GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers leave Thursday for London and their game there Sunday against the New York Giants.
Both teams are 3-1.
This is an unusual week for the Packers. London is 3,839 miles from Green Bay.
The detail-oriented head coach Matt LaFleur said how he’s handling this week.
“I’m not going to give you my honest answer,” LaFleur said with a smile. “I’d rather refrain. It feels like a Thursday night game for us as coaches, just in terms of all the preparation you gotta do, but you just do it. I think the whole point of when you go over there is to try to, at least with your preparation schedule, try to stay as consistent as you would on a normal week, even though it’s nothing like a normal week.”
LaFleur’s quarterback is taking a looser approach.
“It’s going to be fun to get over there,” said Aaron Rodgers. “I’m expecting a higher percentage of Packers fans than Giants fans, even though the Giants are on the East Coast. Excited to be over there and feel the environment and those European sports fans. I’m sure we’ll have some fun with some of those interactions. Really excited to get over there. I know a lot of us are. We’re obviously trying to figure out how to get some sleep tomorrow night, but once we’re there, we’re going to make the most of our time.”
Rodgers has done just about everything in his 18 years with the Packers. Yet Sunday in London will be the first time he’ll play in a regular season international game.
“From what we’ve been talking about, you stay up as late as you can on Friday, and then, hopefully, it starts to fall into place,” Rodgers said. “But there’s no excuses. We’ll be trying to sleep on the way out, and then go through the process on Friday, and then try and sleep Friday night. Hopefully feel a little bit more rested. Saturday have a normal day-ish, whatever that means, and get some sleep on Saturday. But both teams are dealing with the same issues. And, you know, we’ll be excited to get over there.”
Sleeping on the plane to London seems to be a key.
“I could sleep anywhere,” said Packers defensive lineman Kenny Clark. “When I get on a flight, I’m knocked out. It’s going to be crazy, because we’re playing [at 8:30] in the morning. That’s going to be different. Part of that is exciting, too. Just the challenge of being able to wake up and get right to playing.”
For LaFleur, who says what he’s looking forward to most about the trip is “playing the game”, he just wants to get out of London with a victory. This is not a field trip for kids.
“Hopefully, you can go back in the offseason,” said LaFleur. “Certainly, you’re not going to lock them in their rooms or anything like that. Guys gotta understand, they’re professionals and they’ve got a job to do and you’ve got to be disciplined in how you go about your business. I truly believe the team that handles the trip the best is going to put themselves in the best position to win the game.”
Packers kicker Mason Crosby wants to balance enjoying the unique experience with accomplishing the primary goal of winning.
“That’s our focus this whole week,” said Crosby. “Going, but this is Week 5 and we need to go get a win against another good NFC opponent. That’s going to be first and foremost. Then, trying to handle all the stuff. I’m a huge soccer fan. I’ve heard nothing but great things about the venue there. Tottenham Stadium just seems to be really exceptional. So I’m excited to go and see that.”
On the injury front, cornerback Jaire Alexander was listed as a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice. He missed last Sunday’s game with a groin injury. Safety Adrian Amos was the only Packers player not able to practice after a concussion.