Packers Mr. Magic Leg Is Back In Action
Week two of the Packers season went a lot better than Week one. After gaining some traction in the rushing and receiving game, Green Bay is ready for the rest of the season.
Special teams were used a lot more in Week two versus Week one which is needed for one specific player. Packers Pat O’Donnell was the special teams player of the game in Week one but after another solid showing, he took a step back to the kicker. Kickers do well when they score points and that’s exactly what happened Sunday night.
Who Is Mr. Magic Leg For The Packers?
Mr. Magic Leg is the nickname for kicker Mason Crosby for his dependability in the kicking game. He’s been a trusted source for the Packers for a long time and even after a poor season last year, he’s on pace to rebound this year. For those that don’t know, Crosby had a knee scope procedure done in early August so he missed all of the preseason and almost missed Week one. With the Packers dusting the rust off in Week one, Crosby was only used on one extra point and wasn’t used on any field goal attempts.
In Week two, the Packers were able to stretch the field against the Chicago Bears and give Crosby plenty of opportunities to test out that new leg of his. It felt like a video game, Crosby would line up, kick it, and go straight into the heart of the net. He connected on all three of his extra points. He also added two field goals, a 40-yard field goal to start the scoring in the first quarter and a 28-yard field goal to end the game. The game started and stopped with Mason Crosby.
Next week the Packers travel to Tampa Bay to face Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. They have a stout defense and should give Mason Crosby at least a couple of attempts to kick it through the uprights. Through two weeks, the Buccaneers’ defense has only allowed one touchdown so it’ll be interesting to see how the Packers play against them.
How Are The Packers Special Teams Doing So Far?
Now that we are through two games of the regular season, it is a good sample to start analyzing the special teams play for the Packers. Packers fans from around the world know of the struggles that we’ve had over the last few years and it was really bad last season. Between poor tackling, muffed returns, and fumbles we haven’t been able to catch a break and it’s frustrating. With the coaching change to Rich Bisaccia, he seems to have changed the squad for the better early on.
One of the major issues that we had to deal with last year was missed field goals from Mason Crosby but it wasn’t all his fault. It seemed like every game the punter would mishandle a snap and throw off the timing of Crosby forcing a kick to get blocked or sway to the outside of the pole. With Pat O’Donnell’s veteran experience, he has done a great job at catching the snap and placing it down quickly and accurately for Crosby.
In the return game, there are still issues with blocking and running but it’s steadily improving. Wide receiver Amari Rodgers took over the punt and kick return duties late last season and continued with it this season. He almost had a fumble Sunday night but was able to regain control and retain possession. The Packers’ return game is one of the worst in the league but as long as we don’t turn it back over to the other team, we’ll be just fine.
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