By every objective and subjective measure, Tucker Kraft is one of the best players on the Green Bay Packers' roster. Even coming off a big injury and amid a sluggish start to the season, he's a fan favorite and one of the team's pillars.
That, of course, gives him some leeway to say things some of his teammates probably couldn't. Nevertheless, that also comes with an enormous responsibility, and players can go from friends to foes in the blink of an eye.
That's why, as much as he may have a valid point about how booing the team doesn't help, his post-game comments couldn't have been more tone deaf. He should've just owned the situation, acknowledged that they weren't up to the standard, and moved on.
Tucker Kraft did more harm than good with his comments
“That’s pretty tough,” Kraft said (h/t Pro Football Talk). “Everyone pictures Lambeau Field and not boos. I don’t picture boos when I picture my home stadium. That’s tough. It’s pretty disappointing. Especially for a home opener. It’s pretty disappointing. It’s not gonna help us win. I don’t know what people think, that’s gonna rally us or something like that. But we’re grown men. We’re mentally strong enough, capable enough to get back on the field and play ball. But it’d be much easier with the 70,000 people behind us rather than opposing us.”
Kraft is speaking from the heart, and he shouldn't be singled out for that. He's also trying to step up for his teammates and the coaching staff, which speaks volumes about the type of player he is. He didn't come from a place of moral superiority or 'you guys can't talk to me like that.' Nonetheless, it was still wrong.
This is the Green Bay Packers. This isn't some sort of bottom-feeding franchise that should be okay with this type of performance. More than that, it wasn't even about getting blown out at home in the opener by a 0-2 team; it goes well beyond that.
Fans at Lambeau Field weren't booing Kraft, not even after an uncharacteristically bad performance. They weren't even booing Jordan Love, who had one of the worst performances of his career. Again, it goes well beyond that.
This front office entered the season with glaring problems and did nothing to address them. This outcome was predictable when they let Elgton Jenkins and Rasheed Walker leave over pennies and didn't bring in anyone even slightly qualified to replace them. It was evident when their response to their cornerback woes was a second-round rookie, who looks like a future star, by the way, but that's beyond the point.
Fans didn't boo because MarShawn Lloyd averaged less than three yards per carry. They didn't boo because Bijan Robinson had a career game on the ground. They booed because this was a long time in the making, and even the most optimistic fan could see it coming miles away.
There was no need to extend Matt LaFleur after last season's debacle. There was no upside in doing so. Now, they're stuck with a head coach who's way over his head and gets outcoached and exposed way too often. They're stuck with someone whose highlight years came with one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever lace them up.
As for Brian Gutekunst, it's been misfire after misfire in the NFL Draft. They didn't boo Lukas Van Ness; they booed because they took him over Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Christian Gonzalez, even though the team had needs at wide receiver and cornerback.
No one wants or likes to boo their team. Kraft spoke from the heart because it hurt, because it meant something to him. With all due respect, it means more to the fans, and he should've known better than to take things personally.
This team has gone 1-7 since losing Micah Parsons, with their lone win coming against the New York Jets in overtime. That's not up to Green Bay Packers standards, and they either rise to the occasion, or things will get louder and uglier in Titletown.
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