Anyone who has paid attention to the Green Bay Packers over the past few seasons knows that special teams has been a massive concern. The group has been heavily penalized, inefficient, and overall heavily scrutinized by fans and media alike.
Packers fans have been increasingly frustrated with the team over the past few seasons, with early playoff exits and inconsistent play leading to calls for the powers that be to overhaul the coaching staff and general manager positions.
Instead, despite new Packers president Ed Policy saying that extensions for Matt LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst weren't a given prior to the 2025 season, the franchise did ultimately extend them both after the season.
Once that decision was made, these same fans began to look at assistant coaches, begging for Green Bay to make some sort of change, whether it be offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich, or special teams coordinator and assistant head coach Rich Bisaccia to get the axe: anything to switch things up. Instead, the team is seemingly running it back for another campaign.
While there were some rumors of Stenavich possibly being a candidate for the Seahawks offensive coordinator spot, a position that he had previously interviewed for, it doesn't seem like any major changes are anticipated for the Packers' staff.
Naturally, for that same small but loud group of fans, the perceived complacency was not well received. That said, they are missing a larger point.
Firing Rich Bisaccia won't solve the problem
The age old saying, falsely attributed to Albert Einstein, "insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results", comes to mind for some fans. Surely, the Packers special teams' shortcomings deserve plenty of criticism, and can often be a big factor in any given game.
Whether it be a costly penalty that wipes out a great return, a decision when to kneel or call for a fair catch, aligning the coverage unit, or even the decision of where to kick the ball - either out of the end zone or to make it returnable - all come back to the team's special teams coordinator. Fair or unfair, nearly all of these have been conversation topics pointed at Bisaccia.
So, why haven't the Packers cut their losses and moved on from him? The uncomfortable truth is that firing him likely won't solve the actual problem. Sure, they can go get another special teams coordinator, but this problem preceded Bisaccia, going as far back to the days of Ron Zook. In fact, this problem has really plagued the Packers for the last three seasons.
You may be asking, what is the problem then? It is simple. If the Packers fire Rich Bisaccia, the front office is essentially admitting that they have not built a very good roster to work with, even though they have made the playoffs each of the last three seasons.
Special teams thrive or die based on the guys on the fringe of the roster. Outside of the kicker, punter, and long snapper, nearly every special teams player is a backup. They're someone good enough to be on the roster, but doesn't have a defined role on offense or defense. At least, not in an ideal situation.
As the season goes on, some of these guys do end up having to take a prominent role, similar to Keisean Nixon elevating from return specialist to cornerback.
Whether or not you think Keisean Nixon should be a starting cornerback or not, that is a topic for another article. The reality is though, as an organization, you get guys to play special teams that could slide in and play if needed.
READ MORE: John Kuhn delivers the harsh reality Packers fans need to face about Rich Bisaccia
Unfortunately, you get situations where as those guys move up, then you have to find more guys to take their special teams role. Kamal Hadden is a prime example, who was forced into action to move from teams to defense late in the season, but then got hurt against Baltimore.
While Hadden wasn't likely the answer for the Packers at corner anyway, him having to move up from special teams to defense, then getting hurt, leads to Rich Bisaccia having to essentially find a new guy after Jeff Hafley found a new guy.
This becomes especially magnified when the Packers have had the youngest roster in the NFL for the last three consecutive seasons. Not only are they young in age, but also in NFL experience.
When you don't have experience to rely on, areas like special teams are the first to falter, as the Packers have seen plenty of times over the past several seasons.
Fans have every right to call for Bisaccia to be fired, but until the rest of the roster gets healthier, more experienced, and ultimately better, the special teams woes aren't necessarily his fault. So, we better get ready for another year of Bisaccia roaming the sidelines.