Well, we're all unhappy with the defense against the 49ers, but let's take a look at what happened from 2018 to 2019.

Scoring Defense: In 2018, we surrendered 400 points and were ranked 22nd in scoring defense. In 2019, we surrendered 313 points, good for 9th in scoring defense.

That's the most important defensive stat, IMO, but other indicators from takeaways to redzone defense to opposing passer rating are all up near the top of the league's rankings. We got a lot better this year on defense, and that's just a fact. We got pantsed twice by the 49ers, but we held just about everybody else to less than 30, most to less than 25, and better than half to less than 20. And our defense was more than a match for the Vikings, Bears, and Lions

So I'm totally fine with not tearing this apart. I think it's reasonable to assume that guys like Savage and Gary might be better and none of our secondary players should be any worse.

Of our preferred 21 guys that we'd suit up on gameday, we lost only one, Raven Greene, to injuries. Only one, Tramon Williams, is old enough to consider his age. We're going to lose Kyler Fackrell because he's our #4 OLB and somebody is going to make him a better offer in this offseason. He's been durable, a core special teams player, and a guy who stepped up when he got a chance to start in 2018. He'll undoubtedly be overpaid, since by definition the team that gets him is willing to pay him more than anybody else, but at least they'll be overpaying for a decent player.

If we retain Martinez, we proceed with no other losses from the 2019 53man roster on defense . That means we could use the draft and FA to strengthen the 21 man defensive roster. One or two good defenders added to this front seven would improve us. I'm in favor of putting a massive chunk of human in the middle of the defensive line, either ahead of Lancaster or beside him, because nothing gums up the run game like a guy like Gilbert Brown, or Haloti Ngata, or Pat Williams, or...……..

I really hope we don't rip this defense apart. Keep it together and add to it.

Yeah Pettine is done and I had high hopes for the guy but I hope this isn't one of those "he's not getting the best out of the talent" fires this defense still needs work. Also who's out there?

Pettine seemed overmatched during the NFCC not many adjustments or one that worked at least , why no Gary or Summers to help out ? Both these guys played some inside .

I feel Like I'm at a Coroner's Inquest.

When he first got here I thought Pettine was a tough guy who would dump Dom’s finesse defense that tried to fool offenses instead of beat them down with physicality. Now I realize he coaches the same soft defense that attempts to win with trickery instead of toughness. I know they don’t have the horses to play a physical defense but I hope they move in that direction.

I think his scheme is flawed in that stopping the run is an after thought. I understand his thought that the pass is the quickest way to lose and most teams are pass happy. But to win a championship, sooner or later your going to find a team willing to run the ball. If you can't stop the run, you have no chance.

And this is not his guy. It was put on him. If he has a philosophical difference in what he wants. I can definitely see him making a change. I wouldn't be surprised to see a young position coach he has worked with prior.

It looks like Pettine is gone based on LaFluer’s Press conference. It does not look good when they knew what the 49 ers going to do and could not even come close to stopping them. Obviously, changes in schemes and personnel have to be made. If not, just mail it in for the upcoming season. A strong defense has in the past and always will win a championship, PERIOD!

Now we get to see what sort of HC MLF really is. Will he protect Pettine like his predecessor would?

During the season, this defense never really stopped the run very well, but no opponent just stuck to what worked like SF did. For Pettine to keep his job, he should have made more adjustments during the game. Additionally, the defense didn't stop the run or pass the entire game, except for the very first series.

“They definitely out-coached us,” LaFleur said. “It’s disappointing because we knew exactly what they were going to do. We knew they were going to run the football.”

That doesn't sound good for Pettine.

The LaFleur comments this morning sure didn’t sound like a ringing endorsement of the Defensive Coordinator. I wouldn’t buy a house if I were Pettine.

We had no idea if Sunday's failure was a product of scheme, execution, talent or a combination of all of the above.
MLF pointed only to coaching. I'm glad Mike pettine gave us what he had, but likely his last game as a packer.

Not addressed but real concerns all year about M Pettine's decision making.
His actions with Gary made sense until the end of the season. Then fell off the chart.

His refusal and/or inability to get Martinez off the field in obvious passing downs (with a DB) or on obvious running down by substituting in anyone much less a DL or Goodson. Goodson was not Ray N but he played run better than Blake. Add in the total failure to develop or even see the other IN LB prospects. Terrible coaching.

Lowry. The entire Lowry experiment leaves a bad taste in the mouth. 729 snaps for 25 tackles. Nothing for Keke. Landcaster outplayed Lowry but only got a small fraction of the snaps.

Just bad in many ways.

The defense played well against lesser opponents and on occasion played well against better. Stat sheet and rank lovers will always be blinded by those two items.

Is the defenses huge fail against SF the sole problem of Pettine, absolutely not, but how do you not put the vast majority of blame on him when he had no knowledge of what a tourniquet is or the ability to use it. Or are the players so inept or are the SF players that superior it doesn't/didn't matter.

I tend to lean toward the latter two because I only felt we are a C+ player talent over all and Pettine didn't just overnight become a putz, but not to discount that a DC held in high regard should be able to cauterize the bleeding to some degree.

Change may help but more likely it won't as long as we have the only constant that remains, a Grade C+ over all talent for a team. Read all the stats and continue your individual belief it tells the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I'll believe what I see and what I've seen doesn't match up with the positives that are cheered.

Where is the Pettine wasn't MLF's man mantra coming from? Go back and watch MLF's 1st press conference. He said he CHOSE to stick with Pettine as DC and was excited to work with him. So what if he didn't bring him in. Retaining him was his choice amd IMO the right one. Our defense was better in 2019 than it's been since 2010.

Is LaFleur stupid enough to put himself in a power play over Pettine. The growth in this defense and play does not merits Pettine dismissal. And suggesting that he will go over his General Managers head to the Packer President (a man who was just stripped by the executive committee of his authority over the GM) is either an opening negotiation tactic for more say in the organization, or one of the shortest tenures as a head coach in Green Bay Packer History. This is the GM call. And to date Gute has back Pettine right down the line. LaFleur needs to take a step back and understand where he is. Otherwise this could get very messy...

I am not sure what the Packers will do. Does LaFleur want to bring in his own guy? Or does he really believe in Pettine and think with a few more pieces they could have something really good?

Reading between the lines it sounds like he maybe going in a different direction.

For the most part I was fine with what Pettine did. But just as posted in other columns today I really would like to know why Gary only got 3 snaps this week. Why did it take until the 2nd half for Keke to get significant playing time. Oh and in his 11 snaps he had 3 tackles. He was playing really well. Why when Goodson couldn't get to the edge on the outside runs did he stay in the game? Could Burks have done better with his speed?

Gary, Jackson, Burks, Adams are all high round draft picks. Keke was a 5th round pick but he played well when he did play. All of which barely played. I just would like to know why they didn't play. Why down the stretch were these guys barely playing?
Also Jackson has proved on special teams to be a physical player. When SF was running all over us, why wasn't he brought in when Alexander got hurt?

It would be nice to know why these guys weren't playing. Were they in his doghouse, or were they simply not good enough?

I have mixed feelings if Pettine should stay or go. I can agree what others are saying here. It was a disappointing effort both times against the 49ers and at other times during the season. But statistically we did improve. Some considerations are bringing in a new DC doesn't guarantee anything if we don't hit with the new hire. So you bring in someone else, how long do they get if we regress? Players will have to readjust all over again. By all indications, Mike is well-liked and respected by his players, but who really know's what goes on behind the scenes, right? Also, do we have the personnel to fit with who they may bring in and with a new system. So how long does that take to find out? How much was scheme involved? The Smiths were run at and could not hold up. Am sure this may have been unexpected, but are the Smiths more pass rushers and not as good as run stoppers ?Yet they are outside linebackers so should be able to. I don't see them as big time run stoppers though. Maybe they can improve. I think Clark needs help. Quality depth to rotate is ideal like San Fran, but you have to have the players to do it. I know Pettine values protecting the big pass plays, but it would be fun to ask him if he has the personnel to stop the run, especially with slow ILB's. I'm inclined to see if the defense can be tweaked, and talent added so we can be more balanced, rather than fire Pettine and gut the defense. Remember, no matter who they may ultimately bring in, players not plays Also, if we make the change and maybe we should, above my knowledge level, just be prepared it won't be instant and will go through growing pains, again, that is if we hit on the right guy. I guess I trust Gute and MLF to make the right call. It will boil down to who MLF wants and his philosophy on defense. All we can do it watch and root for our team. But I really would love to have a smash- mouth defense. But i don't want several loosing seasons to accumulate early round draft choices like the Bears and 49ers had to do to get there. Go Pack!

The loss to the Niners was embarrassing, I have no problem with replacing whoever was to blame.

If they get a couple ~230 lb Linebackers who can run and tackle either in the draft or FA they have the personnel to run a seven-wide 4-3 scheme. It's a much better fit for the misdirection offenses that are taking over the league.

I've seen enough of the 3-4 sub packages with a bare defensive front, and the huge gaps it leaves for *backs to pile up big gains. The 3-4 Blitz burg trickery isn't fooling anyone anymore. Teams have 3 downs to guess where the hole is and they guess correctly 50% of the time.

I'm glad MLF found the guilty man for this 2 embarrassments at SF.

I'm glad, too, that many of you easy your disappointment by finding the person you can spit on.

Mike McCarthy never ever throw his fellow coach nor his player publicly under the bus. Hell he never ever publicly call a player or coach or anyone from his stuff . Instead, he acted. Maybe to late sometimes, but never publicly sitting on person he was working with.

Call me his fan if you want, but I do not like persons who would blame others openly or subtle while there are a lot of things he could be called for...

Pettine should have tried everything in the book to adapt to what was happening to them in a chance to go to the SUPER BOWL and he didn’t and for that he should be fired alone

He's done. Lack of fire does not sit well with LaFleur.......,

Devin White or Devin Bush would have helped the defense some moves should have been made to trade up Bush went 2 picks before Gary , I guess at the time pass rush was a priority not realizing they would land the Smiths in free agency, you can always bet on the Steelers and Ravens taking linebackers early.

To bad for Pettine, I don't believe he had enough horses, but it's time for a change.
LaFleur can't be himself or be properly graded if indeed he has philosophical differences with the DC, he's the guy responsible, so he needs to make the decisions. I can only hope he has a 'good one' in mind.
My take on Pettine is like several others here, I think the improvement from 2018 to 2019 came primarily from the added personnel, the Smith Bros, et al. When he was hired I too thought he was a tough guy and would take the tough guy approach, but we never saw any 'smash-mouth' football from his system. Instead his defenses played soft, the D-backs (with three 1st* round picks, if you count King*) consistently played 8-10 yds off the LOS, and despite the advantage of playing back and having the correct 'angle', their tackling was atrocious. It was frustrating in every game, all year long, and the D-Backs coaches should follow Pettine out the door.

MLF showed me enough this year to give me confidence he isn't over his head and that he is very intelligent. Similar to what Hank said, I'm good with whatever decision he makes. Although, I'm guessing he is going to go with a bright, young, up and comer and start over. That person might come from the position coaching ranks. There are a lot of great coaching talent out there that few of us have heard of, but MLF knows well or thru his contacts.

Everybody needs to take a deep breath -- Matt LaFleur included. A loss like that still stings. However, one game should not define a season, and sure as hell should not define Mike Pettine.

You have to look at the whole body of work. Pettine dramatically turned this defense around. Granted, he had much improved players, but we need to put the 49ers loss in context: it was one game. One.

In the regular season blowout loss to the 49ers, the defense only gave up 112 yards rushing total amongst the 49ers three RBs.

If anything, what was glaring was the offense's complete ineptitude on full display in both the regular season and in the NFC championship. And that's on.....Matt LaFleur.

LaFleur also needs to understand the potential impact on the locker room. As far as I can tell, the players like playing for Pettine. There's no issue there.

Mike P staying which is a good move. Nothing knee jerk is going to resolve anything.

I am glad Pettine is staying. The last time I look i didn't see any DC drafting, So if Pettine goes so should the so called draft experts Murphy and Gute. Get a legitamate edge rusher and a fast middle backer. Dont draft history injured players like our last first rounder from Mich. GO PACK

This isn’t pop-warner. These are grown men not little boys. They need to man up and watch some tape on Nitschke. Maybe then they won’t let one guy run for 220yds which 140 of those were before contact in a NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Pettine needs to go!