When the Green Bay Packers take on the New England Patriots, it will be the third time that Matt LaFleur takes on Mike Vrabel, after Vrabel gave him his first big chance as an offensive play caller. Vrabel opened up about what he saw from the rising coach when he hired him in 2018 with the Tennessee Titans.
“Matt was a talented offensive mind,” Vrabel admitted on what attracted him to the head coach he is facing on Sunday. “I liked the system that they had, being able to implement the outside zone, the play-action passes. He believed strongly in the run actions that mirrored that. He wanted to run the football.”
LaFleur was the quarterbacks coach in Washington from 2010 through 2013. He was on the staff that led Robert Griffin III to a playoff run and an Offensive Rookie of the Year Season.
New England Patriots Head Coach Mike Vrabel Explains Why He Hired Green Bay Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur in 2018
Vrabel noted that while LaFleur was the Los Angeles Rams quarterback coach in 2017, working with Jared Goff, he thought that the Titans could lean on the style of offense LaFleur helped implement in Washington.
Vrabel compared his quarterback at the time, Marcus Mariota, to Griffin.
“I thought he was getting some of the stuff that he did in Washington,” said Vrabel of the reasoning for hiring LaFleur. “We had Marcus (Mariota) as quarterback and didn’t get a chance.”
Mariota was not healthy and the team could not fully get into the playbook that Vrabel wanted to see from LaFleur.
“You know what I mean again, I think he easily adapted,” said Vrabel on LaFleur’s ability to adjust that season. “We went through some adversity there a couple of games and had some moving parts early on in that season, and Matt didn’t flinch. He didn’t complain. He came up with game plans and modified things, and dealt with two tackles on the practice squad and losing a quarterback in the middle of the week, and different things that had come up. So, I think his flexibility and, obviously, the vision that he had for the offense to be able to implement the outside zone and the play-action passes and all the things that come off of it.”
The Packers offense is still led by the ground game, although the team is having trouble running the ball. Still, LaFleur has tried to find different ways to keep the offense moving, as Vrabel noted.
LaFleur Faces His Old Boss in Week 9
Earlier in the week, LaFleur opened up on his relationship with the Patriots head coach. He noted that he respected the way Vrabel went about his business.
“It’s been fine,” said LaFleur about his relationship with Vrabel. “I learned a lot from Mike. I got a lot of respect for how he goes about his business, holding people to a high standard. He was always toughest on the best players.”
LaFleur is known for his time with Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay, but his year with Vrabel away from those two might have been what led to him being trusted as a coaching candidate.
Mike Vrabel Gets Candid on Feelings About Packers HC