THE
FANGIO/STALEY/Barry Defense
A FIT IN GREEN BAY? By: ROSS UGLEM It’s easy to relive the way Green Bay’s 2020 season ended and remember the end of 2019. No, Green Bay didn’t give up 37 points again (though 31 isn’t great), and it definitely didn’t let its opponent rush for 285 yards. Still, the result was ultimately the same. Once again, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers ended their season in the NFC Championship Game, and once again, the defense wasn’t up to the task. It became clear that something had to change. The defense wasn’t alone, either. Green Bay’s special teams unit was a massive problem during the 2020 season and the playoffs. Instead of taking a sledgehammer to his 26–6 operation, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur took a “softer” tact. Shortly after the end of the season, LaFleur indeed relieved both special teams coach Shawn Mennenga and defensive
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coordinator Mike Pettine. In both cases, LaFleur didn’t stray far. Special teams will be headed by Mennenga’s top assistant, Maurice Drayton. Pettine’s case was more complicated. That was clear when Green Bay took an additional two days to ultimately come to that decision. Pettine was a coach LaFleur respected. LaFleur chose to retain Pettine after replacing Mike McCarthy, and he addressed the issue in his very first press conference. “When you look at Mike Pettine, I’ve gone against his defenses before and I think they present a lot of challenges for offenses. The fact that he’s been a head coach and has sat in this seat, it really affords you the opportunity to bounce ideas off of him…. The guys I trust in this business all have great things to say about Mike Pettine,” Coach LaFleur explained.
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