1) Introduction: Unlike Dom Capers, Packers special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum did not have a bounceback season. The Packers are a patient organization, rarely quick to fire a coach or cut a player on a whim. However, Slocum’s time very well may be up in Green Bay. The Packers have had more bad seasons on special teams than good under Slocum. And 2014 might have been the worst.
2) Profile:
Shawn Slocum
- Age: 49
- Born: 2/21/1965, in Lake Charles, LA
- NFL Coaching Experience: 9 years
3) Expectations coming into the season: Don’t be the weak link. We knew the Packers offense would be tough to stop. We thought the defense had a shot at being better thanks to a few new players. Special teams? It’s never been a strength for the Packers. We all kind of hoped it could hover around average and not cost the team important games.
4) Season Highlights/Lowlights: Nobody had Micah Hyde pegged as a dangerous punt returner when he entered into the league, but he had a few nice returns this season and seemed to improve. Mason Crosby also had a great season, knocking down a big field goal late in the NFC Championship.
Now for the lowlights. Well, just about everything else was a lowlight. Seven blocked field goals. A 75-yard punt return TD at Buffalo. A fake field goal that resulted in a TD in the NFC title game. Botching an onside kick later in that same game. A kick return game that never got going. A punter that tanked as the weather turned cold. It was ugly.
5) Contribution to the overall team success: Well…I suppose we have to give Slocum some credit for Hyde’s progression and Crosby’s big season, right?
6) Contributions in the playoffs: Cheering loudly on Hyde’s nice punt return against the Seahawks. That’s about all I can think of.
7) Intangibles: Ron Zook was brought in to give Slocum some help leading the special teams unit. It didn’t work.
Season Report Card (Coaches Grades):
(D-) Level of expectations met during the season
(D-) Contributions to team’s overall success.
(F) Contributions to team during the playoffs
Overall Grade: F
ADDENDUM: This evaluation was written before Slocum was fired by the Packers. Obviously, I agree with the decision to let Slocum go. But so far his replacement, Ron Zook, has really put his foot in his mouth. When asked what went wrong with the special teams in 2014, Zook said “there’s 12 plays that were not good.” Um, wow. Twelve bad special teams plays is almost one bad special teams play per game. That’s a ridiculously high number, yet Zook seems to think 12 bad special teams plays is just a bad bounce here or there. Zook was also asked what will be different about the special teams under him instead of Slocum. Zook said he didn’t know. “Hopefully, we’re a little more lucky than what happened to Shawn at times,” Zook said.
There ya have it. Zook’s new strategy for fixing the special teams: cross your fingers that the unit’s luck improves. Hopefully Zook is a good special teams coach, but he gets an “F” in the offseason interviews category.
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Adam Czech is a a freelance sports reporter living in the Twin Cities and a proud supporter of American corn farmers. When not working, Adam is usually writing about, thinking about or worrying about the Packers. Follow Adam on Twitter. Twitter .
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I agree with the grades. I hope GB places more importance on their interviews with potential draftees than Zook put on his comments to the press and by extension, to the fans.
Hey man. What did you expected from guy who just got thew job and he do not know what players he will have on the roster to work with… Also, why putting anything public for other teams to know. I’m more in that surprise, surprise kind of plays… Of course, there is no warranty that Zook will be good choice, but looking all together, if he can field ST to be around 15th in the league, with good defense and excellent offense, Packers are SB winner…
MM really dropped the Ball hiring Zook in my opinion. Slocum should have been fired Monday Morning after the NFC Championship Game at the latest, instead it was 12 days later. Zook breaking it down to just 12 plays and hoping for luck, well excuse me but I’m more nervous now than ever. Zook was part of the problem last year, not the solution. I have a feeling the Packers will still rank in the bottom unless McCarthy is as involved with ST as he says he will, and I’m not to sure that’s a good idea either.
Zook sounds like a complete moron. Just when you think it couldn’t be any worse than Strocum…. then Zook opens his piehole. MM must be one blind s.o.b.
This “report card” stuff is getting old and, in Slocum’s case, obvious. Are the authors for AllGRP.com all former, retired, or frustrated wannabe teachers who love to judge others? Remember that old adage, “If you cannot do, teach,” or, I might add, write for a sports blog.
Or even better yet, call others who volunteer their time out from the sidelines. It’s a long offseason man. Relax.
ALLGRP.com is some type of business consulting website. But perhaps its writers are all frustrated wannabe teachers. I’m not sure.
Thanks for writing these report cards. I enjoyed reading and commenting on the grades immensely. While I am at it, thank you for all of the other articles that appear here. This is my favorite site. I give the site an (drum roll) A. [I was going to wait for the last report card to write the above, but this seems very apropos.]
Thanks for reading!
Personally I love the grades and that’s exactly what we do on “Sports Blogs” in the comments section, we judge, talk about teams, players, and coaches. You don’t do that on the “Blog” you write for? How boring!!
In Zook we trust? Oh boy, I really hope this doesn’t turn out bad. Let’s hope MM spends a lot of time overseeing Zook and Capers now that he’s not calling plays.
The thing that kills me about the fake field goal, Jones crash play is that is when they decide to get aggressive? Aaargh