Trick play
A trick play ( English for trick or deceiving) or trick play in American football is an umbrella term for choreographed surprise plays. These can be carried out by both the offense and the special teams . Tricks are used as part of the attack strategy to force large gains in space against the defense through the element of surprise. Due to their complex structure, these moves involve the increased risk of losing space or losing the ball. The effectiveness of a trick play move is based on the violation of the basic assumptions in American football: u. A. That only the quarterback passes the ball and only the running back runs with the ball.
End around
The End Around (English for 'around the end') is a running game in which the wide receiver acts as a ball carrier. Here you try to escape the defense with a wing run by the unexpected handover of the ball to a pass recipient. At the beginning of the play, the wide receiver moves from its wing position parallel to the line of attack in the direction of the quarterback. After the ball has been handed over, the run continues on the opposite wing.
Reverse
The reverse is a running play that is supposed to shift the weight of the defense to the wrong side of the field in order to gain space by throwing the ball and running the opposite wing. The reverse is started with a usually conventional running play to the outside to induce the defense to overreact one-sidedly. At the same time, a winger begins to run towards the ball carrier in order to penetrate the opposite wing after a second ball transfer. In order to react to the new runner, the defense is forced to reverse the direction of the run.
Flea Flicker
The quarterback gives the ball to the running back, who initially runs straight forward and fakes a running play. Just before he is in danger of being tackled, he turns and throws the ball back to the quarterback. The goal of this fake overlaps that of the play-action passes. The effect is much stronger, because the Flea Flicker is a real ball transfer and the fake is only recognized as such when the running back throws the ball back. On the other hand, the risk is a little higher, because something can go wrong with the back pitch by the running back: A dropped back pass is considered a fumble - the ball is free and can be conquered by anyone.
Screen litter
With this move, the real trick is to play a wide receiver (in some cases also other offensive players) with a so-called lateral immediately after the snap . This move begins like a screen to the wide receiver, with the difference that this has the option of passing the ball to another receiver that has been running free after the catch. This is only possible because there is no forward pass with the lateral and a forward pass is still allowed. The effect is comparable to the Flea Flicker, namely that the defense pounces on the receiver after the first catch and thus some potential pass stations are completely uncovered.
Statue of Liberty
The move begins with the quarterback and running back standing next to each other in the shotgun , usually with two to three wide receivers on one side of the line of scrimmage and one or two wide receivers on the other side. The ball is snapped to the quarterback, who grabs the ball with both hands. The quarterback takes the ball in his weak hand and lowers it at waist height while with his throwing hand a pump fake performs and acts as if he would throw the ball to a wide receiver on the right side of the formation. During the pump fake, the running back takes the ball behind the quarterback and starts running in the opposite direction. The move is named after the quarterback's posture, who, if done correctly, should have one hand in the air and the other by his side, similar to the Statue of Liberty .
Individual evidence
- Jump up ↑ Football Statue Of Liberty Play. Retrieved May 12, 2020 (English).