Packers 2022 offseason position review: Special teams
Where do we even begin with the Green Bay Packers‘ special teams?
Seemingly every season for about a century, the Packers have struggled in this phase of the game, the special teams coordinator gets the blame and is ultimately fired, only for the entire process to repeat itself.
This year was different, though. The Packers have got by with bad special teams in the past. This, however, was on another level.
2021 season review
Disaster — end of season review.
OK, unfortunately, we’ll dive a little deeper. Just about every phase of special teams went horribly wrong at some point this season. And it was only fitting that this unit saved their worst performance for last in the divisional round of the playoffs.
When NFL writer Rick Gosselin put together his annual special teams rankings, it came as no surprise to see the Packers at No. 32, ranked last in the NFL. Really, they should’ve been about No. 50 and had spots No. 32 to No. 49 empty. That’s how bad they were.
The only area the Packers had any kind of success was punting the ball — Corey Bojorquez made a solid start in Green Bay with a punting average of 46.5 yards, ranking No. 11 in the NFL. But it’s hard to call the Packers’ punting a success when one of the most memorable plays of the entire season was a blocked punt returned for a touchdown that cost Green Bay a trip to the NFC Championship Game.
To get an idea of how bad the Packers’ were on special teams, look at these rankings from the regular season:
- Kick return average: No. 30
- Punt return average: No. 21
- Field goal percentage: No. 31
- Punting average: No. 13
- Opponent kick return average: No. 26
- Opponent punt return average: No. 32
- Punt return touchdowns allowed: T-No. 31
And this doesn’t include all the countless mistakes this unit made from muffing punts to deciding to return kicks that should’ve been let go to not allowing kicks to go out of bounds for a penalty.
Mason Crosby had a bad year. Statistically, only his 2012 season was worse.
In the end, special teams cost the Packers dearly. In the divisional round loss to the San Francisco 49ers, a blocked field goal at the half prevented the Packers from adding three points. A 45-yard kickoff return set the 49ers up at midfield and effectively gifted them three points. Worst of all, a punt blocked for a touchdown gave the Niners their only touchdown of the game.
Unsurprisingly, the Packers moved on from special teams coordinator Maurice Drayton at the end of the season.
What’s next in 2022?
Simply making a change at special teams coordinator won’t magically fix things. Drayton was promoted to the job a year ago after another poor season from the special teams.
The Packers need to take this phase of the game more seriously and begin to focus on bringing in players who can make a bigger impact. Maybe playing the starters more often will be required. Whatever it takes. Coaching is also part of that.
The Packers don’t need dominant special teams, just be OK. They can even get by with bad special teams. Just don’t be worst-in-the-league, two-costly-mistakes-a-game bad.
A big offseason is ahead.