GREEN BAY — Matt LaFleur arrived for the NFC coaches’ breakfast on Tuesday morning inside The Breakers in West Palm Beach, Fla., armed with nothing more than a cup of coffee.
The Green Bay Packers head coach spent nearly 35 minutes answering reporters questions on the final day of the annual NFL Meetings at the hoity-toity resort, and as he did, a clear theme developed.
What his team has accomplished over the past two seasons in the post-Aaron Rodgers era — back-to-back postseason berths with Jordan Love under center; beating the Dallas Cowboys in the 2023 NFC wild card round and pushing the San Francisco 49ers to the limit in the divisional round a week later; a strong-but-ultimately-in-vain defensive effort against the eventual Super Bowl LIX-champion Philadelphia Eagles to end last season — hasn’t been good enough.
There have been good moments, to be sure, but with his seventh season as head coach fast approaching, LaFleur knows that he, his coaching staff and his players must do more. And he didn’t need to lose the final three games of 2024 to realize it.
And so, after going 1-5 in the division and 0-6 against the NFC’s three best teams (Detroit, Minnesota and Philadelphia), LaFleur is acutely aware of what a pivotal season 2025 will be — for him, and his team. Which is why he is intent on demanding more from his team this season.
“When you look at it the last two years in the playoffs, we've lost to a Super Bowl champion (in the Eagles), and we lost to a team that went to the Super Bowl (in the 49ers),” LaFleur said. “Our league is as competitive as any league in the world. And so, I do think it would be nice to get back to taking control of the division to get a home playoff game. It's definitely easier to win at home than it is on the road.
“It’s just, in those key moments, you’ve got to maximize ‘em, man. Whether it was two years ago in San Francisco or last year in Philly, there's a handful of plays, they go different, you might have a different outcome. … So, in those big-time moments, you’ve got to come out and make the plays that are there to be made.”
With that in mind, LaFleur spoke on a myriad of topics with reporters, with the questions running the gamut from creating competition on the offensive line (at left tackle in particular), to the team’s two top pass-catchers (and how to make each of them more productive while keeping them healthy), to the idea of seeing Rodgers twice a year in purple.
Here are a host of subjects LaFleur addressed, with some of his answers edited for clarity and length.
• On the impact Green Bay hosting the 2025 NFL Draft is going to have on his offseason program with his players: “It’ll be exciting to get the guys back in. We’re going to maximize our time this offseason, too. With the draft being in Green Bay, we’re bringing the guys in a week later than everybody else. We’re going to do the first week virtually and then we’ll hit the ground running. We’ll probably cut it a week early as well (in June). I just think the totality of the NFL season is a long time, so I want to give those guys a chance to get away before we come back. But, when we are together, we’re going to have to maximize that time and try to create the best offseason that we possibly can.”
• On the possibility that Rodgers, the four-time NFL MVP quarterback who remains a free agent after being released by the New York Jets, somehow ends up with the Vikings: “It would be a hell of a story, wouldn’t it? There’s great players on every team, so if it works out, it works out. It’s not something that I’m going to sit there and constantly think about. Sure, you’ll think about it the week of when you’re playing somebody. But if it works out, great for them.”
• On what he thought when new Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson said in his introductory press conference that he “enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year:” “I'm sure he's playing to the fans a little bit. It is what it is. I'm not going to lose too much sleep over that.”
• On if running back Josh Jacobs had to mend any fences in the locker room after saying during Super Bowl week that the team needed a bona fide No. 1 wide receiver: “It's something we definitely talked about. I think it's an unintended consequence. I don't think he was trying to disparage any of our other guys, and I hope our guys don't take it that way. Ideally, they'll continue to work and push and one of those guys will be that guy. But I feel good about our receiver room.
“Obviously, it doesn't help when you lose a guy like Christian Watson and who knows when we'll get him back (from the torn ACL in his right knee). Just his physicality, his speed, he's an intelligent player. You could move him from position to position within a game and not everybody can handle that. So that is a big loss for us. But those other guys are going to have to pick up the slack.”
• On the team’s plan for 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan, who played in just six games as a rookie because of a shoulder injury, to compete with incumbent Rasheed Walker for the starting left tackle job: “It’s going to be a great competition. (Morgan) and ‘Sheed are going to battle it out and hopefully push each other to be that much better. Certainly, it’s something we feel like (Morgan) can do. Otherwise, we wouldn’t do it. So we’ll let them battle it out and see where it goes.”
• On why wide receiver Jayden Reed, who led the team in receptions (55) and receiving yards (857) for the second straight year, was a non-factor late in the year, when he managed only 11 catches for 164 yards and no touchdowns over the final five games: “(Reed) definitely started off hot. It’s a long season, and there’s ebbs and flows with every season. I think there was a point in time about midway through where he got a little bit banged up. Nothing serious, just the overall pounding. And it definitely took a little bit of a toll. But I also think that we could have done a better job from a staff perspective of trying to put him in some more advantageous situations where he could have produced those numbers. Because he’s an explosive player and he’s one of those guys that you want to get the ball to, no doubt about it.”
• On why the team’s wide receiver group as a whole didn’t take a bigger step forward in 2024: “That’s something that we took a deep dive at. I think a big part of it, to be honest with you, is we had a ton of drops. That’s an area that we have to clean up.”
• On what the coaches are doing about the Packers’ 33 drops, which tied them for the third-most in the 32-team NFL last year: “You’ve got to finish the catch. Some of those were some challenging balls to catch, but ultimately that’s what they get paid to do. You’ve got to catch the ball and that’s got to be primary. I think most of it was focus related. I don’t think it’s a lack of effort or skill. I think our guys are capable. I think we’ve seen that from them.”
• On whether a tight end — like Tucker Kraft, who caught 50 passes for 707 yards and a team-best seven TDs — can be the No. 1 receiver in his offense: “Yeah, I think anything is possible. I would never limit it to just being a wide receiver."
• On how much more Kraft can do heading into his third NFL season: “I think there’s some things we can do schematically with him that maybe we haven’t done in the past, so that’s why I’m excited to get everybody back and try to implement some of the ideas that we got from watching tape and collectively as a staff. Because there is one thing that is evident when you watch: When Tuck gets the ball, usually good things happen. He’s a powerful dude, he runs extremely hard, I love how he finishes.
“One thing I think he’s got to learn, just in terms of when he does finish, he doesn’t have to try to take somebody’s head off every time. He gets a little out of control at times. But I think that’s a balance, but the mentality is exactly what you want. (But) that’s just something that we’ve talked about, is just being a little more under control. And picking and choosing when he can take his shots.”
• On what fellow third-year tight end Luke Musgrave can do after two injury-affected seasons: “It’s been unfortunate because, especially when you look at his rookie season, he had an unfortunate injury and it kind of derailed him. And then you look at this (past) year and he missed a ton of games. But I think we can all see the talent the guy has. Both he and Tuck have been in working out this offseason (in Green Bay). So, I think it’s going to be a great year for both those guys.”
• On the signing of wide receiver Mecole Hardman, who caught the game-winning touchdown pass in Super Bowl LVIII but has just 27 receptions for 214 yards and no touchdowns over the past two regular seasons: “He’s a veteran player that’s played a lot of ball. I know he hasn’t had a ton of production as a receiver in the last couple years. But he is a speed element. I’m excited (to) just to get him in, get him ingrained in our system and see what he can bring. Certainly, as a returner, I would expect some (role) there.”
• On if running the football has experienced a renaissance in today’s NFL, with the impact Jacobs had on the Packers offense last season — and how vital Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley and Baltimore’s Derrick Henry were to their new teams: “I think it’s getting harder and harder to throw the ball down the field. I don’t know what the stats say, but I know there’s been a lot said about how many teams play shell defense. And when they’re sitting back in two-shell, if you can’t run the ball, it’s going to be a long day. So I think that is kind of become a focus for everybody.”
• On new cornerback Nate Hobbs, the ex-Las Vegas Raiders nickel cornerback who signed a four-year, $48 million free-agent deal with the Packers: “Whenever we can get versatile players on our team, I think that’s a huge advantage for us because it gives you a lot of flexibility. Injuries are part of our game and how you pivot and adjust, I think, is a big deal. I just know that a lot of people just view him as a nickel. Well, we think he can play on the outside and play on the perimeter. I just love the guy’s mentality. I love how he plays the game. He plays it the right way — he's tough, he’s competitive, and he brings an edge. And so I’m excited about that.”
• On transition from legendary 71-year-old quarterbacks coach Tom Clements, who coached Brett Favre, Rodgers and Love in Green Bay, to 32-year-old Sean Mannion, who played in the league as recently as 2021: “I think his experience, his ability to relate to that position, understanding what’s going through that guy's mind ... even when I coached him in L.A., I thought, ‘Eventually this guy’s going to be a coach.’ He’s very, very proactive in his approach. He’s very well prepared. And I think he can help prepare our quarterbacks the same way.”
• On re-hiring former QBs coach Luke Getsy as a senior offensive assistant after his failed stints as the Raiders and Bears offensive coordinator: “I know he’s had a rough go of it the last couple years, but he’s a guy that I have a lot of respect for. Not only as a football coach, but as a man. I think he does a great job. He’s extremely organized, really smart, I think he sees the game the right way. He’s brought a lot of cool ideas as we went through all our (film) cut-ups and discussed them as a staff. So, he’s going to bring a lot of value to us.”
• On if he thought Love’s leg injuries — a left knee injury suffered in the season opener and a groin injury sustained on Oct. 27 at Jacksonville — had an impact on his play in his second year as the starter: “He’s not an excuse maker. That’s not something that he ever talked to me about. It's the NFL and guys are going to have to deal with nicks and make the best of (it). He's just got to try to gut through it and I do admire his toughness. I think he showed that, being able to just battle through and be available for most of the games for his team.”
• On his expectations for the Packers defense in its second year under coordinator Jeff Hafley: “He did a great job, man. I really admire how he approaches the game, how he leads. I think we all came in with a vision of being one thing and it transitioned to something totally different. Initially, we were going to jet off the football with our front and try to create havoc that way, and then we started to play a lot more technique. … And then from a coverage standpoint, I think the basis was going to be more your three-deep (coverage) and we played a ton of split safety. But I think that's (good coaching). You’ve got to constantly evolve and adjust to the pieces that you have. That's what coaching is, is trying to maximize each individual, put 'em in the best position possible to help the team win.”
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