:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70359125/1349003092.0.jpg)
The Green Bay Packers have a game to play on Sunday, but the result of the contest is entirely meaningless for the team’s playoff positioning. With the Packers locking in a first-round bye, they hold all the cards in the NFC and can head into Detroit this weekend with the goal of staying fresh, healthy, and as rust-free as possible.
Avoiding distractions is also another admirable goal, one that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have failed to achieve this week. But offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett has been determined not to let an impending job interview affect his current work and his current team, at least while they were still fighting for that playoff bye.
Now that they locked in the 1-seed, Hackett has scheduled his interview with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team that unceremoniously fired him during an ugly 2018 season when he was their OC and playcaller. Here’s a note from Hackett’s press conference on Thursday discussing the interview schedule:
Nathaniel Hackett confirms he will have head coaching interview with Jaguars next week during #Packers' first-round bye. He says it was important to not schedule interview before No. 1 seed was wrapped up. "It' absolutely an honor to be able to be considered for this," he says.
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) January 6, 2022
That’s an admirable move from Hackett, focusing on his current team and immediate goals before looking ahead to that interview. With him now set to interview next week, here’s a look at what NFL teams should try to do when hiring coaches (good job in following these suggestions back in 2019, Packers!) and a few other bits of Packers-related news heading into the final weekend of the regular season.
Dear NFL owners, don’t screw up your next head coach hire! Here are 10 guidelines to follow – The Athletic
As far as the individual qualities of the coach go, it seems from what we know of Hackett that he would check off every box.
Packers go two straight days without adding a player to COVID-19 list | Packersnews.com
It's a clear sign of the state of affairs around the NFL that this is the case and is something notable enough to write a full post on. Here's hoping that Jaire Alexander can come off the list in time to practice today -- and perhaps play on Sunday? -- and that David Moore does the same.
Former Packers great Donald Driver chosen for induction into Black College Football Hall of Fame | Packers.com
Congratulations to the man they call Quickie for this great honor! A product of Alcorn State, an HBCU, Driver remains the Packers' career leader in catches and receiving yards.
Davante Adams, Aaron Rodgers Power Packers' Red-Zone Improvement - Sports Illustrated
The Packers' red zone offense still has its concerns, but it has been markedly better in the past six games (64% TD rate) than the first ten this season (53%). Why? Perhaps it's as simple as more targets for Adams inside the 20 -- he has 15 targets in the last six against just 12 total in the first ten.
Local Politician Very Sorry For Trying To Pull Down Referee's Pants | Defector
The man who attempted the pantsing is a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, and he got big mad over a call involving his son's high school basketball team. The funniest part of the story might be the end of his apology: "I was bad wrong."
Loading comments...