Well, to my minor surprise, Jeff Hafley did end up getting a head coaching job this week. I suppose it’s not a surprise that the Dolphins hired a GM from Green Bay only to have that GM immediately seek out a coach from Green Bay as well. 

I’m hopeful that Hafley will have some success in Miami; it’s been a rough couple decades overall for the Dolphins, and Hafley is a likeable guy who clearly connects with his players; Packers have universally spoken highly of him. 

Now, that being said, while Hafley did produce some improvements on the defensive side of the ball for the Packers (hard to get much worse than Joe Barry), his defenses never quite reached the level of “great.” There were certainly flashes at times of that potential, and I think given more time and with a full complement of healthy players, Hafley could have done more with this unit. But I don’t see the loss of Hafley as being something the team can’t weather.

If nothing else, Hafley produced some momentum on that side of the ball that the team hasn’t seen in quite some time. Not since 2014 had the Packers really had a defense that could help win them games with some level of reliability, and not since 2010 had they had a truly, consistently strong defense. 

While the Packers didn’t get to 2010 level yet, I think it’s fair to say they achieved 2014 level under Hafley. So whoever the Packers hire next, they need to make sure that momentum continues.

The next defensive coordinator will certainly benefit from the returns of Micah Parsons and Devonte Wyatt. It is also going to be critical that Brian Gutekunst provide cornerbacks who are capable of being starters at the NFL level rather than a team full of nickel and dime caliber players. 

This last point, I think, is why it’s not a surprise that the Packers have started their defensive coordinator search with guys who are primarily known for coaching defensive backs. Christian Parker, for example, who was on the Packers’ coaching staff six years ago, is currently the DBs coach and pass game coordinator for the Eagles, and he’s been a name that has been popping up in a lot of defensive coordinator searches.

The Packers also scheduled an interview with Daronte Jones, a pass game coordinator and DBs coach for the Vikings who has defensive coordinator experience at the college level with LSU. Jones is also considered an up-and-comer who has produced some good results out of his players at the NFL level.

Finally, the Packers have scheduled an interview with Jonathan Gannon, the former head coach of the Cardinals who got his job after impressing with his Philadelphia Eagles defense that helped the team to a Super Bowl berth several years ago while eighth in total defense and second in takeaways. Gannon also previously served as a defensive backs coach with the Colts. Gannon in particular is likely to be in high demand.

As of the time of this writing (Wednesday morning), these were the only confirmed interview requests so far. 

A coach with defensive backs experience makes sense, because one of two things is going to happen:

1. The Packers will enter 2026 with the same collection of ragtag players and will need a coordinator who can get the most out of the group
2. The Packers will enter 2026 with a bunch of young guys from the draft who need to grow up quickly and be put in the best possible positions to succeed

I don’t envision a scenario in which the Packers attack the market for veteran DBs, so scenario B seems most likely to me here.

Wisconsin Beer of the Week

I’ve been hearing some good things about Public Brewing Company based out of Kenosha, so when I saw some of their beers available at my local Woodman’s I figured I’d give one a shot. There was one that looked particularly interesting to me: a milk stout that was supposed to mimic the flavor of chocolate-covered oranges. It’s called Orange Door Hinge.

I gotta say, it hits! It’s your basic sweet, easy drinking Milk stout–but not too sweet. The chocolate and orange are both mellow, and the beer comes in at 5.6 percent ABV. The brewery describes it as “a refreshing stout that’s loaded with Orange aroma and chocolatey goodness.”

Definitely recommend; the flavors work together really well and I haven’t had a whole lot of other beers that have gone for this flavor palate. It works surprisingly well in that milk stout genre.

I’m looking forward to trying other PBC beers, and may have to make a trip down to Kenosha to check out their physical space.

The Buffalo Bills are doing it all wrong

I have gone on record stating that if I were making the calls, I would most likely not be bringing Matt LaFleur back for another season in Green Bay.

So I was intrigued when I heard the Buffalo Bills ultimately decided to part ways with Sean McDermott, a decision that was probably overdue by a couple years. McDermott’s teams have an eerie resemblance to LaFleur’s in that they continually find heartbreaking ways to lose playoff games they should win. With McDermott, though, the issue is even more severe because they have maybe the league’s best player taking snaps and have had even higher stakes for longer than the current iteration of the Packers.

I was mildly surprised the Bills did decide to pull the trigger after the divisional round, but not stunned. What did stun me, and what I cannot defend, is their decision to not just retain general manager Brandon Beane, but PROMOTE him!

Over and over we hear about how the Bills have to get Josh Allen some help so he doesn’t have to be superman. This has been a common refrain each year in the playoffs. Fans and analysts alike have pointed the finger at Beane being one of the most responsible figures for the Bills’ annual disappointments in January. So why, then, does Beane get to stay and choose the next head coach? Why does he get PROMOTED while McDermott gets all of the blame?

It’s absolutely insane, and it’s one of the reasons why we’re fortunate to have the Packers’ ownership structure. Here, Beane’s survival is almost certainly due to being cozy enough with Bills owner Terry Pegula, and the billionaire owner gets to call the shots. 

If you’re going to move on from McDermott, then it makes sense to get rid of the guy who’s made his job far more difficult than it needed to be. Beane has shown little in the last several years of team building to earn the kind of trust that apparently Pegula has in him.

It’s hard for me to believe, with Beane still calling the shots, that Buffalo is going to be in any better position to win it all next season.

But at least they’ve still got Josh Allen… for now.

Around the NFC North

As always, it’s time to go around the NFC North. 

• The CHICAGO BEARS finally had the horseshoe forcibly removed from their rectum, but not before getting one final “wtf” play from Caleb Williams at the end of the fourth quarter. The bizarre thing about Williams is he can look downright unplayable for long stretches of a game and then make these bizarre, magical throws that nobody has any business completing. He’s going to need to get significantly more accurate if this offense is going to see greater consistency in the passing game next season. For now, let’s all just thank the stars that this team is finally eliminated and that Ben Johnson can keep his shirt on.

• The DETROIT LIONS hired Drew Petzing, the former Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator, to be their next offensive coordinator. This is AFTER interviewing Mike McDaniel, one of the hottest offensive names on the market. The move to hire Petzing has been widely panned by analysts and fans alike; his Arizona offenses consistently underperformed, and Kyler Murray routinely took steps backward to the point where he’s probably run out the clock on his time in Arizona. If you’re a Packer fan, you’ve got to be a huge fan of this hire.

• The MINNESOTA VIKINGS are desperately trying to hold on to Brian Flores, whose contract as defensive coordinator expired after this season. Flores is in talks for multiple head coach openings and would certainly be a highly sought after defensive coordinator as well, but the Vikings have maintained their intent to bring him back. Beats me why they didn’t extend his contract sooner. If Flores departs Minnesota, suddenly that Vikings defense feels a whole lot scary. Maybe Flores should come on over to Green Bay, where he would have better players and a stronger chance of winning a title.

Mr. Backes’s “This or That”

Every day I put a different “this or that” poll up on my whiteboard and have students leave tallies throughout the day. I then compile this information and post it here for laughs. 

• NFL defeated college football
• Semester two defeated semester one
• Soup defeated salad
• Assignments on paper defeated assignments on chromebook

Conference Championship Picks

Well, I got both AFC games wrong last week, but both NFC games correct. We’ll see if I can make it two for two this week!

AFC Championship: Patriots over Broncos

Everyone and their mother is expecting this to be a relatively smooth victory for the Patriots, given the season-ending ankle injury to Denver quarterback Bo Nix. But in January football, everything gets just a bit harder. The Pats are still playing on the road in a tough environment. They’re still a young team with very little playoff experience (though so are the Broncos).

Ultimately, though, the loss of the quarterback is too much to overcome. One has to think the fans could be taken out of the equation as soon as the Broncos fall behind; they see the writing on the wall with that injury coming into play.

As much as we’d all like to see new teams getting into the Super Bowl, this Patriots team is entirely disconnected from the Brady era; not a single player on the roster ever played a game with him. While the Patriots did benefit from a weak schedule this season, they also imposed their will on team after team. They’ve earned it.

Patriots 27, Broncos 13

NFC Championship: Seahawks over Rams

I have a ton of respect for Sean McVay as a coach and everything he’s accomplished with the Rams over his tenure with the team, but all signs point to the Seahawks being a team of destiny. Their absolute obliteration of the 49ers was not something I expected at all–I figured they’d win, but not in such insanely convincing fashion. The Rams have a few more offensive pieces, but this defense is completely legit, and the special teams and offense make more than enough plays to complement it.

Put it this way – the Rams were barely able to get past a far inferior Chicago defense. Things would have to get silly for me to believe they could take down the Seahawks in their home stadium.

Seahawks 30, Rams 20

A Super Bowl XLIX rematch? I’m all for it.