To borrow from Armageddon...

"So what you're saying is basically organizationally and culturally guaranteed crappy special teams play. That's all you had to say, organizationally and culturally guaranteed crappy special teams play."

“Hawt take” prediction: After a year at Clemson, Bisaccia returns to the NFL and coaches a top-15 special teams unit for another franchise.

At his age, I actually don’t think this is terribly likely, but if he were five years younger, I would. I know we fans want someone to tar and feather, and he’s the easy target, but I’m 100% with you, Al: I don’t believe Bisaccia was the issue, and I don’t believe Achord will improve things unless there is an organizational-level attitude shift. As Justis Mosqueda has said, Bisaccia made the Packers competent in the aspects of special teams that they care about, like kicking, punting and return coverage. They simply don’t care about the things they’re bad at, like kick and punt returns.

"if the Packers actually find a returner who actually has some punt return ability." They would get an illegal block called every time.

Preventing penalties is the main thing a special team coordinator should concentrate on. I don't know how much liberty they're given with personnel choices, but if that's out of their hands for the most part, what's more hurtful to a team than field position? Making field goals is a priority and the whole process should be practiced to perfection, but will this new coach get to at least pick who he wants to kick the ball and snap it? Maybe someone out there knows more about this and can enlighten me,

Would it really damage the roster to have a #6 receiver who’s primarily a return specialist?
I know we’ve all grown accustomed to that 6th guy catching 70+ passes for 1,000+ yards, but….😉🏈

Agree with Al re: Rich Bisaccia. He was taking too much of the blame.
Like many fans, I felt he was responsible for all of the foibles of ST's but when Justis Mosqueda thoroughly explained the 5-6 components of ST's and how several of those components were being ignored by the Packers,I slowly began to understand RB was not being given the personnel nor required team focus for a successful ST. An additional theory was that once Gannon started fleshing out his Defense, RB could see his needs were not as
important, once again.

There may have been a 'message' from RB to the Packers as it pertains to his timing.

"Achord was promoted to the top job in New England by Bill Belichick and had instant success, garnering the top spot in Rich Gosselin's annual special teams rankings in his first season there."

It looks like the Patriots were consistently in the top third of the league during the mid to later 2010s and then were at or near the top in 2019 and then 2020 under Achord, before falling in the early 2020s. It does show he could coach a top unit. We also need to remember that the Patriots as a whole dropped off at that point, too. With the change in KO rules, about a third of the job changed two years ago so it's hard to judge him. Good luck, Sam!

" If McManus makes his field goals in the playoff game (as Chicago's kicker did), the Packers win and advance in the playoffs."

I've said it multiple times, but f they don't punt TO Duvernay twice in the 4th quarter and surrender back-to-back 20+ yard returns that turn into shorter fields and 10 points, it's really possible that they win that game, too. That IS on coaching, and you have to ask whose call that was.

"perhaps he sees it as an opportunity to change the narrative around him and shed the pressure of being the person everyone is blaming..."

I think he's also seen that after having some shine when he left his interim gig with the Raiders and at his current age, the chances of his picking up a HC job are long gone, so why linger? If he's really wanting that college atmosphere back, then kudos to him for making his job what he wants it to be. Maybe he's tired of being dumped on in GB but certainly with Byron Storer being hired by Cleveland to run their STs, that implies that there's meaningful regard for the coaching job in GB around the league. You'd think with the young nature of the Packers' roster there would be no lack of young players to mentor and that some of these developmental guys would grow into the jobs.

I thought Queen said it better.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a01QQZyl-_I

I agree with you Al on this topic, you play the hand that you’re dealt with. If the players can’t do their job , block , recover an on side kick or make an extra point or field goal, don’t play blame the coach. And most of all, if the powers to be continue to under mind the importance of SP team play, than shame on him.

Fair take, Al. I know when I hit 65 the number of f*cks I gave plummeted and where I gave them was greatly reduced. Yeah, the cold does slow us down up here, and tends to wear on me unless I get out and embrace it. Rich likely didn't have time to do much embracing. Coach B is a likeable guy, and has a history of being a good teacher. I wish him the best as I also remember that no matter where you go, there you are.

The departure of Rich Bisaccia and more important, the way in which he left tells us a lot about this coaching staff. He dropped a fairly elevated position in this organization to go back to a college program after recognizing that the Packers weren't committed to his efforts. I am worried that the practice habits and resource organization by Lafleur are lacking. Rich probably realized that he was swimming against the current in Green Bay.

I am sorry to see him go.

It’s an interesting take that, for 3 years it was execution not coaching. Surely execution is inherently a function of coaching to a considerable extent? The two can’t be separated over an extended period.

It’s as plausible to suggest that his first year might have been legacy benefit. After that it went south fast. I think it was 2022 when the Pats gave up as many kick off returns for TDs as the entire rest of the league combined.

Perhaps the bottom dwelling was due to a team/roster in free fall, but I find it extremely difficult to see this as an improvement or the best candidate then out there based on overall record.

The players gave RB a 'B+'. Stenavich (Grade C) and MLF (Grade B-) is another message-

I wonder if RB was maybe going to lose that Assistant HC title with Gannon coming on board. That would certainly make a lot of coaches think of other options.

So it looks like a combination of Bisaccia wanting to move to a lower pressure situation and being unhappy with the Packers. I suspect the former was the bigger factor. He's 65 years old and wants to move closer to home and get out of the NFL rat race. He made the decision after taking some time off. Did he then return to Green Bay and lobby for more of an organizational commitment to special teams? Maybe, but after four years, I would expect he already knew the situation with the Packers and that it was not going to change.

I'm not convinced that the team's commitment to special teams is THAT bad. They have one of the best and highest paid punters in the league. Their kicker and long snapper are also highly paid. Special teams specialists in 2025 included Bo Melton, Zayne Anderson, Nick Neimann, and Kristian Welch. I believe all four of them were out with injuries by the end of the season, but that could not have been predicted. The only obvious lack of commitment from the organization is the lack of a good return specialist. Is THAT all that Bisaccia was unhappy about? Well, there is also the matter of how many starters the head coach allows to play on special teams. I always hear that the Packers use fewer starters than most teams, but I don't know if anyone has actually done the math on that.

I was not among those who wanted Bisaccia fired. He was not terrible, as far as I could tell. But I don't think he was great either. I'm expecting the new guy to be about the same.

How can it be ska with no horns?!? (There ought to be a reference to pudding, but I can't think how to work that in)

Slater is on record stating that the special teams falloff was not on the coaching staff at all, but rather on the failure of players to execute." Uh...this exonerates the coach? Hmmmm...

Thanks, Al ,for reminding me to listen to more ska! Specials, Madness and the English Beat, coming right up! GO PACK, GO!!!

My two cents always was its just as much about how you coach as who you coach.
I remember back when Capers was the D coach. He had all these odd formations we talked about and themes.
Got to thinking, bring a training specialist, he may be doing it yo make up for lack of talent and speed on the team. Thus maybe he wasnt the problem. Maybe Bisacia isnt tge problem either?

I have been bitchin about special teams for nearly 15 years—over and over—ad nausem.
I felt Bisaccia was an excellent hire; until he wasn’t. But, Bisaccia notwithstanding, this is a long-term issue. If your ST’s are an afterthought, you cannot expect to reach the SB.
I have a high regard for fellow cheesehead poster Leatherhead. I however vehemently disagree with him regarding ST’s. Especially the reasoning a punt returner should fair catch every punt to avoid making a mistake.
Special Teams often determine the outcome of a game—subtly or otherwise. In the case of the Packers it’s been blatantly critical errors; game saving errors.
Where’s Desmond??
Go Packers!!!