Acme Packing Company
Unless the Packers have a truly catastrophic end to this season, I don’t think there’s any real chance Matt LaFleur is going to get fired.
There’s been plenty of discussion about LaFleur’s employment prospects with the Packers this week, but the reality is there’s probably not much upside to making that change now, and it probably wouldn’t be accompanied by much other significant change. Maybe the Packers install Jeff Hafley as their head coach and let him hire an offensive staff, but that’s a big, tricky ask in the middle of what amounts to a two-year Super Bowl window.
The reality is, LaFleur’s probably going to be the guy who guides the Packers through this window of contention, like it or not. But that doesn’t mean history won’t judge him. And of the key figures in the Packers’ organization right now, I think LaFleur is the most squarely in the crosshairs to be judged harshly.
LaFleur is toward the top end of the depth chart of the seven or eight most important people in the Packers’ franchise right now. That list includes, in some order, LaFleur, general manager Brian Gutekunst, president Ed Policy, executive vice president/director of football operations Russ Ball, offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, special teams coordinator/assistant head coach Rich Bisaccia, and quarterback Jordan Love. You could throw recently acquired edge rusher Micah Parsons in there if you’d like, but I wouldn’t right now; the rest of that group has been a core part of the Packers for a considerable amount of time, and Parsons, while important, is merely an important (and expensive) recent addition.
Of the people on that list, I think LaFleur has the most on the line right now and will be judged the most harshly if this season ends in disappointment.
Policy is essentially a newcomer; he’s been the Packers’ president for about 15 minutes in the grand scheme of things. He’ll likely be judged by what happens after LaFleur, or how the Packers move on from him, if that happens.
Gutekunst has played his part this season. He constructed the Packers’ talented, if flawed, offense, and he made the bold move for Micah Parsons. Yes, he bears blame for the Packers’ punchless defensive line — that unit has been a problem since Gutekunst took over, and it’s gone essentially unaddressed outside of Devonte Wyatt. But as far as this year’s Packers’ team is concerned, and more or less next year’s, too, Gutekunst’s work is done.
Ball, if you want to include him, is a silent partner in the Packers’ power structure. As long as the contracts fit under the cap, there’s really nothing to criticize about Ball. He’s off the hook.
The Packers’ coordinators, too, are largely out of the crosshairs. Stenavich amounts to an over-employed offensive line coach. Hafley’s unit is performing well enough, given the personnel limitations he’s dealing with. Bisaccia, a punching bag for Packers’ fans, is limited by the players LaFleur allows him to play. There...
