The Green Bay Packers, at 6-8, have no margin for error in the final three weeks of the season. After their embarrassing 34-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, their chances of making the NFL Playoffs fell to 19%. However, if they win their final three games, contests against the Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings, and Chicago Bears, their chances improve to 95%.
In order to do this, though, the Packers need to fix the issues that have plagued them over their last two loss. The defense, and defensive coordinator Joe Barry especially, have come under fire in response to their poor displays during the losing streak.
The frustration all came to a head when inside linebacker De’Vondre Campbell posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he would not play injured anymore and made some cryptic comments leading many to insinuate he was unhappy with his defensive coordinator. Since that post, he has declined to comment on it, but head coach Matt LaFleur chalked it up to frustrations over being injured and has given him the week off from practice in an effort to help him get his body right.
Despite the post and the call from fans to relieve Barry of his duties, LaFleur is not planning on making any changes to his coaching staff this season. In other words, he is hoping that both coaches and players can put their best foot forward and do whatever they need to do to win their last three games.
Green Bay Packers Inside Linebacker De’Vondre Campbell Agrees with Matt LaFleur’s Plan Going Forward
According to LaFleur and several players, the Packers head coach had an open meeting with defensive players where they were free to voice whatever concerns they had over how they were being coached and how everyone was playing. By all reports, it was an extremely positive and productive meeting.
Following practice on Wednesday, Campbell would not comment on his social media post, but did have the following words to say about the attitude of the defense going forward:
“We’re trying to win out. That’s the only thing on our mind right now. We’re making strides right now. It’s Wednesday. We like the game plan. So we’ll see where we go from here.”
When asked about the issues between players and coaches, Campbell said:
“We’re talking about it. So we’ll see if it’s fixed.”
Campbell also refrained from putting the full blame on Barry and the coaching staff for the defense’s poor play. When asked if the communication was a coaching problem, he said:
“No. It ain’t about us not knowing what to do. We knew what to do. It’s just everybody on the field talking and being on the same page.”
Campbell was also highly complimentary of Coach LaFleur in his interview and grateful that he is being given the opportunity to get his body right.
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