Inbox: It wasn't just a deal about players and picks

[Cheesehead]

Rob from Wilmington, NC


It's also the name of a small township in central Wisconsin, but that's not important right now.


Dan from Morehead City, NC


Has Coach LaFleur made any mention of the new DC and STC and their freedom with their staff hires? The more turnover in the whole staff there is, the longer is will take for the defense and special teams to jell I believe. A new coordinator may want his own coaches though to put his best stamp on the team, with a longer learning curve, but maybe a better result. Which way does the team appear to be leaning?


I'm not expecting any major overhaul with position coaches. LaFleur likely would have made many of those decisions already.


Steven from Silver Spring, MD


The ST have had notable struggles under both the previous ST coordinators, yet the new ST coach was an assistant under both of those tenures. I think fans have quite a bit of trepidation that we are engaging a coach who was part of these past seasons of struggle. What makes ML think that this will be an upgrade and not a continuation of the current process?


As I mentioned on "Unscripted," that's a natural question to ask, and I think LaFleur's decision here is an indication of the leadership potential he sees in Drayton that a young, rising coach hasn't yet had the power to use. For those wondering why he didn't step forward more when things were going south, I would surmise he was respecting the chain of command. His college playing career, bachelor's and master's degrees, and start of his coaching career were all at The Citadel.


Mike from South Range, WI


Continued poor special-teams play has led to another change in ST coordinator. Improved coaching should improve players' execution; however, a man whose opinion I value has suggested poor ST play can reflect the quality of players in the lower half of the roster. That would seem to point to poor player acquisition, the responsibility of the GM. Both factors may be involved, but do you have a perspective on which might have had a bigger influence in our Packers?


Valid question. It's definitely some of both. A lot of NFL players didn't play special teams in college. They have to be taught how to do it well. Some guys buy in and really establish themselves. Others never get there. That's why I previously referenced the right mix of coaching and personnel.


Tyler from Cross Plains, WI


Since Dom Capers and through Mike Pettine (McCarthy holdover) the Packers were classified as a "3-4" defensive team. I'm assuming that scheme decision comes from the head coach since he hires the DC, but do you have any insight as to what scheme Matt LaFleur prefers to run on defense? Could you see him making a switch and adding another DT next to Kenny Clark and putting the Smiths/Rashan Gary in a three-point stance on the line?


LaFleur's comments Monday told me his vision is more about how he wants his team to play defense than what it runs, and he's going to find a coordinator who fits that vision and let him run what he feels best suits Green Bay's talent.


Ethan from La Crosse, WI


Can we talk briefly about home-field advantage? Because we spent a lot of time during the season talking about it, and it hasn't been addressed yet. Will we also spend all of next season talking about how important it is to earn it? The location of the game is irrelevant, and I hope we remember that next season. They just need to get to the NFC Championship and finally win it, wherever the game is played.


I agree with your last sentence, but it's naïve to say the location of the game is irrelevant. Having been in attendance at Seattle, Atlanta and San Francisco, I witnessed how difficult it was to get anything back on track once the game started to go sideways. Two Sundays ago, it wasn't as cold as preferred, nor was it a full house, but I do believe playing at home helped the Packers right the ship after a rough stretch and provided a better chance. They just didn't finish the deal.