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Mike Pettine is the new defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers heading into the 2018 season. This is a position that Pettine intends to stay at for a long time, rather than use it as a stepping stone to get back to a head coaching gig elsewhere in the future.
In a press conference with the media on Wednesday, Pettine opened up about his tenure as the Cleveland Browns head coach, during which he compiled an underwhelming 10-22 record over two seasons.
“When I was the head coach, I didn’t enjoy the lack of interaction with the actual football part of it,” Pettine said. “I always made the comparison of going from being the teacher to now you’re the principal. As a coordinator [you’re] 90 percent football and 10 percent administrative stuff. That essentially flipped and I didn’t like it.”
During the 2017 season, Pettine worked as a team consultant with the Seattle Seahawks, which he said was a major influence for his interest in coaching again.
In his five seasons with the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills under former head coach Rex Ryan, Pettine’s defenses never finished outside the top 10 in total yards given up. Now that he is in Green Bay, he expects to get the team back to the great defense it once was when they won Super Bowl XLV.
“I always want our guys to know that scheme is worthless unless you play with great passion and great technique,” Pettine said. “I know people have said the system can be very complicated. We like to appear multiple without necessarily putting that much stuff in. So, it’s not a system that is overwhelming to learn.”
That's definitely a great attitude to have, coach Mike Pettine. Hopefully, he is able to quickly turn the Packers' defense — ranked 26th in total points allowed in 2017 — around into one of the league's better units.
