Tucker Kraft with some pointed comments as the locker room got cleaned out on Monday.

So it was locker room cleanout day at 1265 yesterday following the 22-10 loss in Philly Wild Card weekend. I thought there were some interesting exchanges, but this one from Tucker Kraft I found the most compelling.

First things first: An NFL team has a 53-man roster, dozens of coaches, practice squad, etc. These guys are around each other 10+ hours a day from July through January. There are BOUND to be some players that don’t get along in that circumstance. Anyone who has ever worked anywhere knows that not every co-worker gets along. I hate most of staff on the morning show and I’m the writer, producer and host. So I don’t think there’s any reason to fly off of the handle when you hear comments like this and scream, ‘DISSENSION IN THE LOCKER ROOM” from the top of your lungs.

That said, I got the vibe from several different players yesterday that there were potentially some jack-wagons in the locker room that no one really enjoyed being around. I appreciate how blunt Kraft was in his assessment and it feels like he is one of the young core that is prepared to be a leader and hold teammates accountable next season.

Other notes from yesterday:

• Jaire Alexander (suspected jack wagon) didn’t want to talk to the media and essentially said, ‘I’m not sure I’m even going to be here next year,’ on his way out. Feels like he’s probably gone next season.
• Jayden Reed and Josh Myers both avoided serious injury on Sunday. Reed won’t need surgery on his shoulder, and it sounds like Myers suffered a hairline fracture instead of something more devastating like an ACL injury. When he went down on Sunday it didn’t look good, and you had to feel for the guy because he is a free agent this offseason looking to sign a nice contract. I’m not sure if the Packers bring him back or not, but at least it sounds like he should be ready to hit the ground running for training camp and this injury shouldn’t impact his open market value.
• Keisean Nixon said he doesn’t want to return kicks anymore and wants to focus on being the #1 cornerback on the team next season. I’ll grant you, I thought he was MUCH better as a boundary corner this season than I ever though he’d be, but him saying he wants to be the #1 corner is like me saying I want to focus on supplanting Joe Rogan as the #1 podcast in the world.

All in all an interesting day at Lambeau Field. One thing I take from this season: As much as I hate seeing my team lose, especially in the playoffs, the vibe I got from the players yesterday and Matt LaFleur today is that this team, while good, was not one that was prepared to take a tangible step toward a title. Seasons like 2011, 2014, or 2020 hurt more when they end because you felt like you had a team that could win a title. I was hopeful that this team could get hot at the right time, but if I’m honest they didn’t have Lombardi Trophy radiating off of their skin all season. The attitudes yesterday and today sort of confirm that this was a young team not quite ready for the brightest of lights.

PS: I know everyone is still in the, ‘FIRE LAFLEUR’ and ‘LOVE STINKS’ head space today, but to reiterate what we said on the podcast yesterday: CHILL. We just wrapped up Year 2 of LaFleur/Love. They won 9 games and a playoff game in Year 1, they won 11 games and lost a playoff game in Year 2. Aaron Rodgers didn’t win anything in the playoffs until they won the title in Year 3. Favre didn’t make the Super Bowl until Year 5. I’m not saying Love is going to be those guys, he may well end up NOT being the guy after the next season or two, but I’m just saying, have a modicum of patience. I know as Packer fans we like to pride ourselves on, ‘SUPER BOWL OR BUST’ every single season for the last 30 years, but we need to attempt to get back into the thought process we were in as Favre was learning and growing and as Rodgers was learning and growing.

Double PS: Brett Favre threw 19 touchdowns and 24 interceptions his second year as a starter. 24 picks! Could you imagine if Twitter and Facebook existed back then?? I’m sure everyone would have wanted Holmgren fired and Mark Brunell as the starter to start 1994.

Triple PS: Sam Darnold finally turned back into a pumpkin and the 14-win Vikings only lasted one day longer than the Packers: