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Dom Capers old hand at converting to 3-4
Count on him to boost Green Bay Packers defense
All the off-season talk in the NFC North has been Brett Favre this, Jay Cutler that. Matthew Stafford this, Percy Harvin that.
But the man who could leave as big an imprint as any newcomer in the division is Dom Capers.
The new Packers defensive coordinator is bringing a new flavor of defense to the division -- the 3-4.
The defensive front is gaining popularity. There now are a dozen teams playing three-man fronts in the league, but the Packers will be one of only three doing it in the NFC.
"If you are one of the few, it becomes a little bit of an advantage," Capers said. "There are only three days [each week] to prepare, and if [your opponents] go five or six weeks preparing for 4-3 teams, it helps."
Capers speaks from experience, having been associated with the 3-4 in Pittsburgh, Carolina, Jacksonville, Houston, Miami and New England. This is the third time he will be converting a 4-3 team.
Based on his history, the 20th-ranked Packers defense can count on a quick turnaround.
When Capers took over the 25th-ranked Jaguars defense in 1999, the Jaguars moved up 21 spots in the rankings and led the league in scoring defense. And when he changed the Dolphins to a 3-4 in 2006, they went from 18th to fourth in the defensive rankings.
How much three-man front the Packers play will depend partially on how well their holdover veterans adjust to the scheme.
"The most foolish thing you can do is put in a scheme and plug your players into that," Capers said. "You have to have enough flexibility to put your best 11 football players out there and feature what they do best. We know where we would kind of like to go. How fast we'll get there is another thing."
It will help that the Packers used two first-round draft picks on players who were taken specifically for the 3-4 -- nose tackle B.J. Raji and outside linebacker Clay Matthews.
"Both of them have the kind of physical tools to do a lot of the things we like to ask them to do," Capers said. "Raji has really good size and really good athletic ability for his size. He can play nose, he can play defensive end if we ask him to bump out and do that. Matthews had the ability not only to rush but to drop into coverage. We're excited about having them."
While the Packers can be reasonably comfortable knowing Raji and Matthews fit the scheme, they should have more questions about some of their veterans who will be asked to fill new roles.
Among them:
-- Aaron Kampman moving from left defensive end to left outside linebacker. Capers probably won't be asking Kampman to drop into coverage much at about 265 pounds. Capers compares him to Lamar Lathon and Tony Brackens, bigger men who played outside linebacker for him in Carolina and Jacksonville, respectively.
-- Nick Barnett moving from middle linebacker to "Mike" in the 3-4. At 232 pounds, Barnett doesn't have ideal size to take on blockers and be the point man on the power isolations, but Capers compares him to James Farrior of the Steelers, who is listed at 243 pounds. "It's more instincts, ability to run and get to the football," Capers says. "I don't think we necessarily need the big, plugger-type inside linebackers. I like what I've seen of him. I think he'll be a good fit."
--Cornerbacks Al Harris and Charles Woodson playing more zone and less press man-to-man. Capers says it's harder for a zone corner to become a man corner than it is a man corner to play zone. He believes Woodson and Harris can handle the new calls.
Packers general manager Ted Thompson also has confidence that his defenders can adapt, so he did not overhaul the defensive personnel.
"Football is football, you know," he said. "Just because you use a zone blocking scheme instead of a power scheme or 3-4 instead of a 4-3, you'll find places to play good football players."
Quick hits: Favre saying he will stay retired is like a politician saying he won't raise taxes. Don't believe it.
--It was a shoddy move by team owners to agree quietly to cut back pension benefits of coaches and front-office employees. When a team is willing to guarantee the first pick in the draft $41.5 million but many teams are not willing to stand by their benefits packages for the little guys, it does not speak very well of the league.
Count on him to boost Green Bay Packers defense
All the off-season talk in the NFC North has been Brett Favre this, Jay Cutler that. Matthew Stafford this, Percy Harvin that.
But the man who could leave as big an imprint as any newcomer in the division is Dom Capers.
The new Packers defensive coordinator is bringing a new flavor of defense to the division -- the 3-4.
The defensive front is gaining popularity. There now are a dozen teams playing three-man fronts in the league, but the Packers will be one of only three doing it in the NFC.
"If you are one of the few, it becomes a little bit of an advantage," Capers said. "There are only three days [each week] to prepare, and if [your opponents] go five or six weeks preparing for 4-3 teams, it helps."
Capers speaks from experience, having been associated with the 3-4 in Pittsburgh, Carolina, Jacksonville, Houston, Miami and New England. This is the third time he will be converting a 4-3 team.
Based on his history, the 20th-ranked Packers defense can count on a quick turnaround.
When Capers took over the 25th-ranked Jaguars defense in 1999, the Jaguars moved up 21 spots in the rankings and led the league in scoring defense. And when he changed the Dolphins to a 3-4 in 2006, they went from 18th to fourth in the defensive rankings.
How much three-man front the Packers play will depend partially on how well their holdover veterans adjust to the scheme.
"The most foolish thing you can do is put in a scheme and plug your players into that," Capers said. "You have to have enough flexibility to put your best 11 football players out there and feature what they do best. We know where we would kind of like to go. How fast we'll get there is another thing."
It will help that the Packers used two first-round draft picks on players who were taken specifically for the 3-4 -- nose tackle B.J. Raji and outside linebacker Clay Matthews.
"Both of them have the kind of physical tools to do a lot of the things we like to ask them to do," Capers said. "Raji has really good size and really good athletic ability for his size. He can play nose, he can play defensive end if we ask him to bump out and do that. Matthews had the ability not only to rush but to drop into coverage. We're excited about having them."
While the Packers can be reasonably comfortable knowing Raji and Matthews fit the scheme, they should have more questions about some of their veterans who will be asked to fill new roles.
Among them:
-- Aaron Kampman moving from left defensive end to left outside linebacker. Capers probably won't be asking Kampman to drop into coverage much at about 265 pounds. Capers compares him to Lamar Lathon and Tony Brackens, bigger men who played outside linebacker for him in Carolina and Jacksonville, respectively.
-- Nick Barnett moving from middle linebacker to "Mike" in the 3-4. At 232 pounds, Barnett doesn't have ideal size to take on blockers and be the point man on the power isolations, but Capers compares him to James Farrior of the Steelers, who is listed at 243 pounds. "It's more instincts, ability to run and get to the football," Capers says. "I don't think we necessarily need the big, plugger-type inside linebackers. I like what I've seen of him. I think he'll be a good fit."
--Cornerbacks Al Harris and Charles Woodson playing more zone and less press man-to-man. Capers says it's harder for a zone corner to become a man corner than it is a man corner to play zone. He believes Woodson and Harris can handle the new calls.
Packers general manager Ted Thompson also has confidence that his defenders can adapt, so he did not overhaul the defensive personnel.
"Football is football, you know," he said. "Just because you use a zone blocking scheme instead of a power scheme or 3-4 instead of a 4-3, you'll find places to play good football players."
Quick hits: Favre saying he will stay retired is like a politician saying he won't raise taxes. Don't believe it.
--It was a shoddy move by team owners to agree quietly to cut back pension benefits of coaches and front-office employees. When a team is willing to guarantee the first pick in the draft $41.5 million but many teams are not willing to stand by their benefits packages for the little guys, it does not speak very well of the league.
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