Packers Defensive Coordinator Mike Pettine to Return in 2020 Following Meeting With Matt LaFleur
By Adam Weinrib
It's official: One poor playoff game does not an end-of-career make.
Buoyed by superior talent on the pass-rushing side of things after a rare dip into free agency, Green Bay defensive coordinator Mike Pettine had a hot start to his 2019 season before things fell apart. The likes of Za'Darius and Preston Smith could only carry the day for so long, and a vicious gashing at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers undid a lot of the work defensive coordinator Mike Pettine had done previously.
Ultimately, though, that's not how Green Bay's brass decided to view things. Following a meeting with Matt LaFleur on Wednesday, Pettine is staying on. The two men are aligned for Year 2.
Mike Pettine will return as Packers defensive coordinator, sources told https://t.co/LfG3qW2TGU. He met with coach Matt LaFleur after LaFleur’s season wrap-up press conference on Wednesday and they’re moving forward together for Year 2. https://t.co/ZDa7zhLSqG
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) January 22, 2020
Of course, this move doesn't come without risk. Pettine was given two years as head coach of the Browns from 2014-2015, and saw a massive regression take place by the second campaign (7-9 plummeted to 3-13, as it's wont to do in Cleveland).
This defense next year better be top 5. I don't want to hear any more excuses from anyone about why it isn't. It just better be Top 5.
— J.R. Huber (@cornertweeting) January 22, 2020
Too much money and high picks on that D to be bend but don't break.
Apologies for the negative tone, but this D has to improve.
Pettine's unit was also firmly a bend-don't-break bunch in 2019; the Pack finished ninth in points allowed, but 18th in yards. Obviously, the luck involved in such calculations can change at the drop of a hat from year to year.
There's a significant personnel change present involved, too. Linebacker Blake Martinez, who struggled to keep up with running backs down the field, is likely gone. The man who replaces him could dictate the defensive coordinator's future.
Hopefully, for Pettine's sake, he and LaFleur settled on some true strategic changes, as well, meaning things that don't hinge on free agent pass rushers having superhuman seasons.