Packers Morning Buzz: Matt LaFleur eyeing difficult first-year feat

Welcome to your Morning Buzz, rounding up news and views regarding the Green Bay Packers from around the web and here at PackersNews.com.

We'll start with Rob Reischel writing for ForbesSports about five key questions facing the Packers when they begin training camp practices July 25. Reischel starts by noting a bit of daunting history facing new coach Matt LaFleur:

The Green Bay Packers have had 14 head coaches in their first 100 seasons of football.

Not one has made the postseason in their first year.

Matt LaFleur, who was named the 15th coach in Packers’ history on Jan. 7, will try bucking that trend in 2019. But that will be a tall order after the Packers went 6-9-1 last year and missed the postseason for a second consecutive year — the first time that has happened since 2005-’06.

If the Packers are going to rebound in 2019, here are five questions they still must answer in training camp.

You can find out what those key questions are here:

Aaron Rodgers lands in the middle of the early list of 2019 MVP candidates by NFL.com's Adam Schein:

4) Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers

When I make my official pick for 2019 MVP, it just might be Rodgers. I was practically ready to hand him the award just for the way he responded to the ribbing he was receiving from other NFL quarterbacks for the apparent difficulty he had chugging a beer at a Milwaukee Bucks game: "For some of them, there's finally a talent they can say they're better than me at."

The two-time MVP is coming off a down year. In addition to missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season, Rodgers compiled the lowest touchdown total (25), second-worst completion rate (62.3%) and third-worst passer rating (97.6) of any season in which he started 15-plus games. But with Matt LaFleur replacing ex-head coach Mike McCarthy, the Aaron Rodgers I Can Be Coached Tour -- combined with the You Can Chug Beer While Watching Me in the Playoffs Tour -- is going to be real and spectacular. The Chicago Bears have more talent than the Packers. So do the Minnesota Vikings. Rodgers will put himself in the MVP mix by carrying the Packers to an NFC North title.

You can see who else made Schein's list here:

The Packers could have a QB problem behind Rodgers, writes Tom Oates for the Wisconsin State Journal:

Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari's popularity keeps growing:

No shortage of major sporting events coming to Wisconsin:

The Packers bid an abrupt farewell to Kapri Bibbs, releasing the running back Friday:

The Packers were among the NFL teams that played paint ball or otherwise blew off the final practice of minicamp. That sends a mixed message, writes The MMQB's Conor Orr:

Do the Packers need to acquire some more safety help?

The Packers paid their respects to the Pat Bowlen family and the Broncos:

Cheesehead TV sizes up the Packers' offensive line:

And finally .... Packers players celebrated Father's Day:

Contact Stu Courtney at (920) 431-8377 or scourtney@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @stucourt