Jeff Hafley Packers New DC

[Joemailman]

https://atozsports.com/green-bay/the...h-the-packers/

Some insight into Hafley's D.

One thing is for sure, if people didn't like Barry's scheme, they should like this a lot better. Single high safety, more press man, bringing more pressure. The biggest challenge personnel-wise will be finding the centerfielder free safety this scheme requires. I really think this scheme better suits the kind of cornerbacks Gute has drafted. McDuffie played for Hafley at Boston College and could see an increased role.

[call_me_ishmael]

I think that safety is already on the roster. I at least think he'll be given a shot at it. I suppose they will draft one too since the current guy did not turn into anything to write home about.

[Joemailman]

I think that safety is already on the roster. I at least think he'll be given a shot at it. I suppose they will draft one too since the current guy did not turn into anything to write home about.

Who? They only have one safety under contract for 2024. And that's the rookie, Anthony Johnson Jr.

[call_me_ishmael]

Who? They only have one safety under contract for 2024. And that's the rookie, Anthony Johnson Jr.

Savage (I know he's a FA)

[Sparkey]

Savage (I know he's a FA)

Savage is not a free safety. With Pettine, he played better closer to the LOS.

[texaspackerbacker]

The optimist that I am says to be happy with this pick. He's young and hopefully smart like I wanted, and just the fact that he's LaFleur's pick is a good thing. Of course, so was Barry, so who knows.

Whatever you want to call Savage, free safety or strong safety, he's fast, and you need speed if you're playing single high safety as somebody said Hafley prefers. If we do a lot of blitzing, it better get home. Probably the worst thing about Barry was almost getting to the QB and then having too much open space in the secondary as well as RBs going right past our blitzers for big gains. The late season goodness of the D was when Barry apparently grudgingly went to a lot of 2 and 3 deep shell pass D. We also did better against the run with that. I'd like to think we would do more of that kind of thing, but what I read about Hafley seems to say otherwise.

[MadtownPacker]

Like this hire. This guy has been part of defenses that dominated. As mentioned and highly important he can relate to the younger generations which anyone over 45 knows is impossible most of the time. I look forward to not seeing huge gains giving up easily. At this point most potential hires would have some kind of connection so who gives a damn about that.

Pepe LaFleur has put all his chips on the table with this hire. There are no more ghost of seasons past (Rodgers and Barry) to blame. He picked with his future as Packers HC on the line. I trust him to have picked wisely.

[MadtownPacker]

i clearly said someone smarter

Sober up. APB just owned you between burger flips.

[Sparkey]

It will be interesting to see who he ends with for assistants. Sounds like a few of the current guys have worked with him.

[bobblehead]

Being good at Ohio State, with the way they can recruit, is not a sign of massive talent. MLF went with friend of a friend, just like with Barry.

So rather than consulting his best friend, one of the better DCs around, he should have just hired a random stranger whom he had no real information on?

If I were in charge of hiring, I would likely lean on a few people I trust for recommendations. I would assume Saleh is one of the people MLF asked for names of sharp young minds. Barry was a bad hire, no doubt. And their history together likely factored in (remember, Barry wasn't the first choice and a lot of first choice guys were gone when Leonhard turned him down), but that in no way implies he should have hired some guy that he had no "insider" knowledge of.

I have no clue on this guy, but I have a pretty strong opinion of Saleh. If Saleh said this is your guy, I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt.

[bobblehead]

I think the Packers have the kind of corners who will benefit from playing more press man. Might even resurrect Stokes, if he's not damaged physically.

Exactly. Barry was a piss poor match for the skill sets of the athletes drafted by Gutes. This guy seems like he was picked based on the fact that his style/scheme benefits the talent we have on the field. Hell, they might even re sign savage now.

[bobblehead]

I think that safety is already on the roster. I at least think he'll be given a shot at it. I suppose they will draft one too since the current guy did not turn into anything to write home about.

I think we have only Johnson on the roster....and some UDFA guy. Is that who you are referring to??

edit: NM, cleared up before I posted this. No, Savage is not a centerfielder.

[Joemailman]

If they bring back Savage, it will be to play strong safety or slot corner. Gute needs to find his single high safety in FA or the draft.

[The Shadow]

i just read one article where they talk about how he was dropping a 311 pound guy into coverage

thats sounds worse then what we just got rid of

It worked with BJ Raji against the Bears....

[Fritz]

One thing is for sure, if people didn't like Barry's scheme, they should like this a lot better. Single high safety, more press man, bringing more pressure. The biggest challenge personnel-wise will be finding the centerfielder free safety this scheme requires. I really think this scheme better suits the kind of cornerbacks Gute has drafted. McDuffie played for Hafley at Boston College and could see an increased role.

I read a good article at ACME on the type of defense he runs; this is it. More press, some zone, and in addition to the all-important centerfieldersafety (we need a Nick Collins, as someone noted), it sounded to me also like we're going to need another inside linebacker or two.

The article made a good point, too, that Bisaccia has been using a lot of safeties for special teams, but Hafley's defenses make use of more corners than safeties, so it'll be interesting to see how that affects special teams.

I wonder what this does to a NT like TJ Slaton? Will he fit in this scheme, or just play less? I don't know how that works. But the guy seems well-schooled in this more-current type of defense, so I am excited for the hire. As Bretsky says, who knows? We'll find out, but I do think the players are going to be more excited in a scheme like this one. Jaire will probably do better, and as you said, maybe Stokes, if he's not physically diminished. So, for the draft: top-end safety to patrol the middle (probably a high draft pick?), another inside linebacker, maybe two, another corner, maybe one earlier, one later?