Happy Halloween A2Z Sports readers. Hope you’re eating candy and dressing up in cool costumes (or that you got to get hammered in a sea of ridiculously dressed people at a Halloween party this past weekend, if that’s an age appropriate activity for you). In the spirit of the holiday, I felt like sharing 3 of my favorite trick plays of all time. I’m going to stick to football with that, but as the “treat” part of “trick or treat”, I’ll share a highlight I like from each of the other big 4 American sports.
We’ll start with my personal favorite: Brady to Edelman to Amendola.
The Patriots hadn’t won a Super Bowl in 10 years, and things were looking bleak, as the Pats were trying to come back from a second 14-point deficit in this game. They needed a play, and they went to the double pass.
It’s not the craziest trick play, but it was a huge moment in the Patriots dynasty and a great memory from my childhood, so it’s going on the list.
Conversely, the “Philly Special” will not be on this list because I hate it. If you want to watch it, Google it yourself. I will not post that devastating atrocity in my blog.
What I will include is what might be the most significant usage of trick plays in college football history: Boise State’s “hook and ladder” and “Statue of Liberty” plays to beat Oklahoma in a big upset in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl (not to mention they used a running back pass between those two plays).
I mean, come on. 4th and 18 with 18 seconds left from midfield down 7… perfect execution on the hook and ladder for the touchdown. Huge balls on the play call, and it couldn’t have worked better. Then on 4th down in OT, they throw a running back pass out of wildcat for the touchdown to bring them within 1. Then, the play caller with the aforementioned huge nuts decides to go for 2 and end the game, utilizing the Statue of Liberty play. They threw every gimmick in the book at Oklahoma, and they all worked. Storybook for Boise State.
Lastly, when talking about trick plays, it’s usually the ones with names that are the most significant. My last installment will be the “Music City Miracle”.
The full cross-field lateral on a kickoff return to win the game is incredible, and it created one of the most memorable endings in NFL history. That ending, at home, in the playoffs, is the kind of thing that gives you chills.
Was it a forward pass? Maybe. It’s so close and so controversial, but that’s part of the magic of the play.
Oh… and this one too. Hilarious. Over 8 years later and I still have no idea what they were thinking. Come with me; laugh at these idiots.
Happy Halloween my loyal and well-read readers. I’ll leave you with some random treats from across sports for the holiday.