Can the Packers Make the Transition?
The Green Bay Packers hired Dom Capers to be their defensive coordinator, which means the Packers will be switching their base defense to the 3-4. The question is now can they make the transition quickly.
Capers has been a successful defensive coordinator wherever he has been. That means though they have personnel from a 4-3 defense Capers will put them in the right spots to make them fit a 3-4.
Another thing that is going to help them is the hiring of former Pittsburgh Steeler outside linebacker Kevin Greene to coach the outside linebackers.
The team is moving Aaron Kampman from defensive end to outside linebacker.
The transition should not be a problem first of all because a defensive end in a 4-3 and a outside linebacker in a 3-4 has a lot of the same responsibilities. The only difference is that an outside linebacker will sometimes have more coverage responsibilities.
With the ninth pick overall in the draft the Packers should be able to get one of the best defensive ends in the draft, which is the only real gaping hole that the team has.
The move of hiring Capers is looking smart already, because of the Chicago Bears acquisition of quarterback Jay Cutler.