Packers second-round offensive tackle Anthony Belton endured his share of welcome to the NFL moments Saturday -- five of them, to be exact.
The rookie committed a quintet of penalties in the second quarter of Green Bay's 23-19 preseason victory over the Colts, signaling he has quite a ways to go to clean up his operation and earn a spot in the team's starting roster.
Belton, whose most impactful penalty wiped away a touchdown just before halftime and who got an earful from coach Matt LaFleur on the way to the locker room for it, fully recognizes the needs to shape up quickly.
"Just drive killers," Belton said, via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "All the penalties were drive killers. That touchdown was called back because of self-inflicted penalties. Stuff like that can't happen. I've just got to grow up. I've got to get out of those old habits. I've got to learn quick."
"And that's something I'm on myself about. That's not directly what (LaFleur) said. That's what I'm on myself about."
Belton's woes began on the opening play of the Packers' first drive in the second quarter. He committed a false start, forcing Green Bay to start off behind the chains. Five plays later, he got flagged for unnecessary roughness after blocking an Indianapolis defender out of bounds, turning a third-and-5 into a third-and-20.
It was that play that truly grinded LaFleur's gears.
"That's the one that really bothers me," the coach said. "I mean, they all bother me, but you can't be getting personal fouls because that really hurts the team, puts you in a really tough position to try to convert a first down. So that is completely unacceptable in my mind.
"I appreciate the effort he plays with, and I thought he did a really nice job -- really our whole line. ... I love the effort, you've just got to be smart in those situations."
Belton later committed a facemask penalty, compounding an Emanuel Wilson fumble by giving the Colts an extra 15 yards to set them up just outside the red zone.
Then, during a two-minute drill, he lined up too far off the line of scrimmage, earning two flags for illegal formation two plays apart. His first gaffe nullified a 20-yard TD catch by tight end Ben Sims, while the second took back a 17-yard third-down catch by wide receiver Will Sheppard that would've put Green Bay 3 yards from pay dirt. Instead, the Packers settled for a field goal.
It was a brutal stretch for the hulking, 6-foot-6 rookie lineman, and his performance was emblematic of Green Bay's day overall. The Packers, though they admittedly played mostly reserves, were sloppy, racking up 95 penalty yards on 12 accepted infractions.
Rostering the youngest team in the league the past couple years has led to plenty of laundry on the field, but the Packers are trying to leave that behind them in 2025.
Belton, still transitioning to the NFL but unwilling to use his inexperience as a justifier, will need to focus on his discipline to join his team in that endeavor.
"I mean, I'm here for a reason. So I've got to adjust," he said. "There's not really an excuse to why I went out there and got penalties. I just know. I've been told. It's something that I've got to prevent from happening again in the future."
