McCarthy gets his 3-4 man

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The Green Bay Packers will switch to a predominantly 3-4 defense under Dom Capers.

Green Bay Packers’ Head Coach Mike McCarthy announced the hiring of the former Carolina and Houston head coach Monday as the Pack’s new defensive coordinator.

The 58-year-old Capers replaces Bob Sanders, who was fired with a half-dozen other assistants two weeks ago.

“I'm in favor of the 3-4 because it's the body type that I think will enhance the type of football we want to play here in Green Bay, particularly in November and December,” said McCarthy.

McCarthy said Capers will be a good fit because of his credibility and one of his priorities was to hire a coordinator with experience in that spot.

“His vision of playing defense and my vision of how we're going to move forward in Green Bay I would say is a big part of why I think he's an outstanding fit for our organization,” said McCarthy.

Capers was a defensive chief for three NFL teams during 23 years as a coach in the league.

McCarthy said the 3-4 creates problems for offenses and the Packers will continue to use the 4-3 alignment when it’s called for.

McCarthy also talked for the first time about the firings of the other assistants – most notably, strength-and-conditioning coach Rock Gullickson.

McCarthy said he didn’t see enough growth in Gullickson’s job, or the others who were let go. He said the same mistakes made in McCarthy’s first year as coach were many of the same errors made two years later in 2008.

McCarthy says there’s no timetable for replacing all the assistants, but he wants to complete the process soon.

“Upon Dom Capers' arrival, we'll move forward with the other assistant coaches. We've had a number of coaches in town throughout last week and we'll continue this week. He's been updated of the individuals that we're talking to, and we'll move through that process this week together,” McCarthy said.

The Packers will introduce their new defensive coordinator at a news conference today (Tuesday).

McCarthy added that he believes that the personnel they have will fit well into the 3-4 scheme.

“I think your personnel format changes. Obviously you are dealing with more linebacker types, both inside and outside. The description and body types and measurable and so forth of our down linemen we all need to be on the same page of. I feel strongly that most of those pieces are already here,” McCarthy said.

Tags: wisconsin sports, packers, dom, capers