The Green Bay Packers made some big changes to the defensive side of the ball. They saw Jeff Hafley leave to become the Miami Dolphins' head coach, creating a void at defensive coordinator.
They decided to hire Jonathan Gannon as the new DC in January, and he's already made such a positive impact on the team.
In an article by Paul Bretl of the Wisconsin State Journal, multiple players raved about Gannon's scheme.
Packers fans have every reason to be excited about Jonathan Gannon
Even though Gannon has been around for a short time and pads aren't on, his impact is clear. He came to Green Bay looking to keep his scheme flexible. Gannon wants to build this system around his players' strengths, while also finding ways to keep the offense on its toes. Pro Bowl safety Xavier McKinney is already boasting about the new-look defense.
"I think we all thus far enjoyed playing in this scheme. I think it's going to show the people watching and for us, guys that can play in different spots and really showcase their skills. Obviously we got a lot of players on the defensive side, ball guys, people that can change a game. I think this scheme is perfect for our personnel," McKinney said.
Safety Javon Bullard also spoke about how versatile this defense will be and how they plan to confuse the opponent.
"It's a lot of stuff going in. Sometimes it's three high, it's two high, sometimes guys showing in the line of scrimmage, you got guys showing at the heels of the D-line. The disguise is crazy right now," said Bullard.
Not only will they use multiple looks, but they plan to have players in several spots, including safety Evan Williams. Gannon is already pushing these guys in practice, but giving them the freedom to change things on the fly.
During OTAs and minicamps thus far, the defense has still found ways to give the offense fits. And that should be very encouraging since the players are learning more and more every day. The offense led by head coach Matt LaFleur should have the advantage, as they have been running the same scheme for years, but they are still having some difficulties.
Of course, there will be some rough patches, as the verbiage is different from what the players are used to, but they will use the next couple of months to make sure they are firing on all cylinders when the season begins.
Gannon didn't have the best run with the Arizona Cardinals as head coach, but he has a history of being a great coordinator. As the defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles, he had that unit flying around.
During the 2022 season, when the Eagles made a Super Bowl run, they were ranked second in the NFL in total defense (301.5) and first in pass defense (179.8). They were also eighth in points allowed (20.2) and first in team sacks (70). And the icing on top is they were tied for fourth in takeaways (27) and top five in quarterback pressures.
He knows how to get the most out of his players, and that's due to playing to their strengths. Even though it was tough to see Hafley go, there's a ton of excitement in the building around Gannon and what this defense could do in 2026.
Add us as a preferred source on Google