A trick play from Bears coach Ben Johnson during Thursday night’s game against the Patriots ended up a total head-scratcher. It wasn’t just that it fell flat, but *how* it failed and what Coach Johnson had to say about it later that really makes you pause.
When a Trick Play Goes From Bold to Blatantly Illegal
The Bears were trying to make something happen. They were facing a second-and-three play from the New England eight yard line. Their quarterback, Caleb Williams, went for the razzle-dazzle. He totally faked out everyone, pretending with one hand to give the ball to running back D’Andre Swift. But with his other hand, Williams slyly slipped the ball to left guard Joe Thuney.
Sounds sneaky, right? Well, not sneaky enough. Thuney got tackled one yard short of the line to gain, and then the yellow flag flew. The call? An illegal forward handoff. Turns out, by rule, you can only make a forward handoff to an eligible receiver, and they have to be behind the line of scrimmage. A left guard like Thuney isn’t an eligible receiver in that situation.
The Coach’s Explanation Will Make Your Jaw Drop
You’d think a coach would know the basics of the rulebook, especially for a play they’ve been practicing. But Coach Johnson’s comments to reporters on Friday about the whole snafu are seriously wild. He said, and I quote, “It’s gotta be backwards, I mean, it’s simple as that.” That’s his 11-word summary, like it’s just some minor detail they missed.
Johnson went on to say they’d been practicing the play “for a while,” and that their “initial version” actually involved “putting it on the ground,” which he now thinks “might have been the way to go.” He chalked it up to “Shooters shoot. We shot. We missed.” It’s strange, to say the least, that Johnson didn’t seem to realize such a fundamental rule about who can receive a forward handoff. This wasn’t some obscure, rarely-called penalty. This was a clear violation that sunk their attempt to grab an easy first down, and maybe even a touchdown. You have to wonder what’s really happening in those practice sessions if a basic rule like that got overlooked.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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