Cam Achord came to Green Bay with a major task at hand. Achord became in charge of fixing the special teams. The Packers have faced special teams’ woes for years.
It is easy to focus on the offense and defense, but special teams is the final piece of the puzzle. The final piece is the most important.
For the Packers, there has been zero lack of talent on the team. Building a roster that can compete every year for a Super Bowl is a challenge.
However, special teams continue to be put on the back burner. In the Matt LaFleur era alone, he has had four changes at the position. With each hire putting a band aid on a much bigger issue.
The team looked to Rich Bisaccia to fix the problem. Bisaccia came from a successful interim head coach role, and was interviewed for head coach positions.
Nonetheless, the hire ended up being another failure. Leading LaFleur to once again look for another answer. The hope is the answer lies in Cam Achord, a coordinator with plenty of experience.
Packers Special Teams Highlights in the First Preseason Game
The winner of the night was none other than Trey Smack. Despite having shaky practices, Smack hit four field goals on the night. Three field goals counted in the box score, and one was wiped by a penalty.
Most notably, two of these field goals were from 50 plus. Not only that, but they went right down the middle and could have been good from 60 plus.
Since Mason Crosby, Packers fans have waited on bated breath knowing one missed kick can change the trajectory of a game. Look no further than the playoff catastrophe against the Bears in the playoffs.
The Packers had a massive lead heading into the half, yet the missed field goal right before felt like a gut punch. Everything went downhill from there.
Not only does Smack look promising, Cam Achord brings a confidence as a coach. Achord was on the Super Bowl 53 winning roster with the New England Patriots.
In the preseason game, the special teams had a completely clean game. Smack also had fantastic kick offs. Brandon McManus had a habit of kicking the ball into the back of the end zone. This gave opposing teams beneficial field position.
While it may just be one preseason game, the coaching marks show change is happening. With the Packers hitting reset on special teams, the final piece of the puzzle might be right in front of them.
