Bears

Packers

Jonathan Gannon enters his first year as the Packers’ defensive coordinator following his time as the Cardinals’ head coach. Gannon is glad to have the opportunity to work with HC Matt LaFleur and quickly knew he wanted to coach for Green Bay. 

“Obviously, Matt, having known him for a little bit of time, competed against them for a decent amount of time, it was really cool I got the opportunity to come link up with him,” Gannon said, via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. “I think Matt’s a savant, so he can go from topic to topic to topic and you’ve got to be pretty wired up or you’ll fall behind pretty quick. (The interview) was intense. I was sweating. I was in a coat and tie and I think I was sweating a little bit. It was fun. It was fun. I got home off the plane and I told my wife, Gina, ‘This is where I want to go.’”

As for deploying a 4-3 or 3-4 system, Gannon said his focus is to adapt to his new cast of players

“You’ve got to continually, every year, try to adapt and solve problems and really with your guys in mind,” Gannon said. “This is a whole new crew for me that we’re just getting ready to learn, all new different players … yeah, there are some principles. There are some things I like to do, but it’s only if our players can do it. I told them the other day, if we’re not good at this, just because I like to do it, we’re not going to do it. That’s our job. We’ve got to put them in the best positions possible, that they feel comfortable that they can go out and play the game.”

Gannon wants to create a “fast, violent, physical team” that can force turnovers. 

“I’m really big into play style, as Matt is. The game is about the ball. You’ve got to find ways to take it away. Our job is to get Jordan back on the field as quick as we can. Schematic and technical execution, so play fast,” Gannon said. “I think that’s what a good defense looks like — a fast, violent, physical team that takes the ball away.”

Vikings 

Regarding Vikings’ third-round DT Domonique Orange, Iowa State defensive assistant Bryce Paup said he was most impressed by Orange’s athleticism, but admits that he was a bit overworked with the Cyclones. 

“For me, what stood out most was his athleticism,” Paup said, via Alec Lewis of The Athletic. “When he plays hard, he’s a force. Sometimes, he’ll get a little tired. He probably won’t play as many plays there as he did here, but we made him play more plays than we should’ve because of a lack of depth.”

Former Iowa State assistant athletic director for player personnel Derek Hoodjer called Orange the “foundation” for their defense. 

“He was utterly dominant at his best, as good as anybody,” Hoodjer said. “He became much more consistent, and in his senior year, he was the foundation for us.”

As for third-round OT Caleb Tiernan, private OL coach Duke Manyweather compared Tiernan to former Browns and Chiefs OT Mitchell Schwartz.

“I’ve been around both of them,” Manyweather said. “And Mitch was a college left tackle. In the run game, he was a mauler, smooth and efficient. I think Caleb is the same, but I do think Caleb is more explosive than Mitch was — his jumps, his power, his finishing. And their demeanors are similar. They’re cerebral.”