Packers coach LaFleur gone – but not for long

The Green Bay Packers have fired coach Matt LaFleur for, as team president and chief executive officer Mark Murphy said, “failing to reach the level of excellence we and all Packers fans have come to expect.”

The decision comes just days after the National Football League team finished the 2021 regular season with a 13-4 record, earning a first-round postseason bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

“Not good enough,” Murphy said. “With this roster, the Packers were capable of at least matching the 15 wins the team achieved during the 16-game 2011 season,” before it lost 37-20 to the New York Giants in the opening round of the playoffs.

The dismissal of LaFleur was far more shocking than Miami’s firing two days earlier of coach Brian Flores, whose Dolphins won eight it its final nine games to finish 9-8. But some of Murphy’s comments seemed to echo those of Dolphins owner Stephen Ross.

“I determined that the key dynamics of our football organization weren’t functioning at a level I want it to be,” Ross said – while Murphy observed, “We lost to the Lions? The freakin’ Lions?”

Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst denied he had any problems with LaFleur’s coaching decisions, particularly his decision in the team’s final regular-season game to bench quarterback Aaron Rodgers at halftime with Green Bay trailing Detroit 17-13. “However,” Gutekunst added, “I’d like to point out that we lost to the Lions! The freakin’ Lions!”

LaFleur, whose 39-10 record with Green Bay set the NFL record for most wins by a head coach in his first three seasons, was unavailable for comment following the dismissal.

His agent, Trace Armstrong, said both he and LaFleur were busy fielding calls and meeting representatives from the Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, New York Giants, Houston Texans, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks.

It was a remarkable admission by Armstrong since neither the Texans, Jets, Panthers nor Seahawks have announced that they plan any coaching changes, “but just you wait,” LaFleur’s agent said. “Now that my guy’s available there’s going to be a stampede to the bank to see who can land him.”

Armstrong also said he has received phone calls from three Canadian Football League teams, which he declined to identify, as well as the United States Football League, which said LaFleur could take over as coach and general manager of any of its eight franchises or become commissioner when it begins play in April.

“Also,” Armstrong said, “the (NBA’s) Detroit Pistons and (NHL’s) Montreal Canadiens texted me, plus some guy e-mailed me saying he represented the Bears but the rest of the message said Сборная России по регби, so I don’t know what the hell he was talking about.” Medvedi (the Bears) is a Russian rugby team.

The Giants, in announcing the firing of coach Joe Judge after two seasons (6-10, 4-13) just days after the resignation of general manager Dave Gettleman, said they plan to fire their next GM, whoever it is, after the April 28-30 NFL draft.

Along with dismissing Judge, Giants president and CEO John Mara said the team also has fired “our offensive line, equipment guys, college and pro scouting departments, medical staff, accountants and anyone responsible for cleaning MetLife Stadium after what we laughingly call our games.”