Green Bay Packers Coach Comments On Kicking Competition

One of the weaknesses for the Green Bay Packers during the 2023 season was on special teams, specifically at kicker. A lot was made about the team moving on from quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but Mason Crosby proved to be another massive loss as well.

Whenever Crosby’s number was called, the Green Bay Packers knew what they were going to get. While his leg was not as strong as early in his career, he was reliable. Reliability was not what they received from rookie Anders Carlson, his replacement.

Carlson has a huge leg, as distance was not an issue for him. Accuracy at times was, as he was inconsistent down the stretch when the team needed him most. He was perfect kicking field goals and extra points the first month of the season, but could never regain that consistency.

After that stretch of five straight perfect weeks to begin the season, he didn’t have back-to-back games without a miss the remainder of the season. He missed at least one kick in 10 out of the remaining 14 games of the season, and over the final five games of the season, including the playoffs, Carlson missed at least one field goal or extra point per game.

“I just think his response has been work,” Bisaccia said. “It was that way during the year last year. He went through some of the ebbs and flows of kicks. I think he’s really been the same way. He’s come back a little bit stronger in the offseason than he was, I think, a year ago.

That is something the Green Bay Packers cannot afford to have happen again. After being unopposed last offseason, Carlson is now battling it out with veteran Greg Joseph and rookie Jack Podlesny.

Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia has been doing his best to make the environment a competitive one. He has worked out a schedule where two guys will compete with each other one day, and the third gets all the work the next. After one week, the matchup rotates as everyone gets a chance to compete.

“I think the reactions have been good,” Bisaccia said. “It’s all on film. It’s all being graded. They know they’re in a competition. I think they can feel that amongst themselves every day in practice, and it’s been good conversation.”

It will be interesting to see how long this competition goes on. Rarely does a team hold onto three kickers for an offseason program, let alone all the way through training camp. But, the decision about how many kickers are held onto will fall upon Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst.