GREEN BAY – Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur said Monday he’s not making a change at defensive coordinator following the 34-20 home loss to the Buccaneers.
Third-year coordinator Joe Barry will remain in that post and will be tasked with straightening out a unit that surrendered 452 total yards and a maximum 158.3 passer rating to Tampa Bay QB Baker Mayfield in a damaging late-season loss.
“If I thought that was the best solution today, then we’d make that decision,” LaFleur said.
Having reviewed the game film multiple times in the 24 hours since the game ended, LaFleur pointed to major communication breakdowns for the day-long struggles vs. the Buccaneers. Whether it was players not getting aligned right based on the call, some not getting or understanding the call, or still others simply not being where they were supposed to be, the defense was entirely out of sync.
“Basic install, like Day 1 install and we have self-inflicted communication errors and guys quite frankly not in the right spot,” LaFleur said. “That’s tough to watch and it happened. It wasn’t just on defense.”
The defensive errors were by far the most glaring and repeated, though, based on the Buccaneers’ production, which included three consecutive touchdown drives covering 66, 75 and 75 yards in the second half.
LaFleur indicated the communication issues were shared by the coaches and players.
“When you’re having basic communication problems and you’re supposed to be in a certain coverage or a certain rotation and we’re not getting that communication … it always starts with us,” he said. “It starts with myself and it goes to all our assistant coaches. So obviously the coaching wasn’t up to the standard and our performance on the field definitely showed that as well.”
He also said the players on the field simply weren’t talking with one another in and out of the huddle, which is normal procedure to get everyone on the same page.
“As dumbfounded as you are,” LaFleur said when asked how the communication could fail so badly on all levels, “that’s how I felt watching it.”
LaFleur added there were definitely play calls on defense he questioned and/or regretted, no different than how he feels about his own offensive calls. He specifically mentioned some soft zones that were called in third-and-medium situations that didn’t challenge the Buccaneers, who were able to move the…
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