HOLMGREN RETURNS WEST A TAD GRUMPIER
PACKERS HANG ON FOR ONE-POINT WIN
BY PAT DORWIN
SPORTSWRITER
GREEN BAY - A PRESEASON TRADE OF NO-NAMES LED TO A CHAIN OF EVENTS THAT HELPED THE PACKERS RUIN YET ANOTHER MIKE HOLMGREN HOMECOMING ATTEMPT.
BEN PATRICK, A TIGHT END WHO CAME TO GREEN BAY FROM NEW ENGLAND FOR TWO FREE-AGENT DEFENSIVE BACKS, CAUGHT A HUGE THIRD-DOWN PASS TO KEY THE 21-20 PRESEASON VICTORY THAT EVENED THE PACK'S RECORD AT 1-1.
"WE LOOKED AT GETTING BEN IN THE FRANCHISE FANTASY DRAFT," SAID PACKERS COACH MIKE McCARTHY. "IT ALL WORKED OUT IN THE END."
THE COMMENT BROUGHT MORE THAN A FEW CHUCKLES FROM THOSE AT THE POST-GAME PRESS CONFERENCE. IT'S LONG BEEN KNOWN THE PAIR OF DEFENDERS WERE TRADED FOR A BODY - IN THIS CASE PATRICK'S SIMPLY TO CLEAR ROSTER SPACE TO SIGN A THIRD QUARTERBACK.
IN THIS CASE, SHAUN HILL.
BUT NOW PATRICK AND HILL HAVE MADE THEIR MARKS - AND IMPROVED THEIR CHANCES OF BECOMING ACTIVE ON GAME DAYS.
HOLMGREN WAS ALL SMILES JUST SECONDS INTO MONDAY NIGHT'S NATIONAL TV GAME AS SANTONIO HOLMES RETURNED A SHORT KICKOFF 77 YARDS FOR A 7-0 SEAHAWKS (1-1) LEAD JUST NINE SECONDS IN.
"TO SAY OUR SPECIAL TEAMS HAVE BEEN ATROCIOUS (AGAINST SEATTLE AND AN OPENING 31-14 LOSS AT PITTSBURGH) SHOWS MY FLAIR FOR THE OBVIOUS," SAID McCARTHY. "OUR DEFENSE HAS LOOKED AS CLUELESS AS I DO WHEN THROWING THE RED FLAG TO CHALLENGE A REF'S CALL."
INDEED.
THE INEPTNESS CONTINUED WHEN PAUL EDINGER'S EXTRA-POINT MISSED AFTER LAURENCE MARONEY'S 1-YARD PLUNGE FAILED TO TIE THE SCORE WITH 5:10 LEFT IN THE OPENING QUARTER.
SOME 90 SECONDS LATER, SEATTLE'S RUDI JOHNSON COUNTERED WITH A 1-YARD TOUCHDOWN OF HIS OWN AND SEATTLE TOOK A 14-6 LEAD IN THE INITIAL 7-MINUTE QUARTER.
GREEN BAY QUARTERBACK BEN ROETHLISBERGER COUNTERED WITH A 36-YARD SCORE TO EVER-DANGEROUS WIDEOUT DANTE STALLWORTH BEFORE MARONEY TIED THINGS UP WITH A 2-POINT SWEEP LEFT.
A PAIR OF FIELD GOALS BY KRIS BROWN - FROM 47 AND 52 YARDS OUT - THE LATTER WITH SIX SECONDS LEFT IN THE HALF - UPPED THE SEAHAWK LEAD TO 20-14.
BUT HILL AND THE PACKERS STILL HAD A SINGLE SECOND LEFT AFTER THE RESTART. HILL, WHO WAS EXPECTED TO PLAY THE ENTIRE SECOND HALF, CAME IN EARLY AFTER TONY ROMO MILDLY INJURED HIS HIP.
ROMO, WHO COULD HAVE RETURNED WITH HIS LEFT HIP FLEXOR INTACT, STAYED PARKED ON THE BENCH, A FORTUNATE CALL BY McCARTHY AS HILL'S HAIL MARY TO DEVIN HESTER CAME TRUE FROM 62 YARDS OUT.
EDINGER'S SUSPENSEFUL EXTRA-POINT GAVE GREEN BAY ALL THE CUSHION IT WOULD NEED, AS THE SECOND HALF WENT SCORELESS, DESPITE A RELATIVE CHIP SHOT FROM EDINGER THAT COULD HAVE MADE IT A FOUR-POINT GAME LATE GOING WIDE LEFT.
BUT THAT JUST OPENED THE THRESHOLD FOR HILL AND PATRICK. THE PAIR KEPT A LATE DRIVE ALIVE BY CONNECTING DOWN THE RIGHT SIDELINE FOR 13 YARDS AND A HUGE FIRST DOWN.
"EVEN THOUGH WE'RE BACKUPS AT THIS LEVEL, WE'RE STILL PROFESSIONALS WHO HAVE BEEN IN SIMILAR SITUATIONS," HILL SAID. "BEN WAS THE FIRST OPTION ON THE PLAY - AND HE CAME THROUGH BIG-TIME."
INDEED.
BIG ENOUGH TO SEE SOME REGULAR SUNDAY ACTION.
