Alex Erickson smiled.
“Only if.”
You can’t pick up a flag and say it doesn’t count, or add an extra half inch to the playing surface to keep your cleat in bounds … but the Cincinnati Bengals’ punt return team has had three “only if” moments through four weeks where punt returns of 27 and 44 yards were nullified due to penalties and Erickson barely stepped out of bounds on what looked like another long return against Green Bay.
They’re noticeable not because big plays were wiped out, but because they would have just added to the positive side of the ledger for a punt return unit that is No.