The Packers have needed a dynamic return man since Desmond Howard left, why they don’t prioritize that is a mystery?
The Bears traded a late round draft choice to obtain the guy that torched the Packers for 2 long TD’s Sunday night.
I like Amari Rodgers but he’s not ready and Malik Taylor as a KR, really? That’s the best you can find, seriously?
Time to end this curse and pay more attention to special teams and the return game!
ND

Cory, Amari Rodgers is not a "green behind the ears" punt returner: he had 68 returns for Clemson during his college career and presumably many more during practice. As other commenters here have said, he now appears "broken", his confidence shot. Why is his confidence shot? Because he hasn't been successful in GB. Why? Because Mo can't field a competent punt return unit. Drayton refuses to acknowledge that Rodgers needs to be removed as returner for his own sake. I feel sorry for Amari - it must be terrible to go out there, afraid to screw up, then screw up, then go out there AGAIN, afraid to screw up.

What's the answer here? Lazard returned 21 punts for Iowa State, more than any other WR not named Rodgers. Let's give him a try, with orders to fair-catch everything. Alternatively, if Tyler Ervin is still interested, bring him back as a returner. Poach someone - ANYONE -from another team's PS. Perhaps Drayton and/or MLF have requested either of my last two suggestions; if Drayton hasn't, and is fine with the status quo, then he needs to go, and ASAP.

All of the other teams in the league seemed to have figured this special teams thing out; they're all pretty much in the same end-of-season injury situation as we are, so why is this such an issue in GB? COACHING.

The scheme of the defense did not match the talent last year and Pettine was gone. Ditto Mennenga on the special teams. MLF hit on a coordinator in Barry who could match scheme with talent. Not true with Drayton. Barry has prior experience. Not true with Drayton. Hopefully MLF will pick up an experienced coordinator at the end of the year from one of the many staffs who will be out of work after the end of the season. Hopefully management will open the checkbook this time around. MLF had one of the top coordinators on board before he hired Mennenga, but management only offered a "low ball" offer. Special teams have been a mess the entire time.

I wish there was an easy quick fix. Unfortunately I really don't see one.

Starting with the kickers. Bojo blast has been great. Sure he has a bad one every now and then, but he has been very, very good since he has came to GB. He has improved as a holder as well. Crosby has had his struggles this year. I still question if some of his pulling kicks is related to so much pressure coming off the right side early this year. He nailed all of his kicks in this last game. Maybe a step in the right direction.

Onto the Returners. Unless we sign someone Rodgers is the guy. Although he muffed the one, he came back and made a play on the next one. Taylor cost them about 35 yards of field position on the one play. I thought Rodgers started to be more aggressive on the PR. Getting up hill more this past game.

I wouldn't be surprised if we would perhaps see Scott being activated this week. Just to bring someone fresh to the special teams.

Its time to start figuring out the problems before it costs us a game. If this was against a better team then the Bears, we easily could have lost that game.

The author suggests a coaching change wouldn't help. I'm not so sure.

How does Malik Taylor not know the rule that says if the kickoff goes out of bounds, the Packers get it at the forty? That has nothing to do with fundamentals and everything to do with coaching and preparation. Malik Taylor should have been nowhere near that ball much less trying to make a play on it.

How do the Packer coverage teams get burned for multiple long returns in one game? Again, coaching and preparation insure lane discipline and a coverage umbrella. Everyone shouldn't just run down the field as fast as they can and close on the ball carrier. That is just asking to get burned.

As for the return teams, just find somebody that can (fair)catch the damn ball.

I think a coaching change is very much in order.

On Amari’s muff that was called back, it looked to me like right before the ball got there, he turned his hands perpendicular to the ground…like he was trying to high-point the ball. It just looked very strange. I cannot believe he is being taught to catch it that way.

When an area of responsibility is flawed in every facet and attempts to tinker have failed, one looks around and, unless others can’t make a similar operation function acceptably, one realizes that, while many components maybe flawed, the problem starts at the top.

In this case, ST adequacy is not a reality that is unobtainable. Most teams do it. Our ST incompetence spans every aspect of the unit, from personnel choices, handling of changing our LS, to having to learn basic coverage (admitted) to blocking failings resulting from schemes that seemed visibly flawed and notably a typical in the league, to return decisions and blocking.

No aspect of our STs have been adequate. Even the punt unit has had blocking issues. The one bright spot, Bojo is a straight forward swap by the FO. Compared to last year (very poor) we have got worse.

In these circumstances, to retain Drayton is utterly indefensible and suggests an inability to truly self scout or face up to unpleasant decisions. That is not a recipe for winning if the function at issue is not capable of being rendered completely irrelevant. That can’t be done under the rules of football.

The first step is to remove the incompetent, then one worries about finding better. In the interim the support personnel can’t do much worse. There are former ST coaches who have been better than Drayton out there. Get one and pay them for what Is left of the season; there’s no cap hit from coaches.

Just get rid of Drayton. That alone may improve decision making, then look to find experience. Yes, it is that bad. We’ve been bad almost year, sometimes other teams haven’t been able to exploit it and we’ve looked OK, but no better, but that won’t cut it in the one and done phase.

We have a month or so before that. Fixing it needs to start now. This is when Murphy needs to take LaFleur aside and make the decision for him. That is what he is involved in football operations for: to step in when someone must help one of his direct reports see that a current course is suicidal. If LaFleur can’t see it or face it, then Murphy must do that for him. Gute isn’t in charge of coaches: Murphy saw to that. Now he must see to this.

Green behind the ears? WTF? Green implies not seasoned, OK, the other metaphor you mixed with green is WET behind the ears implying newborn and therefore inexperienced. You are no Norm Crosby (not a relative of Mason for those youngsters out there).

Please don't try to be funny, your takes are funny enough without attempted humor.

"it’s going to quickly turn into a big problem."

Guess what Cory? It is ALREADY a big problem and MLF has a dumpster burning on his front porch which is threatening to consume the 1265 Lombardi football team's season in flames if he continues to fiddle while it burns.

IT
IS
TIME!

Honestly if I can go a game without the opposing team getting the ball past the 35 yard line on a kickoff, I will call that a win. But honestly at this point Special Teams is so far down, it is impossible to repair this atrocity that we have witnessed for the past 13 weeks of football. Fire Drayton.

There is never a good time for panic...........but if there was this would be the time with ST play. It has been truly awful for years and years.

I doubt there is much the Packers can do about ST this year. However, next year I'd find another kicker to go into camp with Crosby (and PS him if Crosby wins). I would spend draft capital as high as a 4th (Packers have 2x 4th round picks) for a good return man, maybe I'd even go as high as a third. Drayton would no longer be the Packers ST coach in 2022 - it is the only coaching position I'd really look to change and coaching IS a performance based job.

Finally I'd spend a late pick on a good ST ace (ST play is key, anything else you get from them is gravy).

A decent RS + a new ST coach, + Bojorquez at punter, + a new kicker, or still Crosby with a credible alternative behind him on the PS, + at least one guy drafted purely for his good ST play. That should go some way to improve this appallingly bad unit.

What I don't want to see is starters who shouldn't be on ST, being put in there.

An old coaching maxim that should be remembered in training camp and preseason next year - "You get what you emphasise".

I believe we’ve seen this movie before — with Darius Shepherd. Darius and Amari were both competent punt returners in college, but for whatever reason their confidence took a hiatus. —and based on the many comments, we all see the same thing.
If Amari remains as the returner (heaven forbid), he needs to shed the lookalike Welding Helmet i.e., face shield. He’s had two punts bounce off of that Darth Vader mask he s wearing.

So, what level of coaching incompetence would get you fired by the Packers HC?

I have been advised by good teachers, friends, family and coworkers on how to do the right thing. I have read stuff in books and the internet and seen it on TV. Yet, for some reason, I have done stupid things. One could blame my mistakes on the people around me…OR you could blame it on me!
A coach can only do so much. At a certain point it’s all on the player.

I agree with MF. Keep him. Injuries changed everything. St. Browns concussion. And Taylor went out. Sure the week off, changes your focus. But Lowrey ended up on ST. How slow can we go? And as far as Amari goes. This guy was hand picked by Gutey. Did anyone else see the ball hit his face mask besides me? I don't blame Amari. If your told your No good. You start hearing ghosts. Your skills turn into doubts. It's obvious he's not getting the coaching he needs. And there are bigger priorities with MVS, Lazard, and Cobb now. But if were to make the teams biggest weakness, turned back in the right direction. The current "STAFF" must do it.

Packers special teams, overall, have been anything but special ever since the turn of this century.

It has rarely been a priority. There have been some good SP'ers...until recently Mason Crosby and others. Until he gets over-coached and screwed up, Bojorquez has a chance to be special.

A writer pointed out Ted Thompson put zero priority on special teams. He wanted players to play in the system and didn't draft for people to help ST. Mike McCarthy's teams were many years dragged down by STs. Gute has followed the trend, though he has made a couple of good finds. It boils down to scheme and executing. Coaches would always scream 'stay in your lanes' so the returner can't be given an opening. I saw a bunch of players converging on the returner Sunday. The returner saw a wide open lane along the sideline and good-bye Charlie.

Kickoffs out of bounds are penalized, but punts are not. My theory has been pick a side and punt the ball as far as you can to land out of bounds. Kickoffs should always go out of the end zone if possible.

In Lombardi's time, Donnie Anderson(halfback) punted an average of 40 yards and his kicks went straight up. There rarely was a return because the punt team was there.

I don't care if they lead the league, all you need is AVERAGE st play. The Packers are far from that, of course.

I suspect not much will change until the off season. Matt LF needs to find a new coach and system. The current system just might keep the Packers out of the Super Bowl.

Maybe it's time to introduce some accountability to the individual players on ST for boneheaded plays in the way of internal fines via a kangaroo court. Fielding a punt inside the 10-yard line, kickoff out of bounds, etc. = four-digit fine. Could be a stupid idea, I don't know (hopefully the players would like to hold each other accountable, that's the prerequisite) , but it could translate into less unforced errors once this unit is out on the field. In the end, all the fines are collected and given to a worthy charity in the name of the team; think how much the Packers could have collected if they had started something like this earlier.

They need to simply drastically.

Punt returns - Fair catch or let it go.
Kickoff returns - pick it up off the ground if it can't go out of bounds or into the end zone or let it go.
Punts - don't kick it to the returner.
Kickoffs - kick it into the end zone.

These guys need to earn back the privilege of doing anything other than avoiding mistakes.

Well the good news is that the probability of better ST performance(s) is higher for the next game(s) - because how much worse could it be after the Bears game? Like HarryH. - I would be thrilled with average.

Highly unlikely that MLF will jettison Drayton at this point in the season. The team is still 10-3 with generally awful ST play - so MLF may not want to interrupt team flow with a sudden coaching change. More likely that Drayton will be assigned more study hall time with MLF.

Certainly not all of the ST woes are due to Drayton. There is a significant talent void on STs - especially kick and punt returners. Meanwhile Crosby has been showing signs of decline. Nor do I expect MLF to upgrade STs with starters for the home stretch.

So in summary - "You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear."

SORRY Cory , but the not so Special Teams coach needs to go. I mean seriously, just Google, "how to cover a kick and punt return" and you'd know more then the guy coaching SP now does. The Bears still suck, and so does GBs special teams just to put it in perspective.

I didn't see one expert say Amari Rodgers was a bad pick when the Packers drafted him. There were 2 punt returns for TDs last weekend , the 1st 2 this year. 13 games in x's 32 teams. This STs unit has only one way to go.............up, it can't get worse...............GULP. We've seen this story before, over and over with certain players. He's a rookie I'll cut him some slack for now. When it comes to all 3 phases, I'll take ST's being the weak point if I have to. MVS let a ball go through his hands a vet, Crosby kicked a ball out of bounds and short kick offs, a vet, we wanted Cobb a few games ago, ball bounced off of his chest, a vet.

With two openings on the PS. And a couple of players hurt. ======= Elijah Holyfield RB/KR Bengals /// Jacoby Stevens S/LB Eagles /// Dazz Newsome WR/PR Bears

It seems like everyone sees this as a problem that can be solved by changing people. I think there’s just confusion about the goals/expectations of the special teams. The returner should not return punts, period. One job: Don’t turn it over. Catch it or let it bounce but don’t turn it over. Kicks that have to be returned must not turn it over.

Punt out of bounds. Enough already.

Kickoffs should either be as far as you can kick it or a squib.

There will still be screwups, but at least you’ve reduced the opportunities for your special teams to cost you a game.

"Cory's Corner: Special Teams Must Focus On Little Things"

Focus on the Little Things???

The team needs to take care of the big things first: when you kick off, at least keep it in bounds and not let them start on the forty yard line; also tackle the opposing running when we kick off or punt the ball; when we line up to kick a field goal, at least give Crosby one second to kick the ball before they rush through from the side or middle.

Those are just some of the big things that need to be addressed. After that I agree, that we could then turn our attention and address the little things.

I think Gute needs to change his draft approach. Put more emphasis on special teams in his criteria. Also no more promoting in house coaching for special teams unit.Clearly didnt solve anything

Same excuses, week after week after week... We have to work on these things, and the list of things seem to be endless. If MLF will not make a coaching change here, how about he HELP and ENABLE more in this area? Let Hackett run more of the offense. Its clear that the STs need more attention and attitude change. Who better to give it than the top dog - MLF?