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Joe Barry hasn’t topped many lists as a favorite for the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator position among fans. He also didn’t top Matt LaFleur’s list, as that honor went to Jim Leonhard, who turned down the job. But Barry will be Green Bay’s DC in 2021, so what can we expect from him? To understand this, it’s best to assess the experiences he’s had that got him to this point, how he views football and why he called on LaFleur.
The experience clearly helped Barry stand out from the crowd of candidates who by and large have never possessed this level of power to lead a defense. But almost all of them came with varied experiences under different regimes, a diversity valued by LaFleur in the coaching recruitments he made around his team like Nathaniel Hackett.
Barry coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebackers when Derrick Brooks played the role and anyone else in the NFL, including his 2002 Defensive Player of the Year campaign. His work with linebackers has earned him two previous stints. leading NFL defenses, though neither went particularly well.
He brought that Tampa-2 defense with him to Detroit with Rod Marinelli where they stank in yardage, but the Lions finished 3rd in revenue in 2007 and 11th in adjusted sack rate in 2008. But Barry didn’t want to stick to this blanket. 2 heavy defense as the league learned to attack him.
After stops back in Tampa and then his USC alma mater, Barry returned to the NFL in 2012 where the Chargers ran a 3-4 under Chuck Pagano. Barry and Pagano survived Norv Turner’s change of coach to Mike McCoy, until Barry’s work once again landed him a role in Washington with Jay Gruden leading that 3-4 front. The offensive coordinator of these teams? Sean McVay.
“I think he’s smart,” Marinelli said in 2015 while working in Dallas and Barry coaching the Washington defense. It should be noted that Marinelli’s daughter married Barry.
“I think he relates very well to people, communicates very well and is a teacher. Once you have these basics I think you have a chance to be really good. And he has a great passion for the game. ”
Former Packers and Washington defensive back Will Blackmon echoed the words, describing Barry as “passionate” on Twitter following the hiring announcement. He insisted it wasn’t overwhelming with low praise, suggesting Barry “really cares” and greets all of his defensive players before practice.
When LaFleur spoke about the need for a leadership change, it aligned with one of the key changes he saw as vital: “At the end of the season, just our ability to spread and give out that great energy and this effort is what we are looking for. ”
Pettine, cerebral and gentle-mannered, resulted in a defense that, especially in big games over two years, too often came out flat and uninspired. That’s not to say that anyone out there has to be “perverted” players out there like Billy Turner said last fall, but a chance attitude could be just what this team needs.
It doesn’t necessarily mean aggression. Brandon Staley’s team last year, and Barry’s in Washington, weren’t “aggressive” the way we traditionally see them, with heavy men blanket or blitz heavy philosophy.
Defensive tackle Ricky-Jean Francois described Barry’s approach in layman’s terms
“He won’t try to be the most aggressive guy. Only aggressive when he needs it. But at the same time, his biggest thing is that he wants his first four to put pressure on himself. It was the most important thing he had insisted on. If he has DBs in the backend cover, he wants to be able to send those first four and drop seven. That’s any defensive coordinator’s dream to do. I want this dream to come true for him.
If you didn’t know better, you might think he was talking about the last two seasons with Pettine. Critics of his defenses in Washington suggested he was not aggressive enough, wouldn’t take risks, or play outside of his plan. Does this sound familiar to you?
Still, McVay thought enough of him to bring him to Los Angeles and award him the title of “assistant head coach.” There he coached under the notoriously aggressive leadership of Wade Phillips, the man Barry beat to become Washington DC the first time. That’s when he crossed paths with LaFleur, coached players like Corey Littleton to move from UDFA caliber to Pro Bowl and stayed when McVay switched to Staley before the last offson.
According to Tom Silverstein, the connection with Staley sparked LaFleur’s interest in both safety coach Barry and Rams Ejiro Evero. McVay loves the two-tier cover disguise defense so much, he hired Raheem Morris – a Tampa-2 disciple like Barry – but insisted on keeping the philosophy. In fact, Barry coached under Morris in Tampa after the situation in Detroit deteriorated (0-16 seasons with that).
Francois ‘quote dovetails with the Rams’ appearance last season, although Staley made the calls and not Barry. LA played light boxes over 80 percent of the time last year, most in the league with the Fangio Broncos just behind. It was still a top 5 defense because of the way they attacked OL’s shortcomings and used their team’s speed. Imagine how jealous Pettine must have been about a team without a stud linebacker, playing a bunch of sub-packages and still stopping the race effectively.
The Rams have stolen from the gaps with slanting and penetrating defensive linemen, a cover-up disguise before the snap, and disciplined, quick back-up players. They would show two deep safeties, but were spinning in single-high just before the snap. With Jalen Ramsey, he would be allowed to play men’s cover against elite receivers, while the rest of the squad played zonal, which meant that even if Ramsey got on the move, LA might not actually be in. male coverage at all levels.
They played Cover-3 the most of any cover, but played the most Cover-4 in football. They would mix Cover-1 and Cover-6 (quarter, quarter, half) to be one of the most diverse defenses in football despite covering the playing area in over 80% of shots. In the third practice, they are pushing five to try to create one-on-one clashes, rather than overcrowding blitzes or double-spread blitzes to organize free runners.
There is a lot of overlap between this approach and the staff Green Bay is putting off until 2021. Their front can press with four when he is healthy, Jaire Alexander possesses the ability to do even more, playing that role of Ramsey, and the Packers’ safety duo bring even more benefits. and a versatility that the Rams played with last season. These pre-snap disguises would still allow a player like Darnell Savage to play that thief role, turning around in midfield before the snap.
How much of their success stemmed from Aaron Donald’s unique ability? Considering how efficiently the Packers have exploited them with a gimpy Donald, it’s fair to wonder if the answer is ‘a lot’. But despite Green Bay’s success – remember that was the best offense in football with the league’s MVP – LaFleur came out clearly impressed with their approach, as did Aaron Rodgers.
Fans hoping for a linebacker coach that rewards traditional linebackers may be in for a rude awakening. The Rams never gave them priority in the draft, opting instead for hybrid players. They used the Top 100 picks on Taylor Rapp and John Johnson III safeties, both of which developed into meaningful pieces on those defenses with Johnson becoming a star. Depending on the look, these guys could be linebackers.
Don’t be surprised if the Packers use a top pick on a hybrid player to improve this Raven Greene / Will Redmond spot. If Josh Jackson won’t be the corner of the border they’re looking for, maybe converting to security makes the most sense.
“What he’s evolved into is speed, quickness, athleticism,” Barry said ahead of the 2020 season on a Rams team podcast called Rams revealed.
“You have to be able to run to play all positions on the football field in 2020. I think that’s why it’s been so trendy to have these great safeties if you will. They kind of turned into LB.
And the reason is simple: speed.
“You have to be able to have those qualities to play linebacker in the National Football League, especially if you’re going to be a linebacker at all levels. If you want to play first, second, third and stay on the court, you have to be able to run at the end of the line. ”
What does this mean for Krys Barnes and Kamal Martin? Considering how the Packers and Rams prioritized the linebacker in the draft, don’t expect much to change. In fact, prioritizing athletics fits perfectly with how the Green Bay front office is already seeing the project.
And while we can’t say how well LaFleur’s relationship with Barry played in the rental, LaFleur surely knows he’s bringing in a trainer who matches his level of intensity in training with McVay and the Rams setting the standard.
“Once you cross the lines on our training ground, we believe in competing every day. It is difficult to be successful in training as a defensive coach when you are facing an attack from Sean McVay, ”Barry said on Rams revealed.
“You hang on to your very simple game because that’s Sean’s mindset. It’s an attack.
Barry will also not get a break from the practice of Rodgers and Co. every day. But if he can start stopping them, not only will he achieve a feat the Rams couldn’t last year, but he may be able to bring this team back to Super Bowl rank.
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