The arrival of a new season restores hope and optimism, but the pain of January still stings.
Six and a half minutes is all it took for the Green Bay Packers' season to shatter in the most heartbreaking, stunning, and unforgivable way.
Those six and a half minutes directly correlated with the offseason that followed. Unfair criticism of Jordan Love. Uncontrollable and wildly over-the-top hype for the Chicago Bears. Caleb Williams on the Madden cover. And, rightly or wrongly, a different, much harsher perception of Matt LaFleur as a leader.
The Packers quickly ended speculation about LaFleur's future by handing him a new deal, but outside opinion has shifted. He's now viewed as a head coach in the firing line. Is it deserved? Perhaps not. But is it understandable? Absolutely.
Matt LaFleur criticism has reached unfair levels, but January remains his problem
LaFleur has everything you want in a coach. Well, almost.
Forget style points for a moment. Winning is all that truly matters. LaFleur has done a lot of winning during his time in Green Bay, and that shouldn't be forgotten.
Only one coach in NFL history, George Seifert, has more victories in their first seven seasons than LaFleur's 76. LaFleur averages 10.9 wins per season. His career win percentage ranks 16th all-time and fourth among active coaches. Anyone who claims LaFleur doesn't know how to win is wildly off base.
He's also a master of the quarterback position. His track record is as good as any.
Aaron Rodgers won two MVPs in four seasons with LaFleur. Jordan Love has quickly become one of the NFC's top passers. Malik Willis revived his career under LaFleur's watch. Even Kyle McCord, who was discarded by the Philadelphia Eagles after a rocky rookie season, played so well after one offseason with LaFleur that the Miami Dolphins traded a sixth-round pick to acquire him.
It's quarterback wizardry in the elite tier alongside Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan.
If gold jackets were handed out for work between September and December, LaFleur would be well on his way. But the Hall of Fame also needs January success, and that's LaFleur's kryptonite.
Make no mistake: he's enjoyed some big playoff wins. Love's dazzling three-touchdown display in the Packers' 48-32 stunner over the Cowboys in 2023. An emphatic 32-18 win over McVay's Rams in 2020.
But there were also three heartbreakers against the 49ers, a golden opportunity squandered against Tom Brady's Buccaneers, and then that game, the nightmare of all nightmares, at Soldier Field last January.
Matt LaFleur can begin his redemption arc in Packers' opener
Winning it all is difficult. Very difficult. Shanahan has never won a Super Bowl. McVay only has one. But getting over the line is what defines legacies, and LaFleur's ugly 3-6 postseason record looms large. It casts a dark cloud over what is otherwise as impressive a resume as you will find.
Losing in such spectacularly miserable fashion eight months ago just opened the wound further. It's why we're hearing about LaFleur needing to "put up or shut up" this season, that he doesn't know how to win the big one, that his teams lack the maturity and discipline when it truly matters.
The criticism is fair, but as is often the case in an NFL world filled with overreactions, it has gone too far.
Many have lost sight of just how talented LaFleur is. The reality? He's a damn good football coach. An elite offensive mind, a quarterback's best friend.
The biggest question can't be answered until January. But before LaFleur can finally break that spell, he can spend the next four months reminding everyone how good he really is.
Why his offense is the best the NFC North has to offer, and not the shiny new toy in Chicago. Why his team knows how to win games at a rate few coaches in NFL history can match. Why his Green Bay Packers are legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
It starts in Minnesota. LaFleur won't silence every critic in one September afternoon, as we all know he must eventually beat the final boss in January.
But Week 1 presents an opportunity to take the first step. To ignite his personal revenge tour, and to finally wipe away the memories of January's pain.
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