The Complete History of the “Flea Flicker”

The Flea Flicker is a trick play that has a long and illustrious history, surrounding the most iconic moments in NFL History even if we don't recognize it.

[@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...

[@17thNO]

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 😂

[@17thNO]

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

[@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.

[@neilknight2379]

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

[@paulgaither]

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

[@BrooklynRedneck]

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

[@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

[@xxdrippinbaby2089]

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]

@@xxdrippinbaby2089 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

[@xxdrippinbaby2089]

@@WhoIsCthulhu bout to go watch that vid

[@donovandoud7646]

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

[@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.

[@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.)

[@barleymepodcast2301]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@Porthos240]

Someone that absolutely detest the flea flicker: Joe Theismann.

[@another_jt]

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

[@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!🏈

[@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.

[@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.

[@sulfurousstench]

These longer videos are great. Long love the flea flicker

[@disht1]

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

[@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...

[@kravenofspider]

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

[@deejaysyn420]

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

[@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.

[@KippinCollars]

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

[@overkill666100]

Cowboys ran that play so good with Bledsoe 😭

[@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

[@logangaastra4679]

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

[@toastnjam7384]

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

[@davidkeister9221]

Love this video

[@bfrog2010]

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

[@derekbowbrick6233]

No longer Isaac punts, We now have Isaac plays.

[@dboydixon1906]

Great video Isaac!

[@marcuswilliams1165]

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

[@andystreepy3146]

This was cool new subscriber!

[@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

[@NotForLongNFL]

Dope video!

[@markfortin3502]

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

[@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.

[@dug5426]

Love your video love football love the flea flicker

[@justanother1797]

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

[@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

[@patricksmith5282]

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

[@Zevonfan524]

Great video. Have a well earned like.

[@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.

[@EddieDubs]

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

[@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.

[@shaunmyers3562]

My favorite football play.

[@randallrigney420]

My all time favorite play.

[@pinchevulpes]

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

[@AlaskanBallistics]

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

[@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

[@Nick9Three]

Cannot wait for football season.

[@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.

[@ethanhawkins3391]

History of successful onside kicks next!!

[@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.

[@cliffwoodbury5319]

got one of these for the statue of liberty

[@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.

[@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!😊

[@paulyguitary7651]

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

[@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

[@HumanBeanbag]

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

[@winns35]

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

[@omarpop8706]

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

[@richard6381]

First thought after starting to watch this video: Be sure to avert the eyes when you see Taylor going after Theismann.

[@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

[@francischristian1994]

Thank you for the philly love

[@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.

[@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.

[@bowiz2]

I really like the doco videos, but you've got to use the whole screen, showing most of your footage in a tiny box with the old TV static effects really reduces the production quality. It's a little 2012 youtube 😅

[@IsaacPunts]

but I like the 2012 KZbin aesthetic. Also I need to dodge copyright bs

[@bowiz2]

@@IsaacPunts so I think what you're making constitutes fair use, so you shouldn't have an issue, but obviously asthetic is up to you :)

[@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.

[@mikal4452]

I really wonder why the play hasn't been used more. The success rate is pretty good.

[@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.

[@jacobroebuck5648]

What is completion rating for Flea Flicker?

[@IsaacPunts]

Gotta be in the 90's

[@martinalarcon3108]

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

[@krenbenz6991]

1 flea flicker per game should always work

[@anthonypinto9244]

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

[@GreeneryForTheScenery]

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

[@kevansmith5511]

nice

[@Visionary_Watcher]

When a flea flicker is ran, can we just get the play by play guy on the broadcast to yell, "Flea Flicker! Flea Flicker! Flea Flicker!" in triplicate while the play is happening?

[@kevinhart8339]

Eventually, all skill players will be able to throw and the game will change... imagine Lamar Jackson at QB, RB and WR all at the same time. Opens the door for thousands of new plays

[@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

[@ryankassel5691]

Never realized the flea flicker was this prolific

[@sebaufiend]

Goddamn the chiefs were victims of that play a lot. At least we finally defended one properly in that steelers game.

[@cclayton1917]

arm punt lol!

[@TheBeefSlayer]

Chicken little flea flicker on three! The sky is falling!!!!! The sky is falling !!!!!!! Look its down here!!!!!

[@supaflyyowen]

If the reverse flea flicker isn’t in college football 25 I don’t want it

[@muenstercheese]

LONGFORM PUNTZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

[@butter7734]

Where did the name flea flicker come from?

[@jjw56]

Why didn’t morral see Jimmy Orr? If you look back another 9 seasons where earl morral was qb for the lions against the colts in Baltimore. It came down to the last play. Lions had the ball, all their receivers ran towards the end zone and what did morral do? He threw underneath to a wide open receiver maybe a tight end who easily walked in the end zone. In superbowl 3, I believe morral was attempting the same thing and just out smarted himself or simply over thunk the play

[@Mayo_Mane]

Damn. No love for Jason Campbell to Josh Gordon vs KC in 2013?

[@andrewhall7930]

I think the Hail Mary is the most iconic. The FF is 2

[@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.

[@antimathman]

If the first one of these in the NFL happened in the 1933 championship game then, surely, the first instance of this "hook and ladder" play mentioned in the Giants VS Eagles game the week before should be considered the first instance of the play? It even looks to be highlighted in the text at the bottom at 2:32.

[@Wonderboy46Z]

Pretty sure the most famous play in pro football is “the forward pass.” Just got a sneaky feeling that something that’s done about 65-70 times per game is far more famous than something done on rare occasion. Could be “the hand off” is more famous, but thinking “the flea flicker” is not more famous.

[@yikes6969]

Well the forward pass isnt an actual specific play so that doesn't really work

[@goodmaro]

This coach at kzbin.info/www/bejne/oGa1lGWimJepraM breaks down the buck lateral series. Game film of buck lateral passes begins at 8:42 . Unlike how the flea flicker is treated today, the buck lateral pass was not considered a trick play, but an integral part of the offense. I was just looking at a KZbin of U. Mich. vs. Michigan St. about 1949, and each of those teams in that game called buck lateral pass more than once.

[@MickMackSauce]

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

[@ericgoldfarb4870]

How bout statue of liberty play

[@dr.awkward9075]

Yeah, but what does it have to do with flicking fleas?