De’Vondre Campbell’s rejection of Tom Brady’s pass to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should give Packers GM Brian Gutekunst a game-changing idea.
(I don’t know about you but, when I watch this clip, I hear the song “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston.)
That play should prompt Gute to sign a 7-footer to block field goals and extra points. He could also catch onside kicks or bat them out of bounds.
Think about it: The 2022 Packers are winning with defense and special teams. Games like Packers-Bucs could have come down to a field goal, and did come down to an onside kick.
I know what you’re thinking: “They can’t afford to take up a roster spot for a one-trick pony.”
Really? They already do at kicker, punter, long snapper, gunner and, arguably, kick returner. Are you telling me they’ve never had a tight end or pass rusher who only did one thing well?
That’s what I thought. And he wouldn’t be a one-trick pony; he’d defend field goals, block extra points, and catch onside kicks. That’s three ponies!
Let’s say they signed a former college basketball player. (Don’t laugh, the Chargers did it with TE Antonio Gates, and he’s now a legend.) Maybe it’s a college basketball center who is about seven feet tall and can jump—they don’t all make the NBA. If this player made like DikembeMutombo and blocked one field goal and one extra point in the NFC Championship, that would mean four points off the board for the opponent.
How many players can you say swing the game by four points? Certainly not all 53 of the current players on the roster.
I know, I know, “it’s just not done in this league.”
Except Coach Bill Walsh did a lot of things that hadn’t been done yet—like using short passing to replace the run game using finesse blockers—and all he did was win multiple Super Bowls with the 49ers and change the game forever.
Tackle football is a game of emotion. You’re telling me a blocked kick wouldn’t sway momentum in a big game? See also: Giannis.
Gute doesn’t want a repeat of the 2007 NFC Championship Game, when the opponent lines up for a game-winning field goal and, deep down, he knows our only chance is for the kicker to shtoink it.
Instead, would it be such a bad idea to sign a 7-footer now and at least make the kicker think about it?
I know, I know, they already pay Coach Bisaccia millions to run the special teams, and he’s doing a damn deft job of it. So why not give him one more piece to help bring the Lombardi Trophy home?
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Chris Hollenback worked for the Packers in 1998-1999, he has written for Packers.com and other media outlets, he’s much shorter than Derrick Mayes and Brett Favre nicknamed him Chris “To-hell-en-back.” Follow him on twitter at @CHollenback