Packers Hire Fiery Anthony Campanile as Linebackers Coach

New Green Bay Packers linebackers coach Anthony Campanile delivered a legendary speech on HBO’s “Hard Knocks.”

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers have hired Anthony Campanile to be their linebackers coach and defensive run-game coordinator, a source told Packer Central on Tuesday.

In an odd twist, former Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry was hired to be the Dolphins’ linebackers coach earlier in the day under new coordinator Anthony Weaver and Campanile landed in Green Bay. He will take the place of Kirk Olivadotti, who took a position on Mike Macdonald’s new staff with the Seahawks.

Having worked under the esteemed Vic Fangio, Campanile seemed like a logical candidate to replace Barry as defensive coordinator. Instead, the Packers hired Jeff Hafley as coordinator and added a highly regarded position coach to bring the best out of Quay Walker and fix a long-downtrodden run defense.

The 2023 season was his fourth as Miami’s linebackers coach. The Dolphins finished sixth with 3.81 yards allowed per carry while the Packers were 23rd with 4.42 yards allowed per carry. From 2020 through 2023, the Dolphins were 10th with 4.21 yards allowed per carry while the Packers were 31st with 4.66 yards allowed per carry.

Starting by quoting Vince Lombardi, this legendary, profanity-laced clip from “Hard Knocks” personifies the 41-year-old’s approach.

“You’re at your best when you’re doing things for people you love. All the time you practice, all the time you spend away from the people you love, our job is on Sunday, literally, to honor those people. That’s it. That’s our job. Go out there and honor the people you love. Play as f***ing hard as you can. Attack the f***ing ball like it’s some guy running down the street with your mother, your father, my kids.

“There ain’t no f***ing way that guy’s getting away from me. And there certainly ain’t anybody getting under my f***ing pads to block me, to stop me from bringing him back in my life. That ain’t going to f***ing happen. But if you’re treated like that all the time, you f***ing practice like that, you commit to practicing like that with each other, you’re f***ing unstoppable. Don’t know who the f*** is going to stop you from doing what you want to do.

“Everybody understands ass whooping. I can go to Greece and somebody starts getting their f***ing ass whooped, we all understand what’s happening. We’re all speaking the same language. We might not be able to communicate, but if somebody is getting their ass kicked, nothing’s lost in translation.

“All over the world, they speak ass whooping. To the day you die. So, here’s what I’m saying, let’s eliminate that factor. They can’t outwork us. Eliminate that and let’s see what the f*** happens. Don’t stop throwing punches, don’t stop attacking the ball, don’t f***ing stop finishing blocks, and let’s see what happens.”

Campanile recently interviewed to be the New York Giants’ defensive coordinator, though that job went to Shane Bowen. He was thought to be in the running to replace Hafley as the head coach at Boston College. Campanile worked at BC as defensive backs coach in 2016 and 2017 and co-defensive coordinator in 2018; Hafley was working for the San Francisco 49ers during those seasons.

He was Michigan’s linebackers coach in 2019 before landing with the Dolphins in 2020.

Campanile was a safety and linebacker at Rutgers from 2001 through 2004.

Campanile comes from a family of coaches, including his father and three brothers.

“My dad said we all got into coaching because nobody would hire us for a real job,” Campanile told The Sun-Sentinel.

The New York Times called them “The first family of New Jersey football” in a 2021 feature.

“This game has a way of humbling you,” Campanile said. “Who better to confide in than your brothers?”

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