Trick play in American or Canadian football
The
hook and lateral
is a
trick play
in
American
,
Canadian football
and
indoor American football
, often colloquially called
the hook and ladder play,
though the NFL's winningest all-time head coach who successfully ran the play, Don Shula, has stated that it's a "hook-and-lateral play because the receiver laterals the ball; there is no ladder
.
"
The "hook and lateral" starts with the hook, which is where a
wide receiver
runs a predetermined distance, usually 10 to 20 yards down the field, and along the sideline, and "hooks in" towards the center of the field to receive a forward pass from the
quarterback
. Another offensive player (a wide receiver or running back) times a run so that he is at full speed, toward the player with the ball at the time of the catch. As the defenders close in on the stationary ball carrier, he
laterals
or hands the ball to the teammate running at full speed in the opposite direction of the original receiver.
[1]
If unanticipated, this play puts defenders out of position, running in the wrong direction. If the second receiver catches the lateral in stride, he can be long gone before defenders can react. However, the offense runs a high risk of turning the ball over if it is not handled properly because, unlike a
forward pass
, a dropped lateral pass results in a
live ball
.
The hook and lateral is one of two common desperation strategies a trailing team can use at the end of a game, the other being the
Hail Mary pass
. It has the advantage in that it can be attempted anywhere on the field, whereas the Hail Mary can generally only be attempted at a point on the field where the quarterback's throwing arm is strong enough to reach the end zone with a forward pass.
Examples
[
edit
]
- The
Miami Dolphins
executed a successful "87 Circle Curl Lateral" play at the end of the first half of their
AFC playoff game
against the
San Diego Chargers
on January 2, 1982. Wide receiver
Duriel Harris
caught a 20-yard pass from quarterback
Don Strock
and then lateraled it to running back
Tony Nathan
, who ran 25 yards for the score. The play gave the Dolphins huge momentum going into the second half, but the Chargers eventually won in overtime.
[2]
- In Week 16 of the
2001 NFL season
, the
New York Giants
trailed the
Philadelphia Eagles
24-21 with seven seconds left. From their own 20-yard line,
Kerry Collins
threw a pass over the middle to
Tiki Barber
; he ran the ball to the 34 before lateraling it back to
Ron Dixon
, who sprinted 62 yards up the left sideline before being tackled six yards short of the end zone by safety
Damon Moore
as time ran out. The play, named "86 Lambuth Special" after Dixon's alma mater, subsequently clinched the NFC East for the Eagles and eliminated the Giants from postseason contention.
- The
Utah Utes
ran a successful version of the play in the
2005 Fiesta Bowl
against the
Pittsburgh Panthers
. Steve Savoy caught the ball on a short pass and lateraled to
Paris Warren
who took it into the end zone.
[3]
- The
Boise State Broncos
executed the play (called "Circus" in their playbook) against the
Oklahoma Sooners
on fourth down to force overtime in the
2007 Fiesta Bowl
. Boise State later scored a touchdown in overtime on a wide receiver roll out option pass, and won by scoring the ensuing two-point conversion on the seldom-seen
Statue of Liberty play
.
- The
Missouri Tigers
executed a hook and lateral to set up a field goal in the fourth quarter of their October 23, 2010 regular season victory over the
Oklahoma Sooners
, who were at the time ranked number one in the
BCS
standings.
- The
Florida International Golden Panthers
successfully ran the play on fourth and 17, with less than a minute remaining, in the
2010 Little Caesars Bowl
. This helped set up the game-winning field goal as time expired. In an interview after the game, FIU coach
Mario Cristobal
said the play was called "Boise", referring to Boise State's play in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl (see more about the play above).
- The
2014 Bahamas Bowl
- The
Arkansas Razorbacks
successfully executed the play on fourth and 25 in overtime, down to their last down, in a 2015 meeting against
Ole Miss
. Known as the "Hog & Lateral", quarterback
Brandon Allen
completed a pass to
Hunter Henry
, who appeared that he was going to be tackled yards short of the first down marker, flung the ball backwards towards running back
Alex Collins
. Collins scooped the ball up on the bounce at the line of scrimmage and ran it for a 31-yard gain to gain a first down. Though Collins fumbled it at the end of the play, it was recovered by teammate Dominique Reed. Head coach
Bret Bielema
called the play "divine intervention." The Razorbacks scored a touchdown plays later and went on to upset the Rebels on a winning two-point conversion on a quarterback keeper by Allen.
- The
Miami Dolphins
used a hook and lateral with two laterals to score a touchdown and defeat the
New England Patriots
on the last play of the game during a game at
Hard Rock Stadium
in 2018. Down by five points, and with only seven seconds remaining in regulation time, Dolphins QB
Ryan Tannehill
completed a pass to wide receiver
Kenny Stills
who lateraled to fellow wide receiver
DeVante Parker
, who in turn lateraled to running back
Kenyan Drake
who completed the scoring play with no time left in regulation. The play has been dubbed the
Miracle in Miami
.
[4]
[5]
- It has appeared in the season one finale of
Friday Night Lights
during the final play of the state championship between Dillon and West Cambria.
Speculation on origins of names
[
edit
]
Some proponents
[
who?
]
of the term "hook and lateral" claim that the "hook" refers to the pattern run by the receiver who catches the pass from the quarterback. The "lateral" refers to the pitching of the ball by the receiver to his teammate. This is not synonymous with a "ladder", which is a specific route (also called a "chair") in which a receiver cuts out before turning up the field along the sideline. If the "hook" receiver laterals the ball to a teammate running a ladder route, the play could accurately be described as a "hook and ladder". This would not be true of many hook and lateral plays; in the case of the play run by the Boise State Broncos in the
2007 Fiesta Bowl
,
the player who received the lateral
from
the "hook" receiver
was running a
slant route
across the center of the field rather than a ladder route.
On the January 2, 2007, broadcast of ESPN's
Around the Horn
, sportswriter
Woody Paige
claimed, perhaps facetiously, that the name "hook and ladder" originated with
NYC Firemen
Football Team in
Hell's Kitchen, New York
. This was in response to the other panelists ridiculing his use of "hook and ladder" rather than "hook and lateral". The next day,
Jay Mariotti
claimed the phrase "hook and ladder" referred to
coal mining
in
Pennsylvania
in the 1930s ? his research claims that coal miners need a hook and ladder when trapped in a mine. Another possible explanation is that "hook and ladder" is just a corruption of the phrase "hook and lateral".
A "hook and ladder" is a common name for a
firetruck
, which used to carry various hooks and ladders. The analogies that could be drawn to this play based on a "hook" route (with or without an actual "lateral") and a "hook and ladder" apparatus are numerous. Long extension ladders include two or more pieces, perhaps the first piece being a "hook" route, and the second piece being a run up the "ladder" to the end-zone. The second part of the play is sometimes accomplished with a hand-off, and not a lateral at all. Notwithstanding, there does not seem to be any definitive proof of what the play was originally called or why.
References
[
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]
External links
[
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]