GREEN BAY — Ever since Brandon Bostick tried to field an onside kick he wasn’t supposed to in the 2014 NFC Championship Game, Rich Bisaccia has used that unfortunate mistake — if you’re a Green Bay Packers fan, you need no further explanation, as you’re probably still scarred by that game — as an object lesson.
The veteran special-teams coordinator not only has shown it to his Packers players before each of his four seasons in Green Bay, he did so with the Dallas Cowboys (2-15-’17) and the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders (2018-’21).
Of course, the teachable moment didn’t go over particularly well with one Raider in particular in 2018: Jordy Nelson, the ex-Packers wide receiver who was supposed to field that fateful kick in that game. Had Bostick just done his job — blocking — and let Nelson field the ball, the Packers would have played in Super Bowl XLIX.
“Used it every year since it’s been put on tape. Actually, the first year when Jordy came to us at the Raiders, I had it on there at the ‘hands team’ meeting,” Bisaccia recounted Wednesday afternoon, explaining how the teaching point is about Bostick backing up and trying to field the ball. “And [Nelson] comes up to me after, and he … had a couple things to say about that particular play.”
It remains to be seen if Bisaccia uses last Saturday night’s game-changing onside kick gaffe — wide receiver Romeo Doubs failing to field Chicago Bears kicker Cairo Santos’ boot, leading to the Packers’ 22-16 loss to the Bears — as an educational tool moving forward.
What is clear is this: If the Baltimore Ravens need to attempt an onside kick late in Saturday night’s game at Lambeau Field, Doubs will be right back in the same spot for the Packers.
Bisaccia said so very clearly on Wednesday, chalking up the failure to an unlucky bounce.
“He makes that thing 99 out of 100 times. We’ve defended 11 onside kicks since we’ve been here, he’s been there for eight of them and that’s the first one we didn’t come up with,” Bisaccia said. “So he’ll be back out there come Saturday night.”
After the loss, Doubs said in the visitors’ locker room at Soldier Field that he had reps onside kick recoveries every week and that las week was no exception. He also took the blame for the loss.
“[Expletive], I missed it. That’s just this game, bro,” said Doubs, who led the team in receptions (five) and receiving yards (86) and had a 33-yard touchdown catch from backup quarterback Malik Willis earlier in the game. “I rep [onside kicks] all week. Somebody’s got to be responsible — and I’m willing to take on 1000% of it.”
Bisaccia said Doubs was in exactly the right place on the play, and that he was a victim of a “funky” bounce.
“If you look at him, the position he got himself in was really good. I think at the end it took a little bit of a skip instead of a higher hop and it kind of handcuffed him a little bit,” Bisaccia said. “I thought we were in good enough position to make the play. We just didn’t make the play at the time.”
As designed, safeties Xavier McKinney and Javon Bullard blocked defensive lineman Daniel Hardy and defensive back Elijah Hicks while linebacker Noah Sewell was the extra man outnumbering them.
Bears recover the onside kick 👀👀GBvsCHI on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/gabjYXsJXB
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The ball got through as it should have and bounced to Doubs, who got both hands on it but couldn’t secure it. Defensive back Josh Blackwell, who isn’t blocked by anyone, ultimately recovered the ball, as the Packers’ Josh Jacobs and Keisean Nixon looked on in disbelief.
“If you look at Keisean looking at [Doubs] and Josh looking at him, they all see him in practice the way he makes catches on all those different kicks that we give him in practice,” Bisaccia said. “I think we all assumed he was just going to come up with the ball.”
It’s worth noting that had the Bears opted to go the other direction, running back Chris Brooks and safety Zayne Anderson were the blockers and wide receiver Jayden Reed was responsible for fielding the ball.
“You lose sleep for a few days and nights, but for me I want to make sure we protect Rome. He’s done a great job. He’s got the best hands I’ve ever been around,” Bisaccia said. “I’ve been a lot of great players, [and] the guy’s a great player. Not a good player, an elite player. And we put him in a great position.
“We’ve put him in that position before to make the play, and he’s made it a bunch. We’re just looking forward to getting back to practicing it tomorrow and the next day and then get ready to play in the game.”
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