The NFL's Oldest And Greatest Trick Play

[@howamidriving27]

I love the flea flicker. It's such a silly, backyard play that is somehow super effective at the highest level

[@RubensBarrichello.]

The Halfback Draw is a "trick" play as well, but it is a staple in the game. Effectively the opposite of the Flea Flicker. The Statue of Liberty is just a draw play lol Now the Wildcat Jump Pass is the fusion of all of these plays 😂

[@paysonfox88]

My dog pulls off more flea flicker plays than any football team in history! He uses his tail, his teeth, his rolls, and his whining at me to flick them off!

[@brettrobinson2901]

Nothing "silly" about it...used correctly it is a terrific piece of offensive trickery...

[@17thN.O]

I have always loved the flea flicker too. It's underused.

[@poindextertunes]

I wouldn’t call it super effective at the highest level 😂

[@wompa70]

It's such a fun play. The announcers get so excited every time.

[@maxhatty]

True

[@JUnit41484]

As do I 😅 with my buddies you are required to yell "FLEA FLICKER!" anytime it happens.

[@williamk2803]

Everyone Besides Joe Buck 😂

[@17thN.O]

Buck probably thinks it's "low class"​. Hahahahha

[@thedistantprinceinyouremai6345]

I view the flea flicker as a more committed play action, the reason it works is because defenders have run responsibilities they are correct to get into once they hand that ball off. It will never cease to work

[@USALeonHeart]

Exact correct opinion. My comment was going to be about how play action is also a trick play that always works, and for the same reason.😅

[@neilknight2379]

I used to have Madden 2004 on Game Boy Advance. My entire offense was just running the flea flicker over and over.

[@YouCanChangeYourWorldToday]

Lol

[@jeremybrown9611]

😂😂

[@cornxx3]

Me with PA Skinny Post, with an occasional 4 Vert.

[@tychozzyx9439]

I did the same in Tecmo Super Bowl

[@MSWSB]

So much interesting content always ends when they hit 2020 and reminders of the dark ages. Never again.

[@ahoneybee823]

This is insane. I knew it was old, I didn't know it's almost as old as the league itself. Nearly 100 years later, it's by and large unchanged. It's a way that you can get even the most fundamentally sound safeties to hesitate just a little bit, and that can be all the difference you need to swing the matchup in your favor.

[@PaulGaither]

One does not see a flea-flicker live without shouting FLEA-FLICKER!

[@thisguy8106]

😂😂 so true

[@vspenceful]

The super bowl 3 play is not what you think. Orr looks wide open because of the "isolated camera" as it was called then. The QB, Morrall, had been the starter all year as Unitas was injured. He wasn't a stand in for the game. Also, when he gets the ball back he is around his own 35 yd line. Had he thrown to Orr the ball would have been 60yds in the air. There were 2 Jets defensive backs near the end zone looking up field. In an interview in the 80s Billy Baird said he wished Morrall had tried the pass because he was baiting him. He wanted the INT. The "isolated camera" shot made all players look wide open. Next time you see the play look at it with above in mind.

[@chrisadkins4480]

I was in the crowd for that 2008 cardinals one to Fitzgerald. Felt like such a special play. 2 weeks later, they did the same to the eagles in the nfc championship game where the runningback ran to his right acting like he would throw, and threw it back to Warner and he hit Fitz for a td. Kind of looked like the older fleaflickers.

[@panthersfly]

yooo i went to both of those games! will never forget it!

[@GuitarMatt]

Native DC area Redskins fan here who relocated to Phoenix decades ago. I remember people from the DC area calling to ask about the Cardinals during that incredible run with Kurt Warner. What a time for that team. I had a rooting interest in it. (I think there was a questionable call that might have cheated the Cardinals out of their due trophy then.)

[@donovandoud7646]

Really like this style video. Please make more documentary style videos!! - long time fan. Joe to pro!!

[@thisguy8106]

We had a Flea Flicker Sighting today and I instantly thought of this video

[@njebei]

A slight correction. You mention in 1986 the Jets used a flea flicker in the divisional round to 'go down to win vs the Browns in slugger double overtime'. The Browns won that game with a miracle comeback. They weren't so lucky the next week vs John Elway's and The Drive.

[@teo_heel]

CFL had their own flea flicker in the first game of the 2024 season. And it was a TD pass from Cody Fajardo to Tyson Philpot for 76 yards. Caught Blue Bombers by a complete surprise with that play.

[@justanother1797]

I don’t know why when he said “Joe Flacco of Broncos fame” had me laughing so hard. 😅

[@lucasmembrane4763]

Flea Flicker is a variation of the buck-lateral play of single-wing offenses from the 1920's to 1960's. In the single wing, the fullback and tailback would set up pretty much like they do in a T formation with 2 running backs, and the center would snap it to one or the other. The quarterback was usually a blocker, and would set up immediately behind one of the guards. The buck-lateral started with the fullback receiving the snap from the center and running forward toward the middle of the line, but he would slip the ball to the quarterback before crashing into the line, the quarterback might wait a second, then lateral the ball back to the faster tailback, who was starting to run a sweep around one of the ends. That was the basic flea-flicker sweep. Two passing variations were used to expand the possibilities for defensive confusion beyond human comprehension. In one, the quarterback would take the ball from the fullback and retreat to throw a pass. In the other, he would pitch it back to the tailback, and the tailback would throw the pass. These plays and many variations proliferated in high school and college football throughout the single-wing era.

[@natturnertv]

I thought Fritz Crisler developed the Buck Lateral series with Michigan from 1938 to 1947.

[@uc95nu51]

Now if there was a version for punting. Now that would give me an instant rod intensification engorgment. My lady would love that

[@IsaacPunts]

Definitely in the works

[@babydrippa]

Fake like ur going on 4th Down and have the QB punt it. Or fake the fake punt and have the FB lateral to the Punter.

[@goodmaro]

You know, I never heard of a buck lateral punt play, but no reason you wouldn't, so I wouldn't be surprised if it's been done.

[@WhoIsCthulhu]

@@babydrippa the first play you describe is actually similar to what's called a "pooch punt," jon bois described it in his video about the saddest punts in nfl history

[@babydrippa]

@@WhoIsCthulhu bout to go watch that vid

[@disht1]

I feel like having a great name is half the reason its so iconic. Flea Flicker is just too fun to say

[@ethanhawkins3391]

History of successful onside kicks next!!

[@lobsterhat6927]

Earl Morrall was the starting quarterback for the Colts during the Superbowl 3 season and was the NFL MVP that year. Unitas was hurt in the preseason and came in to the game in relief of Morrall.

[@andrewrice1174]

Bro your channel is popping off!!

[@powerpc127]

I paused the video at around 0:27 and came back to it. I damn near had a heart attack when I saw the score.

[@barleymepodcast2301]

Hell yes. Didn’t know I needed this, so glad to have it

[@BrooklynRedneck]

The amount of times I ran the flea flicker in NCAA / Madden and street football with success was insane 😂😂😂

[@donaldcampbell9219]

I’m glad you showed the Steelers playing the Cleveland Browns using this play. I grew up in Pittsburgh during the 60s and 70s and the play that you showed being thrown to Benny Cunningham in the end zone was in overtime.

[@protexroofing5939]

Bill Parcells as Cowboys head coach used it to perfection...Drew Bledsoe to The Late Great Terry Glenn was most beautiful & smooth flea flicker I've ever seen!!! Drew could sling the hell out of a pigskin & Terry Glenn had that track speed to get behind a defense...they were a hell of a Flea Flicker trio!!!

[@lustbubo4638]

Oh man, I got excited for a moment and thought I saw Terry at 1:16 R.I.P to a legend!🏈

[@Hoppyeditsstuff]

Thanks isaac really like this style of videos from u

[@UnderwaterAlexJones]

Tell me Hooked On Phonics didn't work for you without telling me.

[@nickdarr7328]

​@@UnderwaterAlexJonesI legit don't know the meaning this is trying to convey. Usually a few errors, or all errors, you can still guess but I'm stumped. It's the fw part I yhink

[@bongologist420]

12:20 "With the Browns throwing the worst flea flicker of this whole video" - to the surprise of no one whatsoever

[@andrewsellon3008]

(I’m a diehard Michigan fan) I love this play and get excited every time, but you should make another one for college bc I see it happen especially for Michigan in our recent success, and it’s always working, I even remember a fake, so please make a college one!

[@pinchevulpes]

Michigans flea flicker in the game against Bama was good too!

[@sulfurousstench]

These longer videos are great. Long love the flea flicker

[@Andrew-bd8dc]

The flea flicker Nick Foles threw in the 2018 NFC Championship is the most perfect throw I've ever seen

[@kravenofspider]

Nice video. You should do a vid on the half back pass next!

[@OreoShiChi]

All those Marino highlights remind me of 1981's "Epic in Miami" where the Dolphins pulled off a hook and ladder againt the Chargers. That style of trick play deserves a history too.

[@deejaysyn420]

i loved using the flea flicker on super tecmo bowl as a kid

[@markfortin3502]

Grogan to Hawthorne for the win against Miami 1985....my all time favorite flea-flicker-in-your-face-Miami play

[@logangaastra4679]

You should do the hook and ladder, or more generally a planned lateral past the line of scrimmage

[@KippinCollars]

It's always amazing when it works. It's always sad when it doesn't.

[@mesc681]

The outside throwback flea flicker is probably my favorite trick play. A lot of teams still run them, but thats the version of the flea flicker Im surprised hasnt made a huge yet. Its high risk yeah but of all the times Ive seen teams run that version of the play I only remember it getting blown up once.

[@MJ_Cub_Bear]

Greatest play in football, I always geek out for it.

[@WrathofDash]

That Moss one is one of my favorite memories of Vikings football.

[@tnteves]

Hands down best video you’ve done, please do more of these.

[@IsaacPunts]

I've got 3 up on the channel now! Really loving doing these

[@toastnjam7384]

I love exploring football history. Thanks, enjoyed the video.

[@Porthos240]

Someone that absolutely detest the flea flicker: Joe Theismann.

[@BoomMC_Inc]

Culpepper hands it to Robert Smith, he pitches it back, Culpepper throws it deep to the rookie. Touchdown RANDY MOSS!"

[@BoomMC_Inc]

Cunningham.. mhmm.. i was 10 at the time, not a perfect memory i guess.

[@Brian316G]

Possibly one of the best football plays ever invented. Play action is one thing but when you see the ball in the RB hands most everyone will then commit to the run. Yes DB should stay on their man but trained to follow the ball also. Actually shocked some of these were still pretty well defended. Of course in the pros all you need is a step,. which is why it's an all time play.

[@The_K-Dude]

5:22 who else heard Isaac's baby in the background?

[@tylercourtney6585]

I just laid my baby down and had to rewind it twice to make sure it wasn't mine lol

[@mrmoose6619]

I was going to mention I thought I heard Baby Punts...

[@kimberlyfrost7394]

I wished he had taken this video even further into NFL lore and gave some stats on success rate vs different variations, avg yards gained, completion success rate, etc, etc, etc

[@dboydixon1906]

Great video Isaac!

[@bwayne40004]

I remember watching the Jets play and there was an accidental flea flicker. The running back took the handoff from bad knees Joe Namath hit the line, was stopped cold. Running back rotated rearward and flipped the ball back to Joe. Who ran. For a loss. Even the announcer said that wasn't a very good long term plan to keep Namath standing on his own two knees.

[@PowerUpBeyond]

Remains relevant because of how i frequent it’s used / seen. I would attribute it to players being conditioned to expect a run after a handoff, thus making the fake effective

[@another_jt]

After watching this, I'm now convinced that a play-action pass is just a fake flea-flicker.

[@mesc681]

The poor mans flea flicker

[@patricksmith5282]

It was Eddie Hinton in Super Bowl 5 that caught the flea flicker, not John Mackey

[@shaunmyers3562]

My favorite football play.

[@YukonBloamie]

I would like to see the flea flicker get more incorporated into NFL offenses much like the jet sweep and sweep motion is now, or like the shovel pass/tap pass, or screen plays. I think it could be devastating in the arsenal of a run heavy team that runs a flea flicker like 3 or 4 times a game. I would die to see a perfectly executed jet sweep, shovel pass, screen play, flea flicker.

[@randallrigney420]

My all time favorite play.

[@Treegus]

Thanks for this vid !

[@IsaacPunts]

I’m glad you liked it!

[@GreeneryForTheScenery]

Makes me sad this isn’t in football video games anymore

[@davidkeister9221]

Love this video

[@overkill666100]

Cowboys ran that play so good with Bledsoe 😭

[@cliffwoodbury5319]

got one of these for the statue of liberty

[@Ghostcoast1]

The Cowboys dominating dynasty of the 80s? I think you might want to double check that...

[@AlaskanBallistics]

Great Video. I love my x's and o's

[@dug5426]

Love your video love football love the flea flicker

[@patbowlby2497]

In my back yard it was a double reverse to the chaise lounge and over the barbeque past the dog to your best friend,TOUCHDOWN!😊

[@HumanBeanbag]

It's one of the plays on SNES Tecmo Super Bowl.

[@andystreepy3146]

This was cool new subscriber!

[@Nick9Three]

Cannot wait for football season.

[@richardyoung871]

In this part of the video the reason for the flea flicker was to buy time and confuse the defense, but look at the phily special as a trick play but depends on the QB how he reads the defense got to be smart and call an auditable and you have to know the playbook

[@brianminsk8]

Love these videos but when you keep the same music looping it becomes torture.

[@derekbowbrick6233]

No longer Isaac punts, We now have Isaac plays.

[@SportEnjoyer-g3i]

Who’s here’s after the game winning flea flicker for Lions against the Chiefs

[@SaltyChip]

The Vikings in 98 and 99 had the funnest version since you knew it was going to Moss DEEP And he always outrun the CB and Safeties.

[@ewgrosslmao]

Flicker, but I barely even know'er

[@varishnakov]

I suggest putting those clips fullscreen unless there's some copyright detection reason for not doing so. It would make the video better.

[@FadkinsDiet]

Most of the clips are 4:3 and literally cannot be full screen without cropping. Plenty of them are NTSC so only 480i so cropping then makes the quality even worse.

[@varishnakov]

@@FadkinsDiet They can be fullscreen with bars on the sides but not on the top and bottom.

[@Zevonfan524]

Great video. Have a well earned like.

[@paulyguitary7651]

As a Skins fan I tense up every time I see a flea flicker.

[@evgrin1507]

Trying pull a flea flicker on LT is crazy.

[@maxhatty]

I like the fake flicker but I don't think it would gain more than 2 yards today. Such awareness nowadays. Great video. You're doing your research. Well done.

[@TBH_Inc]

I’d put my money on a Hail Mary being more famous.

[@bob8776]

Not only does this play have the best name in football it was also guaranteed to pick up a chunk of yardage in Troy Aikman Football on SNES. Only play you could go deeper with was the fake punt long

[@Floridaman1780_]

You missed the one where Tua hands it off, gets the ball back, has no one open, so throws it back to the guy he handed off to. I think it was Albert Wilson. Or maybe Lynn Boden. I think it may have actually been 3 passes, two laterals and a forward pass.

[@EddieDubs]

I was like "oh this looks interesting." After five seconds of this guy's narration, I'm clicking away. Can't do it.

[@yikes6969]

Aaawww wittle baby

[@martinalarcon3108]

I’m a traditional 😮😢my favorite ❤️ play is Vince Lombardi power sweep 😮😢 u know is coming but u can’t stop it 😮😢

[@NotForLongNFL]

Dope video!

[@DV1287]

11:37 That footage is from 2016 my guy. Week 14 vs Baltimore

[@IsaacPunts]

Huh, not sure how I got that one mixed up. Good catch

[@goodmaro]

I'm looking at your time line from the 1930s to the 1960s and am amazed that you neglected entirely the most common form of flea-flicker, the buck lateral pass play. I'm sure you can find many examples. The fullback takes the snap and runs into the line (the buck) while handing the ball to the quarterback who has turned around, and the quarterback then laterals it to the tailback (the lateral), who passes downfield (the pass). It's just one continuation of the buck lateral series, with its inside and outside threats.

[@rafa521NOLA]

This little tid-bit made my day. Thank you.

[@JonahModestoCalifornia]

5:24 I thought that was my son awake on the baby monitor 😆😅

[@pacificostudios]

Like all trick plays,, the Flea Flicker only works if by surprise. For example, a blitz will leave the QB buried in backfield. 3rd and 1 within field goal range is a good place for razzle-dazzle.

[@winns35]

Would be interesting to see the stat line for all flea flickers combined.

[@bradvitz2531]

Believe me all of HTTR nation knows it was a flea flicker that led to the most traumatic experience of my then 8 years of existence.

[@PunaSquirrel]

I like the flea flicker🤙🏼

[@anthonypinto9244]

When I think of Thee Flea Flick; I think of Brady in red hitting Moss for the TD

[@NascarRacingFan5]

The 2021 bears had a couple successful flea flickers too

[@francischristian1994]

Thank you for the philly love

[@BudSchnelker]

"From Flea Flickers to Human Flea Circus: the NFL Story"

[@LouBettino]

Everyone knows the Flea Flicker was invented by Ted “Teddy” Flea Tosser in 1908 in the famous Flicker Bowl known for the lights going out for three minutes in the third quarter where he pulled off the play but nobody saw it.

[@ryankassel5691]

Never realized the flea flicker was this prolific

[@phillipwombacher9635]

I have always said its the greatest play in football

[@johnliberty3647]

Joe Theismanns last play, fleaflicker with a HOF RB and sacked by a HOF ROLB. Oh yeah his leg kinda hurt after the play

[@Treegus]

12:30 the arm punt 😂

[@omarpop8706]

You should do a history of the "statue of liberty 🗽 " play