Best & Worst Case Scenarios: Specialists

From Mason Crosby finally breaking the 80% field goal percentage barrier to Brett Goode having the first bad snap of his career, we take a look at the best and worst possible outcomes for the Packers specialists in 2011.

It's time for the fifth annual Best and Worst Case Scenarios for every player on the Green Bay Packers roster, a feature that goes back to the days when Railbird Central had its own domain.

I attempt to take a look at what is the very best possible season a player is capable of producing, and on the other hand, what would happen if a player fell flat on his face (without assuming they suffer a season-ending injury). These are intended to be extreme scenarios on both sides of the spectrum. More than likely, each player is going to fall somewhere in the middle, but every now and then, they just so happen to come to fruition.

As one final note, I also try to take a look at what these scenarios would be from an individual standpoint and not what's best for the team.

Mason Crosby

  • Best-case scenario: That contract worth nearly $15 million turns out be money well spent when Crosby goes on to have his finest season as a pro. Not only does he break the 80% mark in field goal percentage, but he approaches 85%. And he kicks his first game-winning field goal in the regular season since the first game of his rookie year. In kickoffs, he's in the upper half of the league in number of touchbacks, which isn't too hard considering the amount of scoring the Packers offense does. He's one of the league's highest scorers and will start being regarded as an upper echelon kicker in the NFL if he can just string two consecutive seasons like this together.
  • Worst-case scenario: More of the same from Crosby. Another year below with a below 80% field goal percentage. He he continues the trend of not having as many touchbacks as expected for a guy that's touted as having such a strong leg. His season isn't any worse than the past couple but it's not any better either.

Tim Masthay

  • Best-case scenario: Observers see the same punter they did from about mid-season onward last year. In other words, they see the same punter that dropped five inside the 20-yard line vs. the Jets and the guy who rendered Devin Hester ineffective in two late-season contests a year ago. Masthay climbs even higher in the rankings that saw him come in seventh in the NFC in net punting average in 2010. A Pro Bowl berth might not come in 2011, but it's coming sooner rather than later.
  • Worst-case scenario: Masthay is just an average punter. He does a few of the things that made him so effective at the end of last season, but once in a while, the inconsistency that plagued him at the beginning of 2010 comes back to haunt him. He's middle of the pack in almost every category you can think of: gross punting average, net punting average, punts inside the 20, touchbacks. But he's still young, so there's room for improvement.

Brett Goode

  • Best-case scenario: Another season goes by with Goode not making a single off target snap, which is what the Packers have come to expect. Not only that, he's as effective as long snappers come in his coverage of punts as well. If they gave All-Pro honors to long snappers, Goode would be in consideration.
  • Worst-case scenario: After three seasons without a bad snap, Goode botches his first one ever as a professional, which leads to a turnover. It's one of the few times he's recognized all year, and unfortunately it's for a bad thing.
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