GREEN BAY – A year ago, Green Bay Packers special-teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia was regularly answering questions about his kicking game.
In his first meeting with reporters since the start of training camp, he was answering them again.
But, boy, was this different.
Instead of trying to defend the likes of Anders Carlson, Greg Joseph, Brayden Narveson and others, he was being asked what it’s like to have a kicker who hasn’t missed yet.
Veteran Brandon McManus has been better than anyone could have imagined since signing with the Packers on Oct. 16. He connected on 20 of 21 field goals and all 30 extra-point tries during the regular season and was 1 of 2 on field goals and 1 of 1 on extra points in the team’s only playoff game.
Since arriving at camp, he has made all 23 of his kicking attempts, including numerous ones at the end of 2-minute drills that are considered game-winners.
“When Brandon and I talk about, and you guys (reporters) talk about him a bunch, he’s like, ‘Just try to remind them that you guys are paying me to come here and make those,’” Bisaccia said in a coordinator’s news conference July 30. “But it’s a compliment to him.”
McManus, who turned 34 on July 25, is entering his 12th season in the NFL. He’s made 82.2% of his field goals and 97.4% of his extra points in the regular season and is coming off the best season of his career statistically.
Bisaccia had a discussion with him about his longevity and reminded him he doesn’t have to play like a 34-year-old kicker.
“I think he’s got himself in tremendous physical condition,” Bisaccia said. “I tried to explain to him, ‘If you come back at age 22, you got a long time to keep playing.’ And I think he did a really good job of getting himself in good physical condition.
“He’s confident in the battery. We talked about him how particular he is, and I think they really work well together. They’re certainly complementing each other in the way they practice.”
It helps that long snapper Matt Orzech has found consistency after some shaky performances in 2022 and punter Daniel Whelan has become a steady holder willing to meet McManus’ quirky demands.
“I think towards the end of the year, they got really (good),” Bisaccia said. “It was well done by all of them. In the offseason, we had a lot of holds, a lot of snaps and Brandon was here for the majority of the offseason, OTAs and the mandatory minicamp.
“They work hard at it. There’s a lot of drills that we do, a lot of drills that they do on their own, even at night, when we’re in the walk-through process. They take a lot of pride in the battery. Hopefully, they continue to improve.”
Here are some other subjects Bisaccia touched on:
No matter what position he plays, Bo Melton is held in high regard on special teams
Though he’s been moved from receiver to cornerback, a move that often means a team is about to give up on a player, nothing has changed for Bo Melton on special teams.
He was the team’s best gunner on punt coverage and regularly played seven or more snaps per game on special teams throughout last season.
“Yeah, 16 green,” Bisaccia said of Belton’s new number and defensive jersey color. “He’s Bo Melton. He’s fast, he’s got a smile on his face, he’s got an incredible attitude. No matter what you ask him to do, you think he’s going to become an elite special-teams player.
“He was a big force a year ago. So, he’s really just the ultimate team player.”
Isaiah Simmons has a chance to be a big contributor on special teams
Though he has not lived up to his first-round draft selection as a defensive player, linebacker Isaiah Simmons has shown he can play special teams. Last year, with the New York Giants, Simmons jumped over the guard and blocked a field goal that would have tied the game in the final minute. The ball was returned 60 yards for a touchdown to clinch the victory.
Regardless if Simmons has a role on defense this year, his extraordinary height, length and speed make him someone Bisaccia could build around on special teams.
“Going back to Isaiah at Clemson, he did it coming out,” Bisaccia said of playing special teams. We’re asking to do some things in the kicking game that he has not done before. He’s been willing to do anything and everything that we’ve asked him to do.
“He’s been a great teammate to this point, so we’re trying to put him in position to do what he does well, to help us in the kicking game. And that’s really what we’re trying to do with all of them. But he’s got a certain skill set because of his height and his speed.”
Playing on the kicking units includes field-goal and extra-point rush, and punt rush and coverage.
Matthew Golden getting a look at punt returner
Though Jayden Reed is the incumbent punt returner, Bisaccia said he will continue to consider first-round receiver Matthew Golden, who is one of the fastest players on the team.
Golden doesn’t have a lot of experience returning punts but he has done it.
“It’s early but we all loved him obviously, where we took him,” Bisaccia said. “He’s got a tremendous skill set. So, he’s a guy that’s also improving in both (offense and special teams). He was the backup returner at Texas. Didn’t do it as much in games, but he’s done it before.
“He’s been a kick returner in his past, too, so hopefully we can get some of those things out of him as well.”
This article originally appeared on Packers News: Rich Bisaccia thinks Packers kicker Brandon McManus is turning back the clock with his recent performance
Reporting by Tom Silverstein, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Packers News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
