Sam Shields: "He's Not Normal"

When the Green Bay Packers lined up to return the second-half kickoff against the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday, undrafted rookie cornerback Sam Shields broke a cardinal rule.

Shields lined up near the goal line and drifted 6 yards deep in the end zone. Normally, the returner should take a knee for a touchback in that situation.

“Not normally,” special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum said on Thursday. “But he’s not normal.”

Shields, who was timed at 4.20 seconds in the 40-yard dash, is indeed not normal. Shields returned that kickoff 49 yards — “I saw the hole and I hit it” was his matter-of-fact explanation. Because of that one return, he will line up as the kickoff returner when the Packers play at Minnesota on Sunday.

Shields’ ability was evident against Dallas. But during the preseason, Shields had fumbled away chance after chance to return kickoffs and punts by routinely dropping the ball in practice and games.

Through plenty of extra work before and after practice, Shields has become so sure-handed that Slocum said he wouldn't hesitate to use Shields on punts, too. The Packers rank 21st in punt returns, with Tramon Williams averaging 8.0 yards per return.

“I didn’t tell him anything,” Slocum said about Shields' early problems. “Guys grow as players and focus changes, all those things. When he first got here, there were a lot of things that were new to him. He’s trying to learn the playbook on defense, trying to get acclimated there, all the different things we’re asking him to do on special teams. It’s a lot. He settled into his position and with that, I think it allows him to continue to grow in all the areas. He’s done a very good job. We go out, for example today, he probably caught 15 or 20 balls using the JUGS machine before we ever went to our kickoff return.”

During camp, Shields had to split his focus between fielding kicks and learning the defense and the skills taught by cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt. Shields won the the third corner job by the middle of the preseason, and since he’s settled into that role, he’s been given an opportunity to cure the Packers’ 28th-ranked kickoff return.

“I can be very dangerous,” he said. “Like you said, I just need to catch the ball. Once I get going and see a hole, I’ve got to burst and just use my speed.”



(min.scout.com)