Joe Barry is out

[Pugger]

The Green Bay Packers have hired Dom Capers as Defensive Coordinator

Is today April 1st?

[Pugger]

Well I'll be snookered. Knock me over with a damn feather! I truly didn't expect this, especially after the perceived improvement in this unit the last few weeks - of course this could be because MLF put his foot down?

[TheSkeptic]

I heard the news and came here to congratulate everyone!

I had been a Barry defender for most of his tenure, but I even flipped down the stretch when it was just bad QB after bad QB lighting us up. And that tweet about the list of QBs who had career days against is just too true. I thought he did enough to save his job, since our defense really played well in the last 4 games, including against 2 of the best offenses in the league. But I am fine with this move.

These are my opinions too.

[YoHoChecko]

Always wonder on a move like this, if it really truly was simply in a vacuum. Just decided he isn't the right guy, then now starting from scratch looking for a guy.

Or if he was looking at the lot of guys available, maybe even has had some private initial conversations with potential targets to gauge mutual interest, if that played into it.

Guess is doesn't matter, just would always love to be a fly on the wall for this kind of stuff.

Guys, it genuinely doesn't matter. It would be difficult to hire a guy who misuses our defensive personnel more thoroughly than Barry did.

The results will be the same or better. There is no downside. Barry was that bad at his job. They only had success when the defensive front won their 1-on-1s with 4 men. They only got stops when they got sacks or pressure-induced turnovers.

Our defense was BAD bad. Like if you watch other teams play football, it simply is not that easy for the opposing offenses except for the late season Eagles. I just didn't see what we were getting anywhere else in the league. The talent:performance gap was massive. We had enough talent (with notable exceptions, not saying we're perfect) to be so much better so much more consistently than we were.

Barry had performed so poorly over three years that our mediocre defensive performances in some games got crazy rave reviews like "wow, gotta hand it to Joe Barry; we held a team to a reasonable number of points this week." Low expectations. Mediocrity.

I'm so glad we turned the page.

I don't care who the replacement is, because I am certain it will not be worse than Barry has been. Certain.

[Foosball]

My concern is that LaFleur tends to hire his friends or people he knows above talent and performance. That’s been his pattern with players and coaches.

I understand that he wants someone he can work with and who will be a good fit. People can fool you in interviews. However, the NFL is a small fraternity and LaFleur could ask around about a candidate’s personality. Not a hard task.

I really don’t have a lot of confidence in LaFleur hiring a talented DC. But maybe Matt has grown and learned from his mistakes and will surprise me.

[lupedafiasco]

My concern is that LaFleur tends to hire his friends or people he knows above talent and performance. That’s been his pattern for players and coaches.

I understand that he wants someone he can work with and who will be a good fit. People can fool you in interviews. However, the NFL is a small fraternity and LaFleur could ask around about a candidate’s personality. Not a hard task.

I really don’t have a lot of confidence in LaFleur hiring a talented DC. But maybe Matt has grown and learned from his mistakes and will surprise me.

I fully expect LaFleur to hire the wrong person. He’s on his 3rd STs coordinator and 2nd on defense, although Pettine wasn’t really his.

Even for what Bisaccia has done for the STs he’s just a middle of the pack guy. Always has been. But the hire of Drayton to me killed any confidence in LaFleur to hire competent staff members.

[Scott4Pack]

I'm happy about this news. Sandbagger Joe had three years of the same thing. It didn't start this year. The D under performed for three months and then over performed the final month of each season.

I fully expect that LaFleur's list will only contain guys who are amiable and relate well to players. That said, I hope he's gonna be a guy who is your best friend AND lights a fire under your butt.

Get us a Safety who can captain our D while knowing how to cover speedy TEs and we're gold.

[YoHoChecko]

I just want to say that even I didn't realize just how much I hated Joe Barry's defense until he actually got fired and my brain released its hold on my true emotions. Sorry for the insane rants in multiple threads today.

Also I have nothing against him. By most accounts he seems to have had a nice career coaching LBs to get the most out of them, and I hope he has a happy life never calling a defensive play again and maybe even coaching some LBs to play well.

[BF004]

Anyone in the GB area not regularly listening to Marques Eversoll on 107.5, you are sorely missing out.

[Yoop]

No worry's, Barry will get another gig, there is a lack of experienced coaches in the NFL, plus Joe is leaving with some great vacation money, no destination is to expensive, me, I'am stuck here house sitting for two cats and a dog, and ridiculed by a french men

[Drj820]

Anyone listen to the GM Shuffle podcast with Michael Lombardi? I find him to be really connected and I like the show.

He said something interesting on there today….

Segment starts at 36m 05 seconds and lasts about three minutes

He talks about how this is a moment in time for Lafleur. Where the hire could set him up for the next 10 years and really cement himself as getting to stay and lead for an entire era in packers history. He suggests he goes with a veteran who can develop defensive players while Lafleur continues to develop as a HC. Almost like what the hire of bisccacio was supposed to do. Says he needs his Fritz Shermer like holmgrem had. Says he needs to remove his ego and the two candidates he should go for are Wink and Zimmer. (I like Zimmer)

But the big surprise is Lombardi claims Lafleur loved Barry and didn’t want to fire him, and he’s upset that he was fired and it wasn’t his decision! He says “he will say he fired him, but he didn’t” and then says he should swallow his pride and focus on getting the hire right.

That part is around the 38 minute mark

[Labrev]

If true then honestly, good, it's a point in favor of the triumvate model. The D-Coord pool is deep, just about anyone will be an upgrade over Joe Barry, and if we are gonna try and make a run in the next few seasons then it will be good for us for a number of reasons.

If Matt was not willing to make the move then good on whoever forced him to make it. They should also veto his replacement choice if he tries to make a stupid ass hire like Barry again, and keep vetoing until he chooses someone good.

[Pckfn23]

Why would Michael Lombardi have inside information within the Packers organization that no one else has?

[Yoop]

Anyone listen to the GM Shuffle podcast with Michael Lombardi? I find him to be really connected and I like the show.

He said something interesting on there today….

Segment starts at 36m 05 seconds and lasts about three minutes

He talks about how this is a moment in time for Lafleur. Where the hire could set him up for the next 10 years and really cement himself as getting to stay and lead for an entire era in packers history. He suggests he goes with a veteran who can develop defensive players while Lafleur continues to develop as a HC. Almost like what the hire of bisccacio was supposed to do. Says he needs his Fritz Shermer like holmgrem had. Says he needs to remove his ego and the two candidates he should go for are Wink and Zimmer. (I like Zimmer)

But the big surprise is Lombardi claims Lafleur loved Barry and didn’t want to fire him, and he’s upset that he was fired and it wasn’t his decision! He says “he will say he fired him, but he didn’t” and then says he should swallow his pride and focus on getting the hire right.

That part is around the 38 minute mark

those are bold statements for anyone to make, not to say Lombardi is just spreading a 3rd party comment, just that it sounds that way, there is/was so much wrong with Barry's defense, as several opposing players have said, it was obvious what defensive design was on every play, easy to find open spaces, and that is exactly what we saw to often, minus pass pressure, our secondary was toast.
anyway I just think Lafleur is a calculating analytical guy, who looks at the defensive performance in every game, and not just what happened the last 4 or 5 games of the season, how each position did, and what caused decline or improvement, when ya do that Barry comes up short.

whatever I'd like to hear this from another source to confirm.

[Drj820]

Anyone listen to the GM Shuffle podcast with Michael Lombardi? I find him to be really connected and I like the show.

He said something interesting on there today….

Segment starts at 36m 05 seconds and lasts about three minutes

He talks about how this is a moment in time for Lafleur. Where the hire could set him up for the next 10 years and really cement himself as getting to stay and lead for an entire era in packers history. He suggests he goes with a veteran who can develop defensive players while Lafleur continues to develop as a HC. Almost like what the hire of bisccacio was supposed to do. Says he needs his Fritz Shermer like holmgrem had. Says he needs to remove his ego and the two candidates he should go for are Wink and Zimmer. (I like Zimmer)

But the big surprise is Lombardi claims Lafleur loved Barry and didn’t want to fire him, and he’s upset that he was fired and it wasn’t his decision! He says “he will say he fired him, but he didn’t” and then says he should swallow his pride and focus on getting the hire right.

That part is around the 38 minute mark

those are bold statements for anyone to make, not to say Lombardi is just spreading a 3rd party comment, just that it sounds that way, there is/was so much wrong with Barry's defense, as several opposing players have said, it was obvious what defensive design was on every play, easy to find open spaces, and that is exactly what we saw to often, minus pass pressure, our secondary was toast.
anyway I just think Lafleur is a calculating analytical guy, who looks at the defensive performance in every game, and not just what happened the last 4 or 5 games of the season, how each position did, and what caused decline or improvement, when ya do that Barry comes up short.

whatever I'd like to hear this from another source to confirm.

You are correct. Very bold statement to make and I certainly don’t take it as 100% truth…but overall I do trust Lombardi and find him to be well connected, and often right.

He’s probably my top go to insider. I listen to his pod twice a week, and I listen to mad dog sports radio all the time and he is on with mad dog weekly. He’s right a lot but…who knows

[NCF]

Why would Michael Lombardi have inside information within the Packers organization that no one else has?

Why wouldn't he? He is as well connected around the league as anyone. He is tight with Bellichick who has worked with Eliot Wolf for the past 3 or 4 years which is one degree of separation away from Gutey and others on the Packers staff. He also grew up in the 49ers organization when Carmen Policy was there. Policy's son, Ed, is considered the heavy favorite to replace Mark Murphy when he retires. I am quite sure Lombardi has plenty of friends in low places surrounding these relationships.

[Yoop]

Why would Michael Lombardi have inside information within the Packers organization that no one else has?

Why wouldn't he? He is as well connected around the league as anyone. He is tight with Bellichick who has worked with Eliot Wolf for the past 3 or 4 years which is one degree of separation away from Gutey and others on the Packers staff. He also grew up in the 49ers organization when Carmen Policy was there. Policy's son, Ed, is considered the heavy favorite to replace Mark Murphy when he retires. I am quite sure Lombardi has plenty of friends in low places surrounding these relationships.

I'd never heard that about Ed Policy taking over for Murphy, thanks for the heads up

could be some truth to this, specially now with his first interview being a coach that uses the same scheme, so maybe he did want to retain Joe

I think the fan base needed a change, If he inks Staley, be hard to discount Mike Lombardi's report.

[Pckfn23]

Why would Michael Lombardi have inside information within the Packers organization that no one else has?

Why wouldn't he? He is as well connected around the league as anyone. He is tight with Bellichick who has worked with Eliot Wolf for the past 3 or 4 years which is one degree of separation away from Gutey and others on the Packers staff. He also grew up in the 49ers organization when Carmen Policy was there. Policy's son, Ed, is considered the heavy favorite to replace Mark Murphy when he retires. I am quite sure Lombardi has plenty of friends in low places surrounding these relationships.

You're still only talking friends of friends. I just don't think anyone has insider information into what is almost always a very tight lipped organization. I especially don't think national media has insider insight into things that are said and talked about or the pulse inside 1265. We just had a beat writer say Staley was off the table and now he is coming in for an interview. The tight lipped nature of our organization is the exact reason why many agents leak that the Packers have interest in players when the Packers may not have any real interest at all. In this instance, I am sure LaFleur liked Joe Barry and I am sure he didn't want to get rid of him as a person. That's all probably right and we have heard before, but where I grow skeptical is in essentially saying that LaFleur didn't want to fire him and instead Gutekunst/Murphy had to. Those are high level discussions that just don't escape Lambeau. So again, why would Lombardi have access to that room over anyone else? It seems like more of an Arrigo to me than anything. Matt LaFleur liked Joe Barry. Joe Barry got fired. Matt LaFleur must not have done the firing.

[go pak go]

Why would Michael Lombardi have inside information within the Packers organization that no one else has?

Why wouldn't he? He is as well connected around the league as anyone. He is tight with Bellichick who has worked with Eliot Wolf for the past 3 or 4 years which is one degree of separation away from Gutey and others on the Packers staff. He also grew up in the 49ers organization when Carmen Policy was there. Policy's son, Ed, is considered the heavy favorite to replace Mark Murphy when he retires. I am quite sure Lombardi has plenty of friends in low places surrounding these relationships.

You're still only talking friends of friends. I just don't think anyone has insider information into what is almost always a very tight lipped organization. I especially don't think national media has insider insight into things that are said and talked about or the pulse inside 1265. We just had a beat writer say Staley was off the table and now he is coming in for an interview. The tight lipped nature of our organization is the exact reason why many agents leak that the Packers have interest in players when the Packers may not have any real interest at all. In this instance, I am sure LaFleur liked Joe Barry and I am sure he didn't want to get rid of him as a person. That's all probably right and we have heard before, but where I grow skeptical is in essentially saying that LaFleur didn't want to fire him and instead Gutekunst/Murphy had to. Those are high level discussions that just don't escape Lambeau. So again, why would Lombardi have access to that room over anyone else? It seems like more of an Arrigo to me than anything. Matt LaFleur liked Joe Barry. Joe Barry got fired. Matt LaFleur must not have gone the firing.

I tend to agree.

When we make key personnel firing decisions at our company, the Executive Committee is all aware, discusses and may have disagreement sin the room but leaves the room as a unified voice once a decision has been made.

ADDITIONALLY

We will NEVER speak of one person wanting or disagreeing with the rest of the group outside of the board room because that is mismanagement 101.

I too just can't see a scenario where a disagreement bewteen MLF/Gute/Murphy would ever be leaked. Ever. This organization is too professional for that.

[packman114]

Before the season began Gutey was asked about the defense and he said that he felt real good about where we were personnel rise and that expectations were high for the defense this year.

There is no way Gutey & Murphy were going to let MLF keep Barry after the season we had defensively. I'm not saying they made the decision but I definitely think MLF knew how they felt and while it was a hard decision from a personal standpoint, it was an easy decision from a coaching standpoint.