04/19/24
November 08, 2010
SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle:
A place to discuss the sports stories that aren't making news, share links that aren't quite front-page material, and diagram plays on your hand. Remember to count to five Mississippi before commenting in anger.
Middle school football team tries extremely devious trick play.
posted by rcade at 10:09 AM on November 08, 2010
Yeah, Reid looked like Fred Flintstone when he went back to school, played football, and all those little kids were trying to tackle him.
That's for all of you who may actually remember all the Flintstone episodes.
posted by dyams at 10:38 AM on November 08, 2010
Re: rcade's link: I don't think I've ever seen that one tried. I didn't see anything illegal, though -- anyone else?
posted by wfrazerjr at 10:45 AM on November 08, 2010
Heh. Kids are dumb.
posted by NoMich at 10:54 AM on November 08, 2010
I can't believe nobody would think to grab him as he walks past with the ball. If they try that with a different team, he may have gotten mangled. If I was the coach for the yellow team at that point, I probably walk off the field and never return.
posted by dyams at 11:28 AM on November 08, 2010
Check out the O line on the trick play handoff to the QB. Perfectly still - they moved not a twitch. Even the way the center put his arm back down after the handoff - totally disciplined. Well practiced, well run.
posted by beaverboard at 11:52 AM on November 08, 2010
That trick play has been around for ages...well, at least since I was that age, and I'm getting old enough that I think that qualifies for "ages".
We called it the what are you doing? play.
QB acts all confused, coaches screaming from the sidelines and one of the backs starts walking away as if there is going to be a time out. Instead of the very disciplined approach this team took, we have all the lineman return to the huddle.
Works maybe once a year, and probably not in sequential years. And, I don't recall it ever working as well as this team's play did.
posted by dviking at 11:54 AM on November 08, 2010
I can see walking to the sideline, but walking right through the middle of the line, with the ball? They must have scouted this other team really well to know they didn't have a player with the ability to possibly get a running start and knock this QB into the next week. That would have been a perfect time to get a easy shot in. This team obviously hasn't been coached well enough to learn you play until you hear a whistle, or else you tackle the player carrying the ball.
posted by dyams at 12:51 PM on November 08, 2010
By the look of that ref's casual pace towards the endzone, I'm assuming that they were taken off-guard by this play as well. I'm gonna bet that the zebras had to huddle after this one too.
posted by Spitztengle at 12:57 PM on November 08, 2010
On another note: My god, the Cowboys are a horrible football team. If Jerry Jones has no intentions of making a move with Wade Phillips (which has been rumored to be the case due to the uncertainty of next year with the NFL), then every fan should have their ticket money reimbursed by the organization. They've quit, plain and simple. The only thing that rivals how poor their offense is would be how poor their defense is.
posted by dyams at 01:08 PM on November 08, 2010
On another note again: What a great Packers game that was last night. Bittersweet on Monday with the news that the Pack released Al Harris, but that may not have been totally unexpected either. The score last night sure was.
posted by evixir at 01:30 PM on November 08, 2010
I haven't had a chance to look at the trick play (blocked at work), but based on the description from the comments, it reminds me of one I've seen on video before (by a high school team).
The coach yells from the sidelines that the ball is wet, and that they have a replacement right here. The QB yells back something to the affect of "What are you talking about?"
The coach reiterates that the ball is wet, and holds up a "replacement ball".
The center reaches down (as everyone is just standing in position), and hands the ball to the QB (very nonchalantly).
The QB yells "Okay, lemme switch it." and jogs towards the sidelines...and then marks a hard right turn and runs DOWN the sidelines for a touchdown.
Only one player on the opposing team figured it out before the QB started running, but he was on the other side of the field and couldn't communicate it to his teammates fast enough (you could see him running across the field, waving/yelling).
I can't find the video anywhere, but it was on one of those "wacky sports blooper" shows.
posted by grum@work at 01:32 PM on November 08, 2010
My god, the Cowboys are a horrible football team
Most plays last night there were at least 3 Cowboys who took the play off. The backs don't block or catch the ball, the receivers don't run routes, and the O and D lines that were the strength of the team couldn't control Betty White in curlers and slippers.
posted by cixelsyd at 01:38 PM on November 08, 2010
he QB yells "Okay, lemme switch it." and jogs towards the sidelines...and then marks a hard right turn and runs DOWN the sidelines for a touchdown.
I could almost see the kid running toward the sideline and kids making the mistake, but this kid had the ball handed to him from the center, then walked right up the middle, through his own line, through the defensive line, and past the defenders, towards the end zone, and began running after he walked past everyone.
posted by dyams at 01:53 PM on November 08, 2010
As to the officials being confused by the trick play, I know our coach would tell the officials about several of our trick plays, just to make sure they were ready for them.
My 8th and 9th grade coach was a semi-retired school teacher/coach that lived for gimmick plays. We spent way too much time practicing plays that were going to be used at most once a game.
posted by dviking at 08:33 PM on November 08, 2010
Andy Reid was shown during a 1971 NFL game in the Punt Pass and Kick competition, towering over the competition.