Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry caves when pressed by media

For as much talent as the Green Bay Packers have on defense, there's no reason the unit should be ranked near the bottom of the league in DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average). The Packers have the 23rd-worst DVOA in the league five games in, which is truly shocking considering the fact that Green Bay features a defensive unit with (count 'em) seven first-rounders.

The Packers should be especially strong in the defensive secondary, where they feature a superstar cornerback in Jaire Alexander to go along with 2021 first-round pick Eric Stokes, last season's breakout player in Rasul Douglas, and 2019 first-round pick Darnell Savage.

Green Bay has the players to be elite in the secondary, but the Packers have continually found themselves gashed through the air this season (especially on crossing routes), and coming off a loss to the New York Giants in London, defensive coordinator Joe Barry is starting to feel the heat.

Barry infamous employs a zone system and it doesn't take a pro football scout to see that even in third-and-short situations, the Packers are playing their corners well off the receivers they're covering. Why play so soft, especially with the likes of Alexander, Douglas, and Stokes — all three solid man-up players in their own right, with Alexander potentially being one of the best man players in the league?

That's what veteran reporter Tom Silverstein recently asked Barry, and in a rare moment of contrition from an NFL coach, Green Bay's defensive coordinator admitted his mistakes.