Organized team activities (OTA) are in full swing for the Green Bay Packers. This portion of the offseason is voluntary, so players are not required to participate. However, for the Packers, attendance was almost perfect.
Tuesday was the first OTA practice open to the media, and the only player not in attendance was defenseman Robert Rochell, who was dealing with what Matt LaFleur described as a personal matter. Otherwise, 90 of the Packers’ 91-man roster were either on the practice field or rehabbing from injury.
“Our turnout here,” LaFleur said after Tuesday’s practice. “I know one player was missing today for personal reasons, but we made almost 100% of the entire off-season, which was the best result we’ve had since I’ve been here.
“We are still a very newborn football team, so these guys want to put in the work. We have a lot of guys who love the game and love the process of grinding together and going through complex things together. But to have him here, it can’t be overstated.
Following the Packers’ playoff loss to San Francisco, Preston Smith coined the phrase “offseason championship”, meaning each player consciously chooses how to attack in the months leading up to the NFL season, with the ultimate goal of capturing and winning the Super Champions League. Bowl.
As offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said recently, it’s been a night and day difference this offseason compared to last season due to Jordan Love’s experience as the starting quarterback and the coaching staff now knowing how to get the most out of the receivers and tight ends. list. Instead of implementing actions in the offseason, the offense is building on what they established last season.
On the defensive side, hopefully having almost the entire group together for those six weeks before the mandatory mini-camp begins will aid reduce the learning curve involved in learning a up-to-date system, getting the unit up and running faster.
“That’s great,” LaFleur said. “It’s a great situation for us, especially when you’re implementing a up-to-date system. There is certainly a lot of room for improvement both in the teams and in our attack. You always have up-to-date players. It’s essential for them to be here and witness how the vets do their job, how they prepare for practice, how they go out on the field and practice.
“We always talk about what are our standards? So I push them every day to get better and the atmosphere around us is unbelievable. These guys enjoy being around each other and enjoying the game of football. They just compete and get better and better. “
Helping to set the standard LaFleur mentioned is Love’s presence despite ongoing contract negotiations between the Packers and his agent. As previously mentioned, this portion of the offseason is voluntary, and over the years we have seen across the NFL that players in their contract year leave OTAs.
That wasn’t an option for Love, and when a team leader is constantly in the building, others take notice and often follow him.
“Yeah, I think that’s always part of it,” Love said of attending OTAs, “I just show up and others will follow, but I mean it’s a testament to the fact that everyone wants to be here , they want to achieve it Obviously we’re working, a up-to-date defense is coming in, so these guys can’t wait to come here and get reps and find out what they’re doing, but yeah, showing up here is a testament to everyone.
Becoming a potential Super Bowl contender is not a journey that begins in the first week of the regular season. It picks up where last season ended, and the Packers are making the most of every opportunity they have to be together in the building and on the field as they prepare for what will hopefully be a successful 2024 season.
