Matt LaFleur spent some time with the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason
The Green Bay Packers have had three straight 13-win seasons under head coach Matt LaFleur. Those records are exceptional in the regular season. However, his playoff record is 2-3 with the Packers. Two of those losses were in the NFC championship game.
LaFleur’s Packers have come so close to making a Super Bowl but haven’t been able to overcome miscues in the playoffs. This offseason, LaFleur was looking for out-of-the-box ways to improve the Packers. According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, shadowing the Bucks was one way.
The Bucks have comradery
LaFleur spent time with Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer and watched the team during a Bucks’ road trip in March. One of the things that stuck out to LaFleur on the trip was the closeness the Bucks have with each other. Per Demovsky’s article:
“The biggest takeaway that I had was just from top to bottom, how aligned everybody is, how they communicate, and there’s a genuine care for one another,” LaFleur said. “I see it with Bud and his staff. I see it with the staff to the players. I see it from player to player. Watching these guys on the plane how they interact with one another. They’ve got really good people and obviously you better have talented players, that is like a prerequisite and that’s exactly what they have. But when their best players are their best people as well, it makes it a lot easier…
“They did a really cool thing where postgame they had a dinner with all the players, the coaches, their wives, players’ wives if they were traveling or players families if they were traveling where they basically close down a restaurant and just get everybody together,” LaFleur said. “Those are those special times that when you’re outside of work that you can help build that team chemistry that is imperative to help when you face a little bit of adversity.”
The Bucks seem to have a strong culture. It’s fantastic that the team can come together after a challenging basketball game and relax. Those bonding experiences can help during a long season. It would be nearly impossible for the Packers to go to a restaurant with all their staff, players, and families, but LaFleur can develop creative ways to help the team gel.
Matt LaFleur will have some adversity this year
LaFleur and the Packers will have their challenges this season. One of the main challenges for the Packers’ offense will be their passing game, especially with their young wide receivers. LaFleur and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers are coming up with ways to scheme the offense with poor wide receiver play.
If the Packers head coach can take the lesson he learned from the Bucks and apply it to the Packers; then the team might be well on their to the Super Bowl. The team needs to build trust in each player to overcome the adversity in the playoffs this season that they haven’t been able to in LaFleur’s first three years.