The blocking was worse. It was basically six linemen on four rushers and they didn't block any of them. Watching the full replay, half of them seemed to have no idea what to do, and the ones who did just got blown off the ball.. Makes me wonder just how much they practiced that.
Keep in mind that “linemen” in punt protection are not linemen at all. The vast majority of them are LBs with a backup TE or two thrown in, and then your wings are typically safeties or RBs. None of them have any training in run blocking, and they’re taught to kick-slide for punt pro working backwards for 2-3 steps in college and that’s probably all the technical training they get in blocking.
Now, with numbers up, you’d hope they could lay a hat on someone, but this is why if I’m an STC, I’m never making my fake a run play. They just don’t have any technical training in it. Make it a pass play where your guys are at least nominally trained to kick slide, sneak a wing or the PP out the side for a screen while running the gunner diagonally away from there toward the opposite corner and you give yourself a chance. Never ever call a running punt fake unless you need like 6 inches, and even then, either pass the ball or punt it.
My take is that it’s coaching malpractice to have that play installed, and I get why the players audibles to it, but that never should have been in the playbook to begin with.