World’s Best Preview: 2019 Key Moments – No. 2, the LaFleur Era

Matt LaFleur has answered a myriad of questions by leading the team to 12 wins

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Dec 28, 2019 2:08 PM EST

DETROIT – As the 2019 regular season and the 2019 calendar year come to a close, let’s take a look back at how the Green Bay Packers went from 6-9-1 last season to 12-3 and rolling into the playoffs this season.

No. 2: The LaFleur Era

Team president Mark Murphy raised all sorts of eyebrows when he thrust himself into a bigger role in the football side of the operation following the hiring of Brian Gutekunst as general manager in January 2018. It was a way of doing business not seen in Green Bay since Murphy’s predecessor, Bob Harlan, handed the keys to the football machine to Ron Wolf and got out of the way.

Murphy’s new role was thrust into the spotlight again with the decision to fire coach Mike McCarthy late last season. Ultimately, it would be Murphy – not Gutekunst – who would make the call on the new coach.

The Packers settled on Matt LaFleur – no second interview needed. At age 39, LaFleur was young. With just one season as a play-calling offensive coordinator, he didn’t have the strongest of track records. Without McCarthy’s big personality, he lacked a captivating presence.

What LaFleur had was an offensive plan – a necessity to get franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers energized and back on track. What LaFleur also had was a vision. The offense would feature the running game in hopes of making life easier on Rodgers. He would keep Mike Pettine to maintain stability on defense. Practices would be short and sweet in hopes of getting the team sharp mentally but keeping it healthy physically.

With all of that, there really was only one overriding story nationally, and that was LaFleur’s relationship with Rodgers. How would a first-year coach only four years older than his quarterback harness the strong-willed Rodgers? Could LaFleur get Rodgers to play his way? During his introductory news conference, LaFleur said their relationship would be a “partnership,” leading many outsiders – many of whom had never talked to the quarterback or the coach – to wonder how much of that partnership would be Rodgers leading and LaFleur following.

As it turns out, it’s all been nonsense. Say what you will about the leadership structure of the Packers, but it appears they found the right coach – with the caveat being that first-year success doesn’t guarantee second-year success. (See Chicago’s Matt Nagy.) And the whole LaFleur-Rodgers narrative went up and smoke on opening night, when Rodgers awarded LaFleur the game ball in the cramped but jubilant locker room at Soldier Field. And it went up in smoke again a couple months later, when LaFleur handed “old man” Rodgers the game ball after Rodgers torched Oakland. For an exclamation point, there was Rodgers’ bear hug of LaFleur in the locker room last week at Minnesota.

Last year, Rodgers threw for 4,442 yards despite missing almost all the final game with a concussion. This year, he might not even reach 4,000 yards. But Rodgers hasn’t pouted about his lack of production or taking on a diminished role some weeks. He’s all-in on LaFleur because he believes LaFleur is the man who can help him win a second Super Bowl.

“I think the level of success and the way that I feel I’m playing is different in this offense this year. I don’t need to throw 40 touchdowns for us to win,” Rodgers said earlier in the week.

With a dozen wins, LaFleur not only will be the only first-year coach working during the playoffs but he’ll be the only first-year coach with a winning record. The offense, statistically, isn’t any better than it was last season. Nor is Rodgers. But LaFleur has taken advantage of a healthy Aaron Jones to maximize the third-year running back’s considerable gifts. The defense has rounded back into form down the stretch, highlighted by a masterpiece against Minnesota. The special teams, a disaster for the first two-thirds of the season, have become a strength. The team is remarkably healthy by any standard and especially compared to past Packers seasons. Week after week, he has coached aggressively, such as the fourth-down touchdown pass to Davante Adams two weeks ago against Chicago. “All gas, no (expletive) brake,” as he said on the sideline against Oakland, a great line captured by NFL Films.

The Packers have found different ways to win most weeks but the one common thread is mental toughness. They are 7-1 in games decided by one score. They overcame a miserable start to win 23-10 last week at Minnesota to clinch the NFC North.

“I think it says about our character,” LaFleur said. “I think it says that they’re a resilient group. We’ve won a lot of tight games this year and we’ve won so many different ways throughout the course of the season, and that’s what this game is about. It’s about winning. And sometimes it hasn’t always been pretty for us. But that’s OK. We find a way and I think that builds belief and confidence that no matter what happens out there, we’ll find a way to get the job done.”