Video: “The wrong ball”
posted at 7:00 pm on December 2, 2007 by Bryan
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Is this high school football play a sign of genius or of our declining moral standards?
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It’s High School football, so who cares? The only thing worse is Jr. High Football. OR maybe High School Badmitten.
Neo on December 2, 2007 at 7:03 PM
I vote genius. But keep in mind I don’t go to church.
Enrique on December 2, 2007 at 7:04 PM
Clever maybe, but pathetic. Especially with the spinning of the ball by the coach on the sideline. I’m all for deception on the field, but involving the coach like that – that is too far for me.
Spirit of 1776 on December 2, 2007 at 7:05 PM
Thanks to the Internet, the next quarterback that tries that is going to end up in traction.
rivlax on December 2, 2007 at 7:07 PM
I believe it was Jerry Glanville who said “If you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin’!”
packsoldier on December 2, 2007 at 7:11 PM
Genius… though they should tweak it a bit. Using the distraction of a coach tossing a ball up and down seems a little shady, but other than that the “trick” is an awesome tactic.
RightWinged on December 2, 2007 at 7:11 PM
Just Win, Baby!
Brilliant! Almost as good as the barking forward play in Basketball…can’t find the video..dangit
Pilgrim on December 2, 2007 at 7:19 PM
Had HA been around when the first forward pass was completed, Bryan, wouldn’t you have asked the same question?
sondiehl on December 2, 2007 at 7:20 PM
hehehe…Amen to that. If I’m the defensive end it’s worth the personal foul to put Mr. Quarterback squarely on his backside.
Pilgrim on December 2, 2007 at 7:21 PM
Just the logical evolution of the old Fumblerooski. My high school football team practiced the Bumarooski variant, but I don’t think we ever ran it.
Confusion and misdirection are valuable tools when employed against a showboat opposition.
see-dubya on December 2, 2007 at 7:22 PM
Cheap score, but genius nonetheless. The opposing coach should have better schooled his players about once the ball is snapped, it’s game on, or at least started screaming to his players from the sidelines because HE should have recognized it for what it was.
It would be nice to know who actually won the game.
SilverStar830 on December 2, 2007 at 7:22 PM
Brilliant! I want to see this worked into an episode of “Friday Night Lights,” if the writers strike ever ends.
And the show returns to first-season form.
And it stops sucking.
And I stop not watching it anymore.
Captain Scarlet on December 2, 2007 at 7:23 PM
Variation of the old fumbleiya
pat on December 2, 2007 at 7:28 PM
There’s rules in football?
Speakup on December 2, 2007 at 7:29 PM
“Show me a good loser, and I’ll show you a loser.”
–Vince Lombardi
It’s all about winning…It may seem cheap in this example, but it’s legal. At least they didn’t pull a Belicheat or anything…
JetBoy on December 2, 2007 at 7:30 PM
Obviously you’ve never played.
This should be in every HS football playbook (it was in ours, it’s an old trick, we used to say “Hey Ref, come look at this, as the center reaches down, picks up the ball and hands it to the QB).
Other great plays in HS, the Statue of Liberty, Hook & Ladder, Cross Pick and Half Screen. Only thing better than pulling off a good trick play is pulling it off on an arch rival.
While we’re on it, here is video of 10 great trick plays.
Jason Coleman on December 2, 2007 at 7:35 PM
What is this declining moral standards crap.
This is a very old play and is perfectly legit. When I played football in the 5th and 6th grade (late 50’s) we used this play a couple of times, and it worked once.
Remember the rule Bryan, when the whistle is blown, any movement of he ball means the play is started. The other team did not have their head in the game and was fooled by it.
I am surprised to see this play since I have not seen it used since I was 11 yrs old.
Helloyawl on December 2, 2007 at 7:37 PM
Reminds me of my soccer coach always reminding us that the ball is still in play until the referee says otherwise. Or my baseball coach always reminding us to run through the bases fast as we could even if we thought the play was over.
Always need to keep your guard up!
Seixon on December 2, 2007 at 7:37 PM
GENIUS!
Gatordoug on December 2, 2007 at 7:38 PM
No. I think it’s a brilliant play, fully within the rules.
Bryan on December 2, 2007 at 7:38 PM
Cheating by any name ……………….
SIJ6141 on December 2, 2007 at 7:50 PM
OT, but the Saints gave the football game to the Bucs today!
Bucs 8-4. Pretty much a lock to win the nfc south! Yeah baby!
lorien1973 on December 2, 2007 at 8:00 PM
If it’s legal, then…? What’s the controversy?
SouthernGent on December 2, 2007 at 8:02 PM
That play is reminiscent of the football scene from the movie MASH! Lesson, learn the rules.
Zorro on December 2, 2007 at 8:05 PM
Hey Neo, it’s badminton, or bton and it rocks.
Show some respect!
BTW, clever play, but I disapprove of the coach being involved. It teaches, in the long run, disrespect for the other teams coach.
redshirt on December 2, 2007 at 8:15 PM
A cheat?
At the worst it’s a variant of the old baseball hidden ball trick. He caught the other team napping. A cheat would have been having a second ball actually sitting somewhere on the field.
There is a history of trick plays in football, going from faked punts to tackle-eligible passes to the old flea flicker. Consider that it would have been just as legal, once the center handed the ball to the QB, for the middle linebacker to crunch the little trickster into the backfield like the QB called his mother a dirty name.
“Be aware out there” is something every football coach drills into his team at every practice, or should. A play like this is why.
52Ranger on December 2, 2007 at 8:17 PM
Genius.
The other team was outwitted and outplayed. No doubt they were all kicking themselves afterward.
Redhead Infidel on December 2, 2007 at 8:17 PM
This is a sign of our declining standard what is defined as “genius”.
eforhan on December 2, 2007 at 8:18 PM
Ya, filing where you aren’t supposed to, something done in the open for all to see, really provides a major competitive advantage. Now why don’t you shows us how smart you are and tell us all what it is.
Watch Sunday nights game? Hear how NBC captured every one of Brady’s line calls like you were in the huddle? Hear Brady give his line calls? Tell me how that’s less “cheating” than recording hand signals (which is legal, you just can’t do it with a camera from the sidelines).
TheBigOldDog on December 2, 2007 at 8:25 PM
This play isn’t a “moral decline.” The whole deal about having sports in school in the FIRST place is the problem. Sports teaching NOTHING and should be utterly removed from our schools.
Warner Todd Huston on December 2, 2007 at 8:25 PM
Was Alex Rodriguez the coach? Reminds me of when he yelled, I got it or something like that, as he ran the bases last season, player drops ball. Whole controversy about that.
StuLongIsland on December 2, 2007 at 8:28 PM
It’s not illegal, but it’s still a pretty chintzy way to win a football game.
packsoldier on December 2, 2007 at 8:35 PM
Fool me once. . . . . .
Texyank on December 2, 2007 at 8:37 PM
Same thing in pee-wee…
tdau1997 on December 2, 2007 at 8:54 PM
Wow, this is an old one. And yet noone here seems to have seen it before?
Anyhoo, kinda lame, might help explain some of the ‘tactics’ used in some online multiplayer games, but as they say.. keep your eye on the ball. At the very least they should’ve stayed with their marks.
Funny as hell when I first saw it, natch.
Reaps on December 2, 2007 at 8:55 PM
Slow news day at Hot Air, hey?
countywolf on December 2, 2007 at 8:55 PM
Little League Wrong Ball Play Video
bnelson44 on December 2, 2007 at 9:02 PM
Who cares. I love trick plays…
vulcannomad on December 2, 2007 at 9:02 PM
…a mild mannered football coach by day, he cunningly trained his players for a bright future as lawyers….
Wind Rider on December 2, 2007 at 9:10 PM
You know why it sux? Because the coach that participated in this thinks he is teaching young men “character” on the football field. That is part of what sports, youth sports in particular, is supposed to teach. Perhaps this is the type of lesson that you would like your son to learn. Not I. This is not freakin’ Lombardi and the NFL. It is a group of young men that will grow up and live by the lessons they have been taught here. There is a difference between right and wrong and it is not always written in the rules. There is a difference in the “fomblerooski” and a play in which the coach participates from the sideline as a prop. How can you expect these boys to grow into men that will do the right thing when their coach teaches them to finesse the rulebook. If he was a decent coach, not to mention builder of character, this team would not be in a position to have the coach assist in the deception of their opponent from the sideline.
The Opinionator on December 2, 2007 at 9:18 PM
kids deserve to have this type of excitement and learning experience in the game and about life… if it were NFL, I would call foul… but if they’re students, it’s just a great learning experience and a great story to tell their kids…
Kaptain Amerika on December 2, 2007 at 9:32 PM
What makes anyone think that Lombardi would’ve signed off on this? His teams didn’t have a large bag of trick plays – they won because they were able to execute about a dozen or so basic plays to perfection. And Lombardi really did believe in building high moral character – in fact, he believed that high moral character (i.e. values such as courage, hard work, and perseverance) was central to fielding a winning team.
packsoldier on December 2, 2007 at 9:32 PM
It would only have been an example of moral decline if a parent or two from the other team beat the coach up during or after the game.
As it stands, tricky play. I’ve seen the same thing in basketball on in-bound plays.
Queasy on December 2, 2007 at 9:35 PM
Wow. Some high horses here. Careful climbing down people. Good lord, quit the holier-than-thou whining.
It’s a trick play. Nothing else. What else are you going to complain about? Mis-directions? Traps? How about the old reverse? Play-action pass? Crosses? Bounce passes? Deceptive plays are part of the game. Always have been.
Complaining about the coach participating in the play–here’s a hint….the coach participates in every play on the field. What do you think he does by using signals, or yelling at his captains when he sees something they don’t or, you know, coaches his team for the next play?
What does it teach? Attention to detail. If the center moves the ball and the ref doesn’t blow the whistle the ball is in play. My high school team had this same play tried on them 25 years ago. The opposing team QB took about two steps before our linebacker leveled him. If the defense had been on it’s toes it would have been a five yard loss. If the other coach had been paying attention he would have told his players to tackle the QB. In football you seldom get do-overs because you were caught napping.
Because we knew the rules.
Faith1 on December 2, 2007 at 9:42 PM
Didn’t the football game in the last act of the M*A*S*H movie from 1970 end on a similar play?
Ed Driscoll on December 2, 2007 at 9:44 PM
Oh man, you disappoint me WTH. School sports programs teaches all kinds of valuable life lessons the first of which is that life just ain’t “fair”. Play your best, practice hard, and still lose a game because of a bad call. Second is the value of working as a team even when you may not like the people ON the team. Pville06 comes to mind.
Your friendly Registrar. ;)
Pilgrim on December 2, 2007 at 9:46 PM
Seriously, what is the deal with some of you here? Sports removed from schools? “Moral decline” because they out-smarted their opponents instead of out-muscling them?
Does no one remember Michael Jordan inbounding a pass to himself off the back of a defender who wasn’t smart enough to keep his head in the game?
Hootie on December 2, 2007 at 9:50 PM
Its a genius play,
but the kind of play you can only run ONCE.
Always Right on December 2, 2007 at 9:51 PM
It is brilliant. The rules are there for both teams. All rules create advantages and disadvantages. It is your job to find the weaknesses and exploit them to victory.
Football is full of slight of hand. Fake handoffs, pump fake, etc. . . it’s part of the game. It was risky though because that QB was a sitting duck for an aggressive linebacker.
ThackerAgency on December 2, 2007 at 10:03 PM
I wouldn’t say a a decline, but more expectations.
Get this, todays high school defensive linemen weigh more and more muscular than the average NFL defensive linemen of the 70s.
hinduconservative on December 2, 2007 at 10:07 PM
To quote many.
But it ain’t SWEETER then THIS!
Kini on December 2, 2007 at 10:10 PM
Exactly! I can see where people would think the play was unfair, but, like you said, the quarterback is just sitting back there begging to get creamed if anyone on defense had used their heads. I bet you didn’t see too many from the opposing team complaining. A lot of them probably got a laugh out of it, but on the inside, where coach couldn’t see.
It’s just fun, which is what sports is supposed to be about. FWIW, we used a run similar play on my HS bball team, where you’d walk to the inbounder under the basket and tell him, “I’ll take it in.” For a layup. Never worked, but is was fun to try to sell it…
RightOFLeft on December 2, 2007 at 10:38 PM
That taught a valuable lesson to the opposing team and coach. Learn the rules of the game!
nottakingsides on December 2, 2007 at 10:44 PM
It was completely within the rules of the game, bottom line. It might teach those kids to think outside of the box a little. That would be a lesson that could carry them far in life.
tdau1997 on December 2, 2007 at 10:57 PM
You douchebags. That was the cheapest, dirtiest piece of crap I’ve ever seen. The coach should be fired for teaching his students that cheating and trickery are better than fair competition.
What a bunch of clowns you are. Bryan, you should be ashamed of yourself. Anyone guess what the next play is? The first guy across the line clotheslines the quarterback with intent to injure.
Jaibones on December 2, 2007 at 11:08 PM
Not long ago didn’t a coach move the first down marker in his teams favor?
Drtuddle on December 2, 2007 at 11:21 PM
I need you to explain exactly where the cheating was. Maybe without the namecalling. I’ll gladly take an acceptable explanation with it, though.
tdau1997 on December 2, 2007 at 11:33 PM
Wow! Remind me to NEVER go to a football game with any of you folks. Seriously, get a grip, did none of you ever play football?
Next thing you know some here will be declaring fake punts cheating, goodness forbid a center ever snap to a fullback instead of the shotgun QB. I guess a holder standing up to throw for an extra point must be a hanging offense.
Here’s the rule for a nose guard for those of you that have never played the game. The second the ref puts that ball down you NEVER take your eye off it, that’s why defense huddles face the line of scrimmage. If that ball comes off the ground for ANY reason other than being picked up by the zebra, you ATTACK! Period. If the center lifts the ball just a fraction of an inch off the ground to get a better grip, you cream his a**!
I think it’s painfully obvious that most here have NEVER played the game.
And for the person so said that school athletic programs don’t teach anything, you’re obviously a fool of the highest order. Since I guess you were probably getting picked on by the jocks, just remember this, school athletics taught you something, didn’t it.
–Jason
Jason Coleman on December 2, 2007 at 11:53 PM
so = who PIMF
Jason Coleman on December 2, 2007 at 11:54 PM
Childish and unsportsmanlike.
When you reduce yourself to using a unbecoming tactic that makes the other team unaware that the game is in play at all, you’ve defeated the main purpose of team sport – to compete.
It’s how you play the game that counts. This was played connivingly.
Shy Guy on December 2, 2007 at 11:58 PM
Ok, then Shy Guy, or anyone for that matter, explain to me how this is ANY diffent than lining up for a screen (making the opposite tackle an eligble reciever and going to that receiver even though he’s wearing a number designated for linemen? Or how is it any different than a QB faking an hand-off and the fullback tucking both arms to his stomach like hes in “full cover” and the QB rolling off with the ball tucked on his hip only to roll off a pass after the fake? Or how is it any different than a hurry up/quicksnap in a 2 minute dirll? Or how about a fake punt/pump fake/or any other kind of ball deception?
Do you think that snapping a ball between the QB’s legs to a fullback is cheating? How bout a directional snap off the axis to a wingback (of any flavor). Are set screens cheating? What about sending a set of 10 to the line only to have number 11 walk onto the field right befor the snap and run down the sideline undetected?
The goal of the offense is to advance the ball through force, skill, deception or pure luck, the defense has only one job, stop the ball from moving past the line of scrimmage. The ability of the offense to deceive is the exact reason why the offense can’t lay hands on the defense unless they are actually carrying the ball.
Those calling this, or any other trick play, cheating, simply don’t understand the rules, and more importantly, they don’t understand the object, of the game.
–Jason
Jason Coleman on December 3, 2007 at 12:15 AM
I agree with you on this one.
The way everyone is defending this is funny. By the logic of some steroids should be allowed because after all its all about winning…
And you are right about the QB getting injured.. almost a guarantee the team will take a penalty for unnecssary roughness.
Bradky on December 3, 2007 at 1:08 AM
Jason, you didn’t catch my main point. To deceive once the ball is in play is part of the game because the other team knows that playing has begun and it is their responsibility to keep their eye on the ball.
In this case, the defensive team was fooled into thinking the game is not in play at all. There was no competition, no good blocking, no swift moves, no quick with the ball passes. Nothing having to do with playing a sports game.
Has “it’s how you play the game” gone out of style? It was a motto drilled into us in our childhood bt practically any adult who acted as some sort of coach one way or the other.
And I can’t believe I have to explain this to someone.
Shy Guy on December 3, 2007 at 1:25 AM
Someone should have noticed the refs didn’t call time or anything . . . . Just sayin
- The Cat
P.S. It kinda reminds me of (I forgot who it was) in baseball that said “I got it” as he rounded 3rd.
MirCat on December 3, 2007 at 2:00 AM
Agreed… but not unprecedented.
Anybody know who won from the Real TV clip?
Vizzini on December 3, 2007 at 2:02 AM
It’s really clever.
Then, on their next possession I’d have my guys blindside the quarterback instead of the ball carrier and yell
“Hey Coach! Wrong guy! Wrong guy!”
That’s clever too.
drjohn on December 3, 2007 at 8:28 AM
Read and comprehend. I said dirty and cheap; I didn’t say it was cheating. The intent was to make the defensive players think the ball was dead. If they were pros, they would have been expected to know better and tackle him.
The coach’s participation in the deception is the dirty part. These kids are coached to understand that coaches have the same or higher authority than the referees, and he abused that. His intent was dirty. Take the rest of your “play the whistle” crap and stuff it. It was dirty.
I can just see the ejection for blasting the qb on the same play if the ref decides he doesn’t need to blow the whistle.
Jaibones on December 3, 2007 at 8:33 AM
That’s also against the rules and a personal foul.
You surely can’t be saying that when someone beats you fair and square you should “take them out”?
Now that’s a lesson for our kids.
BacaDog on December 3, 2007 at 8:48 AM
Lord, Jaibones, chill out a little. The name-calling it way over the top for the subject matter. Get a grip.
The play is LEGAL for a reason. If it was CHEATING, it would be an ILLEGAL play. See how that works? The other team fell asleep – they were OUTPLAYED.
This reminds me of a play my son’s 12 y.o. baseball team worked on last spring. With a runner leading off on second, my son (the pitcher) would fake a pick-off to the SS. The SS and the 2B would pretend it was an overthrow and sprint away from the base toward center field – yelling at the top of their lungs the entire time. The runner, seeing a wide open baseline, would think it was an easy steal and would take off for 3B where my son would calmly toss the ball to 3B for an out.
Most of the time it didn’t work. Tough competition with their heads in the game don’t let trick plays slide. (Get it?) But once it did work and the stands went wild – even on the other side. Those parents knew their boys had been outfoxed, and the coaches were kinda sheepish. It was a fun play executed with Oscar-worthy deception, and was a helluva lotta fun to watch.
Redhead Infidel on December 3, 2007 at 8:53 AM
“You improvise. You adapt. You overcome.”
Clint Eastwood as Gunny Highway
Heartbreak Ridge
Planet Boulder on December 3, 2007 at 9:08 AM
This statement pretty much confirms that you’ve never played the game.
Fooling the defense about when the ball goes into play is part of the game. That’s why you have counts, false counts, quicksnaps, flinches and a whole host of deceptions built into the game.
By your logic the QB has to go to the line, announce “OK, the ball is about to go into play, here we go, 1, 2, 3″ then if the ball were hiked on anything other than the count after 3 you’d consider it cheating.
FACT: The play was legal, therefore, NOT cheating.
FACT: Deception is an integral part of offense. Otherwise, there would be no fakes, jukes, counts or false sets.
FACT: The defense wasn’t paying attention. It’s as simple as that.
FACT: Coaches are “non-field” players, they can be penalized just like a player. Deception is also an integral part of coaching.
Get over yourselves and stop misrepresenting what is and isn’t a legitimate part of football.
–Jason
Jason Coleman on December 3, 2007 at 9:50 AM
Jason, thanks for your excellent comments on the game and for posting the Greatest Trick Plays in Football video link – that was a great compilation and fun to watch! And bnelson posted the video of the little guys running the exact same play. Those little kids obviously know a lot more about football than some folks on this thread. good stuff.
Redhead Infidel on December 3, 2007 at 10:28 AM
Clever.
otcconan on December 3, 2007 at 10:28 AM
The Redskins could have used that yesterday. Am I the only one who thinks the Deadskins will honor number 21 by losing 21 games straight with major screw ups at the end of the game?
Sensei Ern on December 3, 2007 at 10:30 AM
right2bright on December 3, 2007 at 10:47 AM
“They were cheating” is the new rally cry for losers everywhere! Followed up by the threat of a cheap shot. Priceless.
Some of these commenters must be from the generation that grew up playing sports without keeping score, where everyone makes the team, and teachers use purple ink.
You play the whistle, period. Those are the rules, it’s that simple.
I guess some of you would like the offense to line up and inform the defense if it is a pass play or a running play, then kindly inform them if the play is going right or left.
reaganaut on December 3, 2007 at 11:05 AM
It’s a classic trick play! I heard about it happening when I was in High School in the ’90s. At the time the coach telling me about it said to keep an eye out as I could wind up being used in college or NFL in the future. It looks like it has just stayed in the high school realm. Another variation is: “theres something on the ball.”
infidel2 on December 3, 2007 at 12:12 PM
I’m going to have to ask you for a link there, I just dug into my old trophy box to get out my rulebook and section 9.5 in my book reads:
“The head coach shall provide a lineup card to the opposing coach and to the officials designating each player by first and last name, by uniform number, and indicating any player that has a Restricted Ball Carriers and Backs sticker as
per section 6.6.”
There is no 9.5.1.
Perhaps in today’s growing nanny-state they’ve re-written that section, and if that’s the case, I’ll lament the sorry state that football has apparently become. Yet, if proof is presented, I’ll grudgingly cede the point.
–Jason
Jason Coleman on December 3, 2007 at 12:16 PM
Brilliant. Of course, as a first baseman I pulled off the “hidden ball trick” successfully, so I’m part of the problem. ;-)
Mark Jaquith on December 3, 2007 at 1:21 PM
You do have to sell it … so some work was put in.
I’m sure many ’sports’ diehards hadn’t seen this one before…
What about the swinging gate?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3MmVF9xao8
Trick plays are too risky
ar_basin on December 3, 2007 at 3:02 PM
Please forgive me if I misunderstood your point…
tdau1997 on December 3, 2007 at 5:17 PM
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