Capers upbeat as Packers install the 3-4
By Lori Nickel of the Journal Sentinel
Posted: July 4, 2009
Mark Hoffman
New defensive coordinator Dom Capers brings a new look 3-4 system to Green Bay.
Green Bay Lambeau Field is lifeless. Nothing rustles through the tunnels, no one is coming or going.
Green Bay Packers coaches have scattered to golf courses and resort destinations.
Maybe even Mike McCarthy will be able to get out on Sturgeon Bay for a rare escape on the water and some fishing.
New defensive coordinator Dom Capers isn't far behind, using this annual down time in July to relax and recharge. But on this summer break the NFL coaching veteran of 23 years will drag along a box full of playbooks and notes, ideas and to-do lists.
"Probably not a day goes by that I don't spend a little bit of time thinking about this," Capers said recently. "But I have a much better feel than when we started."
At the conclusion of the Packers' minicamp in June, Capers tried to assess the last six months in which he and his newly assembled defensive staff worked the kind of long days usually seen only in the middle of the season. It's time-consuming to start from scratch with a new team, but this staff also is changing the defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4 scheme.
Many questions will be answered about this defense when training camp starts Aug. 1. But until then, Capers has addressed many issues facing him and the 2009 Packers defense, starting with first-round draft pick B.J. Raji.
"Exceptional athlete for a guy his size," Capers said of the lineman. "I've been impressed by how fast he picks things up. There's obviously a lot to learn, but he normally doesn't repeat errors twice."
Not long after Raji was drafted with the Packers' ninth overall pick, McCarthy talked about Raji's potential and even mentioned him in a backup role. Raji played inside and on the end throughout off-season practices. But Raji already has made an impression on Capers, and it's possible he could compete for a starting role when the players put on full pads and hit each other in training camp.
"I don't want to anoint anybody as a starter right now. But obviously when you pick a guy with the ninth pick, he certainly has the ability to start," Capers said. "Now, guys have to go out and they earn it. He's been here working extremely hard. The next phase is to see how he looks with the pads on. I would say that there are many positions that will be based on what we see guys doing in training camp."
As for the change to the 3-4, Capers said he threw a lot at the players and really challenged them.
"I thought it was important to touch on this as much as we can so when they come back for training camp they've heard it, they've been through it," Capers said. "We certainly aren't there yet. I'm glad we'll get training camp to go through."
Keeps options open
Capers said he has tried to keep an open mind when evaluating his players, considering what he has asked of them. But again, it appears jobs will be won and lost in August. Evaluation is very limited when football players just wear their shells and hold up rather than tackle.
"Things are going to change when we come back here and put the pads on," Capers emphasized. "Your opinions change in certain areas, dramatically, once the guys put the pads on. I've had too many years where, what we do in shorts out here, you come off real excited about the guy. And then you put the pads on and some guy's stock goes up and some guy's stock goes down."
Capers said he still wanted the flexibility of going from the 3-4 back to the 4-3 when needed. While Pittsburgh and Baltimore were the top two defenses statistically in the NFL last year, with 3-4 schemes, Capers likes the unpredictability of having the option to play the 4-3.
In Aaron Kampman, who has switched from defensive end to linebacker, Capers said he saw a lot of progress.
"You don't have to be around Aaron for very long to see that he's a true pro," Capers said. "Attention to detail guy. He's very bright, picks up things well. He's worked extremely hard at this and he's made progress. I like what I see."
Safety Nick Collins, who skipped most of the organized team activities and most of minicamp, does have time to make up, and Capers said the staff will try to help him do that. But Collins is not the so-called quarterback of the defense anymore, so his absence doesn't hurt the Packers there. That responsibility is shared now.
"We don't put it on one guy. At practice you hear a lot of communication. We do that purposefully to get everybody involved," Capers said. "Everyone has some type of communication responsibility before the snap. We think that mentally keeps them involved as opposed to, just go out there, once the ball is snapped, I have to keep my assignment."
As for Nick Barnett, Capers was pleased that the linebacker was working hard and had been present for meetings and jog-through workouts; however, Capers has yet to see Barnett's real ability as he rehabilitates an injured knee.
Capers' assistants also have spent time working together to make sure they have their message right before sending it to the players. "Our job is to take as much of the gray area out for the players," Capers said.
Capers said secondary coach Darren Perry was one of the best-communicating safeties he had ever coached and said that ability translates well to coaching.
Confident in Greene
But of course the presence of assistant linebackers coach Kevin Greene is the one felt most on the field. Greene knows the scheme so well from playing it in Pittsburgh and Carolina that "right away he has credibility because he's done it," Capers said.
After 15 years in the NFL as a 3-4 outside linebacker, Greene takes his first shot at coaching that very position. Based on his past experiences with Greene, Capers gave an overwhelming endorsement for Greene's potential as a coach.
"Very conscientious, very good work ethic, very good attention to detail," Capers said. "Those are all the things that gave him the ability to excel and play for a long time. Those are the same things that will make him an excellent coach."
Capers based his opinion on knowing Greene and how he handled the business side of the NFL when he was playing well for the Steelers.
"You can go from way up here to down here in a hurry. It's a humbling business," Capers said. "We were fortunate to get Kevin in Carolina because his contract was up in Pittsburgh. You were getting a guy that led the league in sacks two years before that. And he comes out and leads the league in sacks for us.
"I'm sure at that point he was disappointed he hadn't gotten the big contract. But classy guys handle those things and he said that's part of the business. You don't make excuses for it. You say, 'What can I do about it?' To me, that's what you're always evaluating in players."
The pressure is on Capers and the Packers defense to turn it around and play well in 2009, even with the new scheme. There's no time to grow into it. This is a performance-based league, Capers said.
"I don't want our guys thinking, OK, it's going to take us until midseason to catch on," Capers said. "We expect to be ready to play when the time comes to play."