Anyone who has watched Green Bay Packers football knows that starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers is an extreme competitor. He constantly expects the best play from himself and his teammates. One of his best-honed skills is audible plays. No NFL team wants to face Rodgers in the last two minutes of a game when he has the ball in his hands. They know he can slice up their defense and march his team down the field successfully in hardly any time.
New head coach, Matt LaFleur, brings his new offensive system to Green Bay and explains that it is not set up for quarterbacks to have such freedom. He says, “We’ve never really had a quarterback who’s had complete freedom to change plays at the line, because that’s not really the way the offense is set up. But, I mean, this is Aaron Rodgers. He’s had a lot of freedom to make those calls, and deservedly so. Now, how do we reconcile that and get to a place where we put him in the best position to succeed?” For this partnership between LaFleur and Rodgers to work, they will need to learn to understand and trust each other to end up with a compromise.
Building a New Partnership: Matt LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers
When asked about his relationship with Rodgers, head coach LaFleur replied, “I think it’s going great. He’s fun to be around. You can see how much fun he has on that field. I think we’re growing together. There more time that we can spend together, I think we’ll have a better feel for each other.”
While ready for a change in Green Bay, Rodgers isn’t ready to give up his leadership role and the freedom he expects. He has grown accustomed to making on-the-fly decisions that he feels put the Pack in the best position to win. Rodgers says this of LaFleur’s comments: “It’s a conversation in progress. I don’t think you want to ask me to turn off 11 years. We have a number of ‘check-with-mes’ and line-of-scrimmage stuff. It’s just the other stuff that really not many people in this league can do. That’s not like a humble-brag or anything; that’s just a fact. There aren’t many people that can do at the line of scrimmage what I’ve done over the years. […] There are a few of us who’ve just done it; it’s kind of second nature. And that’s just the icing on the cake for what I can do in this offense.”
Understanding
First, in building this partnership, LaFleur and Rodgers need to try to see things through the other’s eyes. As a first-year head coach in the NFL, LaFleur surely wants respect. He wants the team to see him as their leader. However, he needs to be sensitive to the fact that Rodgers has already established a role as a valuable team leader. The players look to their QB1 to set the tone for the Pack. Meanwhile, Rodgers needs to find a way to remain a leader while allowing LaFleur to introduce this new offensive scheme.
Trust
Rodgers built trust with Mike McCarthy over 13 years. So, of course, McCarthy let the quarterback adjust plays at the line of scrimmage or simply call his own plays. That level of trust doesn’t happen overnight. It comes from years of working together and learning from each other. After spending more time together, LaFleur will learn that, more often than not, he can trust this star quarterback’s instincts. Similarly, Rodgers will need to begin to trust that LaFleur is making the calls he feels are best. Building this partnership based on mutual trust and understanding will help them come to a constructive solution.
Compromise
Peter Bukowski of SB Nation Acme Packing Company writes that the pistol formation could be a realistic compromise. This position would allow Rodgers to spend less time with his back to the defense and to be closer to his receivers. Maybe they set certain parameters for when it is and when it isn’t okay for Rodgers to opt for the audible at the line. Whatever their compromise ends up being, they will have to find something that works. They’ll need to agree on an offensive game plan that gives everyone at least little of what he wants. A partnership between LaFleur and Rodgers built on understanding, trust, and compromise has the potential to lead Green Bay to a successful 2019-2020 season.
