2016 Packer Special Teams (Mediocre)

Brockington42

Brockington42

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GB was ranked 29th by ESPN in ST .... Packers at Scout.com has a system that makes more baseline sense to me (changes of field position and FG%) that ranks the Packers 17th.

Green Bay finished 17th in our five-category breakdown of net punting (for and against), starting field position on kickoffs (for and against) and field-goal accuracy. The Packers finished sixth in opponent net punting, 10th in field goals with Crosby and 15th in field position on kickoff returns, but 24th in net punting with Jacob Schum and last in field position following opponents’ kickoff returns.
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http://www.scout.com/nfl/packers/story/1754680-packers-29th-in-dmn-special-teams-rankings
 
There's definitely room for improvement, but this had a lot to do with injuries. A lot of special teamers were pressed into action (Gunter) or were hurt for extended periods themselves (Elliott, Banjo) which meant guys who should've been on the practice squad (Hawkins, Whitehead, Waters, etc.) were promoted to play special teams and weren't very good at it.
 
Injuries makes sense but talent is a factor too. Since the general talent level of our starters is mediocre to good, it naturally goes that our depth (that special teams is made up of) is mediocre to poor. Injuries compound this effect.
 
If last year was an anomaly on special teams, I'd be willing to say there's room for excuses. I will concede the injuries did have an effect. Yet, the problem is, our special teams have sucked because our special teams coaches suck. It's been that way since McCarthy brought in Stock, then when he thankfully retired, promoted an even worse Slocum, then hired a guy that the University of Illinois fired for being incompetent (Zook).

It is easy for us to pass it off on injuries, if it wasn't for the horrible history based on coaching choices.
 
They lost Goodson and Janis was out for a fair portion of the year. Still, Janis didn't light it up like he did the year before. Dude needs to justify his roster spot with that shit.

I though Schum was adequate.
 
ST and injuries. Didn't we have one good year, each, from those catgories?
 
I've seen a lot of good, and bad ST coaches. The best had to be Nolan Cromwell. Holmgren didn't bring in "special players" to play ST, Cromwell turned guys who had talent at positions, into ST players, by getting the point across to them that being on ST gave them a chance to improve their skills at another position, to guarantee them a future in the league.

Nolan also believed that ST play was as important as any other phase of the game. The blocking, the tackling, and observing lane assignments, was an essential part of the process. He constantly drilled it through players' heads, and made them proud to be on the STs. He even had guys who were already getting playing time vying to get out there, as part of his unit, because they knew that he was the best damned ST coach in the NFL. Holmgren and Wolf knew it too, so, nearly the entire roster was at his disposal to fill the jobs.

Since McCarthy arrived, ST has not been a strong suit because the Packers keep too many guys from playing ST. Nearly the whole roster should be available, and nobody should be chosen for the roster, just to play ST. These guys should be the players who fight, scratch, and claw, to be a position player, and bring that enthusiasm to the field, on STs. These are the guys who want to stay, and know that how well they do on ST will give them opportunities beyond ST, to get playing time.

It all starts with McCarthy, and until he decides he wants a Cromwell type coach, and gives the man the support he needs, our ST play will be amongst the worst in the league. No matter how good your kicker and punter are, if the surrounding cast aren't good enough, you're pretty much screwed to battling field position every game.
 
If I remember correctly I think we kept 4 or 5 TE's one year just so they could play special teams even though they certainly weren't the best athletes on the team. Why do I bring this up? Is because your right MM has no clue when it comes to special teams and is afraid to use the best athletes to play them. He uses his bench players almost exclusively and there is a reason they are on the bench. JMO and am sick of it.
 
McCarthy has always had crappy STs. It's one of the reason Gb never gets over the top. To get to that level you need all 3 phases of your game at least above average. MM doesn't seem to view it as that important since as Nut correctly points out it's the dumping ground for the backups. It's not viewed as an important part of the game, it's where the bottom of the roster lives.
 
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