Brett Goode: Packers long snapper signing a good thing

Brett Goode could be the answer for the Green Bay Packers – once again.

With a discomfort in where they were with their special teams, and in particular their long snapper, the Green Bay Bay Packers turned to Brett Goode and re-signed me to compete as their long snapper.

Though the team has tried others at the position, it was Goode that they turned to after his longtime experience with the team. He has spent the past nine seasons with the Packers.

If there’s a battery of players more important than the long snapper, the place kick holder, the punter and the place kicker, I’m not sure where it lies on the football field.

Like the middle of a baseball team that includes the pitcher, catcher, second baseman, shortsop and center fielder, it’s the nucleus of the special teams.

We’ve all seen bad snaps to punters and holders and have seen the major disruption that can cause in field position and scoring potential.

The Packers weren’t comfortable with where they were sitting at this point in the preseason, so they turned once again to Goode.

By signing Goode, the 6-1, 255-pounder, to come back and take over the long snapping duties, the Packers immediately solidified this important position.

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The free agent who now moves into his tenth NFL season, began his career in Jacksonville with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Undrafted and a product of the University of Arkansas, Goode was with the Jaguars through two offseasons before signing with the Packers Sept. 1, 2008.

As Green Bay’s long snapper through last season, he played in 142 regular season games and in 14 playoff games.

The on-again, off-again relationship the Packers have had with Goode began back in 2015 when he tore his ACL against the Oakland Raiders. However, the Packers’ dissatisfaction with attempting to fill the position that he held down for so long brought them back to Goode just in time for the start of the 2016 season.

Brett Goode played in all three playoff games at the end of last season, too.

In 2016, Mason Crosby connected on 26-of-30 regular season kicks – an 86.7 percent success rate.

In addition, with Goode snapping, Crosby also hit the 51-yarder that won the Divisional round playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys and helped propel Green Bay to the NFC Championship Game.

Though the team seemed to have separated once again from Goode at the conclusion of last season, that didn’t last long, as GM Ted Thompson announced the re-signing of Goode to a contract to help solidify that central role for the team.

The move was probably set in motion with the struggles of Mason Crosby in last week’s Family NIght practice. With a new snapper and a new holder, Crosby struggled. He made just 5-of-11 attempts. Though things appeared to have been corrected in the preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles – Crosby made a 39-yarder and all three extra points – the Packers still decided to move ahead with the re-signing of Brett Goode.

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By signing Goode, the Packers filled the roster spot left open when the team cut defensive lineman Letroy Guion.

Goode is expected to be in camp and at practice starting today.