GREEN BAY – Mecole Hardman's preseason debut with the Packers didn't go how he, or anyone frankly, would've liked.
The veteran receiver/returner fielded one punt too close to the goal line, failed to scoop up another bouncing punt that led to a turnover, and dropped a sideline pass on offense. The immediate reaction of Packers fans, who don't know him and his history, was he must not be long for Green Bay with so much competition to make the roster.
Hardman certainly made his bid for a spot tougher on himself, and there's no telling how it'll shake out in another couple weeks. But on a still-somewhat-young team, it's worth knowing Hardman is one of those "been there, done that" players who understands what it means to atone for his miscues, and he's done so on a much bigger stage than a preseason Saturday night.
Rewind five years to the 2020 AFC Championship, when the second-year Hardman's Kansas City Chiefs were hosting the Buffalo Bills, for proof.
At the end of Buffalo's second drive, with the Bills already leading 3-0, Hardman muffed a punt around the 10-yard line. The Bills recovered on the 3, scored one play later for a 9-0 lead, and Hardman was the early front-runner for goat status should the Chiefs not return to the Super Bowl.
"That right there was probably the biggest adversity I faced in my career," Hardman said. "That's when I learned like, man, let it go. Don't worry about it, and make up for it."
He did so back then by finishing Kansas City's next drive with a 3-yard TD catch. Moments later he opened the Chiefs' following possession with a 50-yard run on an end-around that set up another touchdown to give his team the lead, for good as it turned out.
So when Packers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia speaks of respect for Hardman's "skins on the wall in this league," and when General Manager Brian Gutekunst mentions "what a guy's done in the past certainly matters" when it comes to roster decisions, those thoughts are rooted in something very real when it comes to Hardman.
They know he's got the requisite experience and fortitude to shake off what happened Saturday night and push forward. He's performed well on the practice field thus far and that hasn't gone unnoticed.
"It's all about short-term memory," Hardman said. "You can't let one game define your play ability. It happens to the best of us.
"It's nothing to get down on yourself about, especially knowing what you can do."
Not that Hardman's taking anything for granted in a legitimate fight to make the team that's far from decided. He confessed he was just trying to do too much in his first game action with a new team, and he has to mentally be in the right place in order to physically display his talent.
"That's what it all boils down to, making the right decisions and right choices out there on the field," he said. "Whether it's letting the punt drop, making a fair catch, don't catch inside the 5, don't try to pick it up after the ball bounces a second time, things I already know.
"The competitive nature in yourself, you want to make a play, want to make things happen, but in the end you've got to make smart decisions and the best decisions for the team."
Now in his seventh NFL season, he doesn't appear to have lost any of his prodigious speed, and with the injuries the Packers are dealing with at receiver – Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks are all currently out, with Romeo Doubs going down in practice Tuesday and exiting the field – he's continuing to get reps with the first-team offense, despite the rough game last weekend.
While he looks to rebound this week in Indianapolis in Thursday's joint practice and Saturday's preseason game, the same can be said for the team as a whole.
In their first action this summer against another squad, the Packers' collective performance came up well short of their standard. Vowing not to repeat his mistakes, Hardman may have an opportunity to set the bounce-back example for others as well.
It's not exactly what anyone had in mind, least of all the three-time Super Bowl champion himself, but Hardman is moving on, and quickly, just like he's done before.
"Windshield wipers, gotta clear out the fog and come in with a better mindset, a better mentality," he said. "It's about how you respond, and I think everybody's got the right mindset how they want to respond and go about their business."
