Packers should view Chargers defense as cautionary tale

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Watching the Los Angeles Chargers defensive film will be familiar to Matt LaFleur. Not because he’s watched it before but because he sees it every day with the Green Bay Packers. Soft two-high coverage looks regardless of the situation. Soft, undisciplined play in the trenches. Missed tackles and bad game plans.

This is the Joe Barry experience right now. Ironically, that is somewhat by design. LaFleur brought Barry to Green Bay to install the defensive system Chargers head coach Brandon Staley runs. As his head coach sees how easy it can be to scheme up to attack, he has to realize the flaws in his own team’s approach to defense.

The defensive philosophy for the Packers -- one more and more common around the league -- centers around the idea of stopping big plays, even at the cost of giving up something in the run game. More two-high safety looks, more nickel coverage to defend pass catchers in three-receiver sets, and more zone coverage to avoid offenses getting run-aways.

On Sunday, the Packers lost a game in which their opponent managed just 126 yards in the air without a touchdown pass. Green Bay gave up a gobsmacking 205 yards on 36 carries.

LaFleur had the temerity to express annoyance with the criticism his team plays too small in obvious run situations, like being in nickel inside the five on a regular basis. This is how that tends to go.

If teams don’t have to pass because the run is a guaranteed 5 yards, then the smart teams just won’t bother doing much throwing unless they have to. We saw the Packers lose an NFC Championship Game by that logic. And that was the old defensive coordinator.

Against the Chargers last weekend, the Detroit Lions ran a trap play on fourth-and-6 knowing they could convert it against this Charmin-soft LA run defense. All the things fans complain about with the Packers’ run defense, but the Chargers are worse at it!

And again, this is by design, at least to a point.