Matt LaFleur has completely divided opinion.
Fans are often the harshest critics, and that's true in this situation. An increasing number of Green Bay Packers fans want change after the team's playoff meltdown, and it's completely understandable.
It's not the first time LaFleur's team has crashed and burned from a position of strength. We're talking about a team that has lost three games without punting this season, an NFL first. They've repeatedly thrown away two-score leads, including twice in four weeks against the Chicago Bears.
However, there's another side to the argument. Packers players have defended their coach, including Jordan Love and Micah Parsons. Even Aaron Rodgers, unprompted, said at a press conference that it's an "absolute joke" for LaFleur to be on the hot seat.
Appearing on Wake Up Barstool, FOX analyst Greg Olsen came to a similar conclusion. If he were in Ed Policy's position, what would he do?
"I think you do nothing. I think the notion that Matt LaFleur's job is potentially in jeopardy is a bit ridiculous," said Olsen. "I think everyone is always in such a rush to find a replacement, and so often, the replacement is by far worse than who the original coach was."
"I think a guy like Matt LaFleur, his track record of offensive play-calling and the success they've had. Yeah, they've lost some tough playoff games, and they've lost some tough games down the stretch. Bad endings. Certainly, Saturday night is up there," he added. "I just think the notion that you think you're going to upgrade from Matt LaFleur in this hiring cycle is nonsense."
Greg Olsen makes a strong argument for why Packers should retain Matt LaFleur
There are two key points here.
The first is LaFleur's success. He has 76 regular-season wins in seven years, an average of 10.9 victories per season. He has been to the playoffs six times in those seven years, reaching the NFC Championship Game twice. It's a strong resume.
LaFleur undoubtedly has flaws, and he will only succeed long-term in Green Bay by evolving and adapting.
Moving on would also be understandable if the Packers believe LaFleur has reached his ceiling with this team and needs a fresh start. But that brings us to Olsen's second point. If the Packers part ways with LaFleur, who do they replace him with?
John Harbaugh? If there's one team that loves a fourth-quarter meltdown more than LaFleur's Packers, it's Harbaugh's Ravens. There's also a reason why Baltimore moved on. Harbaugh's message had become stale, and he wasn't able to take one of the NFL's most talented rosters into serious Super Bowl contention.
Would the Packers bring in another offensive coach, like Mike McDaniel or Kevin Stefanski? They, too, were just fired from their former teams. A defensive mind, like Robert Saleh or Jeff Hafley? Would they even consider taking the job, considering their close relationships with LaFleur?
There's no slam-dunk, must-have hire in this cycle. Ironically, LaFleur would become that guy if the Packers let him go.
What will the Packers do? What should they do? There's an argument either way, which is why there is such a split in opinion, but if Green Bay moves on, it better hit a home run with LaFleur's replacement.