We’ve watched two different Packers teams this season. Starting with the playoff team, they came out of the gate against the Bears looking as good as this team has looked.

Then we saw the wheels fall off as flags piled up, assignments were missed, and things seemed to only be getting worse week-by-week. 

Out of nowhere, the playoff team shows back up and rattles off 4 wins in 5 games, including the Lions and Chiefs. MLF for COTY! Right? 

Not so fast, my friends. 

The playoff team has gone MIA, and the bumbling leaderless mess has returned. If you are rooting for the playoff team to show up before it’s too late, you may be missing the plot.

The youngest offense in the league is being led by a guy that has only coached OL his entire career, and a talent-rich defense is being led by a guy that is (and has been) historically bad at his job. 

That playoff team you’ve seen is merely a foreshadowing of the potential of this young team. 

In order to capture that potential and bring it to reality, you need capable leadership. LaFleur possesses valuable leadership traits, but he is missing one major component that is common among successful leaders. He isn’t surrounding himself with people smarter than him.

Some of the best leaders we know of will tell you that a good leader surrounds themselves with people smarter than them. 

LaFleur has demonstrated he’s got a pretty high football IQ. It’s not outrageous to say that he is not surrounded by guys smarter than him. His presence shouldn’t be required in the defensive meeting room in order for the players to get communication correct.

It’s a failure of leadership on LaFleur’s part to cover for a failure of leadership on Joe Barry’s part. What happens next will tell us a lot about how this young team will develop from here.

Go Pack Go! 

Be sure to join Myles Teteak and Tim Hamilton every week as they breakdown what’s going on in the world of the Green Bay Packers. Stay up to date by following the show’s twitter account @PackersWeeklyPod, follow Myles at MylesTeteak and Tim at TimHam422.

Packers Weekly is a part of the Packers Talk family of podcasts, serving up five distinct podcasts to satisfy the most fervent of Packer fans. Variety is the spice of life, so subscribe to Packers Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Packers Talk on Twitter and Facebook.

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