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The Green Bay Packers’ defense needs a turnaround, and it needs one quickly. As the man tabbed to lead that unit, new coordinator Mike Pettine will have a tall task on his shoulders to come up with a scheme that will fit the talent on the team.
Even before that happens, however, Pettine (and head coach Mike McCarthy) need to finalize the rest of the defensive coaching staff. At present, there are just two defensive assistant coaches confirmed to be on board for 2018, one being a holdover from last year who received a promotion (Joe Whitt) and another who was just hired this week (Patrick Graham).
Regardless of the coaching staff, new general manager Brian Gutekunst will be responsible for bolstering the talent level on the roster, and he has promised to “leave no stone unturned” in those efforts. A year after the Packers brought back an old friend in free agency, the team might have an opportunity to do the same with a different player — and this individual not only has a great history with the Packers, but he played for their new DC as well after leaving Wisconsin.
There is a lot of work to be done this offseason. Hopefully this group can succeed in flipping the defense’s performance from last season.
5 pressing issues facing defensive coordinator Mike Pettine | Packersnews.com
Why is "reinforce zone coverage" at the top of this list? If it were me, I would have simply gone with write "commit to playing press-man" instead.
Brian Gutekunst carries Ted Thompson's lessons with him | Packers.com
Several of those lessons came out of the "summer of Favre" back in 2008, when Thompson moved on with Aaron Rodgers as the Packers' quarterback. One of Gutekunst's favorite Thompson quote was a simple one: "I’m just trying to do the right thing, do what’s right for this organization and everybody involved."
Packers' staff in focus with Joe Philbin, Mike Pettine as coordinators - ESPN
The offensive coaching staff is pretty much set, but the defense has several more jobs to fill - although the Packers did lock up Patrick Graham, the former Giants defensive line coach.
Could Packers bring back veteran CB Tramon Williams? | Packers Wire
Williams had glowing reviews for Mike Pettine, for whom he played in 2015 with the Cleveland Browns. The former Packer emphasized Pettine's intelligence, and after a resurgent season with the Cardinals Williams could be on the Packers' radar. His deal with the Browns was essentially a two-year, $14 million deal — almost certainly more than he was worth — but at $2 million like his contract in Arizona, the Packers would be wise to take a look.
Super Bowl 52: Potential matchups ranked, from most entertaining to least - SBNation.com
Who are you rooting for to make it to Minneapolis? Personally, I'm on the anybody-but-the-Vikings-and-Patriots bandwagon.
NFL looking into whether Raiders violated Rooney Rule - NFL.com
It's pretty clear the answer is yes, since Mark Davis reportedly had a deal in place with Jon Gruden as early as Christmas Eve, long before even firing Jack Del Rio let alone interviewing any minority candidates.