The Green Bay Packers remained loyal to special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia even after his unit floundered in two heart-breaking losses to the Chicago Bears, the second of which came during the NFC Wild Card Round. The organization blocked out the noise and kept him on staff, only to see the longtime coach walk out the door anyway. Bisaccia is stepping down from his post, per Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed the news in a statement, expressing his gratitude for the four years they spent together in Green Bay.
“While we are disappointed to lose a person and coach as valuable as Rich, we respect his decision to step down from the Packers,” he said, via Pelissero. “Rich was a tremendous resource to me and our entire coaching staff who had a profound impact on our players and our culture throughout the building. We can't thank him enough for his contributions to our team over the last four years. We wish Rich, his wife, Jeanne, and the rest of their family all the best moving forward.”
Packers have a hole to fill
Bisaccia arrived in Titletown to plenty of fan fare after just guiding the Las Vegas Raiders to a celebrated playoff berth as interim HC. Green Bay initially believed the franchise pulled off a massive heist, one that could finally solve its special teams woes and push it closer to another Super Bowl win. However, Bisaccia did not prove to be the X-factor that fans envisioned.
The Packers struggled in the third phase of the game this past season. The gaffes people remember most are the Romeo Doubs' mishandled onside kick in Week 16 versus Chicago and Brandon McManus' three missed kicks against the Bears in the playoffs. But Green Bay scuffled on special teams throughout the campaign.
Many were surprised to see LaFleur and company retain Rich Bisaccia. His abrupt exit begs the question: what changed? Perhaps the 65-year-old has his sights set on another job, or maybe he just wants to take a break from the grind. Regardless, the Packers must now fill a crucial vacancy.
Matt LaFleur will try to use this unforeseen development as an opportunity to upgrade special teams, once and for all.
