Steven Helmer Publications

Let me start out by saying the Green Bay Packers' playoff collapse against the Chicago Bears wasn't completely Matt LaFleur's fault. The Packers were up 21-3 at one point and held the lead late in the fourth quarter. They even would have likely won had it not been for two missed field goals and a missed extra point by kicker Brandon McManus Still, after watching Green Bay once again lose a game against the Bears they should have won and seeing a glaring trend that popped up in many of the team's 7 regular season losses, I am no longer as confident he is the right guy to lead the team as I was when I defended him a couple days ago , especially with quarterback Jordan Love entering his prime years. To be clear, I'm not saying the Packers should definitely move on from a coach that has taken the team to the playoffs in 6 of his 7 seasons. I'm just saying it wouldn't hurt to pause for a moment and look around before signing him to an extension. The Packers this ...

I'll admit it, I was pretty darn angry following the Green Bay Packers loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers yesterday. This year really felt like the year the Packers would return to the Super Bowl and, instead, their season is done thanks, in part, to a controversial pass interference penalty and even more controversial coaching decision. I've calmed down now, and after some reflection, want to share some of my thoughts. 1. The pass interference penalty made Matt LaFleur's coaching decision seem worse than it was. I'm not saying it was a great decision. I mean, he had the league's top red zone offense and this year's (likely) league MVP on the Buccaneers' 8 yard line. But, without the pass interference, the Buccaneers would have punted with more than a minute on the clock and with Green Bay still having one time out. In that scenario, the field goal would have had Aaron Rodgers and company in a position to win the game with a quick score. Still, even with that ...