Slocum

[red]

i hate this guy, thats nothing new

what the hell was up with the one kickoff where woodson returned and everyone else was up on the line?

that might have been the dumbest thing i've even seen

yes the bolts might have tried another onside there, but even if they did, we were in no position to recover with that lineup

either line up normal, or set up for the onsides. don't ever pull that shit again where your return guy can't down the ball and has no choice but to get creamed by the entire coverage unit at the 9 yard line

i can't be the only one that was yelling WTF was that, at the TV

[Joemailman]

Actually, Woodson could have downed the ball in the end zone. Not sure why he didn't.

[pbmax]

Its was the hands team up front (maybe an exception or two) and Woodson was the sure handed, good decision maker in the back who would field it and down it. No chance of a muff with him back there.

It all went swimmingly until he took it out of the end zone.

[Patler]

Actually, Woodson could have downed the ball in the end zone. Not sure why he didn't.

I suspect he may have been unsure of where he was. When the ball was kicked, he was well in front of the goal line, he drafted back about a step into the endzone, but then came forward and was quite close to the goal line as he caught it. Without someone back there to tell him, he may have been unsure if he caught it in or out of the end zone. After all, he is looking up at the ball, not down at his feet, and he really was quite close to the goal line.

The last thing he would want is have it ruled that he carried it into the endzone for a safety.

[pbmax]

I suspect he may have been unsure of where he was. When the ball was kicked, he was well in front of the goal line, he drafted back about a step into the endzone, but then came forward and was quite close to the goal line as he caught it. Without someone back there to tell him, he may have been unsure if he caught it in or out of the end zone. After all, he is looking up at the ball, not down at his feet, and he really was quite close to the goal line.

The last thing he would want is have it ruled that he carried it into the endzone for a safety.

If he is back there alone, he might have been better server by standing on, or straddling the goal line so he knew exactly where it was. I suspect the problem would be the pooch kick over the initial line of the kickoff team. If Woodson had sole responsibility for that, he really was in no man's land. But I do not recall if the Packers had a second line of personnel between Wood and the front line.

[Patler]

If he is back there alone, he might have been better server by standing on, or straddling the goal line so he knew exactly where it was. I suspect the problem would be the pooch kick over the initial line of the kickoff team. If Woodson had sole responsibility for that, he really was in no man's land. But I do not recall if the Packers had a second line of personnel between Wood and the front line.

Just watched it again.

8 guys on the line, one on each side 5-6 yards behind them; so Woodson was all alone.

Woodson was between the 10 and 15 as the ball was being teed up. After that you lose sight of him. As the ball comes down the field you see Woodson running, then drifting back to about one step in the endzone. Then he came forward as he caught it. Using stop action, it appears he actually may have had one foot on the goal line as he caught the ball, and one foot well back of it.

Not one person, friend or foe, visible up to the 23 yard line as he starts to run.
From Woodson's perspective, he was just to the left of the left hashmark as he caught it.
Woodson starts forward, then veers to his right.
As he hit the 2, two Packers had retreated in the center of the field to about the 21.
SD players coming into view at about the 23-24.
Woodson runs hard laterally and as he hits the 5, one SD is at the 13, several others at 15.
Woodson continues laterally, and as he hits the 7, 3 defenders are at the 8, 9 and 10.
He is tackled well outside the right hand numbers, from his perspective.

Had he gotten to the corner around the three defenders, he had room up the sideline.

He ran an awful long way laterally just to advance 7-8 yard forward!

[pbmax]

I don't think he has the speed anymore to get to that corner anymore. But there has to be a different formation for the quasi-onside kick situation. The team needs bodies back there for the pooch. Maybe they need one other return guy to the side to alert him

[Patler]

I don't think he has the speed anymore to get to that corner anymore. But there has to be a different formation for the quasi-onside kick situation. The team needs bodies back there for the pooch. Maybe they need one other return guy to the side to alert him

Do you remember, almost the same thing happened last year? (Or was it 2 years ago?) Again, Woodson was deep and returned right, making little forward progress after fielding the ball and ran laterally. It was at the end of a close game, and what bothered me on that one was that only a couple seconds ran off the clock as Woodson ran from one side of the field to the other.

[mraynrand]

That was a weird play. I thought that had Woodson been a little more savvy, he would have let it bounce into the endzone, and take the touchback, but typically it's not advisable to let a kickoff hit the ground unless deep in the endzone. If intentional, that was a pretty well placed kick by San Diego.

[pbmax]

Do you remember, almost the same thing happened last year? (Or was it 2 years ago?) Again, Woodson was deep and returned right, making little forward progress after fielding the ball and ran laterally. It was at the end of a close game, and what bothered me on that one was that only a couple seconds ran off the clock as Woodson ran from one side of the field to the other.

Barely have a memory of that kind of return late. Most of my punt return fears last year were Tramon related.

[sharpe1027]

It seemed smarter, while watching from from my couch with a beer, to have at least two guys back deep covering each half of the field, also covering for each other and directing the one catching the ball.

With nobody in the no-man's land between Woodson and the front 10, I was very concerned that they would do either a squib kick or pop it up in the are about 20-30 yards down-field. Woodson would have been too far back to get the ball quickly and all of SDs players would have had a running start while Greenbay's players were standing flat footed.

[Fritz]

I understand why that formation was called. Still, I am always in favor of haranguing Slocum.

Why hasn't Cobb had a big, big return lately? Why did two of Masthay's punts nearly get blocked yesterday?

Why have the coverage units given up such field position on returns lately?

Fire Schottenheimer! Er, Slocum.

[Upnorth]

Fire Schottenlocum!!!