GREEN BAY, Wis. — It was all about the field goal (or extra point attempt) for Trent and Sully Schmidt Friday.
Sully Schmidt took a run at kicking a field goal while his uncle, Trent Schmidt, held the ball upright with his pointing finger. Sully’s sister and Trent’s niece, Rosie Schmidt, looked on from the artificial turf at Titletown, near Lambeau Field.
“We came out to kind of burn a day, checked out a park and played some football on the field,” Trent Schmidt said about the start to the trio’s day.
After a tumultuous off-season that saw quarterback Aaron Rodgers leave for the New York Jets, Trent Schmidt said things feel different headed into the regular season.
“It feels great. It’s going to be fun rooting for a totally different team. It’s not, really, but it feels like it’s going to be without Rodgers there,” he said. “Everything was always about Rodgers. He was unbelievable and was great to the city and great to the franchise, but it’s just nice to have a new face, a new person to root for, a new guy to follow, keep track of and root for. It’s going to be a really fun season, just totally different than the last few.”
Friday’s Welcome Back Packers Luncheon is another sign the season is just around the corner. The 60-year-old event is a partnership between the Greater Green Bay Chamber and the Packers.
Chamber President and CEO Laurie Radke said the Packers bring a unique aspect to the region’s business community.
“The Green Bay Packers really serve as a beacon. It’s the light that people are attracted to,” she said. “From a chamber perspective, when we work at business attraction or talent attraction and retention, having this great organization here, putting us on the map and making this a great place to live, work and raise a family, it’s really a milestone four to have them here.”
Radke said there is a connection between what happens on the field and business.
“There’s a direct correlation. People really want to be part of something that’s positive and energetic,” she said. “What I really appreciate is we don’t have fair-weather fans here in Green Bay.”
The Packers opening game against the Bears in Chicago is just a few weeks away. New quarterback Jordan Love is already deviating a bit from his predecessor by not dressing in costume at the luncheon.
Trent Schmidt said a different face at QB is something new for fans.
“Twenty-five teams in the league face this circumstance all the time, a new quarterback and a young quarterback,” he said. “Going through that process in Green Bay is just something we haven’t had to do. We’ve pretty much had a great, steady quarterback for the last 25 years or so.”