The Green Bay Packers went in a different direction at defensive coordinator, firing Joe Barry and hiring former Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley. So far, so good. Players have liked what Hafley brings to the table, schematically and in terms of leadership.
But no description has been funnier than what cornerback Keisean Nixon mentioned on the Up and Adams Show.
"Haf is a cool dude. Short guy, so he's kinda got that little man syndrome, I think, but he's competitive as hell," Nixon jokingly said. "He goes at Matt LaFleur, that's something new for me. He brings the best out of us. His defense is ready to go for sure."
It's still early to be sure about how the new defensive scheme will work, but players are mostly happy with the attitude. Nixon mentioned how practice has been good regarding Hafley's approach to Matt LaFleur.
"He's not scared of the head coach being an offensive guy," Nixon said. "Haf came in right away, blitzing on third down, he was ready to go."
After two consecutive one-year deals with the Packers, Keisean Nixon has finally signed a longer-term contract. In the offseason, he agreed to sign a three-year deal that can go up to $18 million. Part of the decision to stay in Green Bay was the potential he saw talking to Hafley.
"We've had big conversations, that's one of the reasons why I came back," Nixon added. "Jeff is a competitive guy, he's a defensive backs coach also, so he brings that. I'd never had my DC be a DB guy too. I think it's a great idea, I think it was a great decision."
The Packers, in fact, built a defensive coach staff focused on the secondary. Beyond defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, who has a background coaching defensive backs in the NFL, the staff has Derrick Ansley as a passing game coordinator, and Ryan Downard as a defensive backs coach.
