GREEN BAY, Wis. -- There are two Jonathan Gannons on the Green Bay Packers coaching staff. There's the one underneath the floppy hat and behind the sunglasses who strolls onto the practice field like he doesn't have a care in the world. And the one his players describe.
And more than one used the same word to do so.
"He [is] a little crazy, you know," safety Javon Bullard said.
"He's got like a crazy little energy," safety Evan Williams said.
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Other players have offered similar descriptions.
"Oh yeah, J.G., man, he just turnt up, man," linebacker Zaire Franklin said.
It sounds like he's nothing like the guy in the infamous, cringeworthy video from a team meeting early in his tenure as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, during which he asked players whether they drove to the facility or took the bus, seemingly leaving them uninspired.
"The 'crazy' things... I don't know who said that, but [I know what] they're probably alluding to," Gannon said. "I do believe that words paint pictures, so there's certain things in the install or certain things when we're going over a tape review, I'm probably using an example that's non-football-related that hopefully hits their brain and they can understand it a little bit better or it kinda cements it in: This has to get done. And I sometimes will use some examples that are probably a little bit out there, so maybe that's what they're talking about."
After spending the past three seasons as the Cardinals' head coach, Jonathan Gannon replaced Jeff Hafley as the Packers' defensive coordinator. Ella Hall/Getty Images Whatever the method, Gannon seems to be striking a chord with his new players, many of whom had close relationships with Gannon's popular predecessor, Jeff Hafley. Seemingly no one was more universally liked and respected in the locker room than Hafley, who is now the head coach of the Miami Dolphins.
So while there has been much talk about how Gannon's scheme (a 3-4 base) differs from Hafley (who used a 4-3), it may be just as important to Gannon to connect with his players like Hafley did.