There's a thing called "coach speak" and it's especially common amongst NFL coaches. Some may say that Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers is an expert at it. 

He can get asked tough questions and sidestep them with answers that sound like something but they're really "non answers". He can also answer a question truthfully, but what he says may not be all that he truly feels.

It's not his fault. That's just what NFL coaches do. They don't want to give away any of the "state secrets" they're sitting on during the week. They also don't want to become the story. Well, most of them don't want to become the story. 

The Packers have officially put a pin in their 2025 regular season and they finished the campaign with a 9-7-1 record. There were times this season where it looked like this team could win a Super Bowl. That was when Tucker Kraft and Micah Parsons were healthy, though.

There were other times this season, like in Week 18 against the Minnesota Vikings, in which they simply couldn't respond to adversity. As such, they'll enter the playoffs on a four-game losing skid.

This team is at the very least in the playoffs, though. That's more than the Vikings or Detroit Lions can say this season. 

There's still more football to come, but for now, let's decode what LaFleur had to say after the 16-3 loss to the Vikings in Week 18.

Trevon Diggs is a former All-Pro, but he was cut by the Dallas Cowboys last week because he's done nothing of consequence all season. In fact, he had become a malcontent for the Cowboys and was potentially more trouble than he was worth.

The Pack picked him up as a flyer, and he did okay in his debut game after just a few practices. He finished with two tackles, including a nice open-field tackle on a screen play.

Diggs is far from the player that notched 11 interceptions in 2021 and there's a reason no other team besides the Packers put in a claim on him.

LaFleur is saying Diggs can help in the playoffs because the other options are Keisean "CB1" Nixon and Carrington Valentine. A tackling dummy would be an upgrade when those two are your best options on the boundary.

Christian Watson went down with a torn ACL last season just before the playoffs. In fact, much like in this game, it was a Week 18 contest against a divisional rival that didn't mean anything because the Pack had already locked up the playoffs.

That moment caused LaFleur to play it extremely safe against the Vikings. So much so that if Jordan Love had to enter the game as the only other quarterback who had suited up, he admitted afterward that he wouldn't have called even one passing play.

The context behind what LaFleur is saying is clear, but he may not even realize it.

He's coaching scared and he's making decisions based on bad things that happened in the past.

That's reactionary leadership, and it's certainly not good leadership. Ask yourself if Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions, who has become known for instilling a winning culture in Detroit, would have said something like LaFleur did? Even in a meaningless game, the Lions would have at least tried to beat a divisional opponent. Try being the keyword here.

The Packers didn't try at all against the Vikings. In fact, by starting Clayton Tune, LaFleur had given away the game before the coin toss.

It's a losing mentality, and LaFleur may not even realize that he has it.

The Packers may be excited about the chance to play in the playoffs but they certainly aren't motivated.

You need two things to win a Super Bowl. You've got to be healthy and you've got to be hot. The Packers have neither, because LaFleur all but insured any momentum or knocking off of rust they could have had heading into the playoffs was never even an option.

He coached scared, and now the only thing the Packers have as they head into the playoffs on a four-game losing streak is a level of excitement.

Kids get excited for Christmas morning. You get excited for some time off after a long work week.

This team should be locked in and focused. Excited is just not the word you want to hear in this instance, but that's the only thing LaFleur has to hang his hat on right now.