Packers hiring LaFleur.

[pbmax]

Speaking of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic:

Michael Cohen @Michael_Cohen13
#Packers have shuffled their strength and conditioning staff:

- Chris Gizzi has been promoted from assistant to coordinator
- Former coordinator Mark Lovat has been demoted but will be retained as an assistant
- Assistants Thadeus Jackson and Grant Thorne have been retained

[Joemailman]

Speaking of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic:

Michael Cohen @Michael_Cohen13
#Packers have shuffled their strength and conditioning staff:

- Chris Gizzi has been promoted from assistant to coordinator
- Former coordinator Mark Lovat has been demoted but will be retained as an assistant
- Assistants Thadeus Jackson and Grant Thorne have been retained

Don't tell Red.

[pbmax]

You'll never guess what traits the new special teams coach wants out of his units!

Michael Cohen @Michael_Cohen13
#Packers HC Matt LaFleur is speaking to the media now. He's introducing the coaching staff. Says he was looking for good communicators, people who love the game of football and high-character individuals.

LaFleur on keeping DC Mike Pettine: "I've gone against his defenses before. I think they present a lot of challenges for offenses. And the fact that he's been a head coach and he's sat in this seat, it really affords you an opportunity to bounce ideas off of him." #Packers

LaFleur on OC Nathaniel Hackett: "He's a guy that I've gotten to know over the years throughout the combine. ... There was a comfort factor. I know what he's all about as a man. And again, it comes back to being a high-character individual." #Packers

LaFleur on QBs coach: "It didn't have to be a guy that necessarily worked with Aaron (Rodgers). Certainly, we're going to find the best QB coach out there." LaFleur says he reached out to Rodgers and several others who worked with Luke Getsy and got strong reviews. #Packers

Aaron Rodgers will have a trio of coaches working with him: Matt LaFleur, Nathaniel Hackett and Luke Getsy. They believe they can hit Rodgers "from all angles" in meetings. LaFleur says he anticipates being part of every single QB session. #Packers

LaFleur said he didn't really consider bringing in someone who had been a head coach before on the offensive side of the ball. Said the process didn't shake out that way when they built the staff. This will be something to watch. #Packers

LaFleur asked about the youth on his staff. Said he focused on finding guys with a connection to his system so the teaching process would run more smoothly. He believes the young coaches will bring a lot of energy to meetings. #Packers

LaFleur asked about the strength and conditioning changes. He says Mark Lovat suggested making Chris Gizzi the head strength coach. Sounds like Lovat volunteered to take a smaller role in order to stay with the #Packers.

#Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett is at the podium now. On his role in GB: "I think the whole thing is about supporting Matt. He's a first-time head coach. He's going to call the plays. What can I do to make his job more efficient?"

Kelly Price @thekellyprice
Hackett’s energy is definitely palpable, as advertised. He’s talking about being a part of the #Packers and is genuinely in awe of the opportunity. Says he can’t wait to get back upstairs and work more on football.

@Cohen again
Hackett says a large part of his job as OC will be teaching the other assistants. There's a lot of youth on this staff, and the coaches themselves have a big learning curve ahead of them. #Packers

#Packers DC Mike Pettine: "Knowing Matt as I know him, I hired his brother in Cleveland, when he was hired, that was an easy decision for me (to want to stay). .... There's a lot of common ground, a shared philosophy."

Pettine says he wants the defense to take a big jump for year two. He says this season can be about the "graduate-level details" of the job. #Packers

Pettine says he was thrilled to see Patrick Graham have an opportunity to become a defensive coordinator with the #Dolphins. It's likely the #Packers would have retained Graham had he not been given the chance to earn a promotion in Miami.

Pettine says he and Joe Whitt did not have a difference of opinion about how things should be taught. Described the decision to let Joe leave as a tough one and believes Joe will be a coordinator in this league. #Packers

#Packers ST coordinator Shawn Mennenga says he wants to be aggressive on special teams. Play fast, play physically and be smart. "Use it to our advantage and make a difference in the game."

Mennenga says LaFleur emphasized the importance of special teams from their initial conversation and has continued to do so since then. The ability to hire a third coach on special teams (coordinator + two assistants) could make a significant difference. #Packers

[pbmax]

Tom Silverstein @TomSilverstein
Mennenga said his system emanates from the John Harbaugh coaching tree. His mentor, Chris Tabor was an assistant to Toub in Chicago and Toub was an assistant to Harbaugh.

OK. THIS IS GOOD

Tom Silverstein @TomSilverstein
Pettine said he was thrilled that Patrick Graham got a defensive coordinator's job. Said other changes were part of fitting what the new coach wants. Nice to have some continuity.

Tom Silverstein @TomSilverstein
Pettine said he had a ton of respect for Joe Whitt. Said he will be a coordinator in this league. There were no issues there. Did not say why Whitt was fired or whether it was his decision.

Tom Silverstein @TomSilverstein
Pettine clarified that it was LaFleur's decision to part ways with Whitt.

Tom Silverstein @TomSilverstein
OC Nathaniel Hackett said he knew Mike McCarthy from U of Pitt days and was steeped in West Coast offense. Said he's not sure WC exists much anymore but has seen it evolve into what it is now.

[Joemailman]

I really like all the coordinators. Hackett looks like a guy who will bring a lot of energy. Don't forget in 2017 he almost ended up in a Super Bowl with Blake Bortles at QB. My main concern is the thin resumes with the OL and TE coaches. Not worried about age. Youngest HC in the NFL last year was in the Super Bowl. But those 2 guys will be making a big jump.

[Fritz]

It would help Stenavich if he can develop a limp and start chewing tobacco and cursing a lot. Maybe squint some, too.

[pbmax]

https://www.packersnews.com/story/sports/nfl/packers/2019/02/22/packers-morning-buzz-how-green-bay-could-trade-down-extra-picks/2930324002/

Notes about Pettine being accommodated even while under contract. LaFleur was familiar to him (worked with LeatherTanneryJr and M4's brother). He got one of his guys hired (Smith, the OLB coach) and saw two M3 holdovers leave (Whitt was let go by M4 and Moss was fired for weirdness last season).

I dislike everything about this hiring process. 10 interviews, no one stands out, except the last interview who struck them as fantastic. No second interviews. Oddly enough, the last interview is a guy quite likely to know and be willing to accept a DC handed to him.

Keep a D coach as a condition of hiring who upped the pass game defense and did some good work on line stunts, but otherwise produced some lackluster results. Pettine is competent but I am not sure he is more competent than Capers. But he is not going to construct a good or even average defense out of leftovers like some can.

Mixed bag in hiring assistants. Stepanovich (unsure of spelling) and the TE coach are pretty raw as is one of the new DB coaches. ST coach is a retread.

Murphy at the top of three silos.

Other than hiring Jerry Jones to run the team, the process has the stink of committee all over it. Somehow the Steelers made this structure work year after year. But its not comforting that the Steelers are falling apart and are quite willing to be led by a QB on his radio show calling out teammates.

Everyone is worried about Rodgers, I am worried the org is in a state of slow but steady collapse to well intentioned ineptitude.

[red]

so do any of our new coaches have any coaching experience,or do they all come from backgrounds like "special assistant to the quality control assistant" under some 14 year old YMCA coach

[Joemailman]

so do any of our new coaches have any coaching experience,or do they all come from backgrounds like "special assistant to the quality control assistant" under some 14 year old YMCA coach

https://www.packers.com/team/coaches-roster/

OL and TE coaches seem to have the thinnest resumes among the position coaches. In general the defensive staff seems to have more experience than the offensive staff.

[Patler]

https://www.packers.com/team/coaches-roster/

OL and TE coaches seem to have the thinnest resumes among the position coaches. In general the defensive staff seems to have more experience than the offensive staff.

Those two do stand out as guys who could be in over their heads.

For his position as assistant OL, Butkus has good experience. Getsy is a fast ascending coach, with a lot of varied experience. Sirmans is an old hand. Whitted isn't far behind that group, and also has nearly a decade playing in the NFL. Those four seem to fit their slots quite well.

[pbmax]

There is a top line similarity between Jeff Jagodzinski and Stepanovich. New guy Step had two years as assistant one coach watching the outside zone scheme be run in San Francisco.

Jags had one year watching it with Alex Gibbs in Atlanta.

Pete Dougherty says it all begins with outside zone in both the LeatherTanneryJr and McVay offense at PackerNews: https://t.co/aTfI4PZUXo

[MadScientist]

#Packers ST coordinator Shawn Mennenga says he wants to be aggressive on special teams. Play fast, play physically and be smart. "Use it to our advantage and make a difference in the game."

Mennenga says LaFleur emphasized the importance of special teams from their initial conversation and has continued to do so since then. The ability to hire a third coach on special teams (coordinator + two assistants) could make a significant difference. #Packers

I'm sure Zook never wanted the ST to be timid, slow, soft and stupid, they just came out that way. Let's see if this guy is a good enough coach to get what he says he wants from the players.

[Patler]

There is a top line similarity between Jeff Jagodzinski and Stepanovich. New guy Step had two years as assistant one coach watching the outside zone scheme be run in San Francisco.

Jags had one year watching it with Alex Gibbs in Atlanta.

Pete Dougherty says it all begins with outside zone in both the LeatherTanneryJr and McVay offense at PackerNews: https://t.co/aTfI4PZUXo

If you are referring to when Jagodzinki came back as OC with MM, he had had two years with Gibbs in Atlanta, one as TE coach and one as OL. He also had 21 years coaching experience, including 7 in the NFL, 4 in GB in his first stint. Stenavich has only 7 total years coaching experience, and just 2 in the NFL.

Hopefully, Stenavich is an OL coaching prodigy, because he doesn't have a lot of experience to rely on. Butkus has more overall coaching experience, more NFL experience and more OL coaching experience than Stenavich has.

[Fritz]

https://www.packersnews.com/story/sp...ks/2930324002/

Notes about Pettine being accommodated even while under contract. LaFleur was familiar to him (worked with LeatherTanneryJr and M4's brother). He got one of his guys hired (Smith, the OLB coach) and saw two M3 holdovers leave (Whitt was let go by M4 and Moss was fired for weirdness last season).

I dislike everything about this hiring process. 10 interviews, no one stands out, except the last interview who struck them as fantastic. No second interviews. Oddly enough, the last interview is a guy quite likely to know and be willing to accept a DC handed to him.

Keep a D coach as a condition of hiring who upped the pass game defense and did some good work on line stunts, but otherwise produced some lackluster results. Pettine is competent but I am not sure he is more competent than Capers. But he is not going to construct a good or even average defense out of leftovers like some can.

Mixed bag in hiring assistants. Stepanovich (unsure of spelling) and the TE coach are pretty raw as is one of the new DB coaches. ST coach is a retread.

Murphy at the top of three silos.

Other than hiring Jerry Jones to run the team, the process has the stink of committee all over it. Somehow the Steelers made this structure work year after year. But its not comforting that the Steelers are falling apart and are quite willing to be led by a QB on his radio show calling out teammates.

Everyone is worried about Rodgers, I am worried the org is in a state of slow but steady collapse to well intentioned ineptitude.

While my more pessimistic side agrees with you here, I am hoping, at least - and I think it's tenable - that the reason the above boldfaced type occurred as you write is due to the extra in-season time afforded them by firing MM during the season. In this scenario, they used that time to talk to people, get a feel for who was a real talent, who would be a fit for Rodgers, and they kept coming back to that name. But for the sake of due diligence and all that, they went through this process, deliberately setting up the order of interviews so that they could satisfy the Rooney Rule (is that even in place formally?) and make it look like a "real" search, all the while knowing who their man was going to be. Thus, no second interview.

Or it's a clusterfuck.

[Patler]

I'm sure Zook never wanted the ST to be timid, slow, soft and stupid, they just came out that way. Let's see if this guy is a good enough coach to get what he says he wants from the players.

Are you sure?

The encouraging part for me is that I thought they actually were aggressive, physical and fast, but played very, very stupidly; and that is the one characteristic that might be most correctable by coaching and experience. It's off season, so I am hopeful!