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Even Brett Favre’s golden arm wouldn’t have been enough to stop the bleeding during the Green and Gold’s miserable second half last season in which the Packers encountered defeat in seven of its last nine games.

Green Bay’s 6-10 record was in large part due to the uninspiring performance of a decimated defense, which had problems defending the run all season.

The unit’s ineffectiveness upfront eventually spread to the secondary with the team’s safety play particularly leveling off, resulting in huge gaps that the opposition cashed in on.

Veteran defensive coordinator Dom Capers has been called in to revitalize the downtrodden unit by injecting a new 3-4 scheme designed to generate more big plays from a formidable linebacker corps.

When executed properly, the 3-4 alignment will constantly produce pressure from a variety of looks, while simultaneously ensuring greater zone coverage behind the line of scrimmage and thus limiting the opening of passing lanes.

The possibilities are certainly quite promising on paper, but true success will only be achieved once Capers identifies enough versatile edge rushers to put his plans in motion.

But beyond wreaking havoc on the quarterback in passing situations, the ole coach is well aware that stopping the run is what leads to long down-and-distance plays, which will put the defense in better position to come up with tipped balls, sacks, and turnovers.

“I think if you can play aggressively and stop the run, that's the best of both worlds. I think that's where things have to start,” said Capers upon being hired by the Packers in late January.

“The number of things you can do and how aggressive you can become is based on your ability to number one, not let people run the football on you so you can dictate the down-and-distance situations, and if you can get offenses into advantageous down-and-distance situations, now it opens up a whole lot of things that you can do. But if they always keep you in second-and-five, second-and-four, that type of thing, then it takes a little bit of your aggressiveness away because you've got to find some way to get that run stopped, try to get people into predictable down-and-distance, and then I think you can give them a lot problems.”

Combining a solid defense to an already prolific offense is the game plan in 2009, as head coach Mike McCarthy prepares for an intense battle versus the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings for the NFC North division title.

OFFENSE

Quarterbacks: Playing in the shadow of the icon Brett Favre proved to be a cinch for young Aaron Rodgers, who passed for 4,038 yards and 28 touchdowns in Year One AF (after Favre). The fact that the California native was able to complete 63.6-percent of his passes is proof positive that he’s very comfortable in coach McCarthy’ West Coast system and is poised to improve with greater freedom to change plays at the line of scrimmage. In his short time as a starter, Rodgers has displayed a strong arm and good mobility, but he needs to perform better in clutch situations. Backup Matt Flynn beat out the more-highly touted Brian Brohm in his rookie year, but projects to be Jake Delhomme at best---which isn’t so bad over the short term. Brohm, on the other hand, is a smart quarterback who must quicken his release and show more confidence throwing into tight windows. The former Louisville Cardinal clearly has a higher upside than Flynn.

Running Backs: After a breakout season in 2007, Ryan Grant wasn’t as explosive in his second year in Green Bay. An ill-advised holdout combined with hamstring and thumb woes were factors in the big runner’s disappointing campaign in which his yards-per-carry average plummeted from 5.1 to 3.9. There’s no reason why a healthy Grant shouldn’t return to being a workhorse with breakaway ability. The 26-year-old is a tremendous cutback runner who can break tackles, but he needs to become a more secure ball carrier and develop as a reliable pass catcher. Brandon Jackson is a shifty third-down back with soft hands as a receiver. However, his shortcomings as a blocker remain a concern. DeShawn Wynn has impressive burst, but is injury-prone and plays smaller than his 232 pounds would suggest. Kregg Lumpkin is a bruiser who showed some flashes early on in his rookie year, but couldn’t make it out of October. Rookie Quinn Johnson will compete for playing time with John Kuhn and Kory Hall at fullback. Johnson is a burly lead blocker who really delivers a pop when he lowers his shoulder. Kuhn is also a battering ram who excels in short-yardage situations. Hall is the most polished of the bunch with his knowledge of blocking schemes.

Wide Receivers: Fresh off a three-year contract extension, Greg Jennings is the ultimate big-play weapon. The electrifying deep threat ranked second in receptions of 20 yards or more (along with Detroit’s Calvin Johnson) with 21, trailing only Carolina’s Steve Smith, who recorded 23. Jennings is an extremely fluid runner who executes precise routes and is very sure-handed. The 34-year-old Donald Driver may no longer be the number-one target among receivers, but he still managed to post yet another 1,000-yard season. The veteran’s vice-grip hands and fearlessness across the middle continue to be his calling cards. Young upstart Jordy Nelson is hoping to carve out a bigger role for himself in his second year in Title Town. The 6’3” wide out proved to be a quick study by immediately acclimating himself to McCarthy’s scheme with 33 receptions and two scores. James Jones’ season wasn’t as memorable due to a dreaded sprained PCL, which routinely robs wide receivers of their flexibility and ability to cut. Prior to the mishap, Jones exhibited extraordinary separation skills. Ruvell Martin is the biggest of Green Bay’s receivers (6’4” 220-pounds), but is used mainly for his tremendous blocking skills rather than his prowess over the middle and in the red-zone. Jake Allen is another big receiver who’ll be fighting for a roster spot. The Missouri College product has been dropping the ball quite a bit in practice sessions.

Tight Ends: Incumbent Donald Lee was initially a fairly athletic pass receiver. However, he’s in danger of becoming an afterthought as his receptions, yards, and touchdowns all dropped across the board in 2008. To his credit, though, Lee has shown marked improvement in his blocking. But if it’s offensive production that you seek, then second-year man Jermichael Finley is the one to keep tabs on in 2009. Finley has opened some eyes and turned heads in off-season practices with his soft hands and extraordinary run-after-catch potential. Finley is mobile enough to line up as a receiver and can even be used as a red-zone target on jump balls. The only thing that stands in his way is his attitude. Third-stringer Troy Humphrey has amazing straight-line speed and posted a healthy 14.7 yards-per-reception, but lacks prototypical tight end size.

Offensive Line: The Achilles’ heel of this high-octane attack lies in its instability at the tackle position, particularly on the right side. Longtime starter Mark Tauscher remains unsigned as he recovers from a torn ACL. In his place, the Packers are counting one of three linemen to emerge: Breno Giacomini, T.J. Lang, or Allen Barbre. While the promising, but raw, Giacomini has already missed valuable practice time due to ankle issues, Barbre seems to have found his niche at right tackle. Coaches have been blown away by his brute strength as a drive blocker. His long arms and explosiveness off the snap have put him ahead of the competition. Lang, on the other hand, is a brawler with a very stocky build. He looks more like an interior lineman at this stage. Left tackle Chad Clifton is dealing with the chronic knee pain which robbed him of some agility last season. It’s no mystery why the 33-year-old surrendered a career-high 7.5 sacks. With an eye towards the future GM Ted Thompson drafted the athletic and versatile Jamon Meredith in the fifth round. The rookie may soon begin seeing some time in the starting lineup with Clifton entering his walk year. Inconsistent left guard Daryn Colledge has bulked up to be more of a presence in the running game. Steady right guard Josh Sitton is still the favorite at that position. At center, the high-effort plugger Jason Spitz will probably get the nod over the hard-nosed Scott Wells, who went underwent shoulder surgery in the off-season. Former Bill Duke Preston may also seem some time given his quick feet.

DEPTH CHART

	CB	FS	OLB	ILB	ILB	OLB	SS	CB
	CHARLES WOODSON	NICK COLLINS	AARON KAMPMAN	A.J. HAWK	NICK BARNETT	CLAY MATTHEWS	ATARI BIGBY	AL HARRIS
	WILL BLACKMON	CHARLIE PEPRAH	BRADY POPPINGA	BRANDON CHILLAR	DESMOND BISHOP	TRACY WHITE	AARON ROUSE	TRAMON WILLIAMS
			JEREMY THOMPSON	DANNY LANSANAH		BRAD JONES	ANTHONY SMITH	JARRETT BUSH
	K			LNT	RNT	RDE		BRANDON UNDERWOOD
	MASON CROSBY			JOHNNY JOLLY	RYAN PICKETT	CULLEN JENKINS
	P			MICHAEL MONTGOMERY	B.J. RAJI	JUSTIN HARRELL
	DERRICK FROST			ALFRED MALONE	ANTHONY TORIBIO	JARIUS WYNN
	COACH
	MIKE MCCARTHY
	WR	LT	LG	C	RG	RT	TE	WR
	GREG JENNINGS	CHAD CLIFTON	DARYN COLLEDGE	JASON SPITZ	JOSH SITTON	BRENO GIACOMINI	DONALD LEE	DONALD DRIVER
	RUVELL MARTIN	JAMON MEREDTH	DUKE PRESTON	SCOTT WELLS	T.J. LANG	TONY MOLL	TORY HUMPHREY	JAMES JONES
	JAKE ALLEN	ALLEN BABRE	NEVIN MCCASKILL			DANE RANDOLPH	JERMICHAEL FINLEY	JORDY NELSON
	KOLE HECKENDORF	FB		QB		RB	EVAN MOORE	JAMARKO SIMMONS
		KOREY HALL		AARON RODGERS		RYAN GRANT	TRAVIS DEKKER	PATRICK WILLIAMS
		JOHN KUHN		MATT FLYNN		BRANDON JACKSON	CARSON BUTLER
		QUINN JOHNSON		BRIAN BROHM		KREGG LUMPKIN
						TYRELL SUTTON
						DESHAWN WYNN

DEFENSE

Defensive Line: Although B.J. Raji was college football’s premiere nose tackle at Boston College, Ryan Pickett will be the one manning the middle of Green Bay’s front three. The 330-pound Pickett is an incredibly strong defender, who should be able to tie up blockers and free things up for his linebackers. In the past, he’s also displayed impressive lateral agility in stopping the run. The aforementioned Raji will also see time at the nose to give Pickett a blow every now and then, but his primary position will be that of right end. The rookie’s cat-like burst off the snap and ability to bull rush will make him a difference maker from day one. Occupying the left side will be Cullen Jenkins, who missed much of last year with a pectoral injury. The defensive unit’s level of play fell off precipitously without him. Kris’ little brother uses an explosive first step to makes plays both as a pass rusher and against the run. Much like Pickett and Raji, Johnny Jolly is another 300-pound plus behemoth coming off a productive season, one in which he played all 16 games and recorded 49 tackles. Jolly specializes in batting down passes with his quick hands and brings tremendous speed to the table despite his 320-pound frame. The 26-year-old, however, is embroiled a legal matter which may see him serve jail time for possession of codeine. Even if he walks, he can count on serving some sort of suspension. Two years after being Green Bay’s 16th-overall selection in the 2007 NFL Draft, Justin Harrell has been nothing less than a certifiable bust. After two back surgeries in his brief time as a pro, it’s anyone’s guess if he’ll ever develop into a reliable contributor. Michael Montgomery is a situational try-hard type who can get into the opposition’s backfield by using his long arms to his advantage. Fifth-round pick Jarius Wynn is more of a stay-at-home run defender who won’t make many plays coming off the edge at defensive end. Undrafted free agent Ron Talley has reportedly been impressive during recent practices and could earn a roster spot.

Linebackers: Aaron Kampman’s conversion from a 4-3 left end to a 3-4 left outside linebacker has generated lots of discourse among Packer fans and media members. It is believed that the 29-year-old sackmaster was initially unhappy with making the transition as he enters his walk year. Nevertheless, Kampman has quite a challenge on his hands in that he’ll be expected to drop back into coverage at his new position. In addition, he’ll also need to develop a wider array of pass-rushing moves to get to the quarterback. The Iowa native has 43.5 sacks in his past four seasons. Rookie Clay Matthews, Jr. will compete with Jeremy Thompson at the other outside linebacker spot. Thompson is a highly-athletic performer who shows good explosiveness, while Matthews is the more versatile defender. The USC product is very instinctive with eye-catching agility to evade blockers, and he can also hold his own in coverage. Holdover Brady Poppinga is a run specialist. Fellow outside linebacker Brandon Chillar has had problems playing in open space in recent years. Jason Hunter, Danny Lansanah, Brad Jones, and Desmond Bishop are primarily special teams guys, although Bishop is known to be a lethal hitter. Jones is a seventh-round pick out of Colorado who’s viewed as being a soft player, but he is an effective runner in pursuit. At inside linebacker, Green Bay hopes that the ultra-aggressive Nick Barnett becomes a more disciplined player and quits biting on play fakes. A.J. Hawk, on the other hand, is a hard worker but doesn’t make enough plays to be considered among the best at his position. The coaching staff will be looking for ways to turn him loose with greater frequency. Spencer Havner will be backing up Hawk and Barnett, but may see more time as a situational tight end.

Secondary: Charles Woodson and Al Harris remain one of the top corner tandems in the league despite their age. The 33-year-old Woodson is a flat-out ballhawk who had seven interceptions last season. The former Raider even saw some time at safety. Harris, 34, is pound-for-pound one of the toughest defenders in the league, evidenced by the fact that he missed only four games following a ruptured spleen last season. The no-nonsense corner routinely overpowers receivers at the line of scrimmage with his physical style of play. Keep an eye on how both players adjust to playing more zone under Capers. Generously listed at 5’11”, Tramon Williams really came on as the team’s third corner in 2008 thanks in great part to his great awareness and outstanding speed. Will Blackmon is an injury-prone backup who excels on special teams, while Jarrett Bush is a shaky cover man with poor instincts. Second-year man Patrick Lee battled injuries as a rookie and has been a non-factor to date. Free safety Nick Collins was an omnipresent force with seven interceptions last season, but he faded badly down the stretch. Strong safety Atari Bigby’s play declined due to injuries after coming on like gangbusters in 2007. When healthy, Bigby is a top-notch enforcer that lays the wood and causes fumbles. The fourth-year pro needs to curb his tendency to miss tackles. Aaron Rouse is a huge in-the-box safety at 6’4” 223 pounds. Anthony Smith is a hit-or-miss guy vulnerable to giving up big plays.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Mason Crosby has one of the best legs in the league and is a man for all seasons, as he continues to perform in cold-weather conditions. Crosby, however, needs to show better focus on shorter field goal attempts. There’s no excuse for the fact that he missed three tries in the 30-to-39-yard range. Punter Jeremy Kapinos did a fine job replacing Derrick Frost at the end of the season. The Penn State product placed seven of his 17 punts inside the 20-yard line. Will Blackmon is Green Bay’s primary kick returner, and was especially productive on punts, as evidenced by his two returns for touchdowns. Look for James Jones to chip in as well.

GREEN BAY BUCCANEERS OFF-SEASON TRACKER

Acquisitions
OC Duke Preston: UFA Bills; $2M/2 yrs, guarantees unknown
SS Anthony Smith: Not tendered as RFA by Steelers; $1.485M/2 yrs, $100,000 RB
Drafted
FB Quinn Johnson, LSU
OT T.J. Lang, Eastern Michigan
OT Jamon Meredith, South Carolina
DE Jarius Wynn, Georgia
DT B.J. Raji, Boston College
LB Brad Jones, Colorado
LB Clay Matthews, USC
CB Brandon Underwood, Cincinnati
Undrafted Free Agents
RB Tyrell Sutton, Northwestern
WR JaRon Harris, South Dakota State
WR Kole Heckendorf, North Dakota State
WR Patrick Williams, Colorado
WR Jamarko Simmons, Western Michigan
TE Carson Butler, Michigan
TE Travis Dekker, Air Force
OLAndrew Hartline, Central Michigan
OL Evan Dietrich-Smith, Idaho State
DE Ronald Talley, Delaware
LB Cyril Obiozor, Texas A&M
PR Andy Brodell, Iowa
Re-signed
FB John Kuhn: RFA; $1.01M/1 yr
WR Ruvell Martin: RFA; $1.01M/1 yr
TE Tory Humphrey: Not tendered as RFA; $460,000/1 yr
DE Michael Montgomery: UFA; 2 yrs, terms unknown
CB Jarrett Bush: RFA; tendered at $1.01M (matched Titans offer); $4.5M/3 yrs, $1M SB
CB Tramon Williams: ERFA; 1 yr, terms unknown
DB Atari Bigby: RFA; $1.545M/1 yr
Departures
WR Shaun Bodiford: Not tendered as RFA/Giants; terms unknown
DE Kenneth Pettway (released/failed physical)
DT Colin Cole: UFA Seahawks; $21.4M/5 yrs, $6M guaranteed
LB Jason Hunter (released)
LS J.J. Jansen (traded Panthers)
Unsigned
OT Mark Tauscher (not tendered as UFA June 1)

PROJECTION

It would be naive for anyone to think that it won’t take Green Bay’s defense some time before it starts firing on all cylinders. But a very favorable schedule over the first three months will facilitate the transition. The Packer big-play offense won’t need a grace period before it starts putting up big points, however. A well-balanced attack will put the Green and Gold in position to fight for a division title during the latter portion of the season. Unlike 2008, Aaron Rodgers will be better prepared to put the Pack over the top in close games. The Packers’ projected record is 10-6.

Photo Credit: College Press Box (Boston College, Kansas St.)