Cheesehead
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- Mar 19, 2019
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GREEN BAY – In the first of his two decades as an NFL assistant coach, Joe Barry sat everywhere from the penthouse to the outhouse.
During just his third season in the NFL, he won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay. Then six years later, he lost every game one season in Detroit.
Since then, the highs and lows have predictably continued to come and go, and the new Packers defensive coordinator won't hesitate to say he's a better coach due more to the rough times than the sublime ones.
"I'm really proud of my scars," Barry said Tuesday in his first media session since coming to Green Bay. "I really am. I think in life, you're hardened by tough experiences. When true growth takes place, I think it's when things are really, really hard.
"I would hope the 36-, 37-year-old Joe Barry is a lot different than the 50-year-old Joe Barry. But I'm just as excited as heck."
A linebackers coach for a large portion of his career, Barry battled through difficulties in his two previous stints as a defensive coordinator – with Detroit (2007-08) and Washington (2015-16). At both stops, statistically his defenses ranked toward the league's bottom.
That didn't deter Head Coach Matt LaFleur, after conducting a thorough search process that featured interviews with nine candidates. The contact with Barry included two Zoom sessions lasting 5-6 hours each and another handful of phone calls that Barry estimated consumed another three hours.
In the end, LaFleur was won over by Barry's communication skills and his knowledge and passion for the game, as well as his association with former coordinator (and new Chargers head coach) Brandon Staley's Rams defense, which was the top unit in the league last year. LaFleur mentioned how difficult it was to prepare to face that defense in last season's playoffs.