Nickel: Through all the noise and negatives, Matt LaFleur has led with grace

GREEN BAY – The most interesting subject to observe in the last couple of weeks from the debates that surrounded Green Bay’s team leader hasn’t been Aaron Rodgers or social media, "Saturday Night Live" and late-night talk shows, or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the ripples from critics and supporters of the COVID-19 vaccination and protocol.

After a year and a half of this pandemic, so much of that reaction to Rodgers' revelation of being unvaccinated felt like a concert we all expected. Cover bands replaying the old hits. This was a script that we all know by heart, and everyone played their roles perfectly and predictably.

What was interesting was watching the way Matt LaFleur held it together.

And it really seems like he did hold it together, with about as much public grace and neutrality as possible, two traits that seem incredibly valuable for some – not all – people in positions of leadership these days. With Packers such as Rodgers, Davante Adams and Allen Lazard returning from their couches and illnesses to the football field in good health – which is most important of all – it appears the Packers will not implode from the weight of the scrutiny they found themselves under.

We are still divided; the battered Packers do not yet appear to be.

LaFleur led the way by rarely engaging un-winnable discourse. The more people shouted their opinions, the less LaFleur said. The more questions he faced unrelated to the sport, the less comprehensive were his responses.

To be clear, these questions and opinions needed to be asked and expressed, because coronavirus has affected lives and all of our livelihoods and that is always the more important topic. But LaFleur stayed in his lane, so to speak, acting like a football coach who limited his expertise pretty much to football.

That leadership style may not be for everybody (he’s the opposite of Minnesota’s Mike Zimmer, or even the Milwaukee Bucks' Mike Budenholzer), but to players, there may be something comforting about having that kind of unemotional presence in tense and trying times. LaFleur is the dad in the passenger seat with the 15-year-old with their temps. LaFleur’s not going to scream or lecture and he’s not so self-absorbed to take his eye off the road. The point is to get from Point A to Point B, alive and intact, and the rest in this moment is just noise.

Just curious: How do you think past coaches with all their achievements and success would have handled the pandemic, or the crisis and ensuing criticism of last couple of weeks? We can only imagine Mike McCarthy’s irritation at the topic, Mike Sherman’s impatience at the distraction, and Mike Holmgren’s nature of wanting to control of everything – including news conferences questions.

LaFleur didn't show much of anything. He can't get away with bullying like Bill Belichick, so he never cuts off a questioner. LaFleur prefers to expand his answers on football and complimenting his players and restrict his opinions on everything else.

The only hint of LaFleur's viewpoint comes with the occasional and almost imperceptible eye roll, which is really brilliant because that can be interpreted like artwork in the museum. You’ll see what you want to see. It's all subjective.

But arguing with LaFleur is not much fun, is it? It’s like boxing with an oak tree. 

When LaFleur did have some of his strongest comments, it was for the right reasons. He seemed to be protecting backup QB Jordan Love last week when Love was abruptly thrown in the the starter role with Rodgers sick out, and Love's debut came in a loss at Kansas City with an underwhelming performance except for a couple of throws. Love didn't play well but LaFleur took the heat. He tried to take all the blame. "This falls on me," LaFleur said.

The truth is somewhere in between Love’s shortcomings and LaFleur’s, but it is worth noting that a week later, LaFleur tweaked his play calling to ease Rodgers back into play, and that helped in a big win Sunday in Lambeau against Seattle.

“Matt (LaFleur) kind of limited the long play calls and a lot of the check-with-me’s early in the game, which I think we all appreciate and just running it,” Rodgers said.

Maybe neutrality isn't LaFleur's only emerging strength; how about his adaptability?

It was just three weeks ago that LaFleur took a patchwork Packers team without his top three wide receivers, its Pro Bowl left tackle, its starting center, its two best cornerbacks and a COVID-positive defensive coordinator and beat the Arizona Cardinals, then the last undefeated team in the league. LaFleur and the Packers won in Arizona, in a short week.

Two and a half years ago when Mark Murphy hired the somewhat unknown and relatively unproven 39-year-old to lead perennial contender Green Bay, there were more questions about LaFleur than sweeping endorsements.

But the hire kind of looks perfect now, doesn’t it? A coach too old to care about his public image on social media but too young to take a day off and delegate responsibilities elsewhere.

“I think our team is tired, to be honest with you,” LaFleur said.

Widespread injuries, a pandemic that picks apart at the roster, drama and controversy beyond his control and expectations that still never subside … this is LaFleur's life right now and he is still two weeks away from the bye.  

We learned something about LaFleur in the last three weeks and what his channeled energy does for this team. There’s nothing wrong with sticking to what you do and what you do well – and leaving the rest to the rest. If getting in to debates and politics isn't going to help the situation – but pulling aside A.J. Dillon to talk about improving his receiving will – then isn't it best to direct the limited energy and resources to that?

“You can never relax. You can never take a deep breath and feel like you have arrived, because as soon as you do that you are going to go out and get your butt whipped,” LaFleur said. “You have to earn it every day.”

Message Lori Nickel on Twitter at @LoriNickel, Instagram at @bylorinickel or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ChinUpLoriNickel