Three days removed from their season-ending defeat at the hands of the of 49ers, Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator Dom Capers cited that modifications are in order following his unit surrendering 579 yards of offense during their divisional round matchup against San Francisco.
The 62-year-old Capers added that he plans on being around to oversee the aforementioned modifications, too.
“The challenge is to make sure we get this fixed,” said Capers to reporters on Tuesday, as reported by packers.com. “My plan is to be here. We have a young group that’s ascending. All the stats say that.”
While Capers, who joined the organization in January 2009, oversaw a unit that improved its per game averages of yards allowed (from 32nd in the league a season ago to 11th in 2012) and points allowed (from 19th to 11th), the past two postseason defeats have been nothing short of desultory for Green Bay from a defensive standpoint.
One season removed from bowing out to the Super Bowl-bound New York Giants in the divisional round following a 15-1 regular season via yielding 37 points and 420 yards of total offensive, among others, the green and gold allowed a franchise-worst 579 yards of offense to the 49ers, including 181 rushing yards (only three of which were after contact) accumulated by second-year quarterback Colin Kaepernick—a league record for a signal caller.
As a result, speculation around Capers’ future with the organization has intensified. Nevertheless, Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy cited he is very confident that Capers will return with the franchise for the 2013 campaign.
“I feel very confident that Dom Capers is going to be our defensive coordinator,” noted McCarthy, who is 74-38 during his seven years in Titletown, as reported by ESPN.com. “I think it’s totally premature to make those types of [decisions]. That’s what knee-jerk reactive people do…I trust [Capers], the level of responsibility he has with our coaching staff.
“There is a process that goes on. I would not do my job, I would not fulfill my responsibility, if I didn’t look at the job that Dom Capers has done, what Mike McCarthy has done, what [offensive coordinator] Tom Clements has done, all the way down.”
Added Capers, as reported by the AP, “I’ve seen us make great strides this year. It didn’t look like it the other night, but I’ve seen us make great strides and I think with the number of young people we’ve got that we can move forward with this group.
“The challenge now is to go back to work. Make sure we get this fixed so these type of teams that we’re playing against next year, the same thing doesn’t happen.”
Prior to joining the Green Bay coaching staff, Capers, a native of Cambridge, Ohio, served as the secondary coach and special assistant with the New England Patriots (2008); defensive coordinator with the Miami Dolphins (2007); head coach of the Houston Texans (2002-05); the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defensive coordinator (1999-2000); and the head coach of the Carolina Panthers (1995-98), to name a few.
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