Novak, Slowik, Zook, Mennigna, Drayton.

Could have had Rizzi...but the Acting GM MM didn't want to pay him...then, after a few days said "OK, I will agree to pay him"...but by then Rizzi said "no way, I am moving on" and did, to coach good STs in New Orleans.

It only took another THREE YEARS, but competency finally arrived in Green Bay with Coach Rich.

I am going to pump the brakes a bit...because STs are still in the lower half of the league. But the arrow is FINALLY pointing up. Coaching makes all the difference in a league of planned parity with talent acquisition. Rich knows what he wants and he coaches his men to do it. And you better do it or you sit.

Cory, thanks for focusing on STs. I would also be interested in learning about the other players who will be on each of the 6 ST operations once the roster is set.

Our Special Teams are Special? Well isn't that special...

I'm not saying I don't like the "Youth Movement" going on in Green Bay, matter of fact I like it in most cases. But man, SOME of these moves have made me particularly nervous.

Crosby... I totally get moving on from Mason Crosby. Crosby's leg strength just wasn't there anymore especially on KOs. The fact Bisaccia loves Carlson so much and is willing to live AND die with this kid helps. Personally I can't wait to watch this kid kick in a dome. What's Justin Tuckers FG record? 66 yards? With this kids leg, I hope the Packers drive to the Falcons 49 yard line at the end of the first half and try a 67 yard FG. Just how cool would that be if he made it? BUT, his inconsistency still makes me nervous.

O'Donnell... This one shocked me a bit. New holder, new kicker, new long snapper... That's one hell of a lot of NEW. O'Donnell getting cut made me scratch my head a bit. I hope this all works out. I like Gute, but to lose games because of STs just really SUCKS. Going so young in all phases only increases the chances of a mistake. If either of both struggle early and ST gaffs cost the Packers a win or two early, it could really screw up the confidence of this young team.

Lets hope that 67 yard FG attempt in week 2 is right down the middle and would have been good from 70!

I’m with you Cory. Our ST’s will win us a couple of games this year.
Go Packers!!!

Was being in the bottom half of the NFL due to the first part of the season? I wonder where we ranked after the first half and how far down we were before?

NEWS FLASH: Mr. Carlson is going to miss a big kick now and then. In Crosby's first couple years I remember him missing 4 or 5 last second kicks to win or tie games. So I hope fans don't freak out when Carlson does the same.

The one question that can't be answered until we get there is how he'll do in cold games in December and January in Lambeau.

Tyler Davis will have as large an impact on ST as Anders Carlson, one by his absence and one by his presence.

Carlson should be compared to the league average for his performance, not the impossible bar of batting 1.000.

Perfection is impossible to obtain, but so long as he and RB are striving for it maybe they can catch excellence. But above average is not a bad place to START.

I want to see how RB adapts his scheme to allow for an actual BIG leg punter. Having that as a weapon but not getting the coverage scheme in synchrony with it would be a disaster.

The boys will have their hair on fire this season, there is a chip on the shoulder of every player and coach in GB to show that THEY can be the reason for success, not just some guy that is not even there anymore.

Mason Crosby missed 8 PATs in his last 3 years. He also missed 13 FGs in his last two seasons.

Memories around here, including mine (I don’t recall the misses total being THAT high), along with his KOs, short.

All I want this season is for K Anders Carlson to learn the nuances of kicking in Lambeau and around the NFL, along with how to adjust in the cold, wind & snow.

That, and for our ST line protection, blocking, coverage & return units to improve.

I could see giving Bisaccia some of his guys from the Raiders upon his hiring to help show other Packers players Bisaccia's ways. Now? I think it might be time we slough off those who are entirely one-dimensional, meaning they offer nothing but STs, and get more players with positional offerings in their place.

Funny how TE Austin Allen has flourished on teams after finally getting a bunch of reps these last two weeks... It took an injury to Davis to get them to make the move. Tarvarius Moore is a high level producer at both S and on STs, where Dallin Leavitt is just not a good S at all. That's just one example.

What if RB Emanuel Wilson, Player Profiler's #3 ranked RB from his draft class last April in Athleticism, were to get the bulk of Patrick Taylor's ST snaps? Taylor's a special case, IMO, as I want us to keep both, and Taylor's offerings in all aspects of the game at both RB and on STs are solid. Taylor's not one-dimensional, like some others.

I'm wondering about SJC more here too. He's flashed on some plays defensively, and he was highly regarded for his ST resume. He's got a knack for knocking the ball loose from catch points on D and on coverage units. He might be worth keeping over Gaines, who sadly always seems to get beat deep.

This should be interesting to see how they proceed today, and then in the days to immediately follow, as they sign other team's cast-offs/trades...

Only 3 Games?
Matt LaFleur brought Bisaccia to Green Bay?
Because Gutey didn't give a Damn about special Teams !!!!
And Thats just a fact; when he traded away are returners.
So many guys fumbled. Causing Rodgers to cringe.

The NFL has always been about Field position.
And Special Teams have always been the reason for it.

The “improvement” in Special Teams is happening because the organization finally accepted it as a weakness and has actively worked to address the deficiency. You can’t fix a problem you don’t think is a problem. The first step for getting a young team to improve is controlling the things you can control. ST is about discipline and details. Not sure how good they will be but they are now, finally, paying attention to the details.

I am not surprised with the Packers going with Whelan over O'Donnell because they are saving on the salary cap and getting a younger stronger punter. Yes he might have a misque or two at holding but then again O'Donnell could have the same issues. This is a needed move.

I was concerned about the Packers drafting Carlson and I still am. A strong leg is needed but an inaccurate it is worse than a weak leg that is accurate. With a kicker that is accurate and has a weak leg the coach knows when to kick a FG and when to go for a first down. Yes we needed to release Mason as he was expensive but to use a draft pick on an inaccurate kicker stumped me. I hope the Carlson proves me wrong.

The increased emphasis on special teams makes cutdown day a little more challenging. Dallin Leavitt is good special teams player, hand picked by Rich Bisaccia, but not really a viable option as a safety. Do they keep him? I think they will. Eric Wilson and Patrick Taylor could make the team largely due to their special teams skills. This works against some of the WRs like Wicks and Dubose, but Malik Heath looks like he could be a natural for special teams duty.

O’Donnell seemed to take forever getting punts off in game situations last year. He had a few blocked, didn’t he? Truly can’t remember, but blocked punts suck.

This is the time of year Doug_in_Sandpoint predicts and undefeated season for our mighty Packers. I always concur because you cannot disagree with a man who cuts his own hair.

Doug, what does your data suggest regarding punting this season. Is it possible the Packers will not punt in 2023?

Why when covering ST do you not talk about the coverage units. It's always about the kickers and returner. The Packers biggest concern is the coverage teams. They just don't pass the eye test. They look slow and not in the proper lanes. I would be interested in how the kickoff and punt coverage units ranked last year. Bottom 3rd if I had to guess.