The Green Bay Packers made a major change to their coaching staff earlier this offseason. They moved on from defensive coordinator Joe Barry after three years on the job and some underwhelming production.
The Packers opted to go to the college ranks to replace him. Taking over as their defensive coordinator, and officially being introduced on Thursday, is former Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley.
Hafley was the head coach at Boston College from 2020-2023 and was with Ohio State as their co-defensive coordinator in 2019. Prior to that, he did garner experience working in the NFL, as he was in the league from 2012-2018.
NFL News & Rumors: Jeff Hafley, Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers Updates
One of the questions many people had for Hafley during his introductory press conference was how his defensive scheme would translate from the college game to the NFL. It isn’t something he is worried about, as he believes his scheme will play anywhere as long as he can maximize the talent of the players on his unit.
“I spent a lot of time in the NFL, right?” Hafley said. “And then I went to Ohio State, and the big knock on me when I went to Ohio State was, this is an NFL guy, he can’t coach in college, right?
“So the things I believe in defense — whether you’re playing 3-4 or 4-3, press man, which I do love, zone coverages, vision and break, quarters, match — it comes down to can you take your players who you have and put them in the best position to succeed? And can you take your players and maximize their ability?”
Maximizing talent is something that Barry didn’t always do with the Packers. Green Bay had several first-round picks on their roster but his units never quite lived up to expectations. Some of that was certainly the scheme and game plan he had in place, which were questionable at times.
NFL News & Rumors: Jeff Hafley, Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers Updates
Soft coverages, especially near the end of games, was one thing Packers fans grew tired of seeing from Barry. Based on what Hefley shared about his philosophy, that is something they shouldn’t see much of anymore.
Green Bay will also be shifted from a 3-4 front to a 4-3 front, which will be the biggest change the players have to overcome. Their assignments and positions could be altered, but teams rarely spend too much time in base defense anymore. With an emphasis on the passing game, teams are in nickel and dime with more defensive backs.
There is some pressure on Hafley, who left a head coach job at at Power 5 conference to jump back to the NFL. But, there is also pressure on Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, who is on his third defensive coordinator since being hired in 2019.
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