packers11
09-30-2007, 10:03 PM
http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070930/PKR0201/70930053/1989
Notebook: Punter Ryan didn't know fake was off
By Pete Dougherty and Rob Demovsky
pdougher@greenbaypressgazette.com, rdemovsk@greenbaypressgazette.com
Everyone knew the fake punt was called off except for one person – the punter.
That left Jon Ryan scrambling to make something out of nothing, which is exactly what he did on the way to converting a fourth-and-4 play from midfield early in the third quarter. Ryan had the Packers’ second-longest rush of the day, a 7-yard gain in which he broke two tackles for a first down.
“It was a called fake, but we didn’t quite communicate properly, and I was pretty much the only person who thought it was still a fake,” Ryan said. “When I went to pass, there was no there to pass to. I made the best of it, I guess.”
The Packers coaches thought they had the Vikings in a favorable look to try a pass, which was supposed to go to the right flat, but at the last second, they called it off.
“(Ryan) didn’t hear it, so he reacted like he thought the play was on,” special teams coordinator Mike Stock said. “I thought he did a hell of a job. It’s not his fault. That was my fault. We had to give a visual sign for him, and we didn’t have that. So that’s on me.”
The Packers turned Ryan’s play into a 44-yard field goal by Mason Crosby that gave them a 13-6 lead with 6:04 remaining in the third quarter.
Ryan, who played running back in high school back in Canada, had a large welt on his lower back that he said he sustained when Dontarrious Thomas tackled him on his run.
Ryan also had a strong day punting, except for one poor kick. A 33-yard shank that went out of bounds at the Vikings’ 42-yard was Ryan’s only blemish. Even with that punt, he averaged 49.0 yards (gross) and 44.3 (net) on four punts. He won a huge field-position battle when he booted a 54-yard punt with 4.8 seconds of hang time that Will Blackmon downed at the Vikings’ 7-yard line.
Notebook: Punter Ryan didn't know fake was off
By Pete Dougherty and Rob Demovsky
pdougher@greenbaypressgazette.com, rdemovsk@greenbaypressgazette.com
Everyone knew the fake punt was called off except for one person – the punter.
That left Jon Ryan scrambling to make something out of nothing, which is exactly what he did on the way to converting a fourth-and-4 play from midfield early in the third quarter. Ryan had the Packers’ second-longest rush of the day, a 7-yard gain in which he broke two tackles for a first down.
“It was a called fake, but we didn’t quite communicate properly, and I was pretty much the only person who thought it was still a fake,” Ryan said. “When I went to pass, there was no there to pass to. I made the best of it, I guess.”
The Packers coaches thought they had the Vikings in a favorable look to try a pass, which was supposed to go to the right flat, but at the last second, they called it off.
“(Ryan) didn’t hear it, so he reacted like he thought the play was on,” special teams coordinator Mike Stock said. “I thought he did a hell of a job. It’s not his fault. That was my fault. We had to give a visual sign for him, and we didn’t have that. So that’s on me.”
The Packers turned Ryan’s play into a 44-yard field goal by Mason Crosby that gave them a 13-6 lead with 6:04 remaining in the third quarter.
Ryan, who played running back in high school back in Canada, had a large welt on his lower back that he said he sustained when Dontarrious Thomas tackled him on his run.
Ryan also had a strong day punting, except for one poor kick. A 33-yard shank that went out of bounds at the Vikings’ 42-yard was Ryan’s only blemish. Even with that punt, he averaged 49.0 yards (gross) and 44.3 (net) on four punts. He won a huge field-position battle when he booted a 54-yard punt with 4.8 seconds of hang time that Will Blackmon downed at the Vikings’ 7-yard line.