Should the Green Bay Packers bring back Matt LaFleur was the biggest Packers topic coming out of the season. I said at the time and I still believe that keeping him was the right decision. But I can understand the other side as well. After another disappointing playoff exit it’s natural to wonder what another coach might bring to the table.
Had Green Bay decided to dip their toe into that pool however, they wouldn’t have been the only ones. This year featured a whopping ten openings, tied for the most ever in an offseason. All ten of those openings have been filled at this point. So what better way to look at Green Bay’s decision then to examine how many of these other teams would have taken LaFleur over the guy they ended up hiring? This also is under the assumption that the Green Bay job would either be the most or second most attractive job on the market (the Ravens being the other contender).
No Question Matt LaFleur Coaches this Team
- 1. Cleveland Browns
- 2. Arizona Cardinals
- 3. Tennessee Titans
- 4. Pittsburgh Steelers
Like the heading says, if Matt LaFleur had been fired, he gets any one of these jobs if he wanted it. The Browns hire of Monken felt like a last resort type of move, and the Cardinals go with the more experienced LaFleur over the one that’s never been a head coach. Pittsburgh takes LaFleur over a double retread Mike McCarthy. Given the leagues seeming preference for offensive minded head coaches, I also think Tennessee takes LaFleur over Salah given their need to develop Cam Ward.
Conversely, if you are a Packers fan, do any of these coaches that these teams actually hired make you feel like they would be an upgrade over LaFleur? Not for me.
Did You Have A Plan At All?
5. Buffalo Bills
Firing McDermott was a bold move for the Buffalo Bills. It’s the kind of move a franchise in Buffalo’s position makes when they decide a new voice is needed to get over the hump. However, typically it’s a move made with a replacement already in mind. I do not believe for a second Buffalo planned on hiring Joe Brady to be that guy.
If you planned on Joe Brady being the guy, Phillip Rivers name does not come up in any circumstance. It seems clear that the front office scared away potential candidates with how they handled McDermotts firing and comments they made following that.
So with that in mind I can’t imagine Buffalo doesn’t take a swing at LaFleur in the hopes that he pushes Josh Allen and the Buffalo offense to another level.
Good Choices, but Experience Wins Out
- 6. Oakland Raiders
- 7. Miami Dolphins
- 8. Baltimore Ravens
More often than not, NFL teams seem to prioritize experience above most other things. It’s why Mike McCarthy is on his third franchise despite not seeing a Super Bowl since 2010. With that being said, the following teams are hiring new blood, but I suspect given the choice they would’ve gone with the guy that’s been to multiple conference championships.
I think all three of these hires have the potential to be great. I just think that once again experience wins out. Additionally, two of these teams will be bringing in new quarterbacks, and it would be hard to ignore what LaFleur has done in developing Jordan Love.
If LaFleur was fired, I could be talked into any of these three, but only Kubiak would really feel like a good option for where the Packers are right now.
It’s a Matter of Taste
- 9. New York Giants
- 10. Atlanta Falcons
John Harbaugh wanted the Green Bay job. Given that it seems LaFleur’s job wasn’t in real danger, the fact that Harbaughs name kept coming up prior to the news of an extension suggests that Harbaugh’s camp was putting that information out there. He’s also a guy that some on Packers social media seemed very interested in.
I would point out that over the time both were head coaches, LaFleur has had the better record and gone farther in the playoffs. While the endings have not been pretty, I invite you to go look at the Ravens recent adventures in the playoffs. All of the complaints about LaFleur apply to Harbaugh as well. Yes Harbaugh has won a Super Bowl, but it was over a decade ago, and required an out of his mind, never to be replicated, ELITE Joe Flacco run to get it done. So with all things being equal, I’m picking the younger guy with the better offensive mind, especially for a team breaking in a new quarterback.
Kevin Stefanski is the hardest hire in this cycle to evaluate. He’s obviously a good coach, winning coach of the year twice, and getting the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs. But then there is how he handled the QB situation over the past several years. We have no idea how much input he had on the Mayfield for Watson swap, or the carnival of QB’s they trotted out this year, but things did not end on a high note.
I personally think Atlanta would’ve taken LaFleur over Stefanski, but I could see that going either way.
Green Bay’s Choice
So among the ten new hires, there’s only two (Kubiak and Stefanski) that would’ve been appealing to me if Green Bay had decided to move one. And while I wouldn’t have hated either choice, I don’t think either would’ve been a sure fire upgrade.
So with that being said I think Green Bay made the right call. Maybe they could’ve landed an upgrade, but it’s just as likely if not more so that they would end up with an uninspired retread that does nothing but change the way things go wrong at the end. There’s plenty of reason to believe this Packers team is close to something special, and giving LaFleur one more year to see if he can get the team there is the best call.
