Packers Name Jeff Hafley New Defensive Coordinator for 2024

@Chongo posted:

The days of holding most teams to 9 points and 200 total yards are long gone.

Keeping a team under 20, is NOT asking too much. I'm sick of shithole Packer defenses.

THIS team has wayyyyy too much talent on defense to suck and I don't GAF which of the other 31 offenses they go against.

I want under 17, every fucking week and opposing teams in the red zone SHUT OUT!

The opposing punter should be REAL FUCKING BUSY.....every single week.

I thought the strategy has been to let the other team score so our offense could have the ball more often and wear down their defense?

There goes Boris talking in code again. Beating around the bush. Now we all have to try and figure out what he really means.

@Satori posted:

@mattschneidman:  Adam Stenavich says the main differences going against Jeff Hafley’s defense are more DBs in the box and less shell. DBs are more aggressive against the run, he says.

@ilcuqui posted:

@mattschneidman:  Adam Stenavich says the main differences going against Jeff Hafley’s defense are more DBs in the box and less shell. DBs are more aggressive against the run, he says.

As they fucking SHOULD be!

Now they need to wrap up and tackle

5:59 for 23 on Hafley.

"All I want for Christmas is a Davante Adams jersey" - Jaire Alexander

I think with running QBs we'll see more LVN and Quay toward the LOS to contain and chase those guys. Look how bottled up they kept Fields in the second game when MLF moved Quay right behind the DL several times and also let LVN use his speed to get after him. If Hafley keeps Bullard in the slot, that should also bring up another guy to help stop the run. Most of all, I'm hoping that Gary returns to the player he was before the ACL. Putting fast pressure on a QB is one way to disrupt.

From Sharp Football

"The Packers are expected to jump from facing the 26th-toughest schedule of offenses last year to the second-toughest in 2024.

Green Bay is projected to face 9 of 2023’s top 11 toughest passing attacks including the 49ers, Dolphins, Eagles, and the division-rival Lions twice."

@Satori posted:

From Sharp Football

Green Bay is projected to face 9 of 2023’s top 11 toughest passing attacks including the 49ers, Dolphins, Eagles, and the division-rival Lions twice."

I cannot effing wait!! Bring it on bitches!!!

I just watched the last 2 minutes of the GB/KC game from Sunday Night last year.

What am absolute shit show that last 2 minutes was. Shit calls from the refs BOTH ways.

It's too bad too, because the first 58-59 minutes they reffed very well I thought.

I learned one thing for sure....KC does not like losing. They think they're entitled.....

Well..... Mofo's.....welcome to fucking TitleTOWN bitches!! Hah Haaaaaa!!!

Wyatt and Van Ness will have monster seasons.

.
Here's another one from ACME Packing- this time they dive into more of the
X's & O's of the 4-3 defense and how Hafley is likely to align his warriors to create the most havoc

https://www.acmepackingcompany...efensive-fronts-2024

.

And here's the LB alignments, with descriptions in the article

Andy Herman with a clip of Hafley's defense playing rally ball
Wow and Wooooo !!!

https://files.mastodon.social/...c6ae231836e8ffde.mp4

Go Packers  

Woo hoo! Party at the ball carrier.

@Satori posted:

From Sharp Football

"The Packers are expected to jump from facing the 26th-toughest schedule of offenses last year to the second-toughest in 2024.

Green Bay is projected to face 9 of 2023’s top 11 toughest passing attacks including the 49ers, Dolphins, Eagles, and the division-rival Lions twice."

In years past I would have said crap that sucks but this year I am ok with this challenge.  Ja seems to be in a good place, Stokes appears to be healthy, and I like the new mind set they appear to have.  We will see if it works once the bright lights come on but to me it feels really different this year.

It's good to be battle tested heading into the playoffs.   Bring on the tough schedule, it's good for development.

Not to mention last year is last year and some of these "good" teams won't be. Same for some of the "bad" ones.

One of the tenets of Capers' championship defense was creating turnovers.
He always harped on having a huge advantage in passer rating vs your opponents and creating turnovers were a big part of that effort.

Packers 2009 D only allowed a 74.9 opponent passer rating and the 2010 crew delivered a 67.3 !!!  But those were different times...

Its still cool to see Hafley's D has been killing it on the INTs in camp

The top defenses are holding opposing passers to 85 or less -  so that's what GB is aiming for to be in the Happy Boris zone

For context, here's a link to the Packers dismal 2023 performance on defense, coming in at # 25 in opponent passer rating.  (93.7)

https://www.teamrankings.com/n...e-team-passer-rating

@Satori posted:

One of the tenets of Capers' championship defense was creating turnovers.
He always harped on having a huge advantage in passer rating vs your opponents and creating turnovers were a big part of that effort.

Like almost all schemes, Capers' schemes worked better with elite players. However, I think Capers' schemes maximized the ability of superstars to make plays more than other schemes did. If you had Charles Woodson and Nick Collins it was ideal. It relied on guys having elite football instincts and guys like Woodson are generational talents. Woodson was good everywhere played, but he was one of the DBs I've ever seen (a complete player against the run and the pass) in Capers' scheme. If you have just average guys, it falls apart easily as you give up more big plays than you generate. When he had Woodson or Carnell Lake (when Capers as the Steelers DC in the 90s), it worked well.

Barry was the opposite. His scheme treated all the players like they were average. It doesn't matter if you have Jaire Alexander or some replacement-level player back there if all they do is drop 10 yards deep on 3rd and 5. You don't give up big plays and you don't make big plays in that type of scheme. If you think your players are better than average, then it's a scheme that wastes their talent.

@MichiganPacker2 posted:

Capers' schemes worked better with elite players.

Indeed
The elite players that allowed Woodson to be Woodson, were Tramon Williams and Sam Shields. Capers knew he could trust both of them on an island and that gave him the flexibility to play chess with All-World Charles.

Hafley has Alexander & Stokes and they are going to have to hold up on their Cover- 3 islands because Hafley leans into the single-high Safety alignment -  those guys know they don't have help on most plays.

IF they can hold up, then it gives Hafley the ability to play chess with X-man, Bullard, Nixon, Williams and others.

Super stoked to see it all unleashed in September 

@MichiganPacker2 posted:

Barry was the opposite. His scheme treated all the players like they were average. It doesn't matter if you have Jaire Alexander or some replacement-level player back there if all they do is drop 10 yards deep on 3rd and 5. You don't give up big plays and you don't make big plays in that type of scheme. If you think your players are better than average, then it's a scheme that wastes their talent.

I think that is a perfect thought with Barry's defensive scheme ( or lack thereof).

I can agree with the theory that not wanting to give up big plays is one thing but I think it leads to a passive style of defense overall.  His defenses were always chasing the opponents and not making plays.  If you watch really good defenses they don't do that they take it to the offense, cause them the make mistakes, and get some turnovers.

Thankfully that style seems to be a thing of the past now I hope we can turn the page and see some real defense for a change. 

@MichiganPacker2 posted:

Like almost all schemes, Capers' schemes worked better with elite players.

Well, yeah.  I used to harp on this all the time toward the end of Capers' run in GB and even into the DC's that followed.  Because the talent on D had cratered and it was no coincidence that Capers's scheme went with it.  That on top of offenses "catching up" to him.

After Gute spent the lion's share of his draft picks on D year after year, there was no longer an excuse for the unit underperforming.  We'll see how much of a difference Hafley makes.  If it's not much better, maybe the guy drafting is the problem.

I just hope I'm screaming Wholey Hafley! instead of Halfass Hafley!

Satori,

your great posts should have honored in that “appreciation” thread.

Packers run defense via Rob Reischel at Forbes

RUNNING TO A STANDSTILL:
Green Bay’s ground game was impressive in the preseason opener, as the Packers piled up 155 rushing yards and averaged 4.6 yards per carry vs CLE.

It’s been tougher sledding on the practice field, though.

Green Bay’s running game has been largely stuck in the mud, and it was much of the same Wednesday.

Rashan Gary blew up early run plays to both Josh Jacobs and A.J. Dillon. Isaiah McDuffie also stoned a run play for Dillon.

Perhaps this is a sign the defense will be terrific against the run.
Either way, though, the offense needs to get better in that area.

Less than 20 PPG allowed MOFO$!

I can't say if it was Barry, his scheme, in-game calls/adjustments, the players, or any combination of those, but when things happen like having your oldest, slowest OLB covering an opposing team's best WR (not to mention someone as capable as Adams), there's a problem.

Or the debacle vs the Giants. Seemingly playing to prevent a TD or chunk yardage, yet allow them to move into easy FG range for the game-winning kick.
Never mind by a QB nobody's heard of before... or since.

And that's only 1 game out of dozens where similar breakdowns occurred.

If our defense still sucks under Hafley, I'll be satisfied as long as I don't see bullshit like that.
I think there is too much excitement coming from the team for that to happen, though. I don't ever recall hearing the defensive leaders espousing about Barry's plans for an upcoming season like they have this year.

@Timmy! posted:

If our defense still sucks under Hafley, I'll be satisfied as long as I don't see bullshit like that.
I think there is too much excitement coming from the team for that to happen, though. I don't ever recall hearing the defensive leaders espousing about Barry's plans for an upcoming season like they have this year.

The Packer defense will NOT suck this year. This is a top 10 defense. Just stay healthy.

Last year Clark said..."Watch the tape" saying the Packer defense was going to be great. I said, Show me Kenny! They had spots, like vs. Detroit & KC....but then the Giants & Panther debacles....it was quite clear by December the players had tuned out Barry. A lot of us wanted Barry gone to start 2023....but everything happens for a reason. We got Hafley now and I'm stoked we have a real DC!

MLF clearly took over some of the defensive game plan duties & you saw it vs. the Bears where they did exactly what a lot of us right here on x4 were saying....."Use Quay to spy Fields!!" That worked really well and made Fields very uncomfortable and they needed that defensive performance because the Bear defense is damn good.

There is exactly Z-E-R-O chance of the Packer defense "sucking" this year. The worst they will be is 16th and that's a very low bar for them to clear.

KC, Wyatt, Slaton, Brooks, Wooden is as a deep an interior DL rotation as we've had since the Gilbert, Santana, Holland, Kuberski group. We have no edge comparable to 92, but Gary and P-Smiff are both superior to Sean Jones. Enagbare is quietly making a case for being one of Gutey's greatest draft steals of his career. LVN also seems to have picked up where he left off at the end of last season.

If you can get consistent pressure with only 4, and also be respectable against the run with those 4, and allow the LB to make plays, you will win a lot of games. That is how the Niners have been able to do it the last 10 years or so.

Lots of talent on that defense. I’d like to see what Edge Coop can do out there sooner than later too.

Gute has done an excellent job building this team on both sides of the ball.

I want to see Coop too. It's a nice problem to have that McDuffie is playing well enough that they can bring Coop along slower if needed.

Good call on EdgeCoop. He's a little dinged up right now....get healthy and get on the field. Johnnie Gray once said...."You can't make the club from the tub!"

It's a brand new ballgame for these Rooks....heads are swimming and grown ass men out there playing against them.

If they get home rushing 4 and these safeties keep doing the ballhawk thing.....The Pack will win a LOT of games.

Lots more scheme details here in this extensive post from ACME Packers -  maybe you could mine a few interesting nuggets.

https://www.acmepackingcompany...-defense-scheme-2024

One thing is clear - the Packers really prioritized speed & athleticism in their ILBs...so those guys can drop and cover middle zones and occasionally run with WR/ TEs as part of Hafley's calls.

If you look at the black dots representing the 4-3 defense, you'll see the ILBs labeled W ( weak side) M ( middle) S (strong). Hafley likes to play a lot of Cover-3 and in the diagram above, you can see where the offense would likely attack in the passing game.

The deep holes on either side of the FS and the underneath crosser. The Middle and Strong LBs need to have wheels to either get deep quickly and/or to move up and jump the crossers. Walker, Cooper and Hopper all fit that profile...
McDuffie and Wilson will get exposed vs the deeper passes, but both are solid in a short area and assignment sure vets.

Swapping DL groups like hockey lines. Keep 'em fresh.

@H5 posted:

Swapping DL groups like hockey lines. Keep 'em fresh.

Yes !

And based on the comments from MLF the other day, it sounds like they are doing a little bit of that with DBs too. So much depth at CB and S, Matt suggested they may have different DB packages based on opponent, down/distance.

The one thing about this defense: Its not a complex scheme and its easy enough for the QBs to figger it out. What makes it work is having better athletes and everybody knowing their jobs down pat. That takes away some of the communication issues that plague other defensive schemes and it takes away some of the advantage offenses gain with all of their shifts & motions.

These guys are going to play 100 miles an hour and GB is going to rotate em and keep em fresh.

Go Packers  

Green Bay #Packers Defensive Coordinator Jeff Hafley says he's gonna "Let It Rip" on Friday night versus the #Eagles #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/t2FMJ9EOjz

— Packerfan Total Access- Clayton (@packers_access) August 29, 2024

I let it rip nearly every night. My wife is NOT impressed.

I've heard rumors that opposing teams, who are scheduled to play the Packers, are appealing to the League to allow their QBs to wear their red camp jerseys during those games, now that Hafley is the Packers DC. Anyone else hear that?

Once a cobra bit Jeff Hafley's leg. After five days of excruciating pain, the cobra died.