Paul Bretl | 10/16/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers have put a lot more on the plate of cornerback Keisean Nixon this season, and this do-it-all role at the cornerback position is one that he’s certainly embraced and also filled quite well.

“I think Keisean’s had a really good year, and I think it’s been kind of quiet that lot of people haven’t brought him up,” said defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. “But look at what he’s been able to do? His coverage has been tight, he’s been able to blitz, he’s been aggressive against the run.”

Through the first three games of the season, Nixon was the Packers slot cornerback, just as he was a season ago. However, in part due to injuries and in part defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley wanting to get safety Javon Bullard closer to the ball, over the last three games, Nixon has filled the boundary cornerback role as well. Over the last two games, in particular, Nixon has played 100 snaps lined up out wide compared to just 22 from the nickel.

It was during training camp that the Packers started preparing Nixon for potential boundary snaps–a role that he’s quite comfortable with. Before joining the Packers in 2022, in the defensive playing time that Nixon did see with Las Vegas, the bulk of those opportunities came lined up on the boundary.

“I feel a lot more comfortable because before I got to Green Bay, I wasn’t really a nickel,” said Nixon. “I’ve only played outside corner and then I got here, I was kinda — I wouldn’t say forced — it was really my only way to get on the field, so I had to learn it and then last year, it was like growth and then this year, I’m playing a lot more outside and I feel way more comfortable like that, but just the nickel role, I just feel like I finally understand it and I’m comfortable, so I make more plays doing it. I’m really comfortable doing it.”

When asked to get after the quarterback from the slot, Nixon has been extremely effective, generating four pressures, including two sacks, on only five pass rush opportunities, according to PFF. This also includes forcing a fumble on a strip-sack against Minnesota.

In coverage, he’s allowed 19 completions on 30 targets, holding opponents to under 10.0 yards per catch, along with forcing three pass breakups. In addition to that, Nixon’s 10 total tackles in the run game are tied for the 16th most out of 98 eligible cornerbacks.

Like I said, he’s doing it all for this defense, along with handling kick return duties and recently seeing some punt return opportunities as well.

“I think it’s a testament to how versatile Keisean is,” said Jaire Alexander. “He’s an elite kick returner, punt returner, and now he can play nickel, he can play corner when we need him to, I mean, he’s one of the most athletic guys I’ve seen in the DB room. Like, you’re talking about a guy who can just wake up in the morning a dunk a ball with two hands. Like, I don’t see how he does that. But that’s Keisean.”

Nixon’s presence in the secondary, whether lined up in the slot or out wide, brings an added physicality to the back-end of this Packers’ defense. Hafley also mentions that in watching Nixon’s film, where he’s really seen him making major strides is in his man-coverage abilities, which is an important aspect of playing both the nickel and boundary successfully.

Whether on one play Nixon has coverage responsibilities and then the next he has to crack-replace to provide run support, the Packers trust Nixon in both roles, which has led to more opportunities on Sundays.

“I think there’s a confidence with him right now,” said Hafley. “I would say right now, I think Keisean needs to get more credit than he’s probably getting for all that we’ve asked him to do and all the different things he’s actually been able to have success with. I’m really proud of him. I think he can continue to take steps.”

That versatility component that Nixon brings between not only playing both cornerback spots but being able to hold his own in both coverage and against the run gives Hafley added flexibility as he puts together game-plans to really mix and match how he constructs his secondary and what he asks each of those defenders to do based on the matchup at hand.

This element makes game-planning for the Green Bay defense more difficult and allows them more opportunities to disguise their play-call.

In part, it’s circumstance, but the Packers coaches have put a lot on Nixon’s plate in the early going this season because they know he can handle it. As Matt LaFleur mentioned on Monday, the success Nixon has had begins with his preparation each week–“he prepares the right way.”

That, coupled with Nixon’s ultra-competitive nature and willingness to take coaching–even if not in the moment–has helped him blossom from a special teams-only player to a versatile and more than capable defender that we see on Sundays.

“The versatility I think has been huge,” Matt LaFleur said of Nixon. “The ability to go in and play nickel and then, oh, nope, we’re down some bodies, you’ve got to go play corner. I think again, just, I love his approach to the game. He is a great competitor and I think it shows every, not only every Sunday, but every day at practice.

“He goes out there with the right mentality. I love the fact that you can coach him hard and he’s receptive to it. He might not always be in the moment, but he always responds and that’s one thing that I really admire about him is just, you can keep it real with him and he will respond.”

Paul Bretl | 10/16/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — In need of a change at kicker, the Packers announced on Wednesday that they had released rookie Brayden Narveson and signed veteran Brandon McManus, who the team had in for a workout on Tuesday.

McManus is a proven, veteran kicker in this league who has gone through the fire in games, as GM Brian Gutekunst put it on Wednesday when speaking with reporters. It’s not often a player of his caliber is available at this time of the NFL season, however, there is a big reason for that.

Two women sued McManus, alleging that he sexually assaulted them last year when they were working as flight attendants on the Jacksonville Jaguars flight over to London for an NFL game.

Recently, the NFL, who conducted its own investigation, determined that there was not sufficient evidence to suspend McManus–allowing him to sign with a team. The investigation, according to The Athletic, included interviews with 30 individuals and that any new evidence would be taken into consideration if presented.

In early September, a judge dismissed the lawsuit brought against McManus, stating that the ruling it did not rise to the “exceptional” criteria required for anonymity, according to the AP. A few days later, an amended complaint was filed in Duval County, Flordia that included the flight attendants names.

On Wednesday, McManus’ attorney, Brett Gallaway, stated that “the case has been resolved. I look forward to seeing Brandon play for the Packers on Sunday,” in a statement via The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman.

“It’s been a difficult time these last couple of months,” said McManus at his new locker on Wednesday after practice. “I’m happy that it’s in the past now. I was hoping and working hard for another opportunity. I’m extremely grateful for the Green Bay Packers for giving me that next chance to come back out here and play the game I love. I’m fortunate to play it for 11 years, this being my 12^th year. I’m extremely happy to be here and excited to be around the locker room again.”

Throughout the process leading up to the addition of McManus, the Packers would do their own due diligence but leaned heavily on the league’s findings from its investigation.

“I think the league did a really thorough investigation, and we leaned on that as we went through it,” said Gutekunst before Wednesday’s practice.

Also a part of this process were conversations between Gutekunst, McManus, and McManus’ agent Drew Rosenhaus.

“I had a really good conversation with Brandon last night,” added Gutekunst. “Obviously and his agent Drew Rosenhaus as we kind of, last week when these things got cleared up within the league and he got past some other things, those conversations kind of just picked up. We wanted to make sure that we did our due diligence. Again, we feel really good about that where we sit right now. We’re excited to get him out there.”

McManus has been in the NFL since 2014 and played with the Denver Broncos through the 2022 season, which included winning a Super Bowl in 2015. For his career, he has made 81.9 percent of his field goal attempts, including 86.2 percent from 40-49 yards and 56.0 percent of his attempts from 50-plus yards.

In his most recent 2023 season with Jacksonville, McManus made 30-of-37 attempts. He was 11-of-13 from 40-49 yards and 5-of-10 from over 50 yards. His overall hit rate last year of 81.1 percent, which ranked 25th in the NFL, and was actually worse than Anders Carlson’s 81.8 percent success rate–although McManus was perfect on extra points, and Carlson was not.

None of those numbers are going to leap off the page and there is certainly no guarantee that McManus is going to provide the Packers kicking game with the boost that it desperately needs.

However, where the opportunity for improvement lies is in McManus’ big game experience. During Denver’s 2015 playoff run, McManus was 10-for-10 on field goals in the playoffs. He’s also been quite good on those field goal attempts that you expect the kicker to make, hitting 91.1 percent of his career kicks under 50 yards. It is actually those attempts from 50 or more yards that are dragging his average down.

“Obviously a very experienced kicker,” Gutekunst added. “He’s been in very high-pressure situations and kicked a long time in weather, an outdoor stadium. So he just has a lot of experience, very talented, very gifted, very strong leg. He’s been in the fire and he’s had the ups and downs that all kickers go through and been able to come out the other side.”

Of course, making those must-have-it kicks under 50 yards sounds simple and should be a prerequisite for being a kicker in the NFL. But that was the issue for the Packers. All five of Narveson’s misses were from under 50 yards, while five of Carlson’s seven misses in 2023 were from under 50 yards, along with missing six extra points as well.

For McManus, during his time away from the game, he’s done his best to stay sharp, which included kicking at a light post to work on his accuracy, along with going to football fields to kick through the uprights.

McManus did kick during Wednesday’s practice, to which Matt LaFleur said he “looked great.” Working with Rich Bisaccia, Matt Orzech, and Daniel Whelan, McManus believes he can get acclimated to the new operation fairly quickly.

“These guys are consummate pros,” said McManus of Orzech and Whelan, “and we’ve got one of the best coordinators in the league who’s very detail oriented and he’s done a great job. Just how they operate and everything, the practice, it was a seamless flow today with everything. Extremely excited to be working with them as a unit.”

Since January, McManus will be the seventh kicker that the Packers have had on their roster in some capacity. Although the Packers have tried to turn over just about every stone available to them in search of stability, they’ve been unable to find that element, and now in Week 7 of the regular season, appear to be on their last leg when it comes to getting the help the very much need.

In a league where the margin for winning and losing is razor-thin, especially come playoff time, uncertainty at the kicker position could impact playoff seeding or–as we saw last January–be the difference between advancing in the playoffs or going home early. Missed field goals already potentially cost the Packers a game against Minnesota, they can’t afford to have that happen again.

“I think where our football team is at right now, we know how important these games are,” said Gutekunst. “I thought it was important that if we had an opportunity to get a veteran kicker who’d been through some of these fires and some of this pressure that our team is going to go through over the next few weeks, I thought it was important that we acquire one. And really, Brandon was the only one that was out there.”

Paul Bretl | 10/15/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers have made a change at kicker, reportedly bringing in veteran Brandon McManus to hopefully provide some stability to a position that has not had that since Mason Crosby left. This then of course means that the team is moving on from Brayden Narveson.

Following the Packers win over the Arizona Cardinals, head coach Matt LaFleur was once again asked about his kicker, Narveson, who had another miss in Sunday’s game.

Two weeks prior, LaFleur faced similar questions after Narveson missed two losses in what eventually became a three point loss to Minnesota. At that time, LaFleur expressed his belief in the rookie kicker.

“I’ve got a lot of confidence in Brayden,” LaFleur answered. “I do. I know it’s tough. We all want the results. He’s a young guy, and a lot of times with young kickers, you go through this. Certainly, I know he’s disappointed, but I’ve still got a lot of belief in him.”

This past Monday, however, LaFleur’s reply didn’t evoke the same confidence and with hindsight being 20-20, told us a move may have been on the horizon.

“I wouldn’t say that right now, no,” said LaFleur when asked if a change at kicker was needed. He also said that they were taking things “day by day.”

The Packers claimed Narveson off waivers during roster cutdowns after he was released by the Tennessee Titans. While perfect on extra points, Narveson had made just 12-of-17 field goal attempts, which included a miss in four of the Packers six games–and really it was five of six games after a missed attempt was negated by a penalty on the Titans in Week 4.

With a hit rate of 70.6 percent, only the New York Jets’ Greg Zuerlein has a lower field goal percentage this season and Narveson is one of only four kickers to have missed a field goal attempt from under 40 yards.

The misses that Narveson experienced were all the same with the ball floating just past the right upright. On one hand, you could look at this as something that was fixable. Much like a golfer, rather than hitting a slice on one swing and a hook on the next, having only one type of mishit–for lack of a better word–in theory should make solving the problem easier.

And although the issue continued to persist, Narveson and the Packers did seem to know what the root of the problem was that led to his inconsistency–perhaps giving the team added belief along the way that the problem would be resolved.

“Well, I could tell, Rich could tell, my kicking coach could tell and Matt could tell, and Matt snaps,” said Narveson of his misses after the Minnesota game. “We all could see the same thing. It was pretty apparent. It’s something that I don’t do at practice. Just being a little more meticulous about my process, my steps, the preparation, and really honing in and fixing that and we should be good to go.”

On the flip side of all of that, knowing the problem and not being able to fix it is a red flag of its own. There’s also only so much that can be done when the issue, as Narveson pointed out, only seems to pop up in games while practices seem to go relatively smoothly.

At the end of the day, whether it was a simple issue or not, or regardless of how well practice was going, kicks have to be made on Sundays and that wasn’t happening regularly enough for Narveson.

It oftentimes takes young kickers time to develop into reliable players. However, with this being a Packers team with Super Bowl aspirations, time to work through those growing pains is not something that Green Bay can afford. The time to win is now, and in a game where the margin for winning and losing is razor-thin, continuing to trot out a kicker on Sundays who is missing regularly isn’t an option. This is a position that the Packers have to get right.

“I’m probably not as patient with specialists as I should be, I’m really not,” said GM Brian Gutekunst before the season. “I give Ted a lot of credit, certainly he was a much (more) patient man than I was. I think Mason was under 80 percent until like his fifth year and then that sixth year was my first year in the office in 2012 and I think he was 60-some percent and missed like 12 kicks. I can tell you right now there were people in the office that were like, ‘let’s move on.’

“So I probably need to be a little bit more patient. We had JK Scott in here who’s turned into a very good punter. But at the same time, I’m very confident in this team and what we can accomplish so I want to make sure we give this team every opportunity to win. So there’s going to be a standard that we’re going to try to reach.”

Paul Bretl | 10/14/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers’ defense faced a difficult task on Sunday in having to limit the Arizona Cardinals’ explosive rushing attack. However, it was a challenge that this group was prepared for and was a key matchup in this game that the Packers were able to control.

“It was good. It was really good,” said Xavier McKinney of the defense’s performance. “I thought we executed really well. We had some things before the half that they kind of got us on, like some explosions, but I think all-in-all, we did a really good job. We took great angles. We covered well. The rush got there and collectively it was a great win for us.”

Led by quarterback Kyler Murray and running back James Conner, the Cardinals entered Sunday’s contest as one of the more efficient rushing offenses in football through five games. As a collective unit, the Cardinals were averaging 5.5 yards per rush this season, which is the third-best mark in football through five weeks. Their 21 rushes of at least 10 yards were also the most in football.

But the Packers were able to limit the Arizona run game to just 3.9 yards per attempt on Sunday. This included Conner and Murray combining for only 38 rushing yards on 14 carries between the two of them.

“I thought our guys just played very disciplined football, playing all 11 as one, which is something you have to do, especially when you’re playing a guy of his caliber,” Matt LaFleur said post-game. “He (Murray) is really fast, as you guys saw, he’s really tough to tackle and bring down. He was able to get out on a lot of different plays, but it was nothing that was too detrimental that we couldn’t overcome.”

Accomplishing this began with a disciplined approach from the pass rush. As we saw in games earlier this season against Philadelphia and Indianapolis, who also feature mobile quarterbacks, the Packers took a more controlled pass rush approach with the emphasis on keeping Murray in the pocket and not allowing him to extend plays.

“I feel like he’s going to be one of the most athletic quarterbacks that’s on our schedule,” said Rashan Gary at his locker. “I felt like we did a good job, especially going against Jalen Hurts, going against Richardson from the Colts, us having those type of games before, understanding how we want to rush and us being aggressive, keeping him in there and try to help our back end. It was good communication, flying around for a good 60 minutes and that’s how you finish the game.”

Schematically, the Packers prioritized taking the run game away on early downs, lining up in their base 4-3 defense more often to provide an additional linebacker presence along with dropping a safety down in the box as times for added support.

On plays where Murray was able to get outside the pocket or the running back did emerge from the line of scrimmage and made his way to the second level or towards the boundary, the Packers defenders swarmed to the ball like hornets.

“I feel like when you run to the ball, good things happen,” said Evan Williams after the game. “We have a saying that, our linebackers coach, his name’s Campanile so we say, ‘Campy 3:16 is God loves those who run to the ball.’ That’s something we definitely carry. I feel like safeties, you’re in a good spot up high to see the whole picture. When you run to the ball, good things happen. I’ll give it up to the scheme for me being in good spots to make plays.”

Although the pass rush focus for the Packers was more so on containing Murray rather than racking up pressures and sacks, that doesn’t mean that this was a completely passive approach either. Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley was just very calculated about when he took those opportunities to get after Murray, whether that be letting the pass rush pin its ears back or in Hafley attempting to generate pressures by blitzing–and not only by sending an additional rusher but doing so from different looks and with different defenders.

The ability to limit the Cardinals in the run game then had a negative trickle-down effect on the rest of their offensive performance. Facing a number of second and third-and-long situations, Arizona often found themselves in predictable passing situations, which gives the defense the advantage, particularly in coverage in this game with the front still having to be mindful of Murray’s ability to scramble.

WhileMurray was an efficient 22-of-32 passing, the Cardinals didn’t generate many big plays. Murray averaged just 6.7 yards per pass attempt, which for some context, that figure would rank 24th among quarterbacks through six games this season.

“I feel like we did a decent job of pressuring him when we needed to, got the ball out of his hands,” added Gary. “He used his feet to extend plays to help his offense but the majority of the time through the 60 minutes, I felt like we were able to control him and do what we had to do to get a win.”

Playing a role in the defense’s success was the Packers offense. By jumping out to a quick and multi-score lead, especially as the game went on, that zapped the Cardinals’ ability to lean heavily on the run game and naturally made them more pass-heavy.

The cherry on top of what was an all-around very solid performance by the Green Bay defense was their ability to generate three takeaways, all of which were forced fumbles that came in the second half of this contest, stomping out any potential late rallies that the Cardinals may have been cooking up.

After totaling 18 takeaways all of last season, this Packers defense is currently at 17 through just six games.

“Crazy,” said Gary about the defense focring three more takeaways. “Since OTAs before the season started, throughout camp, that’s something that Coach Haf emphasized – just being a defense to get after the ball and playing with maximum effort. As you’ve seen throughout the season, man, we’re attacking the ball, ripping at it.

“All we’ve got to do is keep on being consistent and keep on holding our standard. Every time we have a wrap-up tackle and the ball-carrier’s not down, we’ve got to strip at the ball, we’ve got to punch at it. The more we’ve been doing that and giving the offense back the ball, the more opportunities they have to score.”

Paul Bretl | 10/13/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The goal at the start of this week internally for the Packers was to play four quarters of complementary football. In fact, as you exited the locker room towards the tunnel that takes you to the field, that was one of the messages on the TV screen as you walk through the doorway.

Whether it be the Packers or any NFL team, this message isn’t groundbreaking or even new. However, given how the Packers start to the season has gone, it was very much needed.

“Well, we talked about coming into this game just playing four quarters of complementary football, and thought that was about as good as we could’ve done it,” said Matt LaFleur after the game. “There’s always stuff that we can clean up, but I thought all in all, just the effort from start to finish, the focus from start to finish, was exactly what is a great formula for winning football.

“We were plus 2 in the takeaway battle, obviously had the one miscue right before the half where we had a receiver slip, but all in all I thought it was pretty efficient really in every phase of the game.”

Offensively, in recent weeks, it’s been very boom-or-bust for this unit, with either quick scoring drives sparked by a big play or a short possession ending in a punt. On defense, the play has been up and down at times, with some really good stretches and others where the Minnesota Vikings put up points on the first three possessions or the Rams’ Kyren Williams rips off some chunk runs early on.

As LaFleur said, it’s not as everything was perfect this week–there were still errors in all three phases, but in each area, the Packers remained in control from the start to the finish.

The best example of complementary football came in the first half with the Packers up 17-0. Arizona had the ball and faced a third-and-one. Quarterback Kyler Murray ran a read-option, which safety Evan Williams defended perfectly by not being overly aggressive and pursuiing the running back, but instead stayed focused on Murray and made the open field tackle in the backfield. This then forced the Cardinals to punt.

Following a penalty on both teams that negated the original punt, Keisean Nixon returned his punt attempt 39 yards. On the very next play, Jordan Love connected with Christian Watson for a 44-yard touchdown pass.

“That’s complementary football,” said Keisean Nixon of that sequence at his locker. “That’s what we here for.”

Love finished the game completing 22-of-32 passes for 258 yards at 8.1 yards per attempt with four touchdowns and an interception–which most likely only occurred because the receiver slipped. For some context, that 8.1 yards per pass attempt would have been the fifth-best through the first five weeks of the season.

Making matters even more difficult for the Arizona defense was that of Love’s 22 completions, nine different players recorded at least one reception. The Green Bay passing game was attacking all parts of the field and doing so with a variety of skill sets and route combinations.

“That’s just the glory of our offense, man,” Jayden Reed said. “We’ve got a lot of different players that can make plays. We distribute here. Got a lot of different playmakers, and you’ve got to game plan for that.”

A key contributor to that aforementioned boom-or-bust nature of the Packers offense was their struggles on early downs in recent weeks. Oftentimes from self-inflicted mistakes, whether it be penalties, off-target throws, dropped passes, or just a few yards on the ground, the Packers were too often playing behind the sticks, making the offense a bit predictable and giving the defense the schematic advantage.

However, that wasn’t the case this week. With a run game that totaled 179 yards on the ground at a clip of 4.7 yards per attempt, only 40 yards in penalties, and the passing game humming, the Packers’ offense was able to find an early rhythm. This then allowed the run and passing games to build off of each other, which puts the defense in a bind having to defend both.

“I think that’s always the goal is to be able to have a great run game and a great pass game, just play off each other with both of those,” said Love. “And then explosive plays, that’s our mindset. We try to get those explosive plays and then obviously try and take care of the ball, which I think we still (need to) do a better job, build on that next week. But explosives, take care of the ball and have a balanced game is definitely something we want to be on offense.”

The Cardinals came into this game as one of the best rushing offenses in football. Running back James Conner had been one of the better backs through five games at generating rushes of 10-plus yards, and we all know how dynamic Kyler Murray is.

As a team, Arizona averaged only 3.9 yards per rush, which included Conner and Murray combining for just 38 yards. The Packers gameplan was focused around trying to slow this element down, and included a controlled pass rush with an emphasis on keeping Murray in the pocket, as well as playing with heavier boxes on early downs to provide additional support.

But the complementary football component was also important. With the Packers’ offense jumping out to a fast multi-score lead, it forced the Cardinals–especially as the game went on–to be more pass-heavy and less reliant on the run.

“I think we just stuck to our rules and just did a good job of playing four-quarter football,” said Evan Williams of the defensive performance. “Everybody trusting each other to do their job. It was just guys going out there and just doing their job for four quarters and we got a really special group of guys and when everybody does what they’re supposed to, we can be really dangerous.”

And, oh yeah, the Green Bay defense also forced three more takeaways, coming away with three fumble recoveries in this matchup–all of which came in the second half. After totaling 18 total turnovers all of last season, the Packers now have 17 just six games into the 2024 season.

“Crazy,” said Rashan Gary of the turnovers. “Since OTAs before the season started, throughout camp, that’s something that Coach Haf emphasized – just being a defense to get after the ball and playing with maximum effort. As you’ve seen throughout the season, man, we’re attacking the ball, ripping at it. All we’ve got to do is keep on being consistent and keep on holding our standard.

“Every time we have a wrap-up tackle and the ball-carrier’s not down, we’ve got to strip at the ball, we’ve got to punch at it. The more we’ve been doing that and giving the offense back the ball, the more opportunities they have to score.”

After some early ups and downs this season, as the offense gets more reps together with Love healthy and the defense snaps in Jeff Hafley’s system, we are seeing strides made each week on both sides of the football. And this week, it all came together for a fairly dominant showing.

The next step for the Packers will be replicating this performance so that it becomes the norm and not the outlier as just a nice blip on the radar.

“We talked about it all week just play complimentary football from the first quarter to the fourth,” said Christian Watson. “So to be able to go out there and have the game that we did today, I mean we gotta continue to build upon this but this is exactly the kind of game we wanted to have today.”