How will LA Rams Matthew Stafford work w rumored OC Mike LaFleur?

What offense does Mike LaFleur run?

Before I tell you who I think Mike LaFleur is, check out this video interview of Mike LaFleur from February 2021.  It’s over 37 minutes in length, but to truly get a 360-degree perspective, if you have the time to spare, this is a worthwhile investment of your time.

Because he was oriented to the San Francisco 49ers’ offensive philosophy, you can bet that Mike LaFleur holds much higher regard for the running game than LA Rams head coach Sean McVay. In a Mike LaFleur offense, you are getting plenty of 12-personnel packages, empty backfield formations on third down, use of slot receivers,  and an offense that is at least very aware of the benefits of a strong running game to the effectiveness of the offense and to the ability to enhance the passing game.

But it is not wall wine and roses, nor should it be expected to be when hiring on an offensive coordinator from an offense that clearly struggled in 2022 due to player injuries and an offense that truly did not have a clear leader on the roster at quarterback. What do I mean? Here is a video highlighting the Jets and their 2022 red zone woes:

In the end, Mike LaFleur is only as good as the players perform on the football field.  That goes for any team. But how will that pan out for the LA Rams and ultimately the performance of veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford?

LaFleur will be McVay’s conscience

The LA Rams have gotten further and further away from the things that seemed to work very well for their offense. The Rams have a pretty good sense of how to work out of their 12-personnel package, how to distribute the football to their receivers, how and when to test defenses deep, and simply when to tighten their belts and just run the ball down the throats of the defense. But those qualities seemed to be lost in 2022, particularly early in the season.

While I don’t see Mike LaFleur as an offensive coordinator who can win any arguments with HC Sean McVay, nor to pry offensive play-calling from McVay’s plate, I do see LaFleur as holding that good conscience role for McVay, pulling his perspective out of the smoke and carnage of the battles at the line of scrimmage, and forcing McVay to be more cerebral, more strategic, during games, but particularly when preparing the game plan for the next opponent