Tuesday Cheese Curds: Packers’ 2024 success hinges on Matt LaFleur
Tuesday Cheese Curds: Packers’ 2024 success hinges on Matt LaFleur
To borrow a somewhat controversial line, Matt LaFleur is a highly successful football coach.
A bit of an off-the-radar hire in 2019, LaFleur has been just about everything the Packers could have hoped for, leading the Packers to a pile of wins, authoring several deep playoff runs, and helping Aaron Rodgers revitalize his career, among many other accomplishments.
But a trip to the Super Bowl has eluded LaFleur, much less a victory in the big game. And with the Packers ready to contend again after a strong finish to 2023, LaFleur might be the most important man in Green Bay this year.
He’s the one responsible for Joe Barry’s failed stint with the Packers, and he’s the one who hired Jeff Hafley as Barry’s replacement. That indirectly puts LaFleur on the hook for the Packers’ biggest free agent signing, too, since it’s Hafley that will be responsible for utilizing Xavier McKinney.
And that’s just the defense. LaFleur’s got plenty to handle on offense, too. In addition to continuing to manage his reputation as an offensive mastermind, LaFleur has to make sure Jordan Love’s strong finish to 2023 wasn’t a fluke while getting the most out of Josh Jacobs, the Packers’ other significant free agent signing this offseason.
It’s going to be a busy year for LaFleur, to say the least, and the extent to which he can live up to expectations will do a lot to determine the Packers’ Super Bowl chances this year.
What Matt LaFleur and Packers must accomplish in 2024 for head coach to finally win Coach of the Year | CBS Sports
Despite his accomplishments in Green Bay, LaFleur has never snagged Coach of the Year hardware. What will it take for him to clear that threshold?
Packers Offseason Report Card: Coaching | Packer Central
How did the Packers do this offseason from a coaching perspective?
Packers DE Rashan Gary thankful to have healthy offseason | Packers Wire
Rashan Gary undeniably tailed off last year, and a less-than-healthy offseason may have been a factor.
2024 NFL offseason: Grading moves, changes for all 32 teams | ESPN+ ($)
The Packers, somewhat surprisingly, aren’t considered to have a terribly successful offseason in the estimation of this writer.
Saints’ Jamaal Williams supports Alvin Kamara seeking contract: ‘I’m behind him 100 percent’ | NFL.com
Good guy Jamaal Williams hopes Alvin Kamara nabs another big payday.
No lie: Perfectly preserved centuries-old cherries unearthed at George Washington’s Mount Vernon | Associated Press
The cherries were uncovered during restoration work at Mount Vernon. Next up, 250-year-old cherry pie?