For many, new Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley was an unexpected hire after spending three seasons as head coach at Boston College.
Peel back the onion a bit and the Montvale, NJ native spent seven seasons in the NFL coaching defensive backs in Tampa, Cleveland and San Francisco before returning to college at Ohio State to become co-defensive coordinator. The pit stop at such a high-profile program led to the big chair at BC
Like many college coaches, Hafley wasn’t disappointed to escape a NIL world and return to football for now. He took over the Green Bay Packers’ struggling defense and distanced himself from a Joe Barry-led, Vic Fangio-style scheme that did some things well but finished just 28th in the league in rush defense and 25th in the league in third-down defense last season.
Much like the Eagles with Fangio, Green Bay must achieve an acceptable level of defense to complement an explosive offense.
Unlike the Packers offense, which has had Fangio as a defensive leader in the NFL for more than two decades, Kellen Moore’s Eagles offense is relying on Hafley and is going into the race blind.
“A lot of people face that, in football in general and certainly in the NFL, where you’re facing an opponent where there are a lot of unknowns, whether it’s personnel or tactical,” Moore said. “…You become aware of the different dots that you can connect, whether it’s coaches, players, all the different circumstances.”
“But you understand that as the season begins, everyone in the NFL is dealing with the unknown. … You definitely have to stress that there’s going to be an element of newness. You lean heavily on what you’ve invested a lot of time in, things that people feel comfortable with, you understand what the tools are and what adjustments need to be made during a game, and we understand that adaptation football is going to be a part of that.”
All Hafley had to offer was the cliché defensive strategy of “playing fast.”
“I talk to the players and tell them we’re going to work really hard until kickoff. Then I’m going to put my hand in front of me and let it rip,” Hafley said. “We’re going to call it and we’re going to play fast and physical and I’m not going to hesitate to call it.”
One goal of the chess game is to get the information to the Packers’ green dot – linebacker Quay Walker – so the defense has time to decipher what Moore is throwing at them.
“We’re going to get it to Quay Walker quickly so they can see what the offense is going to do and we can line up and play,” Hafley said. “When it starts, I might be a little nervous before kickoff, but we’re going to work until we’re prepared. I trust the players. I trust the personnel and I just have to call it and they have to play and execute and I can’t wait for that to happen.”
From a talent perspective, both Fangio and Hafley will have a tough time competing against each other’s respective offenses, and the winner will be the group that holds up the best.
McMullen’s prediction for Week 1: Eagles 33, Packers 28
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