It certainly sounds like the Green Bay Packers are going to be better on special teams this season under new special teams coordinator Ron Zook.
Then again, they simply could not be any worse than they were under Shawn Slocum for all those years. That’s just not possible.
That’s neither here nor there, though.
Early indications are the specials teams units already look better. Kicker Mason Crosby says Zook has simplified things in order to — as my friend Peter loves to say — let guys “fly around out there and make plays.”
“Let’s be honest: There’s only so many things you can do on special teams,” Crosby said. “I think coach Zook is doing a good job trying to make that clear, saying we’re going to simplify this. We’re going to play fast. We’re going to play very physical, and we’re going to overwhelm teams with those things. He’s going to demand it out of guys. You can tell whenever he picks people out and he’ll make sure that he gets the most out of them. I saw that in him as the assistant last year.”
That’s encouraging.
Not only that Zook is able to get the most out of his guys, but also that he’s holding people accountable.
Slocum always took the “there’s nothing to see here, please move along” approach even though we were all staring at a goddam train wreck.
“Oh, that pile of twisted metal and mangled bodies is just a figment of my imagination then. Thanks for clarifying, Shawn.”
Nobody ever seemed to be held accountable, which is probably because, up until he finally got the ax, Slocum wasn’t really held accountable.
That resulted in boneheaded mistake after boneheaded mistake.
We’re certainly going to reserve judgment until we see the finished product on the field, but we’re excited about finally moving in a new direction.
