“That was a humbling experience.” It was reality settling in for Matt LaFleur after the Packers‘ preseason opener against the Jets. They finished the game in an embarrassing 30-10 loss, and the HC realized one thing: It’s a long road ahead. “I don’t care preseason, regular season, it doesn’t matter to me. It was just sloppy football,” he continued. And this was the Green Bay starters on the field. Right now, the players don’t look anywhere close to league-ready. Most surprising of all, a former Super Bowl champion is among those making the biggest mistakes.

Return Specialist Mecole Hardman may have just played his way off the roster. Yesterday, the former All-Pro kick returner showed nothing that lived up to his title. He made three negative contributions: A dropped pass, a bizarrely fielded punt at the 5-yard line, and a fumble. It all added up to a 10-point swing on the scoreboard. A disastrous start for the veteran who was hoping to claim a spot in LaFleur’s 53. He is easily the most experienced of the WRs in the Packers’ locker room, but his first game might just be his last.

Matt LaFleur did not go easy on Hardman either. Jason B. Hirschhorn took to X to post the HC’s comments, “Packers HC Matt LaFleur on Mecole Hardman fielding a punt inside the 5-yard line and the muffed punt: ‘Those were obviously two bad decisions.'” It was a game to forget for Hardman. He is vying for the sixth and final spot in the roster, with Matthew Golden, Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, and Savion Williams being roster locks, but his future is looking bleak at the moment.

In a crowded WR corps, his ability in the special teams is one thing he has ahead of the others. Without that quality, they wouldn’t consider him for the backup receiver spot. He was already in a precarious position, but with games like this, his chances are slipping further away. Matt LaFleur’s complaints were never-ending: “Too many penalties, drops, missed tackles, bad decision-making. And it really showed up in every phase of football. And if you do that, you’re going to get your ass kicked, and that’s exactly what happened.”

The margin for error is razor-thin, and unless Hardman cleans up his game quickly, he could find himself on the outside looking in when roster cuts arrive.

Matt LaFleur addresses losing game plan

The game kept getting worse for the Packers. Continuing a trend from last year, the Packers had difficulties catching the football as Malik Heath had an ugly drop, and Israel Abanikanda dropped a screen pass. Julian Hicks also had a ball go right through his hands. And of course, Hardman. But the biggest issue for the green and gold was the holding penalties they kept conceding.

“All those penalties were a major problem, and it’s hard to get into any type of rhythm when you’re having multiple penalties,” LaFleur said. “You have a short-yardage situation, third-and-1, it looks like it’s going to be an easy first down, and you get called for holding. You just can’t have those.” The team conceded seven penalties altogether. Those mistakes stalled drives, flipped momentum, and handed the Jets free opportunities. And LaFleur has made it clear that discipline isn’t an option.

He has stressed how important discipline is in the modern game before. “There’s going to be a huge emphasis, I would say, going into next season, about how we handle ourselves. Not only does it look bad, but it hurts the team. We can’t have it.” The Packers have struggled with penalties before, and it doesn’t look like much progress has been made. Matt LaFleur will need to find a way to address this. After all, the game yesterday saw the Jets with the ball for 39/60 minutes. If this is an issue that keeps propping up once the regular season starts, it will be an exhausting year for the Cheeseheads. But hey, at least Jordan Love, who scored just 1-of-5 for 7 yards, remains hopeful, “it’s Week 1 of preseason, so we’re not going to rush to any conclusions.“