loading . . . Ask Maggie: Kicking Special Teams to the Curb Welcome back to another edition of Ask Maggie: Your Packers Mailbag! Itâs the mailbag you, the readers, help me write each and every week by submitting your questions to [email protected]. I couldnât do this without you. Letâs kick (pun very much intended) things off with a question that isnât about special teams, because thatâs coming later.Â
âDo you have any concerns about Gannon staying for 2 years and leaving again for a head coaching job? Yes he did poorly in AZ, but with the talent he has here I could see him follow a Hafley route and then the team has to start from square one to learn a new system etc. Should longevity play any role in the hiring of coordinator positions or should you just pick the person you think is best and let the chips fall where they may?â - Tony
I think you answered your question there at the very end. They say the NFL stands for âNot For Longâ for a reason. Depending on your thoughts on the current Packers team, you may think their Super Bowl window is closed. You may think they have two years left. You may think they have longer than two years. However you feel, if Green Bay thinks Gannon is the guy to lead the defense in that time span, thatâs why you make the hire. Even if heâs only with the Packers for a single season and then lands a head coaching job in 2027, you still make the selection given what you think you can get out of him right now.Â
Look at a team like the Rams. Sean McVay has been with the team since 2017. In that time he had Matt LaFleur, Kevin OâConnell, Liam Coen, and Mike LaFleur as his offensive coordinators, and all of them are now head coaches in the NFL. On defense he had Wade Phillips, Brandon Staley, Raheem Morris, and Chris Shula (who had plenty of interviews for a head coaching job of his own). And yet despite all of that turnover, the Rams have made the playoffs seven times and appeared in two Super Bowls, winning one. The most successful teams are always going to have a high turnover rate because success breeds opportunity. Any team that didnât have a successful season is going to be looking at the ones that did and trying to figure out what they can replicate. So no, I donât have any concerns about Gannon possibly only being around for two years. Hopefully by the time heâs offered another crack at a head coaching gig, heâs got some shiny new hardware to bring with him.Â
âHow do we like international games? As a Berliner (Germany) Iâm really hoping for a Berlin game with the Packers. But I get that itâs unfavorable by the base.â - Teerohr
I personally love international games. I know that Iâm spoiled living in Wisconsin and I donât take it for granted that Iâm fortunate enough to get to at least one Packers game a season at Lambeau Field. I suppose I can understand the argument that Green Bay doesnât want to give up home games given how much they do for the local economy, but with the 17th game added onto the schedule, giving up the ninth and âextraâ home game feels like a fair trade. Regardless, I love any opportunity for fans to get to see their favorite team. Iâve talked to a ton of international fans and the dedication you all show your team is unreal. The time zone difference to watch your team in the middle of the night or early hours of the morning is one thing. But Iâve also heard plenty of stories about how hard it was to even find information about the Packers before things like the internet and streaming services made that a little bit easier. Relying on newspapers or tickers on the bottom of TV screens to even try to catch the score of the most recent game. Talk about diehards. The only negative I could think of would be that I can see why it would be a bummer for fans that live in other parts of the U.S. to have Packers road games flexed, simply because the Packers may not be in their location often. For example, if the Packers vs Steelers game had been the Ireland game this past season, I could understand why that would be a bummer for fans that live in the Pittsburgh area or within driving distance. Thatâs a trip theyâd likely make knowing it only happens once every eight years. That said, a trip somewhere like Berlin would happen even less likely, Iâd have to think, so Iâm always in support of international fans getting to see their team in-person. I know how much the Brazil game meant to fans in 2024, even with the extended flight times. The NFL is getting better at managing logistics to make these trips easier for teams, too. So that is an incredibly long answer to say hell yeah, I am always down for international games and for as many fans as possible to get to cheer on their team in-person. For some people it might really be a âonce in a lifetimeâ opportunity.Â
âWhat, if anything, stood out to you in Guteyâs press conference? Anything make you go âhmmmâ?â - JimÂ
Weâll save his comments about special teams for a little bit later on, but something I thought was interesting was his comment about Jordan Morgan at left tackle, specifically when he said "I thought he played really well in the preseason at that spot, probably did enough to win that job, but then we had some injuries and had to do what was best for the team.â I never felt like Rasheed Walker was going to be back in Green Bay this offseason, but for Gute to say Morgan probably did enough to win the LT job coming out of camp, only for the Packers to not utilize him there, was telling. I know the Packers love offensive linemen who cross-train and can play everywhere, which Morgan did do in 2025 (he made a start everywhere but center), but it certainly sounds like heâll have every opportunity to be the teamâs left tackle of the future, which we expected when he was drafted in the first round in 2024.Â
It maybe wasnât surprising, but Gutekunst also said he feels good about where the team is at regarding cap space going into free agency, should they wish to spend. I think we all have our thoughts on players the team may move on from (ahem, Rashan Gary) to free up some money, so itâll be interesting to see if the Packers take any swings at positions of need like they did last season with Aaron Banks and Nate Hobbs.Â
âWhat are fans being reasonable about this offseason? What are fans being unreasonable about?â - Sam
Sam, youâre trying to get me in trouble. But Iâll be honest, I havenât seen too many inflammatory takes floating around. Iâm sure they exist, though. I would say concerns about the coaching staff are all reasonable. I get that thereâs a portion of the fanbase that doesnât think LaFleur is the right guy for the job and they think as long as heâs head coach, the Super Bowl window is closed. I donât agree with that take, but given the recent losses in back-to-back Wild Card games, I donât fault anyone for their feelings. I also understand why fans have concerns about the coaching staff, even if they do think LaFleur is the right guy as head coach. Itâs impossible not to be frustrated with the results weâve seen on special teams. Itâs fair to question why the offensive line has regressed, even beyond the unfortunate injury luck this past season. A lot of that comes down to coaching, so itâs completely reasonable for the fans to want more from a front office thatâs spoken a lot about the urgency to win a championship.Â
I guess if I had to pick a recent example of an unreasonable take, itâs anyone thinking Jordan Love isnât the guy at quarterback. Iâm not sure how anyone can watch the Packers offense and think Love is ever the problem. He had a couple of ugly interceptions this season, but thatâs really the only thing Iâd nitpick about, and we had a quarterback in Green Bay for 16 years whoâs in the Hall of Fame and threw what felt like one ugly pick per game. Love threw for 323 yards and four touchdowns in the Wild Card game. If there was anything to dislike about the offenseâs productivity down the stretch, I would argue it stemmed from playcalling and decision-making (like handoffs on second and long), not whoâs throwing the ball.Â
Just for comparisonâs sake, I thought these numbers were fun. Through his first three seasons as Green Bayâs starter (47 games), Love has a record of 27-19-1. Heâs thrown for 10,929 yards with a completion percentage of 64.5%. He has 80 touchdowns and 28 interceptions.Â
In Aaron Rodgersâ first three seasons as a starter (47 games), he went 27-20. He threw for 12,394 yards with a completion percentage of 64.6%. He had 86 touchdowns and 31 picks.Â
Finally, in Brett Favreâs first three seasons as a starter (45 games), he went 26-19. He threw for 10,412 yards with a completion percentage of 62.4%. He had 70 touchdowns and 51 interceptions.Â
So there we have it. See you in Canton, Jordan. Anyone that doesnât think youâre the guy isnât invited to your jersey retirement at Lambeau.
âRe: Bisaccia - why?â - Tony
This made me audibly laugh when I opened the email. It paired perfectly with Jimâs question above about things from Guteyâs presser that gave me pause. I donât love calling for anyoneâs job. Itâs simply not my style. But repeated special teams blunders sure are hard to watch each season. And I understand the argument that the coaches arenât the ones executing each week, so if Romeo Doubs canât secure an onside kick that isnât entirely Richâs fault, but Iâm not sure how anyone at 1265 Lombardi can watch Green Bayâs special teams and think the product on the field is capable of winning championships.Â
Take kickoffs for example. Iâm not sure why it was such an issue for McManus all season to kick the ball between the end zone and the 20-yard line. Instead, he was consistently kicking the ball into the end zone, giving opposing teams the ball at the 35-yard line.Â
On the year, McManus was 18/18 on field goals inside 39 yards and 6/12 on anything over 40 yards. Thatâs a 50% success rate on kicks of 40+ yards in a league where Jaguars kicker Cam Little just set an NFL record this season with a 68-yard field goal.Â
I think it has to be Daniel Whelan. Heâs been Whelan and dealinâ too much and heâs keeping Bisaccia employed.Â
But thatâll do it for this week! Weâll be switching to Fridays for the offseason schedule, so youâll have one less day to get your questions in! Save me from extended special teams conversation (just kidding, kind of) by emailing your questions to [email protected].
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Maggie Loney is a writer for Cheesehead TV and podcaster for the Pack-A-Day Podcast and Pack's What She Said. Find her on Twitter at @MaggieJLoney.
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NFL Categories:Â Green Bay PackersTags:Â Rich BisacciaSpecial TeamsJordan LoveBrian GutekunstJonathan Gannon
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