Green Bay Packers’ head coach Matt Lafleur has taken the first step toward fixing the Packers’ woeful special teams unit, now general manager Brian Gutekunst needs to take the second. The Packers need to add a true kick returner, a reliable long snapper and make an upgrade at kicker. If the Packers can afford to keep David Bakhtiari on the roster for ten games even though he couldn’t play, they can afford to keep a true kick returner.
Today Lafleur announced he has hired Rich Bisaccia to replace Mo Drayton as the team’s new special teams coordinator. With the worst special teams unit in the NFL, there is nowhere to go but up. Bisaccia is veteran special teams coach who has had success in the NFL. I’m sure you have already seen his record. He is most definitely an upgrade from Drayton, who was in over his head from day one. Having a great special teams coach is great, but a coach needs players, too, and the Packers have neglected special teams for years in their roster building.
Oh, for the good ‘ole days
The Packers have not had a true return since 2001 in Allen Rossum. Prior to Rossum the Packers had Desmond Howard. We all know the impact Howard had on the Packers when he almost single-handedly carried the team to a Super Bowl Championship in 1996. His phenomenal playoff game against the 49ers in the mud of Lambeau is legendary. If the Packers could find a weapon like that they would have much greater odds to finally get over the hump. My bookie has the Packers with the seventh best odds to win next year’s Super Bowl. But if you visit here for more sites, I bet you can find even better odds.
Kicker Mason Crosby has had a long and distinguished career for the Packers. But father time bows to no one. When you can’t kick the ball out of the end zone anymore your time is up. The Packers do have JJ Molson on the roster, so if Crosby doesn’t retire he is at least going to have competition. I hope he does the team a solid and calls it a day.
I’m not an expert as you all know. But if Bill Belichick can go for ten minutes on a simple question about the position’s difficulty, it must be hard. Somehow the Packers have to find a guy that can do this for the next ten years.
The only position that doesn’t need a change is punter. I think Corey Bojorquez is capable of being a top ten punter. He just needs a little coaching up and some better players on the punt team.
Good to see them making an effort, but they’re not done yet.