That, in turn, forced Barry to blitz more to generate pressure, with limited success. He walks down the air-conditioned hallway back to his office. The only issue was Rodgers was in the middle of a cleanse. Its because when youve played for 16 years and saved your money, as Lewis has, its a matter of just wanting to continue. A relationship that falters, even for one series in one game, can alter the course of the franchise forever. Dillon. Dillon give the Packers one of the NFLs top running back tandems. But neither season ended the way they wanted. "It's hard to lead when you're not the guy, and he knows he's the guy now. McVay, LaFleurs former boss in Los Angeles, uses it too. Mason Crosby connected to narrow the gap to four points. At the time, he had been in a firestorm because he was unvaccinated but previously told the media he was immunized after undergoing a treatment to heighten his immunity. It doesnt matter to your brain, doesnt matter to your body if you believe it, that becomes the reality. Trailing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by eight with just two minutes remaining, LaFleur sent out the field goal team, cutting the Packers deficit to 31-26. Right now, I dont know. First of all, he's earned the respect of his actionsthe way he worksfrom all his teammates, I would say. It wasnt until probably about the last year that [Matt] was having somebody cut his own hair other than himself, McVay said. I definitely spent my time on the sticks, he says. Packers can shore up pivotal role in Matt LaFleur's offense with tight ends in 2023 NFL Draft. He said he needs to remind himself constantly that for all the facts of the game to work together, you cant just pass on every play. Packers' Matt LaFleur Mocks Vikings Tradition Ahead of Opener - Heavy.com It is unprecedented turnover in this new era of loosened . Without it, nothing. Its about whether youre willing to put in the grind and work your tail off to accomplish what they need.. 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.. 1 seed in their respective conferences this year, but both teams were defeated at home in the divisional round. We always thought hed be a perfect fit for the scheme. Matt LaFleur Addresses Packers DC Joe Barry's Future - Heavy.com I thought he would be great for everybody in that room, all our quarterbacks, LaFleur says. Matt LaFleur Fully Supporting Jordan Love As Franchise Quarterback This was in the wake of Rodgers positive test for COVID-19. You have to learn from every situation you are in, LaFleur says. Matt LaFleur is one of the youngest coaches to lead an NFL team, and he put together an impressive season in 2020! You could trust him with your life or your family. He said that if he was going through something and had to call one person who he knows would drop everything, it would be LaFleur. LaFleur has the same job: Make Rodgerss tape look better than it used to be, an increasingly high bar. Some of the leaders didnt think it was in the teams best interests and told LaFleur a day off their feet would be more beneficial. LaFleur's first two teams finished 26 th and 29 th in special teams rankings, so he fired coordinator Shawn Mennenga after the 2020 campaign. The Eagles entered the draft with six selections, including the tenth and 30th overall pick and a second and third-rounder. Thats not, by nature, the system we started on, McDaniel said. The Packers must find a quarterback to back up Love. Theres a lot of unknowns that need to be answered, and until we figure out all of that, I dont really know. When Rodgers used the hashtag boycottLafleursBrows on Twitter, LaFleur responded with a text: Boycott COVID toe.. The credentials, or the journey to get the credentials, though, are important. With all the trust I have with everybody, I would like to think Ive chilled out a little bit, LaFleur says. He didnt care how it affected him, he just wanted to do what he thought was right., In the beginning, there was Bill Walsh College Football. 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. In three seasons together, LaFleur and Rodgers have won 13 games three times and reached the NFC championship game twice. I have 100 percent trust with him. That move could lead to the exit of free agent Mason Crosby, who has a franchise-record 1,918 career points over 17 seasons. He is a bottom-line guy. We, Yahoo, are part of the Yahoo family of brands. 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. #10 Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers. If all their interactions were about throwing a football, their relationship would have been restricted. Hes got great eyebrows, he dresses nice, and they just get distracted by all the things he brings to the table and they dont give him credit. 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. Tight end is an even greater need. And then LaFleur backed off. LaFleur was the Titans offensive coordinator by then, but Rodgers recalled how much he loved those concepts when LaFleurs staff first came in. FILE - In this Jan. 3, 2021, file photo, Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, left, talks to Aaron Rodgers during the second half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears in Chicago. We practice in this. The Make-A-Wish visits and Tys tooth didnt get as much attention as the Packers flameout in the NFC Championship Game that season and the teams subsequent selection of Jordan Love with the 26th pick of the 2020 draft. Aaron Rodgers is a problem, but Matt Eberflus must counter Matt LaFleur Aaron audibles a lot. The media could not be loaded, either because the server or network failed or because the format is not supported. Is This the Year Matt LaFleur Finally Gets the Credit He Deserves 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.. 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. Youre not facing the defense, turned toward the running back on the fake for most of the play. Theres nothing he cannot do. 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. His unit cost the Packers a deep playoff run. Matt is a big part of that puzzle of why to get up every morning, Lewis said. Certainly, when we only score 10 points offensively, I put that all on myself.. We just named a quarterback assistant, Connor Lewis. On the day I was at practice, a reporter asked LaFleur whether he was worried about Rodgers being suspended for admitting to using ayahuasca on a podcast. 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 hope my kids want toif this is what they want to do. On the postgame stage, LaFleur steps in front of the targeted and invites fire. All Rights Reserved. Im going through that with my own kids right now., As a kid, LaFleurs mom took him to Central Michigan practices, but he said he didnt soak it in as much as he could have. His ability to throw on the move. Different late-season rest regiment, play-calling, practice tweaks, anything? As LaFleur transitions from the 2021 season to the beyond, there are wounds to heal, transitions to navigate and redemption to be won. The interview was four hours and it felt like 15 minutes, Murphy said. In 2013, he received the Bill Nunn Award from the Pro Football Writers of America for long and distinguished reporting. (Todd Rosenberg / Associated Press), Matt LaFleur willingly shields his players and assistant coaches from blame: As a leader, you have to own everything. (Jeffrey Phelps / Associated Press), Matt LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers chat at the NFL Honors show on Feb. 10. LaFleur has one year remaining on his initial Packers contract, and the team holds another option year. It eventually came out, giving Ty a story that he might tell his grandkids. Lafleur started a text conversation with Rodgers during his telecast and nearly responded by Facetiming him on live television. Its pretty cool. Theyre always the most important. Aaron Jones and A.J. A lot of people said, Oh a 5-foot-10 quarterback cant play college ball, so I got used to drowning stuff out. LaFleur tells the story of the time, famous in his family, when his grandmother answered the phone after his grandfathera Kalamazoo, Michigan, high school coachlost a game. So he was no. But the team that plays the best in that three-hour window wins, he told me. 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 always felt like it was a belief that you could really lock in an advantage, Rodgers says now of that interaction. Those are some of the most special memories my kids will have, LaFleur says of interactions with Rodgers. LaFleur visited Rodgers in California a second time in 2021 before Rodgers acquiesced to playing for the Packers last season. Daily. Now hes all swaggy. Nobody wants any of these guys to be miserable when theyre coming to work. He was supportive from the start.. Its like religion and politics. The lines could have been made with a ruler. 'You guys know he's younger than me, right?' -- Matt LaFleur and - ESPN McVay has been impressed from afar by LaFleurs ability to mesh and mold his core beliefs while also making sure Aaron had ownership. McVay said that seeing the LaFleur offense evolve to incorporate Rodgerss tendencies and personnel advantages has been powerful., The identity of a Green Bay offense under his leadership is some of the things Aaron has done at such a high level that are maybe a little different from what some of our backgrounds involved, McVay said. Then, Rodgers explains, LaFleur can make fun of the tempo plays Rodgers asked for, or correct him. He believes it was evident in how the Packers played. The Packers never got the ball back and lost the game. 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. 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. He has some really finely kept eyebrows.. Matt LaFleur bombed an interview 5 years ago to be Maryland's WR coach I want them to feel part of a team. Bill Bender joins Craig to discuss who he believes could be the first tight end drafted at this year's NFL Draft. Hes not confrontational, but hes not afraid of conflict, McDaniel said. The West Coast offense, what he was used to, is very guy for a guy when it comes to protection. Take the emotion out of it, and be able to have an honest conversation without being triggered or sensitive by what was said. The Packers enter this season with the second-best odds to win the NFC behind only the Buccaneers. I told him Im here for him and I support him, LaFleur says. The Packers used their 13th overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft to improve their defense with defensive end Lukas Van Ness, retooled at the tight end position with Luke Musgrave and gave Love some much-needed help in the wideout group by selecting Jayden Reed out of Michigan State. And in Houston the following year, LaFleurs first task was to draw the run plays for legendary offensive line coach Alex Gibbs. 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 . And they take it like being attacked or something but hes just asking questions and being thorough. Stenavich said they recently changed the rules of a protection scheme not because LaFleur was angry, but because he just kept interrogating why they did it that way. When LaFleur was in Los Angeles for the NFL Honors, he met Clements, who lives in the area. He was cooking dal and kitchari. The NFL announced Friday that LaFleur will be the NFC coach for the 2022 Pro Bowl, while Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel will coach the AFC.. LaFleur's Packers and Vrabel's Titans were both the No. Players feed off their coaches. But Murphy said he felt LaFleur might have known more about the organization that he did in the interviewnot just roster or schemes, but history, too. His response reflected rule No. He ran a basic pro-style offense there that was successful, if not wildly creative. LaFleur acknowledges his offense wont look the same without Adams, though the foundation will remain. 1: Team first. Already, LaFleur has more 13-win seasons in three years than Mike Holmgren had in 17. Although the Packers could take a running back in the late rounds, its not a need. 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. That shit doesnt bother me, LaFleur said. That was the backdrop to the March wedding. Packers' Matt LaFleur leads with grace through Aaron Rodgers' COVID-19 Tight end is an even greater need. They selected Michigan outside linebacker Rashan Gary with the No. LaFleur has not indicated, at any point, that he wants acknowledgment for what the Packers have achieved with him at the helm. Eberflus, 52, and LaFleur first faced off in 2017, when LaFleur ran the Rams' offense and Eberflus was the Cowboys' linebackers coach and passing-defense coordinator. This is not just a fun anecdote, though: This is where Matt LaFleur first learned football. So hes like, Whatever, Im not gonna concern myself with the trivial nature of getting mad. He just wants to know the answer.. video Total Packers with Matt. This, I assure you, is part of the story. Josiah Deguara, who had 13 catches for 114 yards last season, is the top tight end under contract. It all starts with Kyle, Mike LaFleur said. He did not. Coaching is about many things, but one of the foundational, overlooked aspects is trust. I thought (Clements would) be great for him. 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. The three rules are very easy to abide by, in our opinion. The argument LaFleur suffers from is that hes a beneficiary of Rodgerss talent. Packers' Matt LaFleur will coach NFC at 2022 Pro Bowl And we're excited for him.". And until he started getting all that positive deal about what a hot coach he was, now hes finally letting somebody else cut his hair. LaFleur has confirmed this bombshell. And that says as much as you need to know.. But if there is one thing that Love has learned from flying under Rodgers' wing, it is that he has made strides towards becoming a better on-field leader. I was learning from him, not the other way around, McVay said of LaFleur. I put it to nearly everyone I spoke with for this story: Why doesnt LaFleur get as many plaudits as he should? 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 don't think there's many things we're leaning on very well right now," LaFleur said after the loss to the Jets. 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. I Want To Believe: Matt's Story | Matt Lafleur - Sick Pilgrim We live in this. Franklin, who has known LaFleur since they were graduate assistants at Central Michigan in 2005, says he perceived a decrease in LaFleurs anxiety last season. 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. I promise you [the other team is] colder than we are. Its not about me, its about everybody else. Why Packers are struggling for first time under Matt LaFleur - Green Whatever is going to help them be their best, thats what we want. There was also 10-Yard Fight, an obscure video game LaFleur loved as a kid, Tecmo Bowl, and, according to his brother, a lot of EA Sports NCAA Football. There wasnt anything other than, This guy will work his butt off, Saleh says now. After four years in Washington, a brief stop at Notre Dame, and a move to Atlanta with Kyle Shanahan, LaFleur was a no-brainer hire to be McVays first offensive coordinator in Los Angeles in 2017. Great hairline, great smile, and he dresses sharp.. After the Packers lost to the 49ers 13-10 in the divisional playoff round, LaFleur didnt speak with coded words about how Rodgers failed to capture the big moments or hint at his dissatisfaction with a special teams unit that gave up a blocked punt, a blocked field goal and had 10 men on the field for the 49ers field goal that won the game. I told him, Hey, from my standpoint, you have to do what you think is right for your body.. That is the most satisfying part of the entire operation: When theres a [play] that hes kind of on the fence about, and then he starts to really, truly like it., I just have such a belief in him, LaFleur continues. Matt LaFleur: 'We're gonna find out a lot about ourselves moving forward' Rodgers asked if he could speak with Clements first, and he subsequently began the recruiting process. Staying disciplined on that is a constant challenge for me, LaFleur said. No, youre gonna find a way to solve the problem., No one really knows how Adams will be replaced, and thats not necessarily a bad thing. Rodgers is a rep guy who likes to practice a concept over and over to see if he feels comfortable. LaFleur on Rodgers: 'We want him back in the worst way' - AP NEWS As much as anything, its why Rodgers will be a Packer in 2022. The third round has been disastrous for the Packers recently. There should be many more opportunities for the 42-year-old LaFleur, with or without the 38-year-old Rodgers. When LaFleur was a kid, family members called him Matty. Three of his childhood friends still call him that. Like I told him, the beauty of this game is winning is a hell of a lot of fun, but its about the relationships you make. I know he was taking a lot of heat. In the IFL, teams traveled to games via 15- or 20-hour bus rides, and afterward, Ragsdale said, bruised and bloodied players would pile onto the bus and beg the driver to stop for beer and some sandwiches for the long postgame drive. video. Green Bay Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur GREEN BAY - Matt LaFleur and the Packers put football on the back burner this past week. July 30, 2018 by Matt Lafleur. But they worked on it. Everybody knows coaches are almost inept about everyday activities like dressing themselves, doing laundry or self-grooming, Rodgers says. He has a calmness to him, Murphy said. McDaniel said that with everyone in their 20s or early 30s, with no kids, coaches worked 20-hour days just to get Kyle Shanahans workplace affection. Only it was a ruse to get the two to shovel snow and park cars all night long. He's going to be the guy in the huddle and he's got to be an extension of us. 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. And at that stage, 99 percent of coaches wouldnt have had that security. Said they are good friends and spoke Wednesday morning on the way into the office. You want to earn that trust, and then you want to keep it, Campbell said. I really sit back and think, here we are, with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. There were some remarks where Im like, Is he just messing with me? Talk to any former Shanahan assistant and youll get the same response. In LaFleurs first offseason, he saw something in Rodgers that made him take notice his big heart, in the words of LaFleur. Congratulations, LaFleur. But the Packers never used a first-round pick on a wide receiver or tight end throughout four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers 18 seasons in Green Bay. Youre exactly right., So, its a dance of, how do we show up for each other? "I've praised Mason up here a . The Packers lack of pass-rushing depth was exposed last season after Gary tore the ACL in his right knee. And of course he is. It goes back to his communication and the relationships he built., After playing at Saginaw Valley State in University Center, Michigan, where he rewrote SVSU record books and led them to the Division II playoffs, LaFleur went to the Indoor Football Leaguea league for people who say, You keep playing until you cant, said Dan Ragsdale, who was both a quarterback and offensive coordinator for the IFLs Billings Outlaws in 2004. Despite social, political, and existential crises, the foundation of my Catholic identity held firm. (Its not.) 1 in the progression in 80 percent of concepts, and its not going to be like that this year. 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 then being able to continually sell Aaron on the things that have been helpful to him playing at as high a level as anybody, arguably, in the history of the game over the last few years., Mike McDaniel, a former LaFleur colleague and now the Dolphins head coach, said a lot of football coaches copy-paste at whatever stop they make, but said LaFleur definitely did not do that. Packers enter draft needing to find more playmakers for Love In LaFleurs 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 8-yard line. 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. Theirs has been the most scrutinized relationship in the NFL, and it has held up under the surgical lights. Our guys do a great job of taking them to heart.. Those rules and the trust they fostered helped the Packers to 26 regular-season victories in LaFleurs first two seasons. What Lambeau, Lombardi, McCarthy and Holmgren have that LaFleur does not are championships. He asks for an autograph for his kid (the kid, it should be noted, is very young and does not care at all). So whether you were vaxed or unvaxed, it doesnt shield you from it. LaFleur gave that same freedom to Rodgers after last season, when the quarterback was unsure whether he wanted to keep playing. He did know ball, said McDaniel, who was on that 2008 Texans staff. Hes so freaking good-looking, Rodgers said, in a dead serious tone. We have a lot of conversations during the weekthats why I never want to miss a meeting. Stenavich, the Packers offensive coordinator, said, I think a lot of people kind of get thrown off, because hes very direct. You can lay out a vision and certainly youve got to make some decisions, but it takes everyone. He mentions a handful of executives, then points to the locker room. From MACtion, I learned you better have a quarterback, he said. The likelihood that free-agent safety Adrian Amos plays elsewhere this upcoming season means the Packers must restock the position. First-year coach Matt LaFleur has a chance to lead the Green Bay Packers to an NFC championship and a trip to Super Bowl 54 against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night. But when I asked McDaniel my last questionWhats one thing I wouldnt know about LaFleur?he got far more serious. 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.. Arthur Smith said he sees it took Matt LaFleur all day to come up with a response to his joking barb Tuesday. LaFleur takes his hat and starts to sign the bill before the man asks him to sign the front. He found a way to relate to godlike Aaron Rodgers.. And so the toxins in the relationship between Rodgers and the Packers began to pass. Matt LaFleur Family & Children: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know Find out more about how we use your personal data in our privacy policy and cookie policy. He was apprehensive, as he had not yet lost a tooth. I didnt really take advantage of that, he said. I didnt spend time watching tape with [my dad] or anything like that. LaFleur defended his decision to kick the field goal. He was a joy to coach, not only a great player but a great person, a great competitor and leader on our football team. On March 5, the world was still awaiting confirmation that the NFLs reigning most valuable player planned to return to Green Bay. In the team's virtual meetings, there were far more. The good news is that the offense is built for just that. Oops. Good old Matty, he showed up and ate a bowl and a half of everything, Rodgers says. LaFleur is the dad in the passenger seat with the 15-year-old with their temps. And he is so damn good at it, man. Matt LaFleur: 'We did not take advantage of certain opportunities' Green Bay hasnt selected a wide receiver in the first round since taking Javon Walker from Florida State with the 20th overall pick in 2002. Is this where that bald-headed son of a bitch Bob Barringer lives? the caller demanded to know. Robert Saleh, a defensive quality control coach for Houston and LaFleurs former roommate when they were both young assistant coaches at Central Michigan, pitched Shanahan and Kubiak on LaFleur. Its also a reason Rodgers was voted the leagues most valuable player the last two years. And if they questioned something, he often responded with a reconsideration. The wedding story starts where all LaFleur stories do: with the coach trying to give everyone space to be themselves. Its still tricky for him, he said. Packers' NFL draft picks suggest more change is on the way Clements is another spoke in the Packers wheel. The Truth About Matt LaFleur's Wife - NickiSwift.com Its going to be more of a group effort.. LaFleur was a former undersized midwestern quarterback and the son of a MAC coach. A good relationshipone where each person erases the others mistakes and both make each other bettercan win you a Super Bowl.
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