Hafley Earns Stamps of Approval from Alexander, Stokes

Green Bay Packers cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes shared praise for new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley this week at OTAs.

Joey Van Zummeren | May 30, 2024

Green Bay Packers cornerback Eric Stokes (21) and cornerback Jaire Alexander (23) participate at training camp practice with the New Orleans Saints on Aug. 17, 2022. / Samantha Madar/USA TODAY

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Green Bay Packers

Confidence is key. Not only in life but in Jeff Hafley's defense.

The Green Bay Packers' new defensive coordinator is working to implement that confidence within his unit now with a through understanding of its responsibilities.

"I want a defense that's going to be confident and that's not going to be nervous about making mistakes," Hafley said this offseason. "Play style is important to me and how fast we play and physical and attacking the ball and all that stuff, but the only way to do that is they've got to know what they're doing."

Hafley and his staff are in the early stages of implementing the system with their players. Two of the veteran defensive backs in Hafley's secondary are optimistic for the culture that their new coordinator is being to Green Bay.

"I love Hafley," Eric Stokes said Wednesday. "I love how his mindset is and everything. He just wants you to ball."

For Hafley, confidence is the key that can open the door to a fast, agressive defense. Green Bay intentionally set out to find players who could fit this playing style this offseason, drafting four defensive backs, all of whom fit general Brian Gutekunst's criteria of players who can "run and hit."

"Our philosiphy is get really good at what we do and do it over and over again so we're playing 100 miles an hour," Hafley said. "If you try to do too much, you slow them down, so that's definitely not what we want to do."

Hafley said that that there will be new concepts in pass coverage that his players will have to learn over the offseason, the first step to a defense taking flight.

"Our job is as we go, is just keep getting better and faster and get better at it and get faster because they have to be comfortable, and that's the whole key," he said.

The secondary understanding its assignments is essential to playing with the speed that Hafley desires. A defense that plays at 100 miles per hour without any sense of direction is no better than a Maserati with no breaks or steering wheel.

"You teach all those things we talked about, then you learn the scheme, then you let them go play," Hafley said. "So, there's some things that are new, but the cool part is is right now they're all buying in and really focusing on learning it, and that's what gives us a chance each day when we come in."

Hafley's defensive staff has earned buy in from not only Stokes but veteran cornerback Jaire Alexander. The more intense playing style is one that entices Alexander, who built a trademark playing style in his college career at Louisville as a scrappy, aggressive corner.

"He’s been great since Day 1," Alexander said of Hafley. "Preaches aggression, getting after everything. He’s a cool guy."

Why will that work as opposed to former coordinator Joe Barry’s style?

“You see it across the board, we’ve got a bunch of athletes on the field who like to make plays and can make plays,” Alexander replied. “I think this is going to work really well.”

Hafley's agressive scheming reminds Stokes of the playing style he became familiar with in his college career on an elite Georgia defense. Stokes also has plenty of speed, running a 4.31 40-yard dash before the 2021 draft.

"It’s always a work in progress, but I love Hafley’s scheme and everything he has going on," Stokes said. "It’s pretty much how I used to play at UGA. It’s a lot of press-man. It’s a lot of opening it up. It’s a lot of small little things but similar to how we ran things at UGA. So, I love it."

Though Hafley describes his defensive scheme as complex, he has been praised for his ability to package it in a way that's easy for his players to understand. Stokes recognizes the benefit of this, forming a trust that the defensive staff will put him in the right spot to suceed.

"He ain’t gonna make you overthink anything and all that stuff," Stokes said. "He just want you to go out there and have fun and just play 110 miles per hour, and that’s what I love about Hafley, to where like he always says, ‘Imma go ahead and take the bullet.' You just go out there and just have fun and you just play."

With Hafley asking for his players to be confident in his defense, they already seem to be confident with him as a coach and a defensive mind.

More Green Bay Packers News

“I think he’s as good as I’ve ever seen him, both mentally and on the field. I want to temper the expectations with that, but I really mean that.”

On the healthy return of #Packers cornerback Eric Stokes, who said he's faster than ever. ⬇️https://t.co/C8kxwMuWPY
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) May 30, 2024

Published May 30, 2024|Modified May 30, 2024

JOEY VAN ZUMMEREN