Despite the fact that Jimmy Orr was wide open near the end zone, Earl Morrall threw the ball to fullback Jerry Hill, only for Jets safety Jim Hudson to intercept the pass. January 12, 1969: In Super Bowl III, with the Baltimore Colts trailing the New York Jets 7-0 just before halftime, the Colts attempted a flea flicker.After the snap, Britton threw the ball to Kassel, who then lateraled to Grange Grange proceeded to score a touchdown on a 20-yard run. On the play, Britton lined up as a kicker, with Grange as holder. Illinois coach Bob Zuppke is credited with the play's invention: the flea flicker made its debut in Illinois' 1925 game against Penn as a fake field goal with Earl Britton, Red Grange, and Chuck Kassel. Despite the potential for a very big play when running a flea flicker, the play takes a long time to develop, meaning it often ends in disaster when run against a strong pass rush. Like most other types of trick plays, the play is very risky. The elaborate back-and-forth with the ball also gives time for receivers to get downfield, opening up an opportunity for a long completion. The play is designed to draw the defense into defending against a run and away from defending a pass, leaving the quarterback free from any immediate pass rush, and leaving receivers potentially open to catch a pass as their covering defenders may have moved off the pass looking to tackle a ball carrier. Ī typical football defense is very aggressive to the run, and the flea flicker uses that against them. Before the running back crosses the line of scrimmage, he laterals the ball back to the quarterback, who looks to pass to an eligible receiver. It can be considered an extreme variant of the play action pass and an extension of the halfback option play.Īfter the snap, the quarterback hands off or laterals the ball to a running back or another player on the team, who then runs towards or parallel to the line of scrimmage. A play diagram depicting a version of a flea flicker type play from an I-formation, fullback offset weaksideĪ flea flicker is an unorthodox play, often called a " trick play", in American football which is designed to fool the defensive team into thinking that a play is a run instead of a pass.
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