On the day the Green Bay Packers introduced Matt LaFleur as their new head coach
Aaron Rodgers Jersey White , the 39-year-old said he hadn’t yet made any concrete decisions about his assistants. Several holdovers from his
predecessor’s staff remained under contract, and LaFleur needed to meet with
them before determining what roles he needed to fill with external
candidates.LaFleur has made some of those decisions in the time since. Defensive
coordinator Mike Pettine will return for 2019. Special-teams coordinator Ron
Zook won’t. Neither will Joe Philbin, who served as the team’s offensive
coordinator before taking as head coach in December on an interim basis.The
Packers hired LaFleur to bring their offense into the modern age, and thus who
he chooses as his top offensive assistant will help shape the team’s identity.
That makes LaFleur’s choice for offensive coordinator one of the most important
decisions he will make during his first year on the job.Unsurprisingly, LaFleur
could pursue coaches from his past to fill the role. Landing a right-hand man
with shared offensive roots and philosophies could expedite the learning and
installation process for his scheme and ease the transition process from the
previous regime. Moreover, LaFleur knows several assistants who come from the
same mold.Unfortunately for LaFleur and the Packers, none of those coaches
appear likely to come available this offseason.Though LaFleur has direct
connections to several qualified candidates, none appear likely to come
available. San Francisco 49ers run-game coordinator Mike McDaniel has ties with
LaFleur from their shared time in Washington. However, according to NFL
Network’s Tom Pelissero, 49ers headman Kyle Shanahan “doesn’t seem inclined” to
let McDaniel leave at this time. The Athletic’s Matt Barrows also reports that
Shanahan blocked an interview request for McDaniel from the Cardinals.LaFleur
also worked with Los Angeles Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor and tight-ends
coach Shane Waldron, both highly regarded offensive assistants who seem fit for
promotions. But Taylor reportedly will leave to become the head coach of the
Cincinnati Bengals once the Rams’ postseason run concludes and, according to the
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein, Sean McVay will not allow his
assistants to leave for anything less than a play-calling position.And if
LaFleur hoped to bring in his 31-year-old brother Mike to fill the role, he
seems out of luck. On Monday
Womens Ray Nitschke Jersey , NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco dismissed the prospect a family reunion, reporting that the younger LaFleur will remain in his
current role with the 49ers. Even if the younger LaFleur received team approval
to interview, his lack of experience (he landed his first NFL job in 2014) makes
him a hard sell as an offensive coordinator.With those options apparently off
the table, LaFleur’s search will have to pivot towards coaches he doesn’t
already know. Yet, that could prove to be a blessing in disguise as candidates
from different backgrounds can bring philosophical diversity to the scheme and
structure. For proof, LaFleur needs to look no farther than his new divisional
rival Matt Nagy, who built a strong offensive staff without relying on familiar
faces.Shortly after accepting the Bears’ head-coaching position last year, Nagy
tabbed former Oregon Ducks head coach Mark Helfrich as his offensive
coordinator. Helfrich didn’t call plays for Nagy, but he brought a different
perspective on how to create space on offense and take advantage of speed and
size mismatches. Those elements popped up in Chicago’s offenses throughout the
2018 season.Of course, Nagy learned the value of a philosophically diverse staff
from his former boss, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. Despite ranking
as one of the NFL’s oldest coaches, Reid kept his offense on the cutting edge by
surrounding himself with young assistants weaned on the spread and tempo-driven
schemes prevalent in college football. The Chiefs have continued to improve with
each passing year under Reid’s watch, finishing first in scoring this season.At
least one of the names under consideration for the Packers’
offensive-coordinator job fits the Helfrich model. Nathaniel Hackett has
reportedly received interest from multiple NFC North teams, including Green Bay.
Hackett served as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offensive coordinator and ran an
offense that varied significantly from LaFleur’s. He also took the fall for the
Jaguars’ offensive struggles this past season
Womens Aaron Rodgers Jersey , receiving his walking papers from head coach Doug Marrone after a 24-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills.But none of that should
stop LaFleur from seriously considering Hackett for his staff. Less than a year
has passed since Hackett, armed with only an undermanned receiving corps, a
hobbled Leonard Fournette, and Blake Bortles, hung 38 points on the Pittsburgh
Steelers in the divisional round and nearly toppled the New England Patriots a
week later in the AFC Championship Game. Hackett has proven himself capable of
squeezing more out his personnel than many of his contemporaries, and his
offensive viewpoint could add new dimensions and features to LaFleur’s
offense.In the event Hackett signs on with another team or doesn’t mesh with
LaFleur, the Packers have other options worth exploring. Bengals offensive
coordinator Bill Lazor lost out to the aforementioned Taylor for the
head-coaching vacancy and might not return to the staff for next season. Lazor
first made his mark as Chip Kelly’s quarterbacks coach and earned plaudits this
past year for scheming around Cincinnati’s porous offensive line. And while he
comes from a different coaching tree, Lazor has used a variant of the West Coast
offense for the vast majority of his NFL career, something that could hold great
appeal for LaFleur.If LaFleur wants someone completely outside the NFL orbit, he
could interview former Houston Cougars head coach Major Applewhite. Applewhite
runs a high-octane, spread offense developed over more than a decade. He won
most of his games as a head coach but fell short of the expectations university
president Renu Khator and boosters had for the program. Applewhite also engaged
in a public spat with star defensive tackle and future NFL first-round pick Ed
Oliver. Even so, Houston’s offense improved every year under Applewhite’s
guidance. The Cougars ranked 69th out of 128 teams in offensive S&P+ during
his first season as head coach. They improved to 37th and then 15th over the
next two years.Hackett, Lazor, and Applewhite each offer valuable insight for
constructing an offensive scheme
Antonio Morrison Jersey White , and other coaches could bring their own spin as well. Though LaFleur certainly has a vision for how his offense should
look, Nagy has demonstrated how alternative viewpoints can keep the attack fresh
without losing its cores principles, a concept that should intrigue to the
Packers’ new headman. After all, his former boss proudly admits to stealing
ideas from other successful coaches. It only makes sense that LaFleur borrows
something from the reigning division champion. It’s not Reggie White coming to
town, but it’s hard to think of another single day that had a similar free agent
impact."Unless something truly franchise-altering happens in the future, the day
that Reggie White signed with the Green Bay Packers in 1993 will always be the
biggest day in the team’s free agency history.Tuesday, March 12th 2019, however,
now sits squarely in second place.Yes, the team has made exceptional free agent
signings before — Charles Woodson, for example — but that was viewed as a
massive risk at the time and it did not come with the expectation of being a
truly franchise-altering moment at the time, even though it arguably
was.Instead, general manager Brian Gutekunst was a mad scientist on Tuesday,
completely revamping the Packers’ defense and suddenly offering himself great
flexibility in the 2019 NFL Draft. No longer does he need to zero in on a
pass-rusher with the 12th pick; no longer does he need to find instant starters
at outside linebacker
Womens Marcedes Lewis Jersey , safety, and right guard. He answered all those questions in the span of about two hours on Tuesday morning.Gutekunst now
has starters at all of those spots after landing pass-rushers Za’Darius and
Preston Smith, safety Adrian Amos, and offensive lineman Billy Turner. The
signings that the Packers agreed to suddenly open up all options for a team that
has some excellent draft capital to work with in April.Furthermore, the
financials of the deals allow the team to make another move or two, as the
contracts have relatively low salary cap hits in 2019 and offer the team easy
outs down the road. Bringing back cornerback Bashaud Breeland and tendering
restricted free agent Geronimo Allison would put a perfect bow on the free
agency season for this team, leaving it with no gaping holes in the starting
lineup on offense or defense. Gutekunst could then draft with an eye on the
future, allowing rookie draft picks to contribute as depth players rather than
relying on them to be starters in their first seasons.Let’s see the reactions to
Tuesday’s moves from around the Packers media sphere.Packers take smart,
calculated risks during free agency spending spree | Packers WireEvery one of
the Packers' expected signees check off a few specific boxes: they're young,
they're on the rise, and they fit the Packers' schemes perfectly.Green Bay
Packers' 2019 free-agent signings: Defense gets makeover - ESPNThe Packers' two
new outside linebacker combined for over 110 pressures a year ago. That's an
astounding number. Then there's Amos, who didn't allow a touchdown last year
despite being the nearest defender on 41 passes -- the best mark among safeties
in the league.Packers to sign edge rushers Preston, Za'Darius Smith, safety Amos
| Packers NewsRemember -- days like Tuesday are why fans need to have just a
little bit of patience. Some of the biggest recent signings in franchise history
actually came well after the onset of free agency
Womens Geronimo Allison Jersey , as White, Woodson, and Julius Peppers all signed several days or weeks into the process.Dee Ford trade: Chiefs, 49ers
agree to deal for 2020 second-round pick | SI.comWith the Packers no longer
needing a veteran edge rusher thanks to their signings, the 49ers made their
move for Ford, who will get a long-term contract extension. That deal will blow
away what the Packers gave to the Smiths, however, and it sure makes Green Bay
look smart by paying less and avoiding giving up a draft pick.Grading the Odell
Beckham Jr. trade from Giants to Browns - Who won? | ESPNAmid all the Packers'
craziness early in the day, this made the NFL's collective head explode on
Tuesday night. The Browns suddenly look like a Super Bowl contender in the AFC,
with a huge amount of talent on offense and some big-time players coming for the
defense, including Earl Thomas and Sheldon Richardson.Del Taco French
fry-scented soap: Limited item expected to sell out | USA TodayIf you need me,
I'll be over here figuring out where the nearest Del Taco is.
