The off-season slate began for head coach Matt LaFleur on Monday, this, after falling to the hands of the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round.
Yesterday I discussed and made the case on how Packers fans should feel after over-performing in the second half of the season, and with those feelings should come a bit of higher expectations for 2024, and beyond.
One way to feel confident heading into next season doesn’t have much to do with the offense, as much as it does the defense.
All season, since week one, the Packers have consistently ranked in the lower tier of almost all defensive categories this season. Some, if not all, are not relatively shocked by this, but to me, the talent on that side of the ball is far too good for those numbers.
Over the last month or so of the season, I will give credit where credit is due; The defense did play better overall. They made plays, they shut down opposing offenses, and they created much-needed turnovers.
My question, and one question most cheeseheads should be asking, is where has it been over the past 24 months, and not just the last one?
Too much investment has been made on that side of the ball, including EIGHT first-rounders since 2016 to constantly be the one unit on this team that never carries its weight.
LaFleur needs to make a change this season, and his first order of business should be to bring in a new defensive coordinator to help lead the youngest roster in the NFL.
Barry, in my opinion, has been fine. Not great, not always good, not the worst, I suppose, but somewhere right in the middle.
At the end of all this, it’s time LaFleur raises that bar, and creates a sense of urgency on that side of the ball – Something this team has lacked for quite some time.
Bring in someone new.
Someone hungry, who has new ideas, and is ready to grow, develop, and lead that defense, after all, this team is closer than many realized.