One of the biggest plays of the week in the NFL on Sunday happened because the Seahawks’ punt team outsmarted the 49ers’ punt return team, and 49ers special teams coach Richard Hightower says he’s fully responsible.
Hightower said today that the 73-yard touchdown run from Seattle’s Travis Homer on the fake punt was set up by Hightower’s call, which wasn’t accounting for the possibility of a fake.
“We had a call on, and it’s totally on me,” Hightower said. “The players couldn’t have done anything in that situation at all. We had a call on where we were trying to set up the offense in good field position there, and they have the perfect play. They got us. Bottom line, they got us. They had the perfect play.”
No one on the 49ers even touched Homer on the play. It’s not a credit to Hightower that the 49ers weren’t ready for it, but it is a credit to him that he’s taking full responsibility for the blunder.