The Green Bay Packers are 2-1 following their 18-17 come-from-behind victory over the New Orleans Saints. At one point, the Packers trailed 17-0 thanks, in large part, to sloppy play and penalties on both sides of the ball. Indeed, the amount of times Green Bay has been flagged for mistakes is a concern.
According to Team Rankings, the Packers rank 31st out 32 NFL teams with 9.0 penalties per game. In their nailbiter against New Orleans, the were flagged 11 times. This is a stark contrast to last year when Green Bay averaged 5.2 penalties per game, which ranked seventh in the NFL.
Additionally, the Packers are being called for more personal fouls this year and the team seems to be getting to more scrums with their opponents. On the one hand, it is to be expected for a young team (the Packers are the second-youngest team in the NFL) to have an issue with penalties. On the other hand, it isn’t acceptable, especially the amount of personal fouls being committed.
One Green Bay Packers Player Is Noticeably Absent from Controversy: Quay Walker
Earlier this week, LaFleur was asked about the number of personal fouls and how noticeable it was the Walker was not involved in any of the rough plays this year.
LaFleur answered: “To be honest, I hadn’t thought about it until you brought it up.”
Walker has been off to a fantastic start this season. He has 28 combined tackles (including 17 against the Atlanta Falcons in Week Two), an interception that he returned for a touchdown, and two passes defended.
With De’Vondre Campbell out against the Detroit Lions on Thursday night, Walker will be the leader of the defense and will play an even bigger role in the defense than he already does.
Quay Walker Has Come a Long Way Since His Rookie Season with the Green Bay Packers
As many fans are aware, Walker was ejected from not one, but two games last season for making aggressive contact with non-player personnel of other teams. It was clear then that Walker had some growing up to do.
Over the offseason, Jaire Alexander taught Walker how to meditate. Through meditation and other treatments, Walker now has more control over his temper.
So complete has his transformation been that LaFleur hadn’t even given it a second thought. The 2022 instances are things that both coach and player have left in the past and have moved on from.
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