GREEN BAY – Head Coach Matt LaFleur doesn't have any magic method for reducing the Packers' penalties, but he's focused on the only thing a coach can – fundamentals.
It's not a sexy, attention-grabbing solution fans would like to hear after the Packers have been flagged 26 times for 196 yards through three games. But rest assured, the infractions are being discussed in the film room, and those discussions will carry over to the practice field this week.
"We've had some costly penalties that have shown up in every game and it's going to come back to bite us if we don't get it cleaned up," LaFleur said. Monday. "We address it every day, but certainly talked about it again today. We've just got to get back to practicing with good fundamentals."
Paying attention to detail goes along with that, as the types of penalties the Packers have been called for run the gamut.
In addition to multiple offensive holdings and illegal use of hands, illegal shift/motion and illegal formation fouls have been called on both the offense and the punt unit. Ineligible man downfield has been flagged multiple times, too, along with an offensive pass interference.
Those penalties have factored into Green Bay's struggles in the red zone, as the Packers have scored touchdowns on just three of 10 possessions that have cracked the opponents' 20-yard line.
On Sunday in Tennessee, the offense actually was able to overcome three penalties on one drive and still score points, kicking a field goal at the end of the first half. But it's hard not to figure 25 yards in infractions contributed to the drive eventually stalling inside the 10.
The offense statistically gained 92 yards on that drive in order to move 67 and get three points.
"We just gotta clean little things up," lineman Elgton Jenkins said after Sunday's game. "If we do that, we'll be an even better team. I had two (penalties) myself. You feel me? I have to clean my mistakes up. We definitely will be a better team. Just have to go and focus a little bit more at practice, hone into the details a little more."
Some of the holding calls are tough, as an offensive lineman can legally engage with the defender by grabbing him in the upper torso, only to have the opponent change direction, which makes the grab restrictive and therefore illegal.
But again, that comes down to fundamentals.
"We've got to be better with our technique," LaFleur said.
"If your hands are outside the framework, there's a good chance you're going to get called. You've got to keep your hands tight. We always teach that, and then when you feel a guy trying to peel away from you, you've got to let him go."
The offense isn't the only group at fault, though. A defensive holding penalty proved costly in the season-opening loss to the Eagles in Brazil, as did an illegal contact foul in the secondary, though replay showed it was a highly questionable call.
Against the Titans, an offside call for lining up in the neutral zone negated a third-down sack that would've forced a field-goal attempt. Instead Tennessee continued its opening drive and scored a touchdown, making the penalty worth four points.
Small details, big impact.
"That's a big part of it, just being dialed in each and every play," LaFleur said.
