The excuses are over for Packers defense

By GERY WOELFEL

The Green Bay Packers defense is supposed to be different this season.

Much different.

And much better.

Time will tell if that is indeed the case. After all, the Packers have played only one of their 17 regular-season games.

The Packers jettisoned Joe Barry, their defensive coordinator, shortly after last season. The Packers’ hierarchy – namely Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFleur – simply didn’t believe Barry could get the job done.

But despite a rash of injuries, especially to the secondary, the Packers’ defense actually played very well down the stretch last season and especially in the playoffs.

You may recall in the playoffs, against a high-powered Dallas Cowboys offense, the Packers allowed only seven points in the first half and nine through three quarters. By then, the Packers held a commanding 43-16 lead and had punched their ticket to an NFC divisional round game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Against the 49ers, another highly explosive offense, Barry’s defense held the 49ers to just seven points in the first half and 14 after three quarters before losing 24-21.

If the Packers’ offense would have showed up, if Anders Carlson didn’t miss a very makeable field goal, the Packers could have advanced to the NFC championship.

While the Barry Bunch was very good in both of those games, it wasn’t good enough to keep Barry around in Green Bay. The Packers replaced him with former Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley and now it’s his turn to sit on the hot seat.

Hafley has been given the keys to unquestionably one of the most talented defensive units in the league. The Packers have six defensive starters who were first-round selections: defensive tackle Kenny Clark, defensive end Rashan Gary, linebacker Quay Walker, cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes and safety Xavier McKinney. The Packers also have two other stars who were second-round picks: defensive end Preston Smith and safety Javon Bullard.

And, don’t forget the Packers have a pair of reserves – defensive end Lukas Van Ness and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt – who were also first-round draft picks.

In other words, the Packers’ defense boasts EIGHT first-round picks and two second-round picks. That, folks, is a gold mine of talent.

But you wouldn’t have known that by watching the Packers’ first game under Hafley last Friday in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The Packers surrendered a ridiculous 34 points in losing to the Philadelphia Eagles.

In that game, the Packers missed tackles and blew assignments. And perhaps most concerning, the Packers’ stars didn’t shine.

Preston Smith, the team’s fifth-highest paid player at $14.1million, managed a mere three tackles. Rashan Gary, the Packers’ sixth-highest paid player at $11.1 million, had a measly two tackles.

Gary and Smith, arguably the Packers’ best playmakers on defense, combined for one sack against the Eagles, that being recorded by Gary.

Unacceptable.

Sunday, Gary, Smith and the rest of the Packers’ defense has a chance to redeem themselves. The Packers take on the Indianapolis Colts at Lambeau Field.

The Colts are a run-of-the-mill offensive team. Their best offensive weapon is Jonathan Taylor, the former University of Wisconsin star who was great in his first two pro seasons but injury-plagued and disappointing in the last two seasons.

The Colts’ quarterback is Anthony Richardson, who has a huge upside but is going through the typical growing pains of a young signal-caller. The Colts receiving corps is below average, one of the worst in the pass-happy NFL.

If the Packers’ defense doesn’t dominate this game, or at the very least turn in a quality performance, this season that began with enormous expectations could end up bitterly disappointing.

Prediction: Packers 24, Colts 20.