PackersForTheWin.com was able to get an exclusive one-on-on interview with the new Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur to talk about how he is approaching the exercise of implementing a new offense in Green Bay!
The new coach watched every play from the last two years and gleaned a lot from former coach Mike McCarthy. LaFleur said he plans to use a lot of those tried and true concepts in the new offense he’s installing. He actually said he plans on “emulating Coach McCarthy is most facets of the offense.”
Here is the full transcription of the exclusive one-on-one discussion we had with the new coach:
PackersForTheWin.com: Hey coach, thanks for taking the time, i know you’re busy, so well try to make this quick and jump right in. Can you give us you opinion of Aaron Rodgers.
Matt LaFleur: Well, I’ve watched everything he’s done for the last few years, especially how Coach McCarthy used him and how he adapted his game after injuries. It’s clear he’s the greatest quarterback I’ve ever seen. Given that, it only makes sense to just lean on him as much as possible.
PFTW: How do you mean lean on him?
MF: You know, put it on his shoulders. Great players carry their teams.
PFTW: But there’s more to the game than just great players, right?
MF: Yeah, there’s coaches. I’ve made some changes to the coaching staff, but there may be more. For example, if our quarterback, that we’re building our whole team around, has a great productive healthy working relationship with any assistant coach, I’ll probably just up and fire him out of nowhere. That way he has to work directly with me so there’s no miusunderstanding when I say it’s my way or the highway.
PFTW: Don’t you think that might alienate him?
MF: That’s the point – it’s the kind of tough love that all prima donnas need. He might just ignore me entirely and make up plays in the huddle, but whatevs – that kind of spontaneity can really get a team excited and make football fun.
PFTW: Wow, interesting… um… why don’t we talk about the receivers?
MF: Sure, I look at our team and there’s a lot of talent. Davante Adams is a top 5 receiver in this league and we have a lot of big-bodied young guys who really flashed last year. I think the best way to use talent like that is to get them matched up one on one and use simple routes so we don’t confuse them or make them over think things. Then we’ll just force the quarterback to make amazingly perfect throws every single play because hey, he’s really good.
PFTW: So everything is designed around making it hard for the quarterback?
MF: Well not everything. I’ll probably have the receivers run routes where they all go to the same area so the quarterback always knows where to throw.
PFTW: Wow. Will he get any help from the ground game?
MF: Well Aaron Jones showed some flashes last year, but I’m not sure he’s starter material. If he has some big gains early, I’ll probably bench him so that he doesn’t hurt Jamaal Williams’s feelings because Jamaal is clearly our starter for some reason. Our run game will be built around him and setting us up in third and long situations so Jamaal can run draws up the middle with no lead blocker.
PFTW: So you-
MF: Wait, let me tell you about our blocking scheme. We’ll start with a gap scheme that suits our guys, then maybe go all in on zone blocking, then change it before it has a chance to be successful so we can really keep our linemen on their toes. Our blocking scheme will be a hybrid mish-mash. Really though, the key is having four great lineman that can truly do it all, but balancing it with one glaring weak spot that can ruin every play and sending absolutely no help.
PFTW: But wont-
MF: Hey, sorry, I gotta cut this short, I’m giving the keynote address at a pad level conference and I don’t want to be late.
PFTW: Coach, can we do another one of these?
MF: Yeah, let’s do one on the same date, next year.