LaFleur backs defensive coordinator amid woes

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Matt LaFleur wasted nary clip backing antiaircraft coordinator Joe Barry connected Monday adjacent arsenic frustrations mounted among the Green Bay Packers' players connected that broadside of the ball.

He has nary plans to marque a coaching change.

"Oh, no, perfectly not," LaFleur conscionable hours aft the Packers' 27-17 nonaccomplishment to the Buffalo Bills connected Sunday night.

The Packers' struggles connected discourtesy were easy predictable, considering they traded their champion receiver, Davante Adams, to the Las Vegas Raiders and tried to regenerate him with journeyman Sammy Watkins and 3 rookies who would request clip to gel with backmost Aaron Rodgers.

But a defence that featured 7 first-round picks and respective different high-priced escaped agents was expected to assistance them past until the discourtesy recovered its way. Instead, Barry's portion has contributed to the Packers' 3-5 start.

According to sources adjacent to members of the Packers' defense, players person grown frustrated with the antiaircraft strategy and playcalling. One root said determination has been "a declining assurance successful the antiaircraft strategy and what's being called, and it's led to wide vexation with the defense." Another root confirmed that sentiment.

LaFleur didn't accidental straight whether antiaircraft players person shared that feeling with him oregon different members of the coaching staff.

"Well, archetypal of all, it's intolerable to delight everybody," LaFleur said. "Everybody has their ain opinions, their ain ideas. It's similar thing other successful life. You person to get the unit connected the aforesaid page, archetypal and foremost, successful making definite that everybody is assured successful the program and past you thatch it to the players."

The latest antiaircraft breakdowns came connected Sunday, erstwhile the Packers allowed the Bills to people connected 5 consecutive drives (three touchdowns and 2 tract goals) that spanned precocious successful the archetypal 4th to aboriginal successful the 3rd quarter. They allowed 24 points successful the archetypal fractional earlier it tightened things up successful the 2nd half, pursuing a season-long signifier of playing 1 bully fractional and 1 atrocious one.

At 1 point, the coaches pulled starting cornerback Eric Stokes from the crippled successful what LaFleur said was done "just to alteration it up." Stokes went backmost into the crippled connected the pursuing antiaircraft series.

"I deliberation we'd beryllium foolish not to perceive to our players astatine definite times," LaFleur said. "Ultimately, we person to marque the champion determination for our shot squad successful presumption of however bash you spell astir winning the game? You know, determination were immoderate large moments and past determination were immoderate not-so-great moments. It was large that we were capable to get a mates turnovers.

"I deliberation from a consistency standpoint, mode excessively galore explosive gains, immoderate mediocre tackling. I deliberation we request to beryllium much physical. I deliberation you look astatine the teams that are toughest to woody with successful this league, particularly from a antiaircraft standpoint and physicality, it jumps retired to you. There were moments wherever we're not ever getting that."

Barry's hiring successful January 2021 to regenerate Mike Pettine came arsenic a spot of a astonishment considering his way grounds arsenic a antiaircraft coordinator. He had doubly earlier coordinated defenses (Washington 2015-16 and Detroit 2007-08) and ne'er finished amended than 28th successful the league rankings. The 2018 Lions went 0-16.

The Packers finished ninth successful full yards allowed past play successful Barry's archetypal twelvemonth but struggled astatine times against the run. They're ranked 1 spot higher, astatine No. 8, done Sunday's nonaccomplishment to the Bills but erstwhile again fertile adjacent the bottommost of the league (25th) successful rushing yards allowed per transportation and person had connection breakdowns successful sum that person led to explosive plays.

"There's times we play bully shot and times we fto it get distant from us," Packers antiaircraft tackle Kenny Clark said. "Whatever it is, we got to close it. We got to fig that out. I don't truly person an reply for it."

Said cornerback Rasul Douglas: "I don't cognize what it is, but we got to bash thing to win."

Among the players who person drawn disapproval is information Darnell Savage, who was plagued by missed tackles.

"He's got to beryllium amended successful those situations," LaFleur said. "We request him to, arsenic a safety, you've got to cleanable it up. That's thing that we're decidedly going to address. Darnell knows it, too. Everybody tin spot it. We've got to beryllium a small spot amended and we've got to bash a amended occupation of drill it and putting that accent successful that country due to the fact that it hasn't been up to the modular that we expect."

Rodgers, who threw arsenic overmuch praise connected the Packers' defence arsenic anyone successful the preseason, said the violative struggles haven't helped retired those connected the different broadside of the ball.

"We've got to assistance our defence retired a small amended aboriginal successful the game," Rodgers said. "When we went connected a tally backmost successful '16, we started those games faster truthful we could play much one-dimensionally connected defense. We conscionable haven't done that. We haven't enactment up immoderate points aboriginal successful games to get our defence to person a accidental to pin their ears backmost and get aft the passer."