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01/11 17:51 CST Matt LaFleur expects to meet with Packers president Ed Policy
soon regarding his future
Matt LaFleur expects to meet with Packers president Ed Policy soon regarding
his future
By STEVE MEGARGEE
AP Sports Writer
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) --- Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur was more
interested in talking about his team's future than his own a day after the
biggest playoff collapse in the franchise's storied history.
How long the two are connected remains uncertain.
LaFleur said Sunday that he spoke briefly with team president and CEO Ed Policy
on the flight back to Green Bay after the Packers' 31-27 loss to the Chicago
Bears in an NFC wild-card playoff game Saturday night. LaFleur expected to meet
with Policy again either later Sunday night or Monday.
But he declined to comment on whether he expected to keep his job after the
Packers (9-8-1) made their third straight playoff appearance but lost their
final five games.
"That's not the focus right now, to be honest with you," LaFleur said. "We're
fresh off this loss. My sole focus is on our players, our team, and just trying
to find ways to get better."
The Packers became the fourth team in NFL history to lose a playoff game after
leading by at least 15 points to start the fourth quarter. Green Bay led 21-3
at halftime and 21-6 after the third period.
LaFleur reiterated Sunday how much he wants to keep the job he's had for the
last seven seasons.
"This is one of one," LaFleur said. "I love this place."
LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst have one year remaining on their
contracts. Policy said last summer he would prefer not to have his coach and GM
enter the final year of their contracts without extensions, saying it "creates
a lot of issues."
That seemingly makes extending LaFleur's contract or firing him the most likely
options.
LaFleur was asked Sunday if he believed it could be feasible to return next
season without an extension, or whether his contract status would cause too
many distractions.
"That's not my focus right now," LaFleur replied. "Those conversations will be
had in a very short period of time."
LaFleur also was asked why he believes he's the right coach to get Green Bay
over the hump.
"I don't think those are questions for me," LaFleur said. "Like I said, I think
my sole focus is just trying to find solutions to some of our issues and why
things went awry yesterday. And you know, it's disappointing. I'm as
disappointed, obviously, as, as all you guys, as our fans, as everybody in our
organization, because we had plenty of opportunities to slam the door shut and
we didn't get it done."
Green Bay is 76-40-1 in the regular season but 3-6 in the playoffs under
LaFleur. The Packers have made six postseason appearances in LaFleur's seven
seasons.
The Packers led by at least nine points in the second half of four of their
eight losses this season, and they also squandered an early 13-0 advantage in a
40-all tie at Dallas. LaFleur said at his postgame news conference Saturday
that "we've just got to do a better job of keeping our composure as a football
team," specifically in critical moments.
LaFleur clarified those comments Sunday by saying he believed Green Bay's
issues were more from a lack of execution than a lack of composure. He noted
that the execution problems came from coaching decisions as well as from
players' actions.
He also discussed what the Packers could do differently to avoid a similar fate
next season, assuming he returns.
"I think we have to look at everything, from how we train to how we practice,"
LaFleur said. "These are conversations that I've already had with some of our
people. Just trying to find maybe different ways to do things but those are all
the conversations that are ongoing right now, just taking all the data that we
have, comparing to other teams or whatever it may be."
___
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