Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur heard the gripes that Pro Bowl cornerback Keisean Nixon said about being punished for being in a competition. LaFleur was asked about the comments and was able to turn it into a learning moment about his coaching style.
As he sees it, if Nixon is being punished for having to compete for a spot, then the whole team is being punished because everyone that LaFleur coaches competes.
“The way I look at it is, I guess our whole team is being punished because everybody is in a competition,” LaFleur stated. “I’m a big believer that competition will bring the best out of people. I want everybody to play with a chip on their shoulder; if they feel they have something to prove, you’re probably going to get more out of them.”
Green Bay Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur Responds to Cornerback Keisean Nixon
LaFleur noted that he does not think that what Nixon said was a shot at him or the coaches, and he chose not to read too much into the comments. The Packers head coach made it clear that he still loves the cornerback, even if he is making him earn a chance.
“I love Kei, he’s been awesome since the day he’s been here,” said LaFleur. “I don’t read any of that stuff. I’m not going to micromanage what everybody says.
He said that even if Nixon is frustrated, it will not change his coaching style.
“If he feels a certain type of way, it is what it is, but I do think it’s a benefit to the team to have people that you feel are capable to go in there to play, and we’ll all be better for that,” said LaFleur. “If it’s a corner, the offensive line, really every position—you better come to compete each and every day if you want to be out there.”
LaFleur turned his comments into a warning for the entire team. Nixon is not being picked on, and any player can be taken from their starting spot so that the team can give a competing player a chance.
Nixon Enters Cornerback Competition
The comments by Nixon came after he was demoted from the starting spot to the second team. Green Bay decided to look at the new acquisitions, Benjamin St-Juste and Brandon Cisse, together, and it involved pushing Nixon down to the second spot.
The moves also happened to coincide with Nixon missing a big tackle in the preseason opening loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. This could be where the discussion around him being punished stems from. However, LaFleur cleared things up that this was always the plan.
It is worth noting that LaFleur did not say that Nixon has lost his job, or that either of the other two were on their way to taking it. He was saying the team will always try things out. This is a bit different than his comments on Aaron Banks, who is being pushed for the starting left guard spot.
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