Shortly after free agency began, the Packers signed Raiders reserve cornerback and special-teams regular Keisean Nixon, who spent the past three years with Bisaccia. Nixon is a fast, physical player with “a great mentality” of hard-nosed toughness in Bisaccia’s eyes.
Even before that, the Packers signed veteran punter Pat O’Donnell from the Bears and declined to re-sign Corey Bojorquez, whose performance fell off as last season wore on and whose inconsistency as a holder on placekicks was an ongoing issue.
Bisaccia noted he wanted O’Donnell as his punter when he first got the Raiders job four years ago, but it didn’t work out. He sees the ninth-year veteran as a solid, reliable piece to make things work.
“He’s been a proven player, not only in the league but in this division,” Bisaccia said. “He’s played real well in bad weather, he’s played outside his entire career, he’s a tremendous athlete.
“Wonderful holder and his job at holder is to make everybody right. He’s got to make the snapper right, he’s got to make the kicker right, and he’s done that for a long time.”
That kicker of course is veteran Mason Crosby, whom Bisaccia actually coached at the Senior Bowl back in January of 2007 when Crosby was entering the draft.
The Packers have two other kickers on the current roster – JJ Molson and Dominik Eberle, who worked with Bisaccia with the Raiders as well – but General Manager Brian Gutekunst has indicated he wants a tested commodity on a contending team, which means Crosby remains the kicker for now despite a rough 2021 statistically.
“The one good thing I know about Crosby is that he’s come back from a down year to play really well,” Bisaccia said, referring to Crosby’s 2012-13 seasons. “So I’m excited about being around him.”
He’s excited about a brand new challenge, too. After a successful stint as the Raiders’ interim head coach earned a playoff spot last year, but not the full-time head job, Bisaccia said he was re-energized by his conversations with…