At 3-10, the New York Jets don’t have anything to lose at this point in the season. So why not pull some tricks out and see what happens?
That seems to have been their mentality on Sunday when, facing 3rd and 15, the Jets drew up a hook-and-ladder-esque play that caught everyone off guard, including the Miami Dolphins. After Jamison Crowder catches the ball for a gain that would be short of the first down, he tosses it back to Braxton Berrios, who was waiting to receive the ball and then scamper forward for a huge gain to keep the drive alive.
Hook and…throw it across the field???#NYJvsMIA on CBS pic.twitter.com/MiiiSGw3w4
— New York Jets (@nyjets) December 19, 2021
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a play like this ever drawn up,” said the announcer, who clearly never played flag football. Indeed, the play appears to have been drawn up by offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur and it’s the kind of trickeration that makes a lot of people wonder why NFL teams don’t do things like this more often, especially when you’re in the position the Jets are in? It’s right out of a video game but maybe playing like a video game pays off sometimes.
At 3-10 you should be running everything from the NFL BLITZ playbook. What do you want have to lose? https://t.co/zwkRpVJV6U
— Kahlief Adams (@KahliefAdams) December 19, 2021
Here's that Crowder-Berrios throwback, and I'm not sure if I've ever seen something quite like this, where the throwback man waits in this spot on a must-have down.
Mike LaFleur is going bananas. #Jets pic.twitter.com/sJK70SA6NI
— Robby Sabo (@RobbySabo) December 19, 2021
Every mathematically-eliminated team should be required to do one (1) crazy thing per game. https://t.co/BcTDNFyKuh
— Bryan Knowles (@BryKno) December 19, 2021
This is amazing https://t.co/ll5K9WvVpk
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) December 19, 2021
The Jets lead the Dolphins 17-10 in the third quarter and if they can hold on to win the game, head coach Robert Saleh will surely be asked about this play and how it contributed to keeping the momentum alive. Who knows, we might eventually see the Jets and other teams pull these plays out more often when it actually matters.
