GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Jaire Alexander didn't wait long to find out what new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley was all about.
Actually, he didn't wait at all.
It was Feb. 12 -- the day after Super Bowl Sunday and the first day Hafley officially started on the job with the Green Bay Packers.
"The first day he came in, I was in his office," said Alexander, the Packers' two-time All-Pro cornerback. "I talked to all the coaches."
From Day 1, Alexander came away optimistic.
"He was very open to suggestions, ideas from me, which a lot of coaches don't wanna hear sometimes," Alexander recalled. "And I just knew from that point we're gonna have something."
Six months -- and an offseason worth of meetings, film sessions, workouts and practices -- later, Alexander feels the same way, even if he can't know for sure whether that's the annual preseason optimism talking or an actual solution to the defensive issues that have held the Packers back at times.
Coach Matt LaFleur's search for that solution landed him on Hafley, who had been the head coach at Boston College before LaFleur tabbed him as his third defensive coordinator in his six seasons in Green Bay. While previous defensive coordinator Joe Barry was well-liked in the building and in the locker room, LaFleur's decision to go with an off-the-radar candidate showed just how much he wanted to shake things up.
From one end of the locker room to the other, the enthusiasm for Hafley's defense keeps growing.
The biggest change came up front, where Hafley's system transitioned the Packers from a 3-4 to a 4-3 base scheme. What's more, it gave those up front who had been charged with just filling gaps and playing contain to flow more aggressively. The sound of that appealed to veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark even though he's coming off one of his best seasons with 7.5 sacks and a third Pro Bowl appearance.
"I think it's going to be huge, man," Clark said. "This is going to allow me to really show my talents, and I think it's just going to be a really good thing. It fits me. It fits how I like to play. It fits my mentality and my mindset, and I'm excited to see what I can do in this system."
Ditto for Rashan Gary, whose entire position group changed from outside linebacker to defensive end. Gary has thrived so far in practice. He has had multiple training camp practices with multiple sacks. Take Saturday's night practice at Lambeau Field, where 60,000-plus fans saw him wreck one team period with a pressure, a sack and a tackle for loss -- all within a four-play stretch.
The biggest difference for Gary and fellow edge rushers Preston Smith, Lukas Van Ness and Kingsley Enagbare in Hafley's system?
"Hand in the dirt and not dropping back," Gary said. "That simple."
Gary said he and his fellow defensive ends "feel more explosive coming out of a 3-point stance."
Pressure from the likes of Clark and Gary has turned training camp into an interception fest. While that has been curbed somewhat since Jordan Love began practicing after receiving his contract extension, it has been an impressive showing from the secondary, especially considering how much trouble the defense had last season intercepting the ball. Only the Titans had fewer picks than the Packers' seven in 2023. In camp, they're already approaching 20 interceptions.
Second-round pick Javon Bullard and fourth-round pick Evan Williams -- who are competing along with second-year pro Anthony Johnson Jr. for one starting spot -- plus the addition of free agent Xavier McKinney have revamped the entire safety position.
Bullard has already shown how aggressive and physical he likes to play, while Williams has intercepted as many passes (four) as anyone through the first two-and-a-half weeks. The safety position combined has eight picks among McKinney, Bullard, Williams and Johnson. In Wednesday's practice alone, McKinney and Williams ended 11-on-11 periods with interceptions of Love, including a leaping pick in the end zone by Williams on a pass intended for Christian Watson.
"A lot of it just comes down to them explaining it; I mean they're just coaching truthfully," Williams said. "Just how well coach Haf explains the 'why' behind certain coverages. It just makes the information a lot more sticky. If you know what we're calling a call for, or what we're looking for in certain calls -- so, yeah, I guess us rookies have been able to pick up pretty quickly and be playmakers out there."
That doesn't mean it's a simplistic scheme that quarterbacks will easily figure out.
"I think the defense has done a great job of mixing up looks," Love said. "They never really give you the same two looks back to back. They do a great job of mixing it up. The safeties are always moving and they make stuff all look the same with their pressures, with their disguise. They'll show pressure, drop out.
"So it's really a mind game for the quarterback trying to tell what they're in. And I think right now they're doing a great job of being able to pass stuff off and kinda understanding where they need to be in the zones, in the man and communicating well with each other."