The Green Bay Packers had a surprise visitor to their training camp on Monday. Hall of Famer Peyton Manning visited with Mark Murphy and the team along with two of his production assistants to talk about an upcoming project. While he was there, he addressed the team and talked about the lessons he learned as a young player in the NFL.
Manning has taught many lessons as well, including an important one to head coach Matt LaFleur, as he revealed to the media on Tuesday.
Green Bay Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur Talks About the First Lesson He Learned from Peyton Manning
Back in 2008, LaFleur was in his first year as a NFL coach, an assistant with the Houston Texans. They faced Manning and the Indianapolis Colts that season, a year in which Manning won MVP. It was during this game that LaFleur learned a hard lesson from the Hall of Fame quarterback:
LIVE: Head Coach Matt LaFleur speaks with the media at #PackersCamp 🎙️ https://t.co/oB7pmLk9YX
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 1, 2023
“The lessons going against [Manning] as a coach are things I’ll never forget. I told the team this, in 2008 it was the first time. I was with the Houston Texans and we were playing Indy. And we were up 17 in the fourth quarter, and we watch this guy bring his team back and, of course, beat us in a two-minute drive.
“They scored 21 points in about a five-minute span. It was a great lesson early in my coaching career that you got to play until that clock hits 0:00. I’ll never forget sitting up in that box being up 27-10, thinking ‘Oh my gosh, we’re going to beat the Indianapolis Colts, only to see it evaporate quickly.”
This will certainly be an important lesson for the 2023 Green Bay Packers, who are one of the youngest teams in the NFL. Hopefully LaFleur and his staff are able to impress the importance of that lesson on the team so that it is not a hard lesson they learn during the season, or worse, in the playoffs.
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19 and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!
