LaFleur Plans on Sticking With Barry as Defensive Coordinator

Defensive coordinator Joe Barry’s unit ranked a mediocre 17th in yards and points but finished the season on the rise.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Jan 9, 2023 7:34 PM EST

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Joe Barry, whose job as Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator seemed to be on the thinnest ice after giving up 363 rushing yards, 500 total yards and 40 points during a late-November loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, likely will return for 2023.

“That’s what I anticipate, yes,” coach Matt LaFleur said during his season-ending news conference on Monday.

Speaking about 19 hours after the season went up in smoke with a 20-16 loss to the Detroit Lions, LaFleur noted he’s only in the “initial stages” of his postseason evaluations. Still, he said, he doesn’t anticipate making any significant changes to the staff. Or perhaps none at all, depending on how the offseason coaching carousel plays out.

“I do think there’s something to the guys that we do have in this building,” LaFleur said. “Certainly, I think there’s a lot of things that all of us can improve upon, most notably myself. But I do believe in the people, not only in the locker room, but our coaching staff. And like I said, are there a lot of things that we’ve got to improve upon? Absolutely. No doubt about it. But it’s my intention to try and have everybody back. I think continuity is a big part of having success in this league.”

On paper, Green Bay took a powerhouse defense into the season. It didn’t turn out that way, though. It finished 17th in scoring and total defense, and was a horrendous 28th in yards per rushing attempt and yards per passing attempt. Strong defense on third down (No. 8) and goal-to-go situations (No. 5) kept the scoreboard in line.

Even with Rashan Gary and Eric Stokes missing the second half of the season, the unit finished the season on the upswing. After the disaster against Philadelphia, Green Bay allowed an average of just 17.6 points per game during the final five games. In no game did Barry’s crew give up more than 20 points. During the four-game winning streak that kept the season alive, Green Bay forced a league-high 12 turnovers.

“Although it wasn’t always pretty, I did think we started to improve as the year went on, and I thought we saw more of an identity,” LaFleur said. “Certainly, I thought last night we played well enough to win on the defensive side of the ball. Obviously, gave up the one big play and then the drive in the fourth quarter where they took the lead, where you’d like to be better, but I thought there was plenty of opportunities out there for us as a team to not be put in that situation.”

While Barry’s Week 1 game plan against Minnesota was questioned, his comfort in collaborating with the players eventually helped find a common ground.

“We’ve been winning, so something’s been working,” cornerback Jaire Alexander, one of those early critics, said last week.

“At the end of the day, we’re the one playing out there on that field. We’re just raising the level of our play. Like, everybody. Some people have been playing the same way all year, which is great. Some people have been playing a great level of football all year. All year. And, now everybody is stepping up and playing the same way. So, it feels really good right now.”