Hog of a Sunday.
Dog of a Monday.

Well I never, ever thought I'd see CheeseheadTV roll out an article calling for MLF's head. Hell has indeed frozen over.

Please nobody let Nagler see this given his legendary disdain for anyone expressing doubt about MLF's greatness.

Welcome aboard Gil, and understand there were plenty of Packer fans who already reached this conclusion ... even when being castigated by many of those who post articles on this site.

"Yes, the Packers were hit hard by injuries this year, but these issues existed long before the injuries and continued after them."

They were hit almost as bad as the 49ers.

This is the 15th year in a row that the saying at the end of the season is "Next Year."

Don't know what needs to happen with the coaching staff but if this head coach and or GM don't realize that you can't win a football game let alone a championship without winning the line of scrimmage, we're going to be stuck in the midst of the second 30 year losing streak of my lifetime.

Very good article, Gil. I agree with almost everything, other than LaFleur's effect on Rodgers.

Rightly or wrongly, my belief is that Rodgers/Adams/Jones were the main reason for the 39-10 record early in LaFleur's tenure, masking his shortcomings, rather than MLF being the genius he's often credited with.

Since then, he's gone 37-30-1, hardly the record of an offensive guru/innovator, nothing more than bang average really.

Today is the first day of the rest of our lives.

I don't disagree with anything you said, and I have screamed about his loyalty to inferior assistants for years. My only question is: if not LaFleur, whom? Since he's been with the Pack, five coaches have won Super Bowls, and two of them were Belichick and Reid. Do I think Harbaugh or Stefanski would be an upgrade? Not really. Am I too damaged by the moribund years of the 70's and 80's to accept that just being competitive every year is not enough? Probably.

I know something needs to change. I'm just not sure what it is (other than Fire Bisaccia), and I don't envy Ed Policy.

Go Pack Go!

As I have said before I believe MLF is a very good OC. He might be a good HC. He has proven he cannot be both. The game has evolved into a very complex game that requires coaches to specialize and pay attention to detail.

The HC needs to be involved in coordinating all three aspects of the game and keeping control of the team and game managements during the game. I often wonder how much involvement MLF had in defensive game planning. The HC needs to be involved in marrying up the game plans of all three aspects of the game. He needs to be the buck stops here person with those plans. He also needs to be the coach that ensures players are progressing and maintain order in the practices and on the sidelines.

Yes MLF lead the Packers to 6 playoff appearances but the last three the Packers were the 7th seed. So they only made it because the NFL increased the number of teams. This team has been getting worse. Policy needs to let him go. I am on the fence if he should clean house and let Gute go to. I would like to go back to the old organization where the HC reports tot the GM. I also hoope they hire a HC that will not call plays.

This is the ONE time I wish we had an owner. I think if the Packers had an owner, MLF would have been fired the moment he took his foot off the gas...AGAIN. The moment he kept ANOTHER ST coach too long...AGAIN! The moment he lost his 4th straight playoff game.

I know there's a lot of folks who want to keep MLF. I was actually one of them after last seasons loss at Philly. But the one thing MLF has showed us over, and over, and over again is NO Packers lead is EVER safe.

Fire MLF...As Kevin Greene has said "It is Time"!

-Perhaps Policy could require MLF to hire a top-notch OC or in-game manager-he did find Hafley
-Give him the budget to allocate resources and a top-notch coach to ST's.
-Give him a more realistic budget to upgrade the positional coaching staff and start w/OL, WR-hold them accountable

Let him go if he won't make those changes

Want to get rid of LaFluer and hire Harbaugh why? Harboughs teams have collapsed 46 times in 4th quarter with leads which is the 2nd worse case of losing leads in league history. Sure the time of coaching length is longer and you have history, however very similar. Jackson has been MVP twice and Harbaugh hasn't won a SB with him as well. Last Harbaugh won a SB was 2012. Would the Packers really be gaining much if anything at all. Not defending LaFluer but facts are facts.

When you see a glaring problem, you can’t sit on your hands. The Packers, LaFluer in particular, continued to stick their head(s) in the sand when blatantly obvious flaws were allowed to continue. Imo, the Mo Drayton saga was the most egregious. It cost the nfccg.
Then we doubled down with Bisaccia (although I initially liked hiring him), with the same results.
I never witnessed the “illusion of complexity” offense raved about. Instead, we listened to a litany of postgame interviews filled with lame rhetoric.
I’m all for second chances, but we’re clearly beyond that stage. There are candidates available to replace Lafleur. Will they provide a better product—i don’t know (?), but, I’m willing to take the chance.
Thanks Matt, but it’s time for the Packers to seek other solutions.
Go Packers!!!

"LaFleur led the Packers to playoff berths in all three years Love started despite having the youngest roster in the league all three seasons."

Sometimes it takes one coach to build and another to finish.
Hat's off to LaF for laying the foundation. I think it's going to take a coach with more fire and determination to get this team further down the road.

"The biggest issue remains the Packers frustrating tendency to beat themselves....How many times have the Packers dealt with illegal formation penalties, false starts, lining up offsides or having too many or too few players in the huddle?"

Yeah, it wasn't penalties that screwed this team over on Saturday--it was missed coverages, missed kicks and poor STs coverage, and a lack of "kick them when they're down" coming out of the locker room in the second half. TBH, that first possession coming out in the second half would have been an ideal time to go for the jugular.

"LaFleur has also hurt the Packers by being too loyal to his assistant coaches. The two most glaring examples are Joe Barry and Rich Bisaccia."

Rich Bisaccia has overstayed his welcome by about two years. He was a breath of fresh air when he arrived but only because then Sean Mennenga/Mo Drayton experience was so bad...kinda like with HHCD's arrival. The safety room was so bad for so long that he seemed a godsend.

Beating on Joe Barry is silly at this point.

"We know LaFleur is a good coach. But Policy must decide if he’s capable of better. "

LaF may yet be retained. It seems foolish given they'll have to up his contract and be on the hook for it should he be cut loose in the middle of it. On top of that, I don't see him being retained without giving some things up--assistants. Play calling. I don't know that he'll agree to those things, but it's possible that finding the right assistants will jump start something. It hasn't paid big dividends yet.

Every perishable good has a shelf life and I think LaF has reached his. He might go on to coach very successfully elsewhere when his time is up in GB. The take-home here is that the Packers have plateaued under LaF, and their attempts to buy the next level didn't cut it. Yes, Parsons and Wyatt got hurt and it exposed a secondary that wasn't good enough, but they were already showing signs of stagnation at that point. It's just time to kick-start the process.

Former NHL player and Stanley Cup winning Coach & General Manager Glen Sather once said "Every Coach Has An Expiration Date"
Matt Lafleur's Coaching Date Has Expired.

If Ed Policy looks at the product this coach puts out there and says, “This is where we want to be. Beating crap teams and losing to good ones, playing stupid and undisciplined football, collapsing in the second half on a regular basis; it’s all good. This is right where we want to be, let’s put the band back together.” Then this team will be consigned to mediocrity for the next 20 years. Welcome back 70s and 80s!

Sorry to disappoint everyone wishing LaFleur was going to be gone.

Per Adam Schefter "Packers now are expected to try and work out a deal in the coming days to keep LaFleur".

I have joined the calls for MLF's removal. It was a long road to get here, but im here.

People act like we would be firing a new coach, too early. MLF has had 7 years with arguably a top 5 roster for most of those years. He has had a HoF QB early in his career to rack up wins.

I do disagree with this article that he helped Arodge. All he did was get along with him better than Mccarthy; that allowed MLF to get some leeway in calling some of his own stuff and Aaron actually running it and not audibling out of it. That was a nice thing for Aaron and it worked in improving his numbers, but it DID NOT help the Packers win a super bowl. I think at the end of his career Aaron was going to win some games with any coach, MLF was just the guy lucky enough to coach him.

No our current trajectory is NOT acceptable in Titletown. Just once id like to hear MLF say that. Say "not winning the division and losing in the first game of the playoffs is not acceptable in Green Bay..." He wont say it because he would be admitting his coaching tenure, although bloated by a w/l ratio, is not a success.

If Policy wants the Packers to be winners he fires MLF and probably Gutekunst too.

If Policy wants the Packers to remain mediocre, then he signs them to extensions.

If Policy wants to lose his job, he does the latter.

Just like in life, football is a balancing act of hanging on and letting go. ~ Rumi

(Yes, more Rumi for improvement). I know you need to start fast first...but how about Finish Strong for next season's battle cry?

Letz Take a Lambeau Leap of Faith,

PB

Great write Gil ... Yes for starters mental mistakes... Letting the play clock run down to zero, wasting timeouts, confusion on the sidelines in critical moments , really late roughness and scrum penalties, ( you want your team to be tough not stupid ).
Getting conservative when winning ( many times ) predictable running formations, then Love in 3rd and long situations tossing up the uncatchable or well covered bombs.
Rich Bisaccia... what aggravates me the most is the Packers special team cover units ( how many times posters do you hold your breath on every punt or kick off return ) and yes the coverage reared its ugly head again in the Bears game
I have never asked for MLF firing and I agree with posters who have mentioned the Packers have never addressed there DL talent,
but they seem to be a soft bunch under MLF, you wonder if extra soft practices lead to more injuries on the field and players waving themselves off the field after a little physicality.
My opinion has changed and it is time to move on from MLF, will we loose Hafley maybe ? but after giving up 144 points in the last 5 games and tons of running and passing yards Hafley might be better off staying put for awhile...

Hard to say it but the Bears are a better coached team and more talented than the Packers. I am still mad about this game. We all saw the victory being taken through the second half and nothing was being done to stop it. Our coaches didn't react and no one made "the play" when it was needed. It is a tough call going forward because we full of average and only change can break this culture.

You would think one would learn from one’s mistakes
MLF was on the staff of the Atlanta Falcons up 38-3 at halftime and lost
MLF is on staff of the GB packers up 21-3 at halftime and lost

If the NFL hadn’t expanded the playoffs to 14 teams in 2020 we wouldn’t have made it since 2021 I believe. Yikes, I bet MLF is glad the format was expanded. Policy has a big decision, it’s going to tell a lot about the organization. GPG.

Marty. Schottenheimer. Part. Deaux.

He needs to leave. Too many recurring mistakes. Nightmares also works.

Hire Hafley. The defensive players love the guy. Micah Parsons loves the guy. We invested a ton in Micah, and a happy Micah Parsons under a HC like Hafley could go a long way towards winning championships. I think Hafley has the leadership this Packers team needs. 100%

I've seen enough of Matt LaFleur choke jobs, most oftentimes brought on through his own coaching or game time mismanagement. Keeping him, extending his contract as HC, would be making yet another mistake. The players need to be confident in their HC, that he has their backs, and that he can lead them to winning. I'm not seeing that as a fan. James Jones doesn't see it either. Madness is making the same mistakes over and over, expecting different results.

No matter which side of the fence you are on (offense/defense) regarding Coach LaF. This will be interesting with the negotiating between LaF and Policy.

For those who dont want LaF retained or want him retained but for a lower cost than the 6'8" kneecap biter...just breathe. If LaF goes in there with his usual game plan, he will start out strong and then wilt in the end.

Mr Policy, just watch game tape, talk to people you normally wouldn't at 1265 Lombardi Ave, staff/coaches/fanz like Pantz Burp. Is he capable to succeed in this modern version of the NFL and the players on the roster? Remember, honesty is the best...Mr Policy.

XXXOOOs,

Mr B

What is frustrating is that MLF knows what is going wrong, but continues to do the same thing. The running game isn't working? Keep on anyway. Love is in absolute sync with his WR's? Run it anyway. The OL is suspect? Keep the same OL coach. Promote the former, excellent OL coach to OC. Then watch the offense sputter against stronger defenses or in the second half, because there were no adjustments in place in case the defense made changes. MLF is an excellent OC who doesn't have what it takes yet to lead a team to success in tough situations.
Perhaps Jim Harbaugh could bring in some needed juice. After all, look at how Denver overcame some terrible conditions to become a serious SB contender in a very short time.

LaFluer will be back, there are none out there any better, why change, even though I know this will bring disgust to post, that is what will be.

First half Jacobs has over 40+ yards running primarily with Love under center. With 15/12 under center vs shotgun offensive plays we score 21 points in first half. Second half MLF abandons under center and we score 6.

MLF makes these kinds of misfire decisions ALL THE TIME. Worse he doesnt learn form it, thats his issue. Its either arrogance or something else because he is incapable of adapting to what the other team does when the other team adapts to us. Its always been his downfall.

If MLF is retained there needs to be changes. Special Teams coach, GONE. New offensive coordinator as well please.

Line play on both sides of the ball has been mediocre. The line coaches along with Bisaccia need to be shown the door. Beyond that, there is that intangible of intensity that seems lacking too often. Love doesn't show me the leadership and focus to lead the Pack anywhere. Excellent at time, yes, but too often, in key games/moments, he's been pathetic. Doing the same thing over and over as it relates to the entire team represents the definition of insanity. Something has to change, and it's not just in one area.

After some deliberation and darkness retreating, I came up with this:

Letz make whomever the HC is for next season, like, if he is under 6'1"... make him legally change his last name to: StoneBreaker or Askikker.

Sorry, but the name LaFleur doesn't scare the hell out of me, how about you? On a side note, I looked into Pepé Le Pew. Now, Pepe is also well groomed and liked. It really came down to this:

Aa great of a character as Pepé Le Pew was. He also had a shelf life. It expired. Plus, we will need the shelf space for the LOMBARDI TROPHY next season with _____________ as HC!

My work is done. Come, my flock letz rest and enjoy some grapes now...

Pantz "Edwin Moses" Burp

We should have moved on from Gute a few years ago. Look at his drafts, he’s just not a good/great GM at drafting players.
I don’t think you can compete for a SB with someone who is average at drafting.

Has anyone else noticed?
"Good Morning Football" has changed their name to "Good Morning Bears Fans"!

Something I think about with McManus missing 3 attempts with kicks and r the Bears kicking them all. After the game when the Packers heaters went out, why? Same thing with these kicks, who has the integrity of the balls being kicked in these games? The Home Team or a league official? A thought to ponder! After all Johnson head Bears coach is a first class jerk! IMO!

Been reading the comments and seeing many calling Lafleur a great play designer and i keep wondering what I'm missing. Aside from an underperforming O-line, this offense has a fair amount of horsepower and yet we've seen years of inconsistency and untapped potential. What we put on film, especially in the second half of games is neither creative nor efficient. The one redeeming quality of our HC who refuses to be a HC has not really translated into a core strength of the team.

I didn't think LaFleur's job was in any kind of jeopardy before the season-ending death spiral, and even then, I figured a decent showing in the playoffs would earn him at least a short contract extension. The loss to the Bears, and the way it went down, was a game-changer, though. The team's lack of resilience was on full display throughout the losing streak. I give them a pass on the Vikings game, because I thought it made sense to treat it as a preseason game, and I can even excuse the Denver game and the first Bears game to some extent. But the losses to the Ravens and to the Bears in the playoffs made me think that the players were not buying into whatever the coaching staff was selling. This even applies to Jeff Hafley to some extent, but mostly it's on the head coach.

There are some mitigating factors here, for sure: the loss of the team's best offensive player (Tucker Kraft) followed by the loss of its best defensive player (Micah Parsons), who I believe is a generational talent in the same league as Reggie White. Would the 1996 Packers have won the Super Bowl if Reggie White blew out his ACL late in the season? Maybe not. Also, the O-line was crap this year-- the worst it's been since I can remember, and that's mostly on Gute. The coaches share some blame for that, but I think the talent was poor, and basically they were just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

Still, the team's lack of heart is the bottom line. And that's mainly on the head coach. The question of who to replace him with, if they part ways, is a thorny one. John Harbaugh looks the part, but he's got a longer record of playoff underachievement than LaFleur does. Kevin Stefanski is more interesting to me, as his team's failures can be pinned on a bizarro front office. Also, I think he coached a nice game against the Packers to steal a win from them this season. A newbie NFL head coach is probably not the answer this year, unless Ed Policy has someone unexpected up his sleeve.

First off, I'm glad I didn't buy a Prime subscription and just took the 30 day trial to watch this collapse. I'll be canceling on day 29 out of spite for both Amazon and LaFleur. I saw a list of all the playoff collapses the Packers have had, Many of them predate LaFleur. I'm not saying he shouldn't be replaced. When the world is on fire around him he seems to want to burn down with it. Like it or not, players follow their coaches leadership and tend to be a reflection of him. In a crisis, he seems to make the crisis worse and it seems like the players follow suit. If Reed catches that pass on the final drive they are in the red zone with 40 seconds left and a time out. They would have had a great chance at winning, but when the true test came they folded, and thats a reflection on LaFleur. However, as I said these symptoms predate LaFleur. Is there some type of internal culture issue that's causing this? Is LaFleur only another symptom or is he the cause? I hope the organization looks at this deeply to see if other strings can be pulled to cure this disease.

I don't think the Brain Trust wants to bring in the best HC as they may get challenged. I would say they wish to keep the status quo because most of them are benefitting financially. Too much change from a dynamic HC may threaten their posiitons.