The Green Bay Packers have named Matt LaFleur the team’s 15th head coach. LaFleur recently served as an offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans in 2018, and for the Los Angeles Rams in 2017.
“Matt is smart, organized and has a great vision for the path forward for our team,” said Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst. “His values and personality fit the culture of our organization. He has a tremendous ability to build relationships on multiple levels, which is a very important aspect in leading a football team.”
LaFleur, 39, will be entering his 11th year coaching in the NFL and his 18th overall in coaching. He previously worked under Mike Shanahan, Gary Kubiak, Kyle Shanahan, and Sean McVay.
The key for LaFleur will be how well he works with Packers' star quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Based on LaFleur's resume, there is now a legitimate reason for optimism in Green Bay.
In 2018 with the Titans, LaFleur led an offense that finished No. 7 in the NFL in rushing (126.4 yards per game) and helped QB Marcus Mariota set the franchise single-season record for completion percentage (68.9 percent).
In 2017, LaFleur was part of a Rams team that improved its win total by seven games (from 4-12 in 2016 to 11-5 in 2017). The 2017 Rams were the first team in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to go from last to first in the NFL in scoring in one season, more than doubling their scoring average from 14.0 points per game in 2016 to 29.9 points per game in 2017.
Under LaFleur, Rams quarterback Jared Goff improved his quarterback rating from 63.6 in 2016 to 100.5 in 2017 to rank No. 5 in the NFL. LaFleur was part of an offensive staff that saw RB Todd Gurley named The Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year after leading the NFL with 2,093 scrimmage yards.
In two years as the quarterbacks coach for the Falcons, LaFleur worked with Matt Ryan, who led Atlanta to an appearance in the Super Bowl while being named AP NFL Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year after recording the fifth-highest single-season passer rating (117.1) in league history and the highest passing-yardage total (4,944) in team history.
In a one-year stop at Notre Dame in 2014, LaFleur guided QB Everett Golson to 3,445 yards passing and 29 touchdowns. Prior to his stint in South Bend, LaFleur coached for the Redskins from 2010-13, where he helped Robert Griffin III become the first Redskins rookie quarterback selected to the Pro Bowl as Washington won its first NFC East title (2012) in 13 years.
Before coaching in the NFL, LaFleur coached in the college ranks for six seasons. LaFleur began his coaching career in 2003 as an offensive assistant at Saginaw Valley State, the school where he played quarterback. He went on to be a graduate assistant at Central Michigan in 2004-05, quarterbacks/wide receivers coach at Northern Michigan in 2006, and offensive coordinator at Ashland University in 2007-08.
By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services
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