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Green Bay Packers’ Brandon Bostick Needs to Follow Shawn Slocum’s Recent Career Path, Get Fired

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Brandon Bostick Green Bay Packers

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On Friday, the Green Bay Packers made a coaching change.

The Packers fired special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum. He had been running the team’s special teams unit since 2009 and was let go after the Packers gagged away a Super Bowl appearance in epic fashion.

Yes, the Packers gave up a fake field goal touchdown late in the third quarter that finally got the Seattle Seahawks on the board, but that’s not the reason for the coaching change. Slocum lost his job for one reason and one reason only — Brandon Bostick.

Bostick, of course, was the Packers tight end who was out on the kick return unit that failed to recover the onside kick and cost the Packers the game. After Steven Hauschka laid foot to ball and it bounded and floated through the air, Bostick was the man who leaped through the air, misplayed the ball and it wound up in the hands of the Seahawks. Of course, we all know that Jordy Nelson was waiting directly behind Bostick, almost certainly ready and able to catch the ball and give the Packers possession. If Nelson catches that ball, the Packers more than likely win the ball game and head to Phoenix for the Super Bowl.

The biggest issue, of course, is that Bostick was not supposed to attempt to catch the ball at all; his job was to block, and keep the Seahawks tied up to free Nelson to gain control. Whether Bostic wanted to be the hero or was just undisciplined, the outcome was a Seahawks possession and a Packers epic loss regardless.

There were several reasons the Packers lost that game. Some would blame a failure by Aaron Rodgers to convert touchdowns in the first half; plenty blamed head coach Mike McCarthy’s play-calling, and even more have blamed Bostick for his horrible decision on the Seahawks’ onside kick.

Regardless, the Packers’ organization has decided to make Slocum the scapegoat for their NFC Championship failures. Fair or not, something had to be done after the Packers lost that game the way they did. If the Packers were to truly part ways with all those to blame, Bostick also needs to be shown the door. It’s unreasonable to blame Slocum and give Bostic a pass. One cannot be blamed without the other.

Who knows what Slocum told his squad before they went out there before the onside kick, but it’s highly doubtful he told everyone to abandon their jobs and go for the ball at all costs. Bostick knew his job and failed to execute; that’s hardly Slocum’s fault. But if you want to make Slocum the scapegoat, that’s more than acceptable, however, Bostick needs to be right behind him.

Bill Zimmerman is an NFL writer for www.RantSports.Com. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.

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