Travis Homer had touched a live ball once in his whole career.
It came on a kickoff return, in Week 12. He was pressed into return duties for the Seattle Seahawks with teammate Tyler Lockett still on the mend. He gained 29 yards.
Then, a week later, he got his second touch. On Monday Night Football, in front of the nation and a few million Seahawks fans on their last beer and their last fingernail. He, uh, made it count.
He gained 29 yards again. 29 big ones.
You probably don’t need the scene to be set, but what the hell. It’s fourth and two. Seattle will punt from their own 32, because that’s what they do, and up 10 in the fourth quarter you’re obviously not going to fake it —
FAKE PUNT ALERT
— NFL (@NFL) December 3, 2019
The @Seahawks special teams unit gains 29 yards on the play! #Seahawks
: #MINvsSEA on ESPN
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Watch free on mobile: https://t.co/1EyFLelCig pic.twitter.com/CKyhNT0Ni2
The fourth-down trickery might count as a mild redemption for Pete Carroll among Seahawks fans, who had oft grumbled about the team’s conservative decision-making on fourth down. They weren’t wrong.
You see that correctly. The Seahawks are the second-least aggressive team on fourth downs in the entire league, exceeded in cowardice only by the Washington football team, which isn’t exactly who you want to be keeping company with. If you want to win.
Earlier in the same game, Carroll had eschewed going for it on 4th and 1 near midfield, from the Seattle 47. Was he establishing the punt, to set up the fake later? Nobody knows, but, yes.
Homer wasn’t done.
Biding his time until the last special-teams snap of the game, he lurked on kick coverage, then shoved Jaron Brown out of the way to recover this, the clinching fumble, the play that officially put Seattle in first place in the NFC West.
You want a close-up? I want a close-up.
Recovery, by the oft-forgotten Travis Homer pic.twitter.com/8WawhGb4MP
— John Fraley (@johndavidfraley) December 3, 2019
So, to recap: Travis Homer is good for 29 yards every time he touches the ball; don’t go for it on fourth down, except when you do; finally, more trick plays, please and thank you. Also, can we get a little hardware for Homer?
homer deserves NFC ST player of the week after that game imo
— Kyle Kennedy (@kylelkennedy) December 3, 2019
Make it happen, voters.