GREEN BAY
Jimmy Graham Jersey , Wis. (AP) — New Packers coach Matt LaFleur had a long to-do list even before his players arrived for the start of offseason workouts
this week.The drama that started in Green Bay with the December firing of coach
Mike McCarthy has bubbled into the spring, with McCarthy ripping the front
office for how it handled his dismissal, and star quarterback Aaron Rodgers
defending himself after coming under fire over his performance and
leadership.Enveloped by controversies that predated his arrival in January,
LaFleur faces the challenge of turning around a franchise that reached the
playoffs eight consecutive seasons — including one Super Bowl victory and two
more appearances in conference championship games — before having back-to-back
losing seasons for the first time since the early 1990s.It’s going to take more
than a fresh coat of paint down the hallway that leads from the locker room to
the field and reassigned seats in the team meeting room to get the Packers back
into championship contention.“We had a standard here of going to the playoffs
every single year,” Rodgers said Wednesday. “We did that eight years in a row
and we were competitive and in the mix, and then the last couple of years,
obviously, have been frustrating to finish.“I think we’re in a good spot. I
think there isn’t a grace period. This isn’t like other transitions where you
maybe give a pass for the first year or two as you get acclimated to the system.
We have a veteran quarterback, veteran offensive linemen, we signed some big
free agents. There’s an expectation living and playing here that you’re going to
compete for championships, and I think we all expect to do that.”Rodgers and
LaFleur will be at the center of reaching those expectations. Rodgers, 35,
played through a serious knee injury to start all 16 games last season, but
endured one of his worst years of his career. LaFleur, 39, will be tasked with
getting Rodgers back to his two-time MVP form and changing the culture of a team
that had hit hard times during the final two seasons of McCarthy’s 13-year
tenure.After running McCarthy’s offense throughout his first 11 seasons as
starting quarterback
Elgton Jenkins Green Bay Packers Jersey , Rodgers is getting his first taste of what LaFleur wants to do. At the scouting combine in February, LaFleur said
offensive success required a “partnership” between himself and Rodgers.“Matt’s
whole idea,” said Rodgers’ No. 1 target, receiver Davante Adams, “he’s really
open and receptive to how Aaron and I want to attack this season and how we feel
moving forward, bringing certain things from the past that we liked, and just
having an open mind, which is a great thing when you’re coming in trying to get
a team to buy in.”A new coach and new playbook aren’t the only big changes. Two
longtime stalwarts, receiver Randall Cobb and linebacker Clay Matthews, departed
in free agency. Meanwhile, they added outside linebackers Za’Darius Smith and
Preston Smith, safety Adrian Amos and offensive lineman Billy Turner in free
agency. A pair of first-round picks will infuse more talent.“Change, it can be
really good if you embrace it,” Rodgers said.Echoing what LaFleur has said,
Rodgers added the play caller/quarterback relationship will be critical to
reversing the team’s fortunes. Rodgers talked to one of LaFleur’s former pupils,
a Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan
Elgton Jenkins Jersey 2019 , to get a gauge on his new boss.Impressed by what he heard, and with his injured knee healed, Rodgers was eager to get to Green Bay
to start fostering that relationship and to shake off the sting of last season’s
6-9-1 debacle.“Having that much time off was different,” said Rodgers, who had
grown accustomed to playing into January.“I know many of us were itching to get
back here and get started. Anytime you’ve gone through a stretch like we went
through where everything was very similar — similar faces, there might be some
changes, similar plays, similar environment you’re working in — you get used to
that and accustomed that.“When things change, it kind of jogs the system a
little bit. It’s exciting, though, to see the energy and the excitement. It’s
usually like this the first week, but I feel good about the potential to sustain
this type of energy as we move into it later this month and get into the
minicamp. And then obviously we have a number of high picks, so there should be
a lot of excitement with our fan base. There is definitely in the locker room.
It’s been a good start to the change.” The 2019 NFL Scouting Combine gets
underway in a little less than three weeks, and now we know the identities of
the players who have been invited to participate. 338 players got invitations to
the annual event in Indianapolis, broken down into 171 players on offense, 160
on defense
Color Rush Elgton Jenkins Jersey , and seven special teamers.Predictably, the two teams who played for the National Championship lead the way with the most
players invited this year. Alabama and Clemson each have 11 players headed to
Indy, with Ohio State next with ten and several schools sending nine. There are
a few notable exceptions to this list, as the operators of the Combine have
decided not to invite players with significant domestic violence incidents on
their records. The most notable individual who will not be in Indy is
Mississippi State defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, thought by many to be a
first-round talent.The Combine officially begins on Tuesday, February 26th, when
the first group of players arrives in Indianapolis. Coaches and general managers
are scheduled to hold their media availability on February 27th and 28th, while
players will meet with the media from Thursday, February, 27th through Sunday,
March 3rd. Finally, the players will conduct their testing over four days,
starting on Friday, March 1st and concluding on Monday, March 4th.2019 Combine
Invitees — OffensePlayerPositionCollegePlayerPositionCollege2019 Combine
Invitees — DefensePlayerPositionCollegePlayerPositionCollege
