Jeff Hafley was faced with a problem. He was assisted in solving it by Matt LaFleur, the head coach of the Green Bay Packers.

He was appointed by LaFleur to succeed Joe Barry as the defensive coordinator for the Packers.

Hafley spent his whole career as a coordinator and defensive coach for NFL and collegiate football clubs before taking over as head coach of Boston collegiate four years ago. But it sounded like Hafley was getting bored of the non-football aspects of running a collegiate team in 2024, given the emergence of Name, Image, and Likeness, or NIL, for players, the never-ending transfer portal, and dealing with boosters.

Before joining the Packers, Hafley stated he missed being a real coach on the field in an interview with Adam Breneman, the host of the Next Up With Adam podcast on CBS Sports Network, while working at his Boston College offices.

“Now that I’m the ‘general manger’ and you’re trying to manage ‘the cap’ and you don’t really know what the cap is and now you’re fundraising,” Hafley stated. “Well, I’d like to be a football coach. Now that it’s back to priorities, I want to coach defense more than I did the previous season. I was able to coach once more. I need to find out how I’m going to coach DBs because I miss doing it.”

Shortly after uttering those words, he discovered the solution and left BC to take charge of the Packers defense.

Hafley coached defense for 18 years in college and the NFL, primarily with defensive backs, until joining Boston College following the 2019 season.

He has made appearances in collegiate basketball at Ohio State, Albany, Pittsburgh, and Rutgers. Additionally, he has coached defensive backs with the San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL.

Hafley has only had one season as a defensive coordinator. That occurred at Ohio State in 2019, a noteworthy year for the defense unit. The Buckeyes boasted a top-10 rush and pass defense and the second-best scoring defense in the nation, allowing just 12.5 points per contest. They earned a spot in the College Football Playoffs as well.

In his interview with Breneman, Hafley stated that his goal is to shut down the middle of the field when a safety and four-down linemen are present.

In reference to his coverages over his career, he stated, “I started to adapt.”

Hafley stated that he is aware that stopping a quarterback who tries to escape the pocket is essential to winning. Over the years, the Packers have been susceptible in this area when they have faced a mobile quarterback. This past season, particularly when they were destroyed by Tommy DeVito, the rookie quarterback for the New York Giants, was evidence of that at times.

Hafley remarked, “You just gotta stop the quarterback run game.” When comparing the college and professional games, it’s practically like playing a separate game. Because the NFL quarterback will run the ball in crucial situations, such as the red zone, on third down, or during a championship game. Thus, you must alter.”

Additionally, he stated that, although it is acceptable to be “unbalanced” in a college game, it is not acceptable in the NFL.

“The ball is in the middle of the field the whole game,” Hafley stated. “The game is different. It’s been enjoyable to follow.”

It will no longer require him to follow it from a distance.