Fans of 13-3 teams don’t have much cause for complaint, but if there was one consistent complaint among Packers fans last season, it was about the pass defense.

As the Packers open their mandatory minicamp today, coach Mike McCarthy says the coaching staff has big plans to change that pass defense. And the key to that will be a more aggressive approach to blitzing.

“You’re seeing the full onslaught of what our system is capable of doing,” McCarthy said of the way his defense has practiced during organized team activities and will continue to practice during this week’s three-day minicamp. “We’re doing more with more personnel groups, and we’re doing a little bit more with secondary pressure. That’s all part of being aggressive schematically, which I feel we definitely are more now.”

Packers defensive coordinator Bob Sanders has, in the past, relied mostly on his defensive line to generate a pass rush, but by employing more blitzes, the Packers may be hoping to copy the success the Giants had last year.

In 2006, using a defense that generated almost all of its pass rush from the front four, the Giants finished the season with 32 sacks. In 2007, new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo began mixing in more blitzes, and the Giants led the league with 53 sacks. That pass rush led the Giants to a championship, and it’s safe to say the Packers aren’t the only team that will try to copy the Giants’ success.