Reply To: Why did Lincoln Call that Punt Play?

[Java]

He’s got many more and that’s the point. You roll one out at a time and as you do, you give people a lot to have to think about.

remember also that the reason why most trick plays work is that defenses overcommit to one side or one area of the field. And a trick play exploits that usually by sending the ball to the least occupied area of the field and most likely pretty quickly

 

so one benefit of certain trick plays, or even trick places is a hole is that they force a defense to be honest they force a defense to cover the entire field and when you spread personnel out from sideline to sideline and From line of scrimmage to 25 yards deep it creates a lot of opportunities for one on one matchups. A lot of opportunities to find holes in the seams.

so it’s not just that you were holding trick players to wait for them to work. You were using them to send a message. You were forcing teams to spend preparation and practice time with the possibility of what you might do. And with the inability to predict  you. they are forced to keep their personnel spread out and stay at home, which makes it a lot easier for the offense to do their job