adambr2

Few things: - If MLF gets fired, he’s going to interview at every vacancy that wants to interview him and potentially take multiple bids. If he is acquired in trade, he has one option to talk to and he’s likely going to take a market value long-term extension there. So that’s one point of trading for him versus waiting out the Packers. - The other leverage on our side is that we don’t actually have to do anything. We can end all talks and bring him back as a lame duck in 2026. He won’t love it, and it’s probably not the best thing for the 2026 Packers, but it is an option, and likely a better one than extending him long-term and then wanting out again at this time next year. It’s clear at this moment that Policy is willing to stick with Matt for now, but wants to be able to easily pivot in a year or two if things continue to trend the same or worse. It’s clear that MLF wants commitment from the Packers, doesn’t want to go into 2026 already worried about his job security. IMO, divorce is best for both sides. I don’t see how you can finish 2025 like MLF did, have the reputation for disappearing in big games like his teams do, and get a long-term extension and NOT be on the hot seat. At the same time, I acknowledge that his regular season is good enough to get a big deal elsewhere where they would be willing to commit to him and he wouldn’t be on the hot seat elsewhere. MLF really screwed himself last weekend. All he has to do is finish off the Bears, and no matter what happens in Seattle , “choking” is not much of a talking point next week. He’s getting his extension, not everyone is thrilled about it but the main point being made is that his time almost reached the NFCCG with all the injuries.

I don’t expect to get a 1st for Lafleur. A 2nd would be fantastic. Anything is better than nothing.

The last thing we should be thinking about doing right now is continuing to deal more future 1sts. Since we finally may own our own 1st this year I’d be fine with just a light tank, who knows, take a shot at getting in the lottery, at least add a youth piece and try again next year, hopefully without Doc. That seems like a better path to me than a desperation move to cling to low seed or PIT just to get bounced early.

It seemed inexplicable to me that we could ever miss the playoffs with Giannis. I always assumed the 6 seed was pretty much the floor if the supporting cast was total garbage.

I would say more than they had a ton of luck in 2024 and probably less luck in 2025.

I bet that there is also a game that Campbell won with his approach. I tend to to think he is on the right track more often than not although there are some instances where he takes it too far. I’ve noticed aggression gets second guessed to death when it doesn’t work, conservatism almost never gets second guessed. Seems barely remembered to me that we converted a 4th and goal from the 1 right before half to go up 21-3. Had we taken the points and still lost by 4 no one would be second guessing it. But the “take the points” crowd would have crucified it if we had failed and ended up losing by 4 because they would have assumed everything else would be the same and that we could have won with a field goal on the final drive. Probably the play of the game IMO was the 4th and 8 with the Bears in their territory that they converted. An old school coach could have talked himself into the idea that with the 3 timeouts and 2 minute warning and almost 6 minutes left, he could have afforded to punt.

The Seahawks don’t bother me that much. Pete Carroll, Fail Mary, Richard Sherman and 2014 are the only real reasons I have to hate them, and all those things are well in the past now. It’s Rams, Seahawks, 49ers, and Bears in that order for my preference out of the NFC, although I’d have to plug my nose for either of the last two.

I am hoping the Rams steamroll the Bears. I wasn’t excited to root for the 49ers over the Bears even though I would but the Rams make it easy. I would be happy with Buffalo or Houston in the AFC. No thanks to Sean Payton, and while I have no issue with New England really, Boston sports fans are immensely spoiled, like are we really going to see the Patriots become a juggernaut again ALREADY? Buffalo is far and away my rooting interest. Would love to see Josh Allen finally get one. And let’s be honest, Bills fans are probably the only ones who can one-up us on our playoff heartbreak stories. Plus then Matt Lafleur becomes the longest tenured coach in the NFL to never reach a Super Bowl, another fun fact for Policy to chew on.

The Steelers suck. Sad ending for Rodgers if this is it. Tomlin shouldn’t be back in Pittsburgh. He’s stuck coaching in 2009.

It’s still not over until MLF actually signs an extension. It’s a weird spot because MLF probably knows he can get 12-15M a year somewhere else, and Policy is sitting there thinking …”man I look like a cuck if I give that guy that kind of money right now.” So it’s an interesting spot. It does look a bit ridiculous right now to give MLF a huge raise.

If the Packers were a human being, they would work 9-5 at a job that they hated for 40 years, constantly believing they were in line for the next big promotion that went to someone else every time, rather than risk chasing something bigger. “It pays the bills”, they’d say with a weak smile to anyone who asked.

I can wrap my head around keeping Gute. I don’t think he’s great and his first few years were really bad but it seems like after 2021 it’s been solidly above average. Struck out in free agency last year but did well the year before. JJ Watt’s recent comments bother me a lot though, about how he wanted to play for the Packers and would have come for 1 year/$5M and they were just not interested. That feels criminal of Gute.

If you’re a believer in karma, McManus missing 3 kicks is a pretty fitting penalty from the football gods for the complete loser move of calling a timeout with 1 second in a meaningless game to kick a field goal to lose 16-3 instead of 16-0. “Sure thing Matt, you can have those 3 points. But I’m taking back 7 from him next week.”

We do this every time the Packers blow a big one. ”if only Doubs had recovered it” ”if only McManus hadn’t had an awful game” ”if he had caught this. If he had caught that” Ok, it works the other way too. What if Watsons’ fumble had gone out of the back of the endzone? What if we hadn’t recovered Jacobs’ fumble? What if Kinnard had coughed it up deep in our territory when he put the ball on the ground? What if we just “took the points” on 4th and goal from the 1 like many wanted to? What if Ben Johnson had actually punted a few times instead of coughing it up deep in his territory? Lady Luck actually tried her damndest to help us out for once and we STILL choked. The common denominator is the choke and the coach. I suspect a year from now we will be lamenting other “if only!” outcomes, only with different details.

He didn’t exactly strengthen his bargaining position Saturday night. I am holding out some hope (but only maybe 20%, at best) that this is mostly a ruse and Policy doesn’t intend to offer him anything he’ll accept, basically letting him save face and look like it was financials that kept him from coming back and not the fact that he’s the biggest choke artist in the NFL.

I for one am super excited about Ben Johnson bending over our beta male head coach 2 more times next year followed by screaming “F the Packers!!” in his locker room.

I’m flabbergasted why they think they need to give a new guy two seasons before they see results. It’s not a rebuilding roster. Are they seriously afraid that someone else is going to come in and go 6-11 with this roster? Did Ben Johnson and Liam Coen need two seasons? The ending to this season gave the Packers the perfect excuse to bail on this guy. Now if you stick with him, you’re setting yourself up for a complete nightmare of a scenario going forward. The same thing is going to happen next season. We 90% know it. Playoffs, and then some catastrophic exit in January with MLF under the microscope. Only now you’re stuck, because you gave him a long-term deal and they’re not going to eat it all. The same issue they have if they bring in someone new, being stuck with him a couple years, is the same issue they have with keeping MLF.

Hoping this is just kind of a prelude to them eventually saying they couldn’t work out a contract and had to part ways just to save face. I’ll be honest, I’m pretty much done for now if they give him a big extension. I’ll still pay attention in a casual way like I follow Badger basketball. But I’m not going to go spend my money attending games, get my hopes up, just to go through another inevitable choke job next year. Nah. Just not worth getting that emotionally invested anymore.

That’s absolutely fine. I expect he will. I don’t know why people care what he does after this or how many other parties will be calling. Harbaugh’s phone has been blowing up the last week. It doesn’t mean that the Ravens were wrong or should be getting cold feet.

You can have a reputation for QB development, for offensive scheming, for a strong regular season record, and also a reputation for not being able to keep your team focused and composed when adversity happens. All of those things can be true at the same time, and all are part of MLF’s identity. In no way should panic be setting in for both the coaching staff and players with a 15 point 4th quarter lead. That’s the reality we live in and the reality we saw Saturday night. Blown leads happen. To blow so many double digit leads in the same season — when you’re melting down in the face of ANY adversity almost inevitably, you really do have to examine a culture change.

It’s kind of eerie if you see how consistent the Packers are at melting down when they face adversity. It is absolutely a coaching/leadership issue.

George Kittle tore his Achilles today. Had the 49ers lost, no doubt that would be a talking point. Of course, not just that one injury, but the many key injuries they’ve suffered this year. They overcame and won. We melted down and lost. Stark difference between the two organizations as they are right now.

One other thing. Rashan Gary is absolute cheeks. What a bust.

You let this happen, Matt. You did this. I’ll predict the football Gods smiting the Bears next week for their postgame rubbing in our faces. Reminds me a lot of us flying the L flag after Game 7.

I posted in Bears v Packers game two that MLF can’t hold Ben Johnson’s jockstrap and was soundly thumbs downed. MLF is in the lower tier of NFL head coaches.