OUT WITH THE OLD IN WITH THE NEW

Well, a few weeks ago the Packers revealed that they would be releasing much of their defensive staff(more...) and I could not be happier. Let me tell you why.The Packers were very good against the pass this past year. However, it wasn't the opponents passing attack that hurt the Packers, it was the opponent's ability to run the ball, averaging 131.6 yards per game. Because the Packers were not able to stop the run and show absolutely no defensive improvement over the past few seasons, it was time for a change.

And because of those firings the Packers have added Dom Capers as the defensive coordinator. What's not the love. Capers is the man who converted the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the best defenses in the NFL, into a 3-4 defense. He was the head coach of the Carolina Panthers when they were beaten by the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game and most recently, Capers spent the last season with the New England Patriots as a special assistant/secondary coach. Just imagine the things he may have learned from Belichick in New England.

So what does the hiring of Capers ultimately mean. Well, the Packers over the course of the next few seasons will be making the transition to the 3-4 defense. The 3-4 is run by many of the top defenses in the NFL, the Steelers, Ravens, Patriots, and Dallas among other teams. In a 3-4 defense there are three down lineman and four linebackers, as opposed to a 4-3, which calls for four down lineman and three linebackers. What I love the most about the 3-4 is the success that other teams have had with it. When announcing the hire of Dom Capers, head coach Mike McCarthy noted that, "It's an excellent run defense [and] it creates [a] pass rush on the quarterback," something that the Packers lacked throughout the year with the exception of Aaron Kampman.

So, it should be fun to see the Pack implement this defense over the next season or so...but...the one drawback is they will have to go out and get players that fit a 3-4 defense, which is something that we'll get a look at in the next post.