The Green Bay Packers are heading into a transitional year. The team finally fired long-time coach Mike McCarthy midway through that season as the team was in a downward spiral. His relationship with Aaron Rodgers had become damaged beyond repair, and the team decided to pull the plug.
To spice things up, they hired 39-year-old offensive whizkid Matt LaFleur to be their new head coach. LaFleur's most important task will be revitalizing Rodgers, and team president Mark Murphy thinks he'll do exactly that, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.
Murphy told Demovsky that Rodgers is “excited” to get to work with LaFleur. LaFleur comes to Green Bay from Tennessee, where he spent one year as the Titans' offensive coordinator and play-caller. Before that, he was Sean McVay's offensive coordinator with the Rams, but he didn't call the plays.
Rodgers appeared visibly frustrated and disinterested at times last season, and it was no secret that he didn't like McCarthy's scheme. The Packers lacked the energy and excitement that the storied franchise is accustomed to having last year, and hiring LaFleur was a step in the right direction.
He'll provide a much-needed shot of energy, and should work well with Rodgers. For the first time in a long time, Rodgers will have an innovative and creative coach in his ear. McCarthy and Rodgers worked well together early in their careers, but McCarthy became too rigid and stuck in his ways as the game passes him by.
It was Murphy's decision to hire LaFleur, and he clearly is excited about how the marriage will work out, telling Demovsky that Rodgers needs to “embrace it.” Rodgers had one of the worst years of his career last year and should be primed for a bounce-back season in 2019.
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