Well, there is some context available. Any player that was on the Packer roster at any time during 2025 was eligible for the poll, and there were 1,759 responses. We don't know exactly how many of them were Packers, but 1,759 is an average of 55 per team. So we know it is a pretty good sample size, not just a few.
You are correct that I did not want MLF to return and if he had gotten an A+, I would still have the same reservations about him. However, I would take some solace in knowing that despite how I felt, an A+ response clearly indicated that he hadn't lost the locker room and had the support of the players.
The fact is, one of the main talking points for MLF supporters has always been "but he is very well-liked by the players".
The fact that this doesn't look like this is actually the case, is not encouraging. It doesn't guarantee that he's lost the locker room, but we can definitely deduce that he doesn't have the support of all of it.
I can't speculate what his B- grade would have been had the survey been taken after the season, but it's certainly not a huge stretch to suggest that it would have been lower.
Rich Bisaccia, for all his faults, seemed to be relatively well-liked among the players. I'll admit this, despite not caring to have him back, personally.
Rich B and Hafley were our most popular coaches, and MLF and Stenavich were the least.
I don't feel great about hitching our long-term wagon to guys who clearly aren't as popular among the players as we thought. It just seemed like a really obvious fork in the road time for a soft reset, and we didn't do it. Now we've essentially taken guys off the hot seat without even having to earn their way off of it.
What's our path forward if we go 10-7 next season and get dumped in the WC round as a 7 seed again? Just run it back again in 2027? Keep bringing the band back every year as long as we can pat ourselves on the back for making the playoffs again? Because I see that as well within the likely range of outcomes.