Packers-Cardinals Fight? Matt LaFleur Has Fun Solution

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The final week of Green Bay Packers training camp begins with the second-to-last public practice of training camp on Monday. The main event of the summer will come on Wednesday with a joint practice against the Arizona Cardinals.

It will be a brother battle between longtime Packers coach Matt LaFleur and the Cardinals’ new coach, Mike LaFleur.

“It’s going to be a pretty cool experience,” LaFleur said at Lambeau Field before Monday’s practice. “It’s not the first time but it’s certainly the first time as head coaches. I talked to him last night, just trying to finalize the details and the plan for practice and look forward to seeing him.”

LaFleur tried to downplay coaching against his brother before finally admitting that it will be cool to work with his brother at Wednesday’s practice and against him during Friday’s final preseason game.

“I think it’s going to be pretty special but, at the end of the day, we’re just looking to try to get good work on both sides,” he said. “Certainly, always going to prioritize the Green Bay Packers but if there is another team in the National Football League that I’ll be rooting for, it will be the Arizona Cardinals.”

His parents will be there, of course.

“They’ll probably look like a Christmas tree, green and red,” LaFleur joked.

Mike LaFleur isn’t Matt LaFleur’s brother. He’s Mike LaFleur. Staying true to that has been an important part of his career, Matt LaFleur said.

“I think it’s a byproduct of a lot of things,” Matt said of his brother’s career path. “I’d say certainly, he’s never shied away from the work. He’s earned the opportunity, and then it’s also, we’ve both been fortunate to be around a lot of great people. This doesn’t happen unless you get those experiences and learn from some of the best in football. But it is cool to see him get his shot.”

Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur throws a challenge flag in the first half against the Dallas Cowboys. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Packers Injury Report

Before practice, LaFleur discussed a handful of injuries.

Rookie cornerback Brandon Cisse, who has emerged as a likely starter, played only one series against Denver because of a knee injury, “should be good to go” this week, LaFleur said.

Second-year defensive tackle Warren Brinson was a surprise inactive against Denver.

“Yeah, it happened in warmups, he felt a little tweak in his calf. So, he’ll miss a little bit of time,” LaFleur said.

Long snapper Matt Orzech remains on PUP because of a calf injury. In his absence, rookie kicker Trey Smack has found a groove with Cal Adomitis doing the snapping.

“I think he’s getting closer,” LaFleur said. “To say he’ll be back this week, I think it might be too soon to say. But I know he’s getting close.”

Running back Josh Jacobs, who returned to individual drills last week following a calf injury, will take a step this week.

“He’ll be limited in all team periods, but he’ll be out there practicing,” LaFleur said.

Rookie receiver J. Michael Sturdivant remains in the concussion protocol, which will obviously hurt his chances of making a last-minute dash to a roster spot.

“He’s done a lot of good things,” LaFleur said. “What I really like about him is just doing all the little things, because I think it’s true with most young players, especially guys that are trying to carve out a role on this football team, it’s like, the more you can do. I think we’ve seen it in the run game, just how he goes out there and blocks. I think we’ve seen it on special teams, his ability to go out there and contribute.

“There’s going to be a lot of tough decisions though down the stretch.”

Joint Practice Coming Up

LaFleur has done a bunch of joint practices during his tenure. It’s a collaborative effort between the coaches to get the work done in a way that work for everybody.

“He’s quick to criticize everything that I put on the schedule,” LaFleur joked. “So, he’s like, ‘Why are we doing this? Why are we doing that? We never do this.’ And I was like, ‘All right, Mike, you’ve got all the answers.’ Nah, it’s been healthy, it’s been good. There’s been give and take on both sides, for sure.”

Joint practices can get chippy, especially with fewer ramifications in terms of NFL fines and suspensions. After all, it’s a practice and not a game.

LaFleur isn’t sure if the brother-vs.-brother nature of the practice will impact the teams’ behavior. However, in a carrot-and-stick approach, playing time will serve as LaFleur’s stick.

He punctuated his answer with a joke.

“It goes back to what we’ve been saying for years,” LaFleur said. “First of all, if there is an issue in practice – we’re not going to play everybody in the game, but if you don’t get your work in, you’re going to play in the game. And conversely, if you’re somebody that needs that work, to get those snaps so the whole world can see it, you’re going to be limited or not at all playing in the game.

“The second part of that is if there’s an issue, I’m going to tell the guys, ‘Hey, you come tag me in. They can tag in my brother. And we’ll throw down on the 50.’”

Anthony Campbell played soccer in Jamaica.

He barely played in two seasons at Miami.

Now? He's one of the more incredible Packers training camp stories in a long, long time. ⬇️https://t.co/Jwp1A7nHX6
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 24, 2026

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