There are new voices in the room and the media and fans finally got to meet new Head Coach Matt LaFleur and the coaching staff that he assembled. This was the first time the Matt LaFleur has spoke to the media since his introductory press conference when he was hired.
The NFL bloodlines on this coaching staff run deep. New Offensive Coordinator Nathaniel Hackett is the son of former college and NFL Head Coach Paul Hackett. There is a connection to former coach McCarthy, as he knew him when he was a
There was a lot of information from the press conference, but I was most impressed with new Offensive Coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. I liked the hire when it was first announced, but after hearing him at the press conference yesterday, I came away extremely impressed. Now, it means absolutely nothing if the product on the football doesn’t live up to expectations and what he is selling.
Hackett kicked off his portion of the press conference answering a question about his connection to Mike McCarthy. He then dove right into the West Coast Offense. Stating that the West Coast Offense stems from Bill Walsh and how it doesn’t truly exist anymore because of how it has evolved so much. Hackett mentioned that they are not re-inventing the well so to speak just trying to make it better.
His job as Offensive Coordinator of the Green Bay Packers is all about supporting Head Coach Matt LaFleur, who is a first-time head coach. Coach LaFleur will be the play caller and it’s his offensive system. Hackett stated that the big thing for him is supporting Coach LaFleur and what he can do to make LaFleur more efficient.
It was interesting to hear how Hackett will mesh his philosophies with LaFleur. It is clearly LaFleur’s ideas first then, it is testing it, pushing the envelope and how they can make it better. Which is a good indication that this coaching staff will not go vanilla and will keep trying to evolve the offense to get the most out of the players.
As to Rodgers being able to adjust to this offense and what changes he may encounter. It sounds like it will be the language and terminology will change, which is suspected. A lot of the same concepts will be similar. But with Hall of Fame talent like Rodgers has, there is so much that he can do, so it will be adjusting to the language and the new voices in the room.
Another thing that stood out was how LaFleur and Hackett went about filling out the offensive staff. They really cared about the character and the person and wanted to get the right fit for the not just the coaching staff but for the organization. They were looking for people that gelled with them and had similar philosophies.
“The whole thing is about working together, and bonding together, understanding that this isn’t about me, it’s not about Matt, it’s not about Aaron, it’s about the Green Bay Packers. It’s about what’s best for the entire organization,” said Offensive Coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
“I am a Green Bay Packer now. You sometimes sit back and your office is in Lambeau. Oh, my goodness, this is unbelievable. I just want to go back up there and work on football right now,” added Hackett.
Throughout the whole interview you could feel his energy, excitement and passion. There is always a lot of uncertainty with change, but change can also not only be a good thing and bring along excitement. This is a very exciting time for the Packers organization. We are a month away from these new coaches getting in front of the players for the first time. Hearing them speak yesterday, especially Nathaniel Hackett, you can tell they are ready to go and install a new culture and bring winning back to Green Bay.
Anthony Haag is a writer for PackersTalk.com. He has been a Packers fan since the day he was born and truly bleeds green and gold. He makes annual visits to Lambeau Field and has attended his fair share of games. You can follow Anthony on Twitter at @anthony_haag
