Long snapper Brett Goode received as big a vote of confidence from management last month as any player in his position could hope for.
But even with the trade of Goode's long-snapping competition, J.J. Jansen, to Carolina for a future conditional draft pick, the second-year specialist isn't looking at his job as secure or his days of fighting for a career as over.
He's still just getting started.
"I take it as a vote of confidence, but also it's more that I have to prove them right, and it makes me want to work that much harder to improve and get better and help the team," Goode said during a break in his offseason workout program.
"It's performance-based. Whether there's somebody here or not, I'm still pushing myself to win the job each and every day."
As players like Goode know, competition in the NFL isn't always in-house. Any long snapper on another roster, as well as any capable long snappers available for tryouts, serve as competition in a league with only 32 jobs like his.
But Goode does have one year on his resume now that serves as a solid foundation. He snapped through his first pro season in 2008 without a noticeable gaffe, which in 16 games included snaps for 80 field goal and PAT tries, 66 punt attempts, and one fake punt.
He didn't consider his work perfect by any stretch, but for a guy who in 11 days went from working for his dad's construction company to snapping in the Monday Night Football season opener for his NFL debut, the Packers couldn't have asked for much better.
"Throughout the season, there were one or two here or there where I kind of let go of my technique and got out of my rhythm," he said, noting some self-criticisms he had before reviewing all the film this offseason. "I just need to work on not making myself get out of the rhythm, and focus on technique.
"To the naked eye, the bad snaps are the ones way over the head or that bounce, but I still have my accuracy that I'm looking at, and my spiral, stuff like that. That's what I work on, trying to improve on that and getting more accurate."
Even without a snapping job last summer, Goode worked diligently to stay ready for any opportunity that might come his way, and it paid off.
Originally signed by Jacksonville as a non-drafted rookie free agent in 2007, Goode was released midway through training camp that year. Re-signed by the Jaguars the following March, he went through the offseason program and OTAs before being released again in June.
The league's 80-man roster limit for training camp last year virtually precluded teams from entering camp with two snappers. That not only played into Jacksonville's decision but also left Goode with little hope of finding a team that summer.
"The long drive home allows you to think a little bit," said Goode, who drove from Jacksonville back to Fort Smith, Ark., upon his second release. "I didn't want to give it up by any means, and I just went back and started working, trying to make a little money to tide me over and hopefully get a few workouts."
The job was with his father's construction company, Mark Goode Construction, Inc., which gave him the leeway to work only half-days at times in order to dedicate needed time to snapping and working out, waiting for possible tryout calls his agent said might come when training camps concluded.
It turned out the first one to call was the Packers, who had lost Jansen for the season to a knee injury in the final preseason game on Thursday, Aug. 28. The next day, Goode was on a break from helping form up a driveway in the stifling Arkansas summer heat when his agent told him he was getting on a plane on Saturday for Green Bay.
Goode arrived around midnight Saturday, worked out Sunday - the first time he had snapped in full pads since the 2007 preseason with Jacksonville - and was signed to a contract on Monday, exactly one week prior to the prime-time, nationally televised season opener against the Vikings.
"It was a great feeling just to get the opportunity," Goode said. "Especially getting to play on Monday night for my first game ever. But like I always say, the yardage for the punter and holder doesn't change much. The atmosphere might change, but they're always going to be in the same place, so that helps a lot."
Goode's three most notable plays all came during the second half of last season.
{sportsad300}--In Week 9 at Tennessee, he registered his first career special teams tackle when he brought down Titans return man Chris Carr. Goode is hoping that by working on his strength and speed this offseason, he can add to his impact on the coverage unit in 2009.
He has a tough act to follow in that regard. Former long snapper Rob Davis recorded 57 special teams tackles in a 12-year career, almost five per season.
"I just need to make sure I get in my lanes, work on my speed and technique, and my ability to move side to side," Goode said.
--Then in Week 14 against Houston, he made a key fumble recovery when Houston's Jacoby Jones muffed a punt in the fourth quarter and Goode emerged from the pile with the ball.
"Everybody was kind of pulling on it, but it was fun," Goode said of the mini-scrum. "The first one I ever had. I just had to go into the pile and fight for it."
--And in Week 16 at Chicago, he perfectly executed a punt snap to up-man Matt Flynn for a successful fake.
The longer he's in Green Bay, the more challenges he's likely to face in his job. In 2008, he never had a particularly rainy, snowy or windy day in which to snap on punts and field goals, but it's probably only a matter of time before he does.
And that's just fine by him. For a guy who eight months ago could only wait for the phone to ring and is now the only long snapper in the Green Bay locker room, he promises to be ready for anything that comes his way.
"I'm just trying to get better and do my job every day," Goode said. "I just kind of take everything day to day."
