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GREEN BAY, Wisconsin – The Green Bay Packers have fired special teams coordinator Shawn Mennenga after two seasons in that role with the team, a source confirmed to ESPN.
Mennenga was on Coach Matt LaFleur’s original staff when he was hired ahead of the 2019 season.
There was no immediate word on the status of defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, whose contract expired after this season. Pettine was meeting with LaFleur on Wednesday to discuss her status.
Pettine has chosen not to sign an extension after last season, sources said. Most of the Packers’ coordinators and position coaches still have two years on their contracts, but Pettine opted to spend the final year of her contract and see how things go.
Despite the Packers’ 13-3 regular season and their place in the NFC championship game, they struggled on special teams throughout the season.
Blocked kicks, long allowed returns and an ineffective second leg overshadowed a near perfect season for kicker Mason Crosby, one of the few bright spots in special teams.
The Packers placed 29th in Rick Gosselin’s annual special team rankings, widely regarded as the gold standard for evaluating special teams in the league. Green Bay was 26th last season.
Mennenga inherited the worst special teams unit in the league starting in 2018, when they placed 32nd under former coordinator Ron Zook. The Packers also placed last in the league in 2014 under then-coordinator Shawn Slocum. The club’s best ranking in special teams between 2014 and 2020 was 16th in 2017.
Among the Packers’ problems on special teams this season were:
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Two punt returns allowed for touchdowns (91 yards in Week 10 by the Jaguars and 73 yards by the Eagles in Week 13)
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Darrius Shepherd, returning from the kickoff escaped in the fourth quarter in what was a draw in Week 11 against the Colts which the Packers then lost in overtime.
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A punt blocked in week 9 by the 49ers
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A bad snap on an extra point in the division’s playoff game against the Rams that led to a scramble situation in which incumbent JK Scott panicked and threw the ball at Crosby with a shoulder injury.
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An irregular season in the boat by Scott
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst used 2018 draft picks on Scott’s long snapper (fifth round) Hunter Bradley (seventh), and neither came up to standards.
NFL Network first reported the news of Mennenga’s dismissal.
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