Matt LaFleur did not sound surprised that Harrison Smith returned to the Minnesota Vikings.
When asked whether the Green Bay Packers expected the veteran safety to come back for a 15th season, LaFleur answered simply: “Yes.”
Smith’s return does not guarantee that he will play against Green Bay. He signed too late to have a conventional training camp ramp-up, and the Vikings still must decide whether to activate him for immediate duty or give the 37-year-old safety more time to get ready. But LaFleur’s comments make clear that Green Bay is preparing for the version of Minnesota’s defense that includes Smith.
LaFleur called Smith “the straw that stirs the drink” in Brian Flores’ defense, pointing to his command and his ability to get the Vikings “in and out of calls.” The Packers coach also acknowledged Minnesota has smart players throughout a scheme that creates a long list of problems for an opposing offense.
That is high praise from a coach who has spent years preparing for Smith. It also arrives at an inconvenient time for Green Bay.
The Packers opened their Week 1 preparation with uncertainty along the offensive line. Asked Monday whether left guard Aaron Banks and right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele will be available against Minnesota, LaFleur said, “We’ll see.”
LaFleur did not offer a firm update, but he did explain the effect of missing time across the front.
“You talk about continuity,” he said. “It’s hard to build continuity if you don’t have five guys out there, but it is what it is.”
That could become a major Week 1 issue.
The wrong week for a protection problem
Every NFL offense wants continuity up front. The Vikings are an especially punishing opponent for a line that has not had enough time together.
Flores does not merely ask a quarterback to beat the blitz. He asks the entire offense to identify who might blitz, who is actually rushing and what the defense will look like after the ball is snapped. Smith has long been central to that confusion. He can show pressure near the line of scrimmage, rotate back into the deep middle or help reposition the defense once the offense reveals its intentions. The legendary defender might also blitz, of course. It has been his specialty for over a decade.
The Packers know pressure is coming. Their challenge is figuring out where. LaFleur explained it in unusually direct terms Monday.
“You’re going to get pressure, you know it,” LaFleur said. “You just don’t always know where it’s coming from.”
That is the Harrison Smith problem in a sentence.
Smith does not have to lead the Vikings in sacks or interceptions to affect a game. His value starts before the snap. The communication he provides helps Minnesota disguise coverage, alter pressure looks and make the quarterback question the protection call he has already made. In simple terms, if the defensive play-call doesn’t provide the answer for the offensive look, he calls an audible like a quarterback would on offense.
For an offensive line still trying to establish continuity, that process becomes even more difficult.
Jordan Love’s Week 1 test
The Packers will not enter U.S. Bank Stadium helpless. Jordan Love is an experienced starter, and LaFleur praised his quarterback for maintaining a plan even when a defense gives him a difficult look.
Love will need that calm Sunday.
LaFleur noted that the Vikings crowd can make the environment “pretty chaotic,” particularly when a quarterback is facing Flores’ defense and must make split-second decisions. The Packers coach said some of the looks Minnesota presents are “really tough,” but credited Love for knowing how to get the ball out when the first answer is unavailable.
That response is vital against the Vikings.
Flores wants to make an offense hesitate. A delayed protection adjustment can become a free rusher. A quarterback who holds the ball while waiting for the picture to clarify can turn a manageable down into a sack. A hot read that appears open before the snap can disappear when a linebacker drops into the throwing lane.
The faster Love can process those changes, the more difficult it becomes for Minnesota to turn pressure into turnovers and negative plays. He has been excellent at avoiding sacks by getting the ball out quickly or moving well in the pocket.
But the quarterback cannot solve every protection issue alone.
If Banks and Bako-Bewele are unavailable, Green Bay will have to rely on replacements against a defense that takes particular pleasure in attacking uncertainty. Even if both play, a summer without the preferred five linemen naturally leaves questions about how quickly the group can communicate and respond when Flores shifts the picture.
Smith’s return changes the calculus
The Packers had expected Smith’s return. Still, the timing matters.
Minnesota’s safety room had been thinned by injuries and Jamal Adams’ season-ending injury. Smith gives Flores a trusted veteran who understands the system at its deepest level, adding another starting-caliber body to an unproven safety group.
That makes Minnesota’s disguises more credible. It also gives Flores more options against a Packers offense whose line has yet to settle.
LaFleur knows Smith’s impact better than most opposing coaches. He has seen Smith threaten the line, bail into coverage and make a defense look different from one second to the next. He has seen how much Smith’s command matters to Flores’ ability to pressure offenses without revealing the source of the pressure.
The Packers may have expected Harrison Smith to return.
Now they have to solve him — with an offensive line that may not yet be whole.
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