Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator Joe Barry has relied upon a cover-two defense since he arrived in Green Bay last year to mixed results.
The purpose of the scheme is to take away the deep ball and force quarterbacks to stay patient by hitting receivers underneath. By keeping the ball in front of them, the players are able to attack it and keep the gains to a minimum.
Unfortunately, we’ve seen that backfire in the year-plus Barry has been with the Packers due to a plethora of communication breakdowns. The first game of the season was the perfect example when Green Bay lost star wide receiver Justin Jefferson multiple times on simple crossing routes.
The Green Bay Packers’ defense must embrace an aggressive man coverage if they want to upset the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers don’t have that kind of star power, but they do have Tom Brady. Brady will happily take the underneath stuff, pick up a few yards at a time and continue to move the chains. If the Packers want to disrupt Brady and his misfit of wide receivers (Mike Evans is suspended, Chris Godwin has been ruled out, and Russell Gage and Julio Jones are questionable), they must play aggressive, man coverage.
The Bucs were stymied for most of last week’s game against the New Orleans Saints due to the Saints’ press-man coverage. Brady was frustrated throughout, constantly yelling at teammates and even throwing a tablet at one point.
The Packers have the perfect cornerbacks to implement such a strategy. Barry needs to let Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas and Eric Stokes go to work man to man against the overmatched Bucs’ wide receivers (or what’s left of them, at least). Alexander told the media he was begging to shadow Jefferson in Week 1, but the coaching staff went another way. There isn’t a receiver remaining who is worthy of such attention from Alexander, but they should still allow their trio of stud cornerbacks to match up. Why use such hefty resources to keep them otherwise?
Moving away from Cover-2 is outside Barry’s comfort zone, but the best coaches adapt their schemes to their personnel. With the trio of cornerbacks, two supremely athletic inside linebackers and a front seven that can generate pressure without blitzing, it’s time the Packers’ adapt.