When Joe Barry talks, you cringe. The affable Washington Redskins defensive coordinator says the most laughable things. If a fly visited a wall during his media sessions, it would bury its face in its wings, crash and perish.

What a dreadful way to go, listening to a good man mangle logic so badly that you can’t save yourself, let alone Barry.

On Thursday, when asked repeatedly for insight into how he evaluates his defense, Barry talked himself into embarrassment again. It was like he kicked his own shin, and though he didn’t feel the pain immediately, you put your hand to your mouth anticipating the moment he realizes the damage he had done.

“The number one statistic that we preach and that I’m really ultimately concerned with, the only stat that matters, is the scoreboard,” Barry said. “And as long as we hold our opponent to one point less than we score, that’s the only stat matters.”

Oh, my.

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And later, when asked if he was surprised when Arizona decided to go for a fourth and 1 at its own 34-yard line last Sunday, Barry said: “Honestly, honestly, very much.”

I mean, he wasn’t under oath.

[Joe Barry has turned the Redskins offensive line into a bright spot]

You could give Barry a break if he didn’t so consistently make your eyebrows jump. Earlier this season, after Pittsburgh wide receiver Antonio Brown destroyed cornerback Bashaud Breeland in Week 1, Barry was asked why he didn’t have Josh Norman, Washington’s $75 million No. 1 corner, trail Brown the entire game. He gave a silly explanation about the difficulty of getting the rest of the defensive backs aligned, even though every other team does it with ease and regularity.

Of all potential excuses, going with an “It’s too hard” answer was the most threatening to his credibility, and he reached for that blade anyway. And while we’re on the subject of cornerback mismanagement, Barry also reasoned after the Pittsburgh game that Washington finally switched Norman onto Brown in the fourth quarter as part of the game plan, not because Breeland was struggling. In other words, the game plan was to do nothing until it was too late. Cagey.

Barry is a versatile self-abuser. Whether lying or telling the truth, he’s equally skilled at killing himself.

But this isn’t just about punishing Barry for articulating himself poorly in front of reporters. The sports world is full of quality coaches who are terrible in such settings. But when you combine shaky results with Barry’s questionable words, the level of concern is so high that Barry should be coaching for his job in the final four games.

The Washington Post's Scott Allen and Keith McMillan break down the Redskins' loss to the Arizona Cardinals. (Elyse Samuels/The Washington Post)

It’s possible, despite the woeful statistics and maddening performances, to conclude that a second-year coordinator with inadequate personnel deserves patience. Washington requires either upgrades or further player development at every level of the defense – the line, the linebackers and the secondary. It desperately needs help at defensive tackle, inside linebacker and both safety positions.

How can Barry be expected to make a gourmet meal with these ingredients? It’s a valid question that will complicate the front office’s postseason evaluation of Barry and his unit. But the thing is, the bar is much lower, and Barry is still burning the grilled cheese.

Barry should be down to four weeks, and possibly the playoffs, to make a compelling case that his defense can improve significantly with more investment from General Manager Scot McCloughan. It’s easy to get lost in frustration and consider Barry done and irredeemable already, but there’s still a quarter of the season remaining, and it will be played under the pressure of a playoff race.

[How running back Matt Jones is dealing with being benched]

This is the most significant sample size of the season. Coach Jay Gruden barked after last Sunday’s 31-23 loss to Arizona and demanded better from his team. The remaining schedule – at Philadelphia, Carolina, at Chicago and the New York Giants – is challenging but manageable. The Giants might be the only playoff team in that quartet. If Washington is a quality team, it should win three out of these four games. That would put the team at 9-6-1, roughly the equivalent of last year’s 9-7 mark. If it wants to eliminate doubt about its playoff worthiness, Washington will sweep the last four games, like it did last season, and finish 10-5-1.

To accomplish that, the team will need more than 360-yard games from Kirk Cousins and surprises from undrafted running back Rob Kelley. It needs a defense that can be relied upon to give up no more than 21 points and, say, 350 yards per game.

If Barry’s unit had reached those markers over the first 12 games, it would rank 13th in the NFL in scoring defense and 15th in total defense. I’m creating edible, middle-tier expectations for four games for a defense that is lacking but still has the pieces to be decent, especially when playing for a postseason berth. Currently, Washington allows 24.6 points and 369.6 yards per game. This is a bottom third NFL defense almost across the board. On third down, Washington surrenders a ludicrous 48 percent conversation rate, which ranks last in the NFL.

So, 21 points and 350 yards a game is the route to qualifying for the playoffs, provided the offense performs at its season-long level. For the defense, that’s about four fewer points and 20 fewer yards per game. Simply put, I’m talking about eliminating one field-goal drive a game, or being a little better during a few moments of truth. It doesn’t seem like much, but that’s pro sports. Small margins make all the difference. And when you repeatedly fail to be on the winning side of those small margins, it amounts to a big problem.

The defense has improved in Barry’s second season calling plays, but not significantly. Most concerning is that Barry has had trouble leveraging his limited talent for better results. For instance, the franchise made Norman the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback in the offseason, but quarterbacks are still on vacation against this defense. In 2015, Washington yielded a 96.1 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks. Despite having Norman this year, that rating has dropped only to 95.0. For context, that means every quarterback plays with the efficiency of Oakland’s Derek Carr (96.0), a MVP candidate this season, against Washington.

[Redskins face a difficult decision at wide receiver]

This is the area that Washington aggressively tried to fix. In its weakest area, the run defense gives up 4.6 yards per carry, the fourth-worst in the NFL. Yes, Barry needs more, but because the defense has made such poor use of a first-team all-pro cornerback, you can’t be certain that continuity and investment will produce dramatic improvement.

To his credit, the players still compete for Barry. The energy and attention to detail remain. His defensive staff has done good work developing some of the younger players. But whenever something has gone wrong on Sunday, the veterans have been quick to question the play calling. They like Barry. They work hard for him. But do they believe in him?

Barry should be coaching for his job now. Don’t sharpen your pitchforks and expect me to lead you to his lair, however. The situation is not that simple.

But the more Barry talks, the more he reveals simple-minded strategy that makes you doubt he’s the sophisticated guru needed to rebuild this defense. And the more his unit fails to assist one of the league’s best offenses, the clearer it becomes that the defense could stunt franchise’s growth.

Regardless of how the season ends, the defense must undergo significant change. Does that include leadership? This should be Barry’s last chance to give a reasonable answer.