Statue of Liberty (American Football)

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Statue of Liberty is the name of a trick play in American football in which the quarterback fakes a pass with his throwing arm after the snap through the center , while almost simultaneously handing the football over to a running back or wide receiver behind his back with his other hand . The aim of this action is to draw the attention of the defending players of the opposing team in the direction of the faked pass, while the ball-receiving player walks towards the opposite side of the field in order to gain more space or a touchdown . The move is named after the Statue of Liberty in New York City , because the posture of the quarterback at the moment of execution - one arm raised for a simulated throw, one arm at the side or behind the back - is reminiscent of the design of the Statue of Liberty.

The play is difficult to see through for the defense, but on the other hand requires a high degree of coordination between the quarterback and the ball-receiving player with regard to timing and movement sequences. The idea for this move is attributed to Amos Alonzo Stagg , who worked as a coach at the University of Chicago for around four decades from 1892 to 1932 . A Statue of Liberty play, for example, in the Rose Bowl 1949, which the team from Northwestern University won after a touchdown over 45  yards 20:14 against the favored team from the University of California, Berkeley , was decisive for the game . Also in the Fiesta Bowl 2007 between the teams from Boise State University and the University of Oklahoma , the underdog team prevailed with the Boise State Broncos after they converted a two-point conversion with the help of this play to the final 43:42 .

In a modified variant of this move, in addition to the pass, the quarterback only fakes the ball. If the majority of the defending team then follows the player whom they mistakenly believe to be the player in possession of the ball, the quarterback who is still in possession of the ball tries to make a running play to the opposite side of the field himself.

literature

  • Doug Lennox: Now You Know Football. Dundurn Press, Toronto 2009, ISBN 1-55-488453-5 , pp. 70/71

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