One of the outstanding mysteries in Green Bay this offseason is the on-field relationship between Aaron Rodgers and first-year Packers coach Matt LaFleur.
Their union represents a clash of offensive philosophies between the two 30-somethings: Rodgers, the self-assured freelancing signal-caller, taking orders from LaFleur, whose system will reportedly limit the QB's freedom at the line of scrimmage.
The two faces of the Packers are well aware of this apparent conflict. In a column by NFL.com's Michael Silver published last week, LaFleur said even he was curious to see how their two styles of coaching and playing will be reconciled in the coming season. Rodgers similarly told Silver that the QB shouldn't be expected to "turn off 11 years (of recognizing defenses)" just because LaFleur's system allows for more limited audibiling.
Their partnership still in the honeymoon phase, it's perhaps unfair to ask Rodgers and LaFleur to judge one another's professional compatibility this early in the process. Cue the outsider's point of view, an outsider with extensive history in Green Bay and freelancing around Lambeau Field.
Brett Favre told reporters this weekend, after confirming he wasn't actually coming out of retirement as his hacked Instagram has declared, that he's confident Rodgers will thrive regardless of the constraints of LaFleur's or any coach's system. His concern, if you can call it that, is instead with the young coaching staff.
"Aaron will be fine," Favre told reporters at the American Family Insurance Championship on Saturday, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I think that the thing is he needs to remain the same. And I don't have to give him any advice. You know, he'll handle it well.
"The question is, how will they handle it with him. And obviously, that's very important. I mean, there's more to the team than Aaron but we all have to admit that when he's playing and playing well, which generally when he's playing he is playing well, you don't want to change what's working. There's other factors that you have to work on."
Like Rodgers, Favre was a live wire on-field who could make every throw but could often drive coaches mad by freelancing and making his own mistakes. Unlike his successor in Green Bay, however, Favre played under his fair share of NFL coaches, five to be exact (Jerry Glanville, Mike Holmgren, Ray Rhodes, Mike Sherman, Mike McCarthy). Rodgers had only started under McCarthy before the coach was sacked in December, making his new normal all the more strange for everyone involved.
According to Favre, the best way for both Rodgers and LaFleur to adjust is to just let the incumbent Packers leader do his thing.
"I think you let him play his game and not disturb that very much," Favre said. "And it's going to be interesting to see if that happens."