This isn't an extensive review of the Green Bay Packers defensive performance in 2009, but now is a good time to get started since it looked like Dom Capers was resting his eyes during the playoff game. Here are some stats on the Packers' pass defense:
| Comp % | Yards/Att | QB Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | 54.4 | 6.4 | 68.8 |
| Week 17 at Cardinals | 61.3 | 4.5 | 75.1 |
| Wild Card Game | 87.9 | 11.4 | 154.1 |
Unfortunately for Capers, all the good feelings after turning around the defense are now being questioned after he was soundly out-coached by Ken Whisenhunt last Sunday.
Mike McCarthy said it's hard to game-plan against a 3-4 defense. Capers previously used the zone blitz, but he seemed to move away from that this season, and instead opted to go with unusual formations like the Big Okie (five LBs and three DBs) or sometimes go with only one defensive lineman to create a pass rush with extra linebackers.
Instead of bringing something new last Sunday, he apparently decided to just do the same old thing that worked (and which the Cardinals got to take a good, long look at the week before) against their backups. Here's what FS Nick Collins said, according to JSOnline.com:
You know, we went in there with the same gameplan and they made some corrections.
McCarthy said, according to the Press-Gazette, that they weren't going to change everything, but apparently they didn't change anything on defense. Neither team showed everything they could do on offense, so why did the Packers show everything on defense?