A second consecutive rough season for the Packers' defense cost coordinator Dom Capers his job after nine years.

With Green Bay finishing No. 22 in total defense (yards allowed) again while also falling further in scoring defense (points allowed) to No. 26, one would think there's no such thing as a quick fix. But then you look at the Packers' talent on every level and realize Capers' replacement is looking at an attractive assignment.

Capers' scheme and alignment, which were instrumental in the Packers' winning Super Bowl XLV seven seasons ago, had grown a little stale and didn't adjust as well to a personnel overhaul over the past four drafts.

With that in mind, this is what Green Bay needs out of the next leader of its defense to take full advantage of its many assets.

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More base 4-3 ...

The Packers' two best defensive players are linemen Mike Daniels and Kenny Clark. They are excellent anchors against the run when lined up next to each other as tackles. Dean Lowry showed flashes of being a disruptive force with regular snaps at end in his second season.

Green Bay, however, preferred to have either five defensive backs or four linebackers on the field under Capers. Because of the depth at those positions, it set up the Packers to play more bend and don't break, but in essence, they were picking their poison — either stay strong up front to stop run or prevent big pass plays, but not both.

As good as outside linebacker Clay Matthews has been, he's 31, and there's a clear decline as the wear and injuries have mounted. Nick Perry was slowed by multiple injuries in 2017, but he's their better all-around outside linebacker who can both get to the quarterback off the edge and stop the run.

Consider the fact that the Bills have gotten the best of Jerry Hughes in a 4-3 after earlier in his career when it looked like he was better suited for 3-4. There's a similar full-time path for Perry. His skill set is a good complement to that of Lowry. Going to a more regular front four with that pair, Daniels and Clark would give the Packers consistently effective run/pass versatility.

... but with less zone coverage ...

If the Packers decide to go with four linemen and three linebackers on most downs, they will develop another strength. With Jake Ryan, Blake Martinez and Josh Jones being on the field at the same time, they have three speedy guys who can cover a lot of ground on the second level. That in turn should make them want to be more aggressive with one-on-one cornerback coverage.

There was a reason Capers went more conservative. His team suddenly got much younger at corner and was susceptible to being burned deep when playing man-to-man. But by avoiding trial by fire, the Packers have gotten burned on intermediate routes all the way through the red zone.

MOCK DRAFT 2018:

Packers address defense early

With the hybrid Jones boosting safeties Morgan Burnett and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, those raw corners beyond veteran free-agent-to-be Davon House have a good support system. The Packers' successes are bound to outweigh the failures in taking more chances in coverage.

... and with less blitzing ...

The Steelers are still being called "Bltizburgh" under Keith Butler, and their league-high 56 sacks this season might indicate they are often sending extra men after the quarterback. In reality, Pittsburgh has toned down the blitzing significantly as it has gotten further away from the Capers-like Dick LeBeau style.

As the traditional 3-4 zone blitzing became too familiar across the league, it became less effective. Now what works is mixing it up with 4-3 concepts in a hybrid scheme. The Packers desperately tried to help their sagging pass rush, but their blitzes weren't getting to the QB and were further exposing the defensive backs — a double whammy. Instead, the focus should be more versatility to get to the QB from the line.

... with a deeper pass rush ...

The Seahawks and Falcons are good teams to copy here. Think of how effective Frank Clark was for Seattle as a situational pass-rusher behind Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril last season. Or how Adrian Clayborn has exploded for Atlanta in that role this season. Former Packers 3-4 outside linebacker Julius Peppers has delivered in a similar way back with the Panthers.

Matthews is a good place to start in following the lead of Peppers. Fewer snaps would allow him get more pop and still be productive.

The Packers should then prioritize either drafting or acquiring an end who can supplement Perry and Lowry. A bonus would be one who could slide inside and possibly replace Kenny Clark on obvious passing downs.

... and better defensive back development

The Packers might bring back House even though he had a shoulder injury late that kept him out of action and is entering his age-29 season. But as their best and most experienced corner this season, he was above average at best.

Green Bay used to turn young corners into stars, and it didn't matter if they were undrafted, such as Tramon Williams and Sam Shields. There was a steady progression from situational nickel work to a regular job outside. Green Bay thought it could do the same after letting 2012 second-rounder Casey Hayward walk last offseason — only to take a big hit while Hayward has emerged as an elite corner with the Chargers.

Between Demetri Goodson, Damarious Randall and Quintin Rollins, the Packers have failed to unearth a new gem, late- or early-round, for a variety of reasons. Kevin King, their 2017 high second-rounder, has some shutdown potential when he returns healthy from his shoulder injury, but it still went mostly untapped during his rookie season.

The Packers must find some answers and reliability on the back end through nickel and dime packages. Right now, they don't even know who their No. 1 corner will be in 2018.

It certainly wouldn't hurt for Green Bay's new coordinator to have experience working directly with defensive backs to help raise the secondary from unacceptable to respectable.

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