With seven games in the books for the Green Bay Packers, head coach Matt LaFleur’s squad is sitting atop the NFC North division standings with a record of 5-1-1. Even though the Packers have established themselves as a heavyweight in the NFC once again, the division is as tough as it comes, with the Detroit Lions (5-2) and the Chicago Bears (4-3) not far behind heading into Week 9.
As a result of the Packers playing in one of the toughest divisions in the league, with little margin for error moving forward, LaFleur isn’t messing around. Players will be judged by their performance, which has been evident, as seen with veteran cornerback Nate Hobbs.
Packers’ Matt LaFleur Sends Bold Message on Nate Hobbs
GettyNate Hobbs #21 of the Green Bay Packers.
During last week’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Hobbs found himself watching from the sideline at times. The veteran corner played only four snaps, which is a season-low total, with Carrington Valentine getting the bulk of the workload.
LaFleur was asked about the situation with Hobbs during media availability on Thursday and seemed to send a poignant message to the 26-year-old.
“I mean, you don’t have much choice,” LaFleur said. “I’d say we only had one practice, and yesterday was primarily a jog through, but I just think there’s a reason we went out and got a guy like that. He’s demonstrated before, and we fully expect that he’ll do it again.
“I think that’s the key for all of these players. No matter what position you play, who you are is can you do it consistently down in and down out. It’s easier said than done in this league because you are going up against a lot of great players, and I think the one thing that makes corners so special is you can play, if there’s 62 snaps in a game, you can play 62 great snaps, and people can talk about the three plays that you got beat or whatever it is.
“You got to have a short memory. No matter what happened on a previous play, move on to the next play. That’s the mentality we want. Not only those guys at that position, but everybody on our team to have.”
It seems as though Hobbs will need to step up his game moving forward, or he may continue to see Valentine get more snaps in games from here on out.
Nate Hobbs Reacts to Benching With Telling Comments
GettyNate Hobbs #21 of the Green Bay Packers reacts as Marvin Harrison Jr. #18 of the Arizona Cardinals.
LaFleur has made it abundantly clear to Hobbs that he needs to improve his play, or he’ll continue to lose time on the field to Valentine at the cornerback position.
Although some players can get rubbed the wrong way by being benched or told they are playing poorly, Hobbs seems to be taking it the right way, with some telling comments about his situation in Green Bay via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.
“Whether I’m out there, whether C.V.’s out there, I’m going to be grateful and bring my best 100 percent to game day,” Hobbs said.
It’ll be interesting to see whether Hobbs can return to form for the Packers moving forward or if Valentine ultimately starts getting the bulk of the snaps for the rest of the season.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Packers HC Matt LaFleur Sends Bold Message on Embattled CB Nate Hobbs appeared first on Heavy Sports.