GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur had his tongue firmly planted in cheek as he discussed how he would make sure his players avoid fights in their joint practice with the Arizona Cardinals.
“If there’s an issue, I’m going to tell the guys, ‘Hey, you come tag me in. They can tag in my brother. And we’ll throw down on the 50,’” LaFleur joked on Monday.
Wednesday’s joint practice at Green Bay will mark the first time the LaFleur
brothers have coached against each other since Mike LaFleur was hired as the Cardinals’ coach. They’ll also meet Friday in a preseason game at Lambeau Field.
Matt LaFleur was asked about his parents’ potential divided loyalties this week.
“They’ll probably look like a Christmas tree — green and red,” he said.
The LaFleurs have been on opposing sidelines plenty of times, including when the New York Jets had joint practices with the Packers at Green Bay in 2021. Mike LaFleur was an offensive coordinator with the Jets from 2021-22 and Los Angeles Rams from 2023-25.
Now, they're both head coaches.
Mike LaFleur said the desire to have a joint practice in Green Bay wasn’t necessarily because of the family ties. He just wanted cooler weather than the Cardinals get in Arizona.
“If we could have gone to Seattle to go against them, that would be great,” he said. “Well, they’re in our division, so we’re not going to Seattle. There’s no team in Canada yet. And you’d rather not go all the way out to Buffalo, just from a travel standpoint. So you think about that next closest team to get you out of the heat, it really is Green Bay.”
The 39-year-old Mike LaFleur said he also spoke with the Minnesota Vikings shortly after Arizona hired him, but they already had scheduled their joint practices.
He appreciates the opportunity to work out in a town with Green Bay’s football tradition. The Cardinals plan to ride bicycles from their locker room to the practice field while accompanied by children, just as the Packers do each day during training camp.
“There’s a ton of fans there,” Mike LaFleur said. “I mean, it’s Green Bay. What else are you going to do?”
Both coaches said there are advantages to facing each other because of the trust that exists between them.
Matt LaFleur, who is 46, noted that the Packers conducted joint practices with Houston in 2019 and were careful about what they showed because the Texans’ staff included John Pagano, the brother of then-Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano.
“But I think when it comes to this situation, I don’t have any hesitation or reservations,” the Packers coach said.
Those family ties also should assure that each staff delivers similar warnings to their teams this week as fighting in joint practices comes under scrutiny.
The Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints were each fined $500,000 by the NFL last week after their joint practice featured a series of brawls.
“You do want to send the same message to both teams,” Mike LaFleur said. “Let’s call it what it is. These joint practices, flip a coin on what could happen sometimes. Obviously we know the ramifications now, what the league can do as well. I do think that will change some people’s opinions on what the code of conduct should be.
“It’s been good. We’re on the same page with how we’re going to conduct this thing.”
And what did Mike LaFleur think about his older brother’s challenge to square off at midfield if things get out of hand?
“We’ll see what happens,” the Cardinals coach quipped.
Matt LaFleur said DT Warren Brinson will “miss a little bit of time” after tweaking his calf in pregame warmups Friday. The injury prevented Brinson from playing at Denver. … Packers CB Brandon Cisse practiced Monday after a knee issue forced the rookie second-round pick to leave the Broncos game.
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AP Sports Writer David Brandt contributed to this report.
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