The Green Bay Packers are going to have a very different defense in 2024. With former defensive coordinator Joe Barry fired, head coach Matt LaFleur has turned to former Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley. Unlike Barry, who is a proponent of the Fangio-style defense, Hafley uses a 4-3 base defense that relies heavily on press coverage.
Hafley’s hiring as the new defensive coordinator has also meant there has been some changes on the rest of the defensive staff. Defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery, who had been with the team since 2015, was fired and quickly hired by the New England Patriots. In fact, of all the coaches on Barry’s staff, only Jason Rebrovich and Ryan Downard remain.
Rebrovich and Downard, however, will not have the same roles on the staff as they had in 2023. Rebrovich, who had been the Packers’ linebackers coach, is now the defensive line coach. Downard, who coached the safeties, is now the defensive backs coach.
In order to replace Rebrovich as linebackers coach, LaFleur and Hafley went out and got one of the most coveted defensive leaders on the market: Anthony Campanile.
The Green Bay Packers Hire Anthony Campanile
According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Packers were able to hire Anthony Campanile as their new linebackers coach. The New York Giants had interviewed him for their defensive coordinator position, and Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio had wanted him on his staff:
Pretty big coup for #Packers coach Matt LaFleur and DC Jeff Hafley. They are expected to hire former #Dolphins LBs coach Anthony Campanile, a source said. The #Giants had interviewed Campanile for their DC job and the #Eagles wanted him as a linebackers coach, the source said.
— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) February 6, 2024
Campanile was on Fangio’s staff with the Miami Dolphins last year as their linebackers coach. He had served in that role since 2020. Prior to that, he held various coaching roles on the collegiate level, including stops at Rutgers, Boston College, and Michigan.
Following Campanile’s hiring in Green Bay, the following video of him quoting Vince Lombardi in a motivational speech to the Dolphins players went viral on social media:
#Packers new LB coach Anthony Campanile quoting Lombardi and talking like this??????
SUPER. BOWL. pic.twitter.com/tIczpIfhOq
— CheeseheadTV 🧀 (@cheeseheadtv) February 6, 2024
Former Packers running back Ryan Grant also liked the hire:
Yooooo this is awesome!!!! I didn’t know that Ant got the position . He will be phenomenal for those guys. He will have them ready to play every week . Love this . For both sides . https://t.co/ishtpKilww
— Ryan Grant (@RyanGrant25) February 6, 2024
Campanile will also be the Packers’ run game coordinator. In a touch of irony, the Dolphins are replacing him on their staff with Joe Barry.
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19 and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!
