The Green Bay Packers, at 7-8, are on the outside looking in at the NFC Playoff picture. Just three weeks ago, hopes were high as the Packers, then 5-6, held onto the seventh and final seed. Since then, though, Green Bay has gone 1-2 following three embarrassing performances by their defense. While they now have a good chance of making the postseason by winning their final two games, the fact of the matter is that there is little-to-know confidence in defensive coordinator Joe Barry.
In the Packers’ most recent game, a nail-biting 33-30 win over the lowly Carolina Panthers, Barry’s defense gave up two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and would have given up the game-tying field goal had the clock not expired just as rookie quarterback Bryce Young marched his team into field goal range. Prior to this game, Young had not thrown a touchdown pass in over a month. He had two against the Packers.
Frustrations with Barry have been boiling over among the fanbase for years now, and it is easy to see why. So far this season, Barry’s defensive scheme has allowed Young and other bad quarterbacks such as Tommy DeVito, Desmond Ridder, Kenny Pickett, and Baker Mayfield to have the best games of the season and/or their careers.
When the Packers made the decision to suspend cornerback Jaire Alexander for their Week 17 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings, many fans understood and supported the decision, but also questioned why a player is being punished and held out of a game for hurting the team when Barry has been allowed to keep his job. Barry’s comments during his press conference on Thursday certainly did not help matters.
Green Bay Packers Fans Are Irate with Defensive Coordinator Joe Barry [Again]
At one point in the fourth quarter on Sunday, the Packers were leading 30-16. While this may seem like an impressive lead, it bears mentioning that the Panthers had only averaged 14.7 points per game up to that point. Also as mentioned, Barry’s defensive scheme allowed Carolina to score two more fourth quarter touchdowns.
In other words, it was yet another defensive fiasco that Green Bay was fortunate to overcome. Had it not been for the late-game heroics of Jordan Love and the offense, the Packers would have lost the game and be all but eliminated from postseason contention.
Yet it does not appear that Barry thinks his defense played all that bad on Sunday. When addressing the media on Thursday, Barry said:
“I thought for 53 minutes, we played very well, but the last seven minutes of the game we gave up two crucial third downs, had a couple penalties that hurt us.”
Anyone who watched the game would be able to say, with confidence, that the defense did not play “very well” for 53 minutes. Maybe they played “okay” for that length of time, but at no point did they take over the game or play like they were the superior unit on the field.
And Packers fans, of course, were livid with Barry’s analysis of his own team’s perforamnce:
This guy looks in the mirror and tells you he sees a lion https://t.co/n2ofvaSwpg pic.twitter.com/xpgBGWEEQ6
— Jason Perone (@JasonPerone) December 28, 2023
No. No you didn’t.
For 53 minutes you played ok at best football. You allowed 16 points through 53 minutes, more points than Carolina scored in their previous 2 games combined. And then you went on to allow 14 (and almost 17) points in 7 minutes.
You never played “very well.” https://t.co/WthgBq9zb9
— Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL) December 28, 2023
At this point It’s just laughably stupid #Packers https://t.co/nc9wLkADTw
— Noah Clark (@ClarkRigo) December 28, 2023
Titanic captain: “I thought for 1500 miles, we sailed very well, but the last 17 miles of the trip we hit 1 crucial iceberg, had a couple mistakes that hurt us.” https://t.co/7L2PW1ZReU
— Nathan (@NathanJH31) December 28, 2023
He thinks they played very well for 53 minutes. Should tell you all you need to know https://t.co/0WUU4IBUpx
— Andy 🧀 GO PACK GO 🧀 (@AndyAPack) December 28, 2023
I don’t even think he’s lying. He believes what they did for most of the game constitutes playing “very well” 😶 https://t.co/QIRd3Ho8vL
— Mark Oldacres (@MarkOldacres) December 28, 2023
Mr Barry, please define good. I’m pretty sure that “Good” is up for interpretation.
Continued blunders by your OLB’s in key situations is not good. In fact it is Bad. https://t.co/ioFF665vwe
— Eric Baranczyk (@EricBaranczyk1) December 28, 2023
As seen, fans and Barry have two very different definitions of what “extremely well” looks like. One has to assume that LaFleur may have a different definition as well, and hopefully that leads to a change in the offseason, a change that frankly should have been made this past offseason.
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3 Comments
Did you enjoy the first 53 minutes of the play, Mrs lincoln???
If some are still in belief that there is a chance of a playoff, then they also believe that LaFluer will replace Deadwood Barry. I believe that neither will happen. But, is Barry inept and running predictable defenses or are the games being thrown? I think a lot of the players see it and feel betrayed. But, all is irrelevant now. It comes to that LaFluer is to blame. LaFluer’s ignorance of an ineffective staff member lead to this. If pink slips are being handed out, both Deadwood and LaFluer should be the primary recipients.
Happy New Year. And, Packers gear will be on the cheap. BOGO you all, thanks to LaFluer.