This update was going to be about Matt Flynn, but New England Patriots OL Dan Connolly, a 313-pound full-blown offensive lineman, just ran back a kickoff 71 yards. The Packers tried a squib kick to keep the ball away from New England’s speedier kick returners, though Connolly proved there’s much more to breaking a big play than being fast.
VIDEO: Lineman Dan Connolly Returns Kickoff 71 Yards While Weighing 300 Pounds
Connolly scooped the ball up and held it tight with both arms like a mother, clearly just trying to advance forward without screwing anything up. But the Packers special teams, which covered the opening kickoff so well, permitted the big gent to haul almost all the way down the field and deep into Green Bay territory. He soon switched to a one-arm tote, permitting him to really open up the throttle.
Somebody’s getting a Ball Carrier Vision bump in Madden 12.
One great thing about being enormous while flying down the field, besides the incredible momentum: stiff-arming. Connolly flicked away one Packers coverage man as if the smaller individual was outweighed by an entire adult male human body. Which, yes, he almost was.
This was the longest kick return by an offensive lineman in NFL history, and well, yeah, of course it was. Connolly has returned a handful of kicks in his time for 35 total yards.
The Pats did not squander Connolly’s speed, with Tom Brady throwing a touchdown to Aaron Hernandez shortly after.
Here’s the rest of that other update I was working on:
One of the more impressive things about Green Bay Packers QB Matt Flynn’s night tonight: he had led the Pack to a lead over the New England Patriots without even completing a pass to Green Bay’s primary offensive weapon, WR Greg Jennings. That’s all changed now, with a touchdown pass toHOLY CRAP LINEMAN KICK RETURN.
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