Phrase of the Packers Off-Season: Football Is Fun
The Packers are having fun again.
By markoldacres
Aaron Rodgers isn’t the only person embracing a new beginning this off-season.
A fresh energy seems to be flowing throughout 1265 Lombardi Avenue as the Green Bay Packers enter a new era. Football is fun again.
The tail end of Rodgers’ tenure in Green Bay felt heavy with the pursuit of finally winning another Super Bowl.
There was no room for error, and with a future Hall of Famer’s shadow looming large over the facility, it was easy for younger players to feel intimidated and struggle to make an impact.
Of course, the accountability an Aaron Rodgers brought to the locker room was a positive in many ways, and that along with his pure quarterbacking ability now being gone means there is less certainty over how successful he 2023 Packers can be.
But what’s been clear throughout the off-season program is that the kids are having fun again.
Prior to the NFL Draft, Luke Musgrave spoke to NFL Network at the Senior Bowl, which he pushed to participate in despite not being completely recovered from injury.
When asked about his decision to show up to the Senior Bowl, Musgrave said: “I just wanted to get back out on the football field, because football’s fun and I love it”.
At minicamp, fellow rookie tight end Tucker Kraft was asked about the difficult process of adapting to life in the NFL. He said: “It really just comes down to just taking a deep breath and having fun, because we are playing a kids game”.
It won’t have hurt that their quarterback is committed to getting everyone up to speed in a different manner to his predecessor.
At OTAs, when asked about his leadership style, Love said: “We’re all learning together. I never want to go at a player and attack him for messing up, especially the young guys right now.
“We all know there’s going to be mistakes, it’s not going to be perfect, but the more we can mesh and come together and just build that chemistry together, it’s going to be good.”
Without the fear of getting on QB1s bad side, rookies can relax and express themselves on the field.
It’s not just the young players, though. Jaire Alexander gatecrashing Jordan Love’s media session at minicamp and declaring Love: “QB1. Best QB in the league right here.” felt like a perfect encapsulation of the positive vibes around Green Bay right now.
No-one thinks the Packers are winning the Super Bowl this season and veteran players seem revitalized by a different challenge, getting behind Love with the pressure and expectation lifted a little.
The players aren’t slacking off, though. Matt LaFleur recently said he felt the Packers are “further ahead than we’ve ever really been” at this stage in the off-season from a conditioning standpoint.
Entering the darkest period of the NFL calendar, before the marathon of training camp, the pre-season and finally the regular season begins, the phrase: “football is fun” is something Packer fans should keep in their minds.
There will be ups and downs ahead and at times it will be frustrating. Green Bay probably isn’t bringing the Lombardi Trophy home next February, but witnessing the evolution a young, vibrant squad should give fans plenty to look forward to this fall.
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Mark Oldacres is a sports writer from Birmingham, England and a Green Bay Packers fan. You can follow him on twitter at @MarkOldacres
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Comments (42)
stockholder
June 18, 2023 at 06:50 am
Accountability- pursuit / intimidation /successful!.
Are you sure these guys are Green Bay Packers?
Vince Lombardi would have Loved Rodgers leadership.
So now your saying that intimidation
led to the busts and player failure?
That youngsters don’t have to wait for opportunity.
They get to play and Learn. Per- On the job training.
Well,- the cat is gone, and the mice can play.
But one thing is for sure.
They're not waiting for their chance.
Gone- Amos, Cobb, Tonyan, Lazard, Crosby, Reed, Lowrey.
Thats a lot of experience!
That had nothing to do with the above.
Fun is one thing. Lack of PRODUCTION is another.
NickPerry
June 18, 2023 at 07:31 am
"Vince Lombardi would have Loved Rodgers leadership."
How can you say that? Maybe a few years ago but these last few years...NO WAY. Do you really think Lombardi would have loved his QB doing Aaron Rodgers Tuesdays" on McAfee? Blasting teammates on the field? Blasting game plans after a game? But mostly love a selfish egomaniac who always wanted it HIS way.
IMO Aaron Rodgers was the Polar Opposite of Bart Starr. Especially in the games that had the word CHAMPIONSHIP in it. Bart lost his first Championship Game he played in against the Eagles in 1960. After that he NEVER lost another Championship Game let alone a Playoff Game. Not to mention teammates feeling Rodgers was unapproachable...No way SH
Coldworld
June 18, 2023 at 07:48 am
Yes, there’s no doubt that late era Rodgers and Lombardi would not have coexisted. Lombardi was not a two Center’s of gravity type of guy. There was a way, it was his or out of the door, no matter how good the player.
stockholder
June 18, 2023 at 07:59 am
How can I say that? - Because Lombardi cared about winning and not Losing.
I only used the word Leadership. You're taking this personal.
Trash talk has made its way into sports now.
The 60s are gone. The we is gone. Me is in.
Rodgers was paid to be the best. He expected that from others too.
Had he not been outspoken. The bar would have been lowered.
I doubt the Patriots and Jets would have wanted him if you are right.
Coldworld
June 18, 2023 at 10:15 am
You can’t say that, at least not without looking full of it.
“Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” Vince Lombardi.
crayzpackfan
June 20, 2023 at 03:19 pm
CW- I totally agree.
To OP- "Of course, the accountability an Aaron Rodgers brought to the locker room was a positive in many ways, and that along with his pure quarterbacking ability now being gone means there is less certainty over how successful he 2023 Packers can be"
I'm thinking the author here of this piece has a misunderstanding of the definition of accountability. The last few years of "Rodgers" and "accountability" is an oxymoron when it came to speaking of himself. He blamed everyone but himself and only brought angst, nervousness, and resentment to the locker room. He was suffocating and joyless.
I cannot wait until this site stops discussing the guy who "used" to be our QB, especially with such nuthuggery. This is a "Packers" website, not a Rodgers website. This is not a Rodgers memorial website or Rodgers shrine. He's a Jet now, go over there and talk about him.
There is a newness and excitement in the GB air now. There is a turning of the page, a feeling of Spring that we can see and smell. Why do we have to keep introducing such a blight as AR into our newly planted garden?
LambeauPlain
June 18, 2023 at 08:02 am
Lombardi would have traded Rodgers as assuredly as he traded Jim Ringo, one of the top NFL centers in the NFL who was in his prime at the time but demanded more money.
Vince was a coach who made sure his team prioritized God, Family, and the Green Bay Packers...in that order.
So in the memory of Vince, God Bless America, Happy Father's Day, and Go Pack GO!
stockholder
June 18, 2023 at 08:15 am
Jim Ringo wasn't a QB. That team was a dynasty.
Let's not forget Rodgers Kept his mouth shut.
When he blasted the Defense. And about TT.
He knew this team was on his shoulders.
What coach has been as good as Lombardi?
NickPerry
June 18, 2023 at 08:42 am
"What coach has been as good as Lombardi?"
Well IMO nobody is/was as good as Vince Lombardi IMO. Some will say Bill Belichick but I'm not one of them.
I'll tell you one thing...I would have loved to see what Holmgren, Ron Wolf, and Brett Favre would have accomplished had Mike Holmgren not left after the 1998 season.
Swisch
June 18, 2023 at 06:42 pm
The wonderfully wry but also endearingly sincere Dave Robinson said he cried at the funeral of a white man for the first time with the death of Lombardi; he said he didn't mean that in a negative way, but as affirming that Lombardi was like a father to him.
Herb Adderley said he loved his own father but didn't think about him every day; he thought about Lombardi with fondness every day.
Lionel Aldridge said he used to like to listen to Lombardi talk about life.
***
The gruff Lombardi, somewhat abashedly but yet unashamedly, described the team dynamic of his Packers with the word "love."
Sports can be a beautiful thing in the relationships forged in mutual sacrifice toward shared triumph. It shows us what can be done in other group endeavors of life to build up our society and find satisfaction as individuals in it together.
How we need that today in this isolating and desolating world!
It seems those Lombardi Packers have had a brotherhood all of their lives, under the surrogate fatherhood of their demanding but also demonstratively caring head coach.
Also, we as fans love these guys as long as we live -- and I think they truly appreciate it.
***
We the ordinary people have a substantial role in building up a city, a state, a nation -- and a local team.
A lot of little deeds of goodness can add up to a lot, and even become a synergy that has an exponential impact.
As fans, we can help to nurture our current young Packers into champions as players and persons.
gmeyers1
June 19, 2023 at 06:27 am
Lombardi is often misunderstood by those who get stuck on the punishment side of his coin. He insisted in total dedication to the team effort. This does not include players judging other players performance. That's the coach's job.
Tundraboy
June 19, 2023 at 11:34 am
My final thought on this.
"total dedication to the team effort'
That is without question, Lombardi's fundamental overriding principle.
Tundraboy
June 19, 2023 at 12:22 pm
Beautiful.
Tundraboy
June 19, 2023 at 11:26 am
You beat me to it NP. I was so stunned by that statement. Well said!
Savage57
June 18, 2023 at 08:33 am
He's gone. He's not coming back. But the Packers, as always, keep inexorably moving ahead. While you pine at your man-shrine to The Ego, most of the rest of us are busy looking forward to our team's future success after being shed of him.
You can look ahead or spend your time bemoaning a past overcome by events.
But in any case, having to read the same misguided, man-over-team worship has far exceeded it's 'best if used by' date.
greengold
June 18, 2023 at 01:51 pm
Shock value is cheap.
Vince Lombardi would have shipped that poser’s ass out of town years ago.
“Poser.” I said it. An NFL QB1’s job is more than just “a thrower of a football.” If you can’t understand that in this context, TFB.
No player is above the team. Period.
Now we’re going to have some fun winning football games. A lot of them. This season, the Packers will very likely make the playoffs with what Vegas projects to be the NFL’s 3rd easiest schedule. Playing with house money, which is about as fun as it gets.
Get on board. Carry the G, instead of the A and the R.
Turophile
June 18, 2023 at 02:00 pm
This Lombardi/Rodgers stuff is nonsense. Why ? Different eras, different game, different attitudes, different financially. Comparison is useless except in illuminating the agenda of those who wish to mythically pair the two guys together and make some sort of conclusion.
Lombardi was outstanding for his time - Rodgers outstanding for his - and they are not the same times. Let's just leave it at that, people.
greengold
June 18, 2023 at 02:15 pm
Hey Turo!
“The tail end of Rodgers’ tenure in Green Bay felt heavy with the pursuit of finally winning another Super Bowl.”
And, in the next breath MarkOldAcres posits: “accountability?”
The revisionist history in play here, in the article itself and in SH’s comments, is impressive in its absurdity and exactly what I was addressing. A lot of AR fans refuse to accept this, but his first stated goal every year was to win the MVP, and never to win a Super Bowl.
I agree leaving it in the dust is best. I try. Hell, I go out of my way to not bring AR up. But, the absurd claims continue.
New era has begun, and it looks fun. Good.
mrtundra
June 18, 2023 at 07:00 am
Carry The G, Fellas!
LambeauPlain
June 18, 2023 at 08:06 am
I like Musgrave and Kraft's attitudes..."football is fun!"
As I told my daughters and nieces and nephews: It doesn't matter what profession you choose in this life...as long as you love the work...and it is legal!
Turophile
June 18, 2023 at 02:12 pm
Football is work. Playing in the NFL is a job and the player market is a pretty brutal one.
Having said that, you can and should be able to have fun along the NFL journey, even though it is a short journey for many.
Everything while at work is so much better if you can enjoy it...................but the bottom line is, it is WORK - work learning the complexities of your position(s), work through the year to keep your body in shape, work in the film room to better understand yourself and your weekly opposition, work to win or keep your job from those that are looking to take it or keep it from you. Work is the base, fun is the sweet topping.
Slim11
June 18, 2023 at 08:41 pm
That’s why I became a pilot. Didn’t have to work (much!) until I retired.
fireball
June 18, 2023 at 08:15 am
It's like a great dark cloud pain-in-the-ass weight has been lifted from the team since the previous quarterback was traded away earlier this year. Granted, the team is mostly newbies, inexperienced as hell. Still. players and fans alike seem to be looking forward to a brand new era. Sprits seem to have been lifted. Hope is in the air. We don't even seem to care if Jordan Love doesn't doesn't come up to expectations. . . Well, maybe that's pushing the happiness line too far.
In any event, a new day, a new dawn is upon Packer Land.
murf7777
June 18, 2023 at 08:59 am
“Hope is in the air. We don't even seem to care if Jordan Love doesn't doesn't come up to expectations. “
Oh, the hope is ever present during the days of summer. Till the first few interception by Love that contribute to losses, then the boo birds will come out in flocks and look to expose his flaws and ignore his strengths. Yes, there will be flaws because nobody’s perfect.
It’s nice to see many backing Love this summer, even those who have been negative towards him in the past. I just hope those folks have patience when he goes thru normal first year QB struggles. I already see people writing he should be better because he’s not a first year QB. The reality is you cannot create game experience from practice. Yes, understudy is helpful, but not the same as going against the top DC minds in the NFL for 17 weeks. My expectations are for him to learn from his mistakes and progress better throughout the year.
MainePackFan
June 18, 2023 at 01:39 pm
"Oh, the hope is ever present during the days of summer. Till the first few interception by Love that contribute to losses, then the boo birds will come out in flocks and look to expose his flaws and ignore his strengths. Yes, there will be flaws because nobody’s perfect."
Well said murf. This will be a process. Much like it was when Aaron took over. In 2008 the Packers were 4-3 after 7 games. They went 2-7 in the last 9 with 6 of the 7 losses by 4 pts. or less. 2 of them in OT. I remember being very excited about that team's future. They had to learn to win, but the talent, despite the heartbreaking losses, gave us all reason to believe.
As the saying goes: 'And the rest is history'.
Give me that kind of hope, and the good Lord willing, I will be watching meaningful Packers games for the foreseeable future :)
SicSemperTyrannis
June 18, 2023 at 05:26 pm
Murf, I remember so many saying JL10 was a draft bust. I won't knock enthusiasm, but he's simply unproven. To me it seems an obvious choice to start run heavy and short pass heavy. Let him get established in this team, and build confidence running the offense. And hopefully learn to trust a dominant O line that makes everything work.
After all that hopefully finding some wide open targets. Threading needles successfully should remain off the menu for a while.
If he can do that he should be fine. Next year and 2025 maybe he'll demonstrate that he's a superstar.
NickPerry
June 18, 2023 at 08:20 am
I have NO IDEA what the hell the Packers will look like this year with Love as the starter. But I also can't remember a season I've looked forward to more than the start of the 2023 season, and there's PLENTY to be excited about.
IMO the Packers have a slew of talent on both sides of the ball. The TC battles are going to be really interesting this season with so much youth and most positions. Just about every position group there's going to be a big battle to start or earn paying time. I honestly believe this Packers draft class, the first four picks especially, could turn out to be just as good as the Saints first 6 picks of the 2017 draft everybody still talks about. Throw in the picks of Wicks, Brooks, Valentine, and Anthony Johnson this draft class could be one we talk about years later. What about Brenton Cox, the OLB/Edge player who was kicked off both Georgia's and Florida's football teams? There's NO DOUBT the kid is talented...
This is the start of a new era of Packers football. 64 of the 90 players currently on the Packers 90 man roster are either rookies or players just entering year 2 in the NFL. That my fellow Packers Fans is a young roster. They WILL make mistakes. They WILL blow games they should have won in the final seconds, and no, they won't win a Superbowl this year. But the talent is there and in most cases it's OBVIOUS.
Hopefully the coaching staff is up to the task.
murf7777
June 18, 2023 at 09:09 am
NP, Love your enthusiasm, I just can’t catch that same feeling. I always highly enjoyed GB going into the year as a top 5 favorite to reach the SB with a HOF QB. No disrespect to Love. I’m one who liked the draft pick.
Unfortunately, I lived thru the 70’s and 80’s as a Packer fan and they were still fun cheering for the Packers, but not to the level as the last 30 years. I’m also a huge Badger football fan so for me that is where my excitement level is higher for a championship run in the near future.
Now, after rereading what I just wrote I’m calling bull****. We can catch lightening in the bottle for the 3rd time. My excitement level just blew back thru the roof. GPG. 3rd time is a charm.
greengold
June 18, 2023 at 03:30 pm
Lolz! Glad you caught yourself. Ha!
There’s an awful lot to be encouraged about. Yeah, we all anticipate a ton of mistakes through this first season to begin the new era, but we anticipate successes alike. Maybe moreso, and with good reason.
LaFleur has an opportunity to improve his standing as HC by mitigating the possibility of negative plays/miscues through sound coaching.
I can’t wait to see this sucker fly.
Leatherhead
June 18, 2023 at 09:34 am
I actually think that I have a pretty good idea of what the Packers will look like this year.
If the offensive line is healthy, it'll be pretty good.
Jones/Dillon will have the rock on about half the plays. They're pretty good.
Watson will still be a challenge to keep under control. He's pretty good.
This will still be a bend, not break, defense, that generates good pressure on pass plays.
That's what I know. Here's what I think:
We'll be better on offense, we'll score more points. We scored 17 or fewer on 7 games last year, six of them losses We scored 28 or more only 4 times, 3 of them wins.
SicSemperTyrannis
June 18, 2023 at 05:44 pm
Nick, I'm with ya in the having no idea what to expect, and looking forward to it. At S, among those competing for a roster spot, only Tarvarius Moore has a 40 time; 4.32. Our fastest WR is Bo Melton at 4.33. Again, the rest competing for the roster are over a tenth slower or don't have a time. And neither are spoken of any more highly than the rest, yet the buzz is the yutes have speed.
Yeah, I have NO idea how this team is going to fare in the regular season. So far the preseason competition for roster spots is shaping up and looking like a lot of fun. There remains a LOT to do before week 1, and I'm hoping they're very ready to compete in Chicago. Motivation shouldn't be lacking, and players seem to be at least getting along with coaches ...
TxFred
June 18, 2023 at 09:44 am
Will be fun supporting the Pack this year. Attitude, enthusiasm, teamwork and willingness to learn& develop. Team seems to relate & respond to Love and accept his roll as team leader. No self-serving antics anymore! Have fun this year win or loose. GPG!!!
SicSemperTyrannis
June 18, 2023 at 05:57 pm
Fred, "it's not whether you win or lose it's how you play the game" is not usually associated with this team, but this year that seems like the right approach. 100% effort from every player on every down, every game, and all season long, is really necessary just to see what we've got. And that includes coaches.
If the team does that, I think whatever bugs surface can be worked out just fine either this year or next, and we're contenders in 2025.
It'll be a fun season no matter what, GPG!
Swisch
June 18, 2023 at 02:38 pm
I'm having a lot more fun as a fan of the Packers -- in keeping with the points made in the fine article above.
***
It seems there were two big problems of contradiction with Aaron Rodgers.
(1) His commitment to the game of football seemed to lessen even as he became more demanding of other players.
(2) His commitment to the game of football seemed to lessen even as he became more intrusive into the roles of coaching and general manager.
***
It seems the majority of the discontent displayed by Rodgers came from disorder within him rather than what was going on with the team.
Plus, there's that adage that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Rodgers was enabled to exercise, if not absolute power, inordinate power, excessive and even outrageous power.
In in the process, the Packers were thrown into dysfunction, which tends to show up in the biggest moments when a teamwork of both camaraderie and discipline become indispensable.
As seen in the losses of headache and heartbreak at Lambeau Field to end the past three seasons, Rodgers was the fault line around which the Packers cracked and crumbled under intense pressure.
***
Vince Lombardi wouldn't have put up with it.
To him, personal dignity and organizational integrity were more important than winning.
Fortunately, he had a quarterback in Bart Starr whom he could trust to carry out their mutual game plan with fidelity.
It's hard to overestimate how much Lombardi made of Starr; however, Starr, in his understated excellence, helped Lombardi to lead the Packers to even greater heights of legendary success -- as actually the greatest NFL team of all time.
The lessons of teamwork from that era never go out of style or substance. There may be modifications around the periphery of group success, but the essential elements are transcendent and timeless.
Swisch
June 18, 2023 at 02:50 pm
<a href="https://www.azquotes.com/quote/178090" title="Vince Lombardi quote"><img src="//www.azquotes.com/picture-quotes/quote-people-who-work-together-will-win-... alt="People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society. - Vince Lombardi"></a>
greengold
June 18, 2023 at 03:44 pm
Great stuff, Swisch!
For years I’ve felt despondent about our Packers team, mostly for the reasons we traded away in April. Now, I feel as excited about this Packers team as ever. Feels good.
What I really find encouraging is the work the players have done already - much of it of their own accord.
LaFleur saying his team is: “further ahead than we’ve ever really been” is huge.
I love this!
Swisch
June 18, 2023 at 06:19 pm
greengold, it's also genuinely fun to have your enthusiasm for the Packers here at CHTV, which seems to be backed up by lots of good knowledge on your part, shared for the benefit of the rest of us.
Tundraboy
June 19, 2023 at 12:02 pm
I grew up in the era of Vince Lombardi, and raised in similar values by my Sicilian mother. Lombardi was a special combination of the toughness, fairness and love I was fortunate to witness in both. And for that reason he would have connected with the modern players including Rodgers and Rodgers would have been inspired by him. Somehow in my gut I feel he would have taken Rodgers aside like he did with many others.
GPG 2023
PatrickGB
June 18, 2023 at 04:24 pm
The days of “two a days”, Oklahoma drills, live tackling, no rest breaks and 12 game seasons are over. The kids these days don’t even get that in HS and college. Many pine for the past when screamers made the best coaches. Now the game calls for different kinds of leaders both coaching and players.
SicSemperTyrannis
June 18, 2023 at 06:04 pm
Are tackling drills really verboten? How are players supposed to develop or even maintain that skill?
Thegreatreynoldo
June 18, 2023 at 06:42 pm
I was willing to go harder trying to win a SB with AR than some others. That included spending some money and parting with a draft pick to pick up a needed player. Part of that was I know I can enjoy a team that is rebuilding, re-loading, whatever one calls this. Of course, that means having a GM who can draft reasonably well.
I plan to attend some practices again this year, perhaps more than just two. I will try to discern what I can. This should be a fun year.
croatpackfan
June 19, 2023 at 04:40 am
Good article Marc!
Lets go from the beginning. You can lead the group of people by 3 way - 1. with whip, 2. with love and 3. combination of 1. & 2.
At first, many will chose to lead by whip. That looks fast and efficient method. Who make mistake(s) suffer penalty (different kinds of). You bet on fear in mistaken person to correct the mistake(s). But fear produce more fear which leads to more mistakes and more penalties. At the end it produce unconcern and your team full of those kind of persons in the group fails.
The one who lead by love will be the one who are teaching individuals over their mistakes, but also others through correction of anyone's mistakes. That king of leader will take group as the base, not every individual alone, supporting group to help mistaken person. That brings camaradie in the group. That camaradie will give more pressure to any person to correct his mistake, to avoid hurting his pals. And he will receive help from them to overcome mistake(s).
As there is always personalities who can be more egoistic by nature, on that man should be applied combination of penalty and group support. By time those kind of persons find out that it is more enjoyful to work as part of the group, than as individual.
Leading by love does not means that there is no accountability. Leading by love rise accountability of every member of the group to realy high ground. Because, mistaken one does not hurt only himself, but all of the member of the group.
What I saw from MLF is that he is trying to lead by No 2. choice. His problem was a person who thinks that he is the best and the smartest of all and that he can not made mistake(s). His ego is so high that even when it is onvious that bad result came from his bad decision or mistake, he will always find another culprit to explain why mistake happen.
Jordan Love seems to found himself in that kind of leadership. If that is truth, you'll see team desperate to help each other to reach the ultimate goal. It will be sailing over the trouble waters, but the end of the journey will be ended in success.