@michiganjoe posted:#Badgers DC Jim Leonhard on turning down #Packers’ job offer: “It was me choosing UW. I want to stay at UW. I want to be at this level right now. Extremely flattered. Awesome opportunity. But it was not the right time for me to go back to the NFL.”
— Tom Oates (@TomOatesWSJ) February 6, 2021
If it wasn't the right time, why did he bother interviewing and wasting the Packers' time? I know you Wisconsin guys love him, but this was kind of a dick move to pull on GB and MLF.
MLF gonna shit the bed on this one. Why innovate when you can hired multi-team failure. Not saying Evero or Nielsen were the answer, but they’re not retreads who have led some of the worst defenses in NFL history. Also, shocker that Joe Barry keeps failing up when guys like Evero can’t quite break through or Jerry Gray can’t get a promotion despite an equal resume and is already in house. How is it possible that we’re downgrading at DC from Pettine? Why not just hire Wade Phillips if you want a retread?
It's sounding like LaFleur is leaning more toward Joe Barry than Ejiro Evero as his next defensive coordinator. The two were together with the Los Angeles Rams in '17. Barry has experience as a coordinator in Detroit ('07-'08) and Washington ('15-'16).
— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) February 6, 2021
@Grave Digger posted:MLF gonna shit the bed on this one. Why innovate when you can hired multi-team failure. Not saying Evero or Nielsen were the answer, but they’re not retreads who have led some of the worst defenses in NFL history. Also, shocker that Joe Barry keeps failing up when guys like Evero can’t quite break through or Jerry Gray can’t get a promotion despite an equal resume and is already in house...
It's sounding like LaFleur is leaning more toward Joe Barry than Ejiro Evero as his next defensive coordinator. The two were together with the Los Angeles Rams in '17. Barry has experience as a coordinator in Detroit ('07-'08) and Washington ('15-'16).
— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) February 6, 2021
How can he possibly hire someone with such a poor track record? Bad look for MLF if he goes with Barry over Evero or Gray. He's already made what I think is a questionable hire by promoting the assistant coordinator from one of the league's bottom 3 special teams.
@ChilliJon posted:Would not surprise me if Leonhard sought clarification on Rodgers situation during his discussion with GB.
JL has built the kind of reputation & resume where he’s got enough clout to ask the question.
He’s well aware he’s coordinating a defense for 33 plus minutes every Sunday if the QB is Love or Boyle.
Very interesting take. If so and he did pop the question what could/would have been the answer?
A few possibilities,
He is here thru this year
We will do everything in our power to keep him forever
We don't know and are not sure
Barry’s name keeps popping up like a festering abscess. NFL folks in the know have long concluded his absolute ceiling is LB coach.
Berry took a position with the Chargers two weeks ago. Passing game/LB coordinator.
MLF best get that name off his list. Fast.
@RochNyFan posted:If it wasn't the right time, why did he bother interviewing and wasting the Packers' time? I know you Wisconsin guys love him, but this was kind of a dick move to pull on GB and MLF.
Not if he was low balled, which is very likely since he's a first time NFL DC.
@Grave Digger posted:Also, shocker that Joe Barry keeps failing up
Donald Barry
Maybe Mayo is hiring Donald Barry to make a point to Russ Ball. "I'll show you a shit defense you cheap fuck".
I kind of hope Mayo and Gorp are waiting until after the SuperBowl, whatever that is, to interview a couple more guys.
I have the same concern with Tampa guys as Rams guys, both teams with loaded rosters from sucking ass for so long but you see what you got I guess.
See if Rex Ryan is available. That would be fun...
Fritz Shurmur was hired in 1994 as the Packers DC. In the 5 previous seasons with the Rams and the Cardinals his defenses ranked 21, 21, 16, 21, and 24th in the NFL in terms of yards allowed. He sure looked like a retread hire, too. He comes to Green Bay and his defenses rank 6, 14, 1, 7, and 4 over 5 seasons. Having Reggie White (among others) made a difference.
For the most part, maybe 60% of coordinator hires are interchangeably mediocre, 10% are real difference-makers, and 30% get overpromoted from position coach positions and fail or used to be good and the game passes them by and they don't adapt.
Pettine is interchangeably mediocre with many others. Their STs coach was someone who never should have been hired in the first place. MM has shown he's in the group that got passed by as was Capers in his last 4-5 years.
MLF is certainly an upgrade as an OC over MM. However, I'm not sure if it's not just that MM was so bad his final few years that almost anyone would have been an improvement. They've had HOF-level talent at QB, WR#1, and LT for his two years and have had Pro-Bowl level talent at two other OL positions (Linsley and Jenkins) and RB.
I think this hire by MLF is a safe hire as it's likely Barry isn't going to be someone who completely fails, but he's not going to be a true 10% level innovator. There is just a handful of those over the years and they end up as head coaches or similar (Belichick as a DC, Bill Walsh as an OC, Buddy Ryan and the 46 defense, Bud Wilkinson and the 3-4 defense, Tom Landry as an OC in the 70s). It's mostly who has the best talent and then the ability not to screw it up.
I don't think whoever they bring in (it looks like Barry) is going to be any better than Pettine. I just don't think they could bring Pettine back after the title game and it boils down to the last play of the first half.
@Grave Digger posted:MLF gonna shit the bed on this one. Why innovate when you can hired multi-team failure. Not saying Evero or Nielsen were the answer, but they’re not retreads who have led some of the worst defenses in NFL history. Also, shocker that Joe Barry keeps failing up when guys like Evero can’t quite break through or Jerry Gray can’t get a promotion despite an equal resume and is already in house. How is it possible that we’re downgrading at DC from Pettine? Why not just hire Wade Phillips if you want a retread?
It's sounding like LaFleur is leaning more toward Joe Barry than Ejiro Evero as his next defensive coordinator. The two were together with the Los Angeles Rams in '17. Barry has experience as a coordinator in Detroit ('07-'08) and Washington ('15-'16).
— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) February 6, 2021
Jesus fuck... That would be a terrible choice. LeFluffer can’t be that stupid.
I’m guessing Leonhard will probably get a nice raise from Wisconsin. And, that may be exactly why he went through the interview process.
LaFleur would really put himself out on the line if he hires a guy who had defenses ranked 28,28,32,32 to replace a guy who had top 10 defenses in 6 of his 8 years as a DC with 3 different teams. No matter what we think of Pettine, as Parcels used to say, "you are what your record says you are". Top 10 defenses with three different teams can not be termed as "mediocre".
@Floridarob posted:See if Rex Ryan is available. That would be fun...
🖕🏽
jl could also be seeing the 'temperature' when mlf gets shit canned after a blow out at DC. JL could have his chance then.
Barry Obama
JL has plenty of money from his playing days and now coaching. I think he interviewed for DC to just get a feel for that job and experience in interviewing at the NFL level. I believe he was initially interested enough just to check it out. But he loves UW and Madison. With a wife and 3 young boys he also loves the stability of staying in one place and not uprooting his family. Thus, in the end staying put won out. Doubt he would go anywhere by choice until his kids are grown.
Nothing wrong with testing the waters and deciding yours is a better temperature for you at the moment.
@FLPACKER posted:LaFleur would really put himself out on the line if he hires a guy who had defenses ranked 28,28,32,32 to replace a guy who had top 10 defenses in 6 of his 8 years as a DC with 3 different teams. No matter what we think of Pettine, as Parcels used to say, "you are what your record says you are". Top 10 defenses with three different teams can not be termed as "mediocre".
That's fair. He's certainly above average. My comments above were to try to say that Pettine was among many guys that are good enough to win consistently if he has good talent to coach. I just think there are a few guys like him available every year. I don't think replacing him with any of the guys on this list is going to make much difference overall. Adding another elite player at the LB is what they need to do. It's not going to be easy where they are drafting or with who is available in free agency.
I agree with both you and FLPacker.
My thing is Barry is so fucking bad I don't know how you justify it even considering talent levels.
Still need a guy that can get the most out of what's available. Barry just seems like a friggin' stiff.
@DurangoDoug posted:JL has plenty of money from his playing days and now coaching. I think he interviewed for DC to just get a feel for that job and experience in interviewing at the NFL level. I believe he was initially interested enough just to check it out. But he loves UW and Madison. With a wife and 3 young boys he also loves the stability of staying in one place and not uprooting his family. Thus, in the end staying put won out. Doubt he would go anywhere by choice until his kids are grown.
Paul Chryst turns 56 this year. Leonhard is 38.
Alvarez just turned 74 and retired as a head coach at age 59.
The logical progression of this is that Alvarez retires in 3-5 years (if not sooner) and Chryst takes over for him as AD and eventually retires as head coach within 6-8 years. Leonhard would still be in his mid 40s at that point and would take over for Chryst as the head guy.
I agree MP2 that great talent can overcome an average coordinator and maybe Barry was on shitty teams and probably didn’t have an elite squad, but the flip side is we know that he’s a guy that requires a lot of talent to even be average. I don’t think Barry is Fritz Shurmur, more than likely he’s Bob Sanders or Ed Donatell at best. The risk with unknowns like Evero or Neilsen is they could just be awful and in over their heads, but they could also be innovative and surprise teams enough to get over the hump. We don’t know who they are, but we certainly know who Barry is.
If they’re hiring another retread then they need to go all-in on talent so not even Barry could screw up.
@chickenboy posted:Nothing wrong with testing the waters and deciding yours is a better temperature for you at the moment.
No organization likes to see their name on the ESPN scroll with the words "turned down" highlighted. If Leonhard ever really wants to coach in NFL he may have a harder time getting interviews.
Regarding Joe Barry, if (A) being Rod Marinell's son-in-law, (B) coordinating the defense for the 0-16 Lions and (C) the highlight of his resume is that in 2015 the (9-7) Redskins team he coordinated the defense that ONLY gave up 35 points in a home playoff loss to a Green Bay Packers squad that had no healthy WRs and was coached by Mike McCarthy, does not scream success, what would?
@MichiganPacker2 posted:Paul Chryst turns 56 this year. Leonhard is 38.
Alvarez just turned 74 and retired as a head coach at age 59.
The logical progression of this is that Alvarez retires in 3-5 years (if not sooner) and Chryst takes over for him as AD and eventually retires as head coach within 6-8 years. Leonhard would still be in his mid 40s at that point and would take over for Chryst as the head guy.
Agree wholeheartedly with that wonderful take.
No problem whatsoever with JL listening to the Packers' offer then making a decision. Gray and Pettine both have better track records as a DC than Barry does. Really a puzzling (and disappointing) hire if MLF goes that direction.
Not to mention Staley had a defensive coordinator opening and passed on both as well. Ejiro had multiple opportunities for promotions with either staff but is still just a safeties coach - not a db’s coach, ast coach, or passing game coordinator. Seems like a red flag.
— Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL) February 6, 2021
Legitimate questions as to why Ejiro wasn't promoted as well.
I think MLF is going to fuck this up.
I'm wondering to what degree the Triangle of What, Me Worry? is involved.
Wait until after the Brady Bowl. Maybe something will pop up not on the radar
Now that it is official, welcome aboard Joe.
Packer fans should have every confidence in the world that Barry will be just as effective as Dom and Pettine have been over the past decade.
After all, what could be more Packers like than giving up 30+ points in a playoff loss?
Can't wait.
@RochNyFan posted:Much of the discussion around a new defensive coordinator has included Jerry Gray as the most prominent internal candidate. I've always thought highly of him based on his past work, but this section from Ryan Wood's article in the GBPG gives me pause. Were the defensive lapses on Pettine, or on the coach of the secondary, where the majority of mistakes occurred?
It’s easy to envision Brady being stuck in LaFleur’s mind when the coach spoke of his defensive backs needing to be more situationally aware.
Brady picked apart the Packers' secondary. He dropped back to pass on third or fourth down 14 times, including a Kenny Clark sack on third-and-10 in the first half. Of his 12 passes, eight were completed for 163 yards and a touchdown. Another pass, the final time Brady threw on third down, was defensive interference on King.
The Packers would be playing in this week’s Super Bowl if not for their third-down coverage. It was shocking how poorly they covered when presented a chance to get off the field. There was the 14-yard screen to Godwin on third-and-13. A 52-yard bomb to Godwin deep down the middle of the field on third-and-9, when safety Darnell Savage was in position to make a play but didn’t. A busted coverage when nobody covered Godwin out of the backfield, resulting in 19 yards on third-and-2.
More evidence that we need new receivers.
Well I guess we just have to tell ourselves that Barry doesn't have to sell himself to us .... he has to do it to the players.
