It is no secret that former Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had a heavy influence on what plays the team ran during his tenure. It has been largely assumed that Matt LaFleur’s offense saw itself picked apart by the future Hall of Famer, who now plays for the New York Jets. In other words, there were aspects of LaFleur’s scheme that Rodgers simply refused to buy into.
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In a recent podcast series by The Athletic called “The Playcallers,” LaFleur, Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan, and Mike McDaniel all revealed their development as coaches in the NFL. During one episode, LaFleur revealed just how much power Rodgers had over his offense.
Matt LaFleur Reveals Aaron Rodgers Had a Great Deal of Power Nixing Plays for the Green Bay Packers
During one episode, LaFleur was detailing a Zoom meeting he had with Rodgers, Nathaniel Hackett, and Luke Getsy back in 2019:
“It was myself, it was Aaron [Rodgers], it was Nathaniel Hackett and Luke Getsy and we did all this over Zoom. We would spend hours going over every concept that we thought we wanted to run and why we wanted to run it, getting feedback from Aaron. Some of it, he didn’t like. We said, ‘Alright, let’s cross that one out and go on the next one.’”
It is, on the surface, concerning that the coaching staff would allow Rodgers to nix a play with no questions asked. However, one must remember that Rodgers is, well, Rodgers. He has been overall a highly successful quarterback. Additionally, transitioning from one offense to another does require some compromise when the transition starts.
That being said, it was painfully obvious how badly the Packers needed those abandoned concepts in 2022. Without Davante Adams, Rodgers struggled. Of course, his broken thumb played a huge role in his down year as well, but the offense failed to run the ball when it needed to and did not use the middle of the field nearly as much as it should have.
This is where the Packers’ transition to Jordan Love becomes so important. Love has had three years to study and master the entire Matt LaFleur offense. It will be no surprise if the 2023 Green Bay offense looks very different from the offense under Rodgers, and it will not be because of a decline in quarterback play.
It will be because the quarterback is willing to run the plays LaFleur wants. Undoubtedly, it must have been frustrating for LaFleur last season, knowing he had all these great plays that his quarterback, who frankly was more popular than him (and arguably still is), refused to try.
Truth be told, the Packers are very lucky to have had LaFleur at the helm and are fortunate to have him going forward. Navigating the displeasure and bad blood between Rodgers and the front office could not have been easy. Yet, he turned it into 47 regular season wins in four years and two trips to the NFC Championship Game.
As much as fans may be looking forward to seeing Love and what he can do, they should be equally as excited to see what a pure LaFleur offense looks like. It could very well be a bounce-back year for the team if it clicks the way it is supposed to.
Aaron Rodgers’ power over Packers plays has been a hot topic. As Rodgers moves to the Jets, how will the Packers adapt? Explore more on this and other developments in our Aaron Rodgers News. Stay ahead with the Green Bay Packers News.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Matt LaFleur an offensive coach?
Yes, Matt LaFleur is an offensive coach. He has an extensive coaching background and has served as quarterback coach for various teams such as the Washington Commanders, the Atlanta Falcons, and Notre Dame. Additionally, he has been the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams and the Tennessee. LaFleur's coaching expertise spans multiple football programs.
What is Matt LaFleur winning percentage?
LaFleur has an impressive winning percentage of 71.2%, achieving a record of 47-19 in his four seasons. This potrays his ability to consistently deliver victories on the field.
5 Comments
We’ll see how much they need LaFleur after not having Rodgers to kick around, he’s now my teams problem ! 🤭
There’s no pure offense.
If a play doesn’t work for Rodgers or he thinks he’s unable to deal with the various route trees, it’s going to fail anyway. They obviously gave him the power to do that.
Love will adhere because he knows he needs to and isn’t experienced enough or ready to call a game.
It might be better but it will say a lot about MLF and Gutey.
Aaron Rogers is a 4-time NFL MVP Quarterterback and, Corporate Green Bay let him get away! Shows how stupidly run the organization is!
Who is to say that the Pacjers needed the plays Ridgers didn’t like. How many years dud LeFluer play in the NFL? It seems the author made a lot of assumptions and reading his background what makes him so knowledgeable? Regardless of pkays Packers had difficulty running against good teams the focus of OK eFluers scheme. Personally I hooe Packers flop.
Sports media has made packers fans so schizophrenic…they’re pissed at Barry because he makes his players run his scheme and not scheme to their strengths, with crap results. Yet they are excited because LaFluer can finally run his scheme his way and not have Aaron “i got 2 mvps doing it my way” Rodgers to “ruin” the offense…