In Green Bay, defense is a democracy. The scheme may change week to week, but it has always been a collaborative effort between the players and coaches dating back to a season-opening loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
But even in a democracy, a decision must be reached even if everyone doesn’t agree. If Jaire Alexander had it his way, he would have been one-on-one with Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson on every play.
“If it was my way, you know what I would be doing,” Alexander said after Jefferson exploded with nine catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns.
In the days leading up to Week 17, the process became even more of a collective effort. Defensive backs coach Jerry Gray spoke to both starting corners and discussed how they wanted to handle Minnesota’s dominant receiver. Alexander had been pleading with coaches to let him follow Jefferson all over the field. When both teams matched up again last Sunday, Alexander got his wish. Well, sort of.
According to Next Gen Stats, Alexander was matched against Jefferson on 36 percent of his routes in Week 1. In their second meeting, Alexander’s covered Jefferson on 65 percent of his routes. Jefferson was limited to one catch for 15 yards, and the one time he was targeted against Alexander, the pass was incomplete.
Rasul Douglas says the coaches always have the final word on the game plan. However, the latest defensive performance favored the player’s input and led to the NFL’s leading receiver having his lowest yardage of the season.
“I think anytime you do those things, you got to get the player’s feel,” defensive coordinator Joe Barry said Thursday. “We reached out to them early in the week, and coach Gray does a great job overall but especially in situations like that talking to the player and getting the player’s feel, getting their approach, and then obviously streamlining it into the gameplan.”
In the past, Aaron Rodgers has said the best teams are player-led teams. From Douglas’ perspective, he has access to information a coach won’t have from the sideline. Anything he learns from being on the field is then relayed to his teammates and coaches.
“Everyone has a voice,” Douglas said.
Barry believes it is part of Green Bay’s culture to listen to players. There has always been an emphasis on communication and collaboration, but ultimately, they are the ones executing the game plan.
“Those guys are out there, those guys are the guys experiencing it, they’re doing it. So, you got to listen and get their input, that’s just the way I’ve always believed in coaching.”
Listening to Alexander and Douglas was advantageous against the Vikings. On Sunday night, the Packers will face a Detroit Lions team that features two talented receivers in Amon-Ra St. Brown and 12th overall pick Jameson Williams. Perhaps, the starting corners should spearhead this week’s defensive approach as well, with the playoffs on the line.
