1 minute ago, Voice of Reason said:

I have no problem at all with this play or fake spike plays.

 The play I'm having a problem with in today's football is quarterbacks acting like they might run out of bounds or slide and then continuing to run the ball. The defenders are afraid to hit them and quarterbacks are taking advantage of it. Sometime in the near future we are going to see a play where a quarterback fakes like he's running out of bounds and then runs for a score past a defender who is afraid of getting  a penalty if he touches the QB 

You know what stops that? A few defensive guys taking the penalty and decapitating the QB. That will stop real quick. 

2 hours ago, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

For those of you that didn't see, Western Michigan beat Toledo last night in college football by running a fake spike play with 20 seconds left in the game. The team had just gotten a first down on a 18 yard pass play, and as the Broncos offense ran up to the new line of scrimmage at the 9 yard line, several players including the quarterback were yelling, "Spike it!"

Toledo's defense lined up, but anticipating a spiked pass by Western Michigan to stop the clock, they didn't really move after the snap. They were completely caught unaware when instead of spiking the ball, the Broncos quarterback first faked the motion of spiking the football, and then threw it to the wideout who had just strolled uncovered into the end zone and caught the pass without a single defender within 15 yards of him.

So last night following the game, I saw on Twitter where a Cincinnati sports reporter said the following:

"Ready for this hot take? The fake spike should be outlawed. Absolute bush league way to win a game. Abolish it at all levels."



What say you?

No problem with a fake spike. I don’t like a fake kneel down, that I have seen teams do before. Even the reds especially in high school football, basically try not to allow a team to go hard when a team is kneeling. So I don’t think a fake kneel should be allowed, however nothing wrong at all with a fake spike. 

I’m guessing this wasn’t necessarily called, but is a choice given to the QB should the right situation arise. The plan is to spike the ball unless you see that the defense is not paying attention. If the defense had gotten in position and was there to defend the play, the QB would have just went ahead and spiked it. I’ve got no issue with a fake spike. If the defense just hustles back, and lines up correctly, the play doesn’t work. I wouldn’t even call this a trick play. It’s taking advantage of what the defense gives you. 

1 hour ago, CincySportsFan said:

I don't have a single problem with it, but...that means the offensive line and the qb can't get all huffy about a d-lineman blowing them up when they actually DO spike it.  And there absolutely can't be any penalties because of that, then. 

If you (as the rules committee) are telling the defense that they shouldn't take any plays off, then you can't "protect" the offensive players when they're the ones taking a play off (by spiking it).

What about going full bore when the offense is in victory formation?   It's highly unlikely but "stranger things have happened."     Until the culture changes I think it would be  only sporting, however,  that the defensive players advise their counterparts that we're coming hard.

While we're at it, what is the rule about interfering with the snap?  Is it legal to put a nose guard with hands as quick as a mongoose opposite the center to knock the snap away?   I don't think it is but maybe a  person with knowledge of the rules could weigh in on this.

Trickery makes up a lot of the fun in football.  I love it.

Love the play.   It's no different than a fake handoff, or a play action, or any other fake with the football.

Why on earth in that situation was Toledo not thinking that any and every play could / would be a fake play?

Play defense every play.

I kind of remember Neil O'Donnell and Carl Pickens doing that for the Bengals back in the day.

Faking a spike into the ground to take a deep shot for a big play= YES

Faking a spike in COVID cases or contact tracing to cancel a game because you will finish higher in the District Standings via the RPI system= NO

Trick plays are part of football.  Fake spike is no different.  

22 hours ago, TheDeuce said:

That's a clownish take from the sportswriter... It's called gamesmanship. 

How is a fake spike any different from a play action pass?

I wonder how he feels about onside kicks and the head fake in basketball?

37 minutes ago, ATLCat said:

Faking a spike into the ground to take a deep shot for a big play= YES

Faking a spike in COVID cases or contact tracing to cancel a game because you will finish higher in the District Standings via the RPI system= NO