Despite some fan criticism, the hiring of Matt LaFleur was right move for Packers

Green Bay made their 15th head coach official today by hiring former Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur. He is signed to 4-year contract with a 5th year option. This likely means his tenure will run through Rodgers’ current contract. LaFleur; 39, was the OC for Tennessee in 2018 as well as the OC for the Los Angeles Rams back in 2017. As OC for the Rams, they ranked 1st in PPG, 10th in YPG, 6th in yards per play, and 9th in third down percentage. With Tennessee, they were in the bottom half of the league in the aforementioned categories (27th, 25th, 23rd, and 15th). He also was the QBs coach for the Atlanta Falcons coaching Matt Ryan to an MVP year & a Super Bowl 51 berth.

The main reason for the criticism is because of how Tennessee struggled so bad on offense. Going from Jared Goff to Matt Ryan, and then to Marcus Mariota. Maybe the reason why they struggled was because LaFleur’s offensive system wasn’t right for Mariota, maybe he also needs a philosophy change as a player. Another thing was his percentage of run plays with Tennessee (48.4%). That likely means that Aaron Jones will get a lot more carries next year. That will only benefit Rodgers due to pressure getting taken off by not having to pass all game. He coached QBs under Kyle Shanahan (Robert Griffin III) as well as Sean McVay (Jared Goff), and Dan Quinn (Matt Ryan) so he knows how to get QBs to perform at their best. Aaron Rodgers is no different, he is definitely the best of the bunch.

I think the biggest misperception regarding the hire was LaFleur’s resume as a coach. Like I said before though, he’s been a QB whisperer each team he’s been at. I also think it was the safer pick over McDaniels too. You’re contemplating risk vs reward and I think LaFleur can offer a lot of great things to Green Bay as a team and organization. Mike Pettine was also retained as well so that means no new defensive coordinator which is great news considering how good the defense was with Pettine. Going from 22nd in 2017 to 18th in 2018 was a jump. That was in Pettine’s first year as DC for Green Bay too.

LeFleur is only 4 years older than Rodgers and he needs a younger offensive mind to help him get back to MVP form as a QB. He’ll also challenge Rodgers on the field to be the best he can be and that will be a huge plus for Green Bay as a team. While LeFleur may not be the big name that McDaniels is, he is definitely the right fit for Green Bay. Again, you’re contemplating risk vs reward and Bill Belichick understudies have proven to falter on their own (I:E: Matt Patricia with Detroit), so I definitely understand why Green Bay did what they did. He was the better long-term hire over McDaniels. I for one am very excited to see how the 2019 season plays out with LaFleur at the controls. He should add some much needed spark to a very vanilla Green Bay offense. There’s no doubt in my mind that LaFleur will make an impact on Green Bay. How much of one remains to be seen but time will tell. Onto the offseason, the next crucial step in getting Green Bay back to championship level play on the field.

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