Good afternoon, everyone. The 2020 NFL season is just a week away from starting up. With that in mind, I wanted to do a preview of the season for the Green Bay Packers. A lot has happened since they lost to the 49ers in the NFC Championship game back in January. I am here to give you my thoughts on what the Packers did to prepare for the 2020 NFL season, which will be interesting in a variety of ways (including no fans in some stadiums).
After the loss to the 49ers, there were a couple of coaching changes. Some of those changes include bringing in Jerry Gray from Minnesota as the new defensive backs coach and promoting Luke Getsy to passing game coordinator, in addition to quarterbacks coach. Other than those changes, the coaching staff in Green Bay stayed mostly the same, including Matt Lafleur (entering his second year), Mike Pettine, and Nathaniel Hackett. In free agency, the Packers let a few players go to different teams. Bryan Bulaga, who was a great offensive lineman for 10 years in Green Bay, went to the Los Angeles Chargers. LB Blake Martinez, who was a 2016 draft pick for the Packers, went to the New York Giants. Tight end Jimmy Graham went to the Chicago Bears, who also got QB Nick Foles in free agency after his brief stint in Jacksonville. On the other side, the Packers got LB Christian Kirksey, who played for the Browns before coming to Green Bay. They also got former Panthers WR Devin Funchess, who opted out of the 2020 season due to the pandemic. In response to his opt out, the Packers got WR Malik Turner from Seattle. Hopefully the free agents contribute greatly to the Packers success this season.
In the 2020 NFL Draft, the Packers made the controversial choice of trading up and selecting QB Jordan Love from Utah State in the first round. Even though he won’t play in any meaningful games this year (barring an Aaron Rodgers injury), I hope that he can learn to be a better quarterback just by having Rodgers in the meetings with him. During training camp, Rodgers helped Love with a number of things, including throwing the ball into the nets. Green Bay’s second round pick, RB AJ Dillon from Boston College, looks to be a promising rookie who can run over defenders (like he did with the blocking sleds in training camp). LB Kamal Martin, who was selected in round 5 from Minnesota, also had a promising training camp. Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury that will keep him out for 6-8 weeks. Even with that, I hope that Martin, plus every other draft pick (including TE Josiah Deguara and Guard Jon Runyan) contribute positively for Green Bay in the years to come.
Prior to training camp, all of the offseason workouts and meetings were done virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For a while, there was a sense that the NFL season might not start on time. Thankfully the league and the players association worked out on an agreement to play football. Some of the new guidelines for the season include daily testing for players and staff, social distancing (plus plexiglass) in the locker rooms, masks required in indoor areas, and the ban on jersey swaps after games (which I am ok with). From the start, training camp felt different this year. For one thing, no fans were allowed to attend the practices (though some peeked under the tarp that covered the fence). The lack of fans also eliminated the tradition of players riding kids’ bikes to practice (which hopefully comes back next July). For the most part, the players are being smart when they are not on the practice field. I hope that there are no players around the NFL that get infected with COVID-19 during the season.
As for the season, I have plenty of high hopes for the Packers to do well and contend for the Super Bowl. A lot can happen from year to year in the NFL for every team, including Green Bay. I have plenty of confidence that the offense will do great things in Matt Lafleur’s second season of running it. Despite not getting a receiver in the draft, I have no doubt that Rodgers will have plenty of targets to throw to, including Davante Adams, Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams, Marcedes Lewis, and Allen Lazard. Hopefully the running game is very productive for the Packers to have a balanced offensive attack. As long as the offensive line protects Aaron Rodgers (even with Billy Turner’s injury), then everything will be fine for the offense. Defensively, I am excited for year 2 of the pass rush that is led by Preston and Za’Darius Smith, plus Kenny Clark (who got a contract extension during training camp). I also hope that Rashan Gary and Darnell Savage make big jumps in their second years in the NFL. I am nervous for the inside linebackers room due to injuries, but I am sure the defense will improve in stopping the run this season. On special teams, Mason Crosby is back for another couple of years to make clutch kicks in big games. JK Scott is back for the Packers as their punter, and I hope that he has a great year. Hopefully the Packers have a few kickoffs and punts returned for a touchdown this season. The biggest thing for everyone is to stay healthy and avoid silly penalties during the year.
Stay tuned for next week, when I start the season posts in bulk. Here’s to a fully played 2020 NFL season for every team. It will be weird for Lambeau Field to not have fans for the first 2 games (at least), but I am sure the Packers will still have a home-field advantage in some way. Have a great day, everyone. Go Pack Go!
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