Five Things to Watch at Packers Family Night

One of the Green Bay Packers’ great traditions is Family Night, which will see about 70,000 people fill the stands of Lambeau Field to watch the team practice.

Yes, Allen Iverson, we are talking about practice.

This practice, however, is different.

It’s under the lights. There’s a full audience. It’s the closest simulation to an NFL game before the preseason that any new player in Green Bay can get. Matthew Golden, Aaron Banks and the rest of the newcomers in Green Bay will get just that when the team convenes for practice on Saturday night.

Sometimes, Family Night creates great stories but, make no mistake, this is a practice and about getting ready for the team’s season opener against the Detroit Lions in a little more than a month.

Here are five things we’ll be watching on Family Night.

The Golden Boy

Matthew Golden was going to be one of the storylines of training camp almost regardless of what he did. Golden’s selection as a first-round pick was historic, and so far the play on the field has backed up the fanfare that surrounded him at the time of the draft choice.

Golden has made plays every day and might be the team’s most productive receiver during camp. To be sure, he has had some rookie moments, and there will be more as the season continues. However, his opportunities with the first-team offense are continuing to grow.

 “I think he's done a really nice job with his opportunities. It’s very, very early in the beginning stages, but he’s done a very nice job with his opportunities,” Brian Gutekunst said during his media availability on Tuesday. “I do think being a three-year guy – two years at Houston, one year at Texas – he's young, (but) certainly the exposure at Texas probably was very helpful coming in his ability to succeed at the end of that season.

“I do think sometimes the players we're getting now are a little more accustomed to adjusting quickly, just because there's so much more movement and they bounced around a little bit. So, the ability to adjust, they’ve had that experience already, so that may help him. But he's really smart and another one of our guys that’s adjusted really well.”

While the Packers’ receiver room has a lot of good players in it, nobody has solidified themselves as a bonafide starter that the Packers cannot afford to take off the field.  Golden was always going to have a chance to prove himself. Now, he’s starting to run with it.

“You just really respect his work ethic so far, and I think that’s going to go far in allowing him to just play fast when his opportunity’s called,” Gutekunst said. 

Saturday night will be his first opportunity to make some plays under the lights at Lambeau Field. Expectations from the fans were always going to be astronomical. If he makes a big play or two in front of his home crowd on Saturday, it’s going to be hard to continue to keep those expectations in check.

Left Tackle Competition

During the offseason, the Packers were clear that Jordan Morgan was going to get an opportunity to win the left tackle position.

You’d be forgiven if you were wondering when exactly that competition was supposed to begin. For most of training camp, with left guard Aaron Banks and center Elgton Jenkins sidelined by injuries, Morgan was mostly stationed at guard, just like last year. However, with Rasheed Walker nursing a groin injury, Morgan has taken almost all the No. 1 reps at left tackle the last day-and-a-half.

“I thought he did a nice job,” coach Matt LaFleur said before Friday’s practice. “There’s always going to be a couple plays that we just got to make sure we clean up, and that’s why you practice.”

Walker has been a solid starter for two seasons, but Morgan is a former first-round pick. General manager Brian Gutekunst has a big decision to make on Walker this offseason with his contract set to expire. They also need to find a place for Morgan to play.

Morgan’s performance on Saturday night could be a big indicator of what is to come up front.

Who Pops?

Yes, Saturday night is just another practice.

Unless it isn’t.

Brian Gutekunst has said himself that Saturday’s event is different because of the environment.

“Yeah, Family Night is so unique and we have such an advantage because most teams just can’t put 70,000 in the stands for a practice,” Gutekunst said. “It doesn’t matter what we’re doing on that field; the intensity within our players immediately ratchets up.