Seriously, isn’t it getting a little crowded in the Green Bay Coaches room? The Green Bay Packers have hired Five time pro-bowler, Kevin Greene to be the Outside Linebackers Coach. This addition means that current Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers Coach Winston Moss has to change his title to Assistant Head Coach/Inside Linebackers Coach.
This is an interesting hire because Green Bay did not initiate the contact. Reportedly, Greene called the Packers after he found out that his old Head coach, Dom Capers, is the new Defensive Coordinator in the Land of Cheese.
After clearing the interview with Head Coach Mike McCarthy, Capers brought Greene up to for a meeting. After talking with Capers, McCarthy, and Moss, Greene seems to have found himself in the right place. He is excited about the opportunity he is being offered.
Greene said, "I'm tickled to death. It's an awesome day for me. The opportunity to be a coach for the Green Bay Packers.” He went on to add, "I played four years with Dom, two in Pittsburgh and two in Carolina. Two of those years I led the NFL in sacks. We were always very productive with our 3-4 blitz scheme. I'm very familiar with what he's trying to implement."
“I’m just fired up. I played fired up as you probably know. I played with passion and desire. I have 15 years of on-field experience and my knowledge of how to play this position is second to none.”
Greene is third on the all-time sack list with 160 in his 15 year career. Note that for three of those years he wasn’t even a starter.
Greene has previously served as a volunteer coach for the last five years in places such as Pittsburgh, Miami, Jacksonville, St. Louis and Cincinnati.
"He gave us a lot of technique tips," James Harrison, the 2008 NFL defensive player of the year, said when asked about Greene during a Super Bowl XLIII media gathering. "He's going to be real intense."
While in Carolina playing for Capers, Greene personified the 3-4 outside linebacker. His understanding of the position will help the many potential outside linebackers such as Aaron Kampman and Brady Poppinga adjust to a new position.
I am glad that Greene has been brought in to help with the implementation of the 3-4. I hope that his fiery demeanor will serve to add some passion to the Packers defense. In addition, his youth should help Capers to communicate with the young Packer squad.
I have one question though. Do they really need one coach for the outside linebackers and one coach for the inside linebackers?
Sources: JSOnline.com, pro-football-reference.com