Legendary comedian Rodney Dangerfield was famous for getting no respect. Not to put any further disrespect on Rodney’s name, but allow me to introduce you to Matt LaFleur, a head coach estimated by one particular football-analysis powerhouse to be simply mid.
With six seasons under his belt at the helm of the Green Bay Packers, we have gotten a pretty good idea of what LaFleur brings to the table as a head coach. The former Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator was a surprise pick by general manager Brian Gutekunst, and LaFleur became a first-time head coach exactly one year after Gutekunst was named a first-time GM. Regime change is a significant event in Green Bay. Gutekunst and LaFleur’s predecessors, Mike McCarthy and Ted Thompson, oversaw 13 seasons.
Furthermore, not only is a changing of the guard in the front office a rarity, but so is one at the quarterback position.
The legendary Aaron Rodgers‘ debut in green and gold predated McCarthy and Thompson’s, as head coach and GM, respectively. Rodgers departed ceremoniously a few years into the LaFleur and Gutekunst era. That ensured that we would learn a substantial amount about both their individual and joint abilities to bring championship football back to Green Bay from scratch.
The passing of the torch from Rodgers to Jordan Love was a years-long, drama-filled process. However, it ultimately proved to be a success. After a swift rebuild, the Packers are back in contention and sitting on a young core with all kinds of potential. Before, during, and following the succession plan under center, Packers fans have gotten a clear idea of who Matt LaFleur is — an offensive mastermind, and a winner.
With a .670 winning percentage in the regular season, playoff appearances in five of six seasons, and two NFC Championship game appearances, LaFleur is undeniably capable of establishing a winning culture. Last year, he and offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich engineered a dominant ground offense behind free-agent prize Josh Jacobs. The Shanahan-style offense utilized motion, misdirection, and versatile personnel to create massive holes in defenses, propelling Jacobs to a stellar campaign that included 1,329 rushing yards, a 4.4 yards-per-carry average, 36 receptions, and a career-high 15 touchdowns.
Another thing that stood out schematically was the incredible offensive system that LaFleur devised for backup quarterback Malik Willis. Following the knee injury that Love suffered on the penultimate play in São Paulo, Willis started Week 2’s home opener against the Indianapolis Colts. Despite fans’ pessimism entering the game, the offense dominated with 383 total yards, including 261 on the ground.
LaFleur immediately restructured the offense, incorporating option and misdirection concepts that utilized Willis’ skills as a runner and put him in a rocking chair as a passer. It was such an incredible display that it’s a wonder anyone would rank him outside the NFL’s top 10 head coaches, let alone one of the media’s most respected sources, Pro Football Focus.
According to PFF, Kevin Stefanski, Dan Campbell, and Jim Harbaugh are top-10 head coaches, but LaFleur is not. For what it’s worth, neither is reigning NFC Coach of the Year Kevin O’Connell. Looking at how Daniel Wasserman of PFF approached the NFC North, results were clearly at the forefront. Campbell doesn’t call plays, but he’s the face of Detroit’s culture and metamorphosis from a pitiful bottom-feeder to a contender.
Because Campbell’s contributions are more intangible, it’s hard to make an apples-to-apples comparison to offensive gurus like LaFleur, O’Connell, Sean McVay, and Kyle Shanahan. However, this season will provide us with a lot more information to work with. Campbell will be responsible for upholding Detroit’s success without the presence of prolific coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, who will coach the Chicago Bears and New York Jets, respectively, next year.
The rest of Wasserman’s list primarily consisted of veteran, tenured coaches like Andy Reid, Mike Tomlin, John Harbaugh, and Sean Payton (questionable). Nick Sirianni gets the nod, having won the Super Bowl in February, so that’s digestible. Having Campbell on there because he wins, having Stefanski on there even though he doesn’t win, and giving Jim Harbaugh the nod after a single promising season in Los Angeles — one that led to a Wild Card Weekend massacre — over LaFleur is puzzling.
The question then becomes: What does Matt LaFleur have to do to get more respect around the league?
He has won relentlessly, doing so with superior offensive scheming, keeping his locker room in line and his players competing, and developing his own raw quarterback prospect into a franchise centerpiece. There is only one thing left on the agenda, and I suppose we will just ignore that Campbell, Stefanski, and Harbaugh don’t have it, either. LaFleur needs to bring Green Bay that elusive first Super Bowl ring since 2011, but the way I see it, he has already provided plenty of evidence of his top-10 status.