What many got wrong about Matt LaFleur's season-closing press conference

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur had plenty to say during his season-closing press conference. Unfortunately, many misinterpreted the messages.

With the Green Bay Packers' playoff run over following their heartbreaking defeat to the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday, Matt LaFleur met with the media for the last time this season. The head coach touched on a variety of topics during his more than 30 minutes at the podium, expressing disappointment for how the final game ended as well as optimism for the team's future.

Much of what LaFleur discussed seemed straightforward. The need for better play from the kicking unit, whether or not that involves Anders Carlson, didn't require much nuance to comprehend. And understandably, LaFleur had little to offer about the future of injured All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari.

Still, certain other subjects resulted in some wild misinterpretations, at least in some corners. LaFleur didn't tip his hand about everything the Packers plan to do this offseason, and the public's imagination filled in the gaps.

LaFleur unlikely to relinquish play-calling

Perhaps more than any other snippet from the press conference, countless people glommed on to LaFleur suggesting someone else could take over the offensive play-calling duties in 2024.

"Every year's a little bit different," LaFleur said. "I got to make some decisions in terms of how we game plan offensively. I'm going to look at all that stuff and try to do what's best for our football team. So, if that involves someone else calling it, we could go that route as well."

In a vacuum, those words do sound eyebrow raising, but the context makes them sound far less definitive. The question posed to LaFleur asked about his involvement in the defensive game planning, an area in which he took greater control late in the season. Because LaFleur had already punted multiple times on the Joe Barry matter -- more on that later -- the reporter attempted to approach the topic from a different angle.

To avoid discussing Barry's job security, LaFleur shifted gears by reiterating how he planned to review every part of the coaching staff and the game-day operation before making any decisions. He offered play-calling as a hypothetical example of the type of responsibility that he could hand off to someone else if necessary.

LaFleur did not, however, seem to suggest that such a change looks likely. Later in the same press conference, he referred to himself as the "play-caller," undercutting the idea of handing off the play sheet next season.

And LaFleur has gone through these motions before. When asked a year ago about the possibility of handing off the play sheet, he gave a fairly similar answer.  

"As far as the play-calling is concerned, that's crossed my mind," LaFleur said last January. "I want to do whatever is best for us to have success. And if we feel like that is the best way for us to win games, then I would 100% hand that over."

Could LaFleur ultimately opt to make offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich or another assistant the play-caller? Of course. But LaFleur had proven to be one of the NFL's better play-callers during his five seasons in Green Bay, and that remains one of the most direct ways he can influence the outcome on game days. Keep in mind that before becoming a head coach, LaFleur left the Los Angeles Rams for an on-paper lateral move to the Tennessee Titans so he could call the plays. He seems to enjoy those responsibilities, and for good reason.

At least pending more information, it seems more likely that LaFleur simply wanted to steer attention away from his embattled defensive coordinator than hint at plans to change offensive play-callers.