Aaron Kampman Will Lead Packers New 3-4 Scheme

When someone thinks of a playbook, they’re probably thinking offense.

The assorted routes make the designated arrows resemble Mapquest directions.

However, the most important playbook for the Packers this season isn’t on offense.

The Packers defensive coordinator, Dom Capers, is in the infancy stages of trying to overhaul an entire way of thinking. His main job this year is to make his pupils understand what to expect of the new 3-4 scheme on Wednesday, as the team kicks off its organized team activities.

The reason for the change is simple.

Green Bay was lethargic at applying pressure to the quarterback. The Packers were ranked 25^th in the league after racking up just 27 sacks last year.

The reason it’s going to work in Green Bay dates back to the 1994 Steelers. That team, with Capers as its defensive coordinator, made left outside linebacker Kevin Greene (14 sacks), right inside linebacker Chad Brown (8.5), and right outside linebacker Greg Lloyd (10) household names before advancing to the AFC title game for the first time in 10 years.

The Steel Curtain defense will be passed on, as Capers added Greene to his defensive cabinet to coach inside linebackers. This move was brilliant, especially in the first year. Remember that everyone, not just the rookies will be exposed early and often by switching to an entirely different base defense, so the more people to make that transition easier is a step in the right direction.

The coaching looks to be taken care of, however, the personnel remains a question mark. In the 3-4 scheme, the linebackers are of the utmost importance. That’s why the Packers have moved left defensive end Aaron Kampman to outside linebacker. The other three linebackers will consist of A.J. Hawk, Brady Poppinga, Brandon Chillar, Nick Barnett—who’s coming off a season-ending ACL tear to his right knee—and the rookie Clay Matthews.

That entire group totaled only four sacks last year. Someone must emerge from that group in order to let Kampman become the sackmaster from 2006-07, with 27.5 sacks.

It gets a little better up front. B.J. Raji, the 6'2", 337-pound sliding patio door taken ninth in this year’s draft, will be a welcome addition on the line. The other two spots will most likely be taken by Cullen Jenkins—who suffered a season-ending pectoral muscle tear in Week Four—and the under-productive Justin Harrell.

There is no reason to think that the front-seven won’t respond to the new system. Now they have a coach who isn’t afraid to pull the trigger on a blitz, which will let those guys up front make more plays.

However, the plan isn’t fail safe.

It puts more of a strain on the secondary to play mistake-free, and that’s not always possible as the Chargers proved in the ’94 AFC Championship game. Relative unknowns in Tony Martin and Alfred Popunu each had 43-yard receptions as San Diego used Pittsburgh’s over-aggressive style against them.

But with cornerbacks Charles Woodson and Al Harris, and free safety Nick Collins earning a trip to last year’s Pro Bowl, the secondary should be the last thing on Capers’ mind.

After Capers gets the new defense burned into their random access memory, he has to start building a defensive edge: A confidence that hasn’t been spotted since Reggie White was body-slamming offensive linemen and pile-driving quarterbacks. Above all else, this team needs to get a mean streak like the Steelers and Ravens.

The 3-4 defense isn’t just won on the chalkboard. It has to be won between the ears. Teams won’t immediately respect a defense that allowed teams to get 38 percent of its third-down conversions or rack up 5.3 yards per play.

But that will change with each successive hit.