The head coach had to take drastic measures to regain control of the team.
Matt LaFleur is providing an undeniable example of his quality. In his fifth year leading the Green Bay Packers, with rookie Jordan Love as quarterback, he took his team to the Divisional Round, although to do so, he first had to exorcise the ghost of Aaron Rodgers.
There is no doubting the quality of Rodgers, with 59,055 yards gained and 475 touchdown passes in his 19-year career; the now New York Jets signal-caller is guaranteed his place in the Hall of Fame. However, there are those who consider him a locker room “cancer.”
According to an investigation by The Athletic newspaper, Rodgers’ personality with the Packers was so conflictive that he even challenged the authority of head coach Mike McCarthy, ignoring his orders on the field.
“McCarthy would call some play, and then Rodgers would change it to whatever he wanted,” said a veteran Green Bay coach in statements to The Athletic.
Rodgers was the bad apple in Packers.
The quarterback’s bad example soon permeated other players. “Aaron did what he wanted, and then all the other guys who saw him as a leader felt like, ‘OK, I’m going to do my own thing as well,'” the source explained.
Rodgers left the team in the 2023 offseason, but the ghost of him lingered well into the regular season, and it was not easy to get rid of it. To do this, LaFleur had to resort to drastic measures to bring his players to heel.
“When they suspended the cornerback [Jaire Alexander], they were saying, ‘Listen, guys, you don’t just do what you want,'” the coach explained about the defensive back’s suspension. Alexander earned the penalty when he went into the strength in the toss before a game in December, without being one of the team’s captains.
With measures like these, the source assured, “It’s clear that LaFleur has taken control of that team.”
The benefits for Packers
Although analysts and fans had their fears about the team’s performance without Rodgers at the helm, the doubts have been almost completely dispelled.
Love has proven to be on par with the best quarterbacks this season, and LaFleur led the team to the playoffs. At the moment, there are few who blame him for not reaching the NFC Championship game.
In contrast, the Jets, a team that took a chance on Rodgers, gave up their postseason hopes well before Week 18. The injury to the 19-year veteran just in Week 1 forced them to take an uphill road.
