Packers Coach Matt LaFleur Could Use A History Lesson On Brett Favre

By all accounts, it doesn’t appear a Matt LaFleur Fan Club currently exists. If there was one, though, it’s a good bet that LaFleur himself would be first in line for a membership. LaFleur, the Green Bay Packers’ sixth-year head coach, has strutted around the facility this season like his last name was Lambeau or Lombardi. In actuality, he’s won the same number of titles as Devine, Infante and Rhodes — zero. And if LaFleur’s Green Bay career ended today, he’d be best remembered as the guy who kicked a field goal when his team was down by eight in the final minutes of the 2020 NFC Championship Game. That hasn’t stopped LaFleur from acting like he has Bill Walsh’s résumé, though, during the Packers’ 5-2 start. After getting Malik Willis ready to play quarterback earlier this season, LaFleur told reporters: “You guys don’t get it. I know you think you got it, but you don’t get it.” When LaFleur was asked last week about quarterback Jordan Love taking more chances, he told a radio host: “You don't know what you’re talking about.” Some themes and questions are certainly non-sensical. But LaFleur himself didn’t know what he was talking about earlier this week when discussing Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre. And the 44-year-old LaFleur could use a history lesson detailing how football was played when he was in elementary school. Love — LaFleur’s current quarterback — is tied for second in the NFL with 15 touchdown passes, but is also tied for first with eight interceptions. And after Love threw two more picks in a win over Houston, LaFleur was asked if he could coach the interceptions out of his quarterback. “Hopefully we can put him in better situations so he’s not throwing picks,” LaFleur said of Love. “So all you talking heads out there can ease on the Brett Favre comparisons.” LaFleur spoke like being compared to Favre was akin to being called Scott Hunter, Jerry Tagge or Rich Campbell. Instead, being likened to Favre should be comparable to a singer being called the next Robert Plant, or an actor labeled the next John Wayne. Perhaps LaFleur needs to be reminded that Favre won three straight MVP awards from 1995-97. Or that Favre took the Packers to consecutive Super Bowls and won the title in 1996. Maybe LaFleur doesn’t know that Favre resurrected a franchise in early 1990s that had been to the playoffs just twice in the 24 years prior to his arrival. Or that many consider Favre the greatest Packer of all-time and one of the top-five quarterbacks in NFL history. “You’re talking about a first ballot Hall of Famer,” former Packer general manager Ron Wolf said of Favre. “Every time you go out scouting, this is the one guy you look for. Someone you can hang your franchise on.” The one knock on Favre during his glorious 20-year career was interceptions. In reality, though, the legend of Favre throwing interceptions at some preposterous clip is sheer fiction. Granted, Favre holds the NFL record with 336 career interceptions. But a major reason for that is he played 302 career games, the second-most in NFL history. Favre spent 16 seasons in Green Bay, where he threw 442 touchdowns and 286 interceptions — a ratio of 1.55-to-1. During that same time, the league-wide touchdown-to-interception ratio was 1.2-to-1. In 10 of Favre’s 16 seasons with the Packers, he threw fewer interceptions than the league average. And in 13 of those 16 years, he threw more touchdowns than the league average. As recently as 1992, there were more interceptions than touchdowns thrown across the league. The game was dramatically different a generation ago, as offenses took more shots down the field and defenders were allowed to be physical with receivers wherever they went. So when Favre threw a combined 112 touchdowns and 42 interceptions during his three MVP seasons — a 2.7-to-1 ratio — the league had never seen anything like it. Of course, many of today’s millennials — like LaFleur — appear to look only at Favre’s interception total and think he was some reckless, wild man playing the position. Far from it. Favre developed into a tremendous student of the game, which helped him finish second in the MVP voting in 2002 and 2007. Favre’s Ironman streak of 321 consecutive starts (including playoffs) is a record that’s unlikely to ever be broken. And Favre is one of the most beloved teammates to ever step into Green Bay’s locker room. “I don’t think there was ever a guy that loved his teammates more than Brett,” former Packer safety LeRoy Butler said. “It’s impossible to think that someone could love his teammates more. I don’t think anybody ever put more energy into loving his teammates than Brett did. “You felt like if you were in a foxhole with somebody, I want a son-of-a-(expletive) that when I’m asleep won’t put his gun down and will give his life for me. That’s Brett Favre. That’s Brett Favre. I want him in my foxhole. “He used to give rookies his truck. Brand new truck to run around in and he’d say, ‘I can get another ride.’ I mean, who does that? He got along with all the races, all the cultures. I mean they broke the mold on Brett Favre.” Perhaps LaFleur will be reminded of that the next time he thinks comparing a player to Favre is somehow undesirable. Of course, it’s the exact opposite. And LaFleur would be well advised to brush up on his history before mentioning Favre again.