I am a Packers fan. I have been a Packers fan since football mattered to me at around nine years old. I have had the fortune of watching my team win two Super Bowls while playing in three. The Packers have had exactly two franchise quarterbacks in the last 20+ years. Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers have always made Green Bay a force to be reckoned with on offense. Yet when the Packers win Super Bowls their defense has also been amongst the league’s finest, stacking up with the best in most statistics that matter. Favre and Rodgers have been as consistently great as quarterbacks can be. What happened to the defensive side of the ball in the years between championships?
In the 1990s the Packers made the move for Reggie White to shore up a defensive unit that was already contending. The move eventually led to a championship and a return trip to the Super Bowl the following year where they lost in an epic showdown to John Elway and the Broncos. The 2010 season that ended with the Packers hoisting the Lombardi Trophy was the result of Rodgers playing lights out football down the stretch of the season, along with a defense that was outstanding at getting to the quarterback and creating turnovers. Nick Collins, Charles Woodson, BJ Raji and Clay Matthews were key contributors on the defensive side, but Dom Capers’ schemes and play calling were what always had those guys in the right position to exceed.
Dom Capers: The Good and the Bad
There are a lot of stats I could research and ramble off to truly illustrate the spectrum of terribleness the Packers have been able to accomplish on defense since they won it all almost four years ago. What’s the point though? They have stunk, giving up huge amounts of yards and points to anyone stepping up. The Packers have stayed relevant throughout these years do to a prolific offense led by Rodgers, but the playoff disappointments have been bad, and the defense is to blame. Is it Capers’ fault?
I would have to say yes, and no. I will approach this as non-biased as I am able to because I am a big fan of Capers. Having Rodgers chucking touchdowns all day for my favorite team has been nothing short of amazing. Watching the Packers force turnovers into points on defense the first few years Capers was the defensive coordinator was just fantastic. It was as if they were as capable of scoring with the defense on the field as the offense. That is great football. Turnovers are one of the intangibles of the game that can be the deciding factor no matter how all players play on any given Sunday. Teams can score 45 points yet still lose to a key late interception in enemy territory. A tough fought 7-3 game is almost always decided by a turnover and changing field position to make the deciding score easier. Avoiding turnovers as an offense is as vital as scoring points. Dom Capers play-calling style dictates that forcing turnovers on defense is as important as stopping offensive field progression eventually leading to points. Does this not make sense?
Capers’ has been a head coach, assistant coach and coordinator in the NFL going on 30 years. Since he took over as defensive coordinator in 2009 his stats are impressive by any standards. His teams are ranked in the top five in sacks and opponent passer rating. The Packers have the most interceptions in the league since that time. When he took over he transitioned the team to a 3-4 style (3 down lineman, 4 linebackers). This transition is typically slow and usually requires the acquisition of different players to fit the scheme. Dom Capers was immediately successful by even the most critical observer.
Charles Woodson in 2009 was an aging star many thought was in decline. His inability to shut down the outside as he got older and less spry was thought to be his demise as time went on. Dom Capers made him somewhat of a nickelback in his 2009 defense, letting Woodson use his football acumen to read plays and be in the right place at the right time. Woodson was named defensive player of the year in 2009, having his best statistical campaign of his long career. He became the third player to receive this award under the direction of Capers as a defensive coordinator (Rod Woodson, 1993. Jason Taylor, 2006). In 2010 Clay Matthews was narrowly outvoted by Troy Polamalu for the same coveted title, almost making him the fourth defensive player of the year produced by Capers coaching style.
So what is the debate, right? Shouldn’t he be a head coach with this kind of track record? Unfortunately for Capers, since their Super Bowl victory the defense has looked average for the most part. It has looked absolutely terrible at other times. With creating opportunity for turnovers and sacks comes the risk of holes in places for offenses to work in. If the pass rush doesn’t succeed and players are working to find a place to be in between the ball and the receiver, it gives shots for the offenses to take. As teams are getting smart to Capers schemes, injuries have also played a huge role. I don’t want to make excuses but losing Nick Collins for his career was devastating to our franchise. Clay Matthews has proved to be very injury prone. He has missed games every year, since he was runner-up for DPY, for various lingering problems with his health. The best coaches overcome these challenges. Move forward and win even with missing pieces. Is Dom Capers capable? Have the best teams figured out how to beat him?
I think Capers is still the best thing for my Green Bay Packers. Yes, teams have found ways to score against us. Yes, our turnovers are down. Yes, we allow too many points and yards. I look at it this way though, with arguably the best quarterback in the league in Aaron Rodgers, I want a guy calling the shots on defense that will find more ways to get the ball in his hands. The Packers can give up some points. Aaron Rodgers is going to score a lot of them. Yet if the Packers could stay healthy on defense for a whole season the turnovers would be there for Rodgers to capitalize on. A major problem over the last couple of years has been the read option offense against Clay Matthews. Because of his reckless aggressive playing style he falls victim to this scheme that forces him to play sideways and backwards. This is not where Clay Matthews is best. Capers has now moved him inside where his size should NOT allow him to be successful, yet I bet Capers will find creative ways to get him near the quarterback and the ball while eliminating the problem of him giving up big plays to read looks.
Good defense is a relative term. Yards allowed, points allowed, yards per carry allowed, yards per play, third down efficiency (there are more) are all very good indicators of a sound defense. Winning championships is all that matters. The Packers best chance at winning the Super Bowl is to get the ball in Aaron Rodgers’s hands as often as possible. Give up 500 yards? I don’t care. Allow 54 points? Not worried about it. With Aaron Rodgers on the field those things can be overcome. I want the best guy to create chances for him to score points. That guy is Dom Capers.
Is Dom Capers dominant? That is another relative term that can be decided depending on which stat is important to the decision maker. When it comes to the Green Bay Packers with Aaron Rodgers as the quarterback, I want a defensive mind that will try to put the ball in his hands even if that means pulling out all the stops along the way. The best defensive mind when it comes to that, belongs to the dominant Dom Capers.
Thank you for reading. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and @LWOSworld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest in sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
Main Photo:
