Packers announce hiring of Joe Barry, promotion of Maurice Drayton

Posted by Myles Simmons on February 8, 2021, 3:20 PM EST
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The Packers officially a pair of leaders for defense and special teams, as the club announced the hiring of Joe Barry and promotion of Maurice Drayton.

Barry will be Green Bay’s defensive coordinator. It’s his third time serving as a coordinator, having previously been in the role for Detroit (2007-2008) and Washington (2015-2016). Barry was the Rams’ assistant head coach and linebackers coach from 2017-2020. He’d accepted a job with the Chargers as defensive passing game coordinator, but will now instead head to Green Bay for a better position.

Barry and Packers head coach Matt LaFleur were on the same coaching staff with the Rams in 2017 under head coach Sean McVay.

Drayton was the Packers’ assistant special teams coach for the past three seasons, predating LaFleur’s arrival as head coach by a year. He was previously the assistant special teams coach for the Colts from 2016-2017.

Barry replaces Mike Pettine and Drayton replaces Shawn Mennenga.

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23 responses to “Packers announce hiring of Joe Barry, promotion of Maurice Drayton”

  1. Great. I think this is the same DC who oversaw the Lions’ defense in the year they went 0-16.

  3. 2007 – 32nd points allowed, 32nd yards allowed, 2nd to last against the pass
    2008 – 32nd points allowed, 32nd yards allowed, worst defense against the run

    2015 – 28th yards allowed
    2016 – 28th yards allowed

    This looks like a disaster.

  4. All these supposedly rotten hirings and they still usually finish ahead of our Vikings. Not to mention multiple super bowl . . . WINS.

  5. Notable that LaFleur is hiring who he knows. Methinks he doesn’t believe he can handle a coach who challenges his authority and pushes the boundary, as he doesn’t have the leadership skills needed to manage it at this point.

  7. Great Dom Capers reference . . . except . . . funny . . . he won a super bowl as Packers DC.

  8. Seems to me like Lafleur preferred to hire someone he knows and who he can boss around (i.e., Barry), rather than hire someone who might be good (Nielsen).

  9. A special teams coach who was 2nd in line as part of the problem as the new coach. They don’t want to get any better, because they don’t have to.

  10. Great Dom Capers reference . . . except . . . funny . . . he won a super bowl as Packers DC
    =====

    Then almost singlehandedly cost them a chance at the Super Bowl every year after that until he was fired.

  11. I could be wrong, but I already hate this hiring and I’m a Packers fan. Barry has done absolutely nothing historically to show he can handle the position and has twice failed when given the opportunity. Thank goodness I can enjoy legal cannabis in California so I can forget.

  13. It’s not where you come from; it’s where you’re going. Coaching is scheming and teaching. Teams have to find the right fits for coaches as well as players, give them the opportunity to shine. Coach Barry and Coach Drayton get the benefit of the doubt. But they are on the clock, starting now.

    LaFleur was no slam dunk when Gutey hired him two years ago — meanwhile his regular season record is 26-6 and he has made it to the NFC Championship game both years, this year as top seed.

    Go!Pack!Go!

  14. jimmygeewhiz says:
    Coach Barry and Coach Drayton get the benefit of the doubt.

    ***************************************************
    That’s exactly what a lot people in Washington said when Jay Gruden made the disastrous decision to hire Barry as DC. It didn’t turn out well. Barry has a dismal resume and he’s not an up and comer like Lefleur was. You cannot compare those hires.

  15. I’m disappointed. Packers need some nasty dog in them. They need that “I’ll kick your a$$” attitude on the field.

  16. Barry’s defenses in Detroit and Washington weren’t just bad, they were disastrous. Guys were constantly running on to the field at the last second, yelling at each other and the coaches and lost on the field. Players privately grumbled that the schemes and terminology were overly complicated.

    Washington had guys like Ryan Kerrigan, Preston Smith. Quentin Dunbar, Zach Brown and Josh Norman so there was talent there but Barry wasted it.

  17. It’s not where you come from; it’s where you’re going. Coaching is scheming and teaching. Teams have to find the right fits for coaches as well as players, give them the opportunity to shine. Coach Barry and Coach Drayton get the benefit of the doubt. But they are on the clock, starting now.

    That’s called, putting lipstick on a pig

  18. I have to trust that LaFleur and other persons involved in this important decision know a little bit more about it than I do. They’ve never called me for any prior hires, so I’ll have to accept this one too.

  19. I have been a packer fan longer than most of you have been alive. What we have done in terms of drafting and hiring of coaches is an abomination. We have wasted 30 years of HOF QB play for what 2 SB? Draft players that will help now. getting Love was saying we dont care about aaron and are willing to waste the rest of his years. trade him and rebuild. the hiring of this clown to be our DC is ridiculous. what a awful front office, the packer fans commenting on here, have no clue what football operations are. they are happy with just making the playoffs and beating the vikings. think big people or cheer for the lions.

  20. bestpackerfanever says:
    February 9, 2021 at 5:25 pm
    I have been a packer fan longer than most of you have been alive.
    Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

    ………kindasortasometimespackerfanever.

  21. Every time they get a chance at a good coordinator they settle for crap….what is wrong with these people….

  22. Coaches grow and change/expand over time. Barry is no different. Barry believes in a totally different defensive scheme and philosophy then he did way back when he coached in Detroit and Washington.

    Joe Barry spent the last 4 years as the Assistant Head Coach/LB Coach for the Rams. Barry worked closely with Brandon Staley among others who run the Fangio style defense. The Rams defense was #1 in the league this past season and Barry was a part of that success. Just ask Staley the Rams last DC why he hired Barry to come with him to join his staff in Los Angeles(Chargers).

    LaFleur wants to implement the Fangio style defense in Green Bay. He feels Barry is the best man to do it. McVay, Staley, and others think very highly of Barry and so does LaFleur obviously.

    Players love to play for the high-energy Barry. He will have the pieces in Green Bay. Time will tell how things go. I will go with LaFleur’s feelings on what is the best for the Packers over anyone elses.

    #OneTeamOneNation

    #PackerNation!✊

  23. I’ll tell you what really disappoints about this move. It indicates that LaFleur intends to continue with the Mike McCarthy folly of keeping a 3-4 scheme even though that has been a repeated failure since it worked once in 2010. The Packers just don’t get the players they need to make that scheme work.

    They’ve been knocked out in the playoffs and in 4 title games 8 straight times now by teams playing a 4 man front. Build a strong 4 man line and you’ve covered your pass rush and run defense needs.

    Imagine Kenny Clark and a big nose tackle at the tackles and some big ends dominating the line of scrimmage instead of 2 man fronts getting pushed around.

    Think about the wasted draft picks on Nick Perry, Datone Jones and Jerel Worthy because of McCarty & Capers 3 man scheme. The Packers will never get another Super Bowl for Aaron Rodgers if they keep doing the same thing on defense.

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