"Sometimes when you're coaching a different scheme you could accept a penalty once every other game. If we're in one of our 'Okie' (3-4) defenses and one of our guys jumps, that's undisciplined football. We don't really accept that." - Packers defensive line coach Mike Trgovac Credit: Mark Hoffman

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Green Bay - Under the tutelage of assistant coaches Mike Trgovac and Kevin Greene, the Green Bay Packers almost never jump offsides.

Based on STATS data, the Packers' defense has had merely two offsides penalties in the last season and a half, the fewest in the National Football League.

"That's crazy," defensive end Ryan Pickett said Friday. "Wow. We do drills all the time about staying on."

Sometimes the referee announces offsides as encroachment or a neutral-zone violation. Either way, the last defensive lineman to jump in the regular season was Pickett in Week 6 of the 2009 season.

Somewhat sheepishly, defensive end C.J. Wilson recalled that the D-line had an offsides penalty in the Super Bowl run. It was on him during garbage time of the blowout victory against Atlanta.

"Not giving anything to the offense cheap is important," said Greene, who coaches the group of outside linebackers that has had merely three offsides since he took over in 2009.

Clay Matthews had one in 2009, none last year and another last month. The third by an outside linebacker came against Frank Zombo in 2010.

"It's amazing how many guys give that up to get sacks," coach Mike McCarthy said. "Go look at the sack leaders. It's revealing, very revealing."

The Packers drew four offsides flags (only accepted penalties were counted) in 2009, giving them six over the last 2½ seasons. Kansas City leads during that span with five.

On the other hand, Tennessee has had 56 offsides penalties since 2009, followed by Detroit (45), Oakland (43) and Arizona (42). All of those teams have been 4-3 defenses, whereas the Packers and Kansas City employ the 3-4.

Because the Packers are in nickel 75% to 80% of the time, their outside linebackers are on the line functioning almost as rush linebackers. From there, their job is to watch the ball and try to time their get-off to the snap by the center.

"I got more than enough other stuff to coach other than spending 20 minutes saying, 'OK, this is how to stay onside,' " Greene said. "I mean, c'mon, let's be real. They're pros, man. I've just got to trust they'll stay onside."

Before the arrival of Dom Capers in 2009, the Packers had been a 4-3 defense since 1995 under coordinators Fritz Shurmur, Emmitt Thomas, Ed Donatell, Bob Slowik, Jim Bates and Bob Sanders.

From 2000-'08, the Packers' defensive linemen alone had 67 offsides penalties in the regular season, or 7.4 per season.

Memories of Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila loping across prematurely remain vivid. In his 8½ seasons, he had 26 penalties for offsides.

Another culprit was defensive lineman Cletidus Hunt, who counting playoffs was offsides 13 times from 1999-2004. Far more controlled were Aaron Kampman, five from 2002-'09; Corey Williams, five from 2004-'07; and Cullen Jenkins, two from 2004-'10.

Since Trgovac took over in '09, B.J. Raji remarkably hasn't had a single offsides. Jarius Wynn and Howard Green haven't had any, either, and Pickett has only three in 5½ seasons.

"He coaches the hell out of that," McCarthy said, referring to Trgovac. "He's the best I've ever seen about disciplining the upfront guys."

Trgovac, a D-line coach for most of his 28 years in coaching, played middle guard in a slant 5-2 defense at Michigan in the late 1970s under Bo Schembechler.

"You know Bo, he was gruff on everything," said Trgovac. "He would rip you."

So unlike his mentor, Trgovac seldom raises his voice. Ask Green, who in his tour of the NFL has seen his share of line coaches. It's not what Trgovac teaches, according to Green, but how he teaches it.

"It's the way you get your point across to your guys," Green said. "That makes the difference."

The defensive linemen in Green Bay find it easier to stay onsides because of what they're asked to do in the 3-4. In a read-and-react system, several players said they watch the blocker across from them, not the ball.

"I think it's a big thing for Dom," said Trgovac. "We're not like some teams that are just flying off the ball.

"Sometimes when you're coaching a different scheme you could accept a penalty once every other game. If we're in one of our 'Okie' (3-4) defenses and one of our guys jumps, that's undisciplined football. We don't really accept that."

For the most part, the job requirements change in nickel, especially in passing situations. That's when the Packers' D-linemen have more chances to watch the ball, time the snap count and get after the passer.

On third down and 5 yards or fewer, Trgovac gives his players a hand signal to remind them not to commit what he calls "really dumb, stupid" penalties that give the opponent an automatic first down.

Trgovac, several of his players and Zombo all said having the chance to work against quarterback Aaron Rodgers for months on end was a significant factor why the Packers are almost never offsides.

"Aaron's probably got the best hard count in football," said Pickett. "So you get in a game, it's pretty easy."

DEFENSIVE OFFSIDES 2010-'11

Fewest

2 Green Bay 4 Kansas City 4 New England

Most

34 Tennessee 33 Detroit 28 Oakland