Good news: Two of the Green Bay Packers’ main players and fans surprise the team’s head coach, Matt LaFleur.
Matt LaFleur is a really nice guy, by all accounts.
When his Green Bay Packers win, he lets out the loudest cheer at Lambeau Field.
When something goes wrong, he doesn’t hesitate to cry—or cry a bucket full of tears.
The contemporary LaFleur bears little resemblance to Bill Cowher or Mike Ditka. The swell LaFleur comes across as more of a friend than a boss or coach in many aspects.
And when the 2024 campaign gets underway, that might put LaFleur right in the middle of things.
The controversial—and, some would argue, stupid—decision to reappoint his friend Joe Barry to a third season as Green Bay’s defensive coordinator was made by LaFleur. That move has gone as smoothly as the Christmas lights project did for Clark Griswold.
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The quarterback position for the Packers is held by a rookie, and their pass-catching group is among the youngest in NFL history. Surprisingly, though, for the most of the season, the offense hasn’t been an issue.
Instead, Green Bay’s defense has struggled for the seventeenth consecutive season. The defense’s gaffes have dropped the Packers from the seventh and final playoff spot to No. 11 in the NFC and out of the postseason in just the last two weeks alone.
After Green Bay’s 34-20 loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday, when the defense was as dysfunctional as the Kardashian family, many were shocked that Barry had not been fired.
The biggest mistake made by LaFleur, though, was not keeping Barry for the final three 2023 games. No, his decision to remain married to Barry for the entirety of the 2023 campaign was his greatest transgression.
The NFL’s youngest team may ultimately lose out on the opportunity to gain valuable postseason experience as a result of that choice. And when the next season rolls around, LaFleur ought to be in a precarious situation himself.
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At the conclusion of the 2022 season, LaFleur remarked, “I do believe in the people, not only in the locker room, but our coaching staff.” Are there many areas where we still need to make improvements? Indeed. Without a doubt. However, I want to try to get everyone back, and I believe that success in this league largely depends on continuity.
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