The Enduring Gift of Brad Jones
Ah, Brad Jones. He’s the Green Bay Packers’ gift that keeps on giving.
Jones’ 2014 season highlights can pretty much be summed up as such: missed tackles, blown opportunities, awful penalties. And yet, somehow, he still managed to get on the field in some role game after game.
Why would this be of note now?
Because Jones was ultimately responsible for the Seattle Seahawks’ successful fake field goal attempt in the NFC Championship game.
If Jones hadn’t been in the game, Seattle wouldn’t even have run the fake.
Reserve linebacker Brad Jones was recklessly aggressive coming off the edge on film. He consistently darted hard to the inside in an effort to get the block, and often went to unnecessary lengths to do so.
So with five minutes left in the third quarter and Seattle still trailing 16-0, (coach Pete) Carroll gave (punter Jon) Ryan the go-ahead to execute a fake specifically designed for this game. Ryan had two options:
1. Take the snap and roll out to Jones’ side with either Garry Gilliam (left side) or Luke Willson (right) as a receiving option. If the linebacker covers the receiver, Ryan should run. If not, throw it.
2. If Jones isn’t on the field, take a delay of game penalty and then kick the field goal.
So naturally, Jones did his usual thing and A.J. Hawk was the only guy with the awareness to try to chase down the fake.
Hawk went for Ryan and Gilliam was wide open in the end zone.
Start the comeback!
Now, surely special teams coach Shawn Slocum deserves the majority of the blame for this, as we pointed out yesterday.
However, considering Brad Jones’ overall body of work this season, we would love nothing more than to see the Packers give him his walking papers.
This isn’t like Brandon Bostick making one bad play at an extremely inopportune time. This is a guy who fucks up time and time again and somehow still has a job.
In fact, Slocum and Jones both fall into that category.
What message does that send?
Hey, don’t worry if you’re completely awful week after week. The Packers will still employ you!
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Cobb, Bulaga, and Williams are some big free agents in the offseason, but middle linebacker has to be a priority for the Packers in the draft. I had never realized how detrimental Hawk and Jones were to the team until the Packers replaced them with Matthews and Barrington and shazam, the Packers defense improved dramatically. Matthews is not going to want to play middle linebacker the rest of his career.
Hawk was in a lose/lose situation, Take Gilliam, Ryan runs it in, Take Ryan, td pass to Gilliam…lose/lose.
agree all the captain hindsight guys would have said he should have gone to the runner had he covered the other guy. I just dont get how specials teams was not prepared for that.
Respectfully disagree. If he covered Gilliam, there is not way the punter outruns everyone to the end zone. He should have taken the eligible and let the rest of his team take Ryan down in pursuit. It would have resulted in a first down, but better than a sure TD unless the guy pulls a Brandon Bostick.
Good article. You guys have been exposing thus guy all season….
McC, Capers and their crew could learn from you.
Bottom line – it was a badly played game by both teams’ offenses. Great games of dare by both Ds. Packers D blinked w 5 minutes left to cost the team the ticket to SB…
Agree w D. Taking NFC North gonna be harder in 2015 w Fox coaching Cutty-less Bears and Lions one draft pick away from power, albeit most likely without that dirty loser Suh…. Hell, who knows Vikes get some compensation for Peterson and they’ll be a challenge…. Add to that a tough out if conference schedule and #12 is another year closer to end of career wo another ring…
Might also consider the elephant in the room…the fact that there has probably never been a choke of this magnitude with 5 minutes left and a super bowl trip on the line, so this group might never come back. If they can’t get motivated for Arizona, what’s gonna motivate them to win the North
Did you guys read the article where McGlurpy stated why he ran those plays in the 4th quarter? He is a nut job! totally OCD! he was trying to reach a stat rushing number!!! Here is the statement from the journalist: “What was bizarre, then, was McCarthy’s comment after the game that he was trying to hit a particular number. “The one statistic I had as far as a target to hit,” McCarthy said, “was 20 rushing attempts in the second half. I felt that would be a very important target to hit for our offense.” WTF! This guy is nuts! His OCD’s ahead of game time, in the moment play calling! I feel vindicated and sad at the same time, I have NEVER felt good about his game management! Hell, I was starting to make plans for a SB party just before Burnett did his slide as well! This guy played scared, coached not to lose, then shit the bed. Now he is throwing some of the players under the bus! Shameful . . . and Dumb Capers and his 3rd and 19! Hey! let’s rush 3 (or was it 2?) Bostick fucked up! but the game was lost moments before IMO.
Although your ranting about MM is often incoherent and over the top, I have to agree with you 100% here. MM’s comments after the game were totally unacceptable.
He considers himself infallible. 1- He outright shut the reporters down when it came to questions about his play calling. Ok I get it, you are smarter than everyone else, fine, but you have an obligation to at least discuss it with the media and your fans who pay your fucking salary.
2- His comments about the running statistic were bizarre and frankly scary from a guy who is supposedly such a great coach. You had a number of runs you were going to do and so you made sure you did that? Regardless of the games situation? huh? What? Wow.
3- The idea that a head coaches team would have maybe the biggest collapse in NFL Playoff history, that he has several of his players he knows are going to get thrown to the wolves, that HE would not personally try to take some of the responsibility and deflect blame off his players (see Rex Ryan, Tomlin, Andy Reid, and countless other coaches). Absolutely pathetic.
Finally I find it funny how many times MM had to answer angry press questions about why he is always lining up on 3rd and 4th down in a shotgun formation with multiple wides and either just one or no RB’s; and his answer is always “Aaron Rodgers is our best player, I feel comfortable with the ball in his hands..” Yet when it came down to the biggest game of his career (besides the Super Bowl), he took the game out of Aarons hands, and THEN Expects us to not question his decisions……………………….
Cannot stand that guy, sorry, I know hes a winning coach but so was John Fox.
Oh and the fucking idiots on The Fan (Rookie and Bill Michels?) Were completely being rude and dismissing callers who dared to question MM’s play calling in the 4th quarter. One of them saying “3rd and 16, who is going for that? You run and then you punt.” Really? I seem to remember converting a 3rd and 13 against Detroit to seal our victory the last week of the season, and oh yeah we threw the ball.
Bill and Rookie are the two dumbest fucks on the radio I have ever heard. I can’t even listen to them. Makes me want to punch my windshield out. It’s their job to know about sports yet every three minutes they say something totally incorrect, GUARANTEED.
As I have stated even during the training camps Brad Jones is not and NFL caliber Linebacker. Ted had to much dead money this year if he cut Jones. Jones is gone before the 2015 season. He is not worth over 3 mil of cap space. What will make everyone sick is Jones will still count over 1 mil against the cap when gone. Jones is a gift that just keeps on giving or taking. Good riddance.
Good lord I wish the Pack had coaches and players who design and plan plays like this. We were totally outcoached and outplayed in last few minutes. Somehow I doubt the Pack prepared at all for the Sea birds to have to fake a field goal and kick an onside to win the game. It shows how much they actuality thought they were going to be in a position to win.
Brad Jones has been the equivalent of a Munson in my household for three years now. Finally contributed enough to earning his being cut. Fuck that turd, fuck that game, fuck McCarthy, hopefully next year.