Everyone knows it’s a new era for the Green Bay Packers.
After a ho-hum reception following his first-round selection in 2020, quarterback Jordan Love is finally being viewed as “the guy” in Green Bay. Love still has to prove himself on the field, but encouraging words from his teammates and around the league have created a sense of optimism and excitement for what he can accomplish.
But perhaps no one is as excited for this new era as the team’s head coach.
Entering his fifth season with the team, Matt LaFleur is ready to embrace Green Bay’s youth movement with a sense of wonder and acceptance of the challenges of bringing the new offense up to speed. LaFleur spoke to the media on Tuesday and told the assembled reporters it “feels like Year 1 again.”
LaFleur has a lot to prove this season without a Hall of Fame quarterback to fall back on. Based on his media comments, he’s fully ready to embrace the challenge. What can we expect from LaFleur this season?
Since taking over the Packers in 2019 as a dark-horse option, LaFleur has become one of the league’s best head coaches thanks to his savvy offensive mind and admirable leadership. One of the league’s “Piss Boys,” his blend of the NFL’s most popular offensive scheme has consistently kept Green Bay’s offense chugging along.
Yet LaFleur’s name isn’t brought up as often as his peers in the “top head coaches” category. For better or worse, his legacy has been tired to the Aaron Rodgers‘ success.
Without a doubt, Rodgers is the greatest quarterback to run the Shanahan-style offense. Although people like to forget the national narrative at the time of LaFleur’s hiring was that Rodgers was washed, the narrative twisted and became that LaFleur inherited a legendary quarterback. Thus, forgetting that LaFleur got Rodgers back to playing quarterback at an MVP level. The coach’s success is often viewed as a byproduct of Rodgers’ talent. Sports narratives can be very silly.
To make matters worse, last year Rodgers and the Green Bay offense struggled. A shuffling offensive line, a host of inexperienced receivers, and Rodgers’ various injuries and unwillingness to commit to the offensive scheme led to more doubts about LaFleur as a playcaller.
But as the great Elsa once sang, the past is in the past. Rodgers is a New York Jet. LaFleur has his chosen quarterback and a group of pass catchers selected with his preferences in mind. It’s time for a new chapter, and LaFleur is ready for it.
Without having Rodgers, LaFleur is revisiting how he approaches the offseason, practicing, and scheming. Before OTAs, LaFleur discussed a new method for installing concepts with the rookies and mentioned the opportunity for the offense to “grow together.”
That message continued on the eve of training camp. “You’ve got to be aware of your personnel,” LaFleur stated. “We are pretty young, especially on the offensive side of the ball. There’s a lot of excitement that comes along with that.”
LaFleur mentioned he’ll be fluid with his approach toward the preseason. While Love and the receivers need as many reps together as possible, they won’t want to wear anyone out before September’s opener.
Traditionally, LaFleur said Rodgers “might” play in the preseason, and that never happened. He’s said similar things about Love this year, which could go either way. LaFleur is keeping an open mind with this new-look team.
One of the offseason’s biggest storylines is that we’ll see LaFleur’s true offense this season. LaFleur has downplayed this idea, saying his offense was a combination of things he liked and things Rodgers liked, using Rodgers’ expertise to make big plays happen when the moment is right.
While LaFleur downplayed how much the offense might change, Mark Murphy said what we’ve all been thinking. Murphy said, “I think offensively, you’re going to see probably a little bit more of Matt’s true offense. We gave (Rodgers) the flexibility to change plays and get in and out of things that really helped, but I would anticipate a strong running game and play action off of that.”
LaFleur said that Love will get opportunities to change things at the line of scrimmage, but he won’t be thrown into the fire the same way. LaFleur wants to get Love in the rhythm of the offense and not be “paralyzed” by thinking too much. This means that we will see more of the intended LaFleur offense, though LaFleur said it will just be some tweaks.
LaFleur also added, “It’s about the collective more so than just one person.” That’s another clear change. While Love will get input in the offense, he’ll be more of a part than the entire fulcrum.
Matt LaFleur is attacking the process like a first-year head coach again, using what he’s learned to take a new approach with a new quarterback. Losing an elite QB like Rodgers isn’t easy, and the Packers have a lot to prove this season. But that may be good for LaFleur, who now gets a chance to untangle his head coaching legacy from Rodgers’.
LaFleur has the quarterback he wants and the personnel needed to run his scheme. They’ll need some time to grow together, and it’s unfair to expect the offense to improve right away. But with a creative and passionate head coach like LaFleur, there are good reasons for optimism, as long as it’s balanced with patience.
