4 Concerns for the Green Bay Packers Ahead of Training Camp
By Paul Bretl
Green Bay Packers Concerns: The Special Teams Unit
The Green Bay Packers special teams unit has to be better, right? I mean, it can’t get worse, can it?
The good news is that, unlike in previous years, there appears to be a much-needed emphasis on this unit this offseason. The hiring of Rich Bisaccia and his experience, along with his mentality, was a great first step in turning this unit around.
We’ve also seen the Packers give Bisaccia a voice when it comes to decision-making. Pat O’Donnell is someone that Bisaccia has admired, while Keisean Nixon was a core special teams player under him in Las Vegas. A number of the Packers’ draft picks should contribute to special teams right away as well.
Green Bay was also utilizing some of the starters on special teams during OTAs and minicamp–something that Matt LaFleur mentioned the team would explore following their disappointing playoff loss to San Francisco.
All of this is great and certainly is a step in the right direction. However, we won’t know how much they’ve improved until they take the field.
For the Green Bay Packers, it’s not just trying to overcome one bad season, but rather, their special teams unit has consistently ranked in the bottom third of the NFL for over a decade now and has been ranked last on more than one occasion.
Bisaccia seems like the man for the job, and organizationally, there has been a shift in how the third phase of the game is prioritized. But revitalizing this group is a tall task, and as we sit here in early July, special teams will remain a concern for me until I see otherwise.