Bears Punt return: On the craziest play that didn’t count

http://www.nfl.com/videos/chicago-bears/09000d5d8228f7c4/The-punt-return-that-never-was

crazy, amazing, shame....

Aaron Rodgers called it the “most incredible play I’ve ever seen.”
Greg Jennings said it was “best play I’ve ever seen.”

And it didn’t even count.

We know we’re 18 hours removed from Johnny Knox’s kick return trick play touchdown that was called back (correctly) by penalty, but it was simply too cool to not mention here.

If you missed it, we recommend watching the play again a few times. And then reading Kevin Seifert’s breakdown of how it all worked.

It seems simple enough: Making everyone on the team act like the return is going up the left side. Send a returner after the actual ball on the right side.

And yet we have never seen a play like it, and we haven’t heard of any precedent in NFL history. (We wonder if we’ll see something similar in future.)

Stuff like this makes Sundays so much fun.

how about this:

With 1 minute, nine seconds remaining in the game, the Packers called for Tim Masthay to punt toward the left sideline on a fourth-down play at the Bears' 46-yard line. According to receiver/returner Johnny Knox, the Bears "knew he was going to kick it that way because their scheme and what hash they were on."

As a result, Bears special teams coordinator Dave Toub called for a return the team had practiced but obviously not run in a game. Knox, lined up as a "jammer" against Packers "gunner" Jarrett Bush, turned and sprinted down the left sideline at the snap. At the same time, Packers punt returner Devin Hester sprinted toward the right sideline, along with eight Bears blockers.

And so did the entire Packers cover team, even though they knew the call was for a punt in the opposite direction.

"We all went with Hester," Bush said. "You have to kind of respect it because Hester is the dynamic returner that he is. Everybody went that way. I knew the ball was supposed to go a different way. But I couldn't find it."

As Hester called for a mock fair catch on the right sideline, Knox fielded the punt on the other side and began sprinting upfield. The only player that saw it happen was Masthay, and the one blocker the Bears kept with Knox -- Winston Venable -- shielded Knox down the sideline for the most unique touchdown play I've ever seen. Rarely, if ever, will you see 10 NFL players get fooled the way the Packers were in this case.

The score would have closed the deficit to 27-24, putting the Bears in position for an onside kick and a possible possession to tie or win the game. But officials called Bears special teams ace Corey Graham for holding on the right sideline, nullifying the score.