College Is ‘Different Game,’ So Will Jeff Hafley’s Defense Work for Packers?

College football and the NFL are worlds apart. So, why will the Green Bay Packers’ defense thrive under former Boston College coach Jeff Hafley?

GREEN BAY, Wis. – In his search for a defensive coordinator to replace Joe Barry, Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur interviewed several of the top defensive minds in the NFL, ranging from up-and-coming assistants such as Bobby Babich and Dennard Wilson to former head coach Brandon Staley.

In those cases, LaFleur could have turned on the film to see how their defensive philosophies would actually work against real NFL offenses.

Instead, LaFleur is giving it the old college try with Boston College coach Jeff Hafley.

After seven seasons coaching defensive backs in the NFL, Hafley was the defensive coordinator at Ohio State in 2019 and the head coach at Boston College from 2020 through 2023.

The star-studded Ohio State defense was the best in the nation. His undermanned Boston College defense ranked 87th out of 133 FBS teams in points allowed last season.

“When I talk to my friends in the NFL and we talk defense together, it’s almost a different game,” Hafley said on a podcast conducted just before he joined the Packers. “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.”

How does Hafley know if his philosophies will work in the NFL?

“Well, it’s going to be a little different than what we did at BC,” Hafley said during his introductory news conference at Lambeau Field on Thursday. “At BC, you had to worry about the quarterback pulling the ball and running every single play, So, when I went back [to the college game in 2019], I had to adapt to that. Because I remember going back from when I was in San Francisco and, all of a sudden, the quarterback was running the ball every play. I was like, ‘Woah, this is a little bit different, right?’

“So, you’ve got to watch the film, you’ve got to adjust. I’ve paid very close attention to the NFL. A lot of times at night, I turn on the film and watch what very similar people, a lot of close friends on defense, were doing, and I’ve stayed up to date on a lot of it.”

For his part, LaFleur downplayed the differences.

“I think it’s more similar than you think,” LaFleur said. “Nowadays, a lot of the things that are happening in college football, you’re finding them at the NFL level. Now, there are some differences in terms of the rules. The dimensions of the field, certainly some of the skill-sets of some of the players (are different), but he’s done a great job wherever he’s been. I thought he’s always been able to maximize the capabilities of his players.”

It’s not as if Hafley will be implementing some sort of odd-ball defense. His Boston College defenses ran a lot of Cover-1 and Cover-3. While former defensive coordinator Joe Barry came to Green Bay running a lot of Vic Fangio-style Cover-2, the Packers last season ran the eighth-highest percentage of Cover-3 snaps in the NFL, according to data provided to Packer Central by Pro Football Focus.

Moreover, LaFleur assembled a veteran defensive staff. Defensive passing-game coordinator Derrick Ansley was the Chargers’ defensive coordinator last year. Linebackers coach Anthony Campanile held that same role for the Dolphins the last four seasons and was a coordinator candidate this year. Defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich and defensive backs coach Ryan Downard are holdovers. Assistant defensive line coach Vince Oghobaase worked with Hafley with the 49ers and at Boston College.

“We’ve got a great staff,” Hafley said. “It goes back to, what is this team going to be able to do best to allow us to win games. And whether those ideas come from the staff and we all put it together, I mean, that’s how I’m going to do it here. I’ve been a head coach now and I think that’s helped me, and I think that will help me be a better coordinator because I’m more open to ideas.

“I don’t care whose idea it is. If it’s the best idea and it’s going to help us win games, then that’s what we’re going to do, and that’s what we’re in the process of doing now as we piece it all together.”

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