Trick Plays Should Be on Friday's Menu

4 comments so far November 21, 2007 by Steve Hanway

One of West Coast Offense guru Bill Walsh's stated beliefs (which he credits to Paul Brown) was that when it came to trick plays, you want to run yours before your opponent. Not only are you more likely to catch them by surprise, but often it will make them reluctanct to run theirs. Last year, against Colorado, the Huskers ran their trick plays early and often. The 37-14 victory was an in-your-face display of trickery by head coach Bill Callahan that seemed almost cruel (given the season the Buffaloes were having).

This year would seem no different. Not only has Callahan shown a penchant for trick plays (particularly against Colorado), but with a bowl bid on the line for both teams, each squad has every incentive to empty the playbook. The Buffaloes might even have some extra incentive - to get some payback for last year's display of "trickeroo", as Eric Crouch once called it, by Nebraska. Then, of course, there's the bye week which gave each team an extra week to draw up new plays and practice them with the team. It probably hasn't been easier in that sense to run some "trickeroo" since the season opener.

All of this should make for an interesting and exciting game Friday. Don't get up for snacks or to use the restroom just because a team seems ready to punt. At any moment, it may be bombs away whether it's fourth down or first and ten. In their second, but perhaps final meeting, we'll see who gets the last laugh between Dan Hawkins and Bill Callahan. As Walsh might have said though, "He who laughs first, laughs best".

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