Loyalty is a valuable trait but according to many Packers fans Matt LaFleur is loyal to a fault. His handling of the Amari Rogers situation and delay in turning to Keisean Nixon is just one of several examples the Green and Gold faithful love to point to when criticizing their head coach’s unwillingness to move on.
Unfortunately, today’s press conference will not help that narrative. When asked about Joe Barry’s job security LaFleur indicated that he does not intend to move on from the much-maligned defensive coordinator.
“I don’t really anticipate a whole lot, if any, staff changes at all. I think that although it wasn’t always pretty, I did think we started to improve as the year went on. I thought we saw more of an identity. I certainly thought we played well enough to win on the defensive side of the ball.”
Although Barry’s unit performed admirably down the stretch that hasn’t been enough to convince many that he should keep his job. Consistently out schemed and lacking aggression, Barry’s unit looked more like a group that benefited from a stellar offense in previous seasons than the dominant league leader they were predicted to be.
Fans reacted accordingly.
Although this result will be a disappointment to many it should come as no surprise. If LaFleur is given the opportunity to validate his desire to keep someone he picked around, he surely will take it.
On a positive note, it appears that Nathaniel Hackett may be potentially back in the fold and regardless of who the starting quarterback is that is great news for the Green Bay offense.
