The Packers plummeted precipitously from seventh in the 32-team league in 2007 to 26th. They had the worst ranking of NFC North teams and were third worst in the NFC.

Gosselin's ranking system is derived from points assigned for 22 kicking game categories.

Among all teams, the Packers ranked last for kickoff returns, averaging 20.1 yards per runback, and for penalties with 24.

Head coach Mike McCarthy promoted assistant special teams coach Shawn Slocum to coordinator to replace Stock, who held the post for three years.

--The Packers will have ample capital to spend in free agency, which starts Feb. 27. They would be $25 million under the expected 2009 salary cap of $123 million.

A top target to bolster their new 3-4 defensive front could be Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers, who is eligible to become a free agent and has expressed interest in playing in a 3-4 scheme. Peppers, a four-time Pro Bowl player, would hit the open market if the Panthers, who run a 4-3 defense, don't use a tag on him.

"At this point in my NFL career, I am seeking new challenges that will allow me to grow, develop and reach my personal potential on the football field," Peppers said in a statement last month. "I strongly feel that making a move at this time is in my best interest."

--Should Peppers become available, a selling point for Green Bay, besides giving him the opportunity to play in the 3-4 system, could be having former Panthers defensive coordinator Mike Trgovac as its new defensive line coach.

Reports have been mixed on Trgovac's relationship with Peppers the last six years, when Trgovac was Carolina's defensive coordinator.

Trgovac turned down an offer from the Panthers after last season to remain in the position and chose to take a step back in the coaching hierarchy to return to the Packers, for whom he was defensive line coach in 1999.

After arriving in Green Bay in early February, Trgovac noted the role his wife, Angela, played in the decision.

"She said, 'You haven't seemed happy the last year,'" Trgovac said. "When she said that to me, it just made me realize that my kids are growing up and maybe I was taking my work home with me. That's why I wanted to just take a step back and coach a position again. That's one of the things you miss as a coordinator - just the day-to-day interaction that you have with one specific position group. I wanted to get back into that again."

--Cornerback Al Harris (three) and safety Nick Collins (one) combined for four tackles on the NFC team in its 30-21 win over the AFC in the Pro Bowl on Feb. 8 in Honolulu.

Collins, a Pro Bowl newcomer, made the start at free safety. He had an NFC-best two tackles on special teams.

Harris played in the all-star game for the second straight year after being added to the NFC squad as an alternate. He broke up one pass.

Cornerback Charles Woodson was the other Packers selection for the Pro Bowl, but he backed out for injury reasons.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We've got a lot of work to do here before the (scouting) combine, defensively. You start from scratch - it's just like once the players come in. With the staff, you start talking about philosophy and all of those little things that sometimes get passed over. That's one of the unique things when you're starting from the ground level. So, we've got to do a good job putting together a teaching plan. It starts with us making sure that we're all on the same page to begin with." -- Defensive coordinator Dom Capers on the first few weeks of having the mostly new defensive coaching staff on board.