Death, taxes, and Packers fans hating their defensive coordinator. It’s a way of life. The last time that the Packers fans liked their defensive coordinator is probably Fritz Schumer in the mid-90s. Joe Barry was a guy that people met with criticism when hired as he did not have the greatest resume as a defensive coordinator. But the hope was that Barry learned from Los Angeles with a combination of Wade Phillips, Vic Fangio, and Brandon Staley. That hope is wavered and went out the window in the first six quarters of the season. The Packers looked like a different team in the second half when they brought more pressure which worked really well. This seemed to be a suggestion of Matt LaFleur, not an adjustment from Barry. This sparked outrage in the Packers’ fan base. I don’t see it that way.

LaFleur said that he told defensive coordinator Joe Barry to either play coverage or get after the quarterback because playing man and sending just four in the first half wasn't creating any pressure. Barry started to bring pressure more in the second half and it helped.

— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) September 21, 2021

Some might say ‘Why is an offensive-minded coach involved in the defense?’ Fair question. But this is what LaFleur wanted when he hired Barry. He wanted to have more of a say than LaFleur did with Mike Pettine. This feels more like a unified relationship. They’re all on the same team. This isn’t like Aaron Rodgers told him to pressure the quarterback more. That might be a problem. But it’s a united coaching staff. I don’t see anything wrong with that. Maybe you do, but if you played football, the best coaching staffs are the ones that work together.

This doesn’t mean Barry is absolved of all the other bullshit. He still had so many bad moments during the first two games. There is a lot to clean up and he needs to replace Kevin King with Eric Stokes plus figure out how to handle the defensive line as well. This is not a ‘defend Barry’ blog post, rather, it is, this soundbite is going to get spun out of control.

Let’s hope that Barry keeps up the pressure and brings the noise next week in San Francisco.

Charlie.