David Bakhtiari has been a topic of conversation in Green Bay for nearly 2 years. December of this year will mark two full years since his ACL tear. That is less than three months away. That ACL tear is still keeping him off the field. It has been getting to the point that the coaching staff doesn’t know what to say anymore. Matt LaFleur was asked about Bakhtiari playing on Sunday versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His response was startling.
Matt LaFleur Responds To If Bakhtiari Playing Sunday:
Matt LaFleur says “I have no idea” if David Bakhtiari will play this week: “I don’t let my mind go there at this point.”
Asked him when he’s need to know for game planning, LaFleur said he won’t game plan any different: “I think Yosh has done a damn good job starting for us.”
For the head coach to say “I have no idea” is troublesome to say the least. Throughout OTA‘s, training camp, and even preseason, David Bakhtiari seemed to be making progress. It was even reported that he was likely to start week one. Now we sit just a few weeks later with a complete unknown of when #69 may be back. The good news? Matt LaFleur is 100% correct about Yosh Nijman.
Yosh Nijman has the fourth-best pass-blocking grade among all NFL offensive tackles at. This according to PFF through the first two weeks of the season. Nijman also has the 18th best grade overall among tackles. A very Impressive start for the “backup” left tackle. It is almost important to note that he has faced two quality defensive fronts in Minnesota and Chicago. In the meantime, Green Bay seems to be just fine at left tackle. The long term plan, however, remains to be seen.
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