GREEN BAY Wis. – Joe Barry is gone. That much is known. The Green Bay Packers and Matt LaFleur moved on from Barry after a rollercoaster season on defense that was deemed not good enough by the man in charge.
The next defensive coordinator will be LaFleur’s third. He chose to keep Mike Pettine when he was hired in 2019, and tabbed Barry as the man to replace Pettine two years later.
This next hire is a big one for LaFleur. Coaches only get the opportunity to hire so many coordinators , and the Packers are entering a championship window with an offense that looks primed to be one of the league’s best in 2024.
When LaFleur hired Barry, it was to play the Vic Fangio style of defense that Barry employed the last three years. This time, LaFleur should have some specific criteria.
Here are three goals for the Packers’ coach as he makes one of the biggest decisions of his coaching career.
Coach Over Scheme
This should be far and away one of the biggest goals for LaFleur.
Defense changes as offenses around the league find new ways to create big plays.