Home · Sports · Sep 25 archive
Mike LaFleur Faces Kyle Shanahan in NFL Debut
Developing
In Short: Mike LaFleur, Shanahan's former protégé, faces his mentor in his first game as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals against the San Francisco 49ers.
Mike LaFleur, the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, will face his former mentor Kyle Shanahan in his first game as a head coach on Sunday. LaFleur's career is coming full circle as he returns to the NFL stage where he once interned under Shanahan.
Twelve years ago, LaFleur, then a 27-year-old, began his NFL journey as an offensive intern for the Cleveland Browns under Shanahan, who was then an up-and-coming offensive coordinator.
Shanahan has been a significant influence on LaFleur's career, serving as his pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach from 2017 to 2020. Shanahan expressed his pride in LaFleur's success, noting that he is 'very smart' and 'sees the game a little bit better than most people.
The game on Sunday is part of a larger narrative involving a group of coaches who have all been mentored by Shanahan. This group includes Rams head coach Sean McVay, Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh, Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley, and Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.
While the sentimentality of the moment has somewhat faded after LaFleur's previous encounters with Shanahan as the Rams' offensive coordinator, this game will eventually hold significant meaning for both coaches.
The matchup highlights the mentorship and influence Shanahan has had on a new generation of NFL coaches, with LaFleur being the youngest at 39 years old, and Shanahan's former protégés now leading their own teams.
What's still developing
- He followed up with a call later that night to tell LaFleur how "pumped I am for him" and that he'd be there for LaFleur to bounce ideas off or if something comes across his desk that he didn't know how to handle or wasn't prepared for as a first-time head coach.
- Then, about six weeks later, at the NFL's annual meetings in Phoenix, Quinn got to tell LaFleur in person how proud he was of his latest protégé becoming a head coach.
- "I've had a couple of these guys and Mike's right there with all those dudes in terms of he's very smart, he knows the game," Shanahan said.
- "There's lots of coaches who can do some good stuff, but you always know guys in your building who see it a little bit better than most people, and Mike's one of those guys." MIKE'S THE BABY of the group of Shanahan disciples at 39 years old, and after he got hired, the love showered on him felt like big brothers bragging about their little sibling.