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April in Philadelphia and Packer Special Teams

I'm not a big fan of free agency. In recent years it seems like there is often a good reason why a player isn't wanted back by his former employer. But I would have liked it if the Green Bay Packers could have signed special teams coach Bobby April. Instead, he's going to Philadelphia

While signing another punter doesn't hurt, signing one of the best special teams coaches in the NFL would have been a great move. He's won special teams coach of the year in 2004 and 2008, and the Bills have a great special teams unit. They probably wanted him back, but he exercised an escape clause after the season. He's leaving Buffalo because he was "livid" when he was passed over for the interim head coaching job, after Dick Jauron was fired, despite having the title of assistant head coach.

I know others have commented in support of bringing April to Green Bay, but I hadn't said anything because I didn't expect the Packers would have a chance. As Charles Woodson said, Green Bay is still a team of last resort for many. I still hope they let Shawn Slocum go. As Mike McCarthy would say, Slocum's special teams units have "went through a performance stage where [they] didn't play as well as you would have liked." They were so bad last season that they have to blow it up and start over.