It was Jan. 8, 2019, and Matt LaFleur was giddy.
He was just 39 years old and coming off a brutal year as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator. To the surprise of many, though, LaFleur beat out nine other candidates and was named the 15th head coach in Green Bay Packers’ history.
As elated as LaFleur was about what lied ahead, he was just as relieved about not having to go back to Tennessee.
Multiple reports said Tennessee coach Matt Vrabel planned to either fire or demote LaFleur if he returned in 2019.
One source told me that Vrabel was leaning toward demoting LaFleur to quarterback coach if he came back. Pro Football Hall of Fame writer Bob McGinn, now of The Athletic, reported that if LaFleur wasn’t hired somewhere else, Vrabel was considering letting him go altogether.
Either way, it worked out swimmingly for both sides.
LaFleur has led the Packers to a 24-6 record in his first two seasons, consecutive NFC North titles and the NFC’s No. 1 seed with two weeks remaining.
Tennessee promoted tight ends coach Arthur Smith to offensive coordinator. The Titans reached the AFC Championship Game last season and have the NFL’s No. 1 scoring offense in 2020.
The teams meet Sunday night at 7:20 p.m. at Lambeau Field. And in this story, anyhow, all’s well that ends well.
“It was a great learning experience from a play-calling aspect … just going through adversity and doing whatever it took to win games,” LaFleur said this week when asked about his year in Tennessee. “And I know we didn’t win as many as we would have liked, and we didn’t get into the playoffs and honestly, I know the offensive numbers were not great when I was there. But that’s never something that concerned me.”
It clearly concerned Vrabel, though, and rightfully so.
Vrabel was one of three candidates to interview for the vacant Tennessee job in Jan., 2018. LaFleur — who was the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive coordinator at the time — and then-Carolina defensive coordinator Steve Wilks were the other two.
After Vrabel was hired, he picked LaFleur to be his offensive coordinator — even though the two men didn't know each other. LaFleur was tasked with calling plays for the first time in his career and was asked to help quarterback Marcus Mariota move from good to great.
Neither assignment went well.
Tennessee averaged just 19.4 points and 312.4 yards per game. The Titans were a dreadful 29th in passing yards per game (185.9) and Mariota threw just 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Tennessee finished the year 9-7 thanks to the strength of its defense. And when the year ended, Vrabel had to decide if LaFleur was the right man to lead his offense.
Vrabel was never forced to admit he made a mistake when selecting his first offensive coordinator, though. LaFleur had a terrific interview with Green Bay’s management team, was hired a week after the 2018 season ended, and any messiness in Tennessee was avoided.
“I think Matt and I didn’t know each other,” Vrabel said this week when asked about LaFleur. “We got together, I felt like he was the guy that we wanted to hire. I think our relationship grew and, obviously, so did he and so did I. I hope that he learned some stuff here that he could use with him, just like he did in other places, to help him go out there and be successful.”
LaFleur has certainly been successful in Green Bay. And on the flip side, the Titans’ offense erupted after LaFleur left town.
Tennessee jumped to 12th in yards per game last season (362.8), third in rushing yards per contest (138.9) and 10th in points per game (25.1). Smith, who replaced LaFleur as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator, helped turn Derrick Henry into the NFL’s best running back and saved the career of quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
This year, Smith and the Titans have taken it up another notch.
Tennessee is tied for the NFL-lead in scoring (31.1), ranks second in rushing yards per game (160.4) and second in total yards (399.4). Henry has a chance to become just the eighth player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season. Tannehill has thrown 31 touchdowns, just five interceptions and has a passer rating of 110.2.
When asked last week about Smith, Vrabel said: “Really, you just have to give good people that you believe in and trust an opportunity and make a decision and work through and communicate and try to find and do things that are in the players’ best interest.”
LaFleur has certainly found plenty that’s worked in Green Bay.
His offensive creativity has helped the Packers rank fourth in total yards this season (390.0), eighth in both passing (261.1) and rushing (128.9), and third in points per game (31.0). LaFleur has helped quarterback Aaron Rodgers return to an MVP level, all while winning a remarkable 80.0% of his first 30 games (24-6).
In the two seasons before LaFleur arrived, the Packers were 13-18-1 (.422) and had consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 1990-91.
“I think Matt has done an amazing job,” Green Bay offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett said. “He’s done a great job of bringing a lot of people together, both from the coaching standpoint to the players and how everybody’s meshed.”
That never happened for LaFleur, Vrabel and Tennessee’s offense in 2018.
Thanks to the Packers, though, Vrabel never had to play the heavy. And now, two years later, the change of scenery has done both coaches — and franchises — a world of good.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/robreischel/2021/12/27/alls-well-that-ended-well-for-matt-lafleur-the-green-bay-packers-and-tennessee-titans/
Rob Reischel wrote: