#PackersDaily: Packers make the grade
The Green Bay Packers fared well in the NFLP's second annual report cards for all 32 NFL teams.
By PackerAaron
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Comments (24)
Hawn1959
February 29, 2024 at 03:44 am
That's nice video! For more info: https://uno-online.io
SicSemperTyrannis
February 29, 2024 at 10:38 am
I doubt that's the link you intended?
TKWorldWide
February 29, 2024 at 07:52 am
If they offered child care, they’d be #1!
#3 is very impressive as it is!
Guam
February 29, 2024 at 08:05 am
Game day child care was the lowest grade the Packers got and I wonder if the child care issue is more about liability than money for the Packers. Child care on game day would not be that expensive for an organization that makes as much as the Packers do, but the liability for care and protection of children could be a huge issue for the organization.
Also interesting that Lafleur graded out 21st out of 32 teams for the head coach grade. Big ding was he only was moderately willing to listen to the locker room. Not sure if that had to do with the fact that he hadn't opened up the play book for the offense yet (when the survey was taken) or if the disaffection for Barry was the issue. Could be either or both, but you hate to hear about a disconnect between the head coach and the players.
Bitternotsour
February 29, 2024 at 08:52 am
Here's an example, Jaire felt disrespected and unseen when he wasn't made a captain in his hometown, in front of a sizeable contingent of friends and fans. His response to that was unacceptable, but LaFleur should have known. I would call that not listening or at a minimum a disconnect. LaFleur was a bad boss on that day. Jaire took the hit, but it was easily ameliorated.
How hard is it to say, hey Jaire, you're from Charlotte, right? How many people you have coming to see you? I mean jeez, that's simple leadership and it's acknowledging your players as people. You know, good management.
Guam
February 29, 2024 at 11:02 am
One of the things that came out after the Jaire situation is that it always has been Packer policy to have players named captain if an away game is in or near their hometown. It was never publicly discussed why Jaire wasn't named captain for the Carolina game, but that seemed to have been more of an overt decision rather than an oversight. Don't know why, but it seems that wasn't a case of not listening.
BTW, the down vote wasn't mine. I rarely downvote and your comment certainly didn't warrant one.
Bitternotsour
February 29, 2024 at 11:43 am
upvotes and downvotes are meaningless. i post for conversation and comment, and often to be obtuse. There are about four people here who I try to follow conversationally, whose opinions I value, and you are definitely one of them. It's a shame there's no DM function...
Guam
February 29, 2024 at 12:18 pm
I use the upvote to provide positive feedback to someone who has provided a thoughtful comment, whether I agree with it or not. Downvotes I avoid unless someone is just being a jerk.
And yes, a DM function would be nice. There are times I would just prefer to have an offline conversation.
Bitternotsour
February 29, 2024 at 11:59 am
If it's the case that Jaire was denied captainhood and he was unaware as to the why, well, that's a management issue. A significant one at that. If you're disciplining someone and they are unaware, how is that discipline?
Jaire clearly saw it and was quoted as saying "Coach didn't know I was from Charleston..."
Guam
February 29, 2024 at 12:13 pm
Fair point about the lack of communication with Jaire.
Leatherhead
February 29, 2024 at 10:51 am
Guam, I played football my whole life. Some of my earliest memories are playing football in the vacant lot in our neighborhood. Then I joined the military, then I finished college and started teaching, which led to coaching.
Imagine my surprise when teenage boys thought that they should have a say in what we were doing. I mean, I was getting paid for this (not very much), I had worked the entire summer, attended coaches' conferences, etc. so that I could do what they thought we should do.
I didn't have to listen to this in the classroom. I had a syllabus, and a curriculum, and a schedule of assignments and tests. I did what I was paid to do.
As you might imagine, it didn't take me very long to tell them that I was in charge and if the didn't like it, they should leave. In the pros, these guys are a few years older, and they have contracts, but if they're running t he show you're in trouble.
Remember when Rodgers was trying to be a player in management? What did I say? "Everything works better if people stay in their lane." Same things here. Players should play, coaches should coach, officials should officiate, etc.
Having said that, I do think that a good leader listens, and gives consideration. Which LaFleur apparently did ("moderately"). Considering he was already coaching when many of these guys were in diapers, I can see why he might not have really felt like listening all the time.
Guam
February 29, 2024 at 11:16 am
Believe me I get the issue LH. I retired as CEO of a telecoms corporation and have a PhD in finance and it used to bother me at times when hourly staff would want to tell me how to run the company. Having said that, the hardest part of management was always people and in particular keeping lines of communication open with all the people in your organization. Sometimes that open communication would just piss you off and other times you would get absolute gems of great ideas or information. You have to learn to take the bad with the good and keep a smile on your face at all times so that you keep communication flowing.
Lafleur got a "B+" grade so he apparently was doing reasonably well at communicating, but it was interesting that grade only ranked 21st in the league. Other coaches seem to be a bit better at communicating. The grade also may have been due to when the survey was taken. The Packers were mired in a losing streak at the time and Lafleur hadn't taken the training wheels off Love yet and the defense wasn't playing well. That fallout from that timing may be the reason for the reduced grade too. More just food for thought than any great concern. It will be interesting to see what his grade is next year.
Bitternotsour
February 29, 2024 at 11:37 am
I wonder also if the view of LaFleur was still shaded by his acquiescence to Aaron Rodgers every whim, and the lack of surety that he projected. I'd say by the end of the year the locker room had largely coalesced around MLF and I would hope that his numbers would better reflect that next year.
Leatherhead, kids whose lives were replete with participation trophies have an outsized sense of their place in a hierarchy. The entitlement is large with them. I'm so glad to be retired and not supervising 20 somethings. There's a fine line between empowering your workforce and turning over the asylum to the inmates...
Guam
February 29, 2024 at 12:24 pm
I'd forgotten about the Rodgers overhang, but that likely was part of it. Certainly a case of the inmate running the asylum.
LeotisHarris
February 29, 2024 at 08:39 am
The Packers could easily solve the gameday childcare issue by contracting with an established local provider. Staff would have completed mandated background checks, be licensed/degreed, and the space could be approved by State licensing agency. Childcare centers would jump at the chance to partner with the Packers, and their staff would appreciate the additional income. Willingness to do so is the only roadblock.
It's pretty cool that Green Bay is seen as a great place to play.
Bitternotsour
February 29, 2024 at 08:54 am
Conversely, they could buy all those kids bikes, and tell them to go outside and ride around and play, and be sure to be back at dinner time.
SicSemperTyrannis
February 29, 2024 at 10:37 am
In this day and age, absolutely nothing about furnishing childcare is "easy." Liability is extreme, every detail is under a microscope.
I have no answers, and no solutions to provide; just pointing out that this is a potential minefield. The report card is useful if it reveals what needs to be improved.
Leatherhead
February 29, 2024 at 10:54 am
I think Leotis is right, though. If you use existing childcare people, who've already passed background checks, etc., then all you really need is a state-approved space, which shouldn't be that bad.
They could have medical people on site. Money can solve most things, and this is one of them. I'll predict that this gets solved, now that it's all out in the open.
Guam
February 29, 2024 at 11:26 am
Actually the Packers got dinged for the same thing in last year's survey so I am not sure this gets solved that quickly. There seems to be some internal roadblock to getting this resolved or it should have been taken care of last year. I can't believe money is the problem as this just isn't that expensive a situation.
Not sure if it is the liability issue or maybe just not a qualified enough contractor in the Green Bay area or something else. But the fact that it has been on the survey two years in a row tells me there is a problem were not seeing somewhere in the process.
Guam
February 29, 2024 at 11:33 am
You are assuming there is a local contractor with sufficient credentials to satisfy the legal requirements of the Packer organization. I live in Madison and we have had bad stories come out over the past year regarding a couple of local day care centers. Poor sanitation and care; lack of local government oversight and inspection; insufficient funding to provide minimal staffing levels, etc. etc.
If Madison, which is a higher income area and several times larger than Green Bay, is having these problems, I assume Green Bay might be too. Good child care is not a given.
Bitternotsour
February 29, 2024 at 11:46 am
Unlike Madison, the Packers could throw a lot of money at the problem and then it would cease to be a problem. Lack of child care workers can be solved with living wages and valuation of the services provided. The company is swimming in money.
Guam
February 29, 2024 at 12:29 pm
You are correct about the money issue which is why I suspect Packer legal counsel has flagged the liability issue as the major stumbling block. Liability can't be eliminated by money and the liability could be large enough even for a deep pockets organization like the Packers to give them pause.
LeotisHarris
February 29, 2024 at 03:04 pm
Guam, my friend, a quick search of the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families YoungStar website revealed 23 Five-Star providers within a 10 mile radius of 1265 Lombardi Ave. Kindercare is one with a national reputation, others are affiliated with hospitals or Head Start. That rating is not easily earned or retained.
Yes, quality childcare is an investment and it comes with performance standards and regulations for anything and everything you could imagine. If the Packers saw this as a priority, and most large businesses run by men do not, they could find professionals skilled in creating safe environments for young children. They could mitigate risk by doing what those centers with Five Star ratings do every day. We're talking about providing group care for a small number of young children for four hours or so. Again, it's not like building a sledding hill or adding void years to a contract. Real humans do this important work with real human children every day with positive outcomes.
Guam
February 29, 2024 at 04:18 pm
Excellent research Leotis! So why aren't the Packers doing this? As noted earlier, this is two years in a row they have been dinged for this on the player survey.