GREEN BAY, Wis. — Kristi and Denny LaFleur have been there, done that.
Why then, doesn’t it get any easier?
When the 2022 NFL schedule was released and the LaFleurs, parents of Packers head coach Matt and Jets offensive coordinator Mike, saw “Jets at Packers on Oct. 16,’’ their hearts skipped a beat.
Then Kristi felt a little bit nauseous.
“When the schedule came out, I was like, ‘Oh, no,’ ’’ Kristi LaFleur told The Post over the phone. “I would like it better if they weren’t playing each other. It’s stressful and it’s exhausting.’’
Matt, who has been the head coach of the Packers since 2019, is seven years older than Mike, who has been Jets head coach Robert Saleh’s offensive coordinator since he was hired before the 2021 season.
Saleh is best friends with Matt. They have worked together and hung out since they were in their 20s. Saleh is on record saying he dislikes playing against his friends.
Imagine what it’s like for Kristi and Denny, who will find themselves in a lose-lose situation Sunday at Lambeau Field because one of their sons will be dealt a defeat.
“I know for other people this is really a cool story, but for myself, I wish they weren’t playing each other,’’ Kristi said.
“It is emotional,’’ Denny told The Post. “For people that are fans, they can walk away from the game and say, ‘Our team won,’ or, ‘Our team lost.’ They can move on. We can’t do that.’’
Denny said Matt and Mike have been the ones who’ve tried to talk the stress out of them.
“The people that have always told us, ‘Just enjoy the moment,’ have been our kids,’’ Denny said. “They say, ‘Dad, Mom, don’t worry about it. Enjoy it. Embrace it.’ ’’
Indeed, if Mike and the Jets upset the Packers, Matt will move on. He’ll still have Aaron Rodgers, one of the best quarterbacks in the game, and his team will still be the favorite to win a weak NFC North. If Matt and the Pack beat the Jets, Mike will move on as well.
One thing that will be certain Sunday at Lambeau is this: Kristi will be difficult to find.
Much like former Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez’s dad, Nick, Kristi is too nervous to remain in her seat and will be roaming the stadium for most of the game.
“When I go in there, I think that I’m going to be OK, but I really feel like I’m going explode,’’ she said. “I don’t really enjoy it. I’m not an anxious person, but on Sundays I am extremely anxious. I go in there every time thinking, ‘OK, you’re going to do this,’ and I become so anxious that I have to go off by myself.
“I go to different spots. I basically hide. It’s because I’m the mom and you want nothing but the best for your kids. And nothing but the best is victory for their occupation.’’
Kristi joked that Denny “sits there and watches the game, and I’m missing in action.’’
Denny, who played at Central Michigan, then coached there for decades, takes a different tack at his son’s games.
“I’ll sit in the seats and not move ’til the end of the game,’’ he said. “I watch the game quietly. I like to watch the game from a coach’s perspective. That’s my nature. I don’t coach upstairs, I just watch. I guess I’m just fascinated by watching them both calling the game.’’
He laughed when Kristi’s game-day disappearing act was brought up.
“Her mom used to do the same thing,’’ he said. “We’d be at a college game, she would just wander off and might end up in a dormitory just walking around. So, I’m not alarmed by this.’’
Kristi’s mother, 97-year-old Jean Barringer, will at the game Sunday. The last game Jean Barringer attended was Matt’s first game at Lambeau Field as the Packers’ head coach in 2019. She’ll be on the field before the game to greet Mike.
Kristi and Denny recently moved into a townhouse at Titletown, right outside Lambeau Field, which Matt purchased for them. They can see the stadium from the house and will walk to the game Sunday.
This isn’t the first time the two brothers have been pitted against each other. The last time was when Matt’s Packers were playing the 49ers, for which Mike was the passing game coordinator, in the 2019 NFC Championship game. The 49ers won, went to the Super Bowl and lost to the Chiefs.
Football has been a common thread for the LaFleur family. Denny played and coached at Central Michigan, where Kristi was a cheerleader. Kristi’s father, Robert Barringer, was the head football coach in Kalamazoo, Mich.
“I’m 70 years old,’’ Kristi said, “and for 70 years I’ve done football.’’
She’ll do it again Sunday — whether she likes it or not.
“What is so awesome is there’s seven years between these two boys and they’re best friends,’’ she said, “As a parent, that is awesome.’’
The ultimate competition between the two brothers — as well as the most stressful situation imaginable for Kristi — would be Matt and Mike going against each other in a Super Bowl.
“If they both got to a Super Bowl together, I can’t lose, right?’’ Denny said. “It’s a win-win situation.’’
His wife, of course, would vehemently disagree.