Dolphins’ McDaniel on LaFleur’s Class and ‘Very White Teeth’

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur and Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel go way back.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Dec 25, 2022 12:36 PM EST

In this story:

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Matt LaFleur and Mike McDaniel will be spending Christmas together. Well, not together, but on opposite sidelines as the Green Bay Packers face the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

LaFleur and McDaniel go way back through stints on staffs together in Houston, Washington and Atlanta.

“Mike and I are super-tight,” LaFleur said.

And, as it goes for friends, everything is fair game.

“Styling his hair. It’s really good. Brushing his teeth, too. He’s got very, very white teeth,” McDaniel told reporters in Miami about what stands out about LaFleur. “He has humility that really allows him to I think never really get complacent. Like a lot of people, he’s been through his fair share of things, but I think his honest intent and really ignoring the noise and staying true to himself is really, really underrated in terms of the perception of him.

“I think he’s handled everything about his job with class, whether that’s winning a lot or having any sort of turmoil. He’s one of the reasons they’ve been so successful. It is a different ballgame when you’re the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. You’re in a place where you are front and center, the main ticket, the big ticket, in that town and everything is combed and there’s high expectations.

“I think he gracefully manages a lot of things in a way that I really appreciate and has definitely rubbed off on me in my short journey as a head coach. So, he’s a great person, a great football mind, hard worker and I think he’d probably be in the top three most attractive head coaches in the history National Football League.”

LaFleur, who helped McDaniel get back in the game after some troubling incidents in Houston and Cleveland, had nothing but kind words for McDaniel.

“He’s a pretty entertaining guy. He’s very quick witted and, but he’s a really good person that cares a lot about people, cares a lot about the game and the job, and he does a great job,” LaFleur said. “He’s super-thorough, very intelligent and I’ve got as much respect for him as anybody, just in terms of how he handles his business, the position and his football mind. He’s a super-creative guy. I think you could see that in terms of some of the stuff they’ve put on tape this year.

“Obviously, he goes to great lengths to help his players as much as possible. I know we all heard that story about that tape that he put together for Tua. I think that’s pretty remarkable, and I think that he’s doing whatever it takes to help guys be their best.”