ORLANDO — Packers president Mark Murphy stated Tuesday that the NFL is deciding between the Packers and Browns to face the Eagles in Brazil subsequent season.
Philadelphia is the designated residence group for the league’s first-ever sport in Brazil, which will likely be performed in São Paulo on the Friday evening of Week 1 and be televised on Peacock. Inexperienced Bay is scheduled to be the away group in a sport towards the Eagles and that sport may very well be performed overseas as a substitute of in Philadelphia. The Packers performed in another country for the primary time in 2022 after they had been the “residence group” towards the Giants in London.
Although the Packers seem to have a major fanbase in Brazil, Murphy identified one potential disadvantage within the league sending the Packers there. Be happy to guage for your self how a lot of a disadvantage it really is.
“We’re very supportive of worldwide play,” Murphy instructed native reporters on the NFL’s annual league assembly. “The one challenge with Inexperienced Bay, although, are the scale of our airport and the scale of our runway and we wanna make it possible for we’re not at a aggressive drawback when it comes to how lengthy it’s gonna take us to get to Brazil. There’s some thought that we would need to bus to Milwaukee after which fly, simply a few of these issues. And I anticipate in all probability throughout the week we’ll discover out, so it’s both us or Cleveland. In the event that they select us, then we’ll welcome it. It’ll be thrilling. It’ll be the primary sport ever in Brazil and it’ll be thrilling, however wanna make it possible for a few of these issues are labored out.”
New kickoff rule
The NFL permitted a brand new hybrid kickoff rule by a 29-3 vote Tuesday. The main points of it are right here:
Right here’s the ultimate abstract on the NFL Hybrid Kickoff that house owners permitted in the present day on a one-year trial foundation. pic.twitter.com/FYKaytdwka
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 26, 2024
The Packers had been one of many three groups to vote towards the rule, which two-time defending first-team All-Professional kick returner Keisean Nixon loves.
lol Go Forward And Approve That KR Rule And Ima Go Again to Again to Again…. #K9
— K9 (@keiseannixon) March 20, 2024
“Our challenge was that it was such a significant change,” Murphy stated. “My thought, our thought, was it could make sense actually to have perhaps as a trial or as an experiment within the preseason to see what — there’s gonna be some unintended penalties. I simply felt it made sense to have a trial. However that stated, it handed. I believe it was overwhelming. It was like 29-3. Yeah, we’ll be very supportive of it and now we have one of many higher kick returners within the league, so we’ll put that to our benefit.”
New kicker
After normal supervisor Brian Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFleur spoke in Orlando, agent Brett Tessler introduced on X that the Packers signed his shopper, kicker Greg Joseph. Whereas we don’t get to listen to from Gutekunst or LaFleur on including a kicker, Inexperienced Bay now has a veteran one to compete with second-year kicker Anders Carlson, who struggled down the stretch final season and missed a vital kick within the Packers’ eventual season-ending Divisional Spherical loss to the 49ers.
Joseph, 29, has been within the league since 2018 and kicked for the Browns, Titans and most lately the Vikings for the final three seasons. He’s a profession 82.6-percent field-goal kicker (100-for-121) with a 22-of-30 clip from 40-49 yards and a 16-of-28 clip from 50-plus. Joseph made 24-of-30 field-goal makes an attempt final season. He’s additionally a profession 146-of-162 on PATs and went 36-of-38 on additional factors final season whereas Carlson led the NFL in missed PATs as a rookie.
Security valve
Gutekunst stated the Packers extensively scouted Xavier McKinney at Alabama earlier than he turned a Giants second-round decide in 2020 and “favored him fairly a bit” popping out of faculty. Now, McKinney is Inexperienced Bay’s prized free-agent signing after the Giants, maybe surprisingly, didn’t tag the 24-year-old forward of free company.
“I simply assume he’s a novel participant to come back out there,” Gutekunst stated. “He’s 24 years previous, one of many high safeties within the sport, a man who could be a game-changing-type participant. He actually sort of suits a bit of little bit of the standards we’re searching for in a free agent, not solely as a participant however as a frontrunner again there. Clearly, extensively scouted him by way of school and favored him fairly a bit popping out. He’s performed nothing in his time within the NFL to vary that. Once more, not a whole lot of these guys turn out to be out there, so after they do, I believe it’s vital for us at all times to go down that street to see if we are able to purchase him.”
Xavier McKinney says Jordan Love performed a “large issue” in him becoming a member of the Packers.
“You want an elite quarterback to have the ability to also have a likelihood and I imagine he’s an elite quarterback.” pic.twitter.com/eXuO77mzrp
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) March 15, 2024
McKinney offers new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley a cornerstone of his protection and the free security (and versatile defensive again able to enjoying three positions in the course of the secondary) that Hafley’s one-high defenses are predicated on.
“I believe you depend on the security for thus many issues,” LaFleur stated. “Initially, simply the communication on the again finish’s completely vital, ensuring we get all 11 on the identical web page and that’s normally the final line of protection. You get previous the security, there’s no person left. And I really like simply his capability to make performs on the ball … you’ve seen it over the course of his profession, however particularly, two performs that stick out to me had been in that Philly sport the place he makes an unbelievable interception on the sideline after which the very subsequent play they attempt to run a display and he dissects the display and jumps in entrance and picks off the ball. Like back-to-back performs with two interceptions. Any time you may have a man who can take the ball away, I imply that simply is what you’re searching for in all of your gamers, particularly on the defensive facet of the ball.”
When requested if he desires to pair McKinney with a veteran or younger man, Gutekunst stated he’d at all times want a youthful participant together with his greatest soccer forward of him however will weigh all choices. Gutekunst stated he thinks this yr’s draft has a “fairly good” security class.
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Nixon returning
Whereas the Packers’ two largest free-agent signings got here from outdoors the group in Jacobs and McKinney, Gutekunst stated re-signing Nixon was a “excessive precedence” and that having stability on the nickel cornerback place with Nixon offers him peace.
Nixon is greatest identified for his All-Professional kick returner capability, however he performed the third-most defensive snaps on the group final season in by far essentially the most defensive enjoying time of his five-year profession.
“He did such a very good job for us in his first yr as a beginning nickel and enjoying that many snaps on protection,” Gutekunst stated. “We actually assume his greatest soccer is forward of him. We’re excited for what he can do for our protection. I believe bringing in Jeff Hafley and giving him a while to review Keisean and make it possible for that was a match was vital. He’s very excited to have him again, as effectively. Definitely, the kick return stuff was an added a part of this. Having some stability inside our secondary, I believe the nickel place, on the whole, has turn out to be increasingly more vital in our league. And having a man who can do a number of issues there, not solely cowl however be an instinctual man who can take the ball away and in addition play towards the run simply due to how a lot these guys are concerned.”
LaFleur added that new defensive passing sport coordinator Derrick Ansley and returning defensive backs coach Ryan Downard had been “actually excited” about watching Nixon’s 2023 tape at nickel.
“He’s an enormous man for the place — he’s 200 kilos or no matter,” LaFleur stated. “His willingness to slot in the run suits, whether or not it’s an A-gap or B-gap, stick his nostril in there after which additionally his capability to play man protection. Definitely, there’s going to be some components to our scheme which might be going to be completely different. He’s going to need to be taught the brand new scheme. He’s performed on this fashion of system earlier than with the Raiders when Gus Bradley was there, so he’s aware of a few of the issues which might be going to be requested (of) him.”
Murphy’s regulation
After the Packers’ annual shareholders assembly in July, Murphy stated we had been about to see extra of LaFleur’s actual offense with Jordan Love on the helm. What did the boss in Inexperienced Bay consider Love’s debut season beginning?
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“I believe fairly rattling good,” Murphy stated with a chuckle. “I’m actually glad for clearly Jordan, the way in which he performed, and never solely the extent he performed at — particularly because the season acquired on, he simply appeared to get increasingly more assured — however his management. We noticed that all through the offseason and definitely in the course of the season, so I’m actually, actually happy with the way in which he’s performed and I simply assume the long run is admittedly vibrant.”
Murphy is equally as happy with the roles LaFleur and Gutekunst have performed in serving to the Packers get to the place they at the moment stand.
“It’s been nice,” Murphy stated. “When you had instructed me a yr in the past we’d be right here within the playoffs — we misplaced to the 49ers, however we had been in that place — yeah, I can’t say sufficient good issues about each Matt and Brian and Russ Ball (govt VP and director of soccer operations) is a key a part of that, as effectively, however the way in which Matt and Brian work collectively, it actually bodes effectively for the long run.”
Packers president Mark Murphy: “I can’t say sufficient good issues about each Matt and Brian and Russ Ball is a key a part of that, as effectively.” pic.twitter.com/T2mA7IC41x
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) March 26, 2024
(Picture: Larry Radloff / Icon Sportswire through Getty Photos)