Monday, September 16, 2024
By Tori Wittenbrock
Sports Editor
GREEN BAY – Amid the NFL’s recent establishment of new kick-off rules, Green Bay Packers Special Teams Coach Rich Bisaccia said that the team is prepared to take on the changes this season.
“I think this new kick-off thing is going to be fun and confusing and different and a lot of questions are going to arise regardless of what position we are talking about. So, we’ll see what happens,” said Bisaccia.
After meeting to go over the new NFL rules, Bisaccia said that the team was able to make some progress on their understanding of how to approach kick-offs this season.
“I’d like to think we all — players included — had a good conversation in our meetings,” said Bisaccia after speaking with NFL officials about the changes.
“We actually asked one question to start the whole thing and we were in a 25-30 minute discussion about the one question about what the indicator is for all of us to get started.”
Due to the nature of the game and the learning process, Bisaccia said he anticipates having to be prepared to adjust and adapt to changes from the NFL early in the season.
“As the year is going to go on — we feel like it’s already happened — there are going to be amendments to the rules according to what happens in the games. There are parts of it — if the ball doesn’t get to the 20 it goes to the 40. If the ball hits the ground inside the 20 or it goes in the endzone, it goes to the 20. You catch it in the endzone, you take a knee, it goes to the 30. So, situationally, it’s like, are you going to play every ball? Are you going to kick a touchback? What’s the new drive start going to become?” said Bisaccia.
“Those are the unforeseen consequences of what is going to possibly happen. We are just going to have to play it and see what we are going to do. I think there are going to be many challenges. Some, I don’t really know what they are yet.”
As teams navigate these changes, Bisaccia said he anticipates some adjustments and clarification to come along.
“I think especially as we go through the first few preseason games, there will be amendments to the rules. Maybe amendments to some of the line ups too.”
One of the biggest rule changes comes in terms of the fated onside kick.
“There is no surprise onside kick. The onside kick is in the fourth quarter only. Your team has to be behind. You have to declare you are going to kick an onside kick. You have to kick an onside kick that has a chance of being played or defended by the kicking team. If it goes through everyone or you pop it over the top and they can’t make a play on the ball, it’s going to be a penalty and go all the way to the 20,” explained Bisaccia.
According to Bisaccia, the kicking competition is neck and neck and continuing to foster a good internal work environment.
“We’re in a kicker competition. I think there’s competitive position battles going on throughout the team and we are going to have constant conversation about it and we’ll sit down collectively and make a decision when the time comes,” said Bisaccia.
“It’s just early. I’m just glad they’re all healthy and kicking the ball right now. The wind has been a nice, pleasant surprise for us. It’s early in the process of what we are trying to get to in the end. So we’ll just keep kicking.”
After leading the NFL in special teams penalties last season, Bisaccia said that it has been a focus of theirs in recent weeks.
“The part about getting the penalties down, I think it has to do a little bit with our play style to some degree depending on what the penalties are,” said Bisaccia. “Our youth to some degree. And then, at times, undisciplined players making personal decisions to do some things outside of the realm of what we are coaching or what we are teaching, so we hope to rectify that.”
However, there is one position that Bisaccia said he has been satisfied with in offseason improvements after a solid 2023 season — Daniel Whelan.
“We expect him to play a little bit better. We thought he played really well in the red zone as the year went on. It’s something he worked really hard at. He’s got a big leg. He’s really done a good job of improving his holding. He’s holding for three different kickers right now and he’s been holding for three different kickers for a while through OTAs and that’s a responsibility as well. He’s extremely smart and athletic. We’d like to get our field punts a little bit better directionally. I think he is working on that. We hope he makes a jump a little bit in the field and continues to improve in the red zone,” said Bisaccia.
Bisaccia said that the Packers special teams has been training for all conditions given the importance of field goal attempts in games last season.
“We kick both ways here. We did it a bunch in the spring. We kicked a bunch of days into the wind that we had in the spring. The wind that we have here is different than it is at Lambeau, so we are looking forward to Family Night to see what the kids look like on that night as well,” said Bisaccia.
“Since I’ve been here, Coach LaFleur loves to throw into the wind, so when he does that on offense, we kick into the wind on those days. We do it both ways.”
Bisaccia said the bottom line is, everyone will continue to train for the new rules in preparation for preseason and take each day as it comes.
“In the beginning everyone had questions. Now, this is it. This is what we have, so let’s embrace it. Let’s get excited about it. And let’s see how good we can get at it,” said Bisaccia.
