The Kansas City Chiefs and NFL.com just published the top three trick plays in franchise history. While Mark Bradley's toucdhown pass to Tyler Thigpen is a huge oversight, there was one trick play in there that I had totally forgotten.
The year was 1997 and the Chiefs were playing the Seahawks. Louie Aguiar lined up to punt the ball on fourth down. You can go to the video and watch the play but Aguiar takes the snap and throws it really high in the air down the field. The idea is that the Seahawks special teams players wouldn't recognize it was a pass and not a punt and Kevin Lockett would be able to jump up and catch it over the unsuspecting Seahawks players.
This Seattle Times story from November 24, 1997 explains more:
The Chiefs have had the fake-punt play in their playbook for years but have worked on it hard only in recent weeks. A Kansas City reporter had seen them practicing it last week but thought Aguiar was throwing instead of punting because the roof of the team's all-weather practice facility isn't very high.
The play is designed to give the illusion of a punt. The Chiefs hope the return man thinks it's a punt and gets out of the way to let the ball go into the end zone for a touchback. Lockett is supposed to swoop in and catch the ball before it hits the ground.
The play also can work if Lockett outmuscles the opponent for the ball. That's what happened yesterday.
"The key is to have a guy like Aguiar, because without Louie and his ability to throw it that way, you lose," Kansas City Coach Marty Schottenheimer said.
A trick play so good that even Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub has to be impressed.