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TRICKING THE DEFENSE WITH BIG PLAYS

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By Marc Sites, Assistant Coach, Liberty High School (CO)

       “Watch out, this team is fancy,” said an opposing player to his teammates at one of our games recently.
       We had just converted a fake punt on a fourth and two for about a five-yard gain. It wasn’t an unusual play by any standards, but that statement caused me to reflect on the number of trick (or creative) plays I have in my playbook. I realized that for a freshman football playbook, we run several trick plays. Unlike some coaches who also have trick plays in their playbook, I frequently run ours. They are not there to run once or twice in a season - we run a high percentage of ours every game. They are an important part of what we try to accomplish offensively.

EXAMPLES OF TRICK PLAYS
       There are countless trick plays and formations that an innovative coach who wants to get creative can diagram and implement. Plays and formations that I have used and had some success with include: the hook and ladder, halfback pass, receiver reverse, reverse pass, double reverse, Statue of Liberty, flea flicker, direct snap to a running back where the quarterback acts like the snap went over his head, double pass, swinging gate, five receiver sets, and throwback pass to the quarterback. These are all plays that we have run at one time or another in my thirteen years of coaching football.

RATIONALE FOR IMPLEMENTING TRICK PLAYS
       Some coaches do not believe in “gadget” or “gimmick” offensive plays. They may believe that these plays violate long-standing traditions that have been part of all levels of football for many years. Other coaches may feel gadget plays send the message to their players that their standard offensive playbook isn’t sufficient to beat opponents and they need gadget plays to put them over the top. Still, other coaches probably feel they don’t need any gadgets - their bread and butter offensive playbook is successful enough to win football games. Finally, many trick plays can be classified as high-risk/high-reward plays. Coaches know they will be severely second-guessed if a trick play fails or it results in a turnover at a critical point in a game. I don’t disagree with these statements and I respect these viewpoints.
      If I had dominant, road-grader linemen and we could get 4-5 yards per carry in our running game every play, I would be silly to run trick plays or even call pass plays. Over the years, I have had very good football players play for me, but we have never had a group that could totally control the line of scrimmage in the running game for an entire season. I learned if we were going to score points consistently, we would need a shot in the arm every now and then to get us over the top. I found that trick plays could provide that shot in the arm.

A PRECEDENT: FAMOUS TRICK PLAYS
       Trick plays do have a place among some of the more memorable moments in the history of football. One of the most famous trick plays was the Boise State Statue of Liberty play to beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl a few years ago. Nebraska used a receiver pass to quarterback Eric Crouch for a touchdown to help put away a victory over number one ranked Oklahoma in 2001. Oklahoma used a trick play of its own (the fumble-rooskie) to score a touchdown against Miami in the Orange Bowl in the mid 1980’s. College and NFL teams occasionally run the flea-flicker play where a running back takes a hand-off and before they hit the line, they toss it back to the quarterback for a pass play. These are examples of trick plays that have a made a difference in big football games.

ADVANTAGES OF TRICK PLAYS

1.        FUN
       Over the years, I have found that my players have really enjoyed the trick plays I have integrated into our offense. The plays are a novelty to the players and they like them. They give players a chance to do things they don’t ordinarily get to do. Adding a trick play or formation late in the season can help keep the kids excited, especially if it has been a long season. I add “Trick or Treat” (the swinging gate) toward the end of each season around Halloween time for fun. The players really get excited when a trick play works or results in a touchdown. It can be a huge momentum changer.

2.        BIG PLAY POTENTIAL
       At the freshman level, it can be difficult executing 8-10 play drives covering 60-70 yards. Invariably, penalties, turnovers, missed blocks, sacks, tackles for loss, and dropped passes can force drives to stall. For a team that lacks breakaway speed, a big-play receiver, a dominant offensive line, a strong-armed quarterback, or any combination of these, trick plays can result in big plays and touchdowns in one play. In my experience, trick plays have resulted in big plays that we wouldn’t have been able to achieve by more conventional plays.

3.        CONFIDENCE
       I believe our trick plays have given our players added confidence going into games. They know and believe that if we are struggling offensively, we can score at any time with one of our trick plays that could help change the momentum and outcome of a game. It is similar to a card player having an ace up his sleeve that he can pull out when he needs it. We can run a trick play at any time and turn a game around and give our players confidence.

4.        KEEPS THE DEFENSE GUESSING
       The trick plays that we use fit perfectly with my philosophy of offense. We run a multiple offense with different formations (3, 4, 5 receiver sets, I formation, unbalanced line, full house backfield, and a motion set) and we try to be very balanced in our percentage of run and pass plays. We involve many players in our offense. We may take a reserve player and include him in a special formation so that he participates in our offense and has a unique role. Our offense, including our trick plays, attempts to keep a defense guessing what is coming next. There are times when a defense is so concerned with a trick play, that one of our conventional run or pass plays gets a first down because the defense wasn’t expecting it.

KEYS TO SUCCESS
       In football, no plays are infallible and we have had plenty of trick plays not be successful or backfire on us. This is what makes football exciting and unpredictable. The players I have had know I am not afraid to call a trick play at a critical time in the game. I have to have the courage to run them in games or the players will become frustrated that they practice plays they don’t run in games. They know I have confidence in the plays and in our ability to execute them. I believe there are some basic guidelines that should be followed to maximize the effectiveness of trick plays.

1.        REGULAR PRACTICE
       Trick plays need to be practiced regularly during practice throughout the season. Trick plays require accurate timing, spacing, blocking, ball handling, and execution in order to be successful. Practicing the plays will improve the chances of a successful trick play. If a team practices a trick play the first week of the season and then not again the rest of the season, it is unlikely the play will be fruitful if it is run in the last game.

2.        MODERATION IS KEY
       Trick plays should be used sparingly. The first trick play that is called is almost always the most effective because the element of surprise exists. If a coach repeatedly calls the same trick play, the surprise element is lost and the probability of surprising the defense decreases. In an average game, I may call 6or 8 trick plays. That is more than most coaches would call, but we run a variety of trick plays, so those 6 or 8 plays will all be different. Occasionally, I will call the same trick play more than once if it has been successful. However, the likelihood of success decreases each time a play is run.

3.        CREATIVE PLAY-CALLING
       Creativity is a necessity when utilizing trick plays. If a coach only runs his trick plays on third down and long, a defense is better prepared to stop the play. I have found that first down is a good time to run these plays because many defenses think run on first down. A trick play on first down would be a good play call in this case. Second down and short is another good time for a trick play. If the play is unsuccessful, a team still has third down to convert the first down. A team wanting to utilize trick plays in their offense should consider varying the times they run them in games to help keep the defense off balance.

THE HOOK AND LADDER
       The play that my former and current players associate with me the most is the hook and ladder. We have executed the hook and ladder successfully many times for big gains and touchdowns over the years. The hook and ladder has been around a long time and many teams have some variation of it in their playbook. I have found the following strategies increase the effectiveness of the ladder (as we call it):

1.        Throw the hook or hitch route a few times in the game before calling the hook and ladder. This sets it up nicely.
2.        Be sure there is spacing between the receiver catching the hook route and the back taking the lateral so the defender can’t easily slide off and tackle the lateral.
3.        Run the hook and ladder towards your sideline so the opposing team doesn’t see it coming.
4.        Don’t run it to the short side of the field because the defense will have a better angle to run it down.
5.        Run it away from your tight end as most defenses put a stronger defender over the tight end.
6.        The cornerback lined up on the receiver should be at least 5 yards off him (like in a cover 3 defense) in order for the receiver to run the hook and get separation.

Trick plays have been a part of football for years. These plays can be a valuable addition to an offensive playbook. They can be a dangerous weapon at any level of football.







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