HarveysWBs

If they go the route of retaining LaFleur (are we really doing this again?), it would be a pretty big coup if they somehow snag Flores as DC (assuming Hafley gets a HC gig). I read today that Flores is open to accepting a DC position outside of Minnesota, and while I still think he should get a HC job somewhere, I’d love to have him on staff in either capacity. Ideally, in this scenario, they get LaFleur to take a one year extension, on the understanding that a better deal would be forthcoming in the event of marked improvement next year. Then, he either improves and stays on, or you have an in-house replacement as HC in Flores should the ripcord be necessary. But, or course, this will not happen. LaFleur will not accept a one-year extension in this job market (it would be agent malpractice), and he would fight tooth and nail against the brass forcing him to accept his possible replacement waiting in the wings. He seems to me like he would bring a much needed intensity to the team and the sideline that might shake up the “here we go again” mindset that seems to set in during big moments. And I bet he would have found a way to get some more pressure in the 4th quarter and kept the Bears under 25 points somehow.

For whatever it’s worth, the reporting this morning is that the team still wants an extension with LaFleur. Maybe it’s all distraction, maybe they’re stringing things along because a team might actually be interested in trading for him, I don’t know, but I doubt it. If they run this back with the same staff, I think I’m out next year for my own good. I’ll record the games and watch a non-frustrating win if I have the time, or have it on as background, but I’m not subjecting myself to this anymore. The culture is ruined, the players know it and are saying it publicly (see Quay Walker), and extending LaFleur now is the height of folly.

It was over when the Ravens came to Lambeau with the foam cheese grater hats and, in MLF’s own words “big boyed us.” I mean, the definition of an average team from a different conference who has absolutely zero reason to have any strong feelings about us came to our house with those hats and rubbed it in our face. We are no longer a serious organization. We exist as an idea only, and not one with any gravitas. We’re the ones other teams schedule for homecoming so all the fans can go home happy and the team captains get lucky at the dance the next night. As mentioned in the game day thread, the brass has lost Silverstein and James Jones. Silverstein, the dean of Packers journalists, who has to walk into that building and retain working relationships with a team known to be quite prickly about media connections, is calling publicly for change. And Jones isn’t just a beloved former player. He’s practically a member of the org since he’s on the Packers Radio Network broadcast all the time and reps the team everywhere. This regime is over. The only question now is does Policy see it’s over and how does he move on from here.

I actually wouldn’t tear down the roster. We don’t have a first round pick of our own next year anyway, and we’ve got an enviable foundation with Parsons and Love, with a bunch of very nice surrounding skill players to boot. But they need a new voice at the helm of each phase, and they have to quickly shore up the trenches and the CB room and also find a kicker. Since Gutekunst has shown a lack of either the ability or concern or both regarding addressing any of those positional failures for the last several seasons, I lean towards him getting the axe too. But I kind of suspect he stays, and if you held my feet to the fire I’d admit he’s the one I’m least upset about among all the brass. I’m not feeling too charitable, however.

I agree with this, and even if they wanted to part ways with Love, that’s hardly feasible anyway so it’s a silly academic argument at best and obnoxious bar chatter at worst. I don’t think Love himself is the issue, but I also have a hard time fully exonerating him. Yes, he was sensational for most of this one and outplayed Williams consistently. But when you’re the guy making the bag and you have an opponent with an average at best defense on the ropes and it’s do or die time and you let them breathe, that’s not championship caliber. Love did enough to win tonight, sure, but what we’ve seen repeatedly is that Love and LaFleur together have no killer instinct and too often can’t close. I think they have to hope a different regime takes him to the next level in games like this.

You can parse this any way you want, or grind whatever axe is closest at hand. Special teams is the easiest call, and no one is going to shed tears for Bisaccia or McManus getting shown the door. But they say success has many fathers and failure is an orphan. That can’t be allowed to pass anymore. Every level of this organization had its fingerprints all over this thing. Both lines were bad, and they’ve been a problem all year, and they were unacceptably shallow all year. And the entire world knew CB was a glaring weakness. Wouldn’t you know it, those things still hurt the Packers tonight. That’s on Gutekunst. Hafley sounds great at the mic, but his defense just gave up a historic comeback to a QB that routinely can’t hit the broadside of a barn and for whom they had no answers. Nothing he dialed up worked late and while you can say the third quarter offense did his group no favors, I’m not going to defend 25 late points given up when the offense didn’t turn the ball over. That doesn’t fly. And the offense. The magic is gone on the o-line. Steno and Butkus are out of leash. They made their bones on getting maximum production out of some B-grade investment there, but they’re running on reputation and it hasn’t been reality for a while. That second half screamed for ball control and churning some ground yards and they got stuffed in a locker by a Bears front that doesn’t intimidate anyone. But when the chips are down, and everything else is falling down around their ears, the one thing that has to be a constant in Green Bay is the QB and playcaller. At the very least, they have to know how to move the sticks, play situationally sound football, and bleed out a trailing opponent, especially an inferior one (though at this rate, it’ll be nearly impossible to say the Bears should be dogs in next year’s matchups). LaFleur and Love have accomplished much that can be praised, and they were always going to look diminished after Rodgers left. But even accounting for that, they choked again in the second half of a playoff game. They come up small in the biggest moments. But the point is, the whole team comes up small. Running it back is unthinkable, but once you start firing one person, I can’t fathom how you’d defend any of the others when it’s been this bad. The whole team needs a new identity. I can’t see any other way forward.

The failure and rot is at all levels. Lack of investment in secondary and D-line meant the defense collapsed. Supposed offensive-minded coach and excellent QB go dormant when they’re needed most. Soundbite D coordinator is overrated. And that doesn’t even get to special teams. There must be a reckoning.

I’m not sure this org can claim any semblance of seriousness and just run this back. What else does anybody need to see?

Drop drop drop

Ugh

🫠

Would just one guy follow the receiver?! Come on secondary.

Fire all the special teams into the bloody sun! For the love of all that is good, they are a plague…

Rookie got a TD!!!

Now that it’s under one possession, all kinds of interesting choke possibilities open up. Anything can do it. Crucial injury. Pick 6. Snap over Love’s head. Special teams on literally any play…

I’d say it’s unbelievable, but what’s the opposite of that?

Just a FG in that quarter would have been huge. We barely managed a first down. What does anyone expect anymore?

And there’s more special teams. Our script has been written for decades

Wilson is not a good pass blocker. Yeesh

Doubs is a bloody hero.

Johnson is really overthinking this thing. Thankfully.

It really is this organization’s MO. I don’t know what would fix it. They could hire the most no-nonsense staff in the world and I’d still think they’d just go brain dead in the clutch.

There’s the Nixon penalty

In routes open all night.

Love not using his feet there is puzzling