Matt LaFleur understandably faced criticism after the Green Bay Packers' late-season collapse, again finishing with the No. 7 seed and a first-round playoff exit.
It led to uncertainty over LaFleur's future following the heartbreaking loss to the Chicago Bears in January, which the Packers quickly put to bed by handing him a new deal. Sticking with LaFleur was ultimately the right call.
Appearing on The Richard Sherman Podcast, former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley shed light on what makes LaFleur one of the best head coaches in the NFL.
"Matt had a standard," Hafley told Sherman. "He set the standard and didn't deviate from it. I think in this league a lot of times people kind of walk by some stuff, but Matt wouldn't do that. At times, you'd be like 'Hey Matt, that's just a little thing,' but it wasn't to him."
"The standard you walk by is the standard you set, and you can't walk by anything," Hafley added. "I think that's one of the reasons they've consistently won and been a playoff team, and they'll take the next step soon."
Jeff Hafley praises Matt LaFleur and believes Packers will 'take the next step soon'
It's high praise, but it's also eye-opening to hear how LaFleur operates. With the team lacking consistency and finding ways to beat themselves and throw away leads, many (understandably) questioned LaFleur's process. Are they overlooking something?
Wins are the only currency that matters, of course, but Hafley's comments say a lot. He spoke about how LaFleur holds his players accountable and to the standard they set.
And he's right. While the team hasn't taken that next step and made a deep playoff run with Jordan Love, just as they failed to make another Super Bowl with Aaron Rodgers, they consistently win.
LaFleur has raced out of the blocks with 76 wins in seven seasons, guiding the Packers to the playoffs six times. He's only failed once, an 8-9 finish at the end of the Rodgers era that had Green Bay fall one hurdle short of the postseason.
This team is talented enough to make another run (and the Super Bowl odds reflect that), but they have to put it all together now. This is their time.
While LaFleur's future became a question mark in January, Hafley's comments serve as another reminder that LaFleur is the right coach for the job.
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