But neither season ended the way they wanted. Its really a compliment, Rodgers says. All Rights Reserved. The Packers also have one pick each in the second, third and fourth rounds, two picks in the fifth and four in the seventh. And hes a guy I have a special place in my heart for. As LaFleur and I talk, we walk down Oneida Street in Green Bay and a stunned man stops pushing a stroller and waits for the coach to walk past. For some coaches, failures beget more failures. While he also had three interceptions over the same span, it can be attributed to part of the growing pains that a young quarterback will have with the lack of snaps afforded to him. By submitting your email, you agree to our, whose variations have revolutionized a handful of teams. As a coach, you have to be careful of having too many rules because you can paint yourself into a corner. Its a mindset. He was cooking dal and kitchari. He was supportive from the start.. Matt LaFleur said he has entertained the idea of Nathaniel Hackett returning to the Packers' staff. Patrick MahomesAndy Reid, Bill BelichickTom Brady, Sean McVayMatthew Stafford: All three of these partnerships are drastically different, but you cannot tell the story of one man without the other. I think the ball can bounce either wayI dont want this to come off sounding like an excuse, because it is what it is. (As I talked to Campbell in a Lambeau hallway, LaFleur happened to walk by, and when he heard Campbell saying nice things about him, he stuck his fingers in his ears and gave a loud la-la-la to drown out the compliments.). Be it right, wrong or indifferent, I look at it a little different from some people regarding the whole situation. When LaFleur was a kid, family members called him Matty. Three of his childhood friends still call him that. LaFleur started in the coaching ranks as an offensive assistant at his alma mater in 2003, moved to Central Michigan in 2004, and eventually became offensive coordinator at Ashland University in 2007, the first place he ever called plays. But those undiscovered moments helped bring LaFleur and Rodgers together and keep them together through the coming turbulence. Matt LaFleur bombed an interview 5 years ago to be Maryland's WR coach Can we take some motion off to get some tempo practice? And he can say yes without being sensitive, Rodgers says. Then when passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy resigned to become offensive coordinator of the Bears, LaFleur told Rodgers he wanted to talk to Clements. Thats kind of how my family rolls, LeFleur says. Now, heres the hard part: On March 18, the Packers traded away All-Pro receiver Davante Adams for a first- and second-round pick. The argument LaFleur suffers from is that hes a beneficiary of Rodgerss talent. "I think it's been a cool process from the day we drafted him to see him now, just to see how he's matured in every facet of life. He asked Rodgers about him again this January. LaFleur and Rodgers operate as part millennial Vince LombardiBart Starr and part bickering old married coupleif the old married couple won 80 percent of their football games and designed an offense that combined classic Shanahan-McVay principles with Rodgerss ability to lay waste to entire Midwestern cities. And the return of Rodgers whose history suggests he will bring out the best in other receivers looks even more significant now than Adams is a Raider. Between LaFleur and Rodgers, there is trust. LaFleur starts an impression of a midwestern grandma: Why yes it is, and of course, the caller was disarmed. That, in turn, forced Barry to blitz more to generate pressure, with limited success. In the team's virtual meetings, there were far more. Where LaFleur calls home, there are championships and there are failures and not much between. He mentioned Lazard getting more opportunities, a healthy Randall Cobb being a factor, and big years from tight ends who might step up, along with backs catching more balls. He also gave embattled defensive coordinator Joe Barry a vote of confidence. He guesses that if he called him 20 minutes before a Packers game and hes got a problem, LaFleur might skip the pregame speech. Matt never told me this, I didnt find it out until years later, McDaniel said. Packers' Matt LaFleur leads with grace through Aaron Rodgers' COVID-19 You can change your choices at any time by clicking on the 'Privacy dashboard' links on our sites and apps. LaFleur remembers sitting in Washington and seeing the natural throwing motion and athleticism of Rodgers and realizing that theres nothing he cant do. Hes getting all this credibility for being a handsome, good-looking coach. But, as Saleh said, LaFleurs strength at that time was work ethic, not scheme. On the third-and-goal play from the 8 before the field goal, Rodgers threw an incompletion to Davante Adams instead of trying to run even though he appeared to have space. In LaFleur's 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 . Also at the wedding was Packers coach Matt LaFleur, who had the opportunity at the reception to lead Rodgers to the bar, offer him something strong and straight up, and make a pitch for Rodgers to come home with him. LaFleur takes his hat and starts to sign the bill before the man asks him to sign the front. The wedding story starts where all LaFleur stories do: with the coach trying to give everyone space to be themselves. I dont want to discredit the fact that hes a perfect fit for any scheme, but we would literally talk about that amongst each other, LaFleur said. Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur turned down a chance to make the Super Bowl. Packers can shore up pivotal role in Matt LaFleur's offense with tight His ability to throw on the move. He has a calmness to him, Murphy said. They give credit to worse-looking guys, guys with terrible eyebrows and terrible hairlines, and hes blessed. [Adding] another young coach on staff, he wasnt threatened by me joining the party. It doesnt matter to your brain, doesnt matter to your body if you believe it, that becomes the reality. The Green Bay Packers have begun the process of moving on from the Aaron Rodgers era. Copyright 2023 IBTimes LLC. Its like religion and politics. Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur: 'I want us to take action' When LaFleur worked for Dan Quinn on the Falcons in 2015 and 16, Quinn had three rules. He has such a calm, cool demeanor that I think anybody would gravitate towards him.. Matt LaFleur Family & Children: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know I know a lots been speculated, Oh, theyre gonna lean more on the run game. Well, maybe. Matt LaFleur, the new head coach for the Green Bay Packers, is married to wife BreAnne, is the father of two boys, and has a brother who is also involved in the National Football League. Then, Rodgers explains, LaFleur can make fun of the tempo plays Rodgers asked for, or correct him. Assuming the Packers stay at 15, this would be just their second top-15 overall pick in the past 14 drafts. 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. authenticate users, apply security measures, and prevent spam and abuse, and, display personalised ads and content based on interest profiles, measure the effectiveness of personalised ads and content, and, develop and improve our products and services. But we were getting a lot of positive cases. 15 and then get a safety, tight end and receiver later. You dont always see the superstars do that, LaFleur says. I get hired by the Texans, Im 28 years old, our offensive coordinator was my age and I was thinking, This kid cant know that much more than me. And I was blown away. He also saw that LaFleur was humble enough to ask any question and bold enough to push for answers. Rodgers talked him through it and wiggled the tooth for him. 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. Those are some of the most special memories my kids will have, LaFleur says of interactions with Rodgers. 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. The story of this era of Packers football is about the merging of two of the most monumental forces in modern football: Rodgerss talent and the Shanahan-McVay playbook, whose variations have revolutionized a handful of teams, including both Super Bowl participants last year and three of the four conference finalists. On the special teams side, LaFleur curiously chose to promote internally from Mennenga's staff and gave Maurice Drayton the job. You might see them greet them, but this was legitimately asking them questions, spending time with them.. LaFleur claims he is the only one who touches his eyebrows. Congratulations, LaFleur. But it was not a favorite of Aaron Rodgers at the start. Hes so freaking good-looking, Rodgers said, in a dead serious tone. Green Bay Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy spoke with Larry McCarren at the NFL Annual Meetings in Phoenix. 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.. 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. Only it was a ruse to get the two to shovel snow and park cars all night long. Best coach in the league, the man says to me. While some figured it was a foregone conclusion that the Packers would pick up the fifth-year option on their 2020 first-round draft pick at a $20.272 million fully guaranteed price tag for the 2024 season Gutekunst turned down the opportunity after the draft ended to flat-out say that yes, Love will indeed have his option picked up. Total Packers with Matt LaFleur: Rasul Douglas - Green Bay Packers Its not about me, its about everybody else. The plan was dinner at Rodgers place just the two of them and Rodgers girlfriend, Shailene Woodley. He replaced Mike Sherman, who departed for Texas A&M and took with him a Texans quality control coach, which created an opening on staff. LaFleurs retorts usually arent for public consumption. Daily. When LaFleur was in Los Angeles for the NFL Honors, he met Clements, who lives in the area. Serving mainly as Rodgers' backup for the past two seasons, Love has had some chances to showcase what Green Bay fans can expect from him after logging three total touchdowns and 606 yards while completing 60.2 percent of his passes. And we're excited for him.". Mason Crosby connected to narrow the gap to four points. McVays viewpoint on playoff mentality is simple: The best team doesnt always win. Those rules and the trust they fostered helped the Packers to 26 regular-season victories in LaFleurs first two seasons. (McVay noted that the teams two-back sets are impressive. In the resurfaced article, Robert Saleh told Demovsky that on one occasion in the mid-2000s, Kelly then the head coach at Central Michigan invited him and fellow graduate assistant coach Matt LaFleur to what they thought was a party at Kelly's house. Good old Matty, he showed up and ate a bowl and a half of everything, Rodgers says. What Rodgers didnt know was that LaFleur was listening to the broadcast while game-planning. This part was all LaFleur, his personality, his upbringing and perspective. Matt LaFleur was in his debut season as Green Bay's coach when the Packers lost the NFC championship game to the San Francisco 49ers, whose staff featured Saleh as defensive coordinator and. The depth of this draft class at receiver and particularly at tight end could push the Packers toward using the 15th overall pick to address other needs, such as adding a safety or a pass rusher. LaFleur was a former undersized midwestern quarterback and the son of a MAC coach. Please enter a valid email and try again. The media could not be loaded, either because the server or network failed or because the format is not supported. IBT Fast Start - Let the best of International News come to you. But the team that plays the best in that three-hour window wins, he told me. The offensive coordinator of that Texans team certainly knew a hell of a lot about football. Ill always wish him well.. LaFleur, barring a Bengals dynasty for Taylor or a surprising uptick for Kliff Kingsbury in Arizona, is almost certainly going to end up being the best hire of the group. That is what is unfolding in Green Bay. Something went wrong. Ultimately, we were there to support David and Frankie, and I didnt want to take away from that experience.. In two of those seasons, Rodgers won the league MVP awardbut LaFleur has never been within 20 votes of Coach of the Year. I didnt know, I didnt want to ask [Rodgers], I didnt want to push it and make it go the other way. Rodgers signed a new contract a few days later. Is this where that bald-headed son of a bitch Bob Barringer lives? the caller demanded to know. If you do not want us and our partners to use cookies and personal data for these additional purposes, click 'Reject all'. Despite being from Michigan, he hated the cold (he cops to being soft), and Green Bay is a rough spot to feel that way. 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. Arguably one of the best receivers of all time, especially when it comes to route running, Packers receiver Allen Lazard said of Adams. 0 Comments. Matt LaFleur's ability to build trust, starting with Aaron Rodgers, is He gets reflective. So, too, is the quarterback-coach relationship. This is their job and I expect them to come to work ready to play. Because I troll Matt all the time.. Even so, he does not feel a ton of pressure. Packers' Matt LaFleur Mocks Vikings Tradition Ahead of Opener - Heavy.com Take for instance, LaFleurs first year. That exchange of ideas, LaFleur said, is what hes after. Packers' NFL draft picks suggest more change is on the way If you would like to customise your choices, click 'Manage privacy settings'. Tight end Jace Sternberger (2019 third-round pick) and wide receiver Amari Rodgers (2021) left the organization within two years. And so the toxins in the relationship between Rodgers and the Packers began to pass. Now, with the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft on Thursday the Packers could use the 13th pick (the reported compensation by Adam Schefter for the Aaron Rodgers trade) on another edge rusher or, at the very least, figure to pick one during Day 2. LaFleur has the same job: Make Rodgerss tape look better than it used to be, an increasingly high bar. Well, I dont know how productive it really is. Sign up and stay up to date with our daily newsletter. He also learned how everything ties together: Sometimes, he said, youll trade in a 3-yard pass in order to set up an explosive pass. We just named a quarterback assistant, Connor Lewis. This, I assure you, is part of the story. Ultimately, it was his decision.. We got to see that early on from Matty.. I said, Listen, Im not going to wear you out, LaFleur says. Sean McVay, too. 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. Mark Murphy 1-on-1: 'Health and safety' still a big focus for the NFL. The way he does it is organic and yet purposeful. The third round has been disastrous for the Packers recently. As part of his opening statement, LaFleur said, Obviously, I didnt do enough to get our team prepared to win a football game. Someone else would be Maryland's wide receivers coach. Its going to be more of a group effort.. A relationship that falters, even for one series in one game, can alter the course of the franchise forever. The interview was four hours and it felt like 15 minutes, Murphy said. And Rodgers. Despite all that was lost that day, more trust was won. Why Packers are struggling for first time under Matt LaFleur - Green Staying disciplined on that is a constant challenge for me, LaFleur said. Hed put on a ludicrous amount of layers before winter games and he kept talking about the cold while addressing the team late in the season. Packers can shore up pivotal role in Matt LaFleur's offense with tight ends in 2023 NFL Draft. I just have so much trust in these guys that they are doing the right thing, LaFleur says. Aaron set me straight, LaFleur said. Lafleur started a text conversation with Rodgers during his telecast and nearly responded by Facetiming him on live television. Matt LaFleur wins games at a higher clip than any pro football coach in history. He was just very humble and such a perfectionist at that point in his career that it made him really mad when he didnt know things. The pro game, McDaniel said, was a specific world compared to other levels of football, and the other staff members in Houston were deeply rooted in it. That can create conflict in a lot of situations, but not for them. This was in the wake of Rodgers positive test for COVID-19. Dillon. But ahead of an all-important season, the fourth-year Packers . Were still trying to figure everything out. Were talking in the middle of training camp, after all. Theres almost a rom-com-y feel to how Rodgers and LaFleur talk about following each others careers long before they joined up. To win consistently the way he has is not appreciated enough., His quarterback, though, has a different take: Its because he just won the lottery, man. While boarding the team plane to Minneapolis, he wore a shirt with LaFleurs likeness that read, OUR COACH IS HOTTER THAN YOURS., He frequently jokes about LaFleurs lush eyebrows. The coach-quarterback relationship ultimately helped LaFleur build trust with his entire team. So if LaFleur was mad about something Rodgers said or did, he would take it out on the backup quarterbacks. I was learning from him, not the other way around, McVay said of LaFleur. I definitely spent my time on the sticks, he says. If Rodgers was ticked off at LaFleur, hed get frustrated and stew. I said, You know how I feel, but I was going to let him have his space and make whatever decision he thought was best for him. The Packers took Christian Watson in the second round and Romeo Doubs in the fourth last year, but theyre the only Green Bay wideouts currently under contract who had at least 100 yards receiving last season. Packers enter draft needing to find more playmakers for Love 12 pick in 2019. who played one special teams snap and no offensive snaps as a rookie, was suspended the last six games of the season. Aaron is a great player, said Mark Murphy, the teams president and CEO. An NFL coach having three rules and only three rules is not ground-breaking. Its so cool, he said, to see your entire friend group rise up in your profession with you. Davante demanded so much of the ball because he was always open and if youve got a guy who is always open, you gotta give him the ball, Rodgers said. This means, he said, one of the few things you can control is giving players as much confidence and as much clarity going into the game as possible. Matt LaFleur - Wikipedia There is something to accepting responsibility, and I think there is a trickle-down effect. 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. Theres a lot of unknowns that need to be answered, and until we figure out all of that, I dont really know. After the Saints stunned the Packers 38-3 in the opening game of the 2021 season, LaFleur said, Obviously, I didnt get these guys ready to play ball.. But that obscures the fact that if it were so easy to win 13 games, LaFleurs predecessor Mike McCarthy would have done it at least once in any of his last seven years at the helm. The reporter did not check to see whether the drug was banned by the NFL. Hiring Clements was a bow to Rodgers, but like a lot of what LaFleur has done, it was more than that. He was a joy to coach, not only a great player but a great person, a great competitor and leader on our football team. You can tell Aaron respects Matt because theres some stuff Ive never seen him do, and the offense is different from when Matt started.. 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). A year later, after a play-calling stint with the Titans, LaFleur popped up on the Packers radar. Now, theres some dispute about how much LaFleur actually knew at that time. He really didnt like the feeling of not knowing everything, so he made it his job to know everything., McDaniel immediately noticed that LaFleur was a quarterback specialist who was obsessed with learning run blocking and line play. Josiah Deguara, who had 13 catches for 114 yards last season, is the top tight end under contract. They are grown men. LaFleur's not going to scream or lecture and he's not so self-absorbed to take his eye off the road. The good news is that the offense is built for just that. Ty, five at the time, had a loose tooth. That now-famous Washington staff included both Shanahans (Kyle as offensive coordinator), LaFleur (quarterbacks coach), McVay (tight ends coach) and McDaniel (offensive assistant turned wide receivers coach). He has some really finely kept eyebrows.. The Eagles entered the draft with six selections, including the tenth and 30th overall pick and a second and third-rounder. Whats so exciting about this league is when there is a situation like this, it seems to me guys will always step up and assume the role. I was like Holy shit, Ive got a lot to learn.. LaFleur's. His departure has firmly entrenched Jordan Love as the Packers star quarterback Head coach Matt LaFleur is all in on his new lead guy The Green Bay Packers have begun the process of moving on. He wanted to give Rodgers time and space. Its about whether youre willing to put in the grind and work your tail off to accomplish what they need.. He is, and I mean this with all sincerity, out of all the people that Ive known in life, in this profession or not, the most trustworthy human being Ive ever met, McDaniel said. "I think he definitely understands that he's the guy in charge. They selected Michigan outside linebacker Rashan Gary with the No. There should be many more opportunities for the 42-year-old LaFleur, with or without the 38-year-old Rodgers. Now, the two former quarterbacks are reuniting in. He's going to be the guy in the huddle and he's got to be an extension of us. The last couple of years have been really, really seamless for us, Rodgers says. LaFleur acknowledges his offense wont look the same without Adams, though the foundation will remain. He was one of the best NCAA players Ive ever faced., The two would play for hours, alternating between playing as Central Michigan, where their father, Denny, was an assistant, or Florida State or Notre Dame. Adams is an impossible player to replace, someone capable of lining up in the slot or out wide, and catching passes all over the fieldlast season he had double-digit receptions behind the line of scrimmage, within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, 10-19 yards deep, and then 20-plus yards deep; and according to Pro Football Focus, over the past two seasons, when Adams was in single coverage, passes to him registered a 129.6 passer rating.

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