ATLANTA 鈥� As Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff peeled off his helmet and headed toward the sidelines in the second quarter of the NFC championship, Blake Countess settled into his upback position and scanned the New Orleans Saints鈥� formation, checking whether their coverage was susceptible to the fake punt called by Rams special teams coach John Fassel.
Punter Johnny Hekker may have been the one who threw the first-down pass and extended a drive that eventually turned into the Rams鈥� first points of their comeback
victory, but it鈥檚 Countess who really took on the role of quarterback.
鈥淗e鈥檚 our Swiss Army knife,鈥� Fassel said at Super Bowl media day on Monday. 鈥淗e鈥檚 on every phase of every [special teams] play. He鈥檚 taking over 30 snaps a game just on special teams.鈥�
Countess hit some bumps in the road after shining for legendary coach Bob Milloy at Good Counsel High School in Olney, Maryland, from 2007-2011, but he鈥檚 found a home on Fassel鈥檚 vaunted special teams units and is an unsung hero of the Rams鈥� run to Super Bowl LIII, where they will face the New England Patriots on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
鈥淗e鈥檚 just one of those guys that is just steady,鈥� Milloy told Capital 草莓传媒 Service. 鈥淗e鈥檚 not spectacular, but he is, in his own way. You have to be spectacular to be in that league four years.鈥�
Countess鈥� natural athleticism as a cornerback at Good Counsel helped earn him a scholarship to Michigan, where he made starts as a true freshman in 2011 and was slated to take a step forward during his sophomore campaign. Just two drives into the 2012 season-opener, however, he tore his ACL.
鈥淚 had a great camp and I was feeling good about myself,鈥� Countess said at media day. 鈥淸After the injury], I had to look at myself in the mirror and really bounce back.鈥�
Following surgery to repair his knee, Countess returned to the field in 2013 and garnered All-Big Ten honors. But his college career had another twist when Jim Harbaugh took over before the 2015 season. Cornerbacks in Harbaugh鈥檚 defenses are typically expected to press receivers at the line of scrimmage, and standing at 5-foot-10, 191 pounds, Countess relies more on his speed than strength.
The Owings Mills, Maryland, native transferred to Auburn for his final year of eligibility, which provided him the opportunity to show his versatility. In addition to playing cornerback for the Tigers, Countess made starts at nickelback and safety.
鈥淏eing able to add that to my resume at the level of the SEC was exactly what I needed at the time,鈥� Countess said.
Moving around the field wasn鈥檛 entirely new for Countess. He鈥檚 always been defensive-minded, but Milloy and his then-offensive coordinator, Andy Stefanelli, also used Countess on offense.
鈥淭hat ability to adapt and go where you鈥檙e needed has served him well throughout his career,鈥� Stefanelli told Capital 草莓传媒 Service.
After Countess showed some of that adaptability at Auburn, the Philadelphia Eagles selected him in the sixth round of the 2016 draft. Philadelphia cut Countess after the preseason, though, and despite having battled adversity during college, Countess said the experience of being cut was uniquely challenging.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think anything can prepare you for that moment,鈥� Countess said. 鈥淸But] this league is a business. If you play long enough, you more than likely will get cut at some point.”
Stefanelli, meanwhile, hoped Countess鈥� over-before-it-started stint with the Eagles wasn鈥檛 the end of the road in the NFL.
鈥淚f you give him a chance, he鈥檚 going to show you what he can do,鈥� said Stefanelli, who took over as Good Counsel head coach following Milloy鈥檚 retirement in 2017. 鈥淏ut being a little bit of an undersized guy, you wonder, 鈥業s he going to get the opportunity?鈥欌��
The Rams picked up Countess early in the 2016 season, but he didn鈥檛 make his NFL debut until Week 12 of Los Angeles鈥� 4-12 campaign. Sean McVay took over the Rams鈥� head coaching job the next year and overhauled most of the coaching staff, leaving Fassel as one of the only holdovers from the Jeff Fisher regime. That allowed Fassel and Countess to continue to build their budding partnership.
Countess has always shown an affinity for special teams, Milloy said, as evidenced by his numerous returning touchdowns at Good Counsel. He鈥檚 filled in as a returner at times with the Rams, but most of his impact comes from the other areas of special teams.
鈥淏lake is a tireless worker,鈥� Hekker said. 鈥�(He鈥檚) a core contributor on every phase of special teams. He鈥檚 a guy that has earned a lot of respect in our locker room.鈥�
Fassel said plays like the fake punt against the Saints are only possible because of Countess鈥� work ethic.
鈥淲hat Jared Goff does every down is basically what (Countess) does on punts. 鈥� There鈥檚 a trust level where you can鈥檛 just throw anybody in there to do it,鈥� Fassel said. 鈥淚f you’re nodding off in a meeting or you’re jacking around in practice, we’re probably not calling it, or we’re messing it up.鈥�
Countess鈥� drive and tenacity allowed him to overcome the knee injury and coaching change at Michigan, the disappointment of being cut by Philadelphia and being undersized at a position that continues to demand more height and strength.
And now, his dedication and attention to detail helped the Rams to their first Super Bowl appearance since 2001.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e not one of those 22 starters, you have to have some special teams value or you will not be on the roster for very long,鈥� Countess said. 鈥淚f you’re willing to take a rep off or slack in one area, ultimately that’s going to come back and bite you. That’s kind of the approach I’ve had since I was little.
鈥淚’m a (special-teamer) right now. That’s my role this year. … And on special teams, we’ve made plays that dictate the outcome of games.鈥�
James Crabtree-Hannigan is a senior in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, covering the Super Bowl for the Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism.
