Green Bay Packers’ kicker Anders Carlson (17) has had a rough start to training camp. (AP … [+]
Fifteen years ago, the Green Bay Packers gathered for their annual ‘Family Night’ scrimmage.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was trying to replace the legendary Brett Favre, struggled that night and was booed at times by the passionate fan base.
Today, rookie kicker Anders Carlson is trying to replace the legendary Mason Crosby. And if Carlson struggles before the expected 70,000 spectators that will attend Saturday’s ‘Family Night’, it will be interesting to see if the fans treat him any better than they did Rodgers back in 2008.
Carlson, a sixth round draft pick in April, has had a rough training camp. And over the next four weeks — starting with ‘Family Night’ — Carlson must prove he’s capable of replacing the nearly automatic Crosby.
“Very excited. Yeah,” Carlson said earlier this week. “Family Night, I’ve never seen it, but I’ve heard a lot of good things. Excited for some field goals and some fireworks.”
There have certainly been fireworks around Carlson’s kicks throughout training camp.
The strong-legged Carlson has shown the ability to connect on field goals beyond 60 yards. He’s also continued a disturbing trend of inaccuracy.
Carlson made a dismal 2-of-7 field goals (28.6%) during a practice on July 29. And over the past week, he’s just 11-of-21 on field goals (52.4%).
Overall this summer, Carlson is 16-of-27 (59.3%) kicking in ideal conditions, something he won’t have when the Wisconsin winter arrives.
“No concerns right now,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said Friday. “I do think it’s one of those things that this is the National Football League. You’ve got to perform at every position. At the same time, we went into this kind of knowing that rookie kickers will have some struggles, with the thought process there will be some patience there.”
During practices this week, Carlson missed two kicks on Tuesday and two more on Thursday. All four misses were wide right.
“The majority is right,” Carlson said. “It’s really just getting my hips through a little bit better. Again, I think I’m striking the ball well, and I’m glad it’s just one miss I can correct and get back on track.
“It’s frustrating, but I’m not saying it’s a trend or anything. But obviously yeah, in a game it’s one shot, one kill, we were just talking about that. I’ve got to put a better emphasis on it.”
Carlson also struggled with accuracy as a collegian at Auburn, where he made 79 of 110 field goals (71.8%). Carlson was a sensational 49 of 54 (90.7%) from inside of 40 yards, but just 30-of-56 (53.6%) from beyond 40 yards.
Carlson’s woes with precision have continued this training camp, and unless he turns things around, keeping him on the roster would be remarkably risky.
Green Bay will field one of the NFL’s youngest teams, led by first-time starting quarterback Jordan Love. Developing confidence will be a huge challenge for this young squad. And if a kicker such as Carlson costs them a game or two — especially early on — it could be remarkably detrimental to the growth of the entire team.
“That’s one of the challenges of all sports. How do you respond when things don’t go your way?” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said of Carlson’s inaccuracy. “And that’s something that we’re constantly preaching to our guys and you’ve got to truly have that next play mentality.”
As Carlson continues to struggle on gorgeous summer days that were made for kicking, Crosby sits home waiting for a call from one of the NFL’s 32 teams.
Crosby is coming off a season in which he made 25-of-29 field goals (86.2%) and drilled 18-of-18 kicks inside 40 yards. Crosby made game-winning field goals against both Dallas and New England, and for the ninth time in 12 years, he made at least 80.0% of his field goals.
Crosby, a sixth round draft pick in 2007, obliterated the franchise’s all-time scoring record with 1,918 points. He made 81.4% of his field goals and eclipsed the 80.0% mark in nine of his 16 seasons.
Packers special teams coach Rich Bisaccia has had a large say in personnel decisions within his unit. And Bisaccia — who coached Anders’ brother, Daniel, during his time with the Raiders — was stricken by Anders Carlson in the pre-draft process.
“I think he’s a strong mental makeup person,” Bisaccia said of Anders Carlson. “I think he’s been his best regardless of the circumstance. He’s been in a lot of big games, he’s kicked in a lot of different situations in the SEC. He’s kicked in many bowl games.
“I love his body structure, the power that he has, the ability to get stronger and the ability to self-correct I think is a little bit of a family trait right now that we’re seeing from him. So we’re excited about where he’s going to go forward.”
Back in 2019, Daniel Carlson was a rookie kicker playing for Minnesota. He came to Lambeau Field in Week 2, missed all three of his field goals and was released the next day.
Anders Carlson’s first experience kicking at Lambeau Field will be Saturday night. And if it’s not dramatically better than Daniel’s performance four years ago, Packer Nation will be tripping over themselves trying to reach the panic button.
“No matter who’s here, it’s always me vs. myself,” Carlson said. “It doesn’t matter if there is competition or there’s not. It’s about putting your best day forward.”
Carlson needs a few of those “best days” as soon as possible, or his days as a Packer could be numbered.