Trick Plays & Special Teams Fakes
Trick plays and special teams fakes are always a good thing to have in your playbook. Especially this time of the year if you have been working on them since training camp. They provide deception and a potential big play. They also have a way of keeping your opponent honest. The question is when do you call them? Plays like this usually end up successful or they blow up in your face.
We once worked for a coach who said that Nick Saban normally wanted to call a fake or a trick play early in the game. The reason was because he felt like the element of surprise was higher at that point in the game.
A trick play seems to always show up more frequently as we enter playoff season each year. Coaches are looking for that little extra to get them to the next week of play. The same holds true for college bowl games except the rationale is often “let’s have a little fun here” theme to it.
Every football staff that we ever worked on had someone assigned to draw up any and all good special teams fakes and trick plays that they saw during the season. We were often that coach. Here at FirstDown PlayBook we have essentially become that coach for you.
Related: Check Out This Jet Sweep Option Trick Play
FirstDown PlayBook has a section dedicated exclusively to trick plays and special teams fakes just like the one you see below. We break them up by pass and run. Today we will share this one with you including the coaching points underneath it.
One of the things we like about this trick play is that you can run it with a young quarterback. The splits for your X should be adjusted for your quarterback’s arm strength. Of course it is always good to have the base hitch screen in your game plan to set this trick play up.
FORMATION: 3×1 (GUN) (PISTOL)
PLAY: HITCH & JET LATERAL TRICK PLAY
DESCRIPTION:
-TRICK PLAY OFF OF A COMBINATION HITCH SCREEN & JET SWEEP.
-HITCH SCREEN PASS TO THE X.
-THE F WILL COME IN MOTION AS PART OF THE F JET OR F AROUND LOOK.
-THE QB WILL FAKE TO THE RB AND THEN THROW TO THE X.
-THE X WILL FLIP THE BALL TO THE F AS HE COMPLETES HIS AROUND PATH.
GENERAL RULES:
-THE OFFENSIVE LINE WILL INITIALLY PROTECT THEIR NORMAL DROPBACK PASS PRO RESPONSIBILITY.
-THE SCREEN SIDE TACKLE, GUARD AND CENTER WILL RELEASE TO BLOCK FOR THE SCREEN.
-THE Y & Z WILL OUTSIDE RELEASE TO TAKE THE DEFENDER’S EYES AWAY FROM THE SCREEN.
QB:
-TAKE THE SNAP AND FAKE THE SWEEP TO THE RB TO THE STRONG SIDE.
-RE-SET FEET AND DELIVER AN ACCURATE PASS TO THE X ON THE HITCH SCREEN.
-OPEN TO THE STRONG SIDE AND BECOME A STRONG SIDE DECOY TO HIDE TRICK PLAY.
Y: GO ROUTE
-MANDATORY OUTSIDE RELEASE.
-GET THE SAFETY TO TURN HIS BACK TO THE SCREEN SIDE.
-TAKE THE DEFENDER WITH YOU FOR AS LONG AS HE WILL BITE.
Z: GO ROUTE
-MANDATORY OUTSIDE RELEASE.
-GET THE CORNER TO TURN HIS BACK TO THE SCREEN SIDE.
-TAKE THE DEFENDER WITH YOU FOR AS LONG AS HE WILL BITE.
OFFENSIVE LINE
SCREEN SIDE TACKLE:
-QUICK PASS SET TO SELL YOUR NORMAL PASS PRO RESPONSIBILITY FOR A TWO COUNT.
-THEN RELEASE BEHIND THE RUSHER FLAT TO THE SIDELINE.
-LOOK TO BLOCK THE FIRST DEFENDER YOU SEE IN THE FLAT AREA.
-VS MAN COVERAGE BE PREPARED TO BLOCK THE DEFENDER WHO IS COVERING THE SCREEN BACK.
SCREEN SIDE GUARD:
-QUICK PASS SET TO SELL YOUR NORMAL PASS PRO RESPONSIBILITY FOR A TWO COUNT.
-THEN RELEASE BEHIND THE RUSHER FLAT TO THE SIDELINE.
-LOOK TO BLOCK THE FIRST DEFENDER YOU SEE IN THE CURL AREA.
CENTER:
-QUICK PASS SET TO SELL YOUR NORMAL PASS PRO RESPONSIBILITY FOR A TWO COUNT.
-THEN RELEASE BEHIND THE RUSHER FLAT TO THE SIDELINE.
-LOOK TO BLOCK ANY DEFENDER ON TO INSIDE AS YOU TRAVEL.
AWAY SIDE GUARD & TACKLE:
-CARRY OUT NORMAL PASS PRO RESPONSIBILITY .
-AFFORD THE QB TIME TO SELL A NORMAL PASS PLAY AND MAKE AN ACCURATE SCREEN THROW.