Packers TE Tucker Kraft claps back after Matt LaFleur calls him out for fumbles

New York Times

6 days ago

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Temperatures are rising at Green Bay Packers training camp, both literally and figuratively.
One of the latest tiffs is between head coach Matt LaFleur and tight end Tucker Kraft.
Kraft has 'fumbled' the football twice over the first week of practice. The first came well after a play ended when safety Javon Bullard punched the ball out of his hands, and safety Xavier McKinney scooped it up. The second came after catching a short pass off a Jordan Love bootleg when safety Evan Williams knocked the ball loose inbounds, but the ball fell out of bounds.
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LaFleur was asked before Tuesday's practice about the offense's overall lackluster ball security through five practices and singled out one player in his answer.
'I got on the guys this morning about exposing the football,' LaFleur said. 'Certainly, we all know what kind of player Tucker Kraft is and can be. He can't allow Evan Williams to reach around and punch a ball out, so it is challenging everybody and hopefully that makes us that much better.'
Kraft had a rather interesting response when asked if he, too, is hard on himself for coughing up the ball in light of LaFleur's comments.
'Um, yeah, sure,' Kraft said. 'It's something we're always working on. I'd say a lot of the times — there's certain rules you play with in practice, like just letting the defense punch repeatedly. You're not allowed to stiff-arm. I guess all I have are excuses. Yes, I am working on not fumbling the ball in practice.'
If you couldn't tell, Kraft's answer carried a heavy dose of sarcasm. Basically, he implied that it's unfair for the defense to be allowed to repeatedly punch at the ball while the offense isn't allowed to stiff arm a defender's face in practice. If Kraft was allowed to utilize one of his strengths in practice, it's likely Williams wouldn't have knocked the ball loose.
'It's a large part of my game,' said Kraft, one of the Packers' breakout players last season and a potential Pro Bowl candidate in 2025. 'I use my off hand as a weapon, repeatedly, all the time. I've shown that, so I get my reps in that when we play games, I guess. … I just play by the rules. I don't make 'em.'
It's obvious Kraft doesn't agree with LaFleur calling him out.
'That's just a 'yes sir, no sir' mentality with coach at this point,' Kraft said. 'You want to obviously keep the ball in the offense's possession as long as possible. Bus fine, in my opinion. Whatever.'
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Bus fine? What's that?
'Throwing somebody under the bus, which he did just do that to me,' Kraft said lightheartedly.
So yes, the Packers' third-year tight end might be calling for his head coach to be fined — not by the league, of course, but by the team — for what he perceived as throwing him under the bus. Is Kraft being serious about fining LaFleur? Probably not. Is he peeved LaFleur called him out? It sure seems like it. Will this linger for an unhealthy amount of time? Most likely not, as it appears to simply be a minor road block during the dog days of summer.
Don't you just love training camp?