Packers have 'energetic day' getting back to work

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So far so good on the virus testing, too, which is far from a given with the players and coaches confined to Green Bay, where the infection rate in the community is among the nation's highest right now.


LaFleur said the position coaches stayed in touch with their players during the time off, as it was a very different bye week with all the restrictions. It made for perhaps an even stronger positive vibe in getting back to work, a notion also fueled by the team's 4-0 start and the desire to keep the momentum going into the season's second quarter.


"I think the guys looked forward to coming back to the building and seeing one another. The camaraderie they have is pretty special," LaFleur said. "It was an energetic day. I liked the mindset and I liked the speed of practice."


The change with the environment at Tampa isn't limited to the weather, either. The Buccaneers are slated to have limited fans in the stands, which will be a first for the Packers this season. Green Bay played its first four games in empty stadiums.


A limited crowd isn't likely to affect communication or be too disruptive, but it will be different, another adjustment in a season already full of them.


"We've got a mature football team that I think handled themselves the right way and did what they have to do," LaFleur said of his players managing their break. "We've got a big stretch in front of us. Anytime you have that early bye, it makes for a longer season. And certainly the competition, specifically with Tampa Bay coming up, I mean they're as good as any team, I feel, in the league."