Acme Packing Company
The Green Bay Packers’ blocked point after touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys, which was returned for two points, isn’t what you think it was. I mean, it was blocked, but the blame is misplaced.
If you watch the clip above, you’re probably baffled by tight end Luke Musgrave, who is playing the wing position on the right side. Generally, field goal protection units teach you to block inside out. So in the case of an overloaded front, like the one the Packers are facing on this rep, with six line of scrimmage players to one side and just three to the other, the rule of thumb is generally to turn the outside man loose, as he has the longest path to the blocked kick. Instead, Musgrave took on the outside man, and the first inside player ran through for a block.
The Packers didn’t play by the rule of thumb, though. Instead, they attempted to take two players on with offensive lineman Brant Banks, who was signed from the practice squad to the 53-man roster that week. Head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed that during his Tuesday press conference.
“You’re supposed to get body presence, and we’ve got to extend our outside arm by the tight end,” said LaFleur. At first, you might be thinking that Musgrave is the tight end, which he is on the Packers.com roster. Based on the formation, though, Banks is actually the tight end in the field goal protection unit. He’s talking about Banks sticking out an arm on the free rusher, not Musgrave.
“We knew it was coming, because it happened the previous play,” LaFleur added.
So, let’s take a look at the previous play.
My God, there it is. Banks, a recent practice squad offensive lineman, asked to take a two-on-one, with the extra defender being influenced by a locked-out arm that Banks simply forgot to use on the blocked PAT.
LaFleur noted that this kick was “close to being blocked,” but the team did not adjust its personnel for the following attempt.
Unlike the offensive side of the ball, you can’t shift and motion and try to create matchups on the field goal protection unit. So if the Cowboys wanted to stress out a weak link in the protection unit, which was already down six offensive linemen to start the day between the inactives and the team’s injury lists, then it was up to Dallas’ discretion.
Starting offensive linemen Rasheed Walker, Jordan Morgan, Sean Rhyan and Darian Kinnard were fielded, due to the team’s lack of offensive line depth, but the lone starter on the sideline for the rep was center Elgton Jenkins. After the blocked kick, Banks, along with the backup tight ends playing the wings, were replaced on the field goal unit. Jenkins’ first snap of special teams all year was the kick immediately following the block, arguably two blocks kicks over two weeks too late, at Banks’ position as a “tight end.”
“We shuffled around some personnel, and it looks...
