There are a lot of people who believe that Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry is on the hot seat. Knowing that his job could be on the line, Barry has taken steps to adjust his schemes and approach to the team’s defense.
A lot of the changes have focused on his philosophy with the defensive backfield. He has adjusted there to a scheme that Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas feel they will be able to thrive in more. However, that isn’t the only change that the Packers look to have made.
Throughout training camp, Barry has seemingly been bringing the blitz more. Depending on where you’re getting numbers for, a blitz is categorized differently. Some categorize a blitz as five or more players rushing the passer; since the Packers regularly line up with a five-man front, they ranked fifth in blitz rate according to Pro Football Reference.
So, it was pointed out by Ben Fennell that the numbers were a little skewed. In fact, the Packers didn’t bring a single blitz in the first two weeks of the season when playing against the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears.
That is something that looks to be changing in 2023. Paul Bretl of Packers Wire caught up with linebacker Quay Walker after practice this week. Bretl asked if the perception of the Packers blitzing their linebackers more was true, and Walker confirmed it.
“We’ve been switching it up and blitzing a whole lot,” said Walker. “I felt like we blitzed a whole lot last year, but this year, we’ve been blitzing way; a bit more than we did last year.”
That is another wrinkle that Barry is adding to the defense this season in hopes of getting the unit to realize its immense potential. Walker is one of potentially eight first-round picks that could be on the field at one time for the Packers on defense.
That is a lot of talent at Barry’s disposal, who hasn’t made the most of the talent on the roster. He is looking to change that in 2023, otherwise, he could be looking for a new job next offseason.
