Mike LaFleur, offensive coordinator
San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan valued passing game coordinator Mike LaFleur so much, he refused to allow him to leave to work for his brother, Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur, when he got the Packers heading coach job in 2019.
“I was never tempted,” Shanahan said. “It was very easy, and I looked forward to saying, ‘No,’ very quickly. As quick as I can. I mean, and I get the family stuff and everything, and I’m sure if things got pretty rough for a while, eventually I would’ve softened up and given in — maybe. But Mike’s my coordinator, and he does a hell of a job. He’s a really talented guy, and we put a lot of work in together. I feel very fortunate to have him this year, and I plan on staying that way until he gets a head coach job.”
Well, Shanahan actually softened his stance two years later when he let Mike LaFleur leave to become Robert Saleh’s offensive coordinator with the Jets.
LaFleur owes a lot to Shanahan. Following a few stops for LaFleur as a small-college assistant, Shanahan got him into the league in 2014 with the Cleveland Browns, where Shanahan was offensive coordinator. Then he followed Shanahan to Atlanta and on to San Francisco. So after several years of learning the Shanahan way, LaFleur brings this prized system to Florham Park, and Saleh is excited to have him.
Denne historien er fra March 2021-utgaven av NY Jets Confidential.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra March 2021-utgaven av NY Jets Confidential.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
FIRST DOWN- A lot of potential, but a lot to learn
There is a lyric in an old song by the rock group Chicago that sums up where Zach Wilson is right now:
IN HIS OWN WORDS WITH DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR JEFF ULBRICH - Ulbrich breaks down Jets' defensive personnel
(Marcus Maye) can do it all. I would feel comfortable with him (at free or strong safety). He’s a guy that, to me, he can play deep, he can play the half field, he can play the middle third, he can do that and you feel comfortable with it. I think he’s got range, speed and athleticism. I think he’s got ball skills and instincts to be a deep safety. But I think he’s got enough size and girth and want-to and courage to play in the box. It’ll be fun to utilize all the things that he does. He can cover tight ends; he can cover some of the wide receivers in this league.
Dan's Minicamp Diary
Becton bombarded with weighty questions
Saleh calls Wilson ‘relentless' as a worker
QUESTION SESSION WITH QB ZACH WILSON
Jets hope initiatives will increase winning edge
Aside from adding as many good players as possible to help the Jets improve, coach Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas are trying to turn over every stone to find extra ways to give their team a winning edge, and two examples of this were announced over the course of the offseason, with the additions of a game management coach (Matt Burke) and the installation of an Athletic Care and Performance Department. Let’s take a closer look at these two moves and how they might help the Jets:
Dan's Spring Camp Diary
This time of year for learning, experimenting, not stats
AUDIBLES-Saleh doesn't cave on offseason work
Tom Brady might be wrong about this one.
SAFETIES
Justin Simmons, Broncos 6-2 • 202 pounds • 27 years old
OFFENSIVE TACKLES
Trent Williams, 49ers 6-5 • 320 pounds • 32 years old
LINEBACKERS
Lavonte David, Buccaneers 6-0 • 226 pounds • 26 years old
