LaFleur is the man/ Calabrese being groomed?

 LaFleur is the man/ Calabrese being groomed?

BY Steamboatsam

This past year I started coaching at the high school level. Being away from the game for a few years really made me miss the camaraderie and “juice” that comes with being a part of a team/ locker room. The reason I'm telling you guys this is because going from a casual viewer to now having the “coaches eye”, you do see the game in a new light. Many fans might already be this way but it wasn't until this past season that I sort of changed the way I watch a game on TV. An example of that would be rather than just watching the ball (handoffs/passes) you start to look at the whole field. Take note of formations, blocking, routes, etc. The “scheme” stuff really interests me and being an aspiring high school OC, I've taken quite a liking/ interest in Mike LaFleur. He seems to be the real deal and I wanted to try and break down what makes him good and what could be to come if he keeps impressing the league and moves on at some point. A problem that would only come if the Jets are able to improve and make that next step. 

LaFleur is one of those “young offensive minds” that seem to be taking the league by storm. Teams are trying to get an edge anyway they can and it seems that ingenuity on offense is the preferred method. These days the college game and  NFL game are at an all time level of similarity and I think that is great for football. Keeps the pro game interesting and gives college kids a better shot of making an impact early on (look at what rookie WR’s have been doing recently compared to the past). Coming from the Shannahan tree LaFleur definitely uses an OZ run scheme in which the rest of the offense is pretty much based off of. What really impresses me with him is the ability to scheme his guys open. Whoever is on the field. Many coordinators try to bend the players to what they want to run and I am very much so against that. Whether it was Moore, Berrios, Carter, or whoever, LaFleur would draw up and call plays to get his best guys the ball. The first few weeks were shaky and many fans blamed Mike (mostly due to his lack of experience)  for the offensive struggles. It was known from the beginning that he wanted to be in the box, but stayed on the field because Zach had requested that. Once Wilson went down LaFleur ran his ass up the many stairs of JetLife Stadium, and his offense really began to flourish (relative to how it started). Being on the sideline and calling a game can be tough because you are relying on the guys up top to tell you what's going on, as opposed to being there and seeing it for yourself. If you don't think that played a factor just look at the QB production from then on. With 4 different QB’s under center, since moving to the box, this jets offense began to take flight. White, Johnson, and Flacco all showed some positive production in this scheme and I don't really believe it had to do with their talent. When Zach came back he was able to produce more. A lot of that could be his own personal development, but even that has to be largely in part due to the work of LaFleur. In his second year with a revamped arsenal of offensive weapons I can't wait to see what this wizard cooks up and what players really take off in this system. Most notably I'm very intrigued to see how Breece Hall, Elijah Moore, and the trio of TE’s (Uzomah, Conklin, Ruckert) are all used. If this offense starts putting up real numbers, Gang Green could be looking for a new OC in 2023-2024.

Which brings me to my next topic.

Rob Calabrese was brought on from the Broncos staff after spending some time at the collegiate level (USF and Wagner). He has quickly climbed the NFL coaching ranks and it appears he may be getting groomed as the heir apparent for the Jets offensive play caller. The front office has cleared the QB room so that Calabrese is the single voice (had some others in there last season such as John Beck and Matt Cavanaugh).  Giving him this role seems to be a vote of confidence that this guy is the real deal. Putting most of Zach’s development on him is a major role in the potential success of this franchise, so let's hope it works out. In addition to that they have also hired an offensive quality control coach who could potentially take over as the QB coach if Calabrese was promoted. Creating this sort of coaching pipeline is ideal in maintaining continuity within the team by promoting from within as opposed to looking outside the system/staff. The offense would most likely not change too much if he were to take over in a few years. Calabrese was given the OC duties at the senior bowl, and though it doesn't mean much they were able to put up some points with a basic offense and just a week to implement their stuff. Losing good coaches always sucks even when it's a great opportunity for them. As I stated before though this would be a good problem to have, and maybe the Jets could continue to build for the future by not only developing talented players, but a talented staff as well.