If you were wondering whether the Green Bay Packers would stick with rookie kicker Trey Smack despite recent struggles, coach Matt LaFleur answered that question on Monday.
“We are,” he said.
His reasoning?
“I think he’s done a lot of good things,” LaFleur said. “The thing I like about Trey is he’s shown to bounce back. Never want to be in a bounce-back situation, but that’s football. You got to be able to be resilient and go out there and play the next play. It started off bad, obviously, this last game missing a PAT, and then he responded.”
Smack missed his first extra-point attempt in last Thursday’s matchup against the Carolina Panthers. It was the third missed extra point of the season and opened the door for the Panthers to make it a one-possession
game in the fourth quarter. However, he did make his next three extra points to help the Packers win 27-19 and improve to 5-3.
Mental toughness is a prerequisite for a young kicker attempting to carve out a long NFL career, and Smack has shown that. Early in training camp, it appeared Green Bay might need to bring in another leg after Smack started 8-for-13 in practice, missing multiple kicks from under 40 yards. He then went 6-for-7 in front of a packed crowd at Lambeau Field on Family Night and carried that momentum into the preseason, finishing a perfect 9-for-9 with three makes from over 50 yards.
The sixth-round draft pick then drilled the second-longest field goal in team history, a 59-yarder in Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings, but still lacked consistency. Smack also missed an extra point in that game and then went 1-for-3 in a blowout win over the Chicago Bears in Week 5.
Smack responded by making all three of his field goal attempts against the Dallas Cowboys the following week, only to miss one kick and have another blocked, contributing directly to a 20-17 divisional loss to the Detroit Lions.
The Packers expected rough patches. When Smack struggled at the start of camp, general manager Brian Gutekunst said he would try to be more patient with his rookie kicker. That patience hasn’t run out, but it could start to wear thin if Smack doesn't find consistency as the team makes a push for the playoffs.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers remain committed to Trey Smack despite rookie kicker's struggles
