For all that has been said and written about how much Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan have meant to Matt LaFleur’s career — and make no mistake, they’ve both meant a lot to the Green Bay Packers head coach as he’s risen up the ranks — LaFleur himself would argue there’s another coach who had just as much influence on him.
“The first time I realized how much fun football was is when I worked with Dan Quinn and how much fun we could have and yet still get productive work in,” LaFleur, who worked as Quinn’s quarterbacks coach in 2015 and ’16 with the Atlanta Falcons, explained early in the 2020 season, before the Packers faced Quinn and the Falcons. “Here’s what I loved about my time in Atlanta: Every time we went to a team meeting, you never knew what was going to happen. You really didn’t. You were thinking, ‘I wonder what competition they’re going to show us today.’
“That’s what inspired me — Dan Quinn. I learned so much from DQ, and that has played a big impact on just how we go about our business here with the Green Bay Packers.”
So, it would stand to reason that Quinn would be at the top of LaFleur’s defensive coordinator wish list, now that LaFleur is in the market for one after officially parting ways with Mike Pettine on Friday.
There’s just one problem with that.
Quinn’s no longer available. He took the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator job on Jan. 11 — working for ex-Packers head coach Mike McCarthy.
That still leaves LaFleur with all kinds of options to replace Pettine. It’s just a matter of LaFleur determining exactly what he wants in a coordinator.
Does he believe in Pettine’s scheme, but just feels it needs a fresh perspective? He could promote outside linebackers coach Mike Smith, or pursue University of Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, who played for Pettine at four different NFL stops.
Does he want someone with extensive NFL coaching experience who has already won over a good portion of the defensive players on the roster? He could opt for defensive backs coach Jerry Gray, who has been a coordinator twice before and whose cornerbacks and safeties swear by him.
Does he want to take an if-you-can’t-beat-‘em-join-‘em approach after all the success the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense had against his offense this season? He could go after one of Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles’ lieutenants.
Or does he want someone who’ll run a variation of Quinn’s defense, which traces back to the Seattle Seahawks under Pete Carroll?
LaFleur will have a chance to shed some light on what he’s looking for on Monday, when he’s set to hold his annual end-of-the-season press briefing with reporters.
For now, here’s a look at 10 possible candidates who could be on LaFleur’s radar: