Changing Culture Without Changing Coaching
How do the Packers adjust without making personnel changes?
By GregMeinholz
If you walk into the locker room of all 32 NFL teams, you'll likely hear the same thing when you talk about culture. "We want to have a winning culture," "We pride ourselves on a winning culture," "We're developing a winning culture." It's all about some form of a "winning" culture. Of course it is, any team choosing to thrive on a losing culture likely isn't going to go anywhere. But it's how that team works to achieve that "winning" culture that sets them apart from every other team, and either does or doesn't lead them to success.
The job of the coaching staff is not only to create and teach schemes or to call plays, but it's also their job to define what that winning culture looks like for their football team. It's not often a one-size fits all either, it's a "who do I have in my locker room, and what's the best way to get them all chugging away in the same direction?" Players are different, and some coaching staffs will prefer certain players over others due to whether or not that player fits the current culture of the team. Sometimes, the culture a team needs is not one the current coach can provide, so change is needed. But also, there are occasions where the culture the coach has put together may be perfect for the locker room, but it needs adjusting. And that is what may need to happen in Green Bay.
If you ask Packers HC Matt LaFleur about the culture the Green Bay Packers currently have in their locker room, he'll likely tell you that it's great. He's not wrong. On Monday, during end-of-season interviews in the locker room, LaFleur was publicly praised by Jordan Love, Tucker Kraft, Josh Jacobs, Micah Parsons, Devonte Wyatt, Bo Melton, and Christian Watson. That's seven of the most respected and regarded members of the Packers' locker room, vouching for their head coach. You don't get that when you have a culture problem.
But if you don't have a culture problem, that doesn't exactly mean that the culture is perfect.
On Monday, in his locker room interview, Safety Javon Bullard was quoted saying, "There are two people: One guy that's gonna keep their foot on their neck & keep talking -expletive-. The other guy's going to put him out while he's down there. We have to be that team that's going to put people out when they're down there."
Quay Walker was also quoted, though with maybe a little "I've got nothing to lose, I don't care," given his contract expiring after this season, saying, “Even before I got here, I feel like that’s (not finishing games) been a part of this organization.”
Both Bullard and Walker aren't wrong. In five of the Packers' losses during the 2025 season, they gave up a lead of nine points or more. They didn't put teams out, as Bullard said, and as Quay Walker said, the team has had a recent history of not putting teams away and losing heartbreakingly. Especially in the playoffs.
Putting Them Out
In the last few years, the top teams of the NFC have had one thing in common. They're able to beat teams into submission. Matt LaFleur coined the phrase "All Gas No Brake" years ago, but he hasn't been the coach who's followed that motto as of late. It's been coaches of division and conference opponents who have done it instead. The Packers have lacked that killer instinct. That trait to not just to win the game, but to prove they are the better team. It's time they become one of those teams.
This isn't just a "Matt LaFleur needs to call better plays on offense" change; this is a player execution change as well. If players are resting on their laurels with a 10-point lead, it may not matter what plays are called. All 53 players on the roster need to have that instinct to execute every play to perfection, regardless of the score. Not only does enforcing that culture change fall on Matt LaFleur, but it falls on team leaders as well.
Heading into 2026, the Green Bay Packers have a great core of returning players. You have the obvious ones in Jordan Love, Josh Jacobs, Tucker Kraft, Christian Watson, Devonte Wyatt, and Xavier McKinney, who can lead the way, but moving into this offseason, the Packers have a new demon of a player in Micah Parsons, who they didn't have last year.
We all saw it. Micah Parsons provided a spark in the Packers in 2025 on the field with his relentless pursuit of the QB every single chance he got. We also saw how deflated this team got when Parsons was lost to injury. The Packers' locker room buys into the spark Parsons provides. This will be the first offseason Parsons will be around the team, and it gives him a chance to inject more of his influence on the locker room. Influence that it's not just him who can provide that spark every play. That influence of relentless pursuit and execution regardless of the circumstances.
If Matt LaFleur is indeed returning for the 2026 season as head coach of the Green Bay Packers, he has an opportunity to take what he already considers a great locker room culture and move it to the next level. Don't just be satisfied that the team is buying in; use that influence to take it even further. This season was, in a way, successful, but we can't be happy with that; don't just change X's and O's, get after the overall attitude of the team as a whole as well.
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Greg Meinholz is a lifelong devoted Packer fan. A contributor to CheeseheadTV as well as PackersTalk. Follow him on Twitter @gmeinholz and Bluesky @gmeinholz.bsky.social for Packers commentary, random humor, beer endorsements, and occasional Star Wars and Marvel ramblings.
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Comments (54)
Alberta_Packer
January 14, 2026 at 02:04 pm
To attempt to change the culture - without changing the coaching - is like putting lipstick on a pig.
PearlyBakerBest
January 14, 2026 at 07:12 pm
You know the one thing they need is a left handed monkey wrench.
Lare
January 14, 2026 at 02:13 pm
LaFleur can't change the culture until he changes how he does business.
He needs to admit his mistakes. He needs to change his play calling, he needs to change his decision making, He needs to change his assistant coaches, he needs to change how his assistant coaches work. When he says they need to correct problems they need to do it.
Unfortunately, I don't think MLF can change. He'll need to lose his job and take a good, long look in the mirror.
LambeauPlain
January 14, 2026 at 05:17 pm
LaFleur is VERY status quo. He resists change and is very timid when it comes to personnel decisions. Nothing will change. His teams will win more than they lose during the regular season and lose more than they win in the playoffs.
He is not a SB coach. He will get to to the tourney then break your heart. I am tired of it. He is a good offensive mind but an exhausting coach following the team as a fan.
Players mostly like him because he's a "players' coach". Really nice man. Great character. But the leader who can inspire greatness? No. But maybe that's good enough for Ed Policy. Multitudes on the Packer season ticket waiting list...stands and balance sheet full up.
Maybe "Titletown" will become a nostalgia. It is has been on that trajectory for 15 years.
SicSemperTyrannis
January 14, 2026 at 05:55 pm
That's asking for MLF to become someone other than MLF.
Yet every current and former player speaking on the subject says he should stay.
I'm scared of what next season would look like with MLF and without Hafley.
TarynsEyes
January 14, 2026 at 02:27 pm
You need to first accept the flaws of the culture/addiction you created, a hard thing to do. Is it as hard as quitting smoking, drinking, taking drugs? I guess that depends on how embedded you are into the flaw, lacking discipline, desire to achieve a new way.
Can MLF succeed, sure, but 7 years of denial doesn't make for an easy task, especially when he hires assistants that are his hand-picked yes men.
The change will likely be need to start at the FO level, unlikely, as the FO seems to be willing to ride out the wave of discontent, which will likely happen, after all, it's GB. Ticket sales haven't fallen one bit over seven years of discontent and failure to achieve its mantra, Title Town for 15 years, and running.
I would be able to endure this languish a lot easier had they not blown the few other chances, with better teams, over the last 15-year drought. This 7 year stretch under MLF seems longer than the more recent drought between Favre and Rodgers, or Rodgers to Love, or is it simply more hopelessness.
crayzpackfan
January 14, 2026 at 02:51 pm
The kinds of change you scribed does not happen overnight, it's a long, drawn out process. It also has to be genuine and not contrived or the team will see right through it, it can't be faked. Does GB want to invest in a leopard trying to change into a tiger? They probably do looking at our recent history. In my opinion, MLF will always have spots no matter who he tries to convince that he's a tiger. GB needs to just pull the rug on this already and stop playing games here. It's exhausting watching the children running the daycare in GB. It's time for some real professionals, from top down, to actually change this so called culture. The way Murphy set this whole thing up has turned into an absolute grift from the president down to the girl who fetches players water bottles during the game. Zero accountability at every level. A garden of weeds stealing water from the plants. I don't understand how latched to the tit some or many fans are to this structure or how fooled by this grift they are.
WestCoastPackerBacker
January 14, 2026 at 03:05 pm
The part I don’t understand about your comment is what you mean by handpicked yes men. How do you tell the difference between hiring a coach you have worked with before and therefore know that his style and cultural and personality will work with yours, and hiring a yes man?
And what about the articles that Justis has been writing about how the front office allocates money for coaching? It may well be that MLF does not have the option to hire a coach he would really prefer to hire, because that person‘s salary range is out of line with what the Packers will allow. I mean, he was hired as head coach, but with the forced agreement that he would have to keep Mike Pettine as defensive coordinator. I wonder if that’s because they didn’t wanna be paying his salary and the salary of a new defensive coordinator at the same time.There have been articles out there recently about how the Packers always hire from within, promoting younger guys on their staff, or hiring a head coach that is a first time head coach. That way they keep the salaries low. It ended up working with Mike McCarthy at least well enough to win a title.
I wonder how the outcome may have been different this season if key players had not been knocked out of the starting lineup for the entire season. They started out the season going great guns and beat the crap out of Dan Campbell’s Detroit Lions. That seemed to indicate to me that toughness was not an issue with this team.
I do think we missed the likes of Josh Sitton and TJ Lang, who were focused on imposing their will on the defense. I do wish we had more guys with their attitudes. Maybe this is about the way Green Bay does its drafting. They seem to care more about high character, than some other teams do. I wonder if they are missing out on some players because they chose the guy with a supposed better character, and missed out on the guy with the better skills or competitive personality.
crayzpackfan
January 14, 2026 at 03:15 pm
If MLF isn't getting what he needs/wants from management, then why does he want so badly to be renewed and stay in GB? If I were him, I'd wanna leave and go someplace that supports me. That or grow a pair and stand up to them until he gets to build a staff that can actually do more than passing out milk in a school lunch line.
TarynsEyes
January 14, 2026 at 03:17 pm
If you're constrained by the money you have to spend, it seems more likely, that those willing to take the low pay will be more likely to agree with whatever the boss wants to retain a job for little pay.
SicSemperTyrannis
January 14, 2026 at 06:01 pm
Can't really call $5MM / yr little pay, even if some other HC gets over 20
KenEllis
January 14, 2026 at 02:27 pm
MLF has been the Head Coach in Green Bay for 7 seasons. He established the existing culture.
Now, the culture needs to be changed ... but MLF should remain?
How does that possibly make any sense whatsoever?
If you genuinely want to change the culture in any organization, the most prudent and effective move to make is change the individual most responsible for creating the culture you are trying to change.
Leatherhead
January 14, 2026 at 03:29 pm
Since Holmgren left after 1998, the Packers have won the NFC one time in 27 years. I think that this "culture" might predate MLF. This is a longer stretch than the one from 1967 to 1992, which was a Long Dry Spell.
During this stretch, we've fired head coaches, assistant coaches, defensive coordinators, special teams guys, etc. Based on the results, I'm not entirely sure that it's been a productive strategy. And God knows that changing the players around doesn't make much of a difference, either.
I do think we're going to make some changes, but we're not going to tear this whole thing apart. We're going to reload and try again next year; it's our best chance to be better than we were this year.
We return quite a few pieces for next year, and I think we'll choose to build on what we have instead of tearing it down and rebuilding it..
13TimeChamps
January 14, 2026 at 03:56 pm
"We're going to reload and try again next year; it's our best chance to be better than we were this year."
And you're basing this on what exactly? Why would "try again next year" be any different than last year? Or the year before that? Or the year before that?
I've never been a MLF basher, far from it. But he's had 7 years. He's had some really, really good players during those 7 years. He's had 7 years to put together a competent coaching staff. Why would anyone believe that year 8 is the year it finally all comes together? How many coaches get that luxury?
I like Matt. I really wish he could have coached us over the hump. But Saturday night was the turning point for me. I truly believe it's time for a change.
KenEllis
January 14, 2026 at 04:52 pm
Holy moly, 13Time, I never thought you'd join the "dark side" fans, like myself, who concluded the Pack will never win a SB under MLF.
Welcome aboard, and I was fairly late to grasp the truth myself only realizing after the pathetic loss in Cleveland and bewildering tie in Dallas (in weeks 3 & 4) that he was not the man.
MLF seems like a decent chap and a fairly bright offensive mind, but he is not a SB caliber coach. He's just not.
13TimeChamps
January 14, 2026 at 05:22 pm
I'm not joining anyone's "side". I'm more than capable of forming my own opinions. One side I will never align with is the juvenile, immature name calling folks who seem to think coming up with "Lafluezy", "LaFlop", etc. is somehow original. It's not and does nothing to add to an adult conversation. But, to each their own I guess.
I've stated my reasons why I think a change is due after 7 years. I also believe it's not going to happen. Other than that, like everyone else, we'll see what happens moving forward.
Leatherhead
January 14, 2026 at 06:41 pm
Why would try again next year mean that the same thing will happen?
I think we could be a better team, a better offensive team, next year. Fewer offensive lulls, more success in short yardage. Better able to burn clock with a lead. I'd put resources into improving the Oline and see what Love and Jacobs do with an improved line before tearing it all down.
We're very close. Any one of a dozen plays breaks differently and we're still in the playoffs. This group deserves, IMO, one more chance before it's torn apart. After that, contracts and salary cap restraints might say "Rebuild".
Our best chance to be a better team in 2026 than we were in 2025 is to try to improve what we have. Add to the Oline. Keep your core group of WRs healthy (Watson, Reed, Golden, Wicks, Williams) I think that's a lot more likely to work than starting over.
Since'61
January 14, 2026 at 10:54 pm
If we review the last 3 seasons we can see that the Packers are trending in the wrong direction in terms of making things better in 2026.
2023 - The Packers won 4 games in a row before being eliminated in the divisional round of the playoffs.
2024 - The Packers lost their last 3 games including elimination in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
2025 - The Packers finished the season 0-5 including elimination in the Wild Card playoff round again.
Each of the last 3 seasons has ended worse than the season before. Therefore it is difficult to assume that the Packers will be better than they were in the previous 3 seasons especially with the same coaching staff and culture whatever that culture may be because I don't see any concept of what the current Packer culture is when I watch the team play on the field. I don't see any identity or conceptual approach of what they are trying to do to win a game. Instead I see an undisciplined team that plays terrible situational football, has inconsistent execution on both sides of the ball, the worst ST units I have ever seen and too many players who take off too may plays or who commit stupid penalties at the worst possible times during a game.
I don't know if the Packers are going to be able to retain many of their FAs. Wicks, Banks and a few others will likely be cap casualties. No matter what is done there will be injuries throughout the season. The Packers do not have a first round pick nor do they have much cap space to add either effective starters to replace cap casualties or to add depth that can actually help the team win games.
They desperately need an OL and DL coach who can deliver a level of play to win the LOS on both sides of the ball. STs clearly needs a new coach (again) and a new kicker at least. They need an infusion of aggressiveness and discipline and leadership on and off the field that drives higher execution and higher expectations for success. Yes, some players may improve over 2025 but others will regress. Therefore the wash will likely result in similar or worse results as the previous 3 seasons. Thanks, Since '61
SicSemperTyrannis
January 14, 2026 at 06:02 pm
Did you see Mike Daniels' episode of Pack-A-Day?
crayzpackfan
January 14, 2026 at 02:32 pm
How does anything "change" when everything stays the "same"?
Leatherhead
January 14, 2026 at 03:49 pm
Please don't make me quote dead Greek philosophers to you, but certainly you realize that nothing is staying the same. Change is inevitable. Permanence is an illusion.
The 2026 Packers will be changed. We'll either be better, in which case everybody can be happy, or we'll be worse, in which case we might just eat his contract.
You can "change" the offense by getting guys blocked. You can change the game by being able to run for a couple of first downs in the 4th quarter. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that short yardage was a problem for us this year. All of these things can be changed by putting some better blockers on the field.
We're going to keep Gutekunst and LaFleur. We'll make somebody a sacrificial lamb, probably the special teams coach. Maybe somebody will take Hafley away, and after that terrible defensive collapse (unequaled in Packer history, IMO), I'd be fine with starting over, because there's still a lot of talent under contract there.
In the draft and free agency, we'll be upgrading the offensive line and we'll see what Love and Jacobs can do with a stronger group up front. Add that to the return of Kraft and I don't see any reason the Packers offense can't be better next season.
SicSemperTyrannis
January 14, 2026 at 06:15 pm
I'm with you on all this except I can't see how Hafley is responsible for that collapse on defense. They kept playing well throughout the final 5 losses of the season except against Baltimore, until the offense couldn't stay on the field. I like what Micah Parsons had to say, even though I have to wonder if he wasn't on painkillers in addition to being sleep deprived. Hopefully every player focuses on conditioning as well as individual skills this off season, including working with positional specialists. Hopefully rooms practice together, including JL10 playing catch with WRs grouped by speed so he can get used to at least the speed of our fastest guys, but also working with the rest would of course be better. All our linemen could do something similar.
Unfortunately #1 will again not physically have an off-season with the team, but hopefully he'll be present to get mental reps as well as mentor the room. Maybe he shouldn't be ramped up to playing so many snaps so quickly?
I'd love to see some ex-players brought in as positional coaches or at least assistants on a temporary basis, they could impart some valuable knowledge.
stockholder
January 14, 2026 at 02:41 pm
Walker's comment.
“Even before I got here, I feel like that’s
(not finishing games) been a part of this organization.”
Well he's been here since 2022.
And he feels the same?
Over- estimation of talent!
TarynsEyes
January 14, 2026 at 03:07 pm
"Over- estimation of talent!"
They have an issue measuring the ceiling and the floor.
The ceiling seems unreachable for the few, and the floor is lower for most.
Leatherhead
January 14, 2026 at 04:02 pm
Let's see.
We could start with Terrell Owens making a miracle catch to win the 1998 playoff game, Holmgren's last.
Or the 2003 4th and 26.
Or the 2007 overtime interception in the Championship game.
Or the 2014 Seattle Championship game
Or the 2020 Championship game loss to Tampa Bay.
I think that's a legitimate point. The Packers don't finish big games. ONE NFC Championship in 29 years. THAT should be our focus this year: Finishing games. Add some finishers to your team. Preach it. Practice it.
SinceLombardi
January 14, 2026 at 02:51 pm
The culture is well established. It’s not just “putting teams down” , but WHY they don’t. Because they are soft in the trenches, mistake and penalty prone, and the mental toughness just isn’t there.
Why would any clear thinking person think that year 8 would magically change
culture, results or excuses?
There is also an accountability issue here. Mo Drayton got an entire season. The entire NFL knew after week four he wasn’t qualified. Kevin King was a failed draft pick, but they actually brought him back after being toasted and Hail Mary-ed. Carrington Valentine finally makes a pick , and he should have just knocked it down and saved 27 yards of field position. Didn’t see anyone do anything but congratulate him.
No, the culture in Green Bay is happy happy Joy Joy.
I hate to admit.. the Bears never quit. They played far from a clean game, lost starters due to injury, and just wore the soft Packers down.
EricTorkelson
January 15, 2026 at 06:31 am
You saw that to SL ... yes Valentine jumping for joy and getting high fived for making another stupid play, both are corners have minimal football instincts
Coldworld
January 14, 2026 at 03:00 pm
Q: How do the Packers adjust without making personnel changes?
A: They don’t.
Leatherhead
January 14, 2026 at 04:09 pm
Of course they'll make personnel changes. They do that every off season.
They're going to keep Gutekunst and LaFleur. Bisaccia will be the sacrificial lamb. Hopefully Hafley will go, but there's some pretty good talent to work with. Obviously, there are some defensive issues.
Offensively, they'll address their problems in short yardage, staying on the field, clock management, etc. As good as this offense is, it still has to be on the field to score points. They'll improve the Oline in the draft and via FA.
Forces are at work here. Obviously things are changing.
LambeauPlain
January 14, 2026 at 05:23 pm
"Hopefully Hafley will go..."
Yeah, that's the ticket. I hear Joe Barry is available...your dream comes true!
packergal
January 14, 2026 at 05:29 pm
LH,
"Hopefully Hafley will go"?
Please explain.
GreenandBold
January 14, 2026 at 07:00 pm
Sure hope you’re being sarcastic
Handsback
January 14, 2026 at 03:10 pm
Since Lombardi bringing up the biggest TT mistake in drafting...Kevin King over Watt. Often thought how a Packer team with TJ Watt would look like.
I want to see several more SB trophies go to Green Bay before I die. Just think we are one mauler short in the oline, and one short in CB room.
JMHO
SicSemperTyrannis
January 14, 2026 at 06:20 pm
Also need a mauling DT.
Oxymoron 3339
January 14, 2026 at 03:33 pm
8 Years of a slightly above average GM. We are almost always the youngest team, that’s not good. Get a better GM because we aren’t winning 14 with Gute.
splitpea1
January 14, 2026 at 03:36 pm
Once again, does it really matter if some of the current players vouch for the head coach? All that means is that they like him and don't want to make waves. Does this equate to playoff wins? Apparently not.
What about the special teams "culture"? Can that be changed without changing the coach of the unit, or more appropriately, the priorities and due diligence of the head coach? Is our special teams coach actually working hard to improve the unit, or is he merely a sounding board and yes man to MLF in his expanded capacity?
I can only imagine some of the things Lombardi's players were muttering under their breath during practices...Of course it's a different time and a different league, but you get the point: the relentless drive to perfection in all areas led by the head coach and his insistence on discipline yields proven results. Maybe he wasn't always popular, but he was respected at all times and didn't need anyone to "vouch" for him. (So I've read, as I was too young to remember him or witness any of his practices).
Finally, why does this team need a player from another organization to provide a spark or leadership? Why can't this be developed from within? Is it the coaching, culture, or simply the personality of the players? Here's another question that we need to find a solution to.
Guam
January 14, 2026 at 04:17 pm
Like you Splitpea, I don't put much stock in player endorsements. A coach can be popular with his players and not be a good coach. I am sure LaFleur is well liked by his players, but I see too little accountability on this team to believe LaFleur is a coach that can take the Packers to the SB.
I am old enough to have followed football when Lombardi was coaching and he was a task master. Would that fly in today's world - I don't know. I will quote Henry Jordan on Lombardi: "When Lombardi told us to sit down, we didn't bother looking for a chair." Tough coach from a different era.
coolhand
January 14, 2026 at 04:30 pm
I know I would love to work for a guy who, no matter how bad you mess up, get a raise and keep your job no matter what.
MitchAnthony
January 14, 2026 at 03:41 pm
Let the hair get longer and messy covered with a beat up Packers hat. For sure let the beard get scruffy. Cut the sleeves on the hoodie, poorly. Get a bit more mumbly and bitchy in pressers.
Boom. Culture changed. :)
Bitternotsour
January 14, 2026 at 04:18 pm
He could also take some of those metabolic "vitamins" that Ben Johnson seems to be taking
coolhand
January 14, 2026 at 04:26 pm
If the Packers do extend MLF, he won't make any changes unless Hafley leaves. I have heard him say for years how they have to be better, or we will watch the tape and see what went wrong, and then nothing changes. He can't adjust during a game, his time management is terrible, and he panics when under pressure. And we want him back and pay him more money?
SicSemperTyrannis
January 14, 2026 at 06:23 pm
MLF staying and Hafley leaving is the worst of all possible worlds.
ricky
January 14, 2026 at 04:29 pm
Seven years, and the results are at best stagnant, if not worse. Walker nailed it: this team doesn't know how to close out games. This regime reminds me too much of the Bart Starr era. Mediocrity was acceptable, be loyal to the people you hired, and keep doing the same thing, hoping for different results.
Will there be an internal shake up on this team? Will assistant coaches be replaced by people who actually know how to do their jobs? Very doubtful. A new ST's coach? Yawn. Been there, done that, things got worse. Will there be a competent/complementary OC? Nope. Stenavich will be kept on, for some reason, as will Butkus. After all, if mediocrity is rewarded, why strive for more?
pantz_bURp
January 14, 2026 at 04:56 pm
Home field advantage is starting to erode. I can't even shout, "Da Bears still stuck!" With as much conviction as before. :(
Regarding culture and playing with an edge...it is hard to manufacture. It is either there or it isn't.
Maybe it just simply ran it's course. Like Forrest Gump,he stopped running at some point.
(And, those cheese grater head pieces. Well, that is a damn shame.)
Burp
Tlatum21
January 14, 2026 at 05:49 pm
The culture will change in Green Bay when Gutekunst falls out of love with draft choices
who look like Tarzan but play like Jane.
GreenandBold
January 14, 2026 at 07:14 pm
All true
Coldworld
January 15, 2026 at 04:49 pm
I’d love a team that look like Jane and play like Tarzan. Count me in. Might spook some opponents too.
Dragon5
January 14, 2026 at 06:26 pm
nice Ron Wolf: welcome to the team young man, let's see what you got
real Ron Wolf: "you're only here until I find someone better to replace you"
👉nice guys don't get paid (respect)👈
but they groom well🙄
lou
January 14, 2026 at 06:55 pm
Great post, Wolf spent 20 plus years working for Al Davis and no one wanted more results than Al. Also in a prior post it is important to note how much home field advantage means to a team - that one hit home with me.
Coldworld
January 15, 2026 at 04:59 pm
"There is a tendency to stay with the players that won the championship – even if he isn't as good as he was. And it's the very human thing to do. However, there is no room for that type of emotion. Football is a hardheaded cold business. No matter what a player did last year, he must go if he can't do it this year."
Vince Lombardi
"A guy got near the end of his career, (Lombardi would) say, 'Hey, you're done,' and bring in a young kid and say, 'You're the starter now.'"
Norb Hecker, Lombardi's DB coach for seven seasons.
With grateful credit to Cliff Christl.
brenner
January 14, 2026 at 06:52 pm
How many times have we heard MLF say in post game interviews the team didn't play a complete game? And before halftime against the bares, we gotta finish...? Yet it keeps happening... Offense gets the ball to start the half with a solid lead, comes out flat and proceeds to shit the bed for a quarter or so. It's not a culture thing from what I see. It's a lack of adjustments, especially on offense. Conservative play calling leads to 3 and outs, defense gets gassed because 2nd half offense can't stay on the field. Steno is an OC in name only and should go back to coaching OL. A new voice needs to be there that will spot when a defense has us figured out and change it up.
Rak43
January 15, 2026 at 03:30 am
Some of you know me from ACME and if you do then you know I'm not a Lafleur fan. I've seen this coming for the last 5 years and have been saying Lafleur should be ousted for almost as long. The NFCCG vs the Bucs told me everything I needed to know about Matt Lafleur. Down 31-23 at Lambeau field with 2 minutes left in regulation the Packers drive down to the Tampa Bay 10yd line and on 4th down instead of going for it and needing a 2pt conversion afterward Lafleur elects to kick a FG. I was like what is he doing. He took the ball out of the league MVP's hands and put the game on his kickers leg but even more so on the defense. GB's defense had just given up 31pts at home and boy wonder decided to give it back to Tom frickin Brady, smh! I knew right then and there Lafleur was a soft loser. That was the tone setter for the culture he built in GB. No guts nor sound reasoning whatsoever. Aaron Rodgers carried this guy to a 39-9 record his first 3 years and when Rodgers fractured his thumb in year 4 on his throwing hand, Lafleur's time to shine was over. Since the end of year 4 with Rodgers, Lafleur's won lost record is 37-31-1 and if you count the last 4 games of Rodgers last year it is 37-35-1. Now some Packer fans call that winning even though GB hasn't won a division title since then. If it was up to me I would have sent Lafleur packing years ago. GB will never sniff another SB as long as he is the HC.
Lphill
January 15, 2026 at 06:54 am
31 other teams would have fired MLF .
Luke Leavitt
January 15, 2026 at 11:27 am
Great article, Greg. Starts at the top, something has to change.