Fire Matt LaFleur

[AmishMafia]

R E I C H

That was not my guess.

They way this team looked first half of the season coupled with MLFs play calling was not pretty. And calling for MLFs head wasn't unreasonable.
Both MLF and the team had grown tremendously in a shirt period of time which changes everything.

MLF hasn't changed. The OLine started playing more in sync and the WRs and TEs got more comfortable with the routes. Loss of Aaron Jones also impacted how defenses played us. It was unreasonable to expect 6 WRs and 2 TEs with 3 years playing experience total among them was going to be playing great early.

 

[PackerDNA]

I think it came down to during the season when MLF was comfortable with the players he had 'getting it'. He was then able to open up things up more with Love and company.
Very disappointed that he's not even on the list of being considered for Coach of the Year.

 

[Wayne G]

Lafluer is one of the worst coaches in the nfl. Week after week nothing changes: the team is woefully unprepared to play, he cannot call an offensive game, he doesn’t get situational football….Also, they will never know how good Love can be UNTIL Lafluer is gone!

Couldn’t find a thread for this, so I’m starting one. The team looks so unprepared and undisciplined, and that’s on the coaching staff. I’m not saying he should be fired, but given our recent performance, I suspect we will hear more in this vein soon. So it’s worth having a thread.

 

[Sanguine camper]

Does somebody else deserve a shot at head coach? If the Packers don't show that they're ready to compete for a Super Bowl after getting Micah Parsons, then moving on from MLF after the season should be taken seriously. The question is who would you replace him with? There aren't many Dan Campbell's out there.

 

[gopkrs]

Honestly, I'm more eorried that after spending time and money on the offensive line, they're still not good. And that's not LaFleur

 

[Magooch]

It’s tough to say. I like Matt and I think he’s a good coach. There are very few coaches who would represent an immediate improvement and fewer still who would actually be available. At the same time - as much as I’d like to be proven wrong - my gut says we’ve probably already seen our ceiling under LaFleur.

What’s important to keep in mind though is that for Policy at this point it’s really less about “would you fire LaFleur” and more about “would you sign LaFleur to a contact extension” which is two very different questions imo. I certainly wouldn’t fire Matt overall, and definitely not in-season unless there’s basically a total implosion and locker room mutiny, but if I had to choose this offseason to offer an extension… that one is slightly less clear

 

[McKnowledge]

Wait until the offseason if it all breaks bad

 

[Magooch]

I don't think there's any way to add or update a poll but I'm curious as to where folks' "line in the sand" lies at this point.

I have mentioned it elsewhere but Ed Policy has said how he doesn't want to have a coach entering a "lame duck" final year of his contract. With a contract up in two years, the implication is that Matt will either be extended or let go before next season.

So, fast-forward to the end of this season.

Would you move on from Matt LaFleur if....

1. I would not fire Matt LaFleur even if the Packers fail to make the playoffs
2. I would fire Matt LaFleur if the Packers fail to make the playoffs
3. I would fire Matt LaFleur if the Packers make the playoffs but fail to win a playoff game
4. I would fire Matt LaFleur if the Packers make the playoffs and win a wild-card matchup but lose in the divisional round
5. I would fire Matt LaFleur if the Packers lose in the conference championship
6. I would fire Matt LaFleur if the Packers lose the Super Bowl
7. I would fire Matt LaFleur after this season even if the Packers go all the way and win the Super Bowl

Where do you land on that spectrum?

 

[gopkrs]

I'm starting to get fed up with him and Gute. But remain a Packer fan and have hope for the season.

 

[DABIGZ]

For me @Magooch I sit at 2 and 3. The sole reason? Gute pushed all his chips into the center. It's now or never. But even THAT might've been a bad call. Think about this: the last two years the packers only made the playoffs because of the recently added 7th seed.

You don't have that 7th seed? Packers aren't in the playoffs since 2021...

Just some food for thought!

 

[Magooch]

I think I'm probably at #3. A playoff win is the minimum for me at this point, and really will depend on the following game too I think. Like if we win in the wild card and get blown out in the divisional, I'm probably calling it. A WC win and narrow loss in the divisional, maybe I give it another chance.

 

[DABIGZ]

I think I'm probably at #3. A playoff win is the minimum for me at this point, and really will depend on the following game too I think. Like if we win in the wild card and get blown out in the divisional, I'm probably calling it. A WC win and narrow loss in the divisional, maybe I give it another chance.

Can’t argue that… but first we have to make it past the Giants, then three straight division games.

It’s not a hyperbole to say these next 4 games will decide our season.

 

[milani]

I think I'm probably at #3. A playoff win is the minimum for me at this point, and really will depend on the following game too I think. Like if we win in the wild card and get blown out in the divisional, I'm probably calling it. A WC win and narrow loss in the divisional, maybe I give it another chance.

Realistically, this team with the addition of Parsons, was primed to give the Lions a run for the division and was certainly capable of getting more than one postseason win. Now this has been one of their worst injury years in recent memory unlike the 2023 season when they surprisingly were healthier except for Aaron Jones who missed quite a few games. But still, in 23 and 24 we attributed a lot of our failures to youth and inexperience. In 2025 we are still young but those 2023 players should be much more polished now than in 2023. And so far we are still seeing situational on field blunders, mismanagement of special teams, coaching debacles, and the lack of development in Jordan Love in year 3 that we saw in Aaron Rodgers in his year 3. Now McCarthy was guilty of all that with the exception of elevating Rodgers from a young backup clipboard carrier to an elite starting QB.

 

[Magooch]

Realistically, this team with the addition of Parsons, was primed to give the Lions a run for the division and was certainly capable of getting more than one postseason win. Now this has been one of their worst injury years in recent memory unlike the 2023 season when they surprisingly were healthier except for Aaron Jones who missed quite a few games. But still, in 23 and 24 we attributed a lot of our failures to youth and inexperience. In 2025 we are still young but those 2023 players should be much more polished now than in 2023. And so far we are still seeing situational on field blunders, mismanagement of special teams, coaching debacles, and the lack of development in Jordan Love in year 3 that we saw in Aaron Rodgers in his year 3. Now McCarthy was guilty of all that with the exception of elevating Rodgers from a young backup clipboard carrier to an elite starting QB.

I am also reminded that by year five as a head coach McCarthy was hoisting the Lombardi...

Indeed that was Rodgers' 3rd season as a starter.

Now Love's 3rd season as a starter is coming in LaFleur's seventh year as head coach. And barring some big improvements it's looking like McCarthy's single year five Super Bowl season will have produced more postseason wins than LaFleur's seven seasons combined.

 

[Sanguine camper]

I am also reminded that by year five as a head coach McCarthy was hoisting the Lombardi...

Indeed that was Rodgers' 3rd season as a starter.

Now Love's 3rd season as a starter is coming in LaFleur's seventh year as head coach. And barring some big improvements it's looking like McCarthy's single year five Super Bowl season will have produced more postseason wins than LaFleur's seven seasons combined.

Most successful head coaches have already won a Championship by year 7 or at least gotten there. There's a long list but some names to consider are Parcels, Bellicheck, Lombardi, Bill Walsh, Tom Landry etc..

One big exception was Bill Cowher. I think it took him 12 or 13 years to finally get over the hump.

I'm with most of the others. If MLF wins a playoff game, give him a short extension. If not, I think somebody else deserves a chance at HC.

I don't think the front office and head coach should be given a free pass because of injuries. They're the ones that need to take the steps to reduce injuries in the first place.

 

[Magooch]

Most successful head coaches have already won a Championship by year 7 or at least gotten there. There's a long list but some names to consider are Parcels, Bellicheck, Lombardi, Bill Walsh, Tom Landry etc..

One big exception was Bill Cowher. I think it took him 12 or 13 years to finally get over the hump.

I'm with most of the others. If MLF wins a playoff game, give him a short extension. If not, I think somebody else deserves a chance at HC.

I don't think the front office and head coach should be given a free pass because of injuries. They're the ones that need to take the steps to reduce injuries in the first place.

Yeah, I mentioned this a few weeks back. I'm gonna go back and see if I can find it but the majority of coaches who EVER win a Super Bowl would have already won one by this point (or at least been there...)

 

[Magooch]

Most successful head coaches have already won a Championship by year 7 or at least gotten there. There's a long list but some names to consider are Parcels, Bellicheck, Lombardi, Bill Walsh, Tom Landry etc..

One big exception was Bill Cowher. I think it took him 12 or 13 years to finally get over the hump.

I'm with most of the others. If MLF wins a playoff game, give him a short extension. If not, I think somebody else deserves a chance at HC.

I don't think the front office and head coach should be given a free pass because of injuries. They're the ones that need to take the steps to reduce injuries in the first place.

Here it is:

Just for fun I decided to go through and take a look at this.
LaFleur is in year seven with the Packers.

How long were Super Bowl-winning coaches with their team before winning it all?

1st year with team - Kubiak, Gruden, Seifert, McCafferty
2nd year - Arians, Belichick, Pederson, Tomlin, Switzer, Gibbs, Flores
3rd year - Shanahan, Walsh, Shula
4th year - Sirianni, Carroll, Coughlin, Payton, Johnson, Parcells, Ditka
5th year - McVay, Harbaugh, McCarthy, Dungy
6th year - Noll
7th year - Reid (Matt, you are currently here )
8th year - Madden
12th year - Landry
14th year - Cowher

(I am also leaving out Lombardi, Stram, and Ewbank, who all coached for a while before technically winning the *Super Bowl* but won NFL/AFL titles earlier on in their careers)

So, like I said. This is already a pretty exclusive club, not much of a sample size to draw any terribly meaningful conclusions from but from what little data we have we can extrapolate two conclusions:

1. The number of coaches who are with a team for 6+ years with no Super Bowl and go on to win one in year 7 or later is very, very small
2. The coaches who DID go on to win a Super Bowl after 7+ years with the same team...are all generally regarded as all-time greats and HOFers, so...

 

[Magooch]

One other thing that I think HAS to be considered at some point too:

How do we find out exactly what we have in Love?

Overall, I'm a fan of Love, and I think he has the quality to be "the guy" for us.
But at the same time we have to consider the possibility that he isn't. There are enough question marks regarding Love that if nothing else I think it's not terribly cut-and-dry.
And it's possible that perhaps LaFleur feels hamstrung by the contract we gave Love. He knows he's (Love) is going to be here for a while so he's stuck dealing with it.
Maybe he playcalls the way he has because he doesn't trust Love to get done what needs done. Maybe he is trying to protect him or cover up his deficiencies.
Unfortunately, honorable as his intentions may be, IF that is the case, then Matt is coaching in such a way that it doesn't benefit himself AND it doesn't benefit Love.

(I am not saying I believe this to necessarily be the case, just that it is possible/conceivable)

And ultimately, fair or not, I think it is always going to be easier to find a new head coach than to move on from a guy like Love at this point in his contract. So as crazy as it might sound, I think if things don't change, at some point you have to consider canning LaFleur if for no other reason than to really conclusively figure out what you've got in Love. The sooner you get clarity there, the better.

Alternatively, from LaFleur's perspective, he needs to be putting the game in Love's hands, either way. If Love succeeds, then we/he knows that we have our guy and the team is better for it. Matt can utilize his offensive mind to get the most out of his passer. If he flops, it sucks and we don't have our guy, but then at least Matt can say he wasn't the problem, it was his QB. As it stands, Matt's coaching in such a way that it's creating more questions than it answers - both about him as a coach and Love as our QB.

 

[tynimiller]

Every single Bears, Lions and Vikings fan friend of mine all WANT us to fire MLF….that says A LOT

 

[milani]

Every single Bears, Lions and Vikings fan friend of mine all WANT us to fire MLF….that says A LOT

They really DO care about us. How sweet!

 

[Guacamole]

Every single Bears, Lions and Vikings fan friend of mine all WANT us to fire MLF….that says A LOT

all 3 of them? how special.......

 

[tynimiller]

all 3 of them? how special.......

LOL nice!

 

[SudsMcBucky]

Most successful head coaches have already won a Championship by year 7 or at least gotten there. There's a long list but some names to consider are Parcels, Bellicheck, Lombardi, Bill Walsh, Tom Landry etc..

One big exception was Bill Cowher. I think it took him 12 or 13 years to finally get over the hump.

I'm with most of the others. If MLF wins a playoff game, give him a short extension. If not, I think somebody else deserves a chance at HC.

I don't think the front office and head coach should be given a free pass because of injuries. They're the ones that need to take the steps to reduce injuries in the first place.

It took Andy Reid 10 years. Not sure who else fits that.

 

[milani]

It took Andy Reid 10 years. Not sure who else fits that.

I believe Reid got there in Philly with McNabb and lost to the Belichick in less than 7 years. But he did not win one until he was in KC for a number of years.

 

[Magooch]

It took Andy Reid 10 years. Not sure who else fits that.

See post #92 in this thread