1 week ago
2
GREEN BAY − Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur met with the media Dec. 31. Following are highlights from his news conference:
Injury updates on Jordan Love, Malik Willis
LaFleur said Jordan Love is not out of concussion protocol yet but will practice Dec. 31. He also said Malik Willis (left shoulder) will be limited in practice.
Advertisement
LaFleur gave no indication of whether he plans to hold out Love from the Jan. 4 game at Minnesota, even if Love is cleared, to ensure his starting quarterback is healthy for the Packers’ wild-card game the following week.
If Love doesn’t play, he’ll have not played in back-to-back games heading into the playoffs.
“I wouldn’t say it’s ideal,” LaFleur said if Love ends up not playing, “but it’s the circumstance, so we’ve got to find a way to make the best of that circumstance. But it just is what it is, there are some things that are out of our control.
“We'd have loved to have had him play vs. Baltimore [last week], and that wasn’t the case. Shoot, we planned for it the majority of the week in regards to how we allocated [practice] reps, and he’s out there and he didn’t clear.”
Advertisement
The Packers signed veteran quarterback Desmond Ridder to their practice squad in case Love and/or Willis doesn’t suit up against the Vikings.
New quarterback Desmond Ridder on hand
Ridder, a fourth-year pro, has played for Atlanta and Las Vegas. He has an 8-10 record as a starter. Ridder’s coach in Atlanta was Arthur Smith, who was on LaFleur’s staff when the latter was offensive coordinator in Tennessee for a season. Packers offensive assistant Luke Getsy was Las Vegas’ offensive coordinator for part of Ridder’s season with the Raiders.
"Luckily for all of us, [Ridder] has had experience in similar systems in regards to, shoot, he was in Vegas last year with Getsy, he’s been in Atlanta with Arthur Smith, and Arthur and I have obviously worked together in Atlanta before,” LaFleur said. “So there is some common language I would say. I was just talking to him, he was in Minnesota [in camp] and I'm sure Kevin [O’Connell] has got some common language we use that dates back to when were at separate times with Sean [McVay] in L.A. He seems like a smart guy, and we’ll see how fast he can pick it up.”
Advertisement
Who will play or not play vs. Vikings?
LaFleur did not reveal what starters, if any, he might rest for this week’s game at Minnesota to make sure they’re healthy for the wild-card playoff round.
He said right tackle Zach Tom (knee) is not “out of the woods” with his injury. LaFleur also said he’s going to have some unscripted periods in practice this week with starters going against starters to keep everyone sharp.
“There’s going to be some starters that aren’t going to play,” LaFleur said. “Shoot, they might not suit up, they might suit up. And then you’re going to have some starters that are going to play. Basically, you guys will find out on Sunday who’s playing.”
Advertisement
He later said: “You always put a lot of thought into it. It's an important decision. Obviously medical is going to drive some of these decisions for us, it is what it is, you’ve just got to make the best of it. You've got to make collectively the best decision what you think puts your team in the best position possible moving forward.”
Injured Zayne Anderson, Nate Hobbs out
LaFleur said it appears safety Zayne Anderson (ankle) and cornerback Nate Hobbs (knee) probably won’t be available for the playoffs after getting injured last week against Baltimore.
This article originally appeared on Packers News: Packers add a quarterback, but who will play vs. Vikings still unclear
English (US) ·