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On the first day of training camp this year, Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur leaned back in a folding chair adjacent to his practice field.
The Packers were deep in negotiations on a megadeal for Jordan Love. Three days later, the quarterback would agree to a contract worth up to $220 million with $100 million guaranteed.
It was a deal that would rock the NFL not because Love’s prior year of performance wasn’t impressive, but because it was the only year Love had impressed – or even started. But the Packers still believed in their quarterback.
More specifically, they believed in the marriage of their quarterback and play-caller.
Because halfway through their first season learning each other’s nuances, something had changed. Following an October game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, LaFleur realized: I don’t need to keep the kid gloves on anymore. My conservative play calls aren’t helping this offense. If anything, they’re suffocating it.
“Early on, you’re trying to protect him – protect everybody quite frankly,” LaFleur told Yahoo Sports on July 23. “We got a little too conservative, and so the mindset was, we always have a saying around here with the coaches: ‘Shoot or shoot.’ And it was kind of more that mentality, that approach. We started doing that and our guys were making plays and it obviously served us well down the stretch.
“You’re always learning to make those tweaks too whether you’re the head coach, whether you’re a coordinator or whatever it is. You have to be learning.”
The shift that followed was dramatic.
Bryce Young’s best game as a pro came in Sunday’s narrow loss to the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs. Is this a watershed moment in his career, especially as it pertains to his relationship with head coach Dave Canales? (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
The Packers rebounded from a 3-6 start to win seven of their last nine regular-season games. Love threw 18 touchdowns to just one interception in the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/bryce-young-and-dave-canales-are-learning-a-lesson-that-transformed-the-packers-last-year-are-the-panthers-next-000923181.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-11-28 00:09:00
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