Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur spoke on Wednesday before the day’s practice, the one reporters had been waiting for: Micah Parsons’ first time on the field with his teammates since the knee injury that ended his last season. “He’ll just be limited to individual,” LaFleur said of how much the star edge rusher will do. Later, asked how he keeps Parsons from pushing too hard, he said, “I think he’s been cleared to go full go in regards to what he’s doing out there. So I think just how they limit him in his ability, where it’s just individual. But I expect him to go when he’s out there.”
The Packers are 5-3 and play the New England Patriots on Sunday, November 8, at 4:25 p.m. ET, which is 11:25 p.m. in Cairo.
“A generational talent”
Asked what it means to prepare for a player of Parsons’ caliber, even though it has been a few years since LaFleur had to coach against him, the coach framed it from the other sideline. “He’s a generational talent,” LaFleur said. “He definitely flips the favor of the field into your court in regards to his ability to win his one-on-ones. And I think, like we saw a year ago, the thing that impressed me most about him was his impact in the run game as well. So he’s a dominant force.”
On what it means for the team’s morale to get him back on the field, LaFleur was upbeat. “I think it’s great. I think it’s been a long time coming, and he’s put a lot of effort and work into this,” he said. “To get him back out there will be a big boost for our team.” Pressed again later on the mood in the building, he pointed to the road Parsons has taken. “It’s a big boost when you get, especially after watching what he’s gone through, the journey he’s gone through, the amount of work he’s gone through to get to this point,” LaFleur said. “It’s been a long road, but he’s put in the work. A lot of people in our building have done a great job with him, and we’ll just see where it goes.”
He did not give a date for Parsons’ return to games. “We’ll just take it one day at a time and hopefully he’ll be ready to go sooner than later,” he said, adding that the medical staff will be “all over” Parsons’ workload.
Why the pass rush has worked without him
A reporter noted that the Packers have piled up sacks even though Parsons has not played, and asked how. LaFleur credited the line and the defensive coordinator. “I think the guys up front have been doing a nice job, and I think JG has been aggressive at times and has put some of our guys in some pretty good matchups or getting free runners,” he said. “So I would say it’s a combination of everything, just the scheme and then our guys being able to go out there and win.”
Would Parsons make the blitz packages and simulated pressures even better? “Sure,” LaFleur said. “It’s going to lead to more one-on-one opportunities, and then teams have got to make a decision of where you slide in the front. So I definitely think that’ll come into play. It’ll be a challenge for us, but it’ll be a good challenge. It’ll be a challenge for the opposition as well.”
He also described the balance in how to attack. “Do you want to just say, here we go, we’re going to four-man rush, or are we still going to present some of those challenging looks, which at times, if it does get picked up, you get exposed because you’ve got guys running out in coverage where you might have one-on-one opportunities on the perimeter,” he said. “So there is that balance.”
Franklin “making a lot of progress,” and the depth chart
On linebacker Zaire Franklin, who has missed the last two games, LaFleur said he is not practicing yet but is moving forward. “He’s making a lot of progress, though,” he said. “Hopeful sooner than later.” He said the staff will have more options on defense once the group is healthy. “The more players you have, the more flexibility you would have,” LaFleur said. “So when we get all those guys back and healthy, I think that’ll be great for us.”
Asked whether the offensive line is still fluid, he declined to hand over the plan. “I’m not going to give you the game plan, if that’s what you’re looking for,” he said. “Every day is an opportunity for all these guys to go out there and show what they can do. And at the end of the day, we’ve got to make the decision that we think is going to put us in the best position to go win a football game.”
What he sees in the Patriots
On New England’s defense, LaFleur said: “I think they’re a salty bunch. They do a great job of being able to take the ball away. They’re always punching at the ball. All their guys, their back end, their linebackers have great ball skills, and I think they’re really, really good up front in terms of how they rush the passer. You can see the physicality on tape. It’s all over the tape. So our guys have got to get their mind right.”
Asked whether he has to be extra careful with cornerback Christian Gonzalez, LaFleur called him “a dynamic player” and added that he has gone against Carlton Davis a bunch in the past, too. “When those two guys have been healthy, it definitely looks different,” he said. “Those two guys are really good players. And the thing that you know going against New England, they do a good job of game planning you up and making it a challenge for whatever offense they see.”
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