Skip to main content
Advertising

Signature snaps: Top five special teams plays of 2012

GREEN BAY—Packers.com's review of the top plays of the season continues with another edition of "Signature Snaps."

With each top five list, the accompanying video and poll will allow you, the fans, to review the plays and vote for your favorite. The top vote-getter in each category will then be included in our final "play of the year" segment.

The fourth installment of this year's "Signature Snaps" series features the top five special teams plays of 2012, presented here in chronological order:

Randall Cobb, 75-yard punt return TD vs. San Francisco, Week 1

The Packers were in a deep hole in the opener against the 49ers, but Cobb gave them a chance to come back. Fielding a booming 61-yard punt, Cobb took it all the way back, with the help of an illegal block in the back that the replacement officials missed. The score brought the Packers within 23-14 in the fourth quarter but they couldn't finish the rally.

Tom Crabtree, 27-yard TD on fake FG vs. Chicago, Week 2

On fourth-and-26 – a down and distance that became forever a part of Packers lore in the 2003 playoffs in Philadelphia – Crabtree took a shovel pass from holder Tim Masthay, got good blocks from Evan Dietrich-Smith and Don Barclay, and had smooth sailing to the end zone with little resistance from the baffled Bears. The boom-or-bust play gave the Packers a 10-0 lead late in the second quarter to jump-start a key early-season win.

John Kuhn, 5-yard run for first down on fake punt vs. New Orleans, Week 4

The Packers only needed a yard for the first down, but it was the field position – inside their own 20-yard line – that made this call so shocking. The up man in punt formation, Kuhn took the snap and plunged off the left side to move the chains, and the Packers took advantage by continuing the second-quarter drive for a touchdown that gave them a 21-7 lead in a game they would eventually win by just one point.

Jamari Lattimore, onside kick recovery at St. Louis, Week 7

A season of special-teams gambles continued with a surprise onside kick in the first quarter, right after the Packers had taken a 7-3 lead. Jarrett Bush and M.D. Jennings upended the only Rams player with a shot at the recovery, and Lattimore eventually corralled the ball to give the Packers possession. Once again, Green Bay made the gamble pay off, driving for a field goal to extend the lead.

Davon House, blocked punt recovered for TD by Dezman Moses vs. Jacksonville, Week 8

Originally lined up to block the Jaguars gunner, House crept down the line of scrimmage and charged the punter unblocked. He smothered Bryan Anger's punt, and the bouncing ball was finally recovered by Moses for a touchdown. This marked the first blocked punt for a touchdown by the Packers since 1990.

Be sure to watch the video and vote for your favorite in the poll.

This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an issue.
Advertising