GREEN BAY – When the Green Bay Packers selected Florida kicker Trey Smack in the sixth round of the NFL Draft, one question immediately came to mind for head coach Matt LaFleur. And he's not shy about asking it.
"I've asked him twice now," LaFleur said with a smile after the team's rookie minicamp practice on May 1. "I asked him when we drafted him, 'Can you kick in the cold?' And he had a good response for me."
It's a fair question for any kicker coming from the Sunshine State, where November games feel more like summer back home in Wisconsin. But LaFleur was quick to point out that the transition to the NFL involves more than just weather adjustments. New special-teams coach Cam Achord will be putting Smack through his paces with a playbook that's quite different from what he ran at Florida.
"I'm sure Cam is going to have a bunch of stuff for him to go back [home] and work on, but it's a little bit different in regards to the kicking playbook," LaFleur explained. "Schematically, you've just got to put the ball in a certain spot. So it is a little bit different in that regard."
The biggest adjustment for Smack, according to his new coach, won't be the playbook itself but learning how to manage the demands of an NFL season. "A lot of it's going to be just how to take care of your leg, how to take care of your body and training and all that," LaFleur added. "But probably Cam would have a better answer for you than me."
In other Packers news, the team exercised the fifth-year option on edge rusher Lukas Van Ness, a move that had LaFleur's full support. The 2023 first-round pick endured a frustrating sophomore campaign, battling injuries that limited him to just nine games and 1.5 sacks.
"He's an important piece, man, and I know he's been kind of snake bit with some of the injury stuff," LaFleur said. "But we feel like he's in a pretty good spot right now. I know he is."
Van Ness's 2024 season was a tough one to watch for Packers fans. He suffered a foot injury in Week 5 against Cincinnati, missed four games, tried to make a quick return against Minnesota, only to aggravate the injury and sit out two more contests. He finished with 19 tackles and 1.5 sacks in nine games, well below the expectations for a player drafted 13th overall.
"I've been watching him rehab and do all that, and he looks great," LaFleur said. "I know he's in a good head space, so I'm excited for him."
With a healthy Van Ness and a new kicker who's already passing the cold-weather test, the Packers are hoping these offseason moves pay dividends when the snow starts falling at Lambeau Field.