The Packers Have Seen the Good and the Bad from This New Player Early in Training Camp

The Green Bay Packers practiced in pads for the first time on Monday and already the team has learned a lot about their rookies and the other new additions to the roster. But there is one recent addition who has stood out early and has been subject to both praise and criticism because of how he has approached practice. We are one week into training camp and the Packers have already seen the good and the bad from this new player.

The Packers Have Seen the Good and the Bad from this New Player: The Incident in Question

The incident in question revolves around the physical play of cornerback Nate Hobbs who started hitting players on Friday, before the Packers were even practicing in pads. Hobbs made a hit on wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks in practice that succeeded in breaking up the pass but also left Wicks on the turf well past the end of the play. He was slow to get up although eventually emerged as OK.

“It happened twice today, but it’s all good,” Wicks said when asked about the incident. “We’re football players at the end of the day. We’re going to have to take some hits, but it’s cool. I’m good.” He later added, “Some guys got a different type motor, and everybody ain’t the same when we’re competing and going for the ball.”

The fact that this happened not just once but twice was a cause for concern and head coach Matt LaFleur addressed it at his press conference before Sunday’s practice.

“This is what I told him: I don’t think it’s malicious,” LaFleur explained. “I think it’s one of the things and one of the qualities that we really admired about him, is how he competes. It’s just, we talk about competing for the football. We just don’t want to go through a person, whoever that person is, to make a play on the ball. I don’t mind him going through the hands. We just don’t want him going through the body because that’s how you end up with people on the ground. We’d all be sick to our stomach if somebody got hurt.”

Lesson Not Learned

While LaFleur was clear that he wanted Hobbs to tone it down a notch in practice, that message was clearly not received. On Monday, the Packers practiced with pads for the first time and Hobbs continued to hit his own teammates with gusto.

Hobbs made a physical tackle on running back MarShawn Lloyd which caused the second-year man to limp off the field. He was held out of the rest of practice that day. Lloyd was limited to just one game last season due to injuries and is hoping to play a substantial role in the offense this season.

So, LaFleur responded by having Hobbs sit out a few plays and gave him a chance to collect his thoughts.

“He sat me for a second, put me in timeout,” Hobbs said. “Let me think about my decisions. And I thought about it real good. It wasn’t an intentional decision like, ‘Oh, I’m going to tackle him.’”

Hobbs did speak to Lloyd after practice. “I told him, ‘Man, it’s all love, bro,’” Hobbs explained. “It was truly, truly an accident and next time I’ll tag off on him and let him go about his way.”

The Packers Have Seen the Good and the Bad from this New Player: Looking Forward

As LaFleur explained, the Packers do like Hobbs’ attitude and physical approach to the game. He just has to know when to lay off in practice so as not to injure any of his teammates.

Hobbs physical style has often caused him to miss time due to injuries. The 6’0”, 195-pound Illinois alum has only played a full season’s worth of games once in his four seasons in the NFL.

Hopefully, Hobbs will continue to play physically but will not hurt himself or any of his teammates in practice.

The Packers signed the former Raiders star to a four-year contract worth a total of $48 million. He will likely see time both on the boundary and in the slot. Hobbs is expected to play a significant role in the defense as one of the top three cornerbacks on the roster.

He just needs to know when to ease up a bit in practice.