Those expecting a wholesale departure from the Green Bay Packers' oft-criticized offensive philosophies going forward might be disappointed after all.
On Monday, new Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett said the team will carry over “a lot of the same concepts” it used under former head coach Mike McCarthy.
Hackett says "a lot of the same concepts" from #Packers offense under Mike McCarthy, which Aaron Rodgers has run his entire career, will carry over. Expects different terminology and also different emphasis on certain concepts, but same, core principles.
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) February 18, 2019
McCarthy was fired in early December following an embarrassing loss to the Arizona Cardinals at Lambeau Field.
Though he led the Packers to a title in 2010 and the playoffs every season from 2009 to 2016, McCarthy's support in Green Bay began eroding in recent years as his stale offensive principles failed to maximize the prime of future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Matt LaFleur was hired to replace him on January 8th after spending the 2018 season as offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans. He was previously quarterbacks coach for the Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta Falcons, where the 39-year-old received widespread credit for the development of Jared Goff and 2016 MVP campaign of Matt Ryan.
Hackett spent the last three seasons as offensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars, whose dominant defense was beset by sometimes anemic production on the other side of the football.
There's certainly a case to be made that personnel prompted those struggles more than anything else, though, specifically at quarterback, where former first-round pick Blake Bortles has been an abject disappointment despite helping Jacksonville to the 2017 AFC Championship game.
The Packers were average offensively last season, finishing 12th in total yards and 14th in points per game, even though Rodgers played in every game but the regular season finale.
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