Matt LaFleur, the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, was visibly upset following his team’s head scratching loss. They lost to the Cleveland Browns 13-10. The fans, the community, the team had just experienced the worst possible loss. Having factored in their hot start to the season where they won two dominant games against the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders.
LaFleur’s frustration was not limited to the game itself. He was discontented with the atmosphere in the locker room leading up to the match. Part of his frustration came from statements from the players. In particular, left tackle Rasheed Walker fueled talk of an undefeated season with his team’s 3-0 start.
“I think we can go undefeated, honestly.” – Rasheed Walker
LaFleur urged everyone not to lose sight of staying grounded in the now. He reiterated that the team’s goal is to win one game at a time, stating, “I’ve said it a million times to you guys — I don’t think I’ve obviously said it enough to our team — the goal is to go 1-0 every week.”
Back in the game against the Browns, LaFleur got exposed. He found it hard to recreate the true pressures that players face in the game. He observed, “It pisses me off when we start talking about things outside of the next game. Things that are way down the road.” His remarks probably stem from wanting his guys to focus on the next game and not on the next level.
Rookie lineman Zach Tom experienced growing pains in the defeat. He left the game on his first play due to an oblique injury. Tom had restrictions in practice leading up to the game. He wasn’t hurt any worse than that throughout the game. LaFleur’s perspective on Tom’s emotional state opened up a larger discussion about some key issues still weighing heavy on the team’s roster.
With 14 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Browns blocked a would-be go-ahead field goal from 43 yards. This very important play all but sent the Packers to their doom in that game. The blocked kick highlighted just how close of a game it was and added to LaFleur’s frustrations on the day.
Given all these happenings, LaFleur asked his team to turn their focus back inward and stay humble. He stressed the necessity of improvement, saying, “Like, focus on, keep the focus on the present, on the now, and worry about getting better each and every day.”
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