Once again, the Green Bay Packers defense, led by defensive coordinator Joe Barry, were unable to stop their opponent’s running backs with any kind of consistency in their 34-20 loss to the Detroit Lions on Thursday night. Detroit’s running game, led by David Montgomery, ran the ball 43 times for 211 yards and three touchdowns. Montgomery, who defeated the Packers for the first time in his career, gashed them for 134 yards and all three of those rushing touchdowns.
Much like the Packers’ loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week Two, when they have up 211 rushing yards, head coach Matt LaFleur was forced to address the ineptitude of his team’s run defense. And his answer to the question regarding stopping the run sound similar to the one he gave just two weeks ago:
LaFleur on the run defense: “We’re gonna have to do something different. It’s insane to do the same things over and over again and expect a different result.”
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) September 29, 2023
If that answer sounds familiar, that’s because it is. It is a version of the same answer LaFleur gives when addressing his run defense and their complete inability to stop the run. Barry, in his third season as the Packers’ defensive coordinator, has never been able to figure out how to call a good game on run defense.
This is going on three years, and fans are tired.
Green Bay Packers Fans React to Matt LaFleur’s Comments Regarding Joe Barry’s Run Defense
For years, LaFleur has been saying the same thing: the Packers need to do a better job on run defense. And for years, they have failed to improve.
It is one thing to say the right thing; it’s an entirely different (and better) thing to do the right thing. To put it plainly, fans are tired of the talk. They want to see results:
Man who brought back Joe Barry for third season https://t.co/MQZuhaKsCo
— Tim Backes (@timbackes) September 29, 2023
I don’t know maybe Fire Joe Barry???? https://t.co/IgevyRMWau
— Dadrian🧀 (@KingDay__) September 29, 2023
Today is a good day to fire Joe Barry. 😌
— Karla D 💚💛🧀 (@kar052584) September 29, 2023
Joe Barry should have been walked out of the booth by Packers security and shown the door after this play. https://t.co/ZWLCf4WhOn
— Mike Wickett 🇺🇲🎙🏈🏀👨👧👧👩👦🤘🚀 (@mikewickett) September 29, 2023
The Packers are only a Joe Barry firing away being special.
— Soren Sodergren🧀🏈 (@Soren_Sodergren) September 29, 2023
Joe Barry right now https://t.co/tkfZAIlUUZ pic.twitter.com/KZ8nMMjFSM
— Jimmy Christensen (@Jimmy_C08) September 29, 2023
This should be on a billboard near Lambeau with Joe Barry’s face on it. https://t.co/3KDkrie3VV
— 𝕋𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕟 𝕎𝕀 𝕊𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕤 (@TavernWISports) September 29, 2023
Of course, this is nothing new. Packers fans have been calling for a new defensive coordinator since the day Barry was hired.
Joe Barry Was Never Supposed to Be the Defensive Coordinator of the Green Bay Packers
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As many fans may remember, Barry was not Green Bay’s first choice for defensive coordinator when Mike Pettine was not brough back following the 2020 season. LaFleur initially offered the job to then Wisconsin Badgers defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, who turned it down and returned to Madison,
In retrospect, Barry’s hiring seems like a poorly thrown Hail Mary pass, one that fans have been forced to watch on highlight reels every Sunday for the last two-plus seasons.
When the Packers’ defense struggled in 2021, it was understandable that Barry would be given one more year to prove he could improve the defense. But he didn’t. The 2022 Packers defense was no better than the 2021 defense.
When high-profile defensive coordinator names were on the market this offseason, such as Brian Flores and Ejiro Evero, Packers fans demanded that Barry be fired in favor of one of them. Of course, that did not happen.
Green Bay Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur Needs to Take a Look in the Mirror
Many fans wrongly believe that general manager Brian Gutekunst is in charge of hiring the coaching staff. While he does have a role in that process, it is LaFleur who fills out his staff. It was his decision to hire Barry, and it is his ongoing decision to retain him.
Barry has proven in the course of over two seasons that he will not change his run defense. If LaFleur thinks it is insane to keep trying the same thing over and over again, then he clearly has put the pressure on himself to make the change. The fact of the matter is that Barry is incapable of deviating from his ways. LaFleur, therefore, needs to make a change at defensive coordinator.
The problem, though, is that the season has already begun. The team is already one-quarter of the way into the 2023 season. The defense has been working on and learning Barry’s scheme for months. A change at defensive coordinator now is not going to improve anything.
Green Bay may still finish the season with a respectable record. However, it is clear already that if they want to build a winning team, Joe Barry cannot be their defensive coordinator. LaFleur failed to make the decision that was best for his team at the end of the 2022 season. He will be faced with the same decision at the end of this season.
The longer he chooses to remain loyal to Barry, the hotter his own seat gets.
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