It’s a team with a new head coach looking to rebound from consecutive losing seasons. What kind of competition will there be in Green Bay Packers camp?
In 2016, the Green Bay Packers were one victory away from an appearance in Super Bowl LI. Over the past two seasons, the team owns a combined 13-18-1 record. The reasons for the demise are numerous. But the bottom line is that the franchise enters ’19 with a new head coach (Matt LaFleur) and a different approach on how to get this club back on track.
The organization spent money in free agency this offseason, most notably on the defensive side of the ball. By all indications, there’s a new energy surrounding the Pack as it looks to bounce back from two straight losing campaigns. That hadn’t happened since 1990 and ’91 – before the Brett Favre Era in Titletown.
The Packers veterans report to training camp on July 24. What kind of competition will we see for jobs this summer?
5. Placekicker
Mason Crosby vs. Sam Ficken
The Chicago Bears aren’t the only team in the NFC North with some questions at kicker. To say it was a forgettable 2018 for Green Bay’s veteran specialist would be a slight understatement. Mason Crosby finished the season with 124 points but struggled with consistency. He missed a pair of PATs and seven of his 37 field goal attempts – a combined five of those between 30-39 (1) and 40-49 (4) yards.
Of course, most of that damage came in a Week loss at Detroit in which Crosby failed on four field goal tries (41, 42, 38 and 56 yards, respectively) and a PAT in his team’s 31-23 setback. So enter Sam Ficken, signed by the Packers in mid-April. He saw action with the Rams in both 2017 and ’18 and has played in a total of five NFL contests, including playoffs. Can he really unseat a 12-year veteran who’s yet to miss a game and is the franchise’s all-time scoring leader?