Green Bay Packers punter Tim Masthay has seen a lot in his six seasons with the team.  He came on as a rookie in 2010 and won the starting job away from Jeremy Kapinos and later found himself kicking in the Super Bowl that same season (Kapinos joined the Pittsburgh Steelers and would kick against the Packers in Super Bowl XLV).  It seemed as though the Packers found a special teams gem after spending the few years prior trying to replace Jon Ryan, who the Packers decided to let go to the surprise of many.  Masthay quickly became a reliable part of keeping field position in Green Bay's favor over the first few years of his career.  

In 2012, Masthay watched his colleague, Mason Crosby, suffer through a miserable season in which he had the football version of the yips and struggled every time he lined up to kick.  Fans and media wondered often if Crosby was on the fast track out of Green Bay after what had been a solid career to that point and he answered the criticism with a bounce back 2013.  Now it's Masthay who's in the cross hairs after three straight seasons of a declining punting average.  His average has gone from 44.6 yards in 2013 to 44.1 in 2014 and down to 43.9 last season in 2015.  Those drops don't look big on paper, but remember that's an average and it takes some pretty bad kicks to lower it over the course of an entire season.  The eyeball test has not been kind to Masthay either, as he has become known for his awful shanks.  

Punters don't break the bank so the money isn't a huge issue with regards to what the Packers decide to do with Masthay.  It's not like they have to choose to forego an impact player at another position to draft a punter early on, at least now that Mike Sherman is gone.  As much as general manager Ted Thompson loves the undrafted free agent market, that's likely the perfect place for him to find someone to come in and give Masthay a good push come training camp.  And the Packers absolutely need to make Masthay earn his way this year.

I mentioned field position earlier and not only was Masthay in the bottom third of punters for the last three seasons, but he's also had one of the lowest total of kicks inside the 20 over the last two years.  I won't get into net yardage because a lot of that has to do with coverage, which Masthay isn't directly responsible for but those line drives don't give his gunners a fighting chance to get to the ball carrier before the ball does.  Thank goodness for Jeff Janis, the wonder boy gunner this past season, right?  OK, yes, I had to insert Janis into the conversation because let's be honest, it at least doubles the comment count.

What it all boils down to is that the Packers aren't getting what they need out of Masthay.  The special teams improved greatly from 2014 to 2015 and so perhaps Masthay's struggles were amplified but regardless, his pattern of decline has lasted long enough that it would seem that it's not a slump.  It's become a way of life.  The ginger did the Packers proud for his first three seasons but barring a major turnabout this summer, we may very well be looking at a new face in the deep backfield on punting downs.

This change could have a more significant impact when we consider that long-time long snapper Brett Goode will likely miss the entire 2016 season after suffering a torn ACL late in the 2015 season.  Rick Lovato was brought in off the streets, literally off the streets of New Jersey, to finish out the season.  The Packers may stick with him this season or opt to bring in a new snapper but all of that change could turn out to be a big challenge for special teams coordinator Ron Zook.  Zook took over that role when the Packers let Shawn Slocum go following the 2014 season.  It's easy to take for granted that the snap gets cleanly to the kicker and just like a quarterback and his receivers, snappers and kickers develop chemistry and that can take time.

On that note, one reason that the Packers may decide to keep Masthay is that he has also been the holder for Crosby and Crosby has supported Masthay through his struggles.  Head coach Mike McCarthy has been accused of being loyal to a fault and we could see that loyalty lead to Masthay coming back this season.  Our first hint of the team's perception of the punting situation will be the draft and if they draft a kicker late.  After that, it's who they might (actually, should) bring in to compete for the job.  Masthay may be the incumbent and has served the team well in seasons past, but it's time for the Packers to put on their business hat and do what's best for the team.

(This piece comes on the heels of Masthay's birthday, which was Wednesday.  Some gift giver I am!)