The Green Bay Packers, now 6-8, are coming off their second straight loss against a club they could have easily beaten. The Packers’ 34-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lambeau Field on Sunday is just the latest in a three-year streak of dismal defensive performances. It was so humiliating to witness that The Onion, a well-known satirical journal, mocked Joe Barry and the defense afterward.
Head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters at a press conference on Monday that Barry would remain as the Packers’ defensive coordinator for the rest of the season. He did, however, declare that he would be taking a more active position in defensive game preparation in order to prevent what he refers to as “communication errors.”
In addition, two Packers defensive players were asked about today’s discussion with Barry. They stated as follows:
These remarks, along with LaFleur’s later statement, “What’s disappointing is when you go out there, and it’s basic concepts — doesn’t matter what phase — but basic install, Day 1 install, and we have self-inflicted communication errors and guys not in the right place.” That’s difficult to see,” illustrate a major flaw with the Packers:
They are approaching the accountability system incorrectly.
The Green Bay Packers and Matt LaFleur are approaching the Joe Barry question incorrectly.
While LaFleur admitted that some calls he and Barry “would like to have back,” he continued to criticize the players for the defense’s failings. His mention of them failing to implement Day One installs and communications is an indictment of both the players and the coaches.
However, after 14 games, there should be less blame placed on the players and more on Barry and the coaches. The same errors occur week after week after week. This is a coaching issue, not a player issue.
It is similar to the relationship between a teacher and their students. A teacher will spend weeks teaching a certain unit to pupils, and at the end of the course, there will be a test. If only one student out of thirty fails the test, it is a solid indication that the teacher did a good job teaching the unit overall. In this case, the student’s failure to pass the test is most likely not the fault of the teacher.
However, if the teacher spends weeks teaching the unit and ten or more students fail the test, it is likely that the teacher did not do a good job teaching the unit. In this case, a skilled teacher will go back and figure out what they did incorrectly and re-teach it so that everyone understands.
If one Packers player or position group was the source of the defense’s problems, it may be viewed as a player issue rather than a coaching issue. However, this is not the case. Throughout the season, the entire defense has struggled. Sure, there are individual individuals that shine no matter what (as there are in a classroom), but the overall product on the field has been ordinary at best.
As a result, this circumstance cannot be blamed on the players. It is not a player issue at this point in the season. It’s a coaching problem. It is the coaches’ responsibility to teach the players proper communication, plays, and strategies. There is no one to blame but the coaches if they have not been mastered by Week 15, which they certainly have not been.
Joe Barry, of course, is the primary defensive coach. This is his product, and because he was chosen by LaFleur, it reflects on the head coach as well.
If the Packers want to change, their coaches must undertake some real soul-searching.
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