Sibling rivalry takes center stage as Matt LaFleur jokes about a midfield brawl with his brother Mike ahead of high-stakes joint practices and final roster cuts.
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur surprised his brother Mike LaFleur before the Arizona Cardinals' preseason debut in the Hall of Fame, giving the first-year head coach some words of wisdom before playing the Carolina Panthers.
Mike made a joke about Matt's history with throwing the challenge flag. The two brothers shared a special moment, but also interjected humor for NFL viewers.
Matt took another humorous jab at Mike on Monday. He joked that the two brothers could fight at the 50-yard line if there was a disagreement during the Packers-Cardinals joint practice on Wednesday.
"If there's an issue, I'm going to tell the guys, 'Hey, you come tag me in. They can tag in my brother. And we'll throw down on the 50,'" Matt LaFleur said, via ESPN.
Matt said he and Mike had a few disagreements about how to put the schedule together for the practice, but the two were able to put a plan together for Wednesday.
"He's quick to criticize everything that I put on the schedule," Matt said. "So, he's like, 'Why are we doing this? Why are we doing that? We never do this.' And I was like, 'All right, Mike, you've got all the answers.'
"Nah, it's been healthy, it's been good. There's been give-and-take on both sides for sure."
Expect more antics to follow during the practice on Wednesday.
The Packers and Cardinals will conclude their preseason on Friday night.
The joint practice will be crucial for Green Bay and its starters, giving them a chance to gain practice reps against the first-team Cardinals without as much injury risk as they'd otherwise have in Friday's preseason game.
The Packers didn't play in their preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but put together a better effort against the Denver Broncos on Friday night, earning a 33-13 win.
For players on the bubble, the joint practice and preseason game will be the final opportunities to impress the coaching staff before the Packers have to trim their roster to 53 players on Sunday. It'll be a serious and sobering decision for LaFleur and his staff.
