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Dom Capers, Green Bay Packers: A Welcome Change?
Published: May 27, 2009
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As we get ready to usher in a new season filled with hopes and promises, one thing on the minds of Packers fans is whether or not the new 3-4 defense will pay dividends or whether it will be a bust.
Last year, the Pack finished 6-10; a record that was bitter sweet.
On the sweet side, the Packers produced a 4,000 yard passer, a 1,200 yard rusher (despite hamstring issues and holding out in OTAs) and not one, but two 1,000 yard receivers for the first time in team history.
On the bitter side however, the Pack endured game after game of closing moment losses. Despite being in the thick of these games, we just couldn’t seal the deal when it came to crunch time. We saw blown leads, long passes on our secondary and poor mechanics late in the game.
But all of that is about to change says Capers.
Today we’ll take a focused look on the transition to 3-4 and what it means to our beloved Packers and why the new defense could, in fact, go a long way.
Concepts of the 3-4:
In a nut shell, the 3-4 is specifically designed for flexibility in lateral coverage of the field while also giving flexibility to stopping the run. It also utilizes many different looks to help keep the proper amount of pressure on a QB; particularly effective against rookies.
With the added flexibility, the 3-4 can better utilize Zone schemes while giving multiple looks and even multiple assignments.
Unlike its 4-3 counterpart, the Zone Blitz out of a 3-4 alignment allows more areas of the field to be covered, limiting the passing lanes and down field plays exposed by a traditional 4-3; a problem the Pack had no answer for last year.
In traditional Zone coverage out of the 3-4, the same applies.
Last year, the defense was constantly stretched and exposed, by the end of the year they were simply out of gas. The reason for this was an ailing line that needed an additional rusher to apply pressure, this in turn, created more real estate to cover for the secondary and they just couldn’t do it.
The 3-4 should fix those problems.
But as good as this all sounds there are concerns as well. “Kamp” now becomes an outside LB which means he may be flanked by Poppinga; this is where the apprehension begins.
There are additional concerns at the NT position. There are plenty of options for the Pack to look at, but whether any of them will work for 16 games is left to be seen. Ryan Pickett is the primary focus along with Raji.
Pickett is aging, but probably could make the transition while Raji learns the position from the pro perspective; either player could be a fine fit.
Positions and Responsibilities:
Nose Tackle:
As we just hinted at, the NT is crucial for the Pack and VERY crucial in the success of the 3-4; without a good NT the defense fails.
The primary focus of the NT is to force double coverage on himself in an effort to free up the gaps for the inside backers or the “Jack” backers. A good NT will hold the line and embrace two gap responsibilities.
Pickett has the experience to handle all of this but his endurance is a bit of a concern.
He has broken down before and isn’t quite what he once was which raises concerns as to whether or not he is a risk. Also, does he have enough presence to actually garner double coverage from the O-Line? Teams may not consider him that much of a threat and may focus on outside pocket protection rather than one single man.
Raji will spend most of his time learning how to convert from DT to NT and it would be idiotic to put him right in. Sure, he has the stuff, but there is a huge learning curve there and I don’t think he’ll be ready by opening day.
Defensive Ends:
The 3-4 allows a DE to focus more on space occupation and disrupting the remaining gaps rather than having to make play after play, this in turn also works hand in hand with the Linebackers affording them better lateral coverage.
Jolly and Jenkins are the runner-ups but don’t rule out Justin Harrell and Mike Montgomery just yet. Jolly and Jenkins have the experience while Harrell and Montgomery have the athleticism. This combination could allow the Packers to mix and match, keeping the line fresh throughout the game.
Linebackers/ Inside and Outside:
The linebackers are very essential for the 3-4 to work in Green Bay; luckily for us we have some good names out there. Kamp and Poppinga will anchor the outside, although, don’t rule out Matthews as a possible start.
The outside, or “Mike” backer has a duel responsibility: Additional pass rusher, and sideline to sideline coverage. Poppinga trailed off at the end of the year, so having him as the fourth or even fifth pass rusher is a worry.
Kamp should enjoy running buck wild all over the field in his new found position but with it comes more toll on the body so he will need to play smart and stay healthy.
The outside backer can play outside the tackles which will allow the Packers to shut down the horizontal running game. The outside backers can also sacrifice the flair and screen passes for attacking the QB in the zone; something Kamp should excel at.
Poppinga, on the other hand, will have to step things up if he is to keep Matthews off his back. But perhaps he shouldn’t? Matthews will probably have no trouble fitting right in which would relegate Poppinga to situational downs and help bolster the depth chart.
So many decisions.
The Inside linebackers or “Jack” backers primary focus will be holding the line of scrimmage, being utilized in various blitz schemes, and disrupting pre-snap read; something Hawk and Barnett will have no trouble doing.
Along with all of this comes the dirty work as well, and considering how athletic Hawk and Barnett are, the Packers can also flirt with a 3-4 version of man-to-man while mixing up the blitz schemes.
Corners and Safeties:
Last year Woodson and Harris had a pretty good year and had it not been for the added stress on the defense, Collins and Rouse would have had better years.
That should come to fruition this year.
With so much chaos going on in the front lines and some much land being occupied, the 4 horseman should have no trouble cleaning up any loose ends. In addition, they should have better numbers this year, and with that will come the added threat.
The four horsemen will be allowed to fully focus on their style of play while leaving QBs out of options; all the while raking in the INTs. Depth however could be a concern.
The Capers Factor:
Dom Capers is a defensive mastermind fully experienced with the 3-4 alignment. He pioneered the invention of the Blitzburgh defense passing it on to Dick Le Beau for further development, and in his tenure has created 4 top 10 defenses most recently with New England and Miami.
He basically made Tony Brackens and has the ability to utilize a crew already primed for implementation. With Brackens mentioned, you can bank on Capers looking at “Kamp” as his newest version, but he also has another ability shown in Miami.
Capers can take the various different 3-4 alignments and create hybrids out of all of them making him and his players a nightmare for Offensive coordinators. In addition to all of this, the offense will get to practice against the 3-4 look; something they haven’t had too much exposure to in the past two year.
So why is that a benefit?
Green Bay this year will face: Cleveland, Dallas, San Fran, Baltimore and Pittsburgh,; all teams running a 3-4 scheme and you can bet by game time they will more than ready to go toe to toe.
Under Capers the defense should be fit to defend, have better end of game resolve, and be better able to deal with higher powered offenses than last year. Considering the division alone, and what kind of competition they will face this should be very encouraging.
The one glaring concern for Capers will be facing the type of runners offered by the division this year; Peterson and Forte to name a few. If Capers can unfold his magic and tighten up the loose ends, the Packers could be a force to reckon with.
In Summary:
With an Offense returning from a banner year and working exclusively with a defensive alignment they will face six times, the Pack are primed for the postseason. With a defensive guru such as Capers at the helm, the Pack will have no excuses BUT to roll into the postseason with no trouble.
