The Green Bay Packers are not having the best of times exactly right now. Head coach Matt LaFleur is not there to make any friends, but he is turning players the wrong way with his approach. One of Jordan Love‘s key weapons is particularly angered by the coach’s methods of publicly discussing the team’s issues with the media.
Tight end Tucker Kraft is very disgruntled with LaFleur after he called him out for two questionable fumbles during practice. “He can’t allow Evan Williams to reach around and punch a ball out, so it is challenging everybody and hopefully that makes us that much better,” LaFleur said to the media.
Kraft is not happy. Matt Schneidman of The Athletic even said the tight end would like to have his coach fined. He reported that the tight end made a vague reference about a “bus fine” and accused LaFleur of throwing him under the bus in front of the media.
“So yes, the Packers’ third-year tight end might be calling for his head coach to be fined — not by the league, of course, but by the team — for what he perceived as throwing him under the bus,” Schneidman wrote in his piece. “Is Kraft being serious about fining LaFleur? Probably not. Is he peeved LaFleur called him out? It sure seems like it.”
Tucker Kraft #85 of the Green Bay Packers celebrates in the second quarter against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field on January 05, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Kraft had a stellar 2024 season
For Packers’ sake, they should hope this doesn’t go south for the player. Kraft was a top-notch weapon for Jordan Love last season. Kraft had 50 catches in 70 targets for 707 yards and 7 touchdowns. He was the second player with the most receiving yards on the team.
see also
NFL News: Packers make a savvy offseason move to protect QB Jordan Love
Love is looking for a better season than what he had in 2024. He played 15 games with a 9-6 record. However, he only completed 63.1% of his passes, which is merely average in the NFL. Love doesn’t have the best weapons, but he does have a very good system in place to work with.
LaFleur is ready to take the next step with the Packers
There is no doubt that LaFleur is a great coach. He has done a lot with a limited roster. During his six-year tenure as the Packers head coach, he has 5 winning seasons and an overall record of 67-33. However, he hasn’t been able to go past the Divisional Round in the NFL Playoffs.
This is the first time we’re hearing about this tougher coaching methods by LaFleur. He might be desperate to ignite a spark on his team. The Packers have overachieved but they need to play with a chip on their shoulder to get to the next level.
