GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Almost exactly a year after the Green Bay Packers last blocked a punt, they thought they had another one.
But Jarrett Boykin got through the Chicago Bears' protection so quickly that he actually got to the ball before punter Pat O'Donnell could get his foot on it.
In fact, it was Boykin who got his foot on the ball first.
So instead, it was ruled as a fumble.
Just don't tell that to Shawn Slocum, the Packers special teams coordinator, whose unit last blocked a punt on Nov. 4, 2013, also against the Bears.
"In my opinion, it's a blocked punt," Slocum said after reviewing the film on Monday. "We're moving forward. Whatever they want to do statistically, they can do. We'll go in the room Wednesday and say, 'Great job on the blocked punt, now let's get ready for the Eagles.'"
Slocum said that he believes it should be a considered a blocked punt because O'Donnell released the ball to kick it, and "Jarrett got there before he could strike it."
"I've seen guys get there before the punter strikes the ball and actually tackle him, but that was a little strange," Slocum said. "Jarrett jumped in the air and struck the ball with his foot. It was kind of odd."
It was a solid day for Slocum's units other than Chris Williams' 101-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. By that time, many of the Packers' special teams players had taken on larger roles on offense and defense after coach Mike McCarthy pulled some starters. On Williams' other nine returns, he averaged just 20.8 yards per return.
