GREEN BAY — Joe Whitt chose his words cautiously — out of respect for Dom Capers as a person, coach and mentor.
Whitt had just been asked how the Green Bay Packers defense has changed in the wake of coach Mike McCarthy’s decision in January to hire Mike Pettine to replace Capers as the team’s defensive coordinator, and Whitt wanted to be careful not to say anything that would disparage Capers, who’d held the job for nine seasons.
Nevertheless, a picture of the biggest difference between Capers and Pettine is emerging from players and coaches alike this offseason: After some obvious confusion and miscommunication on defense last season — and, at times, in prior years — Pettine’s KILL (Keep It Likable and Learnable) philosophy has been a hit, because everyone involved believes it’ll eliminate those moments of uncertainty that too often resulted in big plays by opposing offenses.