National Football League

Is Packers' Matt LaFleur one of the NFL's top 8 coaches?

Published Feb. 17, 2022 9:02 p.m. ET

Colin Cowherd's "best NFL head coaches" list includes: Sean McDermott, John Harbaugh, Bill Belichick, Andy Reid, Sean McVay, Mike Vrabel, Mike Tomlin and Kyle Shanahan.

One notable absence from that rundown is Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur.

Matt LaFleur is left off Colin Cowherd's "best coaches" list

Colin Cowherd explores the role of Aaron Rodgers and Matt LeFleur, and explains why LeFleur is left off his list of the NFL's best coaches.

And though the Packers' coach has amassed one of the league's best records in his time in Green Bay, Cowherd argued that there is substantial reasoning behind his name being left off the list.

"What's LaFleur's strength?" Cowherd questioned on "The Herd."

"I know what you're saying, ‘well look at Green Bay's record since he arrived. It's better than Mike McCarthy.'

"Has anybody ever considered that when Mike McCarthy coached Green Bay, Jim Caldwell was the coach for four years in Detroit? He and Matt Stafford, they had a winning record three of those four years. They once won 11 games. Matt LaFleur inherited Matt Patricia in Detroit. Let's look at Chicago. Mike McCarthy had to face Jay Cutler. Jay Cutler's pretty good, he got to the playoffs. Matt LaFleur got Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields. Minnesota peaked two years before LaFleur got there. [Kevin] Stefanski left, and they've never been the same."

Since being named the Packers' head coach in 2019, LaFleur has posted a 39-10 (.796) record in three seasons. His 39 wins are the most by any head coach in his first three seasons in the NFL.

When LaFleur arrived in Green Bay, he took over a team coming off a 6-9-1 season, but one that possessed a lot of talent, including Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones and Davante Adams.

"Matt LaFleur inherited things: A worse division, a good roster, a Hall of Fame quarterback," Cowherd said. "And because he's winning more in the regular season, we think he's better than Mike McCarthy. People say well ‘he’s dominating the division.' Mike McCarthy dominated the division.

"Matt LaFleur has a losing record in the playoffs [2-3], and he's losing at home as a favorite with Aaron Rodgers. Don't tell me ‘look at his records.' That division now is a tire fire. McCarthy faced a better Detroit, a better Chicago, and a peaking Minnesota. Mike McCarthy fooled us. Are we absolutely sure Matt LaFleur isn't fooling us?"