If you listen to the squawking heads on the morning sports shows you’d think all of the Green Bay Packers’ problems could be solved if they’d just sign Odell Beckham Jr. That’s right, a 31-year-old wide receiver coming off a major leg injury is the magical cure the Green and Gold. Anyone who closely follows the team knows the situation is much more complex than that.
At 3-2 the Packers technically have a winning record but this still doesn’t feel like a winning team. I decided to deep dive and power rank Green Bay’s real problems.
#1 Joe Barry
Don’t be surprised if you see a bunch of “Fire Joe Barry” signs at Lambeau this weekend. Hell, I half expect to see a Joe Barry scarecrow getting lit on fire in the parking lot.
After an incredibly strong 2021 campaign, Barry has seemed outmatched and gotten outcoached in nearly every game this year. He struggles to adjust and adapt, and his complete and utter lack of aggressiveness is killing this defense. The packers are giving up the highest completion percentage in the NFL at 72.9% but the lowest depth of target. If they were 5-0 that would be a great thing. You’d think, “We are running away from teams and forcing them to dink and dunk to catch up.” Alas, they are not 5-0. Barry has stud cornerbacks earning a ton of money that he refuses to put any closer to the line of scrimmage than seven yards.
I’m not against zone. But I might be against this zone. According to the Ringer, “Green Bay has allowed a 134.3 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks on plays which include at least one crossing route-only the Steelers are worse. Put the Packers in man coverage and they are sixth-best — but there are only nine snaps in that sample.”
You can’t let teams carve you apart like this and never switch things up or at the very least press up on their receivers. It’s getting ridiculous and Barry has earned his place at No. 1 on this list.
#2 The Rodgers Lafluer play-calling dynamic
In London on Sunday a camera caught Matt Lafleur mouthing the words, “You wanna run that!?” to Aaron Rodgers before the game-defining play. On The Pat Mcafee Show, Rodgers clarified that he and LaFleur both had ideas for the play and they ended up running his. The concern here isn’t some fake drama about their relationship, but more the way the two of them seem to be approaching the offense. They have the best running back combination in the league and yet they continuously insist on going away from the run when it’s needed the most. Sunday’s second half against the New York Giants was embarrassing. To make things worse, those two crucial plays were both run-pass options. LaFleur allowed those plays and Rodgers chose pass. I still have a lot of faith in these guys, but they need to figure out their dynamic and as leaders of the offense, they need to prioritize the run in order to help protect leads and win games.
#3 Royce Newman’s Regression
Newman had an incredible second half of 2021 and Packers fans thought they found a future all pro. 2022 has gone the other direction. Newman has been shaky all year. He was absolutely steamrolled against the Bears and gave up five quarterback pressures against the Giants! The two tackles both returning from major knee injuries will be a work in progress. When you are that big it’s not as easy to come back from that injury as it is for some other positions. They will get there. But if Newman doesn’t get things figured out the Packers either need to make a change or get the man some help.
#4 The Turnover Problem
Green Bay has been absolutely elite in the turnover category during the Matt LaFleur era. In 2019 they only gave up the ball 13 times. In 2020, that number was 11. Last year was another 13-turnover season. So far in 2022 the Packers have given the ball away seven times, ranking 28th in the league. As any great coach will tell you, a turnover isn’t a quarterback stat, it’s a team stat. This team and this offense not only need to figure out their identity but they need to figure out how to protect the ball. Otherwise, this season could go the wrong way in a hurry.
#5 De’Vondre Campbell’s Disappearance
The final spot on this list came down to De’Vondre Campbell and Christian Watson. Watson has been a ghost at a time when Green Bay has desperately needed his presence. But this is a divisio 1AA rookie with an injury history. What were reasonable expectations for him? Campbell on the other hand is coming off a first team all pro year and just got a huge contract.
The man that so often was near the ball on every single play last year seems to be in the dust more often than not this season. Campbell already has more missed tackles this year than he had all of last season. Is this a product of the poor performances around him? Is it a product of Joe Barry’s issues? Or did De’Vondre Campbell finally get that big contract and go back to who he was? We shouldn’t forget that he had an extremely underwhelming career up until last season. We all showered Gutekunst with praise for finding a diamond in the rough. The truth is, he may have found a cubic zirconia that we mistook for a diamond and paid way too much for.
