On Wednesday afternoon the Wisconsin Badgers football program announced it would head Northeast to Green Bay for a practice this spring. Paul Chryst’s team is heading to the home of the Green Bay Packers for a practice on April 2nd.
Given the upcoming season opener against the LSU Tigers, getting a head start on the Lambeau Field experience seems wise.
I’m excited for our players,” UW head coach Paul Chryst said. “Lambeau Field is one of the great places in our sport and we’re really looking forward to playing there in September, but this gives them a chance to take some time and really see what it’s all about.
“I have to say thank you to everyone in the Packers organization for helping give our players the opportunity. The hospitality from the Packers has been first-class.”
However, a deeper dive in to the details of UW’s practice in Green Bay suggests it actually will do very little to help the team that will take the field at the historic home of the Packers. That’s because the practice won’t be on the hallowed ground of Lambeau Field, and outside of a tour of the facilities there will be very little advantage gained for the Badgers.
Instead of practicing inside the stadium, Wisconsin will head inside the neighboring Don Hutson Center for its actual practice. Following the practice and media availability, the team will get a tour of Lambeau Field and the Packers Hall of Fame.
While those are all nice gestures, it does little to help the players get acclimated to the field it actually will be playing on in September.
No doubt the field itself is probably nowhere near ready for players trampling all over it given it is just spring and the incoming blizzard that is hitting the Green Bay area as we speak.
Some may try to play this up as an advantage for the Badgers, but outside of having a chance to maybe get over the awe of the history and pageantry associated with the stadium and the franchise, nothing much will really be gained.
It will still be LSU sitting across the field and both teams will step foot on the grass of Lambeau Field the same amount of times heading in to the game. LSU will still have Leonard Fournette, Wisconsin will still have its high-powered defense and neither team will have much knowledge of the field it will actually take to.
So, will the gesture is nice and the tour will be fun for the players to experience, it won’t be the great advantage some are trying to make it out to be.
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