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DVOA, EPA/play, success rate, pass coverage, pass rush, run. You name a stat, and the Green Bay Packers defense was better with Jeff Hafley in 2024 than it had been under Joe Barry. Nonetheless, Hafley doesn’t think what he did last year is enough.
The first year of a coordinator is tough and eventful in the NFL, especially coming from college. Hafley, who had never called plays in the pros, had to round out his coaching staff and teach the scheme to his assistants during last offseason. The system evolved throughout the year based on what the players could do and which players he had available, and now it's time to take the next step.
With the scheme in place, Year 2 brings new challenges. To keep improving, Hafley is counting on head coach Matt LaFleur's football IQ to solve X's and O's issues and avoid stagnation. During the process of watching tape with the coaching assistants, Hafley had LaFleur in all the meetings.
"He sat in all of them," Hafley revealed during his press conference on Monday. "We bounced ideas off of him, I bounced ideas off of him. I asked what he thought the offense was trying to do here, what he would think they would do moving forward, what he thinks of certain pressures, certain coverages. We talked a lot more football, because I wasn't just meeting with the staff trying to implement the defense. So we had a lot more football conversation, and I think that helped a lot."
Evolution
The Packers' defense played its best football down the stretch last year, but picking up where it left off is not an automatic feat. Hafley's first challenge with the new version of his defense is to get back to where they were late in 2024.
"In a perfect world, you want to get back to where you left off as fast as possible and build from there. So how fast can we do that? We have guys who have played in this system, we have some new pieces we need to add," Hafley explained. "We need to evolve, we can't just do the same things and say 'here's the playbook, this is what we're running." No, we're a different team, it's a different year, offenses are gonna evolve, we have to evolve."
Last year, the Packers were fourth in EPA/play and 21st in success rate. This combination of stats means the defense created a lot of big plays and had good overall efficiency, but the down-by-down success wasn't ideal. This is something Hafley wants corrected.
"I would say I'd like us to be more consistent," Hafley added. "There's a lot of things we did do well, but I think the consistency needs to improve, certainly I need to improve. Looking at myself personally, how I called the games, what I called, when I called it, how I got to certain things, can I get there faster, my relationship with the players in Year 2. I feel like there's a trust built, so the relationship can get even better."
Jeff Hafley's performance in his first year as an NFL coordinator put him on the head coaching radar. His communication skills and the college HC background make him an automatic candidate. If the Packers keep evolving on defense, it won't take long for Hafley to have bigger opportunities.
More must-reads:
- Giants' Jaxson Dart discusses how he has already improved during training camp
- Jets RB Breece Hall opens up about uncertain future amid rumors
- The 'Single-season sack leaders by NFL team' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Cowboys make questionable move amid Micah Parsons stalemate
The Dallas Cowboys extended one of their stars Sunday, just not the one fans wanted them to pay. At Cowboys training camp Saturday, Dallas fans serenaded owner Jerry Jones with "Pay Micah [Parsons]" chants. The EDGE, of course, is set to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract this season. Jones must not have been listening. He gave tight end Jake Ferguson a new contract instead. Dallas and the 26-year-old pass-catcher agreed to a four-year, $52M contract extension, via NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. This move seems head-scratching. Parsons has won the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year and earned two first-team All-Pro nods since the Cowboys took him with pick No. 12 in the 2021 NFL Draft. The 26-year-old EDGE also finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Ferguson, meanwhile, is solid but not elite. In three seasons with the Cowboys, the 2022 fourth-round pick has made one Pro Bowl and has never finished with more than 761 receiving yards in a season. An extension for Parsons will devour future cap space. The Cowboys may be worried about that after giving quarterback Dak Prescott (four years, $240M) and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (four years, $136M) long-term deals in 2024. Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt signed a lucrative three-year, $123M extension on July 17, making him the league's highest-paid non-QB. Parsons could command a similar contract. If cap space is Dallas' primary concern, however, why would it extend Ferguson? He's now set to be the NFL's seventh-highest-paid TE. The Cowboys waited to extend Lamb and Prescott just before the start of the 2024 season. They may be doing the same with Parsons. The star defender has said, "Ownership is always gonna make [contract negotiations] drag out." Regardless, the Cowboys should've paid Parsons before Ferguson. That's a much bigger priority for the team.
Aaron Rodgers’ True Colors Revealed at Training Camp After Offering Olive Branch to Terry Bradshaw
Longtime Maple Leafs Defenseman in Serious Contract Dispute With His New Team
The longtime former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins is in a serious contract dispute with his new team, the Buffalo Sabres. Nobody appears happy to stay with the Buffalo Sabres organization. Most of the talented players on the team were included in trade or free agency rumors, and now, Timmins doesn't appear too excited to sign with the team. Indeed, the Restricted Free Agent, who was traded by the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Sabres earlier this offseason for Connor Clifton and a second-round pick, isn't close to reaching a deal in Buffalo. With arbitration hearings set to take place over the coming days, Timmins and the Sabres are likely to meet for that reason soon. Unless a deal is reached before then, the hearing will take place on August 2nd. The Ontario native is coming off a rocky season, where he played 51 games for the Leafs and 17 more in Pittsburgh after being traded. In those 68 games, the 26-year-old defenseman tallied 15 points, including three goals. After seeing three players around the NHL reach deals before their hearing date, some fans hoped to see the Sabres and Timmins sign a contract soon, but multiple reports confirmed that there hasn't been any 'traction' between both camps. As of now, five more players are scheduled to have salary hearings. Here's the full list, per PuckPedia: Arvid Soderblom (Chicago Blackhawks) - July 28 Maksim Tsyplakov (New York Islanders) - July 29 Dylan Samberg (Winnipeg Jets) - July 30 Conor Timmins (Buffalo Sabres) - August 2 Nicholas Robertson (Toronto Maple Leafs) - August 3 Jayden Struble (Montreal Canadiens) - August 3 It'll be interesting to see what kind of contract Timmins would get in a hearing, or if a deal will be reached before the date. With the Sabres' reputation, it's not surprising to see that he appears reluctant to sign in Buffalo. Hopefully for their fans, massive changes will be done to the team to make sure they can attract top talent and convince them to stay with the team.
Bruins' David Pastrnak Calls Out Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: He Just Lacks Humility'
Juraj Slafkovsky is one of the most promising players in the NHL, but now he has been called out by David Pastrnak, who stated he lacks humility. After being picked No. 1 overall in 2022 NHL Draft, expectations were high in Montreal for young star Juraj Slafkovsky, and thus far, he's shown glimpses of being the elite level player many expected when he entered the National Hockey League. However, there are still some major steps to go, and in a recent interview, Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak pointed out perhaps one area where the 21-year old may need to improve moving forward. When asked about Slafkovsky and his potential, Pastrnak gave nothing but a glowing review of the young Canadiens star, but he did note that he believes Slafkovsky needs more humility. 'He's still a young player who is gaining experience in the NHL every year. This season it was already clear that he gave the team more than before...He just needs a little more humility, he should set an example for the young ones.' On the ice, there's no doubting that Slafkovsky has the presence, the size and the talent to be a true star, posting 101 total points over the past two seasons, but for whatever reason, it appears as though Pastrnak believes he needs to improve off the ice before he can take a major leap in Montreal. Ultimately, the talent is still there for Slafkovsky, and at 21-years old, he'll continue to learn off the ice, and if he can go anywhere close to living up to the potential that he's shown in his first three years at the NHL level, there's no doubt that he can be a big time star and help lead the Canadiens to significant post-season success.
Raiders could rely on another rookie to start early
The first week of training camp for the Las Vegas Raiders has been a whirlwind as far as roster placement is concerned. Sixth overall pick Ashton Jeanty is the undisputed starting running back, but that is hardly a surprise. What is more curious, however, is fourth-round rookie Dont’e Thornton Jr. running on the first-team offense with wide receivers Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker. Second-round pick Jack Bech is also impressing at training camp, so the Raiders could reasonably start three rookies early during the 2025 season. The youth movement also appears to be taking hold on the defensive side of the ball, as well. Is this rookie ready to take heavy responsibility for the Raiders this season? According to Raiders team writer Levi Edwards, third-round pick Darien Porter is emerging as a first-team cornerback, suggesting he is a candidate to start early on. Porter already appears to have gained the trust of head coach Pete Carroll, which is a good thing for his NFL prospects. A converted wide receiver, Porter only has one season of starting experience with Iowa State last year. However, Porter was fantastic for the Cyclones, allowing a 29.4% completion rate and a measly 4.7 passer rating when targeted. Carroll likely saw many of the same traits as Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen in Porter, and the veteran head coach seems ready to repeat the process like he did with his former team. Jakorian Bennett and Eric Stokes will still give Porter some competition, but it currently stands as if the rookie will get his chance to shine as early as Week One against the New England Patriots.
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