Throughout his career, Joe Barry's defenses have been consistent. I'm guessing that will continue this season.

To answer the question of the title: a lot!

Ok. He made adjustments after the bye and did better. That means he missed big time creating a plan and executing it through last year's off season and training camp.

And last year, how many times did Lafleur said they were going to fix the defense.

So he planned poorly. Didn't instruct his players well. He reacted slowly. The result, he was a major contributor to missing the playoffs.

There is nothing to say it will be different this year. And that is the rub.

We need a defense to be aggressive and win a few games. Because we know the offense will struggle. But those statements and a quarter won't buy you a cup of coffee at McDonald's.

We know nothing until Barry proves the defense is good. My gut feeling says Barry won't be in Green Bay next year

First and foremost Barry needs to trust his secondary to defend the pass in obvious passing situations and give them a chance to tip the ball away or create a turnover. Please, no more letting the opposing offense waltz down the field with soft coverage or poor communication between defenders (especially on crossing routes).

Find the right safety combinations for the right circumstances. Both Ford and T. Moore are good with stopping the run. Don't be afraid to sit anyone who consistently struggles with tackling.

Hope for a bounceback season from Campbell and a big second-year leap from Walker; I think we'll get them. Hope Nixon stays healthy.

Slaton and Wyatt can't help but get better with more experience, which they will get immediately. And they will need to get better on those early downs to create choice opportunities for our pass rush on third down. Maybe Ford will get a chance to contribute here and there.

Do whatever it takes in preseason to have the guys ready to play effectively on the season opener; no duds again, please. And take it from there on an upward trajectory.

If things don't work out, hope MLF doesn't remain overly loyal or patient and has a credible preplanned alternative for Barry.

If memory serves, I called for Barry (here at CHTV) to be fired before the end of last season.
However, as long as he is still here, I'm rooting for him to succeed.
***
Whatever the statistics, it seems obvious our defensive backs played too soft on third down. If the offense needed four yards to move the sticks, it would get five; if it needed eight, it would get nine.
So, it's much more to being a defensive coordinator than playing the percentages according to some formula.
Barry has to show creativity and adaptability in putting his guys into positions to make plays.
***
It seems to me football players need to be allowed to be dashing and daring at times.
They need to be able to be aggressive.
Not all the time, but at least some of the time -- preferably more often than not.
There's a time to be passive, but that has to be mixed in with being aggressive. Even on the same play, different defenders may be some of both.
***
Predictability loses.
If a defense blitzes every down, the offense will almost always figure it out and burn it.
May Barry show some mental agility this season, as well as a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of his personnel.
It's about time for a dominant defense in Green Bay, doing the job physically and mentally.

I as a fan really dont have any great expectations for this defense.

Joe berry has proved his not capable of adjusting on a consistent basis to get the most out of his players . Lafluer refusues to make any change on the defensive side meaning coaches so blame who you want.

Im kind of dumfounded by gute he has done a nice j9b getting talent but doesnt hold lafluer accountable for the crappy defense especially with all the resources he has put in on thst side of the ball.

IMO, It is not just Barry that should be on the hot seat. Matt LeFluer's hands are all over this defense now that he has stuck up for Barry even after the horrible showing the last two years.

Do we all remember the exact same thing happening in 2021 with this defense? Barry was playing soft then and the defense was having the same issues. Then they adjusted later in the season to more aggressive man to man and the defense got better. Of course, this was only after ML called Barry out in the media. Then last year we again went back to the same soft coverage and the defense went back to its old ways. Again, ML calls out Barry about playing too soft of coverage and the adjustments are made. The defense improves.

How do you keep a guy that you have to tell what to do for the defense to improve? And you had to do it two years in a row. I just do not get why ML kept this guy. It makes no sense at all.

IMO, Matt Lefluer should be on the hot seat as well as Barry. If this defense fails miserably again this season, maybe they both should be out of Green Bay.

I expect Barry will be gone at the Bye... I don't know who they'd hire, and maybe Bisaccia gets double duty with ST and D... but either way, I'll bet he's gone at the Bye.

I want to see the fastest, most talented, aggressive, hard hitting, gang tackling 11 Barry can field. Play with reckless abandon! Play hard, play cool, play smart. No immature, childish crap.

I still argue, the improvement was due to the level of competition and Tua probably being concussed the 2nd half of the Miami game. The only game they actually looked good in at the end was against Minny, and that was more of the Vikings playing like the Vikings. I hope like hell they fix the run D.

Barry didn't have the worst defense in the league.
But what he did have is a DL, that can't overwhelm
anyone.
The best teams can.
The new guys must have a Much larger roll.
And that 2 Lone rusher frt.; Lowrey and Reed are Gone.
Until Barry gets these guys to perform together.
You can forget any names and high praise.

First and foremost the defense needs to be better, much better at stopping the run. 28th in the league and 31st in DVOA against the run is just not good defense.

Part of getting better at stopping the run requires improved tackling plus winning at the LOS. The Packers consistently get blown off the LOS and as correctly covered by the author our ILBS were not good against the run in 2022. Both DLs and ILBs must improve against the run in order for the defense to improve in 2023.

Our pass defense numbers look good but that is because teams know that they don't need to pass to move the ball against the Packers defense. Also playing our DBs 7 - 10 yards off the LOS prevents the big plays but enables the offense to nickel and dime their way down the field. 5 yards on a first down run combined with 7 yards gained on a second down pass will gain a first down every time. Plus poor run defense sets the defense up for successful play action passes which gain 10 or more yards.

Another issue is that the defense rarely shows up and plays for a full 60 minutes. They have played strong first halves only to forget to return to the field for the second half or they are dominated in the first half and then play a tough second half but unfortunately the game is already over because of their poor play during the first half.

Same mistakes are repeated game after game and at this point season after season; such as no sense of urgency, poor tackling, miscommunications, stupid penalties, players out of position and poor situational football. These are all coachable and fixable errors but they go on and on for years. At this point with rare game exceptions it seems as though they have gone on since the 2010 SB season which was the last season the Packers had a top 5 ranked defense.

The defense is in desperate need of leadership both on the sidelines and on the field. Preferably leadership that enables a more aggressive and nasty attitude.

I don't have much confidence that either Barry or MLF can bring what's necessary for the defense to improve. And at this point I'm not sure if it will be part of Bisaccia's role to fire up the defense. Maybe more arm flapping by MLF will do the trick. We'll see. Thanks, Since '61

Joe Barry needs to have an awakening and transform into someone he's not. Perhaps a magic spell will be cast, or some good old-fashioned voodoo will take hold.

I can't find the exact quote, but after one of his D's less than impressive games last season, he was asked what he needs to do to fix the D. His reply was something like "I don't know. That's the question that keeps me up at night."

I agree with those who think Coach Barry will be moving on to his next job before the conclusion of this season. He has a lot of enthusiasm.

duplicate

As many of us have commented, I do not believe Barry has what it takes to be a competent and innovative DC. He seems to fight change and cannot adjust quickly enough during a game. When MLF calls his soft defensive tactics out, he suddenly gets aggressive? For the money these men make, he shouldn't need his boss to light a fire under him. These men are supposed to pros. The best of the best. They should know immediately when to change the things that aren't working. Especially during a game when it counts. Not a post mortem after the game blaming players for their inconsistency. Could watching every game from high above the field help him see the urgency of changes during a game? Maybe?

And I agree with everyone who says that MLF should FINALLY have some serious accountability here. MLF did not have to grow into a true HC as he had Rodgers and Adams to bail him out every game. The training wheels are gone Matt. Time to become a true HC that is concerned with every facet of the team, not just the offense.

I am glad Rich B is around. I could see him taking over from Barry if Barry is let go during the season. I also believe at the same time that making him Assistant HC should light a light a little fire under MLF's butt as he could conceivably replace him. Whoever made the decision to hire Rich B in GB made a wise, useful move.

Why is Quay Walker so bad against the run? Is he unable to read and react or is he having trouble getting off blocks? With his athleticism, shouldn’t he have been better?

A lot ,and I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for now, but I expect Bisaccia to take over at some point. just don't envision any epiphany from him or MLF.

Barry is still here, because he's still under contract and our Management is not going to fire him and pay him and his replacement at the same time. That being said, without a premier pass rusher on the edge, we were not going to disrupt the passer. We miss having a Z. Smith to go along with Preston. We were not deep enough when Gary went down. I want the standard Defense as Nose and 2 DL on 1-2nd down. We also don't use Corner or Safety or LB Blitz enough. We play way too soft in the Secondary....Every play. The 1st Vikings game with Jefferson having a field day and zero adjustment makes one wonder. All that being said our Defense did not lose the 2021 Playoff game to SF and played as well as anyone could ask of them with such a poor offensive performance. If our offense can get their part done and rest the defense a bit, maybe they play better also. Our offense has put a lot of weight on the defense with a lot of 3 and outs and not putting points on the board. I think LVN plays quite a few snaps this season, If he doesn't, the more I will like the DC gone. Really looking forward to P.Smith/ Gary and LVN on the field at the same time. Also looking forward to Wyatt playing more as well as Slayton.... GPG

Build a scheme around the talent you have. Don’t force the talent you have to fit your fantasy scheme

Not feeling it with Joe Barry. Head scratcher that he was hired in the first place and is still the Defensive Coordinator. My guess is that this is Joe's swan song as the entire team goes thru the ARODless transition. Hoping he plays more to the strength of his players in the secondary. More man to man. Joe Barry is on a slow walk off the plank.

His address?

Seriously though, I think we will be better on D this season than we’ve been in years, and that the Packers defense will continue to improve.

It all starts up front. Gutekunst has given our DL a complete makeover in the last 2-3 years.

I also wonder if the change at DB coach makes a difference this year?

There's no guarantee Barry will get fired after another bad year. LaFleur has bad history of hanging on to people waaay too long. I mean what the hell was he thinking with Amari Rodgers???
Barry flopped everywhere he went before he got here. Just because he went from terrible to average the second half of last year is no reason to think he won't revert back to terrible this year. He should be given 2 or 3 games max to prove himself. Problem is LaFleur will probably wait until we're out of the playoffs, then fire him.
I'm not usually so negative, but I was more optimistic starting off last year then I had been since 1996. If they let me down again I'm going to quit being a Packer f..... Well, of course I'm not but, I WILL NOT BE HAPPY!!!