Green Bay Packers

StaTuesday: How first-year Packers coaches have fared

Published Jan. 8, 2019 2:59 p.m. ET

Matt LaFleur is stepping into an interesting situation in his first gig as a head coach.

The new Green Bay Packers boss (well, not official as we write this, but soon enough), inherits one of the best quarterbacks in the game (when healthy) in Aaron Rodgers, a Pro Bowl receiver in Davante Adams and a young, up-and-coming defense.

But also a Packers team which has missed the postseason the past two seasons and fan base hungry for a return and not thrilled at the prospect of a third straight year without a rooting interest in the playoffs (that is, beyond rooting against Chicago or Minnesota).

To do so, LaFleur will be going against Packers history.

No first-year Green Bay head coach has led the team to the playoffs in his initial year at the helm. As in ever. Not Curly Lambeau. Not Vince Lombardi. Not Mike Holmgren. No one.

Interestingly, only five had a better record in his first season with the Packers than the previous season, and two of those just meant getting three and four wins that initial year. However, each of the past two Green Bay head coaches did improve the team's record in his first year.

PACKERS HEAD COACHES, FIRST YEAR

COACH	YEAR	PREV	1ST YR	OVERALL	PLAYOFFS
Curly Lambeau	1921	n/a	3-2-1	209-104-21	8*
Gene Ronzani	1950	2-10	3-9	14-31-1	0
Lisle Blackbourn	1954	2-9-1	4-8	17-31	0
Ray McLean	1958	4-8	1-10-1	1-10-1	0
Vince Lombardi	1959	1-10-1	7-5	89-29-4	6
Phil Bengston	1968	9-4-1	6-7-1	20-21-1	0
Dan Devine	1971	6-8	4-8-2	25-27-4	1
Bart Starr	1975	6-8	4-10	52-76-3	1
Forrest Gregg	1984	8-8	8-8	25-37-1	0
Lindy Infante	1988	5-9-1	4-12	24-40	0
Mike Holmgren	1992	9-7	9-7	75-37	6
Ray Rhodes	1999	11-5	8-8	8-8	0
Mike Sherman	2000	8-8	9-7	57-39	4
Mike McCarthy	2006	4-12	8-8	125-77-2	9

* - Includes championships won before there was a playoff system

Of course, none of this means LaFleur can't lead the Packers to the playoffs in 2019. A look around at the current NFL coaches shows that while it's not common for a first-year head coach to lead his team to the postseason, it isn't like it's never happened.

Two coaches who were in their first year this season led their team to the playoffs. The same in 2017. Others have led their team to the playoffs in subsequent seasons (probably one reason they are still head coaches in the NFL; we aren't including those fired after the 2018 season).

Keep in mind that, of course, circumstances can help or hurt a first-year coach. For example, Drew Brees joined the Saints in 2006 and Andrew Luck was healthy in 2018 after missing all of the previous season, while on the flip side Jon Gruden and the Raiders dealt away some key players this year.

But -- and good news here, Packers fans -- generally speaking teams improved in the first year under the active head coaches. OK, not Bill Belichick, but we think things have still turned out pretty well for New England.

CURRENT NFL HEAD COACHES, FIRST YEAR WITH TEAM

COACH	TEAM	YEAR	PREV	1ST YR
Bill Belichick	Patriots	2000	9-7*	8-8
Sean Payton	Saints	2006	3-13	10-6*
Mike Tomlin	Steelers	2007	8-8	10-6*
John Harbaugh	Ravens	2008	5-11	11-5*
Pete Carroll	Seahawks	2010	5-11	7-9
Jason Garrett**	Cowboys	2011	6-10	8-8
Ron Rivera	Panthers	2011	2-14	6-10
Andy Reid	Chiefs	2013	2-14	11-5*
Bll O'Brien	Texans	2014	2-14	9-7
Jay Gruden	Redskins	2014	3-13	4-12
Mike Zimmer	Vikings	2014	5-10-1	7-9
Dan Quinn	Falcons	2015	6-10	8-8
Doug Pederson	Eagles	2016	7-9	7-9
Sean McDermott	Bills	2017	7-9	9-7*
Doug Marrone***	Jaguars	2017	3-13	10-6*
Anthony Lynn	Chargers	2017	5-11	9-7
Sean McVay	Rams	2017	4-12	11-5*
Kyle Shanahan	49ers	2017	2-14	6-10
Frank Reich	Colts	2018	4-12	10-6*
Mike Vrabel	Titans	2018	9-7*	9-7
Jon Gruden	Raiders	2018	6-10	4-12
Pat Shurmur	Giants	2018	3-13	5-11
Matt Nagy	Bears	2018	5-11	12-4*
Matt Patricia	Lions	2018	9-7	6-10

* -- Made playoffs

** -- Garrett took over as interim coach midway through the 2010 season and went 5-3. He had the interim tag taken away after the season.

*** -- Marrone took over in the final two games of the 2016 season and went 1-1. He had the interim tag taken away after the season.