Tramon Williams says NFL teams caught up to Dom Capers' scheme

When Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy finally fired embattled defensive coordinator Dom Capers in January, one of the reasons he cited was a lack of communication on that side of the ball.

What went unsaid in McCarthy’s public critique of Capers was the rest of the NFL catching up to what was once considered a cutting-edge defensive scheme.

Packers cornerback Tramon Williams acknowledged that during a radio appearance Friday on ESPN-Milwaukee (540-AM) when asked about the importance of new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine.

“Mike (Pettine) is a really big addition,” Williams said. “Obviously, I think a new scheme and look to this defense is what we really needed. To bring him in, a guy whose defense has performed at a high level pretty much everywhere he has went ... From the Jets to Baltimore, even in Cleveland we had a really great defense.

“To bring him in here ... I think his defense is modern day. I was here in the era when Dom first came in. When he first came in, the defense was modern era and obviously, the league caught up to it. ... You have to make certain adjustments and over the years those adjustments weren’t made.”

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Williams said he is excited to be with the Packers on his second go-around while playing in a scheme that will be able to adjust to what modern offenses are doing.

“Now you have a whole new offense," Williams said. "Quarterbacks are better. It’s a passing league. Things have to change and you have to make adjustments and I think Pettine has that mindset of knowing how to get to quarterbacks and how to attack protections and these different things with keeping it simple.”

Williams played for two seasons in Cleveland, where Pettine served as head coach. Williams started 22 of 27 games in which he appeared with the Browns.

The 6-foot, 192-pound Williams had a bounce-back year for the Arizona Cardinals last season. He signed with the team four months after the Browns released him and was inactive for one game and a backup for five games before replacing Justin Bethel in the starting lineup.

The Packers signed Williams to a two-year free-agent deal in March.