Pettine, Mennenga won’t return

Green Bay defensive coordinator Mike Pettine won’t return to the team next season and special teams coordinator Shawn Mennenga has been fired after the Packers’ second straight NFC championship game loss last Sunday.

The Packers said in an announcement Friday that Pettine would not be back next season. ESPN reported that Pettine’s contract expired at the end of this season. The team also announced Mennenga had been dismissed.

Pettine had been the Packers’ defensive coordinator for three seasons — taking over one year before LaFleur’s arrival. Mennenga had been special teams coordinator for each of LaFleur’s two seasons as head coach.

The moves come after the Packers gave up a 39-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady to Scotty Miller with one second left in the first half of a 31-26 NFC championship game loss to Tampa Bay.

“It was man coverage, definitely not the right call for the situation,” LaFleur said after the game. “You can’t do stuff like that against a good football team and expect to win.”

LaFleur had chosen to keep Pettine after the Packers gave up 285 yards rushing in a 37-20 NFC championship game loss at San Francisco last season, continuing their struggles to slow down the run.

The Packers gave up 56 more points during the 2020 regular season than in 2019, but they improved in most other defensive areas.

Green Bay ranked ninth in total defense and tied for 13th in run defense in 2020 after finishing 18th in total defense and 23rd in run defense a year earlier.

The Packers intercepted three of Brady’s passes and allowed only three points in the last 28½ minutes of the NFC championship game, but that was after they had allowed Brady and the Bucs to score 28 points in the first 31½ minutes.

Mennenga took over as the Packers’ special teams coordinator in 2019 after filling the same role at Vanderbilt in 2018. He was a special teams assistant with the Browns from 2011-17.