ShareThisGREEN BAY, Wis. - Quarterback Jay Cutler has been prone to throwing interceptions in two seasons with the Chicago Bears, but Green Bay Packers cornerback Tramon Williams isn't about to get excited just because his team will face Cutler in Sunday's AFC Championship Game at Soldier Field.
The way Williams sees it, any quarterback who goes against the Green Bay defense should be in for a long day.
"You're going to get opportunities pretty much every week from pretty much anybody," Williams said. "Our job as a defense is to make a quarterback as uncomfortable as you can. There's where we make our plays."
If the Packers' playoff victories at Philadelphia and Atlanta are any indication, Cutler will have to do plenty of quick thinking Sunday. The Packers had three sacks against the Eagles' Michael Vick in a 21-16 victory in the first round and five against the Falcons' Matt Ryan in a 48-21 victory on Saturday.
That type of success isn't new.
Coordinator Dom Capers' 3-4 defense is a major reason the franchise has reached this point. Capers, in his second season in Green Bay, guided a unit that finished second in the NFL in scoring defense (15 points per game), second in interceptions (24) and tied for second in sacks (47).
"I've enjoyed this," Capers said. "It's been a lot of fun. This year has been especially rewarding because of the number of new guys we've had step in, (who) have done it the right way, applied themselves, and gone out and had success. You like to see guys have success."
The Green Bay defense wasn't poor in 2009 -- the Packers finished second in total defense a year ago and fifth this season -- but what's clear is players have become more comfortable in the scheme. Aaron Kampman, for instance, had been a Pro Bowl defensive end for the Packers when they used a 4-3, but never appeared a good fit to stand up as a linebacker in the 3-4.
"Just the play speed this year compared to last year has definitely improved," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "Schematically, they have such a better understanding of what we're asking them to do. Our defense has done a great job particularly keeping people out of the end zone. Our big emphasis last year was red-zone defense and adversity defense, and those are two of our strengths this year."
Said veteran cornerback Charles Woodson: "Last year, we were all just kind of getting our feet wet in the defense trying to figure it out. It's a complicated defense. ... We had a lot of the same guys back coming in, and everything just worked a little bit better for us. So communication is a big part of that."
Perhaps most impressive is the litany of injuries the Packers defense has overcome to reach this point. Defensive ends Ryan Pickett and Cullen Jenkins both missed time, and starting linebackers Nick Barnett and Brad Jones and safety Morgan Burnett all landed on injured reserve. That created opportunities on which middle linebacker Desmond Bishop, outside linebacker Erik Walden and strong safety Charlie Peprah have capitalized.
Outside linebacker Clay Matthews finished fourth in the NFL with 13 1/2 sacks and has added three more in the playoffs, but Williams has emerged as the star of the defense in the postseason. His interception of a Vick pass in the final minute in the end zone ensured victory in Philadelphia; Williams then picked off Ryan twice, returning one 70 yards for a touchdown as the first half ended.
He hopes to add to that total against Cutler, who threw 16 picks during the regular season and has 42 in two years with Chicago. "(He's a) really good player," Cutler said. "Has had a lot of 1-on-1 matchups that he has won. Teams are kind of shying away from Charles (Woodson had only two picks this season) and those other guys and trying to attack him, and he's responded."
Not bad for a guy who was an undrafted free agent out of Louisiana Tech in 2006, failed to stick with the Houston Texans and was signed to the Packers practice squad that same season. Williams was rewarded with a four-year, $33 million contract extension in November. He isn't the only find in the secondary. Sam Shields, a rookie from Miami (Fla.), was signed as an undrafted free agent and has seen extensive playing time in the nickel package.
So how did guys like Williams and Shields slip through the cracks? "I don't know," said Williams, who was named to the Pro Bowl as a replacement for Philadelphia's Asante Samuel. "Things could be different now. It'll probably be something that I never know, but it really doesn't matter right now. It's about the Packers. They gave me a chance, and I'm thankful I'm able to play like I am."
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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