July 22nd, 2019 
Matt Loede 
Posted in 
The 2018 season was the Green Bay Packers’ 98th season in the National Football League, their 100th overall and their 13th and final season under head coach Mike McCarthy.
Three Questions About the Packers as Training Camp Gets Started
Last season was an up and down season for the Packers, a season which saw a coaching change, a season which saw th team slump to 6-9-1 and out of the playoffs.
The team has a new coach with Matt LaFleur taking over, a bright young voice that many think will get the team back to where they want to be in the NFC North.
It won’t be easy with improved rosters across the board, but the Packers want to take what was a setback in 2018 and step forward in 2019.
Today we take a look at three questions about this team as camp closes in.
1. LaFleur in Charge
There is always a concern with a first-time head coach that he must find a way in his first camp to take control of the team and find his voice.
LaFleur at age 39 will be entering his 11th year coaching in the NFL and his 18th overall in coaching. He’s got to get a bad taste of the 2018 season out of the team’s mouth, and install a new fire into this team, much like what Mike Holmgren did all the way back when.
The club still have a array of stars like Aaron Rodgers, and they will put them on display to try and get this team back to form.
It’s though LaFleur’s team to run – and he’s got to make an early impact.
2. Davante Adams and Who Else?
Last season Davante Adams had a great season for the Pack as the team’s number one receiver, but at the end of the day the club needs more from others catching the ball.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Geronimo Allison could have solid impacts, but there’s plenty of other names to consider for help for Aaron Rodgers throwing the football.
Keep an eye on pass catchers Equanimeous St. Brown, Jake Kumerow, J’Mon Moore, Trevor Davis, Allen Lazard and Teo Redding.
With a new offense who knows what receiver may step up right away?
3. Can the D-Line Take a Step in 2019?
The Pack was 22nd in the NFL in points allowed in 2018, and this season it will start with a defensive line that many think could be a surprise factor on the team.
Not only will it help when it comes to stopping the run, but also getting to the quarterback, which is something the team wants to do even more of in 2019 after 44 sacks in 2018.
Montravius Adams and Tyler Lancaster are two players to watch that could be stars on the line, and if they can set the tempo early in camp, the line for the Packers could be a big surprise.
Packers Place First-Round Pick Safety Darnell Savage on Non-Football Illness List
As camp starts to get going, the Packers today placed first-round safety Darnell Savage, placed on the non-football illness list.
Ian Rapoport says that Savage “should be back out there shortly. Source said it’s a very minor situation.”
#Packers first-round S Darnell Savage, placed on the non-football illness, should be back out there shortly. Source said it’s a very minor situation.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 22, 2019
Video – Football Gameplan’s 2019 NFL Team Preview: Green Bay Packers
00:44 – 4-Minute Offense
2:23 – Positional Breakdown
8:43 – Hunt’s Playbook
14:35 – Fantasy Focus
16:59 – Best Bets
17:22 – Training Camp Quick Takes
21:02 – Road to the Super Bowl
Check Out the Madden 20 Rankings for All the Packers Players
Monday was a day that many gaming fans wait for each year, the day that the most popular sports series of all-time puts out their player rankings.
That game of course is Madden football, and this year Madden 20 is once again going to be a game played by millions who are into the NFL and video games.
One aspect of the game is player rankings, and the top Packers player on the list was right tackle David Bakhtiari, who comes in with a ranking of 97.
Wide out Davante Adams is second on a team with a ranking of 92, and Defensive Tackle Kenny Clark is at a 90, as is QB Aaron Rodgers.
Check out all the Packers Rankings by clicking HERE.
Packers Report Profits Drop 97.9% in Their Latest Fiscal Year
The Packers reported a profit of just $724,000 in their latest fiscal year, which included their second straight season without a playoff appearance, a large contract extension for quarterback Aaron Rodgers and change in head coach from Mike McCarthy to Matt LaFleur, the Associated Press reports.
Green Bay’s profit in the year ending March 31 was down 97.9% from $34.1 million in the year ending March 2018 and more than 99% from the record $75 million in the previous fiscal year.
“From a financial standpoint, it was a unique year for the Packers,” Packers President Mark Murphy said Friday.
Expenses rose from $420.9 million to $477.2 million, boosted by Rodgers’ $134 million, four-year deal and the contracts for several free agents: outside linebackers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith, safety Adrian Amos and guard Billy Turner.
“We were a little more aggressive than we’ve been in a number of years,” Murphy said.
While overall revenue increased 5.1% to $477.9 million, local revenue improved by only 2.3%, hurt by consecutive losing seasons that impacted Pro Shop visits and tours of Lambeau Field and the Packers Hall of Fame.
“If we can get back to the playoffs and get to the Super Bowl, that always helps,” Murphy said. “We have a policy regarding our season-ticket pricing. We want to be just below the league average. We don’t want everything to be on the backs of our season ticketholders.”
The NFL’s collective bargaining agreement is set to expire after the 2020 season and the team has $397 million in its corporate reserve fund.
LaFleur Wants Packers RBs Involved in the Team’s Passing Game
New Packers head coach Matt LaFleur wants to get the team’s running backs more involved in the passing game according to an interview on packers.com.
Green Bay’s backfield finished 24th in total receptions last season, and the unit’s 17 percent target share was well below league average. It sounds like they will rank a bit better in those numbers under the new coaching staff. “I love it when we can give [running backs] the ball in the passing game,” LaFleur said. “That’s one more eligible that the defense really has to focus on.”
The biggest beneficiary of the new emphasis on catching passes out of the backfield will likely be third-year back Aaron Jones. Originally a fifth-round pick out of UTEP in 2017, Jones took a step forward in the passing game in 2018 with 26 receptions for 206 yards in 12 games.
Count Brett Favre as a Fan of Allowing Aaron Rodgers to Call Audibles in 2019
Amid all the talk about how much freedom Aaron Rodgers will have to call audibles with new head coach Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers legend decided to weigh in this weekend according to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk.com.
As might be expected from another free-wheeling quarterback, former Packers QB Brett Favre clearly sides with Rodgers in the matter.
“Aaron will be fine,” Favre said. “I think that the thing is he needs to remain the same. And I don’t have to give him any advice. You know, he’ll handle it well. The question is, how will they handle it with him. And obviously, that’s very important.
“I mean, there’s more to the team than Aaron but we all have to admit that when he’s playing and playing well, which generally when he’s playing he is playing well, you don’t want to change what’s working. There’s other factors that you have to work on. So I think you let him play his game and not disturb that very much. And it’s going to be interesting to see if that happens.”
Favre won’t be the only one interested to see how it all plays out for Rodgers, LaFleur and the Packers this season.
