The Packers ranked dead last in the league in total defense last year, a fact that was largely overshadowed by the fact that the team went 15-1. But it’s a fact that can’t be overlooked in Green Bay this year, and Packers cornerback Tramon Williams says things will be different in 2012.
Williams acknowledges that the Packers had a bad defense last season, but he also points out that the NFL’s use of total yards to rank defenses doesn’t tell the whole story: The Packers also ranked first in the league with 31 interceptions, so the secondary was making plays when it wasn’t giving up big plays.
“But at the end of the day, [did] we have a terrible defense? Yeah, we did, but we were productive out there,” Williams told the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “We did what we’ve always done. We turned the ball over. We have some things to build off now. We have some more pieces to the puzzle and we’re excited about it, and just ready to get back out there now.”
Williams says he knew as soon as the Packers lost to the Giants in the playoffs that the Packers’ front office would bolster the defense in the offseason, and by selecting six defensive players in the first five rounds of the NFL draft, they did just that.
“I was convinced when we finished the season, the day that we lost I was convinced,” Williams said. “Obviously, we know that the guys upstairs were going to get us some help, and they did that. We’re excited about the guys we brought in. To sit here and watch them practice every day, they open up eyes with something every day.”
An influx of young talent should prevent the Packers’ defense from being terrible again.