Well, in fairness, the author was specifically talking about this year's draft, not free agency or last year's draft. But yes, the fact that BG didn't address it in this year's draft indicates that the Packers brass is confident in Pettine's ability to create pressure with the players they have, including those three who are essentially all new. Throw in Reggie Gilbert, as well.

Personally, I'm excited to see this unit play with a new scheme, and hopefully new passion. I think we're going to be surprised at how well the same players can perform.

I really hope Vince Biegel steps up in his second year. Missing the whole off season , training camp, preseason games and half of the regular season was devastating for him as a rookie and obviously hurt his performance.

However, even with these obstacles, I thought we'd see some flashes from him in the 9 games he played in. I didn't see anything that gave me a lot of hope. He was on the same level as Fackrel, which is not good. I'm holding out hope that a full off season of strength and conditioning along with a full training camp will produce better production from him. I know he'll be better this year, but will it be what we need?

I definitely would have felt better if we could have picked up a quality edge rusher this off season (easier said then done). The draft was weak at edge, but waiting until the 7th rd was discouraging. I do believe our D will be better this year than last year with the changes that were made. How much better?? We can only wait and see. The young CBs will need to get accustomed to the NFL, so will our new ILB and safety - Jones- is an unknown (hope he can play better away from the line this year).

Vince Biegel. Laugh. Have you seen M. Adams stats? They ha e one good libebacker and Matthews is old slow, and finished. Should ha e kept Jordy Nelson and dumped Matthews. Bit that's why McCarthy sucks at coaching. He is only interested in agreeing with everyone and keeping his job. Most overrated coach. Dude just admit it, Pwcjwrs def nse has sucked going on eight years now and as long as Murphy is CEO, the defense will stink. They still haven't gotten a clue that they need to draft an elite linebacker in the draft. Contats to bonehead Ted Thompson for padding on Pro Bowler Myles Jack to take crap defensive lineman Kenny Clark. Guy has less than six sacks in two years. Sad. Sure could use TJ Watt too.

i agree Nick Perry. Clark is on the path toward becoming a dominant must be accounted for every snap player. Combining that with a more aggressive and unpredictable defense and effective defending of the middle of the field is going to have the Packers D getting off the field promptly in 2018.

The Packers were a fair way apart from what I (and many others) thought they would do.

No Edge rusher in the first two rounds, no WR in the 2nd or 3rd, no TE at all.

But, when you look at who they did pick, it made sense. A starter-level outside CB, a starter-level slot CB, a coverage ILB. They are giving Pettine the tools he needs to create a good defense.

They got a WR in the 4th who might be pretty good. They went super-athletic all through the draft. they got some bigger receivers with speed. Finally they got an extra first rounder next year, that is huge.

Health for this team. No more 10 OL on the active roster please. That will build experience and depth for this team. (I still shudder watching josh Hawkins trip over his own feet at Minn.) For the first time in a long time, the Packers have quality at the boundary. Most sacks are coverage sacks thanks to the rules favoring offenses. Packers have a decent chance to have a good secondary if, if they stay healthy (in football terms).

Pettine was asked if he will play a 3-4 or a 4-3.

He said “yes!”

I'm glad you mentioned that NP. I've kinda been waiting FORVER to see a big 4 man front. I hope that's the direction that D his heading in.

I meant DB, but edit do not allows me to change it...

Good article!

If all those things happen, yes, they'll be in the top 15. Maybe even top 10. But with our defense since 2011, I've learned to hope for the best and expect the worst.

I'd personally be ok with top 20 this year. Not good. But ok. That just might give ARod enough to win some high scoring playoff games.

"the Packers were on the field for 167 total drives and only three teams had fewer (Atlanta, Dallas and Oakland). That's where the numbers stopped being on the Packers' side.”

That number is *not* on the Packers side! The lower that number is the fewer scoring drives the Packers had and the longer/more plays the defense was on the field.

We actually want more defensive series for the Packers per game. That's a good thing for the D. Means the D is getting off the field quickly - giving up fewer scores, fewer 1st down, fewer defensive plays! Also means the O is scoring a lot.

Sorry for the false start!

The biggest need is depth on those rush OLB positions. Perry and Matthews are very good when healthy, but w/o any back-ups the rush becomes very non-existent. Enter Biegel, Gilbert and Frack Man....and all of a sudden this year may prove to be different then in years past, however are they enough? I don't think the Packers will leave this to chance, they need additional depth and may even try to get a vet through FA.

I like this article. The facts from Football outsiders was very interesting. It supports the notion of how bad the defense was. And how bad the offense was without AR and all of the three and outs there were.

It was obvious that there was something wrong. The data shows that. The results show it. How the players showed it. And it just seemed like every offense knew how the defense was going to play and had the right play called. Capers had become outmoded.

I keep thinking about the defense the last two years. How had MM and TT missed this? what were the position coaches saying that was not heard or not said. And even what was said by the scouts when TT took Randall and Rollins and some other picks. It is now painfully obvious that CB is not the best position for them. I keep thinking about what Murphy said about chimneys. This works in large companies with lots of management. But the Packer organization is very small and contained in just one office. The business had passed TT and Capers. Chimneys only can occur with poor leaders MM better show something this year, for he had something to do with the past situation too.

BG appears different to me. I like the addition of Pettine and Philbin (MM had also become stale). I like the free agent signings that compliment the draft. And I don't think he is done. And I bet Thompson will be leaving the organization after the season is over. Having him there is like a bad apple making the rest of them bad. Hopefully at the draft he was there only to get coffee and donuts.

Get off the field sooner? Just leave after second down and send the offense onto the field.
The opponents might become so confused that they make a mistake.

A big key for me this year will be the usage of Josh Jones.

Capers was maddening in his reluctance to blitz this bolt of lightning. Granted, injuries forced Jones to play more in the secondary, but that's clearly NOT where he belongs. Jones is the new breed of coverage/blitz LB, not someone you want wandering around in center field.

If Green Bay plays Jones up front, covering TE's and RB's and blitzing several downs each game, we'll see a big improvement throughout the entire defense.

I’d be happy no matter how this defense improves. If we improve the number of three and outs, red zone, coverage, pressure, take-aways...I don’t care. All of those were pretty weak.

There are five reasons the Pack sucked last year:

(1) Ted Thompson;

(2) Dom Capers;

(3) Mike McCarthy;

(4) Mark Murphy; and,

(5) Arod's injury.

Three of these problems have been fixed. I believe the 4th will be fixed after the 2018 season, namely MM. That will leave just Mark Murphy. Maybe he has seen the light and can help fix the problem he allowed to go on for way too long or maybe his lack of leadership is the final problem.

What drove me crazy was Capers rushing 2 or 3 guys on third and long. the QB sat back with no pressure and most of the time got the first down. I believe we may have had at least one more SB if he had been sent packing 5 years ago!

In Pettine's defenses he likes to use the ILB's to attack the A gaps a lot to get after the QB so don't be surprised if Burks, Martinez and Matthews end up with more than a few sacks and pressures this year from the middle.

I know most of us see Burks athletic profile and immediately think coverage LBer but history suggests Pettine sees a guy who can get downhill in a hurry, get skinny through the holes created by the DL and get that quick inside pressure that most QBs hate.

Pettine understands that getting pressure on the QB is critical and will use any means necessary to get that pressure. He knows there's more than one way to skin a cat. He doesn't simply rely on edge rushers or DL players to get that pressure. Look for him to use a variety of blitzes as well, from both CBs and safeties.

I feel very confident that opposing QBs will be under siege more often this year than we been used to the last couple years of the Dom Capers era. Hopefully that leads to a whole lot more turnovers in the secondary, especially now that we have a few guys with great ball skills back there to capitalize on any bad throws or poor decisions those QBs are forced to make.

Can't wait to see how it all unfolds, should be fun to watch.

So far 2018 has been about adding better players, especially on defense through the draft and free agency and of course replacing Capers with Pettine. I expect 2019 will be the same, get better pieces in place.

As for 2018 it may take some time for this defense to gel and hopefully they will come together as a solid unit in time for a deep playoff run. However, one area that would immediately improve the defense's 2017 numbers provided by Jason would be better tackling. It's a cliche but football is still about blocking and tackling. That alone would probably improve this defense into a mid-20s level defense. Add in a more effective pass rush and we're probably looking at a top 20 defense.

That might be enough for Rodgers and the offense to handle the rest. It should also be noted that the offense can help the defense out by staying the field via the ground game and that means solid play by the OL. The right side of the OL remains a concern, at least for me, and hopefully we'll see that resolved during TC.

Getting back to the defense, I do think that they are headed in the right direction. The primary issue is will they stay healthy enough so that everyone becomes familiar with their roles in Pettine's defense. Injuries can cause that process to take much more time. Secondly, how long will it take for our rookies to become effective contributors.

Next is the issue of attitude, defense is also about attitude, nasty attitude in particular. Make the offense pay for every yard with solid, hard hitting tackling and an aggressive "make the QB uncomfortable" pass rush. The Packers defense has been too soft both in their play and in their attitude. Find a legitimate leader on the field, a play maker the defense can rally around. Maybe one of the younger players can emerge into that role. These are intangibles but they matter.

Tackle, pass rush, cover, with nasty attitude and some leadership and we'll be OK. How long it takes to get there only time will tell. Thanks, Since '61

"defensive success rate"

That's an interesting metric Jason. Any chance you want to track it over the season? I'd be interested...

Most common thing overhead in the packers new defense classroom, "You mean it's legal to limit an offense to 3 plays and punt?"

Lots more unknowns for the Packers this season than we've seen in quite some time. New schemes, new coordinators, new coaches, new veteran players, new rookie players, players coming back from injury, players under new contracts, players in the last year of their contracts, etc.

It's making it a much more interesting offseason, should also make for an interesting season.

It’s hard to post here without reading ALL of the comments because, as I just discovered, if you do too soon, ya end up sounding like a parrot!!! Oh well... plagiarism must be my middle name.

I watched an NFL Network top 10 fastest and Darrel Green, CB, Redskins was #1... I only say this because his highlights also showed his tackling prowess, too!!! He caught E Dickerson from behind and made a great tackle around his legs... pure art form of a tackle!!! Dropped him in his tracks!!!

In one of his first interviews Pettine said his guys will focus heavily every day in practice on 3rd downs, red zone and goal line defense.

Capers Ds were usually NFL bottom dwellers in all three situations.

Pettine’s teams are usually top ten in all 3.

His reasoning? While he said 1st and 2nd downs are important and will be practiced too...the other three situations are the difference between winning and losing and it isn’t even a close call. Win the majority of those 3 and you will most likely win the game.

Imagine a world where a Packers defense gets off the field multiple times in a game on third down and puts the ball back in Rodgers hands. What a wonderful world it could be!

Reggie Gilbert. I've written a number of times that last year I attended a few early practices and he stood out. If you didn't know anything about who was out there you'd think he was the star. I couldn't believe that Capers barely let him sniff the field until the last couple games when it was obvious we weren't able to get to the passer. Now McCarthy comes out praising Gilbert. Did he suddenly get better during the offseason? McCarthy hasn't the faintest idea of what a good defense is and left it all to Capers. That was his first mistake. And his second and third.

Petine has his work cut out for him. One dback has shoulders injuries, Two haven't proven much in two years, our top safety is a piece of work, one new guy is a poor tackler, the other may be too slow to keep up and then we have two oldie but goodies
His pass rush will rely on three guys in their 30`s, and he has a linebacker Corp of under achievers. Pretty much what Dom had to work with.
Petine will have an eye opening experience to be sure.

OK, a different perspective....Capers had Collins, Woodson, Shields, great dline players, Bishop and Hawk as run stopers for the top defense in league.
How many years did he keep them together?
1 and done....and couldn't recover the magic.
Collins/Shields/Bishop all left due to injury.
Woodson was good for 2 more years, dline had to be rebuilt, and took 4 years to find another good safety.

So yeah, Capers was one and done for being the league's tough guy on defense, but it seems to me TT needed to share in that fiasco.

I continue to hear on here and from many other packers fans their concern about the pass rush. I am much less concerned for a few reasons

1) Last years pass rush was not as bad as many think when you factor in pressures and hurries. In fact the packers were above average in many metrics, even including sacks (the most overated stat in football.)

2) The coverage on the back end was so bad, it made the PR look worse than it was, there was no press at all many times at the LOS allowing for a free release for many opposing WRs. As a result there were quick reads for QBs negating a rush.

3) Gilbert and Biegel. These 2 guys are key pieces this year. Gilbert was terrific in the last 2 games, look for his role to increase significantly. Biegel has the athleticism and tools for success and I think he flashes this year, he's healthy and with a full training camp he adds a piece for Pettine.

4) Mo Wilk. When motivated hes a pro bowler, period. He can consistently create havoc in a backfield. The 5 technique is relyed upon to create rush in Pettine's scheme, which he can do. They focus on advantageous matchups on the LOS. Wilkerson will also command double teams freeing up Daniels or Clark. This is also freeing up the LBs as well. You can't double all 3 of them up front. He will add to Clark and Daniels effectiveness.

5) Interior rush. Not all pass rush is from the EDGE, if you can collpase the pocket from the interior and not allow a QB to step in the pocket, this can be more effective than an Edge rush. It also can also force under throws and potential turnovers. I like this D-line. Bottom line is pass rush is genrated by the entire defense.

Dobber, I think you underestimate how much better the D can play with Pettine at the helm.

Capers played an exotic, continous substitution defense that every O coordinator he faced was totally familiar with...while confusing his own increasingly younger players.

Third and long...rush 3 or 4 and play a soft zone. Ahead by 7 or 10 points...play prevent D and let the opponent go down the field and score.

With today’s analytics, it is so easy to predict tendencies and down & distance probabilities on a coach with decades of video and no willingness to change. Capers D last year was the same as it was 30 years ago...teams even said so.

John Gruden last year in primetime: “OK, 3rd and long for the Packers. The book on Capers says here he will rush only 4 and play a soft zone. Perfect time for a screen pass”. The play call? Screen pass and a 1st down.

I predict the Packer D under Pettine will be a strength for the first time in years.

Packers defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery talks about the line stepping up this year, Kenny Clark's new deal and his expectations for DL Montravius Adams.
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