Wendell Ferreira wrote:
Matt LaFleur Has the First Real Opportunity to Shine as a Protagonist Offensive Mind
Packers head coach has a challenging transition ahead By WendellFerreira. Jul 25, 2023
During a five-episode series of The Athletic's podcast "The Playcallers," it became evident how Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has long been respected and praised around the NFL. However, he often found himself in the shadows of fellow coaching rising stars, like Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay. Throughout his career, LaFleur has been working alongside these renowned figures in Washington, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. While his coaching prowess was recognized, he didn't have the same opportunities to be the true protagonist.
It wasn't until 2018, when LaFleur got his first chance at playcalling with the Tennessee Titans, that he could showcase his offensive acumen. Circumstances forced him to rely heavily on the running game, led by Derrick Henry, due to the limitations of the passing offense around Marcus Mariota.
Since taking over in Green Bay in 2019, LaFleur has undoubtedly done a valuable job.
Nevertheless, his accomplishments often appeared overshadowed, again, this time by the presence of Aaron Rodgers. When the team lost, the blame fell on LaFleur, the defense, or special teams. But when they won, and they have won a lot, it was inevitably attributed to having a future Hall of Fame quarterback.
This dynamic sparked discussions regarding the extent of LaFleur's impact versus what Rodgers is able to do. The quarterback, however, had been playing below his usual standards for a couple of years before LaFleur's arrival. Under LaFleur's guidance, Rodgers went on to claim two more NFL MVP awards. Now, with Jordan Love stepping in as the Packers starting quarterback, LaFleur has an unprecedented opportunity to fully shape the narrative of what Green Bay's offense will be.
While LaFleur himself argued more than once that the offense will always require adaptation, and it won't be different with Love under center, it's evident that in the past, LaFleur had to tailor his offensive philosophy significantly to align with what Rodgers preferred. This led to some initial tension in 2019, and even last year Rodgers expressed a need to "simplify" the offense when things weren't going smoothly.
"Simpler. Simpler. Simplify some things. All of it," Rodgers said. "A lot of it is simple mistakes. If we're making simple mistakes on complex plays, to me we need to simplify some things."
Throughout the last couple of seasons, Rodgers has also voiced his dislike for motions and shifts, as they interfere with his ability to read the opposing defense. However, motions are a fundamental aspect of LaFleur's coaching philosophy.
With Jordan Love at the helm, a player drafted by the Packers when LaFleur was already in charge, the coach has more freedom to build an offense that aligns with his vision. If this approach proves successful, it will demonstrate LaFleur's true value as an elite offensive mind, independent of Rodgers' presence.
So far, LaFleur has shown great ability to manage the Packers when things weren't working that well. This is something Sean McVay himself praised during last year, when both the Rams and the Packers were having tough seasons.
"I've been so impressed with just watching the consistency and the steadiness at which he's handled things," McVay mentioned. "I think it's reflected with the way that they've responded and in a lot of good instances based on some of the things that they’ve gone through as well."
This season holds transformative potential for the Packers as a whole. For Matt LaFleur, it's an especially crucial moment to emerge as a respected and accomplished offensive mind, entirely on his own merits.
I know we have a thread like this, but I can’t find it. I think this article is very well written and it’s going to be interesting to see how MLS does things this year.