Packers HC Matt LaFleur: Aaron Rodgers 'made me a better coach'

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur knows what Aaron Rodgers meant for the first four seasons of his head coaching career.

Remember, LaFleur was a relative "nobody' before he took the Packers' head-coaching gig. He has gone 47-19 since taking over in Green Bay and many (if not most) would say that having Rodgers -- a four-time league MVP -- at the helm of the offense has been a big reason for his early success.

LaFleur now has the opportunity to prove his chops apart from his future Hall of Fame quarterback, but in the meantime, he offered comment on how Rodgers helped to guide him on the sidelines.

“I’ve had the opportunity to work with many great players, but none better than Aaron. I will always be grateful for our time together, both on and off the field. The mark he left on our organization, players and coaches cannot be overstated," LaFleur said in a statement. "His drive for competitive greatness and the standards he set for everyone, including himself, made our team better. Ultimately, he made me a better coach."

It will be interesting to see if LaFleur can swim without the life raft that was the future Hall of Fame signal-caller. It will also be interesting to see what the Packers offense looks like moving forward with Jordan Love.

Love's ability as a starting quarterback is one major question -- perhaps the major question -- LaFleur will have to determine. The other is just how much of an impact Rodgers' improvisational abilities had on his coach's offense. Rodgers famously loved to audible out of plays and the line of scrimmage and was not afraid to play off script.

In a way, we have never truly seen LaFleur's offense as it was meant to be -- instead, it has been a Rodgers/LaFleur combination.

LaFleur might be without his four-time MVP quarterback by his side. Rodgers made him a better coach, by his own word. He will now be tasked with helping Love develop into a better quarterback.