Green Bay Packers news: To say that rookie kicker Anders Carlson left a lot to be desired during his preseason debut against the Cincinnati Bengals on Friday would be an understatement. Green Bay’s sixth-round pick from the recently concluded draft was able to score on his first field goal attempt, but it was pretty much downhill from there. Carlson then missed two out of his five extra-point attempts, thereby leaving Packers fans longing for the return of veteran kicker Mason Crosby.
Green Bay Packers News: Anders Carlson Knows What He Needs to Do
To be fair, it wasn’t an awful first game from Carlson. He did show flashes of why the Packers decided to pick him over Crosby, but as is the harsh reality for kickers in the NFL, the fans were more focused on his errors.
Be that as it may, the rookie remains unfazed. A couple of Carlson’s attempts went wide right, indicating that he’s dealing with some sort of directional issue. At this point, the young man isn’t sweating it.
“I think it’s helpful,” Carlson said, via Ryan Wood of PackersNews.com. “You don’t want to go right, left, right. Because then you’re just kind of lost. I like my mindset. I’ve just got to fix some technical things.”
Carlson also acknowledges that he’s rushing as he approaches the football from the left. His momentum has been an issue, and the 25-year-old knows exactly what to do about it:
“I need to go back to my tempo,” Carlson said, “and get a little slower. I get maybe a little too excited. So it’s something to watch for, and it’s something I know. I need to fix the tempo.”
The silver lining here is that Carlson knows what went wrong. As he said, it’s now a matter of fixing it.
Green Bay Packers Have Moved on From Mason Crosby
In spite of calls from fans to bring back Mason Crosby, it just doesn’t look like this is going to happen. The Packers have already opted to move on from the veteran after 15 seasons in Green Bay. The team’s salary cap imitations were a crucial factor in the Packers’ decision not to offer Crosby an extension, instead drafting a rookie in the sixth round to serve as his potential long-term replacement.
At the moment, Crosby is still a free agent after failing to secure a new deal with any team in the NFL. Nevertheless, don’t expect the Packers to come calling. Right now, they’re fully invested in Anders Carlson.
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