“Matt LaFleur is no Mike Vrabel”

“…I’ve seen Malik Willis play in the NFL, and no way in hell am I taking him”

These are just a few of the things NFL “experts” were saying last week before Green Bay beat the Colts.

Fast forward another week and despite two ugly losses the Titans remained favored. Once again Matt LaFleur went out and showed the league that not only is Green Bay’s roster ready to compete, but that they have one of the best coaches in the league.

Malik Willis arrived in Green Bay with a career passer rating so bad, it would’ve improved if he simply started spiking the football on every down.

After just three weeks in Green Bay with Matt LaFleur:

Would this be sustainable long term? Probably not. It doesn’t have to be though. After Love’s injury this team would have had every excuse in the world to drop at least one of these games. Green Bay not only won both, but never even trailed.

When making any case as to why a player or coach should be up for an award, you have to compare them to their peers. Better even when those peers are in similar or better situations.

First is Sean McVay, HC for the LA Rams. No team in the league has been beset by injuries like the Rams. Unlike Green Bay however they still have their most important piece, the QB. The Rams managed a stunning come back win against the 49ers this week which deserves a ton of credit. The week prior however that Rams team was blown out of the water by a Cardinals team that is coming off a season that gave them the 5th overall pick in the draft.

Then there’s Kyle Shanahan, another coach with a team riddled by injuries. A victim of the aforementioned Rams comeback, they were also manhandled by the Vikings in week two. For a team coming off a Super Bowl appearance, an 1-2 start falls at least somewhat on the coach.

One coach that is constantly mentioned as an offensive mind on par with or greater than Matt LaFleur is Mike McDaniel. Like LaFleur the Dolphins HC lost his QB. Following the beat down they got from Buffalo in that game, he followed it up with an anemic performance against the Seahawks. Both coaches lost their most important players, but while the Dolphins have fallen apart, LaFleur has taken a core tenet from McDaniels offense and installed it to keep Green Bay on track:

Finally, it’s worth mentioning last year’s winner of the award, Kevin Stefanski. Stefanski won this award in no small part for making a functional offense with Joe Flacco at the helm. This season, with his 230 million dollar QB back and healthy, the Browns have stumbled to a 1-2 start. This includes being dominated by a suspect Cowboys team, and a Giants team that has lost nearly twice as many games as won over the last two years.

The Packers have the youngest team in the league. They started the season losing the QB they had just paid a fortune for. They have a new defensive coordinator. The Packers have had every reason and excuse imaginable to drop at least one, if not both of their previous games. Instead they turned a defense that last year had just 7 interceptions all year, into one with 7 in three games. They turned a QB with the bust label into someone that could go out and do this:

Malik Willis has been with the team less than a month!

Organizations matter. Coaches matter. It’s why Sam Darnold can see ghosts in New York, and be putting up Pro Bowl numbers in Minnesota. It’s why Jared Goff can be seen as a stop gap, and lead the Lions to their best season in 3 decades. And it’s why Green Bay is sitting at 2-1, despite everything being set against them. Coaching is at a premium in the NFL these days, and Matt LaFleur is showing exactly why it matters so much.

Rookie Spotlight

Beyond the importance of creating a game plan, and scouting the opponent developing young players is maybe the most important job a head coach has.

Part of the reason Green Bay has weathered the loss of Jordan Love is a roster that is loaded with draft hits. Third year receivers Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson have made huge plays both as pass catchers and as blockers. Second year receiver Jayden Reed has been maybe Green Bay’s best player on offense these last two weeks. Third year defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt leads the team in sacks. Player development matters. It’s another reason Matt LaFleur should be considered one of the best coaches in the league. With that being said I wanted to call out who I think will be that next player to step up:

If I had to point at one weakness for this team, it’s the linebacker spot. Green Bay must agree with this to some degree as they spent two picks in the first three rounds on the position.

Edgerrin Cooper has the athleticism to be exactly what this team needs in the middle of it’s new look defense. His training camp was derailed by injury, but since then he has earned more snaps every single week. With Quay Walker not developing like Green Bay would’ve hoped. And Isaiah McDuffie being more of a depth piece. Cooper will need to step up sooner than later. He has all the tools, now he just needs the chance.