Packers’ special teams needs major shakeup this season
The social media hashtag petitions haven’t quite begun, but they are close. That’s what the Green Bay Packers‘ awful, no good, terrible special teams’ units have done to fans through the first 13 games of the season.
No matter what measure you use, Green Bay ranks at or near the bottom of composite special teams rankings. Packerswire pointed this out in a recent article when then discovered Green Bay ranks 32nd in PFF’s special teams grade, 32nd in Football Outsiders DVOA, 29th in punt return average, 30th in kickoff return average, 32nd in punt return average allowed and 31st in field goal percentage.
The Green Bay Packers’ special teams has been a walking disaster this season and needs a major shakeup to avoid costing the team big in the playoffs.
To be clear, special team’s woes aren’t a new issue for Green Bay. They’ve cycled through coordinators for years from Shawn Slocum to Ron Zook to Shawn Mennenga to the current coordinator Maurice Drayton.
Drayton was a surprise hire as an internal candidate as he served on Mennenga staff previously and was present during the Packers’ previous struggles. It appears he hasn’t brought any fresh ideas, or, at least, fresh ideas that have worked, as Green Bay has been a walking disaster in every sense of the word.
The Packers have at least one glaring special teams mistake in just about every game. From a failed “field goal operation” to punt coverage to punt returns, you can bank on Green Bay messing up in some way on one of their special team’s units.
This was never more clear than on Sunday Night Football against the Chicago Bears. The Packers gave up a number of big punt and kick returns, including the only punt return for a touchdown this season, kicked the ball out of bounds on a kickoff and muffed a kickoff that was clearly heading out of bounds and gave their offense the ball at their own five-yard line instead.
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Firing Drayton would be one major way to shake up the special teams unit, but that likely wouldn’t improve the situation heading into Week 15. If the solution were an easy one, head coach Matt LaFleur and his staff would’ve figured it out by now. Whatever the answer is, they must try something different than what’s currently happening. They’ve officially hit rock bottom and it literally can’t get any worse. A major shakeup is needed now before it cost Green Bay a game when the stakes are the highest.