GREEN BAY, Wis. - New York Jets right tackle Armond Membou weighs 332 pounds. At the Scouting Combine last year, he reached 20.28 mph during his 40-yard dash.
With some simple calculations - or, more accurately, an e-mail to a physics teacher - Membou hit Green Bay Packers defensive back Javon Bullard with almost 3,000 pounds of force when they collided during a running play in the fourth quarter on Sunday.
Bullard won the battle and tackled Breece Hall for a 1-yard loss. The Packers forced a punt on the next play and, thanks to Skyy Moore 's 63-yard punt return, kicked a field goal to force overtime.
Bullard's play was one of the unsung moments of Green Bay 's 20-17 overtime victory. In fact, without a bit of hyperbole, it was one of the more impressive plays you'll ever see.
I showed the play to Bullard in the locker room on Tuesday and asked him what he was thinking in the moment with a 322-pound man running straight at him with bad intentions.
"They had run that play a couple of times before in the game," Bullard explained. "We got caught in man-to-man. It's one of those plays you really don't want to be in man-to-man just because your eyes are on your man and they're pulling guards the opposite way.
"But just talking to Z ( Zaire Franklin ), with that set, I was going to play it outside in. And he said, 'Bull, watch the pitch.' I kind of knew the guard was going to be out there pulling, so it's one of those things where now I got to get him before he gets me. I think it's really just a play ... I don't really know how to explain that just get him before he turns his shoulders, be physical and got to make that play."
Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon used a different math in explaining the strength of Green Bay's run defense heading into Thursday night's game against the Atlanta Falcons and their elite running back, Bijan Robinson .
"It comes down to alignment, assignment, key and technique," Gannon said. "I use the term 'change the math.' That goes into our play style, so what that means, on paper, that 'O' is blocking that 'X,' but they aren't accounting for that 'X' beating that 'O.' Our guys are doing a good job of that."
Starring as the 'X' in that example, Bullard did an incredible job on the toss to Hall.
"That would be a 'change the math' right there," Gannon said. "So, a tackle's kicking him out and he bounces the tackle and makes a play. That's play style. That would be a play that we show. That's a 'change the math' right there. He's tough as nails."
The math, to be sure, worked against Bullard on the pivotal play. But you don't need to know a physics teacher with a few moments in his schedule to send over the complete equation to explain the physical mismatch of a 322-pound lineman taking aim at a 198-pound defensive back.
Yet, somehow, Bullard didn't just win the battle. He also hit Hall, who was approaching full speed, and stopped him in his tracks.
"Yeah, I think it's really just a mindset, man. To be honest, I think I'm one of the baddest people alive."
"Yeah, I think it's really just a mindset, man," Bullard said. "To be honest, I think I'm one of the baddest people alive. When I step on the football field, I think personally and my mindset is that I can't be messed with.
"I'm going to challenge myself. No matter how big a guy is, how fast a guy is, I'm going to challenge myself. I'm going to push myself to those limits, because I know the work that I put in and I know the trust I have in myself and my abilities. It's never been about anybody else; it's always been about me."
Winning the battle - a physical mismatch on paper - wasn't so much about technique as the mindset and desire exuded by one of the team's young, talented leaders in not just beating the blocker but making the tackle for a loss of 1.
"I think it's more so just mental because a lot of guys see a pulling guard, a lot of DBs, you don't really want that, you know what I mean?" Bullard said. "But I think if you go in there with just winning the mental battle, I think you won already if you've won mentally."
It was a huge play in the game. The ball was snapped with 6:18 on the clock. Had the Jets gained one or two first downs, they might have won the game.
Having wrestled Hall to the ground, Bullard was fired up about what the play meant for the team.
"It don't matter what kind of player it is," he said. "Anytime you make a play - I'm a passionate person. I'm filled with emotion, filled with energy and you make plays. Plays are just credited to the work that you put in. So, I put a lot of work in and I'm not shy to embrace the energy and the passion that I show when I make a play."
Plays like that can light a fire under the defense. On the ensuing third-down play, Xavier McKinney leveled Jets receiver Isaiah Williams after a short catch to force a punt. After the Packers tied the game, Lukas Van Ness made back-to-back tackles on third and fourth down late in regulation. In overtime, the first two plays of the Jets' possession lost 15 yards.
"There's so many guys that made a play," Bullard said. "'X' had that big hit. It just energizes the whole group. It lets you know that everybody's in here together and we're all on one accord. And to be a special defense, we all need to be out there making plays like that."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/packers/onsi as This Is How Javon Bullard Beat Physics, 'Changed the Math' for Packers .
