It Doesn't Matter Who The Packers QB Is Next Year If The Defense Doesn't Drastically Improve
Riddle me this.
How has the Packers defense gotten worse during Joe Barry’s second year as DC??
The way it’s supposed to work is going into year 2 you see lots of improvement. The players come in knowing the scheme and already being very clear on their assignments. You are supposed to build off of all of the mistakes made in the previous year and become a better version of yourself.
That is what I thought was going to happen with the Packers D in 2022. I thought we’d have a Top 5 defense. I thought with Jaire coming back healthy it would take this Packers defense over the top. We found a way to pay De’vondre Campbell who came out of nowhere in 2021 to become one of the best inside linebackers in the league. We paid Rasul Douglas. Things were looking bright.
Boy oh boy was I wrong…
There has been zero improvement on last season's above average performance. Currently the Packers have the 22nd ranked scoring defense in the league after finishing as the 10th best scoring defense just 1 season ago. That is not going to cut it.
Right now there is lots of debate about what is going to happen regarding Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love in 2023. This is a conversation I am very interested in. If you have been reading this newsletter the past couple weeks you know this.
Here’s the thing…
It doesn’t matter who our QB is next year if the defense doesn’t drastically change what they are doing.
Joe Barry’s scheme is not working. We have the 30th ranked rushing defense in the NFL. We got embarrassed by the Eagles who ran for 363 yards on us just a few weeks ago. The defensive line has not lived up to the high expectations put on them this off-season. Losing Rashan Gary was a massive blow as he was one of the best run stopping edge rushers in the league. The defense line gets no push and can’t seem to stop the run. There are moments where they’ve come through but typically when this has happened another part of the Packers defense breaks.
Just look at what happened vs the Tennessee Titans. We come in knowing that we need to stop Derrick Henry, one of the most dominant backs in the NFL. We hold him to 87 rush yards and only 3.1 yards/carry. But wait… The Tennessee Titans passing attack that currently ranks 29th in the league picked the Packers secondary apart as Ryan Tannehill threw for 333 yards. That can’t happen.
A change needs to be made. Joe Barry has not been able to figure out what he needs to do to get the most out of this defense. The injuries have hurt us and the Packers D has struggled to consistently wrap up, but at the end of the day Joe Barry has to find a way to make it work. It is time to move on and bring someone new to come and fix the problems consistently plaguing the Packers defense.