DETROIT, MI – DECEMBER 29: Special teams coach Shawn Mennenga of the Green Bay Packers looks on from the sidelines in the first half of the game against the the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on December 29, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
The Green Bay Packers have made a change to their coaching staff and no, it doesn’t involve defensive coordinator Mike Pettine…yet.
Three days ago, the Green Bay Packers were heartbreakingly eliminated from the playoffs by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There was plenty of blame to go around as to why they lost the NFC Championship Game, with most of it going towards defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. But, the Packers decided to make a change to their coaching staff.
On Wednesday, a source told NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero that the Packers have parted ways with special teams coordinator Shawn Mennenga after two seasons with the team.
Pettine isn’t exactly safe, either
As for Pettine, he doesn’t exactly have rock solid job security at the moment. According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, Pettine’s contract with the team expired following the conclusion of the NFC Title Game. At the end of last season, Pettine opted against signing a contract extension to see how things went in 2020. Pettine had his exit interview with the team and there is no word on his status, per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Green Bay’s special teams unit was an issue this season. When it came to punt returns, Mennenga’s squad surrendered a league-high 17.1 yards per return to the opposition and two punt return touchdowns this season (tied with Miami Dolphins for most in NFL). The Packers averaged 18.9 yards per kickoff return (31st in NFL) and 4.8 yards per punt return (30th). To make matters that much more bleak for the Packers special teams, they didn’t record a single return touchdown in 2020.
After falling one game short of the Super Bowl for the second year in a row, head coach Matt LaFleur is showing Packers fans that he’s willing to make the necessary changes to help the Packers improve before their championship window closes. That’s the case with Mennenga being shown the door, while Pettine’s status is still up in the air.