Saints coach Sean Payton is giving credit where it's due after his team borrowed an electrifying trick play that went for a touchdown from a vanquished opponent.
Payton this week conceded his Saints incorporated a double-reverse pass into their offensive playbook for their playoff game against the Tampa Bay Bucs -- after they were very nearly victimized by the same play at the hands of the Chicago Bears only a week earlier in the Wild Card round.
Payton, during a recent radio appearance, said he even reached out to Bears coach Matt Nagy to thank him for the blueprint.
“The next day I texted Matt, and said ‘I appreciate that play,’ and everyone got their credit,” Payton told ESPN 1000, according to Yahoo Sports. “That had zero to do with us, and was Chicago’s design.”
On the play, the quarterback lines up at wide receiver, and takes the second of two laterals in the backfield before unleashing a long toss to a streaking wide receiver.
The basic idea is to trick the defense into thinking it's looking at a run play.
Unfortunately for Nagy and the Bears, the original version of the play ended in an incomplete pass when Chicago wide receiver Javon Wims dropped a nice throw from Mitch Trubisky in the end zone, resulting in a missed scoring opportunity.
The Saints executed their trickery to near perfection, with Jameis Winston connecting with Tre'Quan Smith for a 56-yard touchdown strike.
Payton, long touted as one of the game's most innovative offensive minds, said he appreciated the creativity of Nagy's design as soon as he saw it.
“Honestly, I had never seen it before,” Payton said. “I remember seeing the play live, because when Chicago broke the huddle, Trubisky was right in front of me on our sideline. You know you’re getting a wildcat play, but generally speaking, you’re close to the line of scrimmage, and Mitch was about three yards deeper than normal.
"There was the timing, the snap, the motion, the handoff, and then back to the quarterback. At that moment, you’re like ‘ugh.’ Honestly, it was a magnificent throw.”
Payton and his staff initially conceived of tweaking the play slightly when they installed it into their game plan, he said, but ultimately they stuck with the original design.
“We said no, just show our players this picture.”
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