Coach Mike McCarthy has apparently grown tired of watching his defense struggle when players go down. Simply plugging in replacement players and asking them to do the same jobs has not always worked.
To combat that, he and defensive coordinator Dom Capers have agreed on some changes.
At the root of those changes isn't necessarily Capers' scheme or whether it will continue to be his traditional 3-4 alignment in his base package, or a regular nickel or dime in sub packages.
But rather, it is a plan to develop players who can play multiple positions in different defensive looks in order to better combat issues that could arise during the season.
I think rather than making players fit into certain schemes, we're making those schemes fit around players now. I think it's great for the personnel that we have and what we’re trying to accomplish moving forward."
I think we have to change something," Hawk said. "Not change, but we have to evolve and hone in on who knows what our plan is going in once the season comes, but we need to find a way to play better. We need to find a way to get off the field. I don't think you have to make any crazy, drastic changes. I don't think that's what we're going to do. But you have to find a way to evaluate what we did wrong and find a way to get better at that."
Capers did something similar earlier in his career. When he took over as the
Jacksonville Jaguars' defensive coordinator in 1999, he inherited a roster filled with players who better fit the 4-3 scheme they had run previously.
So instead of trying to force feed players a defense that did not suit their skills, he adjusted.
That season, the Jaguars gave up the fewest points in the NFL and the fourth-fewest yards.