GREEN BAY, Wis. -- All summer, long snapper Brett Goode had been waiting for two things: the birth of his second child and another chance at the NFL.
They came on the same day.
Just hours after he was there with his wife, Monica, for the birth of their daughter, Blakely, at 12:55 p.m. on Monday, he was on a plane to work out for the New York Jets. He briefly returned to Arkansas to reunite with his family, which also includes their 2-year-old son, Jackson, before the Green Bay Packers called to re-sign him on Saturday.
“I told my wife it was kind of funny, we didn’t hear anything all spring, she goes into labor and we get a bunch of calls,” Goode said. “It was eventful, but it kind of made the time fly really quick and it’s been fun. I enjoy getting to stay home with the family and seeing my daughter born.”
It was quite the week for Goode but by Sunday afternoon things had returned to normal. He was back at his old locker at Lambeau Field, had his No. 61 on his jersey and had already gone through a practice with his longtime kicker Mason Crosby. Although they didn’t actually kick in practice, he spent time working with new holder Justin Vogel, the Packers’ rookie punter.
Goode, 32, is still technically in competition with rookie snapper Derek Hart, but it’s hard to imagine the Packers would bring him back for a 10th season if they didn’t intend for him to be their snapper.
“Even when I’m by myself, I’m still competing,” Goode said. “It’s just the same thing as me getting called to work out at other places. Once the regular season hits, I think you’re still competing every week because this is a business you’re not guaranteed anything.”
Such is the life for an NFL long snapper. Goode got the job in 2008 after two failed attempts to win a spot with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“I never owned a house,” Goode said. “After I got cut twice by Jacksonville, I wasn’t ever buying.
“Had I known I was going to be here for those nine years, yeah, it probably would have been smarter to buy a house. But you never know. That’s just the approach I take.”
As for Hart, he got off to a rocky start when Crosby went 5-of-11 on field goals during the Packers’ annual Family Night practice in Lambeau Field. However, the operation went more smoothly in Thursday’s preseason opener. Crosby made a 39-yard field goal and all of his extra points.
“I have the confidence that I can do this in this league,” Hart said. “I mean, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think so. I think that’s where a lot of people fall off in this profession. They don’t think they can do it, and they can or what-not. Yeah, I’m confident. I’m not worried about it. I ain’t scared.”
