Mike Roemer/Associated Press

Aaron Rodgers 'Glad' Packers' Joint Practices with Texans Over

Kyle Newport

First-year Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur may have found this week's joint practices with the Houston Texans useful, but quarterback Aaron Rodgers wasn't a fan.  

"I'm glad it's over," Rodgers said of the joint practices, per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "So we can get onto the rest of training camp."

According to Silverstein, the two-time NFL MVP didn't believe there was much to gain from holding joint practices with another team, as neither side was going to tip its regular-season strategies—not during preseason games, and especially not during preseason practices.

Rodgers even questioned the teams' participation in live special teams drills and suggested the players association should look into the matter.

And it certainly didn't help that the Packers and Texans were involved in an on-field scrum Monday after Houston rookie cornerback Lonnie Johnson Jr. was too physical during what was supposed to be a non-tackling session:

As ESPN's Rob Demovsky noted, Johnson was kicked off the field after he "leveled" a pair of Packers players. Green Bay rookie tight end Jace Sternberger was evaluated for a concussion after one of Johnson's hits.

Packers receiver Davante Adams called the hits "unnecessary," while tight end Jimmy Graham said they were "absolutely ridiculous."

Even with that drama, though, LaFleur noted he "absolutely, 100 percent" wants to hold more joint practices in the future and wouldn't mind doing it "multiple times."

Needless to say, Rodgers is not on board with that plan, per Silverstein: "I wouldn't mind if they didn't do it for another 14 years. Look, that's out of my control. I think the key for all of us here is we know how important training camp is to not only our fans, but our local businesses. So, unless we're going to California, I'd kind of be bummed out if we had to go to another city."

Rodgers was referencing the fact that Green Bay never held a joint practice during former head coach Mike McCarthy's 13-year run. The franchise's last one came in Mike Sherman's final season on the Packers sidelines in 2005.

Green Bay and Houston will meet at Lambeau Field Thursday at 8 pm E.T. in what will be each team's preseason opener. They will not face off during the regular season.

   

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