GREEN BAY — Matt LaFleur tried to prevent exactly what happened. He even used audio/visual aids.

Frustrated by cornerback Nate Hobbs going a bit overboard with his physical play during the first four helmets-and-shorts practices of training camp, the Green Bay Packers head coach wanted to be very intentional in his pre-practice messaging in advance of Monday’s first in-pads practice of camp.

And while he was telling the entire team, LaFleur was surely thinking first and foremost about Hobbs — the ultra-aggressive cornerback the team added in free agency on a four-year, $48 million contract — after he’d told Hobbs to rein in his aggressiveness after how the first four camp practices had gone. 

“[I told them], ‘Compete to be your best and take care of each other,’” LaFleur recounted to reporters during their daily pre-practice Q&A session. “We had a long talk about and video showing the rules of engagement — things that were good from a year ago, and things that weren’t great.

“The bottom line is we need everybody to stay up [on] their feet. We’re not going to the ground today, so that’s the expectation that I have for our guys. I love the competitive spirit out there, but I want them to take each other as well.”

So what happened? Less than an hour into practice, Hobbs came in low on running back MarShawn Lloyd on a running play during an 11-on-11 period and hit Lloyd in the legs.

As Lloyd hobbled off the field, right tackle Zach Tom briefly got in Hobbs’ face to voice his displeasure. Shortly thereafter, LaFleur benched Hobbs for multiple practice periods.

“[He] pulled me out of practice. He sat me for a second. Put me in timeout. Let me think about my decisions,” Hobbs recounted after practice. “And I thought about it real good.

“[And] he had all the right to do what he did.”

Hobbs came to the Packers with a reputation of being physical, and he certainly has lived up to that. But he insisted the hit on Lloyd was inadvertent and that he later apologized to Lloyd for the hit. (Lloyd was not in the locker room during the media access period to discuss the play.)

“You’ve got to know how to tone it down or turn it off. But by nature, I’m aggressive, you know what I’m saying? I don’t even know how to play real game-like football but one way,” Hobbs said. “It was nothing malicious. But we’ve got to take care of the team and I take full accountability for that accident.

“I need to be better.”

The challenge for the 6-foot, 195-pound Hobbs, it would seem, is that he prides himself on his physical play style. And while there are no indications he had issues in practice during his time with the Las Vegas Raiders, the fact that he failed to tone himself down after LaFleur spoke with him heading into Sunday’s practice is concerning.

“Just for myself, looking outside in, I gain respect for somebody who’s willing to give their all for their teammates. That doesn’t mean going out there and hurting themselves, it just means leaving your heart on the field,” Hobbs said. “That’s what I try to do, I don’t really know how to cool it. ‘OK, on this play, I’m going to protect myself.’

“Because then let’s say I do that. Let’s say [Baltimore Ravens running back] Derrick Henry comes around the corner and I let up, he stiff-arms my ass and goes for 80 [yards]. Now I’m going to be a bozo. The Pack’s going to hate me, the fans are going to be like, ‘Oh, he’s soft.’ So I don’t really know how to play any way else.

“That’s how I play. I put my heart out there.”

And while it undeniably caused issues on Monday, Hobbs’ teammates will certainly appreciate his style of play when the regular season begins Sept. 7 against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field.

“Absolutely,” Hobbs said. “Right now, it’s bad. But on September 7th, it’s going to be real good. You know what I’m saying. But I did feel horrible. I do feel horrible.”

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