LaFleur Excited for Year 2 with Rodgers
GREEN BAY, Wis. – In the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s NFC Championship Game disaster, Aaron Rodgers didn’t think the gap between the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers was too big.
“It looks pretty big. They got us a couple times but I don’t think it’s that big,” Rodgers said. “I think we’re really close. I think we’re just a little more consistent performance away from consistently playing with these guys.”
After digesting the film, coach Matt LaFleur had a different opinion.
“There obviously is” a big gap, he said during his season-ending news conference on Wednesday morning. “We played them twice and they took it to us two times. So, that’s something that we’ve got to take a good, hard look at this offseason because right now they’re the class of the NFC. They’ve shown it throughout the course of the season, and that is a really good football team. It was disappointing to go out there and get beat like that.”
LaFleur’s defense was manhandled by the 49ers. It wasn’t just the defense, though. Green Bay’s offense, which had functioned at a high level only sporadically all season, had two turnovers and zero points as it trailed 27-0 at halftime. Thus, closing that gap has as much to do with Rodgers as the defense.
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Rodgers turned 36 in January and is coming off a second consecutive subpar season by his lofty standards. Against the 49ers, he threw two interceptions (one was irrelevant at the end of the game) and fumbled three times (only one lost). The quarterback with the best passer rating in NFL history topped 100 in only five of 18 games.
LaFleur, however, doesn’t see a quarterback who’s approaching the finish line to his career.
“I think he’s still one of the most talented players out there, and I think it totally depends on how long his body holds up,” LaFleur said. “I know he seemed energized all season long. His mind is as sharp as they come. It’s just his body holding up, and I think he does an excellent job. He’s a true professional. He knows his body and he does a great job of taking care of his body.”
While Rodgers stayed healthy after suffering a broken collarbone in 2017 and a knee injury in 2018, it was a challenging season for the team’s 12th-season starter. There were new coaches with LaFleur, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy. There were technical, schematic and verbal changes. And there was a perimeter corps that lacked a consistent threat opposite of Davante Adams. Marquez Valdes-Scantling, the only drafted receiver beyond Adams, disappeared during the second half of the season, Geronimo Allison had a dismal season, and veteran tight end Jimmy Graham failed to find the Fountain of Youth.
Through the ups and downs, LaFleur was pleased with how his quarterback handled everything that was thrown at him.
“I think just with anything, being comfortable with some of the uncomfortable things we’ve asked him to do,” LaFleur said as part of the more extensive answer in the video associated with this story. “I do think he was open-minded and I appreciate that because we certainly asked him to play under center more than he has, especially in more recent years and I thought he executed for the most part at a pretty high level. I know the numbers weren’t what you guys say were up to the standard but I do think there was some really good play in there. I’m excited about moving forward into the future.”
