Stenavich Among 33rd Team’s Award-Winners
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The 33rd Team, the Web site created by former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum, recently picked its end-of-season awards.
Among the winners was Green Bay Packers offensive line coach Adam Stenavich as the NFL’s best position coach.
“After getting two All-Pro and two Pro Bowl performances in his unit in 2020 (three total players), Stenavich was forced to get inventive in 2021 due to a series of departures and injuries that saw neither All-Pro return and only OG Lucas Patrick still starting 16 games later,” the staff wrote. “The result? The eight-most EPA/rush, the sixth-fewest sacks allowed, and the seventh-lowest pressure rate en route to the NFC’s top seed. Stenavich’s work should not be undervalued.”
Patrick got his start in the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2016, when the esteemed James Campen was the offensive line coach. When coach Matt LaFleur was hired in 2019, he hired the unproven Stenavich to coach the line. Campen is one of the best in business. So is Stenavich.
“I was actually talking to Dave about that,” Patrick said last month. “As a young player coming in with Campy and the veterans we had in the room, and then going into Steno and some of the assistants we’ve had along the way with Jeff Blasko and now with (Luke) Butkus, I don’t know if my career would be the same without those men. Just so fortunate to have great technicians teaching me and the understanding of football, but more importantly really good men who actually care about me as a person to the things to make sure I’m feeling good on and off the field.”
Last year, Stenavich could lean on the considerable talents of All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari, Pro Bowl left guard Elgton Jenkins and All-Pro center Corey Linsley. It hasn’t been so easy this year. Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins and Linsley’s replacement, rookie Josh Myers, missed huge chunks of the season with significant knee injuries and right tackle Billy Turner missed four games with a knee injury, as well.
LaFleur has mentioned Stenavich as a potential offensive coordinator – which he might need if Nathaniel Hackett gets a head coaching opportunity.
“I think he’s been outstanding,” LaFleur said. “He’s got such a great rapport with those guys in the room. Certainly, you never quite know when it’s a guy’s first opportunity. We are lucky to have a guy of his caliber. He loves what he does and he does such a great job for us, from coordinating the run game and getting our guys to go out there and perform on a consistent basis. When you have so much turnover in that room and you don’t get that continuity with the same five going out there, that is a big-time challenge. It’s a credit to our players but also a credit to him and Butkus to allow our offense to still be able to function at a high level and get production.”
In addition, The 33rd Team named its best coaching hire, best transaction, most valuable draft pick, most valuable late-round draft pick, best undrafted free agent, most efficient free-agent signing, worst free-agent signing, biggest disappointment and best trade.
Click here to see which Packers claimed two of those awards.
