Very troubling indeed to read Campbell’s comments on his way out the door. But his release was like truth serum; no reason to lie or try to put a fake, positive spin on things.
Question: is my brain clogged with malted hops and bong resin, or wasn’t Barry’s FIRST season actually pretty good? Campbell was first team All-Pro, right? And Rasul had all those sweet picks? And then years 2 and 3 were straight down the tubes with all the aforementioned problems? I gotta ask “Why?” Why did JB become so fearful, cautious, and soft? Was there so little communication between him and MLF?
Anyhow, eager to see Hafley’s D with press-man on the corners and McKinney manning the post! GPG!

Indeed, Al, Indeed so. Why the hire of Barry. Certainly a lot of factors are in conversation, regarding schemes that might not have worked out for Barry's former team, but valid as potential fit with different cast. Certainly, one can't be too quick to pull the plug every 2-3 years, like Redskins, Lions, Bears model. But, yeah....that will be a blemish on Lafluer's legacy. He threw good capital on top of wasted capital, like a gambler that couldn't walk away. No way Barry should have seen year 3.

The good news; GB got better this off season
The bad news; all teams always get better in the offseason....
............up until the games begin. Then some start getting worse.

The D personnel were/are best suited for press, but with the mobile and dangerous QBs today they are going to have to play zone, facing the QBs allot. Whenever they did that the last couple seasons, they weren't prepared for their matchups and didn't know who to pass to who (or so it appeared). That left the middle of the field wide open for passes or running and made even the Zac Wilsons of the league look like MVPs.

From the encouraging descriptions of his past players, it sounds like the new DC does all the legwork and extra planning for the players and makes it easy so they're just reacting not thinking to what they see on game day.

We'll see if that's too good to be true and what the Os they face can do to combat this new defense, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and hope MLF learned his lesson and doesn't let the strings get too loose again on his team.

Joe Barry epitomized the two worst NFL hiring practices:
1) Nepotism; and,
2) Hiring people based on who they know and not what they know.

What I call the Friends & Family plan.

If Hafley can exorcise the demons we will have a much better defense, but also more damning evidence that hiring and keeping Barry was pure managerial malfeasance.

After the Barry hire and 2023 retention, I worried that Lafleur was one of those people who is uncomfortable supervising folks that are 'better' than he is or that have a domineering personality. Unconsciously or consciously, I've seen managers avoid competent people and it usually ends like this, or the incompetent person blunders along for years. No one likes to work with an arsehole, but lets face it, sometimes they are the most competent!

The best indicator of future performance are past results. Not the only, but the best indicator.

We can always change, and change is usually an incremental process. Not always, but usually.

After the attempt to lure Jim Leonard away from the Badgers (wonder if Jim has regrets?), Coach Matt did a 180 and made a crony hire of a twice failed DC. Just what did Matt think Barry would do differently this go around?

With all the investments in the defense, I had hope Barry could oversee a successful D. His introductory presser was concerning. I really did not know what his philosophy was going to be. He was energetic, but it was a rambling affair and I wondered how the players would respond to his communication style.

The best year of Barry Ball was the first season but the past results of Barry led Defenses began to show.

It wasn't the points given up, it was WHEN they were surrendered. When a stop was essential, you knew it was unlikely. With the talent on the defense, they played well at times, in spite of the weak run D, passive pass D.

Coach Gray obviously voiced his concerns behind closed doors. And after the '22 season, and Matt announced his "continuity decision" to keep Barry, Gray quickly departed...even as Matt still wanted him to remain. To do what...coach DBs in a defensive scheme he despised? That was curious.

The past results of Jeff Hafley have me far more encouraged than the announcement of Barry 3 years ago. I am very impressed with the coaching talent he recruited. If the defense can become a shut down, takeaway group...this team can be the talk of the NFL.

I can't wait to see what Hafley does defensively.

Well that was a bit of a bummer down memory lane...Kind of gets ya all pissed off all over again. Al reminded us of this past years ineptitude which actually made me think of the 2021 season and the playoff loss to those SAME 49ers as well. The defense played well that night except for the final 3:20 when they drove right down the field into FG range when the Packers only had 10 players on the field for the FG attempt...

Sigh.... Good times...NOT!!!

Another dead horse to bury! Hopefully, we learn from our poor decisions and try not to repeat them. The future is bright in Green Bay, onward, and upward!

Jersey Al, you nailed it. The Packers could have and should have won the Super Bowl last year but never with Barry. His passive way of playing defense is anathema to any defensive player or coach.

How many players underperformed because of Barry. And I too noticed the Gray incident.

So sad that Lafleur took this long to dump him.

MLF watched late season games where the defense played very well quite unexpectedly. For reasons unknown, he took that as justification for Barry being retained. Possibly it reinforced his belief that Barry was a good hire.

Campbell should have went Quietly.
Change is not always a good thing.
Don't put this on MLF.
Barry already got hired.
This is nothing more than a guy
who couldn't live up to expectations.

I believe in Matt Lafleur as an offensive coach. He helped Rodgers to two MVP seasons and displayed a very diverse offense in the first post Rodgers year. His offensive staff has generally done a good job developing drafted talent and managing the various offensive units (with a few exceptions on the O-line). Offensively Lafleur has done his job well.

However I still have questions about Matt Lafleur as a head coach. It is hard to overlook Barry, Mennenga and Drayton. Lafleur needs Hafley to be a home run hire to put to bed the notion he has serious problems evaluating non-offensive assistant coaches. Three bad hires and keeping Barry for at least a year too long have tarnished his head coaching judgement.

Lafleur was hired as a young head coach and people often grow into their positions. I thought Lafleur showed significant growth last year and I really like the Hafley hire (but I have zero qualifications to evaluate football coaches). I hope Lafleur is growing into his position as head coach and he is finally getting the defensive half of the team in order.

Nothing to add to the Barry postmortem, but I would like to make my annual plug for the CHTV Draft Guide It's always very well done, buying it is my way of supporting the site. So, if you are on the fence, cough up a few bucks to help keep this place for us to vent our spleens and exchange disconnected thoughts chugging along. It's worth every penny.

Onward and upward!

2023 was a pleasant surprise in spite of GM and coaching blunders. Now Hafley is at the wheel on D. Most of the 2019 spending spree has been paid off and we are pretty sure we have a QB to build around.

Let it die- the future looks bright!

Campbell ladled out a good bowl of PEE Soup on Barry on his way out!

Must be pretty busy with that draft guide Al! Thanks for reiterating what everyone already knows and what every other sports writer has been saying.

Yeah, I was perplexed that anyone would hire a DC who went 0-16 even if it was over ten years prior. Never did like the hire, never did have faith in a Barry defense. Only positive I can say for Barry is that he wasn't the only bad DC hire during the Rogers era!

When did he tell LaFleur we needed more aggression? After the Denver loss? After the LV loss? After we held the Rams to 3? After we held KC to 19? When did this take place?

We gave up 350 points last year. We'll see if we improve very much.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

BTW, 6 downvotes already but nobody told me when Campbell allegedly was the savior of the season....according to Campbell. I'd like to know. Because I think it's a bunch of self-serving BS.

It's too bad De'Vondre was the one who had to meet privately with Matt to light a fire under him. That was Matt's responsibility.
Rasul Douglas was another casualty, IMO.
Matt tends to give the keys to his coordinators and doesn't step in until things blow-up.
Time will tell.

To be fair - it seems that Barry wasn't MLF's first choice either - with reports that he had offered the DC position to at least one other candidate. Also, the DC candidate field that year struck me as a particularly weak and unproven one. Still MLF is to bear full responsibility for the Barry failure - which he has seemed to have atoned, somewhat, with the Hafley hire. At least with a much better candidate search and identification stage.

As for Campbell - he's not saying anything that we haven't already heard. I'd rather have him critique his own performance - as a one-year wonder - in his 8+ years career.

MLF would be under heavy scrutiny if not for the late season surge and good playoff showing last year. Staff wise, he’s been a disaster. Pettine stayed too long, Drayton cost us a trip to the Super Bowl and Barry should never have been hired in the first place.
Let’s hope he got it right this time. It’s a young, mostly under contract team and the NFC is wide open.

Well, Al, as you can see from posting, more or less we all agree with your assesment.

I agree with you that Campbell remarks showed us who is real culprit. Despite some of the fans here believe that Campbell made mistake to put out his grievances on his time at Packers, I understand the man. He is bitter, and who would not be. He might lost few million $ because of Joe Barry on his new signings. I would like to see some of you to be silence with that kind of loss. And I did not touch respect every player want for their performances.

For me, I still see MLF as OC, not HC. I understand that he has to deal with FPQB and he made mistake to not show his balls. Bullies adore those kind of persons. And to be clear, I really liked FPQB talent, football knowledge and his demeanor on the field. What I despise in FPQB is his narcissistic personality...

I'm glad De'Vondre Campbell was part of Packers team and I respect everything he done or tried to do for Packers success. Godspeed De'Vondre!

Well said AL.

New season, Barry is gone. Hafley won’t start to become a known commodity till mid-season. The only thing we know is that change has happened on D.

How that works out will speak to a lot, but that’s a good six months out. Let’s look forward, not rehash old arguments we can’t resolve till the on field verdict comes out.