Long time coach Dom Capers has been picked to replace Bob Sanders as Green Bay’s defensive co-ordinator, McCarthy announced Monday.  Capers brings 20 years of NFL experience as both a co-ordinator as well as a head coach to the table. 

McCarthy is getting a coach who utilizes a 3-4 system the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens used in their AFC Championship Game battle Sunday.  He also ran a 4-3 in Jacksonville under coach Tom Coughlin and a mix 3-4/4-3 under Miami coach Nick Saban and New England coach Bill Belichick.  Right now the Packers don’t currently field a team capable of running the 3-4 defense so it should be an interesting off season which could be very dependent from a personnel standpoint on which defense the Packers choose to use.

Capers has had some poor defensive units, but he has also had some impressive ones.  In three seasons in Pittsburgh, the defense ranked 13th, third and second. In Carolina, they ranked 10th, 15th and 30th. In Jacksonville, they ranked fourth and 12th and in Miami they ranked fourth and 23rd.

In our opinion it is a good hire.  In Capers the Packers get a battle tested co-ordinator who has seen it all.  If the Packers can get their offense playing to it top five potential and a top 15 defense, they could once again be in contention for the NFC title.