If he’s let it go this long without really fighting for that, then he’s squandered his leverage rather like he squanders leads.

At this point his positioning sucks and not only because of how this season went. Saying it’s now on his coaches after 7 years of apparent acquiescence is hard to credit as more than a lame excuse, particularly with his record of holding on to coaches too long.

Any real change requires a replacement to insist on his people and giving them what it takes. The Packers could sidestep that by picking another LaFleur—a guy who knows he’s on the slide where he is and that he may wait years if he doesn’t take it on team terms and/or doesn’t have the personal pull to bring people in he wants.

If the team does go the route of a pliable cheap option again, absent a huge amount of luck, it will get what it deserves, just as it did last time and things will go down hill until it’s bad enough that the wider leadership is torn down in crisis.

I'm doing my best "detached observer" impression, and failing. I'd like to not care that this once glorious sports institution is flailing about due to commercialism from the top down, including the growing likelihood that rigging results for the benefit of the house making money on bets is as simple as refs favoring teams with the larger market, and they don't even need to do that very often. Nobody else needs to be in on it. Neither do they need to wield anything close to complete control over every game.

I'd much rather believe that it's as simple as not having full time refs means how good can they be, and it's still very difficult to get everything right.

I'm trying not to care who the HC is, or any of the coordinators. I'm pretty much over the RB ST thing for 2026, if only to avoid paying him for his last year while also paying somebody else to do the job, with a FO philosophy of neglecting that phase of the game anyway.

Not deciding about MLF yet is as bad as MLF not having the offensive game plan in place on the Monday morning after #85 went down; some things are foreseeable and you just HAVE TO prepare for them. And don't tell me you "want to keep the HC" if you aren't ready to commit to market value and a length of contract that has any chance of being appealing. (I'm sorry, I don't mean to be personally accusatory, this is supposed to be directed towards the FO rather than anyone here. Whether that's solely Ed Policy or who else might be involved)

We've known GB is cheap with coaches for a long time, but we never knew to what extent. And honestly, we still don't. All we can do is hope they manage the organization in a fiscally responsible manner, and it seems beyond obvious that playing to WIN and bringing the title to Titletown would be more lucrative than being mired in mediocrity.

I guess that's a long way of saying I agree with you, wholeheartedly!

I moved to CA in '85 and live near Santa Cruz, about 75 miles from SF and 40 miles from the 49ers facilities.
I am not a fan, rarely watch their games, but can't help be force-fed 49er news, and they are 'an institution' here as the Packers are back home. I was here when Policy's father built that team and again, cant help but follow their accomplishments and failures. They had a few years, but are again a very well run organization.
Other than the concerns about Ball, Coldworld, your last sentence is my biggest fear as at present it appears that there's no 'Like Father, Like son' in this equation, and that maybe Policy is not what we were, and are hoping for. I was expecting decisiveness and a well thought out path!
It's time to "Shit, or get off the Pot", this is a phucking circus!
If you believe in LaFleur, pay him, and give him what he needs, to hell with Russ Ball!
If you don't believe in him, send him down the road!

Even without having full disclosure of the details you're getting at here, the simple fact that Ed Policy couldn't take decisive action at this critical juncture broadcasts as clearly as can be that he's not up to the job. Tonight will end 6 days, when 18 teams already have a week head start on jockeying for position. I'm not saying it's impossible to salvage the situation and have a good upcoming season, but the chances to be the best possible go down by the minute. Regardless of other teams signing anyone yet or not, they're making progress towards their goals while we're stuck in the mud.