fun video. and the comments on the actual YouTube page are hysterical, as some people are actually debating the video as if its the decline of western civilization.
2
KrazyKoalaBears
ID: 517068 Mon, Nov 08, 2010, 09:21
Interesting from the perspective of a trick play, but I have to admit that I don't quite understand having that kind of play in the playbook for that age group.
I certainly don't see it as the decline of Western civilization, but what's the point if you're the coach? Wow, you just outsmarted some middle schoolers. Congratulations.
3
Mith
ID: 4982142 Mon, Nov 08, 2010, 09:38
I don't know. I think it taught a valuable lesson. No one on that defensive line will ever make that mistake again. Better that it happen in middle school than in high school. In baseball you might get nailed with a hidden ball trick at that age. Young chess players have to learn to spot the 3 and 4 move checkmates.
Part of the learning process. Its football, not mamby pampy land.
4
Perm Dude
ID: 5510572522 Mon, Nov 08, 2010, 09:42
Exactly. And they got that lesson in middle school--the time and place to learn these kinds of things.
KrazyKoalaBears
ID: 517068 Mon, Nov 08, 2010, 11:49
Its football, not mamby pampy land. Not using trick plays has nothing to do with "mamby pamby land." It's about what's actually best for the kids.
You don't bring in Clay Matthews to show a middle school offensive line how they need to block better. And you don't bring in Darrelle Revis to cover your middle school receivers. That's just not appropriate.
A middle school kid not being able to deal with or understand adult ideas/plays is no more mamby pamby than them not being able to deal with adult players.
As for them not getting caught by that trick again, when are they ever going to see it? It's the first time I've ever seen it. But I also know that I can think up quite a few more trick plays off the top of my head that a bunch of middle schoolers wouldn't understand/figure out. Does that make me a great middle school football coach? Absolutely not. It just proves I know how to trick little kids. Wow, how great am I?
And now you've got kids focusing more on potential trick plays than what they should be focusing on: fundamentals.
6
Perm Dude
ID: 5510572522 Mon, Nov 08, 2010, 12:04
How about the fundamentals of playing the ball?
I don't believe this was as scarring as you seem to be making it, KKB.
7
KrazyKoalaBears
ID: 517068 Mon, Nov 08, 2010, 14:36
I don't believe this was as scarring as you seem to be making it, KKB. Not that I think it's THAT big of a deal, but how do we really know? After all, I heard it on CNN. National media attention of you getting tricked by a player walking right by you on the way to a touchdown? Kids have gotten upset over much less. And they've been teased incessantly over even less than that. Do you remember the "Star Wars Kid", which resulted in a legal settlement?
But even that isn't the larger point for me. To me, it takes a pretty big jerk of an adult to pull a trick play on a bunch of middle schoolers. I'm fine if I'm the only one who thinks that way, but it's how I think.
Since bowling is something I could actually coach, I'll use it as an example. If my job is to coach a bunch of middle school bowlers, I'm not going to spend ANY time teaching them trick shots. They have so much more to learn than trick shots that there's just no time and place to even practice them in any way, shape or form.
But this coach clearly took time to practice this play. It's too rehearsed to not have been practiced. That's not something drawn up on the sidelines. And to practice something like that only serves one thing: the coach's desire to trick a bunch of middle schoolers.
So he did it. Congrats to him for the touchdown. I think he's a jerk. It's my personal opinion, regardless of whether or not any kids were harmed (physically or emotionally) in the execution of the play.
8
Astade
ID: 38542218 Mon, Nov 08, 2010, 14:47
Lol. It's a game, KKB. The coach devised the play and the kids executed it... It seems like you are turning this around to make the coach sound like he was picking on Lil' kids.
Tree, not at home
ID: 18342816 Mon, Nov 08, 2010, 15:14
it was fundamentals. you play the snap, you play until the whistle.
11
KrazyKoalaBears
ID: 12353217 Mon, Nov 08, 2010, 20:16
@Astade: It seems like you are turning this around to make the coach sound like he was picking on Lil' kids. Shouldn't seem like it at all. I was. And he was. The kids will execute whatever play the coach tells them to. It's not like they're out there calling plays, which means the coach devised it AND called it.
@Tree: If you've EVER seen a snap like that in any football game, I'd love to hear about it. I've seen a lot of football and have NEVER seen a snap like that. Not saying it's never happened, but you'd be hard-pressed to find people who have seen a "snap" like that, especially at the middle school age level. So, it's kind of hard to "play the snap."
Honestly, if I was a fan, I never would have guessed that was a legal snap. Seriously.
And the second video in #9 is exactly why you DON'T call that play as a coach. The kid got absolutely drilled because he was in a prone position because the coach decided it would be fun to call a trick play.
12
Mattinglyinthehall
ID: 37838313 Mon, Nov 08, 2010, 20:36
Khahan, you're in mamby pamby land! That defense (and as far as I can tell, their coach, since I sure didn't hear anyone scream "GETHIMRIGHTNOW!" the moment the QB took the ball) learned a lesson in concentration and attention span, that's all.
How you could think a tough lesson about the rules and paying attention is in any way similar or analogous to subjecting these delicate little flowers to being covered by Derrelle Revis is completely beyond me. Those kids will never likely fall for that again and for that reason, they're better off for it.
13
Mattinglyinthehall
ID: 37838313 Mon, Nov 08, 2010, 20:49
Another one
14
Frick
ID: 21016718 Tue, Nov 09, 2010, 08:15
I agree that all of the kids on the field learned a similar lesson. My daughter is 8 and just started swimming competitively. At her first me she was DQ in the Breaststroke. The reason was she didn't touch the wall at the turn with both hands. Her coaches had told her she needed to touch with both hands, but she thought it was only at the finish. I'll give her credit for taking it well, but I'm willing to bet she never makes that mistake again.
Tree, not at home
ID: 18342816 Tue, Nov 09, 2010, 13:31
If you've EVER seen a snap like that in any football game, I'd love to hear about it.
nearly every snap i've ever seen involved the center handing the ball to a position player, except for the ones where he left it on the ground for one of his offensive players to pick up, similar to the famous Fumblerooski play.
17
C1-NRB
ID: 2672611 Tue, Nov 09, 2010, 14:04
Re: second video in #9:
I could've been the defensive player in that play. I would also have been flagged for Unsportsmanlike Conduct (Taunting) because I would've stood over the QB and told him, "You do NOT pull that crap on me!" Then I would've given the opposing bench the Mutombo finger wag for emphasis.
18
Seattle Zen
ID: 10732616 Tue, Nov 09, 2010, 14:40
Young chess players have to learn to spot the 3 and 4 move checkmates.
Well, 3 move checkmates are Hail Marys - lightening quick strikes to score that are well within the ideals of the game.
The "Wrong Ball" trick and, to a lesser extent, the trick in the original post, are bad sportsmanship. Taking advantage of a young person's natural inclination to trust the coach of the other team when he motions to change the ball that is on the field with the "correct" ball is reprehensible. It's not cricket.
19
blue hen Dude
ID: 710321114 Tue, Nov 09, 2010, 17:37
I'm with KKB on this one. Coaching middle school football is not about tricking 10 year olds, it's about helping kids grow as athletes and as people. This coach taught his team that "there's always an easy way out" and he taught the other team "don't trust anyone." Both lessons are bad, and in my opinion, he's a lousy coach.
20
weykool
ID: 138481617 Tue, Nov 09, 2010, 19:40
Am I the only who laughs everytime they see the Been Fooled Before video?
I dont have that big a problem with the coach calling the play. Football is about teaching discipline, teamwork, overcoming adversity amoung other things. To pull off this play it shows a lot of teamwork and discipline. It is unfair to speculate on how much time the coach spent on practicing the play. For all we know it could have been the reward for the last 5 mins of each practice if all the kids worked hard on their drills and reps.
The one little problem I have with all these trick plays is they really only work at this level. I coached Little League and you had to spend time defending against the 1st and 3rd delayed steal. With 60 foot bases and kids still learning to catch and throw it was nearly impossible to get the kid out going home by the time the ball was thrown to 2nd and then relayed back to home. We had one coach who told the runners on first to just stop half way to make sure the player going home had time to score. The problem is at the next level the bases are now 80 or 90 feet and the catching and throwing skills of all the kids have increased dramatically.
21
loki SuperDude
ID: 4211201420 Sun, Nov 14, 2010, 23:17
And the Jets once again snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory:
A thread about trick plays should include Dan Marino's fake spike followed by his TD pass to Mark Ingram with the Dolphins winning 28-24 during the 1994 season.
22
Frick
ID: 21016718 Mon, Nov 15, 2010, 08:28
I remember watching that game. Wasn't the play blown dead by one of the referees because they were fooled by the fake spike as well?
23
loki SuperDude
ID: 4211201420 Mon, Nov 15, 2010, 13:15
My memory is that it was the game winning play.
24
Perm Dude
ID: 5510572522 Mon, Nov 15, 2010, 13:28
I think you're right loki. The defense was just hanging around, because Marino really sold it by yelling something to his team about "hurry up so I can spike it" after the previous play.
Thanks! Great play. Funny to see Monk & Boomer in Jets uniforms.
Rate this thread:
If you wish, you may rate this thread on scale of 1-5. Ratings should indicate how valuable or interesting you believe this thread would be to other users of this forum. A '5' means that this thread is a 'must read'. A '1' means that this is a complete waste of time.
If you have previously rated this thread, rating it again will delete your previous rating.
If you do not want to rate this thread, but want to see how others have rated it, then click the button without entering a rating, or else click here.