Green Bay Packers rookie kicker Trey Smack earned himself a confidence boost during a 6-for-7 kicking performance in front of almost 60,000 fans inside Lambeau Field at Family Night.
Smack missed only one kick, a 51-yarder, during the practice at Lambeau Field.
“It’s good, definitely built a little bit of confidence up tonight,” Smack said, via Mike Spofford of Packers.com. “But we can always kick better.”
Smack started 4-for-4, including two makes over 40 yards, and finished the night with makes to finish off both two-minute situations. His lone miss came from over 50 yards, which he pulled to the left. Given the nearly perfect conditions inside Lambeau Field, the miss from 51 yards is a kick Smack will be expected to make come actual games.
On his final kick to finish off the first team offense’s two-minute drive, Smack hit from 42 yards out but had to kick again due to a false start. He calmly connected on the 47-yarder. In the game scenario, the Packers were down three points and needed a field goal to tie.
Coach Matt LaFleur said Smack was “dead on” with his other six kicks. A few of his kicks sailed right through the middle of the uprights.
Smack, a sixth-round pick out of Florida, has gone through an up and down start to training camp, missing five kicks through the first week of practices. As is the case with most rookie specialists, consistency is elusive.
But LaFleur, special teams coordinator Cam Achord and general manager Brian Gutekunst all put more evaluation weight on performance in the big situations, including Family Night at Lambeau Field and preseason games. And so far, Smack is off to a decent start inside his home stadium.
The next big test comes during the preseason opener on Thursday night in Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers rookie Trey Smack ‘built a little bit of confidence’ during Family Night
Reporting by Zach Kruse, Packers Wire / Packers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Zach Kruse, Packers Wire | USA TODAY Network
