That quickly changed. Sometimes these lessons go the other way. I dont need a lot of fluff or convolution. And at that stage, 99 percent of coaches wouldnt have had that security. When asked about defensive coordinator Joe Barry, LaFleur revealed that he didn't anticipate making any changes to the coaching staff for the 2023 season. The argument LaFleur suffers from is that hes a beneficiary of Rodgerss talent. I mean, he is so efficient at it, LaFleur said. Join Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur and analyst Larry McCarren as they recap the regular season finale vs. the Detroit Lions. Aaron set me straight, LaFleur said. Green Bay hasnt selected a wide receiver in the first round since taking Javon Walker from Florida State with the 20th overall pick in 2002. The Packers must find a quarterback to back up Love. We always thought hed be a perfect fit for the scheme. There was also 10-Yard Fight, an obscure video game LaFleur loved as a kid, Tecmo Bowl, and, according to his brother, a lot of EA Sports NCAA Football. He said he needs to remind himself constantly that for all the facts of the game to work together, you cant just pass on every play. The Packers also have one pick each in the second, third and fourth rounds, two picks in the fifth and four in the seventh. I always felt like it was a belief that you could really lock in an advantage, Rodgers says now of that interaction. Certainly, there are adjustments, LaFleur says. It all starts with Kyle, Mike LaFleur said. For some coaches, failures beget more failures. When LaFleur was a kid, family members called him Matty. Three of his childhood friends still call him that. I Want To Believe: . Eberflus, 52, and LaFleur first faced off in 2017, when LaFleur ran the Rams' offense and Eberflus was the Cowboys' linebackers coach and passing-defense coordinator. On the special teams side, LaFleur curiously chose to promote internally from Mennenga's staff and gave Maurice Drayton the job. Whatever is going to help them be their best, thats what we want. Green Bay has been the center of the media circus a handful of times over the past two years: Rodgerss will-he-or-wont-he controversies about retirement and trade demands, or his positive COVID test last season which led to the revelation that Rodgers was not vaccinated. Most importantly, it takes these guys. Much of that Houston staff departed for Washington in 2010 to work under Mike Shanahan. So hes like, Whatever, Im not gonna concern myself with the trivial nature of getting mad. He just wants to know the answer.. As a coach, you have to be careful of having too many rules because you can paint yourself into a corner. You might see them greet them, but this was legitimately asking them questions, spending time with them.. McDaniel said that with everyone in their 20s or early 30s, with no kids, coaches worked 20-hour days just to get Kyle Shanahans workplace affection. Those rules and the trust they fostered helped the Packers to 26 regular-season victories in LaFleurs first two seasons. Now hes all swaggy. What Rodgers didnt know was that LaFleur was listening to the broadcast while game-planning. Hes so freaking good-looking, Rodgers said, in a dead serious tone. In fact, the trend started well before the arrival of Rodgers, who is expected to get traded to the New York Jets before the start of the next season. This, I assure you, is part of the story. His name was Kyle Shanahan, and hed been promoted from quarterbacks coach under Gary Kubiak. Now, theres some dispute about how much LaFleur actually knew at that time. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst, president Mark Murphy and director of football operations Russ Ball also were involved in the discussions. With more help at the tight end spot coming in the form of Tucker Kraft, an extra edge rusher in Colby Wooden and Virginia's Dontayvion Wicks for receiver depth, the Packers pretty much hit on all of their picksoutside of the Sean Clifford pick. In LaFleur's first three seasons, they had 13, 11 and 13 turnovers. It is a web of inside jokes and roasts that hasnt ended despite their respective rises up the ranks. As a leader, you have to own everything, he explains. The affection Rodgers has for his head coach is evident in the way he makes fun of him publicly. First of all, he's earned the respect of his actionsthe way he worksfrom all his teammates, I would say. Even so, he does not feel a ton of pressure. Something went wrong. Dillon. It is unprecedented turnover in this new era of loosened . He creates an environment where he gets all the fluff out of the way and all that matters is studying the tape and getting the most out of players every single day.. The most common answer is obvious. No, youre gonna find a way to solve the problem., No one really knows how Adams will be replaced, and thats not necessarily a bad thing. This part was all LaFleur, his personality, his upbringing and perspective. He also saw that LaFleur was humble enough to ask any question and bold enough to push for answers. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL, Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur speaks during the NFC head coaches availability at the NFL football meetings, Tuesday, March 28, 2023, in Phoenix. LaFleur was a former undersized midwestern quarterback and the son of a MAC coach. And the team has playmakers in other offensive positions, like running backs Aaron Jones and A.J. So it's not like LaFleur had to have some sort of. Lets have an open dialogue and conversation and get better. Follow Dan on Twitter @danpompei, After a bumpy start, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur and quarterback Aaron Rodgers have developed a strong working relationship. Under Shanahan, Matt LaFleur learned about the illusion of complexity. This was drilled into him further by McVay, who taught him the nuances of knowing how teams study tape and using it against them: Plays that start out looking the same that arent. And theyre gonna make you throw the football? That scheme, which is heavy on play-action, zone runs, and motion, has made winners out of less-talented passers like Jared Goff and Jimmy Garoppolo. It was clear he was a different cat, his Ashland quarterback, Bill Cundiff, says now, mentioning the level of detail in the offense and the instant success the team experiencedeven if that pro-style, dropback system bore little resemblance to what LaFleur runs now. Thats not just because he has to problem-solve an offense without one of the best receivers in football, but because he is entering Year 4 with one of the best quarterbacks of all time and they have yet to make a Super Bowl appearance. So now I can say, Matt, every freaking play in this practice has motion on it. McVay has been impressed from afar by LaFleurs ability to mesh and mold his core beliefs while also making sure Aaron had ownership. McVay said that seeing the LaFleur offense evolve to incorporate Rodgerss tendencies and personnel advantages has been powerful., The identity of a Green Bay offense under his leadership is some of the things Aaron has done at such a high level that are maybe a little different from what some of our backgrounds involved, McVay said. But those undiscovered moments helped bring LaFleur and Rodgers together and keep them together through the coming turbulence. I think Mike Tomlin has said this, and I thought it was a great way of articulating it, but there was almost a youthful arrogance and blissfulness that allowed us to, regardless of the results, put our heads down and work and be [feel] really fortunate to be in the roles we had, said McVay. But they worked on it. And he was still so spooked when he returned to Green Bay that he talked to offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich about it. I wasted a lot of my life playing. I explain that I dont think it was a waste, as were sitting on a training table in the massive indoor practice facility of the team hes led to 39 wins in three years. ESPN NFL draft analyst Todd McShay said this is the strongest tight end class in the past decade or so. Im going through that with my own kids right now., As a kid, LaFleurs mom took him to Central Michigan practices, but he said he didnt soak it in as much as he could have. There wasnt anything other than, This guy will work his butt off, Saleh says now. They selected Michigan outside linebacker Rashan Gary with the No. Rodgers was messing around with me quite a bit, LaFleur says. I spent the majority of my offseason, I would say, trying to defuse the situation as best as we could, LaFleur says. But if there is one thing that Love has learned from flying under Rodgers' wing, it is that he has made strides towards becoming a better on-field leader. But the team that plays the best in that three-hour window wins, he told me. All Rights Reserved. "I think he definitely understands that he's the guy in charge. [Adding] another young coach on staff, he wasnt threatened by me joining the party. But we were getting a lot of positive cases. And the onus will be on coaches to figure out how to help these players find success. I put it to nearly everyone I spoke with for this story: Why doesnt LaFleur get as many plaudits as he should? From MACtion, I learned you better have a quarterback, he said. In LaFleurs second season, the Packers were trailing the Bucs 31-23 in the NFC Championship Game with 2:09 remaining when LaFleur called for a 26-yard field goal attempt on fourth down from the 8-yard line. GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) Aaron Rodgers might not be the only longtime Packer heading out of Green Bay. Its not easy. #10 Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers. They ask you to do a lot of things with your back to the defense. The credentials, or the journey to get the credentials, though, are important. Right now, I dont know. It might be the storywhy this all works. Those are some of the most special memories my kids will have, LaFleur says of interactions with Rodgers. The partnership between LaFleur and Rodgers now is 53 games old. So I think a lot of people say, Oh OK, youve got a Hall of Fame quarterback. But Matts a big reason that the Hall of Fame quarterback won the MVP the last two years., A lot of people want to discredit him because he has a Hall of Fame quarterback, but the reality is hes done a phenomenal job capturing a really cool locker room in terms of star players and talent and getting them all to play at a very high level, said Jets coach Robert Saleh, a longtime friend and former coworker of LaFleurs. Its really a compliment, Rodgers says. This is their job and I expect them to come to work ready to play. LaFleur acknowledges his offense wont look the same without Adams, though the foundation will remain. All in all, the Packers have retooled their roster to better fit Love's skill sets and it will only be a matter of time before that manifests into something big. This was in the wake of Rodgers positive test for COVID-19. I liked to be coached. Like I told him, the beauty of this game is winning is a hell of a lot of fun, but its about the relationships you make. As much as anything, its why Rodgers will be a Packer in 2022. You could trust him with your life or your family. He said that if he was going through something and had to call one person who he knows would drop everything, it would be LaFleur. The Make-A-Wish visits and Tys tooth didnt get as much attention as the Packers flameout in the NFC Championship Game that season and the teams subsequent selection of Jordan Love with the 26th pick of the 2020 draft. The Shanahan-McVay origins are what drew the Packers interest in LaFleur after firing McCarthy, knowing that maximizing the quarterback was going to be the most important piece of the puzzle. In multiple conversations over the two days after the end of the Packers season, LaFleur made sure Rodgers knew how much he was wanted. But he loves the eye discipline that LaFleurs motions and shifts demand. On the postgame stage, LaFleur steps in front of the targeted and invites fire. So he was no. One of the most obvious and clichd observations about pro football is also the most true: The head-coach-quarterback relationship is the most important part of the franchise. The media could not be loaded, either because the server or network failed or because the format is not supported. 12 pick in 2019. Matt LaFleur is one of the youngest coaches to lead an NFL team, and he put together an impressive season in 2020! Only it was a ruse to get the two to shovel snow and park cars all night long. While the Packers rarely draft receivers in the first round, theyve had great success finding them in the second including Greg Jennings (2006), Jordy Nelson (2008), Randall Cobb (2011), Davante Adams (2014) and Watson (2022). That was the backdrop to the March wedding. Each guy wants to talk shit about the one I spoke to previously. McVay, LaFleurs former boss in Los Angeles, uses it too. Obviously I would rather have him on my team than someone elses, but we know that in this industry, nothing is forever., Well, Ill be honest with you, LaFleur begins. Of course, there were several unsightly seams between Rodgers and others in the organization. First-year coach Matt LaFleur has a chance to lead the Green Bay Packers to an NFC championship and a trip to Super Bowl 54 against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night. Knowing that we both come to it just wanting to do whats best for the team and with love and respect for each other.. He also gave embattled defensive coordinator Joe Barry a vote of confidence. LaFleur has said he learned to cut his own hair during college. And then LaFleur backed off. Talk to any former Shanahan assistant and youll get the same response. If all their interactions were about throwing a football, their relationship would have been restricted. The plan was dinner at Rodgers place just the two of them and Rodgers girlfriend, Shailene Woodley. So if LaFleur was mad about something Rodgers said or did, he would take it out on the backup quarterbacks. Im sure hes not gonna sit there saying, When I was with the Omaha Beef in 2003, I hit my fifth step like this but theres something to be said for a guy who understands the position, Ragsdale said of LaFleur. Were going to have to add some bodies to that room, coach Matt LaFleur said last month at the NFLs owners meetings. The Packers never got the ball back and lost the game. But ahead of an all-important season, the fourth-year Packers coach knows he still has questions to answerand a big opportunity to do just that. An NFL coach having three rules and only three rules is not ground-breaking. The Packers enter this season with the second-best odds to win the NFC behind only the Buccaneers. He has a calmness to him, Murphy said. The three rules require trust because there is much left assumed with only three. When LaFleur realized how perturbed Rodgers was last offseason, Rodgers said his coach was on the next flight to visit him in Malibu, Calif. That was definitely meaningful to me, Rodgers says. I do think theres something to just momentum, and obviously coming out of those byes I would say maybe we havent kept the momentum going, at least last year. He starts to run through the teams that beat the Packers: A pretty darn good 49er team in the 2019 season, the Super Bowl champion two years ago, Tampa Bay. That shit doesnt bother me, LaFleur said. He's going to be the guy in the huddle and he's got to be an extension of us.
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