The most recent tight end the Packers picked in the first round was Miamis Bubba Franks, who went 14th overall in 2000. What are you just going to bang your head against the wall? The group effort means personnel and schemes. Rodgers agrees, saying he has seen LaFleur loosen up and worry less about the little things. But he also took the blame for the loss, saying he failed to tell Rodgers he wouldnt have a fourth down to try to convert. Is this where that bald-headed son of a bitch Bob Barringer lives? the caller demanded to know. All Rights Reserved. The Packers never got the ball back and lost the game. Now, heres the hard part: On March 18, the Packers traded away All-Pro receiver Davante Adams for a first- and second-round pick. Packers' Matt LaFleur will coach NFC at 2022 Pro Bowl A year later, after a play-calling stint with the Titans, LaFleur popped up on the Packers radar. Assuming the Packers stay at 15, this would be just their second top-15 overall pick in the past 14 drafts. They are grown men. Maybe (Lukas) Van Ness from Iowa winds up falling to 15. 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. "I've praised Mason up here a . Bill Bender joins Craig to discuss who he believes could be the first tight end drafted at this year's NFL Draft. Winning 13 games three seasons in a row seems like an easy proposition with Aaron Rodgers under center. It is unprecedented turnover in this new era of loosened . Hiring Clements was a bow to Rodgers, but like a lot of what LaFleur has done, it was more than that. A new seasonand the Wisconsin coldis coming. And you have let the ball rip as soon as you plant your back foot, giving the quarterback just a split second to read the defense. The Packers also have one pick each in the second, third and fourth rounds, two picks in the fifth and four in the seventh. Youre exactly right., So, its a dance of, how do we show up for each other? 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. And that says as much as you need to know.. Im walking around a vast, carpeted locker room in Lambeau Field in early August trying to find out why, and generally succeeding: Players are explaining in detail his widely praised management style and describing his football mind, which blends the concepts hes loved for years with those embraced by his quarterback into the best playbook in the NFL. There should be many more opportunities for the 42-year-old LaFleur, with or without the 38-year-old Rodgers. I hope my kids want toif this is what they want to do. LaFleur claims he is the only one who touches his eyebrows. But privately, he extended a hand. And LaFleur moved past the question almost impossibly quickly. Green Bay Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur GREEN BAY - Matt LaFleur and the Packers put football on the back burner this past week. There was a dance, Rodgers explainshe uses that word often in our talkafter LaFleur got hired in 2019, when the two did not know they could just say whatever they wanted to each other directly, sometimes brutally. 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. Much of that Houston staff departed for Washington in 2010 to work under Mike Shanahan. Who is Matt LaFleur? Get to know the Packers' young head coach He was really good, said Mike LaFleur, Matts brother and the offensive coordinator of the Jets. Theres a lot of unknowns that need to be answered, and until we figure out all of that, I dont really know. He had no problem running on two hours of sleep. One of the best things you can say about Matt is that the guys hes worked with usually play their best ball when hes with them, McVay said. I want to do right by our guys, or at least be open enough to listen to their concerns and then ultimately do whats in the best interest of everybody.. 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. He ran a basic pro-style offense there that was successful, if not wildly creative. And, of course, how often each would pound the table for a particular concept. Despite social, political, and existential crises, the foundation of my Catholic identity held firm. The affection Rodgers has for his head coach is evident in the way he makes fun of him publicly. Aaron set me straight, LaFleur said. He is a bottom-line guy. It doesnt matter to your brain, doesnt matter to your body if you believe it, that becomes the reality. I put it to nearly everyone I spoke with for this story: Why doesnt LaFleur get as many plaudits as he should? Mason Crosby connected to narrow the gap to four points. The more you talk to the core of the LaFleur-Shanahan-McVay tree, the more you realize that youre in the middle of what feels like the worlds most chaotic group chat between football geniuses. The Packers played in Green Bay last Christmas Day. The Packers enter this season with the second-best odds to win the NFC behind only the Buccaneers. Take for instance, LaFleurs first year. Sign up and stay up to date with our daily newsletter. People have to make the best decision for 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. video Total Packers with Matt. I like practical coaching that makes sense and honest, direct conversation. Were still trying to figure everything out. Were talking in the middle of training camp, after all. Davante knows how I feel about him, LaFleur says. When team leaders Rodgers, Adams, Kenny Clark, Adrian Amos, Marcedes Lewis, DeVondre Campbell, Preston Smith and others had something to say, LaFleur stopped talking. Dillon give the Packers one of the NFLs top running back tandems. I want him to hear why I like something or why he might not like something, because if hes not comfortable Im not going to call it., Matt Ryan, who LaFleur worked with as quarterbacks coach in Atlanta in 2015 and during Ryans MVP season in 2016, remembers how much translating went into learning the offense, how different the terminology was and how much trust it took. (McVay noted that the teams two-back sets are impressive. Its not why we were there. LaFleur was the Titans offensive coordinator by then, but Rodgers recalled how much he loved those concepts when LaFleurs staff first came in. There is something to accepting responsibility, and I think there is a trickle-down effect. He also saw that LaFleur was humble enough to ask any question and bold enough to push for answers. I just kept saying, I dont know, man, and he said, No were good. Then Id just keep saying, You sure? and hed say, Were good. It went on like this. Packers enter draft needing to find more playmakers for Love Theres a lot of trust built up at this point between Matt and our players to protect them and put their best interest at heart and ultimately get the team thats going to be fresher whenever we play, says Darryl Franklin, LaFleurs chief of staff. The best coaches push you to do things that youre uncomfortable with, Ryan says. If all their interactions were about throwing a football, their relationship would have been restricted. This is their job and I expect them to come to work ready to play. 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 . 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. This only grew with time: LaFleur wanted to have direct conversations because he felt it was the only way to get the answers to his endless football curiosity. In LaFleurs first offseason, he saw something in Rodgers that made him take notice his big heart, in the words of LaFleur. 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. Lafleur started a text conversation with Rodgers during his telecast and nearly responded by Facetiming him on live television. The partnership between LaFleur and Rodgers now is 53 games old. The Case for Matt LaFleur. IBT Fast Start - Let the best of International News come to you. History suggests they wont add any in the first round of next weeks NFL draft. The third round has been disastrous for the Packers recently. Players feed off their coaches. 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. Well, I dont know how productive it really is. video. Knowing that we both come to it just wanting to do whats best for the team and with love and respect for each other.. They had lunch al fresco and talked about how Clements could help the Packers. It was like he was running on a hamster wheel, McDaniel said. 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. Aaron Jones and A.J. Others shared the sentiment. While playing in Kalamazoo, LaFleur was the backup to Tim Lester, who would eventually become Western Michigan's head coach from 2017 to 2022. The three rules are very easy to abide by, in our opinion. Packers may look to fortify pass rush in 2023 NFL Draft It might be the storywhy this all works. With all eyes on Jordan Love leading the franchise, head coach Matt LaFleur is backing his new QB1. GREEN BAY Matt LaFleur knew he bombed the interview. LaFleurs commitment to the Packers and Rodgers led to a spirit of cooperation from the quarterback. LaFleur is the dad in the passenger seat with the 15-year-old with their temps. Ill always wish him well.. And from being in a football family (both his father and grandfather were coaches), he learned not to care what anyone else saidabout him or his team. Head coach Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers #12 meet in the fourth quarter against the Washington Football Team in the game at Lambeau Field on October 24, 2021 in Green Bay . Everybody knows coaches are almost inept about everyday activities like dressing themselves, doing laundry or self-grooming, Rodgers says. Whether you are leading a football team, an offense or an office, guys will follow you if you show them how much it means to you and how hard you work, more than what you say, Rodgers said in January. I dont need to sit there and babysit them. Something went wrong. I thought he would be great for everybody in that room, all our quarterbacks, LaFleur says. Last years third-round pick was UCLA offensive lineman Sean Rhyan, who played one special teams snap and no offensive snaps as a rookie and was suspended the last six games of the season for violating the NFLs policy on performance-enhancers. Its going to be different guys at different times. But, as Saleh said, LaFleurs strength at that time was work ethic, not scheme. For LaFleur, establishing himself as a first-time head coach in 2019 was one thing. I dont need a lot of fluff or convolution. Whether its real or not doesnt matter. Things become second nature to a Shanahan assistant that arent second nature to other coaches, Mike LaFleur said. The three rules require trust because there is much left assumed with only three. Theres nothing he cannot do. Staying disciplined on that is a constant challenge for me, LaFleur said. I asked Rodgers if theres anything hed like to do differently if they make the playoff this season. 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. Daily. Thats artwork to me., His success, said Bengals coach Zac Taylor, who was on the 2017 Rams staff with LaFleur, it is so hard to do in this league. The league reflects their image now and they are having a great time with it. I Want To Believe: . Green Bay Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur spoke to the media on Sunday about the mindset of the team after the 15-9 road loss to the Detroit Lions. The offensive coordinator of that Texans team certainly knew a hell of a lot about football. 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. In June, before his first season, LaFleur threw the first pitch at the Green and Gold charity softball game at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, Wis. His sons, Luke and Ty, were there, as was his quarterback. LaFleurs retorts usually arent for public consumption. Hourly. Bottom line, you gotta find a way to win. He said he wonders often what could be done differently. Matt LaFleur's Hiring Process Is Killing the Packers They give credit to worse-looking guys, guys with terrible eyebrows and terrible hairlines, and hes blessed. He is, entering his fourth year, the longest-tenured head coach in his division, no doubt a byproduct of his rivals inability to reliably beat him. I was like Holy shit, Ive got a lot to learn..
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