On Wednesday, the NFL Players Association released its 2024 team report cards, a poll of 1,706 players regarding their daily experiences and working conditions.
Per the NFLPA website, the annual survey is designed to “highlight positive clubs, identify areas that could use improvement and highlight best practices and standards.”
Below is the most surprising takeaway from the survey for each NFC North team.
Chicago Bears: Players want healthier food options
Big, strong football players need lots of nutrition, but quality matters and that’s where Bears players would like to see upgrades. Chicago finished near the bottom of the league in these categories, earning a C grade for food/cafeteria (21st) and a C+ in nutritionist/dietician (24th).
According to the survey, the food provided ranked low in overall taste (24th) and freshness (20th) while multiple players felt the team’s meal program failed to “maximize” their performance. The most common request on this front was for healthier options and individualized meal programs, with only 69% of players feeling they received personal nutrition plans. (Full Report)
Detroit Lions: Players want individualized food plans and more variety
The Lions saw improvements in the food/cafeteria category, rising from 28th to 19th while earning a C grade. However, only 67% of players believe the team provided individualized plans for them (25th).
Players admitted to seeing progress, but the food’s taste and freshness still ranked 17th among NFL teams. Meanwhile, the most requested change was to the variety of foods offered.
These appear like easy fixes for the Lions. Nearly every team in the league has seemingly pulled off personal nutrition plans and offering more food options to make players happy is a no-brainer. (Full Report)
Green Bay Packers: Players want HC Matt LaFleur to listen more
The Packers head coach received a B+ grade, with 92% of players feeling he used their time efficiently, which is good. However, 20 coaches graded higher than LaFleur.
While most of the names are the ones you would expect, like three-time Super Bowl Champion Andy Reid (A+), others with far less of a pedigree, such as Shane Steichen (-A) and Jonathan Gannon (A-), also finished above the 44-year-old LaFleur.
Overall, only three coaches finished with grades below a B-, which shows that most players are happy with their team’s respective headman. Nevertheless, the fact that players felt LaFleur was only “moderately willing” to hear them out, according to the survey, stands out. (Full Report)
Minnesota Vikings: No one listens like HC Kevin O’Connell
O’Connell may not be the most popular guy in Minnesota right now, but he earned exceptionally high marks from players. Players said O’Connell was “very willing” to take input from the locker room, earning him the highest grade among coaches in the league.
Meanwhile, 98% of Vikings players believed their time was used efficiently (5th).
After going 7-10 following a 13-4 finish in O’Connell’s first year with the Vikings, he could have easily lost a good chunk of the locker room. As the survey shows, though, that doesn’t appear to be the case, which is at least one positive sign for a team looking to bounce back in 2024. (Full Report)