Behind the scenes, Nathaniel Hackett has been integral part of Packers' offensive success

Cheesehead

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Mar 19, 2019
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In addition to his daily in-season duties, Hackett also had a hand in how the Packers handled the virtual offseason program this past spring in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.


Hackett used his connections in teaching to learn how to get the most out of Zoom meetings with players, even bringing in a friend in the profession to give tips to the coaching staff on how to keep players engaged virtually.


"He brings a lot of great energy," Rodgers said. "That's really important to not just meetings that can sometimes, without the energy he infuses, maybe get long. It never feels that way with him in front of the room.


"Hack has really embraced the idea of celebration together, as well, which I think is such a vital part of us coming together and being a close-knit group."


Heading into Sunday's game against the Jaguars, Green Bay ranks inside the top 10 in all major offensive categories – including third in scoring (31.6 points per game), seventh in total offense (395.9 yards per game), and seventh in red-zone offense (74.2%).


Meanwhile, Rodgers leads the NFL with a 117.5 passer rating and is completing passes at a 67.5% clip, his highest percentage since his first MVP season in 2011. He's on pace for a career-high 48 touchdown passes and a career-low 18 sacks.


What's more, the Packers have done it despite a slew of injuries with All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari (three games), top receivers Davante Adams (two games) and Allen Lazard (five games), running backs Aaron Jones (two games) and Jamaal Williams (one game) all missing time.


While Hackett might not get all the attention, the 40-year-old assistant coach has been a big part of the Packers' winning formula.


"Obviously we know his background, know who his dad is, just the long line of coaching greatness that he kind of comes from," said Adams of Hackett. "You can definitely see it and feel it as a player on the team – just being coached up by him, day to day, the details, just the way his mind works – and also just his personality, almost more than anything, is something that we love and we feed off of."
 
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