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.

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

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

Federation Rule Book Section 9.5.1b. “Any action or verbiage used to deceive the defense into thinking that the ball is not about to become live is illegal.”

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

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.

Federation Rule Book Section 9.5.1b. “Any action or verbiage used to deceive the defense into thinking that the ball is not about to become live is illegal.”

In this case, the defensive team was fooled into thinking the game is not in play at all.

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

Jaibones on December 2, 2007 at 11:08 PM

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.

That’s clever too.

drjohn on December 3, 2007 at 8:28 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.

tdau1997 on December 2, 2007 at 11:33 PM

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.

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.

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

Agreed… but not unprecedented.

Anybody know who won from the Real TV clip?

- 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.

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.

Jaibones on December 2, 2007 at 11:08 PM

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.

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

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.

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

Jaibones on December 2, 2007 at 11:08 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.