Cowboys scouting report: Breaking down the Packers defensive scheme

Cowboys scouting report: Breaking down the Packers defensive scheme

Mike Pettine, McCarthy’s defensive coordinator, was kept on by the young coach

when McCarthy was dismissed and replaced in Green Bay by Matt LaFleur.

The following two years, the Packers won 13 games apiece and advanced to the conference finals on both occasions.

That’s why LaFleur’s decision to let go of Pettine was at least somewhat unexpected.

Joe Barry, a legendary coach with a tonne of expertise, took his position.

Barry was raised by a coach; his father was a collegiate offensive line coach for many years.

The younger Barry would eventually wed Rod Marinelli’s daughter,

providing him with one final link to the NFL coaching levels.

Barry taught linebackers alongside Marinelli’s defensive line for six seasons with the Buccaneers,

so the connections came in handy.

Barry became Marinelli’s defensive coordinator once he was hired as the Lions’ head coach.

Naturally, things didn’t go as planned because both were a part of the historically terrible 2008 Lions squad,

who finished 0-16.

Barry, however, was able to secure employment once more and worked intermittently.

He eventually worked under head coach Jay Gruden in Washington as the defensive coordinator.

That put him in touch with the offensive coordinator at the time, Sean McVay.

After two years, Barry was fired by Gruden and given

the opportunity to work as an assistant head coach in Los Angeles,

where he helped McVay become the youngest head coach in NFL history after he was hired by the Rams.

When the 2021 offseason rolled along, LaFleur was in need of a defensive coordinator.

Barry’s consideration was certainly influenced by his relationship with McVay,

and soon the coach was off to Green Bay for his third coordinator position.

It helps to know Barry’s background in order to comprehend the workings of his defence.

His coaching career was developed in the Tampa 2 scheme,

which includes two deep safeties and a tonne of zone coverage—as Cowboys fans are all too familiar with.

In contrast to Marinelli, though, Barry has frequently favoured to play from a more conventional 3-4 alignment,

with two outside linebackers who are equally capable of dropping into coverage or rushing the quarterback.

That made him a natural match under Wade Phillips with the Rams and, subsequently, Brandon Staley.

Barry’s lacklustre performances in Detroit and Washington were supposed to be a precursor to Barry’s success,

along with Phillips and Staley. To put it mildly, though, that hasn’t taken place.

The Packers’ defensive DVOA dropped from 10th to 12th in Barry’s first year;

it dropped to 25th the next year, and it ended this year at 27th.

Barry’s shortcomings, in contrast to his prior stops, cannot be attributed to a lack of skill.

Jaire Alexander is regarded as one of the greatest cornerbacks in the game,

and linebacker De’Vondre Campbell and defensive lineman Kenny Clark have both

been selected for the Pro Bowl or All-Pro team.

Rashan Gary and Preston Smith, who are both gifted edge rushers, are another asset.

And yet, three years into Barry’s reign, they rank among the worst football defences.

They rank 26th in run defence and pass defence DVOA, respectively,

indicating that this defence is incompetent in all areas.

Furthermore, this defence excels at hindering Dallas’s strongest offensive plays.

The middle of the field is where Dak Prescott has excelled this season,

especially on throws to CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson.

The Packers defence finished dead bottom in this year’s EPA/dropback allowed and QBR allowed.

The Packers, who rank dead last in defending slant routes both by EPA/play and passer rating,

just so happen to have one of the most deadly receivers in the league this year in Lamb.

The Packers have an extremely zone-heavy offensive design, yet for whatever reason,

they have a terrible pass defence in the midst of their zones.

That doesn’t look good for their game against Ferguson, Prescott, Lamb, and the other Cowboys.

Their best chance is probably to hope that their pass rush, which has the sixth-highest pressure rate,

will be sufficient. Even then, Prescott has been among the greatest quarterbacks against

the blitz throughout his career,

and the Packers’ high pressure rate also corresponds with their 10th-highest blitz rate.

Whatever your analysis, this defence presents an extremely favourable matchup for the Cowboys offence,

and that may still be underestimating it. Despite the Packers’ explosive end to the regular season,

the Cowboys are favoured by a score in large part because their best players should have strong days on offence.

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