I wasn't crazy about the Barry hire when the Packers announced it back in 2021 but I decided to give him a chance. He's had 2 seasons and his defense has not impressed. Going from 13th to18th in points allowed is not a very positive trend and not the trend that I was expecting with the Packers annual investment in1st round defensive selections. The defense is not any better than when Pettine or Capers were the DCs. The Packers defense hasn't been very effective since the 2010 SB season. I enjoy tough, physical solid defensive play. Aggressive play with sure tackling and rallying to the football. For several years now I find myself going back to my DVDs of the Lombardi era and the Holmgren era to watch serious and legit NFL defensive play. That's along way off but it's where we're at.

This is Barry's 3rd season and IMO he is down to his last strike. 3 seasons or 3 strikes and you're out if he can't get it done this season. With Love in his first season as a starter and a receiving corps that is fresh out of the box and raw the Packers will need their defense to keep the games close.

In 2023 the strength of the Packers offense will be their RBs and even they will only go as far as a questionable OL takes them. Opposing DCs will know this and prepare accordingly. After last season and with Gary and Stokes coming back from injuries I'm not sure what will be the strength of the Packers defense in 2023.

The defense needs to play more physically, win the LOS and they need to tackle better. These are minimums characteristics that I will be looking for early in the season. Next they need to throw away the soft zone BS and play closer to the LOS and utilize the man to man strengths of their CBs. Again they should get physical with the receivers at the LOS. They need to be better on 3rd and long and obviously they need to be better at stopping the run.

The Packers defense is long overdue in stopping opponent when it matters, in getting off the field on 3rd downs and in protecting leads. They have been fortunate to have been playing with an offense that has been very effective in ball security particularly interceptions. That could change in Love's first 1-2 seasons.

Bottom line is that if Barry can't get it done again then the Packers need to find someone who can and who will. Thanks, Since '61

This is the point where Gute or Murphy or whoever is in charge should step in and tell MLF that they need quality coaches and not just drinking and poker buddies. I know it can happen because after the Mennenga and Drayton debacle, somebody finally forced MLF to get a real ST coach.

Retaining Barry had to be one of the most maddening moments I had, regarding this Packers' team. Not using players at their best positions, playing defenders, off the line, on short yardage plays, are things everyone saw, that had to change. Then, MLF says Barry stays. Gut punch time. This has to be Barry's last stand. Will he circle the wagons or will we see the same old, same old? At any rate, this Defense has to perform better, this season. That is all on Barry.

This is an evaluation and growth year for the young offense. Little to no playoff expectations. Could they be keeping Barry for one more year because they know this? And also know he will cost them 3-4 close games? Meaning our expected 11 2024 draft picks are more valuable? I don't know. What I do know is that the guy has NEVER had a successful, or even top 50% defense in the NFL. I just cant see any reason outside this. EVERYONE, including the broadcasters every week, wonder what the hell that dude is thinking. I have a hard time believing that MLF and Gute don't recognize this. So there has to be a plan right? Please, as a packer fan tell me there is a reason for Barry.

The defense has definitely been a disappointment overall under Barry.
Why did Rasul, DeVondre, and Darnell regress so drastically last year?
Is it possible that the 8 first rounders were over-drafted? Or is it the way they were used? Infuriating to see Hyde and Hayward go elsewhere and excel.
OTOH, how often are coaches’ accomplishments underestimated because they had great players? Even Belichick is subjected to the “he had Brady” argument.
I am hoping that Barry was retained because he DID seem to adjust somewhat last year; less passive zone coverage, letting 23 cover 18 in the second MN game.
Bottom line is he’s under a microscope because he deserves it.

Personally I believe in the talent on the Packers Defense. I think there's a TON of it and just about all of it is very young and of course athletic as hell. You have 1st rounder or rounders on the DL, ILB, OLB, CB, and Safety position because well, you HAVE to count Savage as a 1st round talent...Hey maybe Savage surprises this year but I have a feeling he'll break out next year, with a different team, NOT coached by retreads like Pettine and now Barry.

The keeping Barry as DC gives me that same feeling I had when MLF kept Mo Drayton in 2021. We all know how that turned out. But even in Drayton, who I never thought should have been hired in the first place, hadn't failed, TWICE, as a previous Coordinator like Joe Barry did before coming to Green Bay.

The Packers did play a little better down the stretch last season and the game in against the Vikings at home was a good example of what could be. Walker needs to mature a bit but I like him. I still think Wyatt breaks out this year, and for the love of God Joe Barry let your CB's like Alexander and Stokes get in the FACE of the WR's! If I see a CB lined up 7 yards off in 3rd and 3 or 10 yards off on 3rd and 7 I think I'll lose it.

I was a huge supporter of MLF until that 2021 season when by support began to waver a bit. Keeping Drayton when EVERYTHING pointed to making a change before a huge blunder happened when it mattered (Playoffs). Hiring Joe Barry in the first place and then keeping him is a close second.

Barry's leash must be short. BIG changes need to happen on the defensive side of the ball IMO this year. I just don't know if that old dog can learn enough new tricks fast enough.

The only good thing about having Barry as DC another year is that it may make MLF’s decision to retain him look so bad that it might get them both fired next year.

For me, MLF is on secret double probation. Lack of in-game adjustments, and now a lack of adjustment by not jettisoning Barry, has tested my confidence in the organization.

Vic Fangio was available. The Packers stuck with Barry. My theory is still, the team just doesn't want to pay coaches big money, and therefore hire second or third rate talent, and hope that it all works out in the end. It took the total collapse of the Packers offense, and the special teams giving up points against SF in a playoff game IN LAMBEAU to finally wake them up enough to hire a respected ST's coach. The players don't seem to play hard for Barry There also seemed to be a lot of communication problems, especially noteworthy in the secondary, the first half of the season last year. When they brought him back, and LaFleur said that because the defense showed improvement during the season, he would stick with Barry. But the improvements were put in place under extreme duress, with a lot of pundits and fans calling for Barry's firing. Will he learn from his mistakes? Or will he be stubborn, believe he knows best, and repeat the pattern of last year?

smh.......

'''''' The Packers went from 13th in defensive points in 2020 to 17th in 2022.'''''

They gave up 371 points both years. If you deduct the 14 points we gave Minnesota in garbage time of blowout win, we would have been at 357 last year, despite missing a starting corner for the season and our best defensive player for half a season.

3rd in fewest completions.
6th in passing yards allowed
2nd in fewest Yard After Catch
8th in Pressure %
4th in Interceptions
2nd in Interception %

Put that under your microscope. And remember, in the losses that ended our last two seasons, the defense played plenty well enough to win, but the offense was screwing the pooch.

Defense in the NFL is passing defense. Passes go farther than runs. Passes result in more big plays than runs. Passes account for more TDs than runs. And on that final drive at the end of the game, it's usually going to involve mostly passes. The Packers have one of the very best pass defenses in the league....I wonder if anybody should get any credit for that.

Trying to look on the bright side....

1. The defense under Barry has looked well-coached at times, including toward the end of last season. As Leatherhead noted, the defense played well in the last two season-ending losses. So I do have some hope that Barry has figured some things out, although he still needs to prove that he can coach a defense that is good for an entire season.

2. The soft coverage, as maddening as it is, is something that I see over and over when I watch other NFL games. I'm not saying it's okay, and it does seem like Barry calls those coverages more than most other DC's, but for whatever reason, it is very common in the NFL. I suspect it's because of a fear of giving up the big play. Remember that the rules are skewed toward the offense. So I try to keep some perspective on this.

3. Although there was some grumbling among the defensive players early last season, they did not quit on Barry. They actually played better toward the end of the season.

This is it, Barry! No more waiting, no more what ifs, no more excuses. Either do it this season or get out of the way. Perhaps this will be the beginning of the end that leads the Pack to:

JIM LEONHARD - JIM LEONHARD - JIM LEONHARD!

It's a constant statement, 'There are 8 first round selections on Defense', yet, the Defense cannot play to the level boasted of their draft selections. There has to be a reason(s) for this.

The problem for me rests with the half full/half empty analogy. The glass is always missing half of something. It never seems 2/3 full of player consistency, HC game planning, Defensive scheme,

The fan glass is always over-flowing with 'hope', and that may be the issue with the Defense of 8 1st round selections. It's based on 'hope' with a scheme built by a lengthening list of false schemers.

A half a glass of anything will always be a half a glass of nothing.

Winners never have a half full glass of nothing.

The poorer the offense plays and more 3 N outs you have the more tired your D will get. Last season we had a lot of flux on the OL with injured players coming back and some grand experiment on the OL that none of us agreed with. AR lost 2 WR's got paid mega bucks.....did not do the team a favor and come in early to build timing with young WR's. The offense was very poor last season. We may have some #1 picks on defense that don't play up to it also. This season we have a new QB...who IS MOTIVATED. We drafted a bunch of pocket pressers in the Z. Smith skill set to play outside or inside and we may just get that dominant DL....Finally. I'm not a Barry fan. This season with JL's new weapons so abundant, hopefully our defense getting 3 N outs should be a priority to put up points on the board. Maybe we don't have so many possession turnovers without points on the board. GPG

An additional take on the Joe Barry argument...

During this offseason, Bissacia was named assistant HC...and Barry wasn't! I hope this gives Bissacia the leeway to go after Barry and lighting a fire under his lower back side.

Barry is a friend of LaFleur and has been in Green Bay longer. Yet he wasn't named an assistant HC. It does make me wonder why...

I was so excited about the defense going into last year. Talk about a letdown! It becomes even more important now that Jordan Love is starting. A strong defense would take some of the pressure off of our young offense. I believe we have the talent to do that but we don't have the coaching.

The good news is that with Barry as DC the new QB1 Jordan Love is gonna get lots of attempts to put points on the board. His offensive development will be hastened by an offensive defensive performance

My faith in Barry is simple, ZERO. Have not in any world can figure this guy with the same job again here or anywhere else!

For fans of patterns, trends and probabilities - please note:

* Barry has 3X been a DC (Detroit, Washington, GB). Each time his 2nd year was worse than the first.
* Barry has never made it to the third year as a DC - until now.
* Prior to Barry - GB had fired it's 3 previous DCs (Pettine, Capers, Sanders).

So as the team commences its renewal / renovation - it does so with a DC who is in unfamiliar waters as a DC. All things considered - there is a higher probability that the team will end up with a worse record than last year - which increases the likelihood that Barry will be the fourth DC in a row to be fired by the FO. If so, this merely confirms how Murphy manages - always one year too late and cheaply (regarding coaches).

As a fan, I am not impressed that Barry was not replaced at the end of last season. Frankly, its shows a lack of toughness in MLFs management style which has been evident from the start of his employment with GB. This is NOT a good look for a HC. Before, MLF had Rodgers, Adams and Hackett to give him a gawdy Won-Loss record. Now they're all gone and its on his shoulders now.

I also so hate to think that the strange GB management structure has a lot to do with keeping Barry? I bet if Gutes had authority on this decision, good old Joe would have been shown the door long ago!

I think the "double secret probation" line should apply to MLF this year in respect to Barry. If Barry is "the hill that MLF wants to die on, so be it!"

Not only is Berry under a microscope so is lafluer. Remember lafluer kept this bone head as Dc and hired him.

If the defense is not top 8 by any metrics you choose berry and lafluer have to gon inexcusible hiring and retaining this is on lafkuer.

Anyhow rich b is twice the coach than berry and lafluer put together .. That is a head coach that would bring the fight out in this team of youngsterd win or lose.

Clown 1 and Clown 2 are soft safe spacers

Joe Barry, born July 5th, 1970, in a DOG year, will enter his enemy year, the year of the DRAGON, February 10th, 2024. High odds Barry's outcome is already predetermined.

If the defense had eleven starting 1st round picks, it still wouldn't matter. Youth begets mistakes...this excuse will buy Barry time this year, but with the noose already around his neck, MLF, aka "LaFlake," will have little choice but to release the gallows trap door. What will be interesting to see is, if Gute, by title only (as Murphy hired MLF), holds MLF accountable by asking him to fall on a sword too. MLF is NOT a leader of men. Period. Recall the org oppositional energy structure...Murphy & MLF are GOATs while Gute is an OX...enemy signs.

OT: Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, a ROOSTER, just lost his brother AND his job in his enemy year of the CAT. Michael Jordan, a CAT, lost his Father during his enemy year, the ROOSTER, in '93.

I really wanted to make a few points on this topic, but you guys covered everything, probably better than I could, like the corner backs, the lack of strong, enthusiastic play by the defense, and Joe Barry simply not getting the defensive results that we should be getting for all the draft capital that has been spent on the defensive side of the ball.

What I do know is our defensive coordinator simply is not getting the job done with the players he has been given. Joe Barry's fault or poor drafting by Gute? Perhaps I'm not correct, but my finger is pointing at Joe Barry. Like more than a few coaches have said over the years "it's better to get rid of a player a year early than to keep him a year late". I somehow feel that fit's Joe Barry.

After seeing what’s going on with our defense and our country, I have no confidence in anyone named Joe.

Who won the SB? I think Reid needs a new DC.