GREEN BAY, WI The Detroit Lions faced a fourth-and-12 from their 20-yard line with roughly eight minutes remaining in the second quarter of their Week 2 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Coach Dan Campbell sent on the punt team, of course.
Jack Fox, a punter, moved the chains with a 17-yard pass. That play serves as a reminder that Detroit will run a fake on special teams at any moment and in any circumstance, even though the Lions punted the ball later in the drive.
Rich Bisaccia, the special teams coordinator for the Green Bay Packers, did not require much reminders.
The Lions attempted a fake on fourth-and-4 from their 23 midway through the third quarter of the Packers’ 29–22 victory over them at Ford Field last season. Jalen Reeves-Maybin, the personal protector, was directly snapped by Karl Brooks and Lukan Van Ness. Shortly after, the Packers had a 29–14 lead and were in the end zone.
Since 2013, Bisaccia and his opponent, Dave Fipp of Detroit, have been playing against each other.
According to Bisaccia, “we have a pretty good catalogue of each other’s work.” He looked examined ten years’ worth of fakes during the week.
Since 2021, Fipp has served as the Lions’ coordinator of special teams. With five conversions through the air (Fox has four and Reeves-Maybin has the other) and four on the ground, they are 9 out of 12 on fake punts.
Fox threw incomplete on fourth-and-13 in the Lions’ 37-30 victory over the Packers in the 2021 season finale in Detroit.
“Regardless of where you are on the field, I believe the distance for the first down is mindful in your calls,” Bisaccia stated. “You become a little more agitated when you play against a team that has some fakes backed up inside the 20 and the 25.
They were backed up inside the 25 in a massive fake versus Tampa. We will therefore put on a front that should benefit us and possibly deter them to some extent, but we must be ready for it as the game progresses.
According to Bisaccia, his punt-return team will “play the fake on the way to the punter” on Sunday, just like a defense plays the run on the way to the quarterback when up against a pass-happy offense.
The Packers’ problem is that they have to take time away from other preparations to get ready for Fipp’s vast repertoire of tricks. The workweek has a limited amount of time, and coach Matt LaFleur can not really take time off from the offensive and defensive phases.
“Matt is really happy with the time and schedule we have throughout the week,” Bisaccia remarked. We have a chance to get it all in because we have several walkthroughs throughout the day in addition to our practice time.
Because of the fakes they have had, it might restrict some of the things you can do to them. It is similar to coming into the Arizona game in that you have to be ready for them because they were a very phony squad in the past. They were backed up and conducted a phony sweep against us last year, as you may recall. The punter tosses the ball incredibly well, and they can do it anywhere, at any time. Thus,
The NFL’s top special teams include the Lions. With a kickoff return that resulted in a score, a punt return that led to a touchdown, and a punt return for a touchdown, they thrashed the Titans last week. In terms of net punt average, Fox leads the NFL, and rookie kicker Jake Bates has not missed a field goal attempt.
Bates won the honor in Week 7, Fox was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 3, and Kalif Raymond, a punt returner/receiver, was named the winner for his performance against the Titans.
After that game, Campbell handed a game ball to Fipp.
This week in Detroit, Fipp told reporters, “Obviously, that is an example of, if you go out and do those things, “That is an example of, if you go out and do those things, it can change the game real quick,” Fipp told reporters in Detroit this week. Having said that, the game is ended, and while those things do occur occasionally, the main point is that you must move on to the next play and game.”The more proficient you become, the more difficult it becomes to win, and the larger the target becomes on your back.” Therefore, the key is to keep guys on an even playing field and to understand that nothing will be given to you in this profession and that it will require the same amount of work. I just state that these guys are the best team we have ever faced when I return to Green Bay. They are large, physically strong, tough, and extremely gifted.
