GREEN BAY – Even with the considerable attention Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst gave to special teams while finalizing his 53-man roster, the success of the units will go well beyond a few of the offseason and training camp additions he made.
It’s going to require commitment from all corners of the locker room.
Were this five or 10 years ago, the special teams coach would be scrambling to make sure the large group of undrafted rookies and late-round draft picks he inherited was grafting to the small core group returning from the previous year.
Under former general manager Ted Thompson, young players who were thought to be prospects within their position group were expected to be special teams contributors until they turned into starters or often-used backups.
It meant that players like safeties Dallin Leavitt and Rudy Ford, and cornerback Keisean Nixon might not have been part of the 53-man roster as they are in 2022 under Gutekunst.
"A lot of this (roster decisions) was impacted by special teams,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “We needed to get better in that area.”
Starters will be expected to contribute to special teams
It’s a good start to have three experienced core special teamers, but if the Packers want to be better than average, they may have to employ some starters and key backups into the units, which, according to several of those players, won’t be a problem.
"Absolutely,” starting cornerback and 2021 first-round draft pick Eric Stokes said. “Coming out of college (Georgia) coach (Kirby) Smart, that was a big deal, like, ‘You aren’t going to play offense or defense if you can't play special teams.’
“So, my mindset is it’s just something you’ve got to do. But not really got to do but just do, don’t think twice about it. We’re motivated to do it.”
A year ago in the season opener, third-string cornerback Isaac Yiadom was one of the gunners on punt coverage. Receiver Malik Taylor was the other.
Now picture Stokes, with his 4.29-second 40-yard dash, and either Nixon, a Las Vegas Raiders special teams regular, or Ford, who at one time was one of the better gunners in the league, replacing them. Or instead of Yiadom having to hold up the other team’s best gunner, the ultra-tough Rasul Douglas and experienced Nixon on the job.
Among the core special teams players last year no longer on the team are linebackers Oren Burks and Ty Summers, tight end Dominique Dafney, safety Henry Black, Yiadom and Taylor.
Among the veterans with whom Bisaccia is expected to use to replace their snaps are Leavitt, Ford, Nixon, Stokes, Douglas, safety Adrian Amos, safety Darnell Savage and cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles. In addition, experienced holdovers like tight end Josiah Deguara, linebacker Krys Barnes and linebacker Jonathan Garvin will eat up snaps.
After that, hard-hitting rookie safety Tariq Carpenter, rookie linebacker Quay Walker, speedy linebacker Tipa Galeai, inside linebacker Isaiah McDuffie, tight end Tyler Davis and even center Josh Myers will be called on to help at key positions.
“I think everybody's got to be ready to know what to do,” Amos said. “A lot of special teams is want-to. You’re racing down the field 40 yards through all kinds of people. Some people probably aren’t used to that, so it is also about being savvy and knowing what to do.
“I mean, I’m not saying I’m going to be going out there and play all four special teams, but everybody has a role to play. You don’t need every guy to play all four.”
One of the more unusual roles belongs to Myers, who has his hands on the ball during every offensive play and can count on his fingers how many times he has played special teams dating to his years at Ohio State.
But during training camp, Bisaccia started employing Myers as one of the wings on the field goal-block team, a position some will remember nose tackle Tyler Lancaster playing last year in the playoffs when San Francisco safety Jimmie Ward blasted around the corner and blocked a Mason Crosby 39-yard field goal.
The 6-foot-5½ Myers is big, strong, mobile and has the large, powerful hands needed to knock a speedy edge rusher off course on field goal protection. He doesn’t know if he’ll be at that spot against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 11, but if he is he knows he might be the only starting center in the league there.
“Whatever it takes to help the team,” Myers said.
Packers struggled in the preseason
The preseason was not a showcase for Bisaccia’s special teams, that’s for sure.
Opponents averaged 15.6 yards per punt return and 26.8 yards per kickoff return. The Packers averaged 6.0 and 20.2. There were far more mistakes and missed assignments than anyone could have expected given Bisaccia’s strong reputation.
Some of it was personnel. LaFleur sat most of his starters, and many of the players who served on those units aren’t with the team anymore.
As the final few days of roster building showed, Gutekunst and LaFleur weren’t taking any chances with special teams, keeping some, such as Carpenter and Galeai, in part because they can help those units right away, and bringing some who could help later, such as cornerback Kiondre Thomas, linebacker Ray Wilborn and linebacker Ladarius Hamilton, back on the practice squad.
More:Packers GM Brian Gutekunst talks about Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love and pursuit of a Super Bowl
More:As the Packers reshape their offense, they'll look to Aaron Jones and Bobby Tonyan to be more pure receivers
“That’s a big reason why I’m here is special teams,” Galeai said. “What I learned last year or my last two years, is take more pride in my job, not just going to do it but wanting to do it. More a sense of wanting to help the team with special teams.”
It’s clear to many of the players how important special teams has become to the Packers after it played a role in them getting bounced out of the playoffs last year. It has been an ongoing problem for years and Gutekunst and LaFleur attempted to change the culture with the hiring of the experienced Bisaccia.
The final step was to give him some talent with which to work.
Nothing is guaranteed and it would surprise no one around here if special teams were an issue again, but no one can say the Packers didn’t at least try to clean up the mess.
“I don’t know what it was like here the last couple of years, but you can tell there’s a big commitment to special teams,” said Leavitt, who led the Raiders in special teams tackles last season. “It’s a big reason I’m here. We’re taking a lot of pride in special teams and now it’s about wanting to go do it, wanting to help this team win.”
