First order of business for LaFleur: clean house, have a brat.
Even casual Green Bay Packers fans start paying attention to the team right about now. After all, the franchise has missed the NFL playoffs a total of only seven times since 1993. This is one of those times.
The dismal 2018 season began and ended with quarterback Aaron Rodgers leaving the field with an injury. And after week 13, team president Mark Murphy fired 13-year head coach Mike McCarthy, replacing him on an interim basis with offensive coordinator Joe Philbin for the final four games.
The Packers wrapped up their 6-9-1 season on Dec. 30 with a 31-0 loss to the Detroit Lions — the first time since 1973 that Detroit shut out Green Bay — effectively ending any chance Philbin had of officially becoming the Packers’ 15th head coach.
Green Bay officials interviewed at least nine candidates, and reports began circulating Monday night that the Packers pegged Matt LaFleur as the man for the job. The 39-year-old offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans has a decade of experience in the assistant coaching ranks and reportedly will receive a four-year contract with a fifth-year team option.
Don’t be surprised if LaFleur cleans house upon his arrival in Green Bay and brings in a new coaching staff that must contend with a slew of key players who ended the season with injuries, including wide receiver Davante Adams (knee), left tackle David Bakhtiari (hip) and cornerback Jaire Alexander (groin).
Another challenge will be battling the complacency that permeated the Packers during the past two subpar seasons. “I think the whole organization got lazy,” an unnamed source close to the inner workings of the Packers told Sports Illustrated in late November for an article headlined “How It All Went Wrong in Packerland.” “We’re relying on Aaron.”
LaFleur, who called plays in Tennessee, is only four years older than Rodgers, 35, and the dynamic between the two could make for plenty of intrigue. Despite shoulder and knee injuries in recent seasons, the quarterback remains the heart and soul of the Packers, and it’ll be up to LaFleur to leverage that without sacrificing in other areas.
One man — regardless of the number of MVP trophies (three, including Super Bowl XLV) and Pro Bowl appearances (seven) — can carry an entire team for only so long. The faster new leadership can imbue that mentality in Green Bay, the better.
