Why Football Is Awesome

Seattle-Rams game today featured two incredible special teams plays by the Rams. Just now, the Rams pulled a fake punt way back in their own territory to maintain possession and not let Russell Wilson get the ball back to tie the game. I absolutely loved the call. Gutsy, creative, brilliant. That's one thing football has over other games like basketball, baseball, soccer -- the strategic element. Basketball and soccer flow and there are tactics used by teams, but rarely can you see a team pull off a strategic decision that literally "fools" the other team completely. Same in baseball. There are trick plays in all of the sports -- but none of them generally involve one team completely faking out the other team. When it works, it is a beautiful thing.

The other play was something I've never seen before. A punt in the first half. The punt returner totally fakes out the coverage team by running to the opposite side of the field to where the ball was punted. The coverage team follows the returner, not where the ball is punted. Meanwhile, one of outside "blockers" sprints back and catches the punt. He turns up field and runs for a TD while the coverage team was on the other side of the field. Unbelievable.