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Green Bay --- Again, the Green Bay Packers didn't dive into free agency. But in addition to Julius Peppers, they will be getting multiple starters back from injuries.

Echoing Casey Hayward, defensive lineman Mike Daniels believes these players returning can key a turnaround defensively. Hayward (hamstring), Clay Matthews (thumb), Nick Perry (foot) and co. should make a big difference, he said.

"Casey made a good point," said Daniels during the "Big Event for Little Kids" at Shopko Hall Saturday. "We get highly criticized on defense. That doesn’t rub us the right way by any means. But you have to understand a lot of us are always getting hurt. We have a lot of injuries we’re dealing with. So let us all play together for once. I feel as if this season you can see a lot of guys taking precaution to being healthy and making sure they can play all 16 games.

"We can all play together. Let us all play together on the field for once. We have a lot of really good players at all the positions. Let us all on the field for once.”

Talking to teammates on the phone, Daniels added that "the whole mentality in the building" will change.

He described the start to last season as a step.

“Last year, we were kind of getting there a little bit," Daniels said, "whereas now I feel like from top to bottom we’re going to go in a different direction.”

After a promising start to the 2013 season, Green Bay's defense -- particularly the run defense -- regressed sharply down the stretch.

The Packers defense as a whole finished 25th in total yardage, 25th in opposing passer rating and had only 11 interceptions in addition to opposing backs running free through November and December.

Rewatching his team's playoff loss to San Francisco, Daniels did see positives. Down to players the Packers never expected to play at certain spots, they nearly won at Lambeau Field. But he also says that 23-20 loss should sting all off-season. Allowing that sting to set in is only way to eventually overtake the 49ers.

"That’s something we can definitely learn from because there’s a lot of things where maybe a guy was a half-step off or maybe a guy might have lost concentration for a split second," Daniels said. "I know, me personally, I left a couple sacks out there. I know when we watch that tape, we need to let it bother us. We were focused on the number of yards they got on us two years ago.

"I think we need to actually let it bother us. When something bothers you, you don’t return to it.”