him in those aforementioned two-back sets, which can help open up the playbook for LaFleur.

It would appear that the void created by Dillon’s absence has been filled by Brooks.

“He’s an intelligent player, so we can use him in a lot of different roles,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich. “Obviously if you get the ball in his hands he can do some good things too. He’s a good blocker, so we used him in different fullback type roles as well.”

It’s a cliché in football, but Brooks’ contributions are the quintessential example of doing your one-eleventh. And while those contributions may not always stand out on the initial viewing of the game or show up on the stat sheet, they’re very important to the overall success of the offense, especailly when you take into account the late-game situations Brooks has been utilized in.

“I’d probably have to go with attitude,” said Brooks when asked about the key to picking up blitzes. “It has to be an attitude and you have to want to do it and then fundamentals and technique. I’d say pad level, staying low and using your hands.”

RB Josh Jacobs provides a stabilizing force to Packers offense in win over Jaguars

Paul Bretl | 10/28/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — When Jordan Love exited Sunday’s game in the third quarter with a groin injury, the Packers turned to Josh Jacobs on offense to help guide them to victory in Jacksonville.

“He’s a stud, isn’t he,” Matt LaFleur said post-game. “He is a pro’s pro. I can’t say enough great things about him. We’re lucky to have a guy like that. the way he comes in and communicates and works and demands it of himself but demands it of others as well.”

On the day, Jacobs finished with 127 rushing yards on 25 attempts–averaging 5.1 yards per carry–with two touchdowns. Of those 127 yards, 74 came after contact, according to ESPN, with Jacobs averaging a season-high 3.0 yards after contact on Sunday.

Without question, it was a good day. However, without Love under center, it was Jacobs’ ability for the offense to lean on him in the second half and some chunk runs that took some of that playmaking burden off of Malik Willis’ shoulders.

“Man, Josh is different,” said Chris Brooks after the game. “We all see what Josh does. What he brings to the table is everything. It’s good for young guys like me and E to look at that and get better looking at him.”

Of Jacobs’ total production mentioned above, 14 of those carries and 88 of those yards came with just over five-minutes remaining in the third quarter when Willis entered the game.

This included multiple rushes of at least five yards, three other carries of eight yards, 11 yards, and 12 yards, and, of course, the 38-yard touchdown run, where Jacobs made a few defenders miss.

“It looked nifty to me, too,” said Willis of Jacobs run. “It was awesome. I love to see him go out there and do his thing. As you see, he’s a great running back. He’s doing a great job for us and glad he got his first receiving touchdown last week.”

That eight-play scoring drive in the third quarter, where Jacobs touched the ball on five of those plays, came at a crucial time with Jacksonville having just scored on their last possession to take a 17-13 lead.

While Jacobs’ touchdown run will be what stands out from that drive, he was instrumental in getting it going as well. Three straight rushes to begin the possession picked up a Packers’ first down. He then had a five yard run on the ensuing first down play to help keep Willis and the offense ahead of the sticks and in a manageable down-and-distance. Willis then picked up the second first down on a completion to Dontayvion Wicks.

“I kept telling them the whole game, I like all of them,” Jacobs said at his locker. “I liked all the runs. Even when they were tackling me, it was like I’m going down but I’m a step away from getting out of it. I just kept telling them – just trust me. It played out how it did.”

Whatever the Packers’ offense has needed from Jacobs in a specific week, he has provided. His workload at times has ebbed and flowed depending on the gameplan as well as the in-game situations at hand, but Jacobs provides the Packers with a workhorse-type back, who like on Sunday, can shoulder the weight of the offense when needed.

In addition to that, his effectiveness as both an outside-zone runner and a gap scheme back creates a deeper playbook for LaFleur to leverage, and only further stresses the opposing defense. Not only do opponents have to account for Jacobs and the run game, but how the Packers’ decide to attack defenses on the ground can vary from play-to-play.

“Josh is a very consistent piece to the offense,” said offensive coordiantor Adam Stenavich. “As far as just getting him the ball and if you see, as games go on, just how much better his production gets throughout the game and I think he’s a physical kind of runner.

“He’s very instinctive, really good vision and he does a good job breaking tackles and I think that run style, as a game goes on, wears on defenses. So yeah, he’s everything I thought we were getting. He’s a very big piece of our offense for sure.”

On and off the field, Jacobs is the player–and person–that the Packers thought they were getting. He’s a physical runner, who is also able make defenders miss with his rare ability to change directions at the flip of a switch. Through eight games, he is among the most productive ball carriers in football this season.

Off the field, as passing game coordinator Jason Vrable spoke about recently, Jacobs is a leader and a tone-setter at practice, with every rep at all positions having to be game-like. He’s competitive, “says the right words at the right time,” sets an example through his work ethic and approach each week.

“My goal coming into this game was to inspire the playcaller, inspire the team,” Jacobs said. “Whatever that looks like, I just wanted to come in and run hard. Have the guys trust in me. It just played out that way. Unfortunately, Jordan got hurt. I just wanted to come in and make a statement that we could still win games running the ball. We can still win games however we want if we lock into the details and things like that.”

Packers backup QB Malik Willis comes up big once again

Paul Bretl | 10/27/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — With Jordan Love exiting the game, the Packers had to call on Malik Willis to step in and as he had done in the previous two games, he delivered.

Early on in the game, following a scramble to his right and then a throw, Love appeared to come down awkwardly and came up limping. Love would finish out the first half but early in the third quarter, he would leave the game with what the team called a groin injury.

“No idea,” said Matt LaFleur on the severity of Love’s injury. “But obviously high level of concern any time a guy’s in there, and he did it early in that first drive and I think you guys, I think everybody could see him struggling to move around. And it got to a point where we didn’t feel like, and he didn’t feel like he could protect himself.”

As we saw in his first two appearances this season, the always calm and cool Willis was seemingly unfazed by the moment–even with the game tied with under two-minutes to go and the Packers with the football.

After a first down run by Josh Jacobs for four yards and the clock nearing the 1:00 mark, it looked like the Packers were willing to head to overtime. However, on the very next play, Willis would connect with Jayden Reed for a 51-yard catch-and-run that immediately put the Packers in the Jacksonville red zone.

That specific play was not one that was put in the gameplan during the week. The coaching staff discussed it, but it didn’t make the final cut and so it was not practiced at all. However, earlier in the game, following a quarterback keeper, passing game coordinator Jason Vrable made the suggestion to run with it anyways because of a look that the Jacksonville defense was giving them.

“We talked about it on Tuesday,” said LaFleur of the play-call on the throw from Willis to Reed. “We thought that there might be something there, decided against it, and then we ran the keeper earlier in the gamer and Vrabel suggested it. He’s like, ‘Hey, it looks like the play is there.” And so we put it in on the sideline. So, no reps in practice.”

In order to have the opportunity to connect with Reed on that throw, the Packers needed the Jaguars’ defense to be in a specific coverage. On two occasions prior to Willis’ 51-yard completion, the Packers came out in an alignment that they thought might get Jacksonville to bite, but it didn’t happen.

Then on the big pass to Reed, Willis went under center with two plays called and once the secondary rotated to that look the Packers were waiting for, Willis canned to the play, and as LaFleur said, the rest is history.

“I was just looking for the rotation,” LaFleur said. “The rotation came down, we ran the, it was the exact same play essentially two plays in a row where we didn’t get the look. They brought a nickel pressure on the first play, didn’t get the look for it. And then on the second play they showed strong rotation, got the look and the rest is history.”

Willis finished the game 4-of-5 passing for 56 yards and one passing touchdown at an impressive 11.2 yards per catch. He also had 23 rushing yards as well, including a scramble for 20 yards. Adding to this performance was that Willis didn’t take any snaps with the starting offense during the week in practices.

“It’s none,” said Willis. “The starter, he needs all the reps. You get your reps on scout, you get your reps in indy, and you just do as you can to use those mental reps and do whatever you can to be ready if called upon.”

While Willis was, of course, instrumental in the outcome of this game, he had help along the way. On his first full possession in the game, the Packers were trailing 13-17 following a Jaguars’ touchdown. On that possession, the Packers leaned heavily on Jacobs and the run game, with the scoring drive capped off by a 38-yard run from Jacobs.

When it was all said and done, Jacobs finished the game carrying the ball 25 times for 127 yards at 5.1 yards per attempt with two rushing touchdowns.

“My goal coming into this game was to inspire the playcaller, inspire the team,” said Jacobs after the game. “Whatever that looks like, I just wanted to come in and run hard. Have the guys trust in me. It just played out that way. Unfortunately, Jordan got hurt. I just wanted to come in and make a statement that we could still win games running the ball. We can still win games however we want if we lock into the details and things like that.”

On the ensuing defensive possession for the Packers, with Jacksonville backed up in their own territory, linebacker Edgerrin Cooper came through on a blitz and forced a fumble while bringing down Trevor Lawrence for a sack. Devonte Wyatt would then jump on the ball, setting up the Packers’ offense with first and goal from the five yard line.

“My main focus was just staying in that gap, keep pushing through,” said Cooper of the fumble. “I just kept pushing through and came out and clamped on the quarterback and it came out.”

In a game where the Packers were dealing with injuries and weren’t at their best on either side of the ball, it took a team effort to come away with the victory.

But with that said, in an eight-game season up to this point, the Packers have had to rely on Willis in 2.5 of those games, and he has helped usher Green Bay to victories in all three contests. In a game where finding a capable starting quarterback can be a tall task, off the bench Willis has provided a steady presence for the Packers.

“I mean we’ve been blessed with having a backup that can come in and really be the guy in there, really be able to create things like that,” said Jacobs of Willis. “It makes it a lot easier for us on offense because the moment it happened, we all said in the huddle – Tuck was like, ‘Man, we’ve been here before,’ and we all know what it felt like. We just had the confidence in him and he came out there and did what he always do. He balled.”

Packers big play passing game searching for consistency vs Jaguars

Paul Bretl | 10/26/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The run game is always going to be an integral part of the Packers offense. It can’t be forgotten about. However, each week the matchup will dictate how large of role that part of the game plays, and this week against the Jacksonville Jaguars says that the Packers should come out throwing the ball.

As a team, the Jaguars are allowing just 4.2 yards per rush this season, the seventh-lowest mark in football through seven weeks. Individually, defensive tackles Jeremiah Ledbetter and DaVon Hamilton each rank in the top-15 among their position group in PFF’s run-stop rate metric. Defensive end Arik Amrstead ranks 11th in that category, along with Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker both being in the top 30 in run defense grade.

“They’re in the top 10 against the run,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich. “They’re very physical inside. They do a good job compressing the edges and keeping the ball inside. So their interior guys do a good job. Their linebackers are very aggressive and physical, I think they make a lot of plays on the ball, just filling gaps and things like that so they’re pretty physical up front.”

Against the pass, however, the Jaguars are giving up 7.6 yards per pass attempt–the third-lowest mark in the NFL. The 31 explosive passing plays surrendered are also the second-most. Entering Week 8, no Jacksonville defender has more than three pass breakups and the entire defense has forced only one interception.

In terms of matchups on paper, this is where the biggest opportunity lies for the Packers’ offense.

Being able to fully exploit that Jaguars pass defense will start in the trenches with the Packers’ offensive line holding up against the Jacksonville pass rush. The aforementioned Hines-Allen and Walker both rank in the top 13 among edge rushers in pressures this season.

“From their defense, I think the first thing I see is their d-line, I think they have a really solid pass rush,” said Jordan Love on Wednesday. “Obviously their two edge guys, they’re both really good players. I think right away those guys stand out and do some good things.”

The Packers will enter this game with one of the more dynamic passing offenses this season. Of course, there is plenty of individual talent at the tight end and receiver positions, but the true strength is in the depth at the skill positions that Green Bay has.

As we saw against Arizona, where 10 different players had a target in that game, the ability to spread the ball around adds more pressure for the defense. Opponents are unable to key in on one or even two players pre-snap, almost regardless of the situation. This then forces them to defend the entire field, creating better spacing for the Packers’ offense to operate within, along with one-on-one matchups to take advantage of.

With a number of options in the passing game comes a variety of skill sets as well. Matt LaFleur can take an a la carte-like approach as he builds out the weekly game plan, mixing and matching formations and play designs that can very specifically attack an opponent’s weaknesses and create mismatches. This element can also make game-planning for this Packers offense quite difficult because they can hurt you in a number of ways.

However, a trickle-down effect of having all those options is that it can result in consistent targets. Week to week, how the workload shakes out is all really dependent upon the gameplan and how the defense defends each play, specifically who they want to take away.

Christian Watson will enter Sunday’s game with only 14 targets this season. He’s caught nine of those passes at 17.4 yards per catch with two scores. Watson’s impact in this offense goes beyond the stat sheet. As Jayden Reed has described before, defenses defend the Packers differently when his speed and downfield ability are on the field. Watson has a gravity about him. This can then open up opportunities for other pass-catchers underneath or over the middle with the attention that he draws.

Even without Watson getting regular touches, this is obviously still a very explosive offense, but he brings a different element to the equation that the other receivers don’t. And while the deep ball may be his bread and butter, it’s not as if that’s all he can do–Watson can make plays at all levels of the field.

“We do,” said Stenavich when asked about getting Watson involved more. “It’s as simple as that.”

Stenavich would add, that in part, circumstances and the situations faced in a game can impact the game-flow and targets. For example, against Houston, Stenavich noted that the Packers had 11 possessions, five of which went three-and-out and two others ended in interceptions. So it’s not as if there was an abundance of opportunities on offense in that game. But with that said, given Watson’s play-making ability, as Stenavich bluntly stated, the coaches have to do a better job of getting him involved.

“I see myself as a guy who can be successful on the deep stuff but I never see myself as a guy who should just be running deep routes,” said Watson. “I think I can be successful on short, intermediate and deep routes. So that’s definitely my mindset. But at the end of the day, it’s hard to have any complaints when you’re winning football games. But I think that’s just something that will continue to grow as I continue to go out there and play.”

Love will enter this game tied for the league lead in interceptions. His 15 touchdown passes are also the second-most as well and he’s among the league leaders in touchdown passes and yards per pass attempt–a good measurement of efficiency.

Love has the ability to make all of the throws on the field, so what the Packers don’t want to do is put the governor on his ability to utilize that strength. As LaFleur described last week, when it comes to downfield throws versus the checkdown, a lot of it has to do with the situation and point the offense is at in the game that should determine the aggressiveness on a given play.

With that said, at the end of the day, Love has a talented arm and if the matchup or coverage dictates that he should take a shot, he’s going to do that. That doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement, whether that be in accuracy at times or in the calculus that led him to that decision, but when you have a top-flight passer, you expect him to make top-flight throws, and that’s what Love is attempting to do.

“There’s not always going to be wide-open guys,” Love said. “It’s going to be tight windows. You’ve got to fit the ball in there sometimes and I’m going to keep playing. Learn and grow from the mistakes, the interceptions and just keep playing, keep moving on. That’s not going to ever limit me. I’ve got to keep going out there and being the best player I can for my team. I’m always going to be aggressive, but there’s always going to be those tight window throws.”

As good as the Packers offense has looked during stretches this season, to a degree, it still feels like that one game where it all comes together for four quarters has eluded them. In large part, that has been due to self-inflicted mistakes such as penalties, giveaways, off-target throws, and drops, often resulting in the offense falling behind the sticks and being put in predictable passing situations.

This offense has been very boom-or-bust this season, with either quick scoring drives or short possessions that end in a punt. So, entering Week 8, what is this offense that is loaded with sky-high potential chasing? Consistency. Plain old consistency.

“I think we’re in a good place,” said Love of the offense. “I think the biggest thing we’ve got to clean up as a whole is just consistency. I think when we get more consistent in hitting on every play we have an opportunity to, good things will happen. You see the explosive plays, the big-play kind of mentality we have is to go hunt those explosive plays. We’ve got a lot of playmakers who are making some big-time plays. That’s very exciting to see.

“The biggest thing for us is just finding that consistency, trying to go and not having any drives where it’s those three-and-out drives where you’re out there quickly back on the sideline. Just try and build on every little thing, keep stacking the details will be huge for us.”

Jeff Hafley’s success with Packers defense begins with the relationship he has with players

Paul Bretl | 10/25/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Quite quickly, the Packers’ defense has seen almost immediate results under first-year defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, and as this group gets more experience within the scheme, this also appears to be a unit that is very much still ascending. But getting those on-field results begins with the relationships Hafley has built with his players.

“He’s been great with that,” said Kenny Clark about the communication with Hafley. “He’s been great with that. We ain’t got no problems going up to Hafley and talking to him and being like, ‘I feel like I can beat the center. Let’s put me on the center.’ He’s a mastermind. He’s got everything.”

Whether it be points per game allowed, takeaways, or yards per play surrendered, the Packers’ defense ranks in the top 10 of the NFL in those areas heading into Week 8. Pick out just about any advanced metric that you’d like and there’s probably a good chance that the Packers rank well in that category too.

Of course, a part of that is Hafley’s scheme, the game-plans he draws up, and his willingness to adapt week-to-week based on who the opponent is.

However, there’s an old saying in football that goes, ‘it’s not the Xs and Os, it’s the Jimmys and Joes’ — that’s Jeff Hafley. It’s about the players, communication, the relationships, and that’s where the success for this defense begins.

We heard all offseason about Hafley wanting a fast and physical play-style within his defense. I would imagine that every defensive coordinator desires that, but wanting it and accomplishing it are two very different things. Successfully fostering that play-style starts with the gameplan, specifically one that is digestible for the players.

Now, as we’ve seen, digestible doesn’t mean simple. This Hafley defense is throwing a lot of different blitz and coverage looks, including disguises at opposing offenses. But what digestible means in the context of this conversation is that players aren’t on the field over-thinking, they know their role, the responsibilities of the players next to them, and they are reacting–letting their natural abilities take over.

“The energy was there,” said Jeff Hafley on Thursday. “The execution was there. Guys were taking ownership, because they’re running stuff that they believe and they are good at, and they’re getting confident in it. Right? Like I talk to X all the time, even I’ll get on the headsets and we’ll have conversations, and it’s, ‘Do you feel this? Can I show down here and do this? Yeah, if you’ve got a good feel and a beat on it.’

“Now there’s some times I have to say no because it’s like, ‘Whoa, that doesn’t fit in with what we’re doing and we might give up a big play,’ so it’s not just, ‘Hey, what do we want to do? Go do it.’ It’s like me listening, observing and then making a final decision on what we can do best to win the football game.”

This isn’t a plug-and-play playbook that Hafley has put together where players have to mold to it. In fact, it’s the other way around. The playbook is ever-evolving and is adapting based on the opponent and the skill sets of this Packers’ defense. But being able to maximize that flexibility that the playbook possesses first begins with understanding and knowing the players on that side of the ball.

As Hafley has said previously, the greatest blitz design on the chalkboard means nothing if it can’t be executed at a high level. When putting the gameplan together, yes the Xs and Os matter, but his first thought is about the players and what he’s asking of them.

“I can come up with a great blitz and it might be check it to 3-by-1, 2-by-2, empty, bunch, motion here, and draw it on paper and think I’m the smartest coach alive,” said Hafley during the offseason. “And then I can put it in and, if it doesn’t work, I can blame the players. But that’s not good coaching and it’s not good teaching. What can they handle where they can execute at a high level and succeed at it? That’s so important for us to understand is we put stuff in and that’s why you can’t overload them.”

Confidence in what a player is being asked to do leads to that desired fast and physical play on the field. Having an executable–or digestible–gameplan plays an important role in cultivating that confidence, but the other part of that equation comes from Hafley knowing what his players do well and putting them in positions to be successful.

On the second day of training camp this past summer, defensive end Lukas Van Ness mentioned that Hafley kicked things off by telling the defense that he was going to be more heavily involved as camp got underway and that this unit was going to bring the juice every day.

So why wasn’t Hafley as involved during OTAs and minicamp, you might ask? He was observing. He took a step back in order to learn more about how the defense plays and how each player operates. An important part of Hafley implementing his defensive scheme was him learning what each defender does well, where their strengths lie, and then finding ways to leverage those abilities.

A key element to that relationship building and knowing what roles players are comfortable in and which ones they’re not is communication–and it goes both ways. It’s Hafley constantly checking in with his team about specific plays and how they feel about being able to execute it at a high level on Sundays and also it’s the players knowing that they can approach Hafley with their own suggestions, if they feel there is an opportunity for them to take advantage of a matchup.

“If a really good player like Kenny, like if I go to him and say, ‘Hey, we’re going to run such-and-such game on third down, and I want you to do this and I want your aiming point to be this, and do you think you can succeed at a high level doing that?’ Let’s practice it,” Hafley said.

“And if he says to me, ‘No,’ why would I run it? That doesn’t make sense to me. And the at the end of the week, I put up the third-down inventory that we’ve run, and I look closely at what worked, and we try to get creative and we’re trying to build as we go, but it’s, ‘Hey, what do you feel most comfortable running?’ Because if he feels comfortable, don’t you think the success rate’s going to be higher? And I’ll say, ‘Is there anything that you guys don’t feel comfortable with, tell me now,’ and we’ll either practice it more or I won’t run it. And what you’re starting to see now, even in practice today, there’s this confidence and this energy.

On Sundays we are seeing the results of what Hafley, his coaching staff, and the defenders have built this defense into. Then, throughout the week, many will break down the film to showcase the different looks that Hafley is drawing up and the impressive plays that the defenders are making. Again, that’s all very important, but if you ask me where the success on defense starts, it’s with the relationships that Hafley has built with his players.

“I just want to win and I want each player to have as much success as they can because I want to help them and their futures and I want them to have success,” said Hafley. “Like those are the things that are important to me.”

Receiver-like TE Evan Engram will present a new challenge for Packers’ defense

Paul Bretl | 10/24/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Although the Jacksonville Jaguars sit at 2-5 on the season, the Packers are preparing for a dynamic offense with plenty of playmakers around quarterback Trevor Lawrence, including big-play tight end Evan Engram.

Engram returned from injury in Week 6 against the Chicago Bears. This was his first game since the Jaguars’ season opener against Miami. Immediately in Engram’s first game back, he seemingly picked up where he left off in 2023, as the focal point in the Jaguars passing game, totaling 10 receptions for 102 yards.

“Well, he’s a game changer,” said Matt LaFleur of Engram’s impact on the Jaguars’ offense, “cause you just don’t see too many tight ends with that speed. So, and he’s one of many. I just think it’s a pretty strong roster.”

Since arriving in Jacksonville in 2022, Engram’s production has sky-rocketed. In that first season with the Jaguars, Engram recorded what was then a season-high 890 receiving yards on 85 receptions with five touchdowns. The following season–2023–he set new career highs in receptions with 114 and yards with 963. He also scored four more touchdowns.

Among all tight ends during that 2023 season, Engram was top-three in targets, receptions and top-five in yards at the position.

A big part of what makes Engram such a difficult matchup for opposing defenses is that at 6-3 – 240 pounds, he ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash coming out of Ole Miss in 2017. That is a rare combination of size and speed that you will see at the tight end position–so much so that Packers’ safety Xavier McKinney said Engram is really a receiver and not a tight end.

“He’s a hell of a player,” added McKinney. “He’s one of the most dynamic and special tight ends that I’ve personally went against and I got much respect for his game.”

With Engram’s speed, route running ability, and hands, the Jaguars move him around and will frequently treat him like a receiver to a degree, with only about one-third of his snaps coming as an in-line tight end during his two-plus seasons in Jacksonville. The other roughly 66 percent of his offensive snaps come either in the slot or out wide.

That type of dynamic ability packed into the tight end position can oftentimes prove to be a difficult matchup for offenses. That speed Engram possesses can often be problematic for linebackers, while his size can give him an advantage over cornerbacks.

He’s a receiver,” said McKinney of Engram. “He’s a big receiver. That’s kind of how we have to treat it and it gives them the ability to do different things and you can’t really count that as, like I said, you can’t really count him as a tight end because he doesn’t run like a tight end, he doesn’t run routes like a tight end and he can pretty much do everything a receiver can do. So it’s challenging defensively.”

With an average depth of target of only 5.0 yards in 2023, it’s not as if Engram was often stretching the field, but getting him those quick throws in space or where he has the matchup advantage allowed him to utilize his speed in the open field, where he was one of the best at picking up yards after the catch (YAC).

In recent weeks, tight ends who aren’t as fast as Engram have found some success against this Packers’ defense. The Rams’ Colby Parkinson led the team in receptions with seven against Green Bay and was targeted 13 times, totaling 52 yards. Another playmaking threat in Arizona’s Trey McBride had eight receptions for 96 yards–again leading the team–while Houston’s Dalton Schultz had a 28-yard catch and run versus the Packers.

Even with McBride’s performance, it’s not as if the Cardinals were able to consistently move the ball, and overall, it’s not as if the Packers have been shredded by the tight end position this season by any means. Through seven games, that position group is averaging about six receptions per game for 55 yards at 9.9 yards per catch. Not game-breaking numbers, but noteworthy.

The Packers’ defense has the physicality at cornerback, the speed at linebacker, and the range at safety to help mitigate the impact of the tight end position in the passing game–not to mention the versatility and blitz and coverage disguises utilized by Jeff Hafley haven’t made things easy on opposing quarterbacks. However, Engram and his speed will bring a different kind of challenge when it comes to accounting for the tight end as the game-plan is being constructed.

“They’ve got weapons in every phase of the game,” said LaFleur of the Jaguars offense. “They’ve got receivers that are explosive, the tight end is explosive. They’ve got two runners. They’ve got a franchise quarterback and then I think you look at the defense side of the ball and just their ability to get after the quarterback is, it’s real.”

This is no 2-5 team, Packers preparing for Jaguars’ dynamic offense

Paul Bretl | 10/24/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Jacksonville Jaguars are 2-5 on the season, but that’s not the team that the Packers see. What Green Bay sees is a team that isn’t all that far off from being 5-2, if you ask Matt LaFleur.

“I think when you look at this team they have lost a game by three points, by four points and by five points,” LaFleur said on Wednesday. “And they were in command vs. Houston and vs. Miami and they easily should’ve won, they could be 5-2 sitting the same as us right now. So I think that speaks to who this football team is.”

What the Jaguars 2-5 record doesn’t necessarily show is an explosive offense that can put up yards and points, whether that be through the run game or in the passing game.

An explosive play is categorized as a rush of 10-plus yards or a pass of 20-plus yards. The Jaguars will enter Week 8 ranked 10th in explosive plays generated. This includes totaling the sixth-most explosive plays in the run game and the 11th most through the air.

“They’ve got weapons in every phase of the game,” added LaFleur. “They’ve got receivers that are explosive, the tight end is explosive. They’ve got two runners. They’ve got a franchise quarterback and then I think you look at the defense side of the ball and just their ability to get after the quarterback is, it’s real.”

Led by Trevor Lawrence at quarterback, the Jaguars’ offense is very willing to push the ball downfield. Lawrence leads all quarterbacks in pass attempts of 20-plus yards this season and is first in completions as well. Receivers Brian Thomas Jr. and Christian Kirk both are in the top-15 among all receivers in downfield targets, with Thomas primarily lining up on the boundary and Kirk from the slot.

Thomas currently ranks sixth among all receivers in total receiving yards with 513 and has put up those numbers by averaging an impressive 17.1 yards per catch–which is also the 12th most in football.

“A lot,” said McKinney when asked what Thomas adds to the offense. “He gives them–it’s a vertical threat for them, obviously. He’s a guy that has great hands and he’s got good speed. I think it helps their offense a lot and he’s another playmaker that’s added to what they already have. Like I said, they got a talented offense, man and they got some really good guys.”

Jacksonville also recently got back tight end Evan Engram, who as Xavier McKinney put it, is more receiver than tight end. Last season, Engram caught 114 passes and nearly eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving mark.

At running back, Tank Bigsby has been a big play threat just about every time the ball touches his hands. On 67 rush attempts this season, Bigsby is averaging 6.2 yards per carry–the second-best mark in football. He’s shown to be very difficult to bring down, ranking first in average yards after contact and fourth in missed tackles forced.

“They’ve got a lot of explosive guys,” McKinney said. “Obviously, their record doesn’t really say it all for them. They’ve got a lot of talent on that offensive side and, really, as a team. We talked about it this morning. I think it was three games or four games where the games have been lost within like a matter of seven points or something like that.

“They can easily be on the positive side. Sometimes, things shake out and the games that you’re supposed to win, you don’t win. So, I think that’s kind of the story of their team. They’ve got a really good team where the games that they’ve lost have been within a very small margin.”

One of the issues for the Jaguars has been the overall consistency of the offense. While they’ve been able to generate big plays, they’ve also struggled to sustain drives, ranking near the bottom of the NFL in average time of possession.

While big plays often lead to points, it’s also a tough way to live in the NFL when that home run threat is an offense’s primary source for moving the ball. This boom-or-bust approach on offense for the Jaguars has either resulted in explosive plays or short possessions that end with a quick punt.

Success this week for the Packers’ defense likely begins with containing Bigsby. Slowing the run game can put the offense behind the sticks and in obvious passing situations, which takes away some of the bite that the big-play passing game has. On the flip side, moving the ball on the ground consistently sets up short down-and-distance situations, opening up the playbook for Jacksonville, and forcing Green Bay to defend both the run and pass on a given play.

Complementary football is always important, but as we saw two weeks ago against Arizona, the Packers’ ability on offense to score early zapped the Cardinals’ ability to get the run game going. Picking up an early lead this week–against a Jaguars defense that has given up a lot of points this season–will make it more challenging for the Jacksonville offense to lean on the run game if they are constantly playing from behind.

From the outside, with the Packers coming off an emotional win over Houston and a matchup with Detroit on the horizon in Week 9, this matchup looks like it could have trap-game potential. However, internally, you won’t catch the Packers looking ahead–they know that they are facing a very talented team this week.

“I don’t think any games, you can overlook,” said Jordan Love. “We always say we take it one week at a time. All of our focus is on this week. We’re not looking forward to games that are coming in the future. I think if everybody has that mindset, we’ll be good.”

Former Jets’ HC Robert Saleh joins Packers in ‘fluid’ role on offensive side of ball

Paul Bretl | 10/23/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers were back on the practice field on Wednesday in preparation for their Week 8 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Spotted along the sidelines was recently fired former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh.

After practice, Matt LaFleur said that Saleh won’t have an official title with the Packers–his time spent working with the team will remain “fluid,” as LaFleur put it–but he will be helping out on the offensive side of the football.

“We’ve been close for a really long time,” said LaFleur after Wednesday’s practice. “Shoot, we were roomates together back at Central Michigan. So, we thought it was a good idea just to bring him here and he’s helping us on the offensive side of the ball. I think that’s always a good deal to have the perspective, that defensive perspective on that side of the ball. So, just taking a look at some of the things we’re doing.”

Saleh helping out isn’t the first time that the Packers have done something like this. In 2022, after the Detroit Lions fired then defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant, LaFleur brought him in as well.

LaFleur also made it clear that Saleh would not be helping out on defense. LaFleur has complete trust in Jeff Hafley, that coaching staff, and how things are operating.

“I don’t want to do that I think Haf and our defensive staff have a great thing going right now,” LaFleur said. “And I totally trust them, so I think it’s Year 1, he’s kind of got to go through it himself. So, I don’t want to do that.”

Following a 2-3 start to the season for the Jets, who very much find themselves in a win-now mode, owner Woody Johnson made the surprising move to move on from Saleh. During Saleh’s tenure as New York’s head coach, the team was just 20-36 with no playoff appearances and frequent issues on the offensive side of the ball–and often at quarterback–persisting throughout his time at the helm.

“Well it’s certainly disappointing,” said Matt LaFleur two weeks ago when asked about the news of Saleh being fired. “Robert, in my eyes, I think he’s one of the best at what he does and it’s disappointing obviously me as his friend, I thought he’s done a lot of good things there. But it is what it is. But I do think when you see the stuff go on and happen in our league, it’s part of our business, but it certainly makes you appreciative of where you’re at right now with the Green Bay Packers.”

LaFleur and Saleh have a long-standing friendship that goes back a number of years. This includes LaFleur being the best-man in Saleh’s wedding. The coaching careers of LaFleur and Saleh have intertwined throughout the years as well, with both on the same coaching staff at Central Michigan in 2004 and then again with the Houston Texans in 2008-2009.

Originally, it was reported by Mike Silver of The Athletic, that Saleh didn’t have any plans of joining another coaching staff during the 2024 season. Instead, he was going to regroup, vacation with his family, and wait for the 2025 hiring cycle, where he would be one of, if not the most sought-after defensive coordinators on the job market.

However, those plans have obviously changed.

Known for his ability as a defensive play-caller, while the Jets struggled on offense during Saleh’s time as the head coach, he regularly fielded top defensive units.

Through the first five games of the season, the Jets’ defense ranked eighth in expected points added per play. By more traditional metrics, such as points allowed per contest, they ranked fifth, and by yards per play surrendered, they ranked first. Looking back at the 2023 season, it was a similar story for this unit, who finished the year 11th in points per game allowed and first in yards per play.

Saleh’s ability as a defensive play designer and game-planner will provide an outside perspective, specifically when it comes to LaFleur self-scouting his Green Bay offense. Saleh can provide LaFleur and the rest of the offensive coaches with insight into how each opponent might go about attacking and game-planning for the Green Bay offense through the eyes of a former defensive play-caller who has proven that he can field one of the top defensive units in football.

“I just think it’s a good opportunity, I mean, for him to learn and also for him to help us and give us perspective on how teams might see us, how they might defend us,” LaFleur added. “Certainly can find holes in, or some vulnerabilities if you will in the defense that we’re playing. So yeah, that’s how we’re going to use him.”

With or without Saleh, this is a process that the Packers and every NFL team goes through, but Saleh’s expertise and experiences can provide a different lens for Green Bay as they go about that weekly exercise. I would imagine that the hope is that Saleh will provide a new perspective on how LaFleur’s play designs and initial game-plans can be attacked. That should–in theory–result in a more well-prepared and robust final product on Sundays.

“I think it helps. Having a defensive mind talking offense and helping us with things he might be able to see, kind of similar scheme stuff, things the defense might be looking for, it helps,” said Jordan Love.

The Packers already boast one of the most explosive and dynamic offenses in football. The variety of versatile playmakers that they have coupled with LaFleur at the helm already makes this a unit that’s difficult to defend and game-plan for.

Watching the games unfold on Sundays you’re not going to know that Saleh is a part of the equation–you’re going to see the same offense. However, in a game where the margin for winning and losing is razor thin, that little extra edge from a game-planning perspective that Saleh can potentially provide could prove valuable when it comes to certain play designs or how the Packers attack certain situations.

“I think he’s got an elite defensive mind,” LaFleur said. “But that’s why I want him on the offensive side, so he can help us attack the defenses.”

Eric Wilson’s impact on Packers defense vs. Texans goes beyond the stat sheet

Paul Bretl | 10/22/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Eric Wilson’s play on Sunday against the Houston Texans was impressive for two reasons. One, there were the impact plays that he made. But two, with Quay Walker out, Wilson–with minimal reps–became the Packers’ Mike linebacker.

“I can’t say enough great things about him,” said Matt LaFleur after the game. “He is the consummate pro in terms of always knowing what to do and then being able to when called upon go out there and deliver. I’m really proud of him. We’re lucky to have a guy like that on our team.”

Wilson’s playing time in recent weeks has been a bit sporadic. After playing 26 snaps in Week 4 against Minnesota, he played just three snaps versus the Rams and then 14 snaps a week ago against Arizona. When Wilson has seen playing time on defense, it’s been as the third linebacker when the Packers are in their 4-3 alignment.

However, with Walker exiting the game early on due to a concussion, Wilson didn’t only see more snaps, playing 56 of Green Bay’s 64 total snaps on defense, but he became the signal caller in the middle of the defense as well–not only delivering the play-call but being a key communicator pre-snap in identifying offensive alignments and adjustments.

“I thought he came in and did a really nice job,” added LaFleur on Monday. “But that is a big loss when you lose your middle linebacker, who calls the defense. Eric did a great job filling in in that role and it’s even more remarkable considering he didn’t even get any reps at the Mike position really all week. So step in and do that, that’s a big-time credit for Eric Wilson.”

Once the ball was snapped, Wilson spent a lot of time in the Houston backfield. In part, this was due to defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley utilizing Wilson as a blitzer, particularly on third downs. But Wilson also did an excellent job fighting through blockers and knifing his way into the backfield to make plays on the ball carrier as well.

By ESPN’s metrics, Wilson finished the game with nine total tackles, six of which were solo and tied for the most on the team. Of those tackles, four came behind the line of scrimmage. As a pass rusher, Wilson logged three pressures, including two sacks. Only four linebackers league-wide in Week 7 finished with more quarterback pressures than Wilson.

“Haf does a helluva job calling a game, and we work all week of just playing together whatever the call is,” said Wilson at his locker. “I think it was a helluva effort up front putting pressure on him, and then in the back covering their guys, which they’ve got some good receivers too, so our DBs did a helluva job.”

While Wilson’s playing time hasn’t been all that consistent at times, this wasn’t the first time that he’s put together a high impact game when called upon this season. In only eight snaps against Indianapolis in Week 2, Wilson recorded an interception, a forced fumble, and a third down run-stop.

“Man, Eric been holding it down all year,” said Kenny Clark of Wilson’s performance. “Whether it’s special teams, him coming in and getting turnovers, punching the ball out, getting sacks or whatever the case may be–picks…He’s always been coming in and doing his job and being great. You need a guy like that on a team.

“Just credit to him and how he prepares. He works hard. I watch him all the time and just for how he performed today. He had two sacks, made a lot of plays in the run game, so it was huge, especially with Quay going out.”

After an offseason where the Packers drafted Edgerrin Cooper and Ty’Ron Hopper in the early rounds, who joined a linebacker unit with Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie–who was ahead of Wilson on the depth chart in 2023–at least from a defensive perspective, Wilson could have been viewed as the odd-man out.

However, as we all know, that isn’t how things played out over the summer. Providing a steady presence at the linebacker position, even with the infusion of competition, Wilson focused on controlling the controllables and as the veteran in the linebacker room, put his arm around the rookies to provide guidance when needed.

“I think we always draft players that can help us win games,” Wilson said during training camp. “Regardless of what’s going on upstairs, I’ve got to control what I can control. Ever since I’ve been in the league, guys are going to get drafted. It’s just a matter of doing what you can do and make sure you handle your business.”

On Sunday, as Wilson was flying around the line of scrimmage, we saw the end result but what we don’t always see or hear about is what it took behind the scenes to get to that point. Wilson’s ability to be thrown into the fire as the defense’s Mike linebacker on short notice–and to not skip a beat–is a credit to his preparation and always being ready.

“He’s a pro,” said Hafley during training camp. “The way he sits in meeting rooms, takes notes, helps the younger guys, stays after, takes care of his body. He can play multiple positions because he’s a very smart player and he’s reliable and he’s a guy that you can trust that’s gonna go 100 miles an hour and know exactly what to do and he’s gonna try to finish, so I’m very pleased with him. I’m a big fan.”

Adapt and evolve: Packers DC Jeff Hafley finding new ways to cause chaos for offenses

Paul Bretl | 10/22/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers’ defense had the difficult task this past Sunday of having to contain CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans’ passing game. It was a challenge that they met with an aggressive and ever-evolving play-style.

“I thought overall,” Matt LaFleur said on Monday, “I thought our defense for the most part – there were a couple of plays where Mixon got loose on us and then there was one play where we didn’t carry the special, the deep over route that was an explosive play – but I thought for the most part our defense played as well as they had all season long.”

Stroud would finish the game completing just 10-of-21 passes for 86 yards with no touchdowns and just 4.1 yards per pass attempt. The number of completions, the completion rate, passing yards, and yards per attempt were all season-lows for Stroud–and it wasn’t particularly close.

Green Bay’s success on defense began with getting pressure on the quarterback. The Packers were able to pressure Stroud on a hefty 51.7 percent of his dropbacks in Sunday’s win, according to The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman. For some context, the highest team pressure rate in the NFL this season is 42.6 percent.

Obviously, pressure is a good thing. It disrupts the timing and rhythm of the play and can lead to off-target throws and mistakes. But the Packers’ success didn’t lie only in the fact that they were able to disrupt Stroud. Equally as important was how they did it.

Throughout the season, the Packers have struggled to generate consistent pressure with just a four man rush. To combat this, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley would send blitzes in key moments, such as on third downs. On Houston’s 15 third down attempts in this game, the Packers blitzed on a whopping 10 of them.

What we are seeing is a defense that’s doing the dictating. Of course, that aggressive approach isn’t always going to workout, but when there is the opportunity to get off the field on third down, Hafley isn’t sitting back–he’s forcing the issue with an attacking play-style.

“Little splash here, little splash there, mixing it up,” said Rashan Gary at his locker after the game. “Understanding our personnel, understanding how people want to block our personnel and just keep adding to the packages and things like that.”

The Packers will enter Week 8 ranked 25th in blitz rate this season–so it’s not as if Hafley is sending pressure on every dropback. However, what Hafley does have is an extremely good intuition of when to rush four and when to send some extra help based on the situation and the game-flow.

Contributing to the chaos is Hafley’s ability to disguise where these blitzes are coming from. He will also send multiple blitzers and ask them to run stunts, as we saw on Sunday, along with some truly diabolical play-calls where the Packers end up rushing only four, which includes still sending a linebacker but dropping a defensive lineman into the middle of the field.

“A lot of what we call replacement fire zones,” said Matt LaFleur on Monday. “Yeah, he did a nice job of mixing up the coverage behind those pressures and I mean, shoot, we had multiple times we had free runners at the quarterback.”

It’s been a relatively quiet start to the season for Packers’ defensive end Rashan Gary, who entered Sunday’s game with only nine pressures in six games. His pass rush win rate coming into Week 7 was at only 2.9 percent, according to PFF. Last season it was at 16.0 percent.

Not helping matters is how often Gary is chipped but at the end of the day, the Packers need their top pass rusher to produce as such. To help, Hafley moved Gary around often in Sunday’s game against Houston. One example came with the Texans in the red zone on their opening offensive possession. Rather than bull-rushing off the edge as he often does, Gary was standing up over the center and rushed from the middle of the field, able to pressure Stroud.

Gary would end up finishing the day with a season-high six pressures–his previous best was three-and came away with his first sack since Week 1.

“Well it presents a lot of challenges in regards to just who are you gonna put on him and how do you get him blocked,” said LaFleur on Monday. “And what are the — typically what happens when you have somebody that’s hovering around in there, there’s gonna be some sort of pick game or something coming off of that. It’s not just gonna be usually just a straight rush, so it just depends on what people are doing in those situations.”

We’ve often discussed the illusion of complexity on the offensive side of the football. This is a phrase that LaFleur brought to Green Bay and references the offense’s ability to disguise looks and run similar concepts that build off of each other over the course of the game.

In short, this can cause havoc for a defense. When there are a variety of plays that can be run from just a few personnel groupings or plays that look the same but end up quite different, it causes confusion. Well, right now, we are seeing that same effect take place on the defensive side of the ball with Hafley at the helm.

Whether it be through timely blitzes, disguising coverages, or moving players around, everything from the defensive front to the back end is married up and working in unison. The pass rush, gap assignments, coverage–it all works as one cohesive unit. Making matters more challenging for opposing offenses is the number of players that this defense relies on and the versatility they have across the field, giving Hafley the ultimate flexibility when it comes to game-planning.

“I just thought he’s done a hell of a job, I really do,” LaFleur said. “I think it’s not just him, it’s everybody, right, our whole defensive staff but ultimately somebody’s got to put the plan together and call it. I thought considering all the circumstances – a really explosive offense, you had two drives start on the 11-yard line, another drive start on the 45-yard line – there’s just a lot of short fields in there. To be able to hold somebody to 22 points considering all those circumstances, I thought he was deserving of the game ball.”

Adapt and evolve. Those are words or themes that often come up on Thursdays when we get the opportunity to speak with Hafley. Like any defense, there are core principles that make up what Hafley’s system is, but how those concepts are going to be leveraged each week is extremely fluid with a number of variables dictating the game-plan and in-game play-calls.

As Hafley told us recently, this isn’t a plug-and-play playbook; it is always evolving.

“I also think that as we go and we evolve within our scheme, I think we’re starting to get a really good feel for that,” said Hafley last Thursday. “I think it’s about adapting. I’ve said this since I got here, it’s not like, ‘Hey, here’s the playbook. This is in. Go run the defense.’ It’s each week, what did we look like? What do we look like when they watch us on tape? What can we do a little bit different to counter that? What do we do really well? Let’s do more of it, make it look different.

“And then as we start to see certain players do certain things, how can we best use them to improve? We have to keep getting better. That’s the whole key to this whole entire thing as we go. Any way that we can adapt and get better, both coaching, playing, scheme, personnel, it’s not just like plug and play. Let’s evolve. I think that’s very important.”