Green Bay’s quest for kicking stability remains elusive as sixth-round pick Trey Smack battles inconsistency and equipment adjustments, leaving the front office anxious ahead of training camp.
Since the Green Bay Packers let Mason Crosby walk after the 2022 season, the team has failed to find stability at one of the most critical positions on the team, and there appears to be an issue brewing in training camp this year.
The Packers drafted Anders Carlson in the sixth round of the 2023 draft. He made 81.8 percent of his field goals and 87.2 percent of his extra points before Green Bay went in a different direction.
Brandon McManus only missed one extra point last season, but only made 80 percent of his field goal attempts.
This offseason, the Packers traded up into the sixth round to select Trey Smack out of Florida, hoping to put an end to their kicking woes. Smack had an up-and-down performance during OTAs, and struggled during mandatory minicamp.
On Sunday, Smack left a lot to be desired during his first field goal attempts of training camp. He struggled in the wind, making just three of his five attempts, per ESPN's Rob Demovsky.
"In his first field goals of training camp, rookie Trey Smack went 3-for-5," Demovsky wrote. "He made 28-, 33- and 42-yarders but missed wide left from 38 and 45. On the 38-yarder, fill-in long-snapper Cal Adomitis' snap was a bit low. Smack was kicking into a decent wind."
Rob Demovsky of ESPN believes the Packers might have a "concern" with Smack headed into training camp. He missed a gimme 35-yard attempt on Thursday.
Demovsky had previously noted Smack was a rookie that should be of "concern" for the Packers in training camp.
For whatever reason, the Packers continue to spend draft picks on kickers from the SEC, trying to make them become acclimated to the wind (and during the regular season, cold) in Green Bay.
The Packers are trying to exercise patience as Smack adjusts to the NFL. The team needs to learn where he likes the ball spotted, placement of the ball, and the timing of the operation. Smack believes he needs to have some struggles at practice to iron out things for Sundays.
He's also adjusting to the size of the league's football.
“The NFL ball’s a little bit longer than the college ball, so it has a bigger sweet spot,” Smack said, via Sports Illustrated. “With the new technology and how we break down our kicking balls, we want those really crappy balls.
"You don’t want to see any dimples on it. You want it to be smooth so it can travel through the wind better and it’ll come off your foot a lot better. And we want it really inflated, too.”
At the very least, the Florida product is high maintenance in the summer. It remains to be seen if he can get his operation down pat before the snow starts falling.
