Vrabel, Lafleur have mutual respect for each other
Matt Lafleur pulled no punches when he was asked about facing his former boss.
The second-year coach of the Packers (11-3) made that clear this week while talking about his team's game Sunday (7:20 p.m., NBC) against the visiting Titans (10-4). It marks the first time Lafleur matches minds with Mike Vrabel from the opposite sideline.
Lafleur spent the 2018 season as Vrabel's offensive coordinator before he was hired by the Packers.
"I think he'd whip my (butt), to be quite honest," Lafleur said of Vrabel. "You're talking about a former NFL player who's a pretty big dude."
The former co-workers won't be trading punches, of course.
But Lafleur knows a bit about beating opponents. The 41-year-old is 24-6 during his short head-coaching career, making him one of six in NFL history to win that many through his first 30 games. He's also the only Packers coach ever to do that, and the first to win a division title in his first season, when he led the biggest improvement (seven more wins) in one season in franchise history.
He led the Packers to the NFC Championship Game last season, just as Vrabel did with the Titans in the AFC.
Lafleur has risen through the ranks - from Saginaw Valley State, where he supplemented his income as a graduate assistant by being a substitute high school math teacher, to Central Michigan to Northern Michigan to Ashland University to the Texans to Washington to Notre Dame to the Falcons to the Rams to the Titans - proving himself a hot head coaching candidate along the way.
He has two NFC North titles already on his résumé.
Though he spent only one season under Vrabel, Lafleur said he tries to apply some of the lessons he learned during that short time.
"He's going to hold everybody accountable, whether you're the best player or the last player on your roster -coaches, players, everybody," Lafleur said of Vrabel. "He was really direct in his communication, laid out the expectations. (They) were crystal clear for everybody. You knew where you stood and what your responsibilities were and what the expectations were. I thought he did an outstanding job with that. It's something I've tried to carry over.”
But Vrabel is hoping his team can absorb some blows from Lafleur's team, which is a pretty big deal with MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers and his leagueleading 40 touchdowns.
And another Aaron, running back Jones, who is fourth in the league in rushing.
The Packers, the only team to win 11 of its first 14 games the last two seasons, can clinch the No. 1 overall playoff seed with a win Sunday. They've won 16 of their last 19 regular-season games. The Titans can clinch a playoff berth with a victory and possibly the AFC South with a loss by the Colts. So it's not like there's nothing on the line.
"He worked here with us, and it certainly probably looks a little different than what it looked like here offensively," Vrabel said. "That's about growth and about taking advantage of personnel and what people are doing. They run it effectively and then if you – they like favorable looks and matchups, and that quarterback will take advantage of it."
And it's not like Respect Street is a one-way street.
Vrabel spoke glowingly of Lafleur, whose one season in Nashville saw the team go 9-7.
"Matt had a plan. Matt's learned a lot from everywhere he's been," Vrabel said of Lafleur. "Respect his journey, his ability to take jobs and move on with a family, that's something that's always difficult and something that guys always think about. ... That's a strength to be able to do that. When you come into a new place and you can win and have success, it automatically makes buy-in easier."
Reach Paul Skrbina at pskrbina@tennessean.com and follow him on Twitter @Paulskrbina.