Trickery, or mere tomfoolery?
If you look up "bush league" in the dictionary, we're pretty sure you'll find this photo next to it.
Come on, Judge Doom. You're up by 23 points with four minutes left in the game, against a team that's playing without its starting quarterback or its top two receivers, after you've been humiliated in your previous two games...and you run a fake field goal?
We'd say something about karma coming back to bite Tom Higgins in the ass, but we seem to recall making a similar prediction last year about Wally Buono and karma apparently slept through November. So let's be a little more practical about this.
Suppose it's the fourth quarter of next week's game against the Lions, and you're down by five points with a few minutes left. It's third and long, and you line up for a field goal that would cut the lead. Instead, you run a fake, hoping to take the lead. Except due to a magical invention called "game film," the Lions are expecting it. So instead of razzle dazzle, you just get splattered. But hey...at least you showed that non-divisional rival who's boss, at least when said non-divisional rival is playing with its third-string quarterback and no receivers.
A-Rad
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Reader Comments (7)
Quite frankly though, I fail to understand why they would waste the fake in that siutation, unless they wanted to prove it was a legal play (They ran the same thing last year, but it was called back because of an illegal receiver downfield).
With regards to the 2005 game, I'm assuming that the Stamps are referring to the one at the Argodome where the Argos were up by 2. Calgary missed a FG and Bashir returned it for a touchdown with around 20 or so seconds left. It wasn't a smart play (should have just given up the single and taken a knee a couple of times), but was it maliciously? No.
As for the game earlier this year, in the fourth quarter, the Argos ran 5 running plays and 6 passing plays. One of those running plays was an Andre Durie TD. Two of those passing plays were Mike McMahon interceptions. Calgary should be thankful they threw the ball a few times.
And as Pete mentions it fails to account for why they would give away the fake FG play in an already decided game. Terrible decision by Judge Doom.
Like Rusty, I find the explanation irritating. I heard the same thing from other teams the Argos have beaten badly the last couple of years.... throwing the ball with a big lead is poor sportsmanship. In every case that Pinball does this, it is with his BACKUP QB.
If the backup is in, Pinball owes it to him to show what he can do. If he leaves the starter in for whatever reason, then yeah, lighten up with a big lead. But give the backup a chance to prove himself. The coach's priority is to his players more than to soothe the other team's feelings.
Throwing with a big lead is a lot different than trying a trick play with a big lead. But either way, the Stamps were going to win at that point so I was happy to see them give motivation to Pinball next year, especially at McMahon where they've struggled in recent years. And who knows?...payback might even come this year either in the Grey Cup or earlier due to a crossover. But I also think this will be an added kick in the butt that the Argos need for some motivation for their upcoming game against the Als, too.
Despite what he may say publicly, this pissed off Pinball, and that's just something you don't want to do!
Like i said in bluto's Argonaut Diaries (featured weekly on Argofans.com)...i hope that the coach responsible for calling for the fake gets herpes.