LaFleur Shakes Up Practice Schedule With Panthers Coming To Town

Coming off an ugly loss against the Chargers, Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur has shaken up the practice routine ahead of this week’s home game against Carolina.

For the past three weeks, LaFleur held late-afternoon walk-throughs for his first practice of the week. The emphasis was on preparing his team mentally while keeping his players fresh physically. With the Panthers coming to town, LaFleur elected to put his team through a traditional midday practice in the snow and cold.

“I think we certainly got a lot to correct,” LaFleur said before practice. “We have a really good opponent coming in here. Shoot, I think they’re No. 1 in the league in sacks. They’re one of the top teams in turnovers. They got the leading rusher in the league. There’s a lot to go over and we have to be well-prepared for this opponent.”

The Panthers are 5-3 but have won five of their last six games. Their offense revolves around running back Christian McCaffrey, who leads the NFL in rushing yards per game, scrimmage yards per game, rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns. The defense is a big-play unit that is No. 2 in sack percentage and No. 3 in interception percentage.

The change was one LaFleur probably didn’t take lightly, though having the bye next week no doubt was a factor. Players are creatures of habit who crave routine. However, over the past six weeks, the Packers have held only two traditional first practices of the week – the Wednesday before the Week 5 game at Dallas and the Thursday before the Week 6 game against Detroit. For Dallas, the Packers were coming off a Thursday game so were well-rested. For Detroit, the Monday game meant an extra day of rest.

“I think it’s beneficial to have a similar schedule each and every week,” he said. “When you look at the way we are right now health-wise and everything, I thought it was important we get out there and get on the grass on Wednesday, and get a good practice in. We need it.”