Comparing Saints to Packers transition to 3-4

I've had on my mind for the past days the idea to compare the Packers transition to the 3-4 in 2009, with what the Saints are trying to do, in order to have a better idea of what the team will be going through this year (what better time than to lay it out on a workday right?).

The Packers had enormous success during the first year of transitioning under Dom Capers (who is a 3-4 belichick guy if I'm not mistaken), going from a 6-10 record to a 11-5 record, while they fielded the n°2 ranked defense, specializing in turnovers and takeaways.

I would like to have a better idea of the concerns the packers's fans had going in to the 2009 season, but at the time, from what I've read, there were some who didn't think they had the players to pull it off, be it D-line or LBers:

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Packers Switch to 3-4 Defense

What did the Packers do then, during that free agency period and through the draft, to address the D? Well in typical Packers fashion, they did almost nothing, but they scored a couple of home runs in the draft with B.J Raji and Clay Mathews. Those two pieces, along with a dynamic secondary led by Charles Woodson (who shined during those first two years), were enough to push them over the top, even if they had some holdover pieces that were average, or simply couldn't get it done (Kampman, Hawk, Poppinga...). Bear in mind, that I'm no Packers expert, and this is my outsiders view, so if some of you have a better grasp of the Packers, your thoughts are more than welcome.

So right now I have these to compare: The Packers had a great player in Woodson, a great player who developped fully next year in Tramon Williams, a serviceable saftey group (Bigby and Collins), a solid Middle Lber in Nick Barnett, and two stud rookies: Raji and Mathews.

What do we have?

For starters, you could say that Vacarro was drafted to play the Woodson role, since he is a versatile safety that can play the slot as well as perform CB duties.

What about shoring up the D-line? Well it depends on who can fill the Raji role, a dynamic attacking two-gap force. Can Jenkins do it? Can Bunkley? It would be great if one of them could fit the bill, but as of now we have to assume that the position will be manned by a rotation.

Finally, the pass rush: can Butler, Johnson, Galette, and/or Wilson breakout? Mathews impact as a pass rusher during his first season was big: he played in 12 games, and had 10 sacks 45 QB pressures, 7 pass defended, 1 FF and 3 interceptions. And he did this without major help on the other side, he was the team sack leader and the runner up was Cullen Jenkins with 4.5 sacks. However, 10 sacks a year by one player doesn't explain why the D went from worst to first. Simply put, they thrived by producing turnovers, as they recorded 30 interceptions (9 by Woodson), and at the end, they recorded a +24 in takeaway/giveaway differential (for those counting, the Saints D that year had a +11 differential).

Finally, I'll leave you with this: The Packers success was short-lived, they played great for two years, and now they seem to have the same problem the Saints had with 3G: the other teams are figuring them out, and they are specially vulnerable to the run... but they are a contending team, and they have a D that can get it done... and their transition went well enough for them to win a Super Bowl, with a couple of key acquisitions (mainly through the draft), and an aggressive style of D. Does this mean then, that the Saints would rather need the secondary, not the front 7, to step it up, in order to be successful this year and the years to come? What other differences between the two teams can help us analyze what the Saints need to do to be a contender again?
http://www.footballoutsiders.com/extra-points/2009/packers-switch-3-4-defense