The more I read about Hafley the more excited I am about him being hired.

I was concerned about his use of the 4-3 over the 3-4 and mainly because our defense is built for a man-on-man 3-4 but I have also read that LVN and McDuffie would work in the 4-3. I am excited t see this defense get back to man coverage. Playing man is more important than the number of linemen because that changes throughout the game.

I also believe we will see more good college coaches move to the NFL due to the NIL and the portal transfer. it was that college was more stable now pros are more stable.

I also like that with his experience he might be someone we can trust to lead the defense with MLF concentrating on all his other duties.

Good summary, especially about how the head coaching experience is a plus. The thing about Hafley being a "friend" of LaFleur's was a big concern of mine at first, especially because we don't know of any other NFL team considering him for a DC job. But I haven't heard anything more about this friendship, which makes me think that maybe Hafley is LaFleur's friend in the same way that about 100 other coaches are his friend.

I admit that after reading this article I am coming around and like the different defense philosophy.

My concern though is he does not have a great history of success. In other words, I did not see vast improvement in his new teams after he took over as DC or HC at the college level.

I get the impression that Matt relied rather heavily on the perceptions of his brother Mike and friend Saleh. Both worked with Hafley and it's my understanding Matt speaks to brother, Mike and Saleh daily.

The question now becomes how does Hafley handle the defensive coaching staff. Who he retains and who he brings in as his position coaches will be a key to implementing his defensive philosophy.

Looking forward to a more aggressive and better tackling Packer defense. Go Pack Go! Thanks, Since ‘61

Concern over whether he'll be able to hire quality assistants is insane. Look at this team. Youngest in the league, prestige head coach, already a playoff team. Up and coming assistants would cut off their arms for an opportunity to work in GB. There aren't that many NFL coaching jobs, the pay is fantastic, and the cost of living in GB is pretty reasonable. Attracting smart and talented assistants will be the least of the worries going forward.

I'll have to give LaFleur the benefit of the doubt about this hire and trust he knows more about him than I do. Still don't want MLF just concentrating only on offense as he needs to be a hands-on head coach at this stage of the young team and coaches under him. Unfortunately, I gave him this benefit when he hired Barry, so I'll be leery yet hopeful that he's been learning too.

As '61 says above, Hafley's most important duty will be to pick his staff. They're the ones that spend all the time with the players.

I look forward to the more aggressive approach. He will still need to use zone in the NFL. That's a fact of life. Hopefully he'll use it in the right situations. With the QBs in the NFL now, it's a death nell to always have your back to the ones that can kill you with their legs and that's almost all of them.

I believe this "surprise hire" was only a surprise because sports media was out of the loop. Jeff Hafley is well known in coaching circles.

It seems Matt knew about and has been in contact with Jeff early on about his desire to return to "coaching defense" that was being eroded with the distractions of NIL and transfer portals. Inside information.

This was a stealth hire and Matt was able to get a jump on the rest of the league. I expect other NFL teams would have interviewed Hafley had they known he was interested in returning to the NFL as a coach.

Also have little doubt Matt has had multiple discussions with his brother, Saleh, Shannihan, and probably even Pettine once he and Gute decided he was the #1 choice. Gutey mentioned he had interviewed Hafley who sold him to be the new DC as he did Matt.

I am impressed with the urgency, efficient process and the hire. Yes, Jeff is a "crony hire" in that he is well acquainted with Matt and his close circle of NFL friends. But Hafley has a far better resume than Barry. And he seems innovative and creative.

He inherits a talented roster with the personnel to move to a 4-3 (4-2-5) attacking front. Talent at LB and DB too but will need to add more competition to those rooms.

But DB and LB acquisitions would be on the offseason "to do" list even if the 3-4 were continued.

Welcome, Jeff!

While we won't know what we have with Hafley for a while, we can try and learn who he is and what he is about.

Everything that i have seen so far has been positive. I do feel like the best thing I heard though is that he is a teacher. Having someone that can make sure everyone is on the same page is huge.

The part I'm excited the most is having a more aggressive defense. The DB's will be closer to the WR's. If the CB's are playing stickier coverages, that might allow the front to get to the QB.

While this was a surprise to most of us, I have a good feeling about this hiring.

That Hafley might just decide to utilize the strengths of the DB's (press coverage) rather than having them play seven yards off the LOS when it's third and five. That was just giving away third downs, and keeping the defense on the field instead of forcing three and outs. And if the HC and one of his major assistants are comfortable with each other, isn't that a good thing? Would anyone rather have the two being at odds with each other? But, the players buy into the system, and learn the system so well they are simply reacting, and not thinking, and that could take a few games at the beginning of the season with the defense looking disorganized at times. We'll need some patience, and look for incremental improvements as the season progresses.

I like this hire. I am glad that we aren't retreading another coach who fell off someone's coaching tree. The game is changing and we need someone who understands and can TEACH new concepts. My only worry is that we don't have the talent or personnel to step up to a new direction. Everyone likes the idea of playing more man but aside from Jaire, do we have the players to mirror top receivers? I expect to see some serious secondary and LB additions over the next year.

I am relieved that Hafley looks like a fit for our current roster.

We will not be forced to watch Aaron Kampman drop into coverage as the seasons tick by before the DC finally drafts his ideal personnel...

It will be fun to see what he can do with NanNess & Walker. I think both will welcome the guidance.

After seeing what Richard Sherman said about him, I'm feeling much better about the hire. I like that he's not an entrenched "scheme" guy and seems to actually know football. That makes him more likely to mold the defense to what his players do best instead of trying to force a square peg into a round hole. I was ambivalent at best with the Barry hire, thinking "Well, maybe he won't suck, given enough talent to work with." I hated seeing high defensive draft picks, knowing their talents were going to be squandered. I feel cautiously optimistic that this guy will both be able to do more with what we have and to further develop what we have.

I like the fact that he is an experienced secondary coach and is focused on a comprehensive approach to tackling as far as angles and positioning go. We need it. This is an important first step to changing the defensive culture in Packerland.

But I also interested in which assistants are either brought in or retained. There have been conflicting reports on this situation so far.

Also there is the matter of maximizing the talent of some our first round picks. Van Ness has a world of it and getting him to the breakout point is paramount. And what about Gary and Walker? Can Hafley turn them into complete players? They could turn into All-Pros possibly with astute coaching. Can Stokes' career be resurrected, providing he has recovered from his injuries? And what is the plan for improving the run defense, something that had been a weakness for years.

Finally, I listened to Gute say the drafting approach won't change much, but I'm not sure how accurate that may be. We need to be looking for not only athletic, scheme-versatile players, but ones with a more physical aspect and proven tackling skills coming out of college.

Thanks for this article Mark. It makes me feel a bit better about this key hire. For me, it was the damned soft shell Barry zones that irritated me the most. One middle safety is cool too although I understand the greater risk of big plays. GPG

Wish our new DC best of luck. Hope he teaches and emphasizes much better tackling or that Gute can draft some sure tacklers. Hopefully this will be the year our D finally takes a big step to become a championship caliber D.

After watching Peter Bukowski on YouTube devoting a full show on Jeff Hafley, I am very impressed with the Packers new DC. He may be unknown, but I'm a fan of his defensive philosophy and his work ethic. I'm anticipating great things for the Green Bay defense and the team as a whole. Go Pack!

Two things Andy Herman pointed out that stuck with me. One, that Halfley has worked with a range of defensive alignments and coaching philosophies in his NFL years: he's not a devotee to a "school" of defense like the Fangio tree, will probably feel comfortable blending in things he likes from several styles of D, and he can borrow based on experience with them. The second is that these days base defense (whether 3-4 or 4-3) is only one of a range of looks, and nickel and dime are used a lot more than base. A base 4-3 doesn't mean he's locked into that.

I think the author has a good speculative list, but we don't know all the things in LaFleur's mind. Here is my speculative list (many repeats):

1. Needs to be able to be "multiple" Multiple looks, multiple in terms of a mix of pressing and passive shells. LaFleur's offensive is very much multiple looks, such as five options on many formations. Barry's defense was relatively easy to determine pre-snap, and relatively predictable. Hafley doesn't seem to be wedded to a single defensive scheme. Being multiple could also mean being able to adapt and counter as one scheme becomes too well known and a shift is necessary.

2. Has to bring about a much better level of communication, particularly in the defensive secondary. Miscommunication was all too common this last season. Hafley's BC defensive secondary communicated well. Some players expressed frustration with not knowing what to do in certain situations.

3. Has to be the "head" manager of the defense, and experience is necessary to demonstrate the capability to manage. LaFleur's time needs to be devoted the offense. Some of the very young candidates may turn out to have great DC skills over time, but they haven't demonstrated their ability to manage all the aspects of the defense. Choosing one promising, but inexperienced DC would likely necessitate bringing on an experienced defensive advisor to help.

4. Needs to create an identity for the defense. Barry's defense really did not have a positive identity. Perhaps it was passiveness and bend and not break. At times it seemed "playing not to lose", which usually ends up pushing the teams towards losing. Perhaps the identity will be built around Quay Walker's many skills, similar to Cowboys building around Parsons. Perhaps it will be tough in the middle.

5. Needs to put players in their best situations. Hafley has mentioned learning what each player does well and listening to their thoughts and concerns.

I'm sure LaFleur had many things he was looking for in a DC.

I am encouraged with his signing, but shouldn’t the #1 reason he was hired be that the first candidate turned down the job offer.