Packers May Have Issues on Defense

It was no surprise when the Green Bay Packers fired a chunk of their coaching staff after an awful 6-10 season. The big move was on defense, where coordinator Bob Sanders was shown the door, and veteran Dom Capers was hired to take over.

Capers is known for his work in the 3-4 defense. Not only that, but he normally coaches a very detailed and complex defensive scheme. While some may think that a greater variance to their look might help the Packers, there's reason to believe that Capers' complicated teachings could cause more problems, at least in the short term.

While Sanders had to take the blame for many of the Packers' shortcomings a year ago, he wasn't the only problem. Yes, it was a terrible idea to put Charles Woodson at safety to shore up that position in the wake of injuries. However, the Packers often burned themselves with poor execution and worse communication. The defense found itself giving up way too many big plays, often as players threw their arms out at one another, aghast at the latest missed assignment or miscommunication.

Unless they get better in these areas, things may actually get worse under Capers.

Linebacker Nick Barnett -- currently unable to take part fully in practices while he finishes recovery from a torn ACL -- notes that Capers' defense is very complicated. As he continues to work out in hopes of returning to full-contact workouts soon, Barnett has been taking time at home to study the new scheme.

"Out of all the years that I've been here, seven years -- I don't even know how many different defensive coordinators -- and this is the first year I've done flashcards," said Barnett. "It's a very helpful thing. You put a defense on one side and all the key points on the other side. I mean we've got 87 defenses and none of them correlate with each other, it's not like that one is the same as these other 10. It's 87 different defenses.

"My wife and I do little quizzes and stuff and swear it's a lot. I'm getting it, but it's a lot, I don't think anybody in here has this defense 100% down because there's so much of it. She probably can recite a couple things for me. She'll probably be out there, 'You're supposed to have hook number three!'"

Sure, many fans complained about Sanders and his simple-looking schemes, along with his unwillingness to blitz. However, is Capers' defense going to be too much of a culture shock for the players?

Will they buckle under the pressure of having to learn so much in just one offseason? Or will the chance to make plays all over the field and play more aggressively motivate guys to play better than they did last year?

Sanders was not a great defensive coach who often relied on simple concepts and nothing terribly exotic, and the Packers were riddled with injuries last year. These are just excuses as the team moves forward.

The first-team portions of preseason games will be watched carefully. Will the players communicate better, or will they let wide receivers and tight ends run unmolested down the middle of the field for big plays?

There is no doubt Green Bay scored enough points and did enough offensively to be better than 6-10 last year. It's up to Capers and his defensive leaders -- Barnett, Aaron Kampman, and safety Nick Collins -- to help make sure 6-10 is truly in the rear-view mirror.