Family Night Practice for the Green Bay Packers could be their biggest event of training camp. Not only is it a great experience for the fans, but the intensity of practice kicks up a notch in front of everyone under the lights at Lambeau Field. If you can perform in that setting, it sets you up well for the regular season.
One player who needed a good night and produced one was rookie kicker Anders Carlson. Carlson, a sixth-round pick out of Auburn, has struggled mightily at times in training camp. While he possesses a very strong leg, accuracy has been an issue.
Accuracy was a bit of an issue in college as well. Carlson connected on only 71.8 percent of his field goals, going 79-of-110 in four seasons with the Tigers. He did miss only three extra points however in his career.
A ton of missed kicks have come during the live sessions of training camp, as Carlson was 16-of-27 on kicks to start camp according to Zach Kruse of Packers Wire. A lot of those misses have come from the 40-49 yard range, but on Family Night, Carlson was on fire.
Carlson went 8-of-9, with all eight connections coming from 40+ yards away; three of which were 51+ yards. His only miss, per Kruse, was on a 50-yard attempt that can be attributed to a poor snap.
“I was super proud with the poise that he showed and the execution. If we can get that, I think he’s going to be A-OK, because he’s got a big-time leg,” head coach Matt LaFleur said, via Packers.com.
A performance like that certainly has the makings of one to get a player back on track. The Packers certainly hope this is the start of a corner being turned by the Auburn product, as he is currently the only kicker in camp.
Green Bay took a major risk by opting to move on from Mason Crosby this offseason. They are hoping that Carlson can seal the deal throughout the rest of training camp as his Family Night performance certainly raised the confidence of everyone.
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