The case of Green Bay Packers Fans vs Joe Barry appears headed to a verdict. At least three more exhibits will be presented before judge Matt LaFleur will be asked to render a decision. He’s already granted his lieutenant a stay that will continue at least until January 8, 2024. The motions from the plaintiffs have been filed going back to last season and they really accelerated over the past two weeks as the football team’s unit Barry is charged with leading, collapsed.
Joe Barry leads a drill.
Closing arguments will be made as the Packers play the 2-12 Carolina Panthers, 7-7 Minnesota Vikings and 5-9 Chicago Bears to finish the season.
Today, Barry, the Defensive Coordinator took to the stand (the media auditorium podium) and presented testimony in defense of his defense. After failing to stop Tommy DeVito in :93 seconds on a Monday night, Barry’s week ended with Baker Mayfield putting up the first perfect passer rating by an opposing quarterback in Lambeau Field’s history in demoralizingly efficient fashion.
His weekly session with reporters had a heavier air than usual. The defendant admitted it’s been a difficult week as unwelcome evidence mounted against his employment, present and future.
For the record, Barry’s defense ranks 23rd in yards allowed per game, points allowed per game is slightly better. The eye test suggests even lower rankings. Rupturing against the run four times this year allowing 200 yards or more. The stop for a win in New York, the miscommunication blunders against Tampa Bay. Let’s delve even deeper with records. Barry succeeded Mike Pettine for the position in 2021, after former University of Wisconsin Jim Leonard turned down a job offer. The Packer defense finished 9th in yards allowed per game, giving up 21.8 points per game that first season in 2021. A strong playoff performance against San Francisco had everyone believing better was yet to come. 2022 saw the unit digress to 17th in yards allowed. With among the highest draft capital rosters in the league, Barry’s defense has dropped six more spots in the rankings as 2023 is coming to a close. It’s a trend Barry actually avoided in his first two stints as an NFL Defensive Coordinator.
His previous crack at it was in Washington in 2015 and 2016. Barry’s first Redskins defense finished 28th in yards allowed on a 9-7 NFC East Division winning team that was eliminated by the Packers who put up a 35-18 victory at Fed Ex Field. The following year, Washington finished 28th again and missed the playoffs at 8-7-1.
Barry had nowhere to go but up after his first opportunity to coordinate a defense. That was with the Detroit Lions in 2007. Bereft of high end talent, Detroit went 7-9 that year finishing dead last in the league on defense, giving up 377.6 yards a game and 444 total points. He followed that up with being a part of history. Detroit’s defense got even worse. 404.4 yards per game to bring up the rear again, a league worst 172 rushing yards per game and a whopping 577 points (37.3 average) led to one grading score vs quality against average performance at an NFL worst -9.1. Led to the absolute imperfect 0-16 season in Detroit.
If LaFleur pours over the briefs from Barry’s prior jurisdictions, couples that with the declining returns in his Green Bay tenure, there’s only one conclusion that should be drawn. There’s still a chance unforeseen evidence could come in.
The first closing argument comes Sunday at Bank of America Stadium.
