LAFLEUR BROTHERS PLAYING FOR ALL THE NFC MARBLES
Matt Lafleur, head coach of the Green Bay Packers, doesn’t know if he’ll be in Miami for Super Bowl LIV.
Ditto for his brother Mike Lafleur, passing game coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers.
But because their teams square off on Sunday in the NFC championship game (6:40 p.m. EST, CTV via FOX), at least their parents — Kristi and Denny Lafleur — can book travel plans for the Feb. 1-2 weekend.
“They’re going to the Super Bowl, one way or the other,” Matt told a news conference in Green Bay on Wednesday.
The Lafleurs’ family reunion this weekend takes place at
Levi’s Stadium, in suburban San Jose, way down the bay from San Francisco.
One can imagine the pride Kristi and Denny must feel, but also the conflict. One of their sons is going to be ecstatic Sunday night, the other devastated.
“It’s mixed emotions. It is what it is,” Matt said.
Matt is the much older brother. He’s 40. Mike is 32. They grew up in remote Mount Pleasant, Mich., home of Central Michigan University.
“Anybody that knows me knows how much my family means to me — my brother, my parents and my wife and kids. It’s an emotional deal,” Matt said.
“But it’s not about us. This is about the Green Bay Packers vs. the San Francisco 49ers — two great football teams, with the opportunity to go to the Super Bowl.”
The two brothers actually coached together as assistants, along with current 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, in 2015-16 with the Atlanta Falcons. Shanahan was offensive coordinator; Matt was quarterbacks coach and Mike was a general offensive assistant. In fact, Matt worked as an offensive assistant under offensive coordinator Shanahan in Houston (2008-09) and Washington (2010-13).
Shanahan himself comes from football royalty. His dad, Mike Shanahan, was a longtime NFL assistant and head coach who led the Denver Broncos to back-toback Super Bowl championships in the late 1990s.
When Kyle was offensive coordinator with the Houston Texans in 2008, he squared off against his dad’s Broncos. So he knows what the Lafleurs are going through this week.
“It’s always a little bit different,” Shanahan said, “just because of how close you are with the other person. I know Matt and Mike are as close as any brothers could be, just like most people are with siblings. But it really doesn’t matter. There’s a lot of talk to it and stuff, but I mean, there’s no feeling when that game goes on.
“There are no feelings when you’re studying and preparing. Everyone cares about the other person. I know if we weren’t in it, I know he’d be pulling for his brother. Just like when I wasn’t going against my dad, I was always pulling for him. But, I know when you go against each other, that stuff doesn’t matter. Everyone’s got a job to do, and everyone is pretty competitive and wants to win, also.”
How close are Mike and Matt? Well Matt had to play older brother when asked at Wednesday’s news conference about all the great coaches these Niners have, including Mike.
“First of all,” Matt said, “who said he was a great coach? That’s what I want to know. I never said that.”
Zing. Good one.
On a more serious note, Matt indicated he won’t be bringing his two sons and daughters to the Bay Area this time, as he did in November when the Packers played the Niners in Santa Clara.
“I think there’s a little bit different vibe (this time),” the first-year Packers head coach said. “So I’ll just leave it at that. I haven’t really talked to (Mike) much at all, and it will probably be that way for the remainder of the week.”
As politely as possible, Matt said he understands the interest in this family affair, but tried to deflect the spotlight to a more relevant spot.
“I mean, they’re more than just one guy over there. There’s a lot of great coaches over there — Kyle Shanahan, (run game coordinator) Mike Mcdaniel, (running backs coach) Bobby Turner. I’ve worked with all those guys. (Tight ends coach) Jon Embree. I could go on and on and on.
“I have a lot of respect for their ability to dissect a tape and come up with a good game plan. I’ve seen it first-hand. I’ve lived it with those guys. So I know they’re going to have stuff ready for us.”
ESPN’S Adam Schefter spoke with the elder Lafleurs for a podcast this week.
“Somebody is going to lose,” mom Kristi said. “But they still need to celebrate what has been accomplished.”
Well, maybe so. But that’s for next week. Not this week.