The dismissal of Defensive Coordinator Joe Barry after three years wasn’t the only move by the Green Bay Packers this week. Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Chris Gizzi was also let go after a decade with the club. After playing two seasons with the Packers in 2000 and 2001 following his military commitment as an Air Force Academy graduate, Gizzi returned to Green Bay in 2014 as a strength and conditioning assistant. He was promoted to Coordinator before the 2019 season. His highlight moment as a player was running onto the field carrying the American flag in the Pack’s first game at Lambeau Field after the September 11 attack. The Packers may be making a change because of the recurring problems with soft tissue injuries, particularly hamstring pulls that derailed the seasons for Christian Watson and Eric Stokes most notably. Both those players will be directed to a hamstring specialist at the University of Wisconsin this off-season. Mark Lovat and Grant Thorne are expected to be retained on the strength and conditioning staff.
General Manager Brian Gutekunst has also signed a kicker. Jack Podlesny, a first year player from the University of Georgia has been brought aboard. Undrafted this spring, Podlesny signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings but didn’t survive the final training camp cut. In three years with the Bulldogs, Podlesny made 61 of 74 field goals (82.4%), helping Georgia to a pair of national championships. He’s being brought in to compete with rookie Anders Carlson. The 6th round pick missed 13 kicks this season alone to lead the NFL including seven extra points and a critical 41 yard field goal in the NFC Divisional playoff loss to San Francisco last weekend. As is the case with every position, Gutekunst wants to create competition, pushing Carlson to become more consistent or find a more dependable leg moving forward.
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