Jeff Hafley's defense will look similar to ones that beat Packers in the playoffs

During Thursday’s introductory press conference, Jeff Hafley played new defensive-coordinator bingo: play fast, be aggressive, simplify ideas for players, and light up quarterbacks when the situation calls for it. Winning a press conference doesn’t take John F. Kennedy’s charisma or Stephen Hawking’s intelligence, though Hafley shined by showing his intensity, affability, and focus on detail that makes him one of the most respected defensive coaches in football even if he doesn’t have the press clipping to match.

But how will the Green Bay Packers’ new DC actually accomplish his goal of playing fast, being aggressive, and simplifying concepts for his players, all while lighting up opposing quarterbacks and not being so aggressive the defense hemorrhages big plays?

He has a name for it: “vision and break.”

And it can be distilled into one essential sentence from his media availability: “I want to see as many players get to the ball carrier as fast as we can.”

Vision and break goes back to the Pete Carroll system — yes, everything that is old is new again. The staple coverage will be Cover 3, but how they get there will change consistently. Robert Saleh, who coached the San Francisco 49ers defense when Hafley was the defensive-backs coach, played more man than Carroll and those “Legion of Boom” units, but not as much as he plays now with the New York Jets.

It’s a defense that stymied Aaron Rodgers twice in the playoffs (the second time under DeMeco Ryans) and, to a lesser extent, against Jordan Love this year. It’s also a defense that helped Hafley turn Ohio State from 50th in points per game to second and 72nd in yards per play to first in his lone season as co-DC in Columbus.

Zone coverage doesn’t have to be passive. The Seattle Seahawks with Richard Sherman … or the 49ers with Sherman … or the 49ers now are great examples. They played man coverage at a bottom-five frequency this past season, but they were one of the fastest and most physical defenses in football. This defense is a mindset.