Crosby Not Banking on Bounce-Back History

After a miserable 2021 season, Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby has “clear-cut goals for what I want to accomplish for this next year.”

GREEN BAY, Wis. – In 2012, Mason Crosby was statistically the worst kicker in the NFL. In 2013, he agreed to a restructured contract, held off a pair of training camp challengers and set off on the greatest sustained kicking run in Green Bay Packers history.

In 2021, Crosby endured a hot-mess kicking operation and finished third-to-last in field-goal accuracy. During these pressure-free days of offseason practices, Crosby spoke confidently of his expectation that he’ll return to form this season. How he bounced back almost a decade ago, though, means nothing this time around.

“I evaluate the season – look at the good, the bad, what I want to work on – and then really just put a good plan together for the offseason,” Crosby said after making all six attempts on Tuesday. “I didn’t have a good year in 2012. From that moment on, I can’t re-create success. Stuff that happened in the past is not going to just automatically carry forward.”

Last season was a nightmare. Oddly, it didn’t start that way. After making 22-of-24 field-goal attempts in 2019 and all 16 tries in 2020, Crosby kept on splitting the uprights to open last season. He made his first six attempts – including a 51-yarder to beat San Francisco in Week 3 – before the wheels came off in dumbfounding fashion. He missed three attempts in the Week 5 game at Cincinnati. Not even hitting the winner in that game could prevent an avalanche.

Over a seven-game stretch, Crosby made only 9-of-17 field-goal attempts. There were protection breakdowns. Bad holds. A change in snapper.

Crosby didn’t pass the buck – that’s not his style – but it was a lot to handle, even for a 15-year pro. He wound up making all seven attempts during the final five games of the season but had a 39-yarder blocked just before halftime in the crushing playoff loss to San Francisco.

“I don’t think you ever just truly flush something,” Crosby said. “If you don’t learn from it and make sure that you continue to improve on the things that didn’t go well and build on the things that did go well, then stuff will repeat itself. I always continue to focus in on ‘What can I continue to do to be the best at my position and best locker room guy and the best guy on the field for this team?’

“Those are the main focuses and goals that I have. Obviously, there’s little things – I’m not going to get into the minute details of what I want to do kicking-wise – but all those things, especially this time of year, are the most important things. It’s a mind-set, a process coming into this offseason, building toward the season. I’m never trying to not let something happen again. I’m more of a, ‘This is what I want to do and this is what I’m going to do’ type of guy. Just really look at it, evaluate it, be very critical and move into the next offseason with clear-cut goals for what I want to accomplish for this next year.”

Crosby is entering his 16th season as Green Bay’s kicker and ranks 14th in NFL history in scoring. Not that he needed it, but he’s been energized by the arrival of longtime special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia and addition of veteran punter/holder Pat O’Donnell. O’Donnell lived with the Crosby family for about three weeks.

“It was like getting to know him for three years,” Crosby said.

It was a luxury Crosby didn’t have last year, when punter/holder Corey Bojorquez was acquired before Week 1. While Crosby and O’Donnell didn’t spend hours upon hours in the backyard working on kicks, the friendship they formed, Crosby believes, goes beyond creating fun videos.

Added together, Crosby believes this season will be the start of the next phase of his career. Crosby views his career in five-year increments. A potential fourth five-year mini-career would start with beating out Dominik Eberle, whom Bisaccia knows well from their time together with the Raiders.

Crosby made it clear that his focus is on himself and not a competition.

“It’s like anything. I go about my routine and make sure that I’m focusing in on what I’m trying to accomplish,” he said. “Obviously, he’s part of this team right now. So, it’s make sure he knows what’s expected here in Green Bay and how we handle ourselves and what we’re supposed to be as a specialist on this team. I always take a responsibility and a leadership spot in that space and make sure that we’re all accountable and ready to roll every time we step on the field. That’s how I operate in that.

“I know with Rich and the conversations I’ve had, they like carrying a few guys to get live kicks and get all the stuff going. It will be good for the guys to make sure that we have someone kicking off, kicking field goals and we get all the work every day so guys can be locked in come season time.”

Grading Green Bay Packers 2018 Draft Class

First round (18th overall): CB Jaire Alexander, Louisville

The 18th pick of the draft, Alexander was All-Rookie in 2018, a Pro Bowl alternate in 2019 and a second-team All-Pro in 2020. While he missed most of last season with a shoulder injury, his four-year numbers include a 49.2 percent completion rate. He covers, he tackles and he leads. In total, he is a face-of-the-franchise type of player, which is why his contract extension was so important.

“Obviously, that injury was really unfortunate,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said before the draft. “Big injury. Was really proud of the way he came back there at the end, would’ve loved to have seen how our defense evolved through the playoffs with him playing more and more snaps. Obviously, Jaire’s a premier corner in the National Football League. We’d like to keep him around here for a long time.”

Second round (45th overall): CB Josh Jackson, Iowa

Jackson started 10 games as a rookie and broke up 10 passes. He has two passes defensed the past three seasons. Traded to the Giants during training camp last summer, Jackson was released at midseason without playing in a game, then played in two games for Kansas City. His snap counts have gone from 718 to 103 to 331 to nine. He is a free agent.

Third round (88): LB Oren Burks, Vanderbilt

The Packers traded fourth- and fifth-round picks for Burks. Billed as a potential three-down linebacker because he started his career at Vanderbilt as a safety, Burks failed to break up a single pass in four seasons. If that’s not enough, last season, De’Vondre Campbell had 145 tackles and four misses. Burks had 26 tackles and also had four misses. He joined the 49ers in free agency.

Fourth round (133): WR J’Mon Moore, Missouri

Plagued by bad hands, Moore caught two passes as a rookie and never saw the field in another regular-season game.

Fifth round (138): OT Cole Madison, Washington State

Moore at least played in 12 career games. That’s 12 more than Madison, who was an outlier from an athletic perspective.

Fifth round (172): P J.K. Scott, Alabama

Scott finished third-to-last in the NFL in net punting in 2020. He kicked in one game for Jacksonville in 2021 and joined the Chargers in free agency.

Fifth round (174): WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, South Florida

Finally, another excellent draft pick. Valdes-Scantling led the NFL with 20.9 yards per reception in 2020 and signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Chiefs in free agency. Of the 34 receivers selected, he ranks seventh with 13 touchdowns.

Sixth round (207): WR Equanimeous St. Brown, Notre Dame

The media pundits liked St. Brown more than NFL general managers. The GMs were right. St. Brown caught 21 passes for 328 yards as a rookie, spent 2019 on injured reserve and caught 15 passes for 215 yards the last two seasons. He signed with Chicago in free agency. He has one career touchdown. The player taken right after him, Cedrick Wilson, signed a three-year, $22 million contract with Miami this offseason.

Seventh round (232): DT James Looney, California

Looney played three games as a rookie, got a shot at tight end and is out of the league.

Seventh round (239): LS Hunter Bradley, Mississippi State

Bradley snapped for three-and-a-half seasons, was released at midseason last year and remains unsigned.

Seventh round (248): OLB Kendall Donnerson, Southeast Missouri State

A workout warrior worthy of a late-round flier, Donnerson never played in a regular-season game.

Packers 2018 Draft Class: The Verdict

With the Packers (1): Alexander signed a contract extension this month that keeps him contractually tied to the team through the 2026 season.

With Other Teams (5): Burks, Scott, Valdes-Scantling, St. Brown. Only Valdes-Scantling is a lock to make a roster.

Out of the League (5): Jackson, Moore, Looney, Bradley, Donnerson.

Drafting an elite player at a critical position is the best-case scenario in any draft. That’s Alexander. However, completely whiffing in Day 2 and missing in the fourth round, as well, is a black eye. And going 0-for-2 with the specialists provides an extra dose of insult.

The greatest general manager in sports history goes by the last name of Hindsight. Gutekunst missed on Jackson at No. 45 and, making matter worse, bypassed a quality slot receiver (Christian Kirk at No. 47), a superb tight end (Dallas Goedert at No. 49) and a four-year starting lineman (Connor Williams at No. 50) in the next five picks. All three players, who are on their second contracts, would have hit on needs.

In the third round, Gutekunst skipped quality offensive linemen Joseph Noteboom and Alex Cappa to get Burks, who started just seven games in four seasons. In the fourth round, standout tight end Dalton Schultz was taken four picks after the Packers took Moore, the 15th of 34 receivers drafted but 28th in receptions.

With a 2-for-11 hit rate, Gutekunst’s inaugural draft looks like a flop. However, Alexander wasn’t just a hit – he was a home run – and his brilliant wheeling-and-dealing in that draft netted a 2019 first-round pick that was used on safety Darnell Savage, who is an above-average starter.

Getting Savage is why Pro Football Focus awarded the Packers a B-plus last week.

“Not only did the Packers turn their 2018 first-round selection into one of the top five cornerbacks in the NFL, but they also netted a 2019 first-rounder out that turned into Darnell Savage,” PFF’s Michael Renner wrote. “General manager Brian Gutekunst would go five more picks before he found another starter, though, in Valdes-Scantling, keeping this draft from a higher grade. MVS developed into a nice big-play threat who averaged over 1.4 yards per route over the past two seasons.”

Our 2018 Packers Draft Grade

Alexander has been fabulous in every way. But his greatness can’t cover up the rest of an awful draft. He is the lipstick on the proverbial pig.

In the NFC, Green Bay is chasing Tampa Bay. The Bucs’ draft class included defensive tackle Vita Vea in the first round, cornerback Carlton Davis in the second round, the aforementioned Cappa in the third round and safety Jordan Whitehead in the fourth round. That’s four high-quality starters.

Taking into account this draft netted an additional first-round pick, I’d give this group a C-plus.