Green Bay Packers X (formerly known as Twitter) is always an interesting time. And just like most social media, X is loaded with trolls. It’s also loaded with people with plenty of “sources.” So as fans we really need to be careful with people who are trying to break news on behalf of the Packers. On Saturday, a few tweets were made that gave me pause. It also makes things more interesting as these tweets were made by reputable guys- Andrew Mertig and Brian Maafi. Andrew Mertig is a host for Pack-A-Day Podcast and Brian Maafi contributes to CheeseHeadTV’s annual draft guide. The tweet in question is that the Packers have offered Christian Parker the defensive coordinator job.
The Packers have not confirmed this as of this writing.
Brian Maafi then shared this tweet:
So all of this to say, the Packers probably have offered Christian Parker the job. And if they did, good job Brian and Andrew on the scoop.
So, Who Is Christian Parker?
The reports do say that Christian Parker was offered the job. However, they do not say that he has accepted the job. This could all be for naught if he declines the Packers, but just in case, we should know who he is.
Christian Parker is currently the defensive backs coach for the Denver Broncos and has been in that role since 2021. He coached under Vic Fangio, Ejiro Evero, and Vance Joseph. These are all reputable guys. Prior to Denver, Christian Parker was in Green Bay between 2019-2020 under Matt LaFleur and Mike Pettine as the defensive quality control coach. Before working in Green Bay, he played four years at Richmond and then he coached at the collegiate level for six years.
Christian Parker is youthful. He is only 32 years old. If one were to do a quick search around the internet, then that they would find out very quickly that players love playing for Christian Parker. He seems like he is a player-friendly kind of coach. This is also confirmed by how Broncos fans feel about him. If Brandon Perna’s reaction on his and Tom Grossi’s GPS podcast about Parker is any indication, then Broncos fans truly do love him. Start at 4:04.
What about Christian Parkers’ Coaching Prowess?
Bronco’s Wire quoted Bronco’s Head Coach Vance Joseph saying this, “He’s sharp. He’s a star. He is a great partner to work with. As a veteran coach, I’ve coordinated for about seven years now. My tape is out there, so I’m looking for ways to do different things.
[I’ve been] speaking with Christian every day and bouncing ideas off him from what he’s done with Vic [Fangio] and guys in the past has been fun. [We’re] making changes and growing off what they did last year. He’s smart, he works his butt off and his players love playing for him. He’s a star.”
Apparently Bronco’s Head Coach Sean Payton wanted to combine Vance Joseph’s defense with Vic Fangio’s defense. So it was up to Parker to teach the nuances of the Vic Fangio defense to Coach Joseph and the rest of the team. Fusing together the two defenses took some time. This is probably why that defense let up 70 points early in the season but eventually the new defense took form and looked formidable.
An important factor for the Packers is that whoever ends up being the defensive coordinator needs to be able to adapt. This was Joe Barry’s biggest weakness. According to the above tweet, I think Christian Parker checks that box.
Overall, Christian Parker is very young and even though he hasn’t called plays at any level, the above reports and information do intrigue me. Because of this, I think he has the right stuff to be successful. And if the reports don’t excite you about Christian Parker’s potential as a defensive coordinator, then watch the clip below of him doing what he loves. It might change your mind.
Go Pack Go!
Damon is a diehard, fully-immersed cheesehead who currently lives in southern Missouri. He teaches at a local high school and has a family YouTube channel about all things Packers. You can follow him on twitter at @packersfamily and on YouTube at The Packers Family.
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