Despite all the signs that Matt LaFleur has no interest in replacing Joe Barry, almost everyone thinks it’s a foregone conclusion that he will be the Packers’ new defensive coordinator next season. Rather than write a depressing article explaining why that’s not the case, let’s take a look at some canonical candidates that Matt LaFleur might be interested in.
phil Snow.
Matt Rhule’s longtime defensive coordinator through Temple, Baylor and Carolina will serve as an assistant for a resurgent Bears defense this offseason. Snow’s Panthers defense was good. Arguably better than Ejiro Evero in 2023. Both Temple and Baylor’s teams relied on strong defenses to win. Perhaps the best review of Snow is that Aaron Rodgers pointed out that Snow’s Panthers defense plays differently than other defenses. It was very hard to figure out other NFL defenses and what they were doing defensively.
One reason for that is Snow’s triple front and triple deep fuses. It’s not often you see three safeties in the NFL. Perhaps the team could use safeties as extra linebackers or to fill the slot, but to stop the spread, a defense built in the Big 12, Snow uses three safeties in the deep zone to eliminate deep balls and force coverage. . The snow was also famous for its tremendous pressure and high blowing rate. If the team wants to go in a different direction after Barry, Snow could be the right choice.
Jim Knowles
Knowles is in a very good position now. His Ohio State defense was the best in college football this season. He went from Duke’s defensive coordinator to a leader in defensive football in about six years. Like Snow, Knowles made a name for himself while at Oklahoma State, developing a defense that could shut down tough Big 12 defenses.
That success earned him a chance at Ohio State, where he could turn the defense into a hybrid monster, shutting down Big Ten teams trying to play personnel-heavy one week and spreading the offense the next.Knowles’ suggestion is that he can turn his unique defense into an NFL head coaching job in a few years and not worry about college football recruiting or the crazy business of the transfer portal.
Jerod Mayo
There are rumors that the Patriots want Mayo to replace Bill Belichick as New England’s head coach, but if that’s not true and a new head coach wants to shake things up, Mayo would be an excellent coordinator candidate for Green Bay.
If so, anyone would say a completely different defensive style than Joe Barry.The Patriots’ defense ranks 11th in DVOA this season, despite how bad the team has been at times, and Mayo is Steve Belichick’s de facto defensive coordinator. The Pats D is built around versatile players who can run and pass. They run a dime personnel package that stops the run better than the Packers’ base D and a base defense that stops the pass better than the Packers’ 2-4-5.
Obviously, part of being able to do that is personnel, and if Mayo is hired, I think it will completely change how the Packers select safeties and linebackers going forward. Linebackers are more likely to be players who can rush the passer a bit, and safeties are more likely to be players who can play man coverage in the slot or in the front seven when needed.
