Yesterday, Brian Gutekunst spoke to reporters and this morning, Matt LaFleur had his turn. We can’t gleam a ton from the NFL Owners Meetings. This is a big time for managers, coaches and owners to give vague answers and not show their cards.
However, there are still a few things we can take from Gutekunst and LaFleur’s comments. Here are some takeaways from both conferences with the media.
Gutekunst Confirms Jenkins will Move to Center
Tom Silverstein first had the report that Elgton Jenkins will be moving to center. With the acquisition of Aaron Banks, Banks takes over at left guard. Jenkins had been consistently playing left guard for several seasons.
However, Jenkins played center in college, and he has a history of being a versatile lineman. He has stepped into several roles with ease when needed. Gutekunst also spoke incredibly glowingly of Jenkins. He did not mince words when he said he believes Jenkins can be an All-Pro center.
Gutekunst also spoke on the ongoing situation with Jaire Alexander. He confirms that he is looking for a bigger return on investment. The hope is that this can be resolved by the draft. What seems most likely is a team gets desperate and sends a higher draft pick in exchange for Alexander. However, Packers fans should not hold their breath. It seems more plausible to not get anything in return for an injury riddled Alexander.
As far as the pass rush goes, Gutekunst didn’t seem too concerned. He is more confident in the second year under Jeff Hafley, and a new defensive line coach. He believes there will be significant improvement by the entire group.
Now, this does not mean Gutekunst will not add to the pass rush. It simply looks like he is not urgently pursuing them. It seems the Packer way will prevail, and they will wait on the player that fits their thresholds.
LaFleur Talks Passing Game Woes
The Packers offense is typically dynamic and creative. While the running game significantly got more creative, the passing game continued to lull all season.
When LaFleur was asked about the problems regarding the passing game, he did not hesitate to get to the issues. Drops, missed blocks and not taking advantage of opportunities were the big three he emphasized. LaFleur says they have evaluated and have a better plan heading into next season.
The tush push ban was the final focus. Both Gutekunst and LaFleur agree to ban the play, citing safety concerns. There is no evidence that there is a safety concern, and no players have been injured on the play. I have made my opinion clear on this, and think there is not a valid reason to ban.
Overall, we got just enough tidbits from Gutekunst and LaFleur to be thinking about. We will find out soon just how much of this rings true come September.
