GREEN BAY – While Head Coach Matt LaFleur left the door "pretty open" for Jordan Love to start at quarterback Sunday if he's medically cleared, the Packers are proceeding full speed ahead to get Malik Willis ready to face the Indianapolis Colts.
Willis, acquired via trade from Tennessee at the end of training camp, hasn't even been in Green Bay three weeks, so the challenge confronting him and the Packers goes beyond the garden variety backup QB scenario.
"The reality is I just got here, so it's gonna be a little bit in overdrive," Willis said of studying the playbook and upcoming game plan. "It's been pretty much around the clock since I got here. You try to come in and be ready to go if you're called upon."
To his credit, Willis doesn't seem fazed by the emergency assignment or difficult circumstances. He revealed his calm, collected nature when asked about being nervous by replying, "Nervous about what? … It's Wednesday."
That answer also spoke to Willis having his own process he follows to prepare to play, which LaFleur emphasized is the difference between working with a rookie or first-time starter and a player with Willis' NFL experience, as limited as it is.
Part of that process with the coaches will be reviewing the game plan after three days of practice reps, and prioritizing what feels good and not so good to him heading into the weekend.
"He's got to communicate to us and let us know where he's at," LaFleur said. "Certainly we'll go through it and comb it at the end of the week and probably 'X' out some things if he's not very comfortable with it, and star the things that he really likes.
"I'm confident that he'll tell me if he's uncomfortable with something."
The Colts defense Willis will be facing had a tough time stopping the run in Week 1 vs. Houston, allowing more than 200 yards on the ground. From the Packers' perspective, it's not as easy as just counting on running the ball successfully, though, because the Colts will focus on fixing their biggest weakness from the opener.
They also know the unusual circumstances Willis is in and will plan accordingly. One change-up the Packers could throw is dialing up designed runs for the 6-1, 225-pound Willis, who rushed for 95 yards in his three starts for Tennessee as a rookie.
Whatever the case, Willis' offensive mates know just as much falls on them as their potential new starting QB to find some measure of offensive rhythm despite the major change.
"It's everybody being on the same page, really listening to the game plan from the coaches," tight end Tucker Kraft said. "It's going to be a big game for each individual on offense to be locked into the game plan."
Added receiver Dontayvion Wicks: "Yeah, we all can help him, doing our 1/11th, whether that's blocking for him, getting open or getting the ball. It's all on us. I think our receivers want to help. We will."
Willis is no stranger to having to learn new things quickly. He played for multiple offensive coordinators during his two-plus years in Tennessee, so he adopted helpful study habits to translate a playbook's language, process any new concepts, and "connect the dots" to past experiences.
He's focused on taking this excursion one day at a time while fully aware there's a cram-session element to it for an opportunity he never could've seen coming three weeks ago, when he was still in Nashville with the team that drafted him in the third round in 2022.
"I've only played three games and I was a rookie, call it what you want to … I wasn't ready yet," Willis said. "But I had to go in and I'm a different player than then.
"It's not about what you know, it's about what you can prove on the field. You know what I mean?"
