Marty Schottenheimer?

Like I have said before. I believe MLF would be an outstanding OC if that is the only thing he was doing. He probably be a better HC if that is all he was doing. He will never be an elite level HC calling plays and being the quasi OC. There is too much going on during the game and he does not have the bandwidth. I often wonder how much involvement he has on the defensive game planning and working his offensive scheme with the DC.

MLF seems like a good guy and a coach that can teach the players. The players like him for the most part. That would make him an OC that most teams would want. He just has to be true to himself and stop thinking he can do it all. As long as he is HC and the quasi OC the Packers will remain about the middle of the league.

Policy had the perfect opportunity to fix the problem but he decided to put a band aid on the big gash. So fans get prepared for fighting for the 7th seed every year and maybe getting one playoff win. Right now I see the Packers as the 3rd seed in the division. They might squeak out the second.

All human behavior is motivated by the prospect of gain or the fear of loss.

When the pressure is highest, Matt has too much of the latter.

As Snoopy would say...."Bleack!"

Not here to defend MLF...the buck stops with the head coach, but defense and ST have been huge contributors to the Packers' failures in the post season.

Went and looked up the top 10 playoff winners in the last 10 seasons. The Packers are tied for 8th most with 3 other teams. In the playoffs GB is only behind KC and TB with offensive points per game at 26.3, but are D.A.L. on defense with 26.6 PPG.

Gut wrenching turnovers and horrible ST play have been the gremlins they haven't been able to shake. That and just plain poor DC and STC coaching. I can still remember hollering at the TV when TB called a timeout right before halftime and put their fastest receiver one on one against Kevin King who was already playing injured. Why Petine didn't call a TO and change the defense was well, indefensible.

MLF has his weaknesses. Everyone does. Anyone who watches the NFL much, knows the playoffs are a crap shoot. The best team doesn't always win. That what makes them great games. It a best of 1 series.

Yeah, we called it choking in my day. I go back to the Chicago game and onside kick...really didn't have confidence the team could recover it and they didn't. Could you ever imagine a BB coached NE not recovering that kick? Probably never in a hundred tries.
It's his own will that's imprinted on the team and that will is wobbly in close or important games. It is what it is until it changes...
JMHO

Off season click bait that leads to nothing. This story is a lot like a hockey game...lots of pointless action.

1) MLF is here for the next season and with the extension, probably more.
2) We all know the Packers playoff record.

I had hoped this constant grinding on MLF would pass since not much is going to happen in the near future. It's a bit like taking a hammer and hitting yourself on the head. Pointless.

This type of story is best served when the season is nearly complete. The decision has been made. Move on.

"...if LaFleur coached in a bigger market, with more national noise and less small-town insulation, would he already be labeled one of the game’s elite?"

Quite the opposite. Without the Packers status quo management by committee, most of the other 31 teams' ownership would have moved on already and LaFleur would be an OC somewhere or a QB coach.

Matt is very averse to making important personnel decisions...prefers to delay or take half measures. Slow to change, except when he routinely takes the safe, cautious road.

A microcosm: Last week LaFleur was questioned about his practices and he stated in 2019 he put the new draftees and UDFA's through agility drills and a few guys threw up. He said he backed off never did that again. Can you imagine Lombardi or Holmgren doing this?

He is so cautious about any injury, guys go on limited or DNP at the mention of any discomfort. He routinely has the longest weekly injury lists in the NFL. Too many starters walk through practices or watch from the sidelines during game week and rarely practice together. To be good at a skill, you must practice it.

Past players have stated LaFleur's practices are among the easiest they have experienced. And most sessions are often unpredictable...not really consistent conditioning or preparation drills and plays...constant adjustments. And very little full speed blocking and tackling. More "thud" practice.

It contributes to the "soft" label. Physicality and discipline are not characteristics of LaFleur's Packers.

IMO coaching is the biggest question mark that the Packers have going into the 2026 season. We have a new DC (the 4th under MLF) and we don't know yet what defense he will play or how the players will respond or how long it will take for them to learn and be comfortable playing in it. The Packers have a new ST coach and we don't know if he will be an improvement over the previous 3 ST coaches under MLF. Both of those coaching carousels have been the results of MLF choices in coaching assistants.

Then there is MLF himself who seems to coach the offense at least heavily influenced if not entirely based on analytics. It seems that the opposing defense knows what's coming at the most important points in the game. While he has turned over much of his coaching staff he continues to stay with Stenovich and Butkus as his OC and OL coaches respectively. Why? The OL which is the most important position group on the team often looks overwhelmed and in disarray particularly against the better defenses in the league and most importantly during the playoffs.

Beyond the above the Packers have been a poor situational football team in all 3 phases of the game. Whether it's the offense, defense, or STs they rarely play a full 60 minutes of solid football. There are just too many instances, whether it's penalties, time management, miscommunication, poor execution or questionable play calls that point back to pre game preparation and in game decision making. That is on the coaching staff and the ultimate responsibility is on MLF. He is often out coached by first year HCs. It should be the other way around after 7 seasons of HC experience.

In fairness, injuries have been a factor for the Packers but that is true for every team throughout the NFL season.

Each season I expect/hope that MLF will improve as an HC in many of these areas but it hasn't happened in 7 seasons so I'm not sure that 2026 will be any different. Now that he has been extended who knows how much longer this will continue. Bottom line is that MLF needs to improve his communication with the entire team and become a leader for the entire team including his coaching staff. Most importantly he needs to play to win rather than play not to lose.
Thanks, Since '61

A rare off season post...
Many new coaches, new president and MLF remains though it is pretty hard to offer a clear reason why. In a nutshell - he has underachieved and failures are glaring. Expecting this season to be - "well, many new coaches, lots of free agent losses and no first round draft choices so what can we expect".

That leaves me in a bad fan space but lots of upside. :)
Thinking about the start to last years with the first 2 games. How did that happen and what happened after?

Until we see accountability, I maintain
S.O.L.I.D. (Spirit Of Lombardi Is Dead)

Point-#1
As of early 2026, Matt LaFleur is regarded
as one of the most successful regular-season
coaches in NFL history.
And this is with a GM who has a swivel Door.

Point- #2
Record from 1968 to 1991:Approximately
150-184-17
The team appeared in the playoffs only twice
in these 24 seasons (1972 and 1982).

The solution isn't a coaching change.
The problem is Believing in GUTE.

Dear CoryGPT,

This is a strong, balanced take, but I’ll push back on one key idea: the notion that Matt LaFleur’s résumé is somehow “quiet.” At this point, it’s not quiet—it’s just being judged by a different standard.

LaFleur’s record isn’t just good; it’s historically rare. Coaches who start their careers at that pace usually are the story. The reason he isn’t universally crowned elite has less to do with market size and more to do with timing and context. Coaching the Green Bay Packers comes with built-in visibility—this isn’t a small-market anonymity problem. Green Bay is one of the most nationally followed franchises in the NFL. If anything, the spotlight is brighter, not dimmer.

Where your argument really hits is January—but even there, it’s worth adding nuance. Playoff football is a tiny sample size with massive variance. A handful of possessions can define narratives for years. That doesn’t mean those moments are meaningless, but it does mean we sometimes overcorrect. The loss you referenced against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is a perfect example: the field goal decision became symbolic, but it also overshadowed earlier breakdowns that put the team in that position to begin with.

And that gets to the core tension: how much control does a head coach really have in those moments? LaFleur designs the system, sets the tone, and makes key decisions—but he’s not the one missing blocks, dropping passes, or throwing late interceptions. The “tightening up” critique is fair on the surface, but it can also become a catch-all explanation that ignores player execution.

On the flip side, the criticism of his in-game management isn’t nothing. Patterns matter, and when similar questions show up repeatedly—timeouts, sequencing, situational aggression—it’s reasonable to connect dots. That’s part of the job description, and elite coaches eventually shed those narratives by winning through them.

What complicates LaFleur’s case even more is the transition from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love. Most coaches don’t survive that shift cleanly. LaFleur didn’t just survive it—he kept the team competitive. That should probably carry more weight than it does. Sustained relevance through a quarterback transition is one of the hardest things to do in the NFL, and he made it look almost routine.

So where does that leave him? Not “quietly elite,” but incompletely validated. There’s a difference. His regular-season body of work already clears the bar for elite coaching. The postseason résumé just hasn’t caught up yet.

And that’s the uncomfortable truth: until he breaks through in January, the conversation won’t change—no matter how strong the underlying numbers are. Not because it’s entirely fair, but because that’s how the league defines legacy.

Sincerely,

LeotisGPT

"Chance favors the prepared mind."

A point that MLF seems to wholeheartedly not understand or simply ignores.

We witnessed this lacking during the season(s) and for some reason believe/deny it to not show its face in the playoffs, as it has with every entry.

Déjà vu is a trick the mind plays to make one perceive a recurrence of an event, but MLF makes it an absolute.

It's hard to envision a different 'deja vu' occurring when the mind has allowed one continual version to become embedded and deemed a success.

Continue to praise his regular season feats, but the end will remain the same until MLF stops his own denials.

LaFleur can grow, but really what we’ve seen is stasis evidenced by serial repetition of issues. It’s sort of like LVN, can he break out? Yes. Will he? Who knows, but the probability historically diminishes with the amount of time. The historical odds are more favorable to LVN than LaFleur actually, if not great for either. Hope is fine, but actual outcomes are not supportive.

LaFleur has had a lot of time by historical standards. He also had a future Hall of Fame QB who played very well at least till his last year and was surrounded by a roster kept together for the purpose. The idea that he’s an offensive genius has not been supported in field. His other faults recur. His hiring has been bad to doubtful.

Perhaps in Achord and Gannon that changed finally, but the O staff still has many questions. Stenavich’s presser could be seen as including admission of multiple mistakes just last year. I don’t care if others would sell their souls to hire LaFleur. That’s a ludicrous defense. What I care about is can we win with him?

If we can’t beat this division with this roster then the answer is no. And that’s just a battle not a conquest. We are the team that hasn’t won the North for the longest. That’s more telling than a winning record heavily skewed to the start not the end of his tenure to date. Yet still the apologists throw it out as if it is a fait accompli. It’s not, it’s an empty facade.

LaFleur's coaching is like a house that has a leaky roof. Common sense calls for the repair or replacement of the roof - in order to preserve the integrity of the entire structure. However Policy's solution - with LaFleur's extension - was to hope that it doesn't rain anymore.

In a recent press conference LaFleur talked about the principle of "adapt or die" - relative to the evolution of rookie mini camps. I was really hoping for a follow-up question from the press corps. Whether "adapt or die" also applies to head coaching? Unfortunately, that question was not asked.

It is generally accepted that past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. Considering LaFleur's constant lack of coaching self-awareness - together with Policy's protection of the status quo - I see no current end to "The Quandary."

Before I post this--and we've been around this same article about 20 times off-and-on over the last several off-seasons--I'm going to re-state that I was on the "time to move on" gravity wagon in January, but: we all seem to think that the Packers have been terrible underachievers in January (especially during the ARod MVP seasons), but is it possible that this team has OVERachieved relative to its talent during the regular season and that's led to the sad beatdowns in January?

It a better approach to look at his record since Rodgers left. That would be more current and accurate

Thank God for Ed Policy kicking Mark Murphy’s ego-driven usurpation of power bullshit to the curb.

Bob Harlan, RIP.

Now we’ll get to see LaFleur cook, with what I now consider to be a relatively full contingent of the best players assembled in the post Aaron Rodgers recovery era. And, I’m trusting that Gutekunst adds a cherry or two on top of this roster of players before this season begins at TE, RB, NT or OT.

I was ready to see LaFleur walk too, but all that matters is now, and I respect Ed Policy’s decision leaning towards continuity for Jordan Love, and this current Packers team.

LaFleur has all of his guys now on staff, and the time is now. I want to see Matt LaFleur and THIS PACKERS TEAM SUCCEED! I want to see THE DYNASTY I’VE BEEN WAITING TO SEE SINCE HOLMGREN (yeah, the one that should have happened but didn’t) in Green Bay. The time is now. Bring that Lombardi Trophy home.

Gotta win one to start a dynasty. Do it.

MLF has come up short at times, but this year was an anomaly. He didn't fumble the onside that dropped GB from the #2 seed to #7, and would have had Bears nation all over Caleb. Williams was under 50%, under 150 yds and would have been crucified by overzealous Bears' fans. Then in the playoff game, Chi was called for 2-for-5 on penalties when they committed 10-for-120. (One of the most penalized teams all year, but 2-for-5. BTW, GB 6-for-67, so not like they were eating the whistles in general, just for one team.) Four PF ob, 3 beyond the white line a full yard ob. Booker egregious full body weight after concussing Love in the earlier game. No foul, fined $46k next week. Numerous holds, no call. Yet GB was called for holds on each of their drives to start the 3rd quarter. Slap to Love's head. Full extension blows to Musgrave's chest on the potential winning TD. 260-pound man blown airborne in the e.z., but not PI.

NFL wanted Chi and GB still had chances to win. Reed doesn't drop the late pass that wouldn't let him sleep, game over. Musgrave PI 1st on the 1 the play before McManus missed the 44-yarder, game over. McManus doesn't miss 7 points in a 4-point loss, game over. You can't put that on MLF!