Players under contract:
No. Name Pos Ht Wt Age Exp. College Acquired
2 Mason Crosby K 6-1 207 25 3 Colorado D6c-07
7 Jeremy Kapinos P 6-1 233 25 1 Penn State FA-08
8 Tim Masthay P 6-1 197 22 1 Kentucky FA-10
61 Brett Goode LS 6-1 261 25 2 Arkansas FA-08
Unrestricted free agents:
None.
Restricted free agents:
None.
The good news: The good news? Well, Goode hasnt had a bad snap in the past two years. After that, it depends on what your idea of good is. Crosby suffered through a troublesome slump and wound up tied for 25th in field-goal accuracy (.750) in the league after ranking 26th in 2007 (.795) and 28th in 2008 (.794). But, he recovered in the final weeks of the season and still has an outstanding leg. After three years in the NFL, theres no reason to think his best days arent ahead of him. He just needs to make sure his booming leg is accurate, too. The coverage units, meanwhile, started poorly but jelled late in the season, which was an encouraging development under first-year coordinator Shawn Slocum.
The bad news: The Packers finished 31st in the Dallas Morning News Rick Gosselins annual special teams rankings, and many of their low-ranking grades can be traced to Kapinos, who was able to beat out Durant Brooks in training camp but did little else to impress the rest of the year. He wound up tied for 32nd in net average (34.1 yards per punt), the most accurate measure of a punters skill. (He ranked 16th in gross punting at 43.8 yards per punt). He was also 32nd in the league in touchback percentage (15.2%) and 33rd in inside-the-20 percentage (22.7%). The Packers signed Masthay to compete with him, but dont be surprised if the teams punter in the regular-season opener is someone completely different.
The big question: Who will ignite the return game?
Will Blackmons season-ending torn ACL at Minnesota on Oct. 5 the fourth game of the season basically derailed the return game for the rest of the year. Blackmon was a game-changer on punt returns in 2008 and was making strides as a kickoff return when he went down, and while Jordy Nelson showed some flashes, he also got himself benched in favor of Tramon Williams on kickoff returns in the season-ending playoff loss at Arizona. The Packers havent had a consistent return-game threat since the days of Desmond Howard and flash-in-the-pan Roell Preston, and given the importance of field position, having a difference-maker in the mix would be welcomed.
Offseason outlook: Despite his inconsistent stretch last season, Crosby has panned out well for a sixth-round draft pick, so fans shouldnt be surprised if GM Ted Thompson spends one of his third-day picks on a specialist, especially if a punter of value is still on the board. East Carolinas Matt Dodge, Virginia Techs Brent Bowden and Michigans Zoltan Mesko are considered the top prospects there. It would be interesting to see the Packers make a play for an established returner, but the odds of that appear slim. With the hard 80-man roster limit, its possible the team wont bring in training-camp competition for Crosby, but after last season, it would probably be wise to at least push him a little bit.