How Did The Packers Grade In The NFLPA Report Card?

On Wednesday, the NFLPA and its president JC Tretter released “Club Report Cards” for the first time. 

As a diehard fan of the Green Bay Packers, you religiously follow the team by watching the games, reading press clippings, and watching videos across social media platforms. While videos posted by the Packers on social media of coach Matt LaFleur addressing the team after a victory may make you feel like you're in the locker room with them, those glimpses offer only a limited view of life at 1265 Lombardi Ave. This holds true for almost every team in the NFL. However, thanks to the NFL Players Association, fans now have a little bit more of an accurate understanding of the overall environment that NFL players experience within team walls.

On Wednesday, the NFLPA and its president JC Tretter released “Club Report Cards” for the first time and graded teams based on the treatment of families, nutrition, weight room, strength staff, training room, training staff, locker room, and travel. 1,300 NFL players provided answers confidentially that, as the NFLPA hopes, will help players “make important career decisions" and "help raise standards across the league.” 

Overall, the Packers ranked sixth among 32 NFL teams. There is not much left to be desired given the Packers’ standing among their peer teams based on the aforementioned categories, but the players that provided answers believed that the locker room could “use a refresh and modernization.” Further, the team’s facility ranked 22nd overall based on players’ responses. Finally, the players “believe that additional physical therapists should be added to the staff; many players noted that they have outsourced their physical therapy due to understaffing.” According to the team directory, the team has three fellowship athletic trainers, three assistant athletic trainers (including Erin Roberge, who was recently hired as the first female full-time athletic trainer in team history), one associate athletic trainer (Nate Weir, who also serves as the Director of Rehab & Return to Play), and the head athletic trainer (Bryan Engel). 

At the end of the day, the Packers may encounter challenges in signing certain free agents due to the Wisconsin climate. However, prospective free agents and/or players that are looking for a change of scenery via a trade can take comfort in knowing that compared to other NFL teams, the Packers offer a top-tier environment for their players. 

Other takeaways from the NFLPA's report: 

  • Every single NFC North team ranked in the top half of the NFL. The Minnesota Vikings ranked first (must be a typo); the Chicago Bears ranked 13th (again, must be a typo); and the Detroit Lions ranked 15th (seems about right).
  • The rest of the top five after the Vikings: Miami Dolphins (No. 2), Las Vegas Raiders (No. 3), Houston Texans (No. 4), and Dallas Cowboys (No. 5). Bottom five: Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 28), Kansas City Chiefs (No. 29), Los Angeles Chargers (No. 29), Arizona Cardinals (No. 31), and Washington Commanders (No. 32). 
  • The Commanders received one F grade (treatment of families) and two F- grades (training room and locker room). 
  • One of the reasons why the Cardinals finished toward the bottom of the league was, in part, because they charge players (read: deduct money from their paychecks) for every meal consumed at the team facility. I think that owner Michael Bidwill's new nickname should be Mr. Pinchin' Pennies. 
  • The Jaguars ranked as one of the worst teams in the league and for good reason! Players reported that there were rats in the locker room and laundry hampers during a three-to-four-week stretch during the season. 
  • Individual lockers for Cincinnati Bengals players do not have outlets. Every other NFL team includes outlets in individual player lockers. Players also acknowledged that showers and toilets do not consistently work. The Bengals came in at No. 27. 
  • Dallas Cowboys' players do not have access to first-class seats on the team plane and, thus, are only allowed to sit in coach seats. Only six other teams have a similar arrangement. 
  • The Los Angeles Chargers are currently situated in a converted office building, as their permanent facility is not scheduled to be completed until 2024. Similarly, the Los Angeles Rams, ranked No. 25, do not yet have a permanent facility, and construction has not even started. 
  • While the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl this past season, players expressed concerns about Rick Burkholder, the VP of Sports Medicine and Performance (read: head athletic trainer), because he "does not treat players fairly and consistently, or with personal care." Accordingly, players for the Chiefs hesitated to report injuries. 
  • Less time together, the better? "Seven of the top eight coaches who ranked most efficient with their players' time made the playoffs this year." 

-- -- -- 

Below is a breakdown of how the Packers fared in each category. 

Treatment of Families (B+, tied for 5th out of 32 teams)

  • The Packers do not offer daycare, one of 11 teams that do not offer that service, but they do offer a family room. 
  • The post-game gathering area ranked 11th. 

Food Service / Nutrition (A, tied for 1st)

  • Quality of food was tied for 2nd. The team provides breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 

Weight Room (A, tied for 5th)

  • According to the players, the facility features a top-of-the-line weight room, and 96% of the players believe they have enough strength coaches. 

Strength Coaches (A, tied for 10th)

  • The strength staff provides the players with an individual strength plan, according to 98% of the players, which tied for 7th. 

Training Room (B-, tied for 12th)

  • The team’s worst grade. 
  • Only 82% of the players felt they have enough certified athletic trainers and, worse than that, only 73% feel they have enough physical therapists, both of which ranked 23rd in the NFL. 

Training Staff (A-, tied for 15th)

  • It was the team’s worst ranking among all categories, despite an A- grade “because most teams rated their training staff positively.” 

Locker Room (B, tied for 14th)

  • The responses received indicated that individual lockers do not have padded seats. 
  • The locker room as a whole needs to be renovated because, according to the players, it is “starting to feel old.” 

Team Travel (A, tied for 4th)

  • There are no roommates on the road and the team plane includes “a lot of first-class seats.” 

 

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE.

__________________________

Rex is a lifelong Packers fan but was sick of the cold, so he moved to the heart of Cowboys country. Follow him on Twitter (@Sheild92) and Instagram (@rex.sheild). 

__________________________

NFL Categories: 
3 points
 

Comments (41)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
therealcause's picture

March 03, 2023 at 12:11 pm

They should consider opening up,some of these ammenities to staff or the public instead of pampering rich athletes.

-6 points
3
9
LeotisHarris's picture

March 03, 2023 at 02:46 pm

Which amenities would you like to see open to the public? You want Arvid and Joyce from Two Rivers to be able to hop in the cold tub when they're in town? Maybe Dale and Rick from New Lisbon could grab a meal in the cafeteria? Open up the weight room to area HS teams? Whatcha got?

I see the Cardinals charge their pampered rich athletes for meals (payroll deduction, no BS). Would that make you happy?

3 points
6
3
Jgilmor08's picture

March 03, 2023 at 04:48 pm

I know right a bunch of idiots pampering to these people. What are they doing? Exposing their bodies to the equivalent of 30-40 high impact car accidents a year. Guaranteeing waking up and feeling 55 years old by the age of 35 with as many operations on their bodies as people have birthdays. All just to entertain fans that will openly mock them and criticize personal decisions and choices. If they are lucky enough to drop a winning pass in a big game they may get some death threats but only a half dozen or so.

But you make a valid point though. Why use the profits from a business that profits on the competition played by the athletes. Surely everyone wants to sit there watching the plumber and his ass crack hanging out as he fixes the kitchen sinkfor three hours religiously each week. How do we not have countless advertising dollars funneling into that programming yet? Yes Joe and his ass crack should be getting pampered not the athletes.

Ps your name is so perfectly suited for you. The country continues going to sh*t and you sir are ‘the real cause’ of it all along with every other like minded being that stutters out comments as stupid as these all while complaining the team doesn’t win the superbowl. Any business owner knows you have to invest in your business and its assets if wanting to succeed.

0 points
4
4
jannes bjornson's picture

March 04, 2023 at 09:50 am

How much did the Sledding committee donate to "No Kid Hungry."

0 points
0
0
Leatherhead's picture

March 03, 2023 at 12:25 pm

That kind of doesn't support the "we're heading for the Dark Ages because our management is incompetent" narrative.

1 points
7
6
HarryHodag's picture

March 03, 2023 at 02:21 pm

As Hulk Hogan used to say,"Amen, brother".

I noticed the 'fire everybody' crowd hasn't responded here. Apparently facts are hard to swallow for some.

They tend to lose perspective on how rare and unique the Packers experience is. A tiny community in a part of the country not a hot spot for landing great athletes. This organization ranks among the best as voted on by the PLAYERS.

BTW-Mark Murphy, and others before him, are the people behind all of these positives whether the 'fire everybody' crowd will admit it or not.

-1 points
5
6
Coldworld's picture

March 03, 2023 at 02:25 pm

I don’t recall the facilities being an issue of contention. I also don’t recall the Vikings being the dream of recent draftees. Relevance is not there, or wasn’t till you threw that red herring into the room.

When the Vikings are top and the Chiefs very much not yet win a Super Bowl then I think we can discount this as a major determinative cause of success or failure of the team or reason to laud those who lead it. Nice to see but that’s it, not a straw worthy of grasping as you do.

11 points
12
1
HarryHodag's picture

March 03, 2023 at 02:44 pm

Really? So the FACT the Packers have gone out of their way to make the players LIKE being in Green Bay has NOTHING to do with the outcome of the team? Or to you that the folks who are in charge(Murphy) has NOTHING to do with the fact the Packers are among the winningest franchises in the league.

Please.

The Green Bay Packers are among the most winning franchises in the history of the NFL, dating back more than 100 years. They just had ONE .500 season and now, for some, it's time to wipe out all the effort that has made Green Bay something to be proud of.

Sorry. Your perspective is warped.

-4 points
5
9
Coldworld's picture

March 03, 2023 at 03:23 pm

I said it’s positive but neither an issue I’ve seen raised nor seemingly a significant determinant of success. So your statements do not reflect what i said and also have nothing relevant to your history lesson—which does, however, perhaps explain why you latched in to such a red herring in the seeming absence of much more tangible.

7 points
8
1
13TimeChamps's picture

March 03, 2023 at 03:59 pm

CW believes GB is on the "precipice of irrelevance" and about to "fall off a cliff" after one losing season. His words, not mine.

Doom and gloom rule the day in some people's world I'm afraid.

-2 points
2
4
Coldworld's picture

March 03, 2023 at 04:27 pm

Ah, bitter verses my gloom, but at least I try to provide reasoning not just venom. Par for the course.

5 points
7
2
13TimeChamps's picture

March 03, 2023 at 04:47 pm

Yet I've asked you for your reasoning behind your "on the precipice of irrelevance" comment and never got any clarification. Or your "falling off a cliff" comment. Really? After going 47-19 the last 4 years? Seems pretty doomy and gloomy to me. But I do realize that's what most want to hear.

-1 points
2
3
Coldworld's picture

March 03, 2023 at 04:53 pm

You ask, and I think most here would, support me or not, have seen me lay it out in detail and consistently over a fair amount of time. So I see no reason to redo it for you individually to please one who clearly did not even read what he commented on before he/she waded in or he or she wouldn’t need to ask. You, of course, never started to lay out reasoning, you just like to pick fights and hold grudges.

5 points
6
1
13TimeChamps's picture

March 03, 2023 at 04:57 pm

So basically nothing.

-3 points
1
4
Coldworld's picture

March 03, 2023 at 05:20 pm

For you? I just said no. Read what’s out there

6 points
7
1
13TimeChamps's picture

March 03, 2023 at 05:29 pm

Awesome. You really should consider a career in politics.

I guess the Packers are about to fall off a cliff of irrelevance. Let's see how that plays out. I'm officially on record as saying...probably not.

-2 points
2
4
PackyCheese500's picture

March 03, 2023 at 05:35 pm

Irrelevance isn't the right word. Bottom feeding is, although there's still time to save the future for the next 4 or so years

1 points
4
3
dblbogey's picture

March 03, 2023 at 04:00 pm

But they don't have padded seats at their lockers! The horror. I was inside the locker room on a tour a couple years ago. It looked just fine to me.

4 points
5
1
13TimeChamps's picture

March 03, 2023 at 04:12 pm

The irony of the "fire everybody" crowd is if they got their wish...the replacements of those fired would be directly in the crosshairs of that same "fire everybody" crowd in about 2 years.

-5 points
2
7
Coldworld's picture

March 03, 2023 at 04:28 pm

What was your stance on McCarthy again? Since irony is in vogue.

5 points
7
2
13TimeChamps's picture

March 03, 2023 at 04:41 pm

My stance on McCarthy? I don't remember ever stating one on this site, but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. But since you've asked....

I thought McCarthy was a very good coach who's time had pretty much run out in GB. I had no issues with him being let go, but thought they could have handled it a little classier after 13 mostly successful seasons. But what was really disgusting was all the name calling on this site towards him. McLardass, Mashed Potato Mike, etc., etc.

Other than that, I don't really know what any of that has to do with what's being discussed here.

0 points
2
2
Since'75's picture

March 03, 2023 at 11:47 pm

Yea...i don't always agree with him, but i have to score this fight a UD in favor of coldworld.

Sometimes people get confused with reality vs fiction.
Narratives vs. actual valid mistakes performed by upper management.
**********************
What about how comfortable Lambeau Field is, for us fans.
I understand how the "bleacher benches" are nostalgic and all, but how about an actual seat, with armrest and a cup holder.

Instead were cramped sitting on this bench diagonally, because there are too many fat **ses and we have to put our drink down by our feet.
For how much money?
No thank you.

2 points
3
1
NickPerry's picture

March 04, 2023 at 02:23 am

"BTW-Mark Murphy, and others before him, are the people behind all of these positives whether the 'fire everybody' crowd will admit it or not."

Hmmm...I wonder If I qualify for that crowd. God knows I've wanted Murphy ousted for a while now. BUT, my issues with Murphy have NEVER been about anything other than interfering with the GM.

The Packers came OUT of the darkness that was the 70's and 80's (About 20 plus years of losing) and INTO the light when Ron Wolf changed the ENTIRE culture of the Packers organization. Mike Sherman came in and made a mess pretty quickly, but Ted was able to follow him and get it cleaned up pretty quickly and it was GREAT until "The Silos".

Trust and believe this, the longer Murphy is allowed to play wanna be Team President, the bigger and bigger this hole they've created get's. Most of the credit for Titletown, The Atrium, and all the other wonderful things near and around 1265 Lombardi Ave should go to Murphy. It happened on his watch. Upgrades to Lambeau, the facilities, and all the other things that make this a great organization to play for, these things he deserves credit for too. Just stay the F away from anything to do with the roster, coaching staff, or the product on the field.

7 points
7
0
jannes bjornson's picture

March 04, 2023 at 10:01 am

The real estate deals, the eminent domain routine and establishing the en vogue "Entertainment Districts" are part and parcel with Mandates from Park Avenue for additional revenue streams. The jobs at concession stands and the turnstiles are their version of the New Economy.

0 points
0
0
Bitternotsour's picture

March 03, 2023 at 01:24 pm

This is the legacy that Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy left behind. A family friendly, and player comfort forward franchise. It needs to be that way too, because Green Bay is not a bustling and exciting place to live. If you were young, rich, and single, you generally wouldn't put Green Bay on your list of desired outposts.

Green Bay is a great place to play football. Also, they should offer daycare - that's a big oversight.

9 points
9
0
Coldworld's picture

March 03, 2023 at 04:25 pm

I’d say the roots are in the Wolf era, when it was accepted that Green Bay needed to make it as attractive as possible to players and families, though I think that you are right that McCarthy and Thompson were more about the latter. Given the LaFleur culture as we’ve perceived it, I would expect him to be in line with that.

4 points
4
0
jont's picture

March 03, 2023 at 07:17 pm

I remember when Edgar Bennet retired and came back to GB as Player Development Coordinator or something. His job was to pay attention to rookies especially and all players to help them feel part of the organization and handle being a pro. 2000, 2001? Investing in this kind of thing goes back a ways in GB.

3 points
3
0
jannes bjornson's picture

March 04, 2023 at 10:05 am

Rob Davis was also a key guy for the brothers to turn to for advice.

0 points
0
0
4thand10's picture

March 03, 2023 at 02:26 pm

Coaching staff were also apart of this ranking, although it’s not located here. ESPN reported on it. Evidently all the Raiders players hate McDanials.

4 points
4
0
Duhawk_47's picture

March 03, 2023 at 03:59 pm

12 will fit in nicely

1 points
4
3
PackyCheese500's picture

March 03, 2023 at 03:34 pm

On another note, here is an article I found about top EDGE prospect Lukas Van Ness of Iowa. I would love the packers to get him in round 1, and he did very well at the combine.

https://www.si.com/nfl/packers/news/the-case-for-lukas-van-ness-with-pac...

-4 points
1
5
dblbogey's picture

March 03, 2023 at 04:09 pm

As a Hawkeye fan , I thought Van Ness was good, not great, but I'm no expert. I do like Iowa's TE Sam Laporta. If we don't get a TE earlier, Sam would be a great 3rd round pick. He'll have to work on his blocking, but he gives 100%, gets open and catches the ball. On an Iowa team that had a lousy offense and QB, he stood out to me.

0 points
2
2
Oppy's picture

March 03, 2023 at 08:59 pm

What does EDGE stand for?

Exceedingly Dodgy Gutsy End?

1 points
2
1
PackyCheese500's picture

March 03, 2023 at 09:02 pm

DE/OLB

-2 points
1
3
Oppy's picture

March 03, 2023 at 09:28 pm

DE = Defensive End
OLB = Outside Line Backer

EDGE = ????

Sorry, you've been caught in a silly pet peeve of mine. I don't know why some guy thought the term "edge" to describe tweener types needed to be capitalized, and why everyone just mindlessly follows suit. It's not an acronym. No need to capitalize.

2 points
3
1
Since'75's picture

March 03, 2023 at 11:32 pm

Edge rusher

0 points
1
1
croatpackfan's picture

March 04, 2023 at 03:47 am

Or edge bust or edge HOFer.

1 points
1
0
Since'75's picture

March 04, 2023 at 05:38 am

Packy...Van Ness would be quite the stretch at 15, he looks like a project who would sit on the bench for awhile.

Actually, that sounds a lot like a first round pick from Gute...nevermind.

How about, we draft him in round 3?
Gute has never drafted a good player in that round,
Wouldn't it be nice to draft a good player in the 3rd round?
Maybe this is the year we change the curse of the 3rd round pick.
I'm all in!!
What say you Gute?
Shock us.

2 points
3
1
PackyCheese500's picture

March 03, 2023 at 03:38 pm

Here are the draft prospects the Packers have met with/are planning to meet with so far today at the combine:

WRs:
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio St.
Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee
Jayden Reed, Michigan St.
Nathaniel Dell, Houston

TEs:
Michael Mayer, Notre Dame
Dalton Kincaid, Utah
Darnell Washington, Georgia
Luke Musgrave, Oregon St.
Luke Schoonmaker, Michigan

QB:
Jaren Hall, BYU

Interesting they're meeting with QBs. Maybe they want to draft a backup on day 3?

0 points
2
2
jont's picture

March 03, 2023 at 07:20 pm

FWIW, I thought this was an interesting insight into what the players consider important. If I were a GM, coach, owner, or player rep, I'd call a meeting of those four to talk it through and try to turn this info into something useful and improving.

3 points
3
0
PackfanNY's picture

March 03, 2023 at 10:48 pm

The key here is will the Packers organization be open to working with some of the player concerns? I mean looking at the list increasing the training staff and training room, daycare and updating the locker room are reasonable issues to look at and potentially fix. Would be a strong move by Murphy to at least look at and fix if possible. Multi million dollar organization shouldn’t have a problem. Maybe get or keep goodwill with the players.

4 points
4
0