Green Bay Packers culture and Joe Barry’s poor defense come into question after disappointing 24-22 loss to New York Giants
There was a lot of blame to be assigned following the Green Bay Packers’ 24-22 loss to the New York Giants on Monday Night Football.
Quarterback Jordan Love didn’t play well until the fourth quarter, Keisean Nixon’s fumble on a punt return gave New York an easy touchdown, Anders Carlson missed a field goal and the defense made rookie Tommy DeVito look undrafted Michael Vick.
Some of these issues, particularly those involving Love and Carlson, are not surprising given their youth.
Even before the season began, coach Matt LaFleur and his staff had been outspoken about the likelihood that there would be growing pains this season.
As the season progressed there were growing pains, but there were also signs of growth among the youth, especially in attack.
Where there has been little overall growth and adjustments have been needed on the defensive side of the ball.Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry was disliked by fans upon his hiring. Over the past three seasons, he has done little to prove those negative feelings wrong.
After the loss to the Giants, a game that ended with the defense allowing New York to drive down the field with less than two minutes remaining, NFL analyst Mina Kimes questioned his game plan and Packers culture. NFL analyst Mina Kimes has long been on the “Fire Joe Barry” bandwagon.
Even before the start of the 2023 NFL season, she argued that Barry was, or at least should be, under more pressure to succeed than Love.
She argued that Green Bay spent so much draft capital on defense and that their average to below average play year after year was a sign that Barry just wasn’t doing a good enough job.
Kimes reiterated that sentiment on Tuesday, even questioning the Green Bay culture that allowed this type of inept defense to continue: After Kimes’ rant, Dominique Foxworth said he almost felt stupid talking about the game because the mistakes were so incomprehensible.
He says the defense has looked like this every year for the past five years, a span that includes the seasons before Barry signed. There is no denying that the Packers have a lot of talent on defense.
What is so aggravating is that neither Barry nor his predecessor, Mike Pettine, were able to put these players in positions where they could reach their full potential.
Both Kimes and Foxworthy wonder aloud what it is about the Packers’ culture that has allowed this to continue for so long.
