What Is Packers Defensive Coordinator Jeff Hafley’s Philosophy?

In a well-timed podcast, new Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley perhaps provided a clue to how he’ll run the show in Titletown.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – What is the philosophy of new Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley?

His four seasons as Boston College’s head coach provide a clue but, really, nothing more. All good coaches adapt to circumstances. They adapt to their talent. They adapt to their opponent’s talent. They adapt to their need to protect a lead or to come from behind.

So, will Hafley bring a 4-3 scheme to the Packers? Will he line up his cornerbacks in press-man coverage? Will he play more aggressively than his predecessor, Joe Barry?

Yes, at least based on how Hafley’s defenses played at Boston College. But, at this point, perhaps no one really knows what Green Bay’s defense is going to look like in 2024 other than Hafley and coach Matt LaFleur, who hired Hafley on Wednesday.

In an incredibly well-timed podcast, Adam Breneman of the Next Up with Adam Breneman Podcast went to Chestnut Hill, Mass., to record an hour-long podcast with Hafley.

Full podcast with Jeff Hafley ⬇️

YouTube: https://t.co/XglMCzfJq7

Apple: https://t.co/jn4WjQKpga

Spotify: https://t.co/gdmsQD6DkH

— Adam Breneman (@AdamBreneman81) February 1, 2024

As part of the podcast, Hafley was asked about defensive philosophy. During his answer, he noted the enormous differences between the college and professional games, which include the abundance of quarterback-run-centric offenses and the location of the hashmarks.

“When I talk to my friends in the NFL and we talk defense together, it’s almost a different game,” he said. “The quarterback in the NFL, they’re going to run it in big moments or in the red zone or on third down or in a championship game. You can’t do that week in and week out. You got to account for an extra guy [the running quarterback in the college game].

“There’s a field and a boundary in college football where in the NFL, the ball’s in the middle of the field the whole game. It’s a different game, and it’s been fun to follow it.”

Hafley coached NFL defensive backs from 2012 through 2018 before a tremendous one-year stint at Ohio State in which he was named Coordinator of the Year by 247 Sports. That got him the job at Boston College beginning in 2020.

With a diverse background, Hafley successfully meshed college and professional philosophies. While Barry focused on a two-high shell to limit big plays, Hafley – at least based on how he played at Boston College – might play more single-high safety.

“We’ve been more middle-closed defense with the safety in the middle of the field than probably most people in college football,” he said. “Most people are some type of two-high-quarters base, and I get it for the quarterback-run games, so we’ve had to trend in that direction, as well.

“I’ve done a lot, at least the starting point, with the middle close with four down linemen – very similar to what we did in San Francisco and Ohio State and a lot of people doing the NFL. I started to adapt and create different one-eye shells, which really play like two-high shells and get extra guys in the box.”

The #Packers have a new defensive coordinator.
- Story on Jeff Hafley: https://t.co/GK9LHJW5ei
- Potential 4-3 depth chart: https://t.co/9nJN6262c2
- LaFleur in the spotlight by @JacobWestendorf: https://t.co/krMMx4ilRr

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) February 1, 2024

One thing Hafley continually circled back to during the podcast was the challenge of the new world of college football.

The college game has always been a grind because recruiting is such a vital part of building a program. Now, with NIL money, recruiting is a never-ending process. It’s recruiting the best high school players to your school but it’s also trying to retain those players when a high-profile program throws a lot of cash their way and also actively trying to add veteran talent via the transfer portal.

NIL has widened the differences between the haves and have-nots. Was Hafley a bad coach because his teams went 22-26? Or was he a good coach without the financial resources to compete?

“If you’re going to have some teams with a $12 million salary cap and some teams with a $1 million salary cap, it’s hard to play moneyball in football,” he said.

Hafley wants to coach.

Being in Green Bay will allow him to focus on coaching.

“You do try to stay up with the trends,” he said. “I have a pretty solid core of what I believe in, but I also think you need to continue to adapt and to grow. I think that’s really important, and I wish I had more time with that. Part of the cool thing about the NFL is you can come in the offseason and say I want to study the top red zone team on defense on Monday and then Wednesday I want to study the top third down team and on Friday I want to study …

“It’s hard enough to watch film of your own cut-ups and everything else you got to do, but I still try to watch a lot of NFL tape to stay updated with what the trends are in that league, too. You can see everyone was running the Seattle defense and there’s still a lot of teams doing that. Now Coach (Vic) Fangio’s defense [which Barry had employed the past three seasons], it’s that whole cult of people who are doing that. So, those are fun things for us to study.”

And now, fun things to implement for Green Bay’s new defensive coordinator.

LaFleur Puts Himself in Spotlight With Bold Hiring of Hafley