Matt LaFleur should learn an impactful lesson from Sean McVay about how to round out a strong coaching staff
McVay wants different backgrounds on his staff.
Matt LaFleur spent a lot of time with Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay. He knows how they operate, and the skeleton of his offensive philosophy comes from that coaching tree. But LaFleur could still take some lessons in regards to his ability to build a strong coaching staff.
LaFleur has made some good hires recently — most notably, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley and linebackers coach/run game coordinator Anthony Campanile in 2024, and now they’re both gone.
But one move from the Los Angeles Rams in particular should serve as a lesson the Packers could replicate. McVay hired former Arizona Cardinals head coach and Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury as an assistant head coach.
Too many of his own guys
The idea behind adding a coach like Kingsbury to the staff is bringing a different set of ideas and philosophies in. The Rams will still run their style of offense with McVay as the head coach and play-caller, and promoting pass game coordinator Nathan Scheelhaase to OC.
But McVay is using a supplemental job on the staff to have another perspective. That can help solve problems and evolve McVay’s own scheme in certain ways.
Kyle Shanahan did a similar thing in 2024, but on the defense. While defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen tried to keep the style of defense Robert Saleh and DeMeco Ryans had implemented, Brandon Staley was hired as an assistant head coach to add a different perspective to the group.
Especially on offense, Matt LaFleur likes to have his own guys. He hires external low-level assistants and develops them — offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich came as an offensive line coach, passing game coordinator Jason Vrable was initially hired as an offensive assistant, and even Sean Mannion was an offensive assistant before being promoted to QBs coach.
All of these guys were molded in LaFleur’s offensive philosophy, and the Packers usually avoid bringing in coaches with their base on another tree.
First of all, the Packers barely use the assistant or associate head coach title as a tool to hire different people. Since LaFleur took over in 2019, Rich Bisaccia was the only assistant HC LaFleur has had, and he was promoted after being in Green Bay as a special teams coordinator for a year — and the promotion was much more about money than role.
The Super Bowl champions Seattle Seahawks had Leslie Frazier as an assistant HC under Mike Macdonald. This year alone, for example, the Minnesota Vikings added Frank Smith as an assistant head coach and the Carolina Panthers hired Darrell Bevell as an associate head coach and offensive specialist.
If the Packers are willing to spend on the coaching staff, and it’s a tool especially important because it doesn’t count toward the salary cap, it’s time to make the most of it.
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