The Green Bay Packers’ defense was so abysmal last Sunday that once again defensive coordinator Joe Barry has come under fire. The Cheeseheads have made it very clear that the coach needs to go. However, HC Matt LaFleur stepped in and voiced his support for Barry, emphasizing that the latter isn’t going anywhere.
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Ahead of the matchup against the 2-12 Panthers, Joe Barry addressed the media and added that this week has been particularly harder than most for him and his family. However, he took responsibility for the team’s recent struggles and acknowledged the necessity of doing better for the team.
He said, “I put that on me, all the time, anytime we don’t go play well,” followed by, “It’s on me.” Then, a reporter asked Barry if he had questioned his job security after the game. He expressed that he didn’t particularly feel that his job was at risk and added, “I’m a firm believer, and I control the controllables.”
Barry further added that the NFL is the most popular league on the planet, and there will always be speculations in the air about something. However, he acknowledged that he hears what the fans are saying but emphasized his focus on doing the best he can for now. He said,
“I see ‘em and I hear ‘em. But no, I’ve learned a long time ago, being in this league, as long as I have been, control what you can control.”
Further into the interview, Barry also dubbed Baker Mayfield’s 52-yard touchdown ‘brutal’ and added that the Packer’s defense failed to rotate properly. He believed that restricting their gains to 4 or 10 yards instead of the touchdown could have turned the whole thing around for the team. He further said that the team’s consistency hasn’t notably improved, which led to their low yards per play and struggles on the third downs.
Is Matt LaFleur Making Excuses for Joe Barry?
The Packers’ defense has its days, like when they clashed with the Chiefs and the Lions. However, last Sunday, Baker Mayfield finished with a flawless passer rating, becoming the third quarterback in the Bucs’ history to do so. The Cheeseheads argue that the Packers cannot reach their full potential until there are changes.
The Packers’ defense led to career-best records for QBs like Zach Wilson, Daniel Jones, and even Tommy DeVito. However, the head coach is still backing Barry, which the Cheeseheads have been despising for weeks now. Even LeFleur had a similar response recently to the team’s struggle.
“And it always starts with us. It starts with myself and it goes to all our assistant coaches,” He said. “So obviously the coaching wasn’t up to the standard and our performance on the field definitely showed that as well.”
HC Matt LaFleur has had similar answers when the team struggled against a not-so-explosive offense. Zone Coverage writer Felipe Reis Aceti had a clever idea of making a bingo card that predicts what the coach might say in the post-game presser. Yes, it has been this predictable!
Can’t wait for the post-game presser. pic.twitter.com/PPw9vfvZUW
— Felipe Reis Aceti (@Aceti_Felipe) December 17, 2023
Following this upset loss, Pat McAfee took to his podcast to discuss how the Green and the Gold fumbled last week with former Packers AJ Browns and company. One of the co-hosts, also a die-hard Packers fan, Ty Schmit, vented his frustration by saying,
“If I have to listen to Matt LeFleur get up at the podium post-game one more time this year and say ‘we got out coached, we got outplayed, I gotta go look at the tape,’ I’m gonna jump off a bridge and kill myself.”
Schmit was so frustrated that he said that the Packers’ defense could only get better when an asteroid hit the world and destroyed itself.
The Packers are now 6-8 and fighting for their lives to get to the playoffs. They still have ample amounts of chances to make the playoffs, but their recent struggle indicates otherwise.
