Matt LaFleur vindicates Packers run defense schematic approach

Matt LaFleur defended the Green Bay Packers defensive approach in his Monday press conference, after the team gave up 205 rushing yards in a 23-19 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. When asked about the personnel choices with a lighter front, the Packers head coach discussed the semantics of what a defensive lineman is.

"That is baffling to me, when people talk nickel defense and they talk about two down linemen," LaFleur said. "Because I don't know what that means. Outside linebackers, just so you know how us in this profession view outside linebackers, when you go to nickel defense, they're defensive ends. And we have some of the bigger outside linebackers in this league. So I think it's comical when I hear people talk about 'oh, they have two down linemen'. To me, people are exposing themselves when they say that. There are four defensive linemen on the field."

While that's true, this is not exactly the point of the discussion. Nowadays, everyone is used to the new terminologies. Nickel defense is the real base defense for a long time, so the differences between 4-3 and 3-4 defenses are not as important as they were. That's why analysts have standardized calling the positions as interior defensive linemen, edge defenders, and off-ball linebackers. In practicality, there's no significant difference between a 4-3 defensive end and a 3-4 outside linebacker, but that's not the point of the question regarding the Packers run defense.

The big question

In base defense, the Packers have three interior defensive linemen and two edge defenders. When they go to nickel, there are multiple options to take someone off the field to add a fifth defensive back. They can take an interior defensive lineman, which has been the case in some circumstances, or an off-ball linebacker.

If the team wants to prioritize stopping the run, they can even keep a base defense on the field against 11 personnel, moving one of the two safeties to the nickel or replacing him with a nickel corner.

So it's not a question of semantics or nomenclatures. It's a fair question about personnel choices.

Pack A Day Podcast analyst Andy Herman has a good example here.