The Packers didn’t get much in the way of fireworks in their preseason opener, but they may have found something important in Trey Smack.
Green Bay’s rookie kicker delivered the kind of night that can change how a team feels about a position. Smack, the former Florida standout who owns the Gators’ record for most field goals made from beyond 50 yards, connected on a 58-yarder in the first half against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The stat sheet will show one. The reality was two, since he also drilled another from that distance that didn’t count because of a defensive penalty.
That’s exactly the kind of leg the Packers believed they were getting when they traded up in the sixth round to land him. Brian Gutekunst had already said he didn’t think Green Bay would have much of a shot to draft Smack, figuring he’d be gone early on Day 3. Instead, the Packers got him, and on Thursday night they looked pretty pleased about it.
Smack said he wasn’t trying to make too much of the performance.
“I don’t really try to feel relief in this business because we’ve always got next week,” Smack said when asked about his night after some inconsistencies in training camp.
“I think it’ll build some confidence and every day’s a new day.”
For the Packers, it looked like more than a confidence boost. It looked like a legitimate answer.
“Cam [Achord] was telling me, ‘No.’ I told him, ‘Yes.’ But to put him in that situation to hit really two in one game is pretty incredible,” LaFleur said after the game, calling it the highlight of the night on a night where highlights were few and far between.
Green Bay even managed the end of the first half in a way that seemed to invite a long-range attempt. With Pittsburgh’s third-string offense moving toward a touchdown, the Packers used a timeout to keep enough time on the clock for Kyle McCord to try to set up a late field goal. Then, with less than 15 seconds left, Green Bay worked the middle of the field the Steelers had left open and lined up another 58-yard try.
It was hard not to think about the Packers’ late-half march against the Chicago Bears in the playoff game, even with the obvious preseason caveat attached. Love made that one look simple, and Brandon McManus got a 55-yard attempt he nailed once before missing after Ben Johnson iced him.
After drafting Smack, Green Bay moved on from McManus. On Thursday night, Smack made the case that the Packers might not miss him much.
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