I agree, JB.

This is as important a draft as Gutekunst will have had in his tenure. I think he got all full of himself in 2020 after making the Love pick, and he has probably realized that. Every pick is important, and an opportunity.

If you're going to underplay your hand or toss up duds in R2, R3, R5, R6, R6, and R7... why even have the picks? R2's Dillon was quite an overdraft. Deguara in R3 pushes that needle further. Much further.Kamal Martin, a very talented ILB who had an injury history, and, winds up injured and out the door. Shocker. NOT.

Gutekunst was throwing picks away like a drunken sailor after making what I felt was a brilliant pick trading up for Love in 2020. I hope he learned his lesson to keep his head fully engaged in the game during each and every pick. Don't celebrate anything until the work is done.

BG burned more picks away in 2021. No question. I bet he did a good self scout and he may have learned, as I feel his 2022 draft is his best yet.

Barry being a fly we fans are trying to nail down is no help. Barry can't expect Gutekunst to ignore needs elsewhere just to give him a full complement of custom fit pieces, and turn that on a dime.

Good Coordinators scheme to augment their players' strengths. Hello? Joe Barry?

We know as much about his defense as we do about LaFleur's offense, maybe less, because what we've seen him do on his own, without the distractions AR brought to LaFleur's offensive scheme visions in comparison, is difficult to comprehend. Makes no sense whatsoever.

Packer fans have watched & played enough football to know we might be better off if Barry were removed from his duties immediately.

Not going to happen. Are we really willing to write this season off, and appoint a new DC next year? And, if I may, what the hell happened to cause Jerry Gray to tell his players to play outside the wishes of Barry?

Is Barry going to help us or hurt us in 2023? I lean towards the latter, while hoping he surprises us all. Because, we're apparently stuck with him.

LaFleur hasn't hired well. He got away with it while Rodgers was the QB, but it could come back to haunt him now.

While its true that Joe Barry's defense didnt live up to lofty expectations, its not like this defense was awful either. They were middle of the pack and the pass defense was pretty damn good. Came on strong late in the year and nearly carried a punchless offense to the playoffs. Now im not endorsing Barry, but Im not going to completely condemn him either as there were plenty of things the players themselves have to do better too. Tackling is a big issue, which Barry really cant even do anything about because they cant practice tackling anymore. Honestly, the Barry hate is really becoming a bit much, and Ive been guilty of it at times too.
Sure we all are tired of seeing guys 12 yards off the ball, but every team runs some variation of a soft zone defense and the players themselves need to be better too. Its not like switching Barry for another DC would automatically help Kenny Clark beat double teams or help Quay Walker tackle Jalen Hurts in the open field or help Darnell Savage not be afraid of contact or keep Rashan Gary's knee healthy. There's no magic fix. The players need to be better regardless of whos calling the defense. Its going to take a group effort.

Agree

I don’t question him as a OC and willing to be creative and find things that work for JL.

I DOUBT him greatly to be the strong leader of men and overseer of everything that is what a HC is all about. I’m not optimistic after watching him last year rally the troops!

At your behest, I went and re-read the article backwards. It sounded exactly like the Beatles.

couldn't agree more - I only care about the GBPkrs.
Discussion about "winning a divorce" from AR12 is the least of my worries.
I'm worried about getting more good players, coaching them up then winning on Sundays.
The rest is just BS.
Time to move on from the BS.
GPG!

Rec for the position coaches (yeah, I assume you meant them rather than the Quality Control types). Butkus <<<< Steno. Gray not on the same page as Barry.

Nick, the hiring of Rich Bisaccia is the same reason I have some hope. That, and Barry seeming to use his roster better late last year. Bringing back Clements was a plus, too.

I don't really have a feel for this assistant coaching staff; I also was confused/disappointed by the hiring of Mennenga and Barry--it really made me question whether LaFleur had the trust and confidence of assistant coaches around the league. I think Bisaccia came because the team made him a huge offer...that doesn't add to my confidence in LaFleur.

Agree Nick.

Yet even Cory's article focused on MLF for his OC duties. I have yet to see him growing into the Head Coach of the Green Bay Packers.

It may be he is simply unqualified and inexperienced to lead, help coach, and evaluate Defense and STs.

"Front office squandered over 10 years of a great QB by not placing enough good players around him. Just like the article on Cheese head TV suggests the QB's best friend is the talent around him."

Absolutely wrong. Rodgers had plenty of weapons and a good defense in 2020. AND STILL DIDN'T WIN THE NFCCG. Take a look at AR's performances in the playoffs after 2010. Yeah, Rodgers' lack of championships is ENTIRELY the fault of the FO. GTFU.

The Jets are trying to copy Tampa. Lots of high draft picks but a hole at QB and a real need to win. I’m not sure that OBJ is Gronk or essential to that but it too would be in that mold. Green Bay is weighed down by cap spent on at least 2 years of very competitive rosters with which we did not win and decades if mostly low picks with the added impact of the years where Ball stood in for TT.

Yup, SH for once we agree. Nobody wins without a good QB. The Packers didn’t have a good one last year, so they didn’t win.

The business plan year after year ended with heart breaking defeats as the "engineer" failed in the biggest moments to make the difference. Continuing that plan became much more expensive corporation wise both in dollars and cents distribution and the engineer's ability to do the job at advancing age and a discontent with his superiors open to the public. The most obvious and best business decision is to thank him for years of thrills beyond compare, and his huge contributions to the organization, the fan base, and the state of
Wisconsin. The National Football League start
ed and still is Big Business. Let the new Era begin.

Brock Purdy.

Here's another take: Matt LF was a good team player who put up with the arrogant nonsense of his quarterback. He had to lest the folks who pray to 12 each night would have MFL's head. I've read quite a few reports that more than half of the plays called were changed by Rodgers but that is, of course, unconfirmed.

I'm hoping 2023 will be a season where the defense is stout enough to give the offense a chance. We will see more of the offense we saw early in MLF's time.

I don't think you can judge ML until the mess that is the salary cap and lack of talent that Murphy and Gutekunst have created is fixed Plus the DC needs to be replaced. I don't understand why everyone can see that but the front office. If the Packers have a 500 season I'd say he did well.

"LaFleur is one of the best coaches in the NFL. Now it's his time to prove it."

This is an April Fool's joke, right?

We're talking about the same coach who hired Mennenga, Drayton and Barry. The same coach who can't make an in-game adjustment when a defense has stymied his original plan. The same coach who has fielded soft teams that get dominated in playoff games (or important play-in games) year in and year out.

I hope I am wrong, but I seriously doubt LaFleur is one of the best coaches in the NFL and this is the year we get to see him without a HOF QB covering his flaws. I believe 2023 is the year the Packers fix their salary cap, find their future with a new QB and fix the coaching staff. And yes, I am an optimist.

This is the season of truth. What is LaFleur really?

Is he the win/loss record or the guy who couldn’t get two strong rosters over the line behind a Hall of Fame QB?

Is he the guy who drove the 2020 offense or the guy who put out the predictable and timid ineffective design of last year?

Is he an offensive savant or a guy who has been serially outcoached in big games and failed to adapt after being thrashed by the same opponent earlier in season?

Is he the guy who can bring in new talent or the guy whose teams make inexplicable personnel decisions in big games and over a season?

Is it him responsible for the incredible team-wide lack of preparedness in the first games of seasons or was Rodgers shaping his camps and his tactics?

Can he identify and groom coaching talent and know when to make changes? Drayton was on him, will Barry be?

Who really owned those teams and the win/loss record? Was it Rodgers or LaFleur calling the shots? Was it Rodgers giving what LaFleur wanted or Rodgers covering for him that primarily led to wins. If it was Rodgers’ team, can LaFleur recover it and make it his own?

No one really knows what LaFleur is. Now we will. Perhaps absent Rodgers he blossoms, but it’s equally possible that Rodgers is the only reason that he is still here.

Now we will see what LaFleur is. It may be a brief and ugly vision unless Rodgers really was truly toxic, because LaFleur couldn’t win with him in MVP years with much stronger rosters.

“ LaFleur has raised plenty of eyebrows in his first stint as a pro head coach. ” Well, he is the king of eyebrows!

My take on him is that, indeed, he did bring in a new culture. It’s friendly and supportive. However, sometimes a tough hard headed approach is needed. He hung on to poor coaches and players too long. In the attempt to have a cohesive locker room he let too many ineffective men stay in the organization. Yet, I did love his fresh approach to the offense and I do feel that he is one of the better coaches in the league. I believe that we have yet to see the true HC until Rodgers and Barry are gone. My hope is that he has learned things from Rich B.

Cory, this is probably your worst column ever.

“Granted, the Packers did lose in embarrassing fashion to the Lions at home in a must-win game to advance to the playoffs.”

Yes, for the third year in a row we lost a game we needed to win. In 2020, it was the NFCCG;. In 2021 it was a Divisional Playoff (IIRC), and this year is was a regular-season win-and-in game. You might want to ask yourself why we’ve been bounced earlier each of those years. If it’s not the QB, then it’s the coaching, and Scooter isn't the coach you think he is.

“This is LaFleur’s time to really put his thumbprint on his team. “

Incorrect. The time to have done this was when he was hired. The fact that he didn’t is on Murphy and on him. Rodgers should never have been allowed to have been the influence that he was.

“He will certainly help him out by making his [Love's] job easier”

Assumption. He sure didn’t make Love’s job easier against KC in 21. I would hope that Scooter now knows that he rises or falls based on his QB.

“And that’s what should be motivating LaFleur right now. He needs to win the divorce, and by proxy, the Packers will ultimately win.”

Are you serious? The “divorce” may be a chip on Scooter’s shoulder, but if he’s this childish that he's bothered by the activities of a QB WHO IS NO LONGER ON THE TEAM then he has no business being in professional football. What should be motivating Scoter is preparing his team to get to and WIN a Super Bowl. Who gives a shit was Rodgers does?

“LaFleur is one of the best coaches in the NFL. Now it’s his time to prove it.   “

Contradiction. Scooter can’t be both one of the best coaches in the NFL and have to prove that he’s one of the best coaches. Correct phrasing: LaFleur SHOULD BE one of the best coaches in the NFL. Now it’s his time to prove it. 

I admit I’m not a believer in MLF, I feel that being a head coach is too big for him. For starters, loose practices with fun music doesn’t sound to me like a team that’s priority is winning football games. Sounds more like a atmosphere which breeds mediocrity. But then again if you don’t coddle today’s player’s they’ll be offended and take a knee and then demand to be traded. MLF hasn’t shown enough creativity in his play designs, especially in the redzone. I also feel the players view him as a pushover, the rest of the team seen how he was too afraid to ever yank AR from a game for doing his own thing. I hope I’m very wrong about my views of MLF and that they can turn things around over the next two or three years. If and when they do I’ll be the first to post again admitting I was wrong.

"LaFleur is one of the best coaches in the NFL. Now it’s his time to prove it."

This is the problem with some. You crowned MLF, and now need him to prove himself worthy of the crown. This thinking only ensures us that the number of questions concerning him are many, and the reason for those questions is strongly tied to Rodgers., and that crowning of HC's, and players in GB, are often premature. So much so, at times, the false 'happy endings' are preferred over performing the actual act of performing first.

It's quite apparent that much of the belief in MLF is flawed, and will take a huge amount of success to erase the Rodgers' effect and to even think a crown should be placed, legitimately, upon his head.

Is it fair to erase the three 13–3 seasons from his resume? Not completely, but we all know, however distasteful that knowing is today, that Rodgers had a huge hand in that, ultimately unsuccessful success story, both good and bad.

MLF is now being asked to swim without his safety float alone when the float was linking air last year and the apparent full-blown drowning was somewhat prevented, or was it, really.

Billy Beane, in Monetball, told Art Howe, If you don't win the last game, nobody gives a shit. The way the Packers didn't get to win the last game, makes me not give a shit about MLF's previous seasons records. It tells me that Rodgers and MLF played a big part in all those horrible losses equally, and now we'll get to see which one actually was/is the more culpable.

Any level of failure for the Packers will reflect deeply on MLF and his future, whereas Rodgers' needs only one good year in NY to show it wasn't him, and raise his arms in victory. I don't know about the many here, but MLF better have a huge season with Love. I want him to in my heart, but my head just can't get around it, yet. Does that make me, not a real fan? Does it mean I have still, not once, been behind the team?

There's always plenty of blame to go around at divorce time and rarely any point to looking back and apportioning it so I am not fully on board with the framing, Cory, but IMO your core point is solid. Without a HOF QB the coach's contribution is even more important than usual, and we'll all try to see how this plays out in the coming season.

I am looking forward to the season-- as I always do-- with the added interest of the short yardage calls and guessing whether it really has been Rodgers switching out of called runs.

I agree his his shit show and time we see if this guy can coach. Any coach with a Brady and Mahomes can look good if they handle it right and provide them with players aroung them. Brady and Mahomes had decent offensive and defensive players around them and thats coaching and GM work.
It aint all on LeFleur but if Gutt F's up the drafts, LeFleur hands my be tied. We will have to see come September I guess.

As an NFL HC MLF has always been on his own or at least he should have been. Rodgers or not his teams have not played with a sense of urgency in most of their games especially the playoff games and during the play in game last season. Even when the Packers won games they rarely did so in a dominating fashion. Yes, they blew out a few opponents like the Bears but again they are the Bears. He has been outcoached by first year coaches on numerous occasions. His team has been unprepared for their playoff games and against the stronger teams on the regular season schedule.

His decision making from his coach hirings to unexplicable OL changes have been highly questionable at best and have usually failed badly. Another consistent feature of the MLF HC era has been undisciplined play especially on the defensive side of the ball. In my 60+ plus years of watching the NFL I have never seen a player strike or push a non-uniforme d attendant coming off the sidelines to assist an injured player. Nor have I ever seen a defensive player go up to the LOS and push the ball away from the Center. Both those plays happened in the same game!!! During the MLF era I have seen the Packers have more blocked kicks, punts and FGs, then I think that I have seen in all my previous Packer seasons combined. It's ridiculous. 41 dropped passes in 2022. Unacceptable.

Same mistakes made on both sides of the ball game after game. There are issues that we ca blame Rodgers for but the items that I have mentioned are coaching issues. No excuses. Especially when they are chronic mistakes which do not appear to be addressed.

If MLF with his assistants can get the team to play with a sense of urgency and discipline and at least reduce the stupid decisions that could be enough to keep the Packers in contention regardless of how well Love plays.

The issue with the MLF offense is not a matter of whether or not it is an effective offensive scheme, it it a matter of how well it is executed. Execution starts with OL play then RBs hitting the holes or adjusting, and the receivers running their routes correctly and on time and of course the QB releasing the ball accurately and on time. In 2023, especially early in the season, the inexperience of the receiving corps may be an issue in terms of running their routes correctly and on time. Watson should be fine. But Doubs and Toure will essentially be rookies and any receivers who we add during the draft will obviously be rookies. This should improve over the course of the season and reach the point where the offense can stay on track but I think that it will be a factor early in the season. Once again the Packers may need the defense and STs to keep them in games during the early past of the season. Time will tell. Thanks, Since '61

I just heard on you tube that Tom Brady is unretiring and going back to Patriots.