Packers coach Mike McCarthy opted to switch from a 4-3 defensive front to a 3-4, the same scheme run by the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, who had the top-ranked defense during the regular season. McCarthy hired former Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans head coach Dom Capers as his defensive coordinator to take over the scheme and teach it to players and coaches.

The movement of one player off the line and adding one to the linebacking corps might sound simple -- football is just running, throwing, catching and tackling, right? However, such a shift in philosophy could be as radical as switching from the veer option to the spread offense

Editor's note: This is the first in a series of occasional offseason stories following the progress of the Green Bay Packers' installation of a 3-4 defense and the challenges facing teams that switch base formations.

Many offseason projects around the NFL are intriguing, but let's take a look at the Packers' conversion from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4.

Bill Parcells once told me that jumping from a 4-3 to a 3-4 isn't easy, and he was reluctant to do it when he first got to Dallas. In fact, he stuck with the undersized speed 4-3 until he gathered enough personnel to make the switch. It took him close to two seasons to build his 3-4 with the Cowboys.

When Bill Belichick took over the New England Patriots in 2000, he developed a hybrid 3-4 that often was more in line with a 4-3 defense. That was until he drafted the front three defensive linemen -- all in the first round -- and his 3-4 was then set in stone.

When Eric Mangini left the Patriots' staff to join the New York Jets, he jumped right into the 3-4 package after the team had spent years in a 4-3, and a number of payers just didn't fit. Middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma and defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson were former first-round draft picks who struggled in the new defense and eventually were shown the door.

I sure hope we either get Chris Canty and/or Igor Olshansky. They'll fill the bill for the DE spot.

"go.pack.go." wrote:

Teams can get away with a slightly smaller linebacker at this position as long as the opponent doesn't use a two-tight end set and force him to line up over a guard. Nick Barnett will man the weak inside linebacker spot for the Packers and should be fine. The more often the 5-technique player to his side crashes down into the gap in front of Barnett, the more he will be free to run and hit.

Like the article says, we have Jenkins and Montgomery at the positions now.

"Rockmolder" wrote:

"Rockmolder" wrote: