Snap Judgments: Week 4

After rethinking about Sunday’s game against the Patriots, here are three things worth discussing:

1) The biggest knocks on Joe Barry have always been that he’s not very aggressive and that he’s either unwilling or unable to make adjustments. The Packers’ second-year defensive coordinator lived up to, or more accurately, down to those criticisms the first three weeks of the season, and Sunday was a new low. Facing a rookie third-string quarterback, Barry still refused to deviate from a vanilla scheme that relies on getting pressure with four rushers and using a two-high shell to limit explosive plays. And while Bailey Zappe completed only 1o passes for 99 yards, the former Western Kentucky star never seemed rattled and turned the ball over just once. Worse than Barry’s lack of aggressiveness was his failure to react when the Patriots employed a tackle at tight end. Even though his front seven was getting gashed – Rhamondre Stevenson and Damien Harris ran for 152 yards – he never put an extra lineman on the field. Yes, the defense deserves credit for stepping up late in the fourth quarter and in overtime, but there’s no way an offense led by Zappe and Brian Hoyer should’ve scored 17 points against a unit that boasted five No. 1 picks, an All-Pro inside linebacker, and one of the best edge rushers in the NFL. That only occurred because Barry allowed it to occur, and if he doesn’t change, there’s a decent chance he’ll wind up being this year’s Mo Drayton – the biggest reason the Packers go home early for the 12th straight January.




2) The offense continued its Jekyll and Hyde routine on Sunday. A week after going more than two quarters without scoring against the Buccaneers, a unit led by MVP Aaron Rodgers managed only a field goal in the first 30 minutes against the Patriots. Fortunately, that side of the ball woke up after halftime and scored 24 points. Coach and play-caller Matt LaFleur, along with his superstar quarterback, need to figure out why the offense goes through such long stretches of ineffectiveness. The Packers managed to win these last two games, but they won’t be facing an offense without its top three wide receivers or without its top two quarterbacks come January. Nevertheless, I’m not overly concerned – at least not yet. That’s because things should improve once tackles David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins round into form following very long layoffs and rookies Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson gain experience. Right now, the protection is unreliable, and there are too many mental and physical mistakes being made by the raw pass catchers. Also, Rodgers still looks like a guy who didn’t participate in OTAs and minicamps and sat out the entire preseason. He’s already thrown three interceptions, which is only one fewer than he threw in 18 games a year ago. So while it’s frustrating to see the offense look inept for quarters at a time, there’s definitely reason for optimism. There’s also a chance general manager Brian Gutekunst could add a proven weapon if need be prior to the trade deadline in November.




3) While LaFleur has made some highly questionable decisions in his three-plus years on the job, pretty much every one of them could be justified to some extent. But what he did late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game couldn’t be defended by legendary lawyer F. Lee Bailey. Throwing a challenge flag after Doubs clearly didn’t maintain control of the ball in the end zone could’ve and probably should’ve cost the Packers a win. Even the most diehard Cheesehead in the world knew the former Nevada star didn’t complete the catch after falling to the ground. Heck, LaFleur was even told that by one of his assistants in the press box. And yet he still went into his pocket and tossed that red piece of cloth. He allowed himself to be led by his heart and not his head. That’s OK if you’re a contestant on The Bachelor, but it’s not OK if you’re the head coach of a professional football team. Fortunately, his players bailed him out. LaFleur admitted his mistake to reporters following the game. That’s a good thing, but it doesn’t make me feel a whole lot better. Wasting a timeout cost the Packers 40 seconds, and had Rodgers had that extra time to work with on the last drive of regulation, the game probably wouldn’t have gone into overtime, where the Packers were one New England first down away from a likely crushing home loss. LaFleur allowed his emotions to supersede his common sense. That absolutely can’t happen again.

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