Green Bay - For more than two months, they have been [img_r]http://media.jsonline.com/images/199*260/aaron52309.jpg[/img_r]watching film. They're probably seeing double from studying the playbook. They've even had a chance to hit the field for drills specific to their position.
But come Wednesday, the true work begins on the Great Defensive Transformation of the Green Bay Packers. That's when the entire unit will be on the field practicing for the first time as part of the monthlong organized team activities.
And there is much to be done as the Packers move fully from Bob Sanders' 4-3 scheme to the 3-4 pressure defense brought in by new defensive coordinator Dom Capers.
"This next month is critical to this defense," said ESPN analyst Merril Hoge, who often made it a point to pick the brains of Capers and current Pittsburgh coordinator Dick LeBeau when all were on the Steelers in the early 1990s. "The foundation that will be laid will likely determine how the Packers do this season. They have to get on the same page. And fast. There's so much to learn. It's very complicated to master."
That wasn't the case with the former scheme, which is part of the reason coach Mike McCarthy jettisoned it after his third season. The Packers were predictable to both themselves and opposing offenses.
No longer.
As versatile and complicated as Capers' scheme will be to opponents, it will be just as hard to digest and comprehend for the Packers.
"There wasn't a lot of thinking involved in what they were doing before because they just lined up and played man," Hoge said. "There will be more thinking to this defense. Dom is an excellent teacher though. He's tremendous at getting it across and getting it across fast. The quicker that they can absorb this will be really important to them. There will be more thinking in this defense than what they just dealt with."
How quickly the Packers make the transformation likely will tell the tale of their season.
"It's not so much you're thinking at the time you do it, you're thinking where are you going to be in two years," said Charley Casserly, who as general manager worked side-by-side with Capers to build the expansion Houston Texas. "Give yourself a year or two to get there. There's a learning curve in it, but I don't think you could say it's one game, 16 games, 32 games. That depends on how the players handle it."
The Packers will try to flatten out the curve starting this week. To do that, each player and each position will have to quickly adapt to new techniques. What follows is a look at what each position is facing as they try to get the Packers back into the playoffs after a disappointing 6-10 campaign:
NOSE TACKLE
Old job: In the 4-3 defense, the Packers used two defensive tackles to occupy the center and two guards. The primary responsibility of the tackles was to take up blockers so the linebackers could make plays stopping the run. Any pass rush was a bonus.
New job: There is only one "tackle" is this defense. He should be the strongest person on the defense because he must occupy at least two offensive linemen on each play in the base defense. If he fails, then the center and/or guards will have no trouble wiping out the two inside linebackers.
Biggest adjustment: "You're not going to be making the plays you used to make," said former Packer Gilbert Brown, who played a similar position in Fritz Shurmur's defense in the 1990s. "You're going to be getting constantly pounded on for the whole game. One of your first things is make sure you're holding up these guys so your linebackers can roam and get free. You can't get pushed out of there; you have to stay low. There's a lot of different things involved. It's similar to what they've been doing, but now it's like you have no help in there now. You have no one to take the heat off of you. Now you're on an island and you've got three warships coming at you."
Players affected: Ryan Pickett (starter), B.J. Raji, Brian Soi, Anthony Toribio.
DEFENSIVE ENDS
Old job: Pretty simple. Rush the passer on passing plays. They were the designated sackers. Set a hard edge against the run.
New job: Be much more of a worker bee. They must occupy blockers to make the run defense and pass blitzes work. The ends will not be counted on as much for sacks. The blitzing linebackers and/or safeties will fill whichever gap the end is not in to generate pressure. Ends play much like tackles in the old scheme.
Biggest adjustment: "It's a very unselfish position," said Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert. "In college or in the pros, those guys are used to getting to the quarterback. That's their goal. Now they might not get a sack for several games. That's hard to adjust to for certain guys. But they are very important to the defense. They must be strong and hold the line."
Players affected: Cullen Jenkins and Johnny Jolly (starters), Justin Harrell, Michael Montgomery, Alfred Malone, Jarius Wynn, Ronald Talley.
INSIDE LINEBACKERS
Old job: The Sanders scheme had only one middle linebacker, Nick Barnett as the Mike, and he was designed to be the playmaker. With two defensive tackles up front, Barnett was allowed to run free and make tackles from sideline to sideline.
New job: Barnett and A.J. Hawk, who was the starting weak-side linebacker in the 4-3, essentially switch positions. Hawk will play more of the Mike role with an emphasis of attacking the run and blitzing. Barnett will have more coverage responsibilities.
Biggest adjustment: "The hardest thing for Nick Barnett and A.J. Hawk is at some point they have to learn to hit and get away from people," said Brian Noble, the former Packers inside linebacker in both the 3-4 and 4-3 from 1985-'93. "In a 3-4 defense, you have to take linemen on and what these guys have been used to in a 4-3 is that they just fly around and make plays. They never had to really take anybody on. They were protected by all the big tackles they had in front of them. When you get into that 3-4 and those offensive linemen start pushing and combo blocking, the linebackers are going to have to come up and hit somebody and not only stop them in their spot but hold their ground and get off them and make a play. And to me that's going to be the hardest thing. The past couple years, if they got a guy on them they were screwed."
Players affected: Barnett and Hawk (starters), Desmond Bishop, Brandon Chillar, Danny Lansanah, Spencer Havner.
LEFT OUTSIDE LINEBACKER
Old job: In the 4-3 scheme used by Sanders, Aaron Kampman was a defensive end whose primary responsibility was to rush the passer. On a few occasions, he was asked to drop into zone pass coverage.
New job: It will depend on how the defense is lined up. Most of the time, Kampman will be asked to rush the passer. Kampman is a creature of habit, and he has been one of the league's best at rushing the previous seven seasons. The Packers want to make the transition as comfortable as possible for him. But he's also going to have to drop into coverage more often and read the offense to figure out his responsibility.
Biggest adjustment: "The hardest part is probably having to drop back into coverage and opening your hips up to be able to move like that," Miami Dolphins linebacker Jason Taylor said about the similar switch he made in 2005. "It is a lot different then lining up as defensive end and going forward and chasing the quarterback or chasing the ball carrier. You have to play with your pads over your knees and your knees bent and play low and still come out with power and be able to drop back and move around in zones. It is not an impossible position; it is just a little different when you have been doing one thing for so long.&ensp.&ensp.&ensp.It is a completely different position than I have played in the past."
Players affected: Kampman (starter), Jeremy Thompson, Brad Jones.
RIGHT OUTSIDE LINEBACKER
Old job: The strong-side linebacker in the old scheme was asked to take on blockers at the point of attack against the run, and to cover the tight end on pass routes.
New job: This is a new position that will blend new and old techniques. Undoubtedly the right outside linebacker will be asked to blitz more than in the past. But how versatile the job description will be likely will depend on how adept Kampman is at dropping into coverage on the other side.
Biggest adjustment: "We did the same thing with Kevin Greene (now a Packers assistant) and Greg Lloyd," said former Steelers fullback and current ESPN analyst Merril Hoge. "They were left and right also. The guy on the right side is going to need to be able to recognize when the offense is setting protection to Kampman's side. When that happens, Dom Capers is going to bring him. The Packers will ask that guy to blitz a lot more than they have in the past. There's a technique to that."
Players affected: Clay Matthews/Brady Poppinga (starter), Chillar.
CORNERBACKS
Old job: One of the biggest keys to the Sanders scheme was the ability of the corners to play press, man-to-man coverage. The Packers had two of the best in Charles Woodson and Al Harris, so that enabled the team to commit more defenders to stopping the run.
New job: While Capers is likely to keep some press coverages, the starting point for the cornerbacks will be to play 5 yards off the receiver at the start of the play. Man or zone can be played from there. Woodson and Harris will have to read the quarterback more. Timing will be much more important.
Biggest adjustment: "They're going to have to understand, where is the pressure coming from?" Hoge said. "That's why it's so important that teams and players study tape and understand where does a team go hot (against blitzes)? What do they do under these types of pressure? Where do they try to go with the ball? What is the routes they try to run from these things? All of these things become important. A corner in this scheme can be a great corner if he understands where the pressure is coming from and what the offense tries to do to counter that pressure."
Players affected: Woodson and Harris (starters), Tramon Williams, Will Blackmon, Pat Lee, Joe Porter, Brandon Underwood, Joshua Abrams.
FREE SAFETY
Old job: Most of the time the free safety stayed back as the last line of defense and was free to jump coverages as he saw fit. Provided run support if the back got past the linebackers.
New job: Takes over for the middle linebacker as the quarterback of the defense. Free safety must make all the calls to the keep the defense on the same page. Pass and run responsibilities remain the same but stays deeper more often.
Biggest adjustment: "The offense may come out of the huddle and the defense may anticipate a certain formation they want to blitz," Hoge said. "But the offense will motion it or shift and change the strength of it. Well somebody has to make that adjustment; somebody has to tell the defense what's going on and what changes are going to need to be made or who now becomes the blitzer. It's fairly sophisticated and can be somewhat complicated. That's why you need an intelligent player back there to orchestrate those types of thing because you don't just come out of the huddle in this defense and say this is what we're doing no matter what."
Players affected: Nick Collins (starter), Anthony Smith, Charlie Peprah, Jarrett Bush.
STRONG SAFETY
Old job: To be an extra linebacker in the box and to provide coverage help, usually against the tight end. Had to be adept at making open-field tackles against running backs.
New job: One of the playmakers on the defense - think Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Is a mainstay in the box and likely will be asked to blitz often. Has to anticipate and cover for mistakes made by the front seven.
Biggest adjustment: "He will be a guy who can play in the box well, times things well, disguises things well, there are a lot of things that he must do well," Hoge said. "Not just cover well and tackle well. He has to disguise things well, he has to blitz well, play the point of attack and the timing of it all. He's probably one of the most important factors with the pressures."
Players affected: Atari Bigby (starter), Aaron Rouse.