Packers HC Matt LaFleur sounds inclined to keep Joe Barry
It's too early. The Green Bay Packers had just lost 24-21 to the San Francisco 49ers, and head coach Matt LaFleur had to go to the microphone before watching tape to explain why and how the team that led most of the game, ended up on the wrong side of the scoreboard once again in […]
It's too early. The Green Bay Packers had just lost 24-21 to the San Francisco 49ers, and head coach Matt LaFleur had to go to the microphone before watching tape to explain why and how the team that led most of the game, ended up on the wrong side of the scoreboard once again in the playoffs.
But LaFleur sure sounds like a coach happy with the performance of his defensive coordinator, Joe Barry. Fans might not want to hear this, but LaFleur praised the defensive showing — even if the final drive didn't have the result they would hope for.
"I thought it was fantastic," LaFleur said when asked about the performance of the defense. "Certainly, we'd like to get a stop at the end, that's one of the best offenses in this league. It's one of the best football teams in this league. Like I said, there were so many opportunities in the first half, even in the second half, where we didn't take advantage of. That stinks."
Previous defensive coordinator Mike Pettine got fired after a loss in the NFC Championship Game to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Matt LaFleur hired Joe Barry in 2021, a hand-picked choice to run a version of the Vic Fangio/Brandon Staley defensive philosophy.
In three seasons under Joe Barry, the Packers are 24th in EPA/play and 30th in success rate. Even investing most of its resources on defense, the team was still 27th in DVOA in 2023 — Joe Barry has never had a defense better than 20th in DVOA as a coordinator, including his past job experiences with the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders.
It's going to be an intriguing situation.
There's time to make decisions
Matt LaFleur hasn't given any confirmations about his future plans at defensive coordinator. Throughout the season, there were moments of pressure over Barry, and the head coach said the trusted Barry to get the unit back on track. However, they were always short-term proclamations.
After the game, LaFleur showed that he was clearly focused on the game and on this season for the Packers. There will be time to analyze what's ahead.
"It's hard right now to see through everything," LaFleur mentioned. "I am proud of these guys, but it's more just the ability to keep competing, to stick together. There were some tough moments in our season. We lost some tough games, and this is one of them. But I got the utmost confidence in the guys in the locker room, our staff, we'll stick together."
Personnel
In terms of players, the defense is well equipped to get better, as most of the unit is under contract for next season. Moreover, cornerback Eric Stokes should be back after missing most of this season with several injuries.
The only pending unrestricted free agents of the unit are linebacker Eric Wilson (primarily a special teamer) and defensive backs Keisean Nixon, Darnell Savage, Rudy Ford, and Jonathan Owens.
Safety is the most glaring need, as basically everyone's contracts expire — except for rookie Anthony Johnson Jr. and special teamer Zayne Anderson. After trading Rasul Douglas and coming from two underwhelming seasons from Eric Stokes, cornerback might be seen as a need as well.
The question now is how much the Packers will want to change, and who will lead the defense in 2024.
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