Packers Vs 49ers - 3 Plays That Make You Go Hmmm
Jersey Al picks out three thought-provoking plays from the Packers' game against the San Francisco 49ers
By JerseyAl
After re-watching the Packers game, here are three plays that made me go hmmm, for various reasons.
Missed calls you say?
Here's another one that the referees and most everyone else missed. Watch Ty Summers (fourth from the right), get blocked in the back for a good ten yards and then tackled to the ground from behind. On another note, where the hell is Kylin Hill going (fifth from the right)? Overall, it was a nice design and execution by the 49ers, getting more blockers than Packers had defenders on that side.
Hands Up
If you're blitzing with a direct line to the QB and you see him start his throwing motion before you can possibly get to him, at least put your hands up!
Battering Bosa
I was surprised the Packers didn't do more of this. You all likely saw Tonyan's sneaky pancake of Bosa, but here's Marcedes Lewis on the left side versus Bosa. He withstands Bosa's initial push and then just manhandles him the rest of the play with a final dismissive (get lost, child) shove at the end.
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"Jersey Al" Bracco is the Editor-In-Chief, part owner and wearer of many hats for CheeseheadTV.com and PackersTalk.com. He is also a recovering Mason Crosby truther. Follow Al on twitter at @JerseyalGBP.
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Comments (34)
greengold
September 28, 2021 at 04:00 pm
Good gets, Al. Yeah, I wondered about that KO return without penalty, and this helps me understand there WAS a block in the back after all... Block in the back was my first thought as I watched him run away. Ugh. No call.
Burks. I don't get that.
Mercedes Lewis is a BOSS. Great seeing that, and thanks for sharing.
splitpea1
September 28, 2021 at 04:15 pm
Play 1, with Summers: So that's one of the reasons for that boulevard....I think this particular referee crew batted somewhere around the Mendoza Line for our game.
Play 2: Well, that's Burks. Probably going to be seeing a lot more of him with Barnes out. Sigh.
Play 3: Always fun to watch Lewis manhandle ends like that.
flackcatcher
September 28, 2021 at 04:35 pm
"Mendoza Line" heh,heh,heh...
jannesbjornson
September 28, 2021 at 07:40 pm
Burks does not impress. They better start looking or trading for more help for the inside backer.
packer132
September 28, 2021 at 09:30 pm
Packers signed Campbell, and he looks like a good pickup. They just signed Hamilton off Tampa's practice squad, and he could help out, or play on special teams. He needs to learn the playbook, so hopefully he is active in a week or two. I thought Burks and Summers would not make the team, though coaches must like them. Another body would be good to add.
flackcatcher
September 28, 2021 at 04:37 pm
Good picks Al. Yeah, the game Refs are still in preseason mode...
croatpackfan
September 29, 2021 at 03:52 am
Well, I wouldn't say that. It is not preseason mode. It is intentional mode. Plain and clear!
I do not want to go in that conspiracy theories, I do not think 49ers had anything with that. It was just unprofessional refereeing from low football capacity persons.
Also, I'm not complaining about penalty for what Amos did, or for few DPI calls. Those calls some crews call, some not, but blatant mistakes is what make me to saw those refereeing crew like intentional calling at the crucial moments of the game. AR said that he talked at the game with back referee and that he said how he did not see that helmet to helmet on DA. Hmmm, all stadium saw that, but he did not see it? Leave the job man, leave it immediately. You are blind!
Crankbait
September 29, 2021 at 07:27 am
Refs were in typical left coast mode.
jurp
September 29, 2021 at 03:35 pm
I think they were in Casino Mode and had $$$ on 9ers to win.
PatrickGB
September 28, 2021 at 04:37 pm
Thanks. I did not notice that illegal block on summers. So I feel a tad better about that run back. I have often felt that Summers best role was on ST’s.
packerbackerjim
September 28, 2021 at 05:02 pm
It needs be his only role.
croatpackfan
September 29, 2021 at 03:54 am
Summers played solid, nor sensational, when he was in for Barnes. Watch the match again.
The_Justicar
September 29, 2021 at 05:09 pm
I am not sure how much stock to ever put in PFF ratings but Summers was our lowest rated player of every player who played at 26.4. He allowed 5 receptions on 5 attempts and missed gaps and tackles all night.
NJ-RICK
September 28, 2021 at 05:05 pm
The biggest miss by the ref's was the illegal hit on Devante Adams.... Even the Jerk Off official ref from NY avoided the question when ask by Chris Collinsworth about the hit... He avoided the question and said the official was out of position.... Typical NFL ref always got their dirty hands in the outcome of the game. Each week depending on the officiating crew there is no consistency on penalty calls. Sad..!
jont
September 29, 2021 at 12:45 pm
This is a really good point and one that has bothered me since the networks broughts refs onto the broadcast. They give decent explanations of the rules (useful for people who don't watch more football, I guess) but their main role appears to be non-stop excuses for the refs.
Anybody can make a mistake, and the retired refs sometimes acknowledge this, but when it is straight up a bad call they go into the full speed defend-the-ref spiel.
On the Devante hit, yes, the back judge was in the wrong spot, but about the line judge and the field judge?! These guys are down field on the sidelines. Were they out of position too? If so, there's no "opinion" about it; three officials blow the same play is really, really bad officiating, and Steratore couldn't bring himself to admit it.
Thank you for reading this rant.
jurp
September 29, 2021 at 03:39 pm
Both announcers also avoided saying (literally) anything during the review of the second PI on Stokes. A few "erm"s and "hmm's, and then Collinsunworthy said something like "it looks like he pushed him", which he and everyone else knew was bullshit.
My take is that the NFL has ordered (forcibly requested? required?) that the networks not criticize any of the refs' decisions at any time. I wonder what Goodell would do if one of the announcers said something like "that call was so bad, that ref must have money on the other team."
Barazinho
September 28, 2021 at 05:22 pm
Also, aren't the return team blockers not supposed to double-team a kick team blocker? I remember penalties last year when the return team blockers were next to each other. The third-from-left kick team guy was blocked by two 49ers - shouldn't that also be a penalty?
JerseyAl
September 29, 2021 at 07:35 am
The answer is, "kind of." The rule says "After the ball is kicked, a double-team block is permissible only by players who were initially lined up in the setup zone. A double-team block is defined as two players from the setup zone coming together in an attempt to block for the runner. Note: A “wedge block” is not permitted at any time. A wedge block is defined as two or more players intentionally aligning shoulder-to-shoulder within two yards of each other, and who move forward together in an attempt to block for the runner.(d) After the ball is kicked, no player who was initially lined up outside the setup zone is permitted to come together with any other player (double-team) in an attempt to block for the runner. "
the question is, what is "the setup zone?" I couldn't find anything that explains that, but what you point out sure looks like a "wedge block" which is not permissable under any circumstances.
Barazinho
September 29, 2021 at 04:35 pm
Thanks for the detail Al! I remember Jamaal Williams getting called for that last year.
Thegreatreynoldo
September 30, 2021 at 12:14 pm
"Until the ball is kicked, all receiving team (Team B) players must be inbounds and behind their restraining line, and at least eight players must be positioned between their restraining line and a spot 15 yards behind their restraining line (the “setup zone”). (See Section 2, Article 1, Item 2-b.)" [Note this rules applies to the receiving team.]
The restraining line is the 45 for the receiving team. 5 players on each side of the ball when lining up, with at least 2 between the sideline and the numbers. Also the receiving team must have 8 players within 15 yards of their restraining line. Soooo, there have to be 8 players lined up between the 45 and their own 40, with 2 outside the numbers. That's the set up zone: 8 guys or more lined up between the GB 45 and SF's 40. Those guys can double team a player on the kicking team.
On Al's gif, there are three SF guys lined up deep. None of them blocked Summers. So that means the players who blocked Summers were initially in the set up zone, and they can double team a player. They can't use a wedge, but these appear to be two separate blocks to me. However, at least one if not both were blocks in the back on Summers.
https://operations.nfl.com/the-rules/nfl-video-rulebook/kickoff-rules/
Thegreatreynoldo
September 29, 2021 at 10:56 pm
I couldn't find the clip of the 68 yarder. In this one below (at the 6:50 mark) GB kicks off. SF has 6 guys lined up on the 50 with two of them outside the numbers as required. There is a 7th guy at the top at the SF 43 and an 8th guy at the bottom of the screen at the 41. check. Setup zone is the GB 45 to the SF 40.
Those 8 guys can double team a player but can't use a wedge. You can see three SF players lined up inside the 15. They can't double team or use a wedge. Watching Al's gif, none of the 3 guys lined up deep blocks Summers. Thus, both blocks were by guys initially lined up in the zone set up. They can double team. It doesn't look like a wedge since the two blockers weren't shoulder to shoulder. However, the first block might be in the back and the second one certainly was.
Thegreatreynoldo
September 29, 2021 at 11:05 pm
I can't get the link to go. Add http:/ww to this:'
ww.youtube.com/watch?v=C9xjt6lv9ao
Leatherhead
September 28, 2021 at 06:00 pm
On the kick coverage: Yet another reason to line drive it into the end zone on every kickoff..
Hands up: I thought the same thing. If he leaps and gets his hands up, he can at least force the QB to reload.
Bosa: Run at good pass rushers. That’s old school football. Credit to Nijman….a baptism by fire and he didn’t look out of place. And Marcedes Lewis is a big strong guy who is good at pushing people. It’s handy, having that 6th offensive lineman.
jannesbjornson
September 28, 2021 at 07:42 pm
That is old school, the Hank Stram approach.
Minniman
September 29, 2021 at 02:49 pm
Nijman got help on a lot of plays from the TE’s (and RB’s) - Tonyan pancaked Bosa one really good one (cannoning him into his fellow lD-Lineman and causing another to trip - all on the one play!) and stuffed him completely on 2 other plays.
Packers made a concerted effort to remove Bosa from the game and make SF rely on others from their front - a well designed and executed game plan there.
Minniman
September 29, 2021 at 02:50 pm
Duplicate post - deleted
Since'61
September 28, 2021 at 07:42 pm
Al 3 good choices as usual. Not surprised at the officials missing yet another penalty on the KO return.
Why is Burks still on the team?
I said during the pregame posts. run straight at Bosa with Lewis and Deguara.
The play that made me go Hmmm was the interception by Alexander. He covered an incredible amount of ground to make that play. Later he had the good sense to get after the QB when his receiver remained in to block. Of course he was flagged for a BS roughing the passer call. but as we all know the officiating was the worst we've seen in a while for this game. GPG! Thanks, Since '61
Packers0808
September 28, 2021 at 07:44 pm
Lewis unique type of player period. Not fast but effective when need be in offense pass catching, but one hell of a proven and trusted reliable blocker!
joejetson
September 28, 2021 at 09:29 pm
Agree with your assessment of Lewis. The other enjoyable part of his game is when he does catch a pass, he punishes the tackler. No running out of bounds or diving to the turf. Reminds me of Jim Taylor.
Packers0808
September 29, 2021 at 07:50 am
Agree 100% with the last couple sentences you have written!
croatpackfan
September 29, 2021 at 03:57 am
It looks Tonyan picked a lot of Lewis brain. This season he is much better blocker than he was in the past. I remember that at one snap he was fighting against Bosa and held him at place. I was thrilled by his play at the moment.
PatrickGB
September 29, 2021 at 07:46 am
Under the tutelage of Lewis, the Packers took a QB turned receiver into one of the best TE’s in the league. Of course Bobby had to want it and he definitely put in the work to make it happen.
BAMABADGER
September 28, 2021 at 10:23 pm
1) yes, rookie Hill ran a good 10 yards past his containment. That is a coaching issue. Good pick up Al
2) Caught the poor blitz reaction by Burks on replay during the game. Isn't the critique on Vandy players that they may not be athletic, but they are smart? Every young player is taught to get their hands up if you can't reach the QB.
3) Big Dog with a heck of a block on Bosa... another good catch Al
Another play to review was the final FG for the win. The far right outside blocker (could not determine player #) did not attempt to block the outside rusher. Replay will show the defensive rusher nearly blocked the kick. Close to another ST error.
Doofapotamus
September 28, 2021 at 11:50 pm
I noticed a few would-be blocks in the back throughout the game against GB, but I didn't see Summers get nabbed for 10 yards and a reverse pancake. The refs certainly didn't see the hold on Adrian Amos as he tried to disengage and make a tackle on Garoppolo, either. Whole reason he even had to trip him. Reffing was awful. Summers and Burks showed yet again they don't belong out there on the field. Lewis is exactly what we thought he was, a great blocker and an amazing player overall. Let's not forget he's on the team, ok Lafleur?