Breaking:Here we go after sacking Joe Barry the Packers signs excellent replacement

The Green Bay Packers took a step in the right direction of improving their team in 2024 by firing defensive coordinator Joe Barry after three long frustrating years. Despite having eight first round picks on defense, that phase of the game never improved during Barry’s tenure. In fact, one could argue that it got worse. While they played well in the final two weeks of the regular season, no defense gave up as many 200-yard rushing games as the Packers. Furthermore, they allowed New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito to have the game of his life in a stunning and embarrassing loss.

The fact of the matter is that Barry’s defense was woefully inconsistent. There were games in which the defense would play extremely well, like when they defeated Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs this season. However, they also regularly made pedestrian quarterbacks look like superstars. A week after being embarrassed by the Giants, the defense allowed Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield to become the first visiting quarterback with a perfect passer rating at Lambeau Field.

Needless to say, the decision to fire Barry was met with positive reactions from Packers fans. Unfortunately for Barry, he always had an uphill battle to fight with fans. Being the guy who was offered the job that former Wisconsin Badgers’ coach Jim Leonhard declined could not have been easy. That being said, his body of work did him no favors.

Now that Barry is gone, Packers fans are hopeful that the 2024 defense will be much improved from what is was over the last three years. They have also turned their displeasure towards another prominent member of the team’s coaching staff.

The Packers’ special teams has really not been that good since, well, 1996. Despite having Keisean Nixon as their kick returner over the last two seasons (seasons in which Nixon has been named First Team All-Pro), the overall performance of the unit has been disappointing.

This season, their struggles were highlighted by rookie kicker Anders Carlson’s inconsistencies, especially on extra point attempts. The 2023 sixth round draft pick was Rich Bisaccia’s handpicked successor to long-time Packers kicker Mason Crosby.

When the Packers hired Bisaccia, who had just been passed over for the head coaching job with the Las Vegas Raiders, he was supposed to help everything improve. But it has not, at least not to the extent that many fans would have liked.