Projo Pats Blog

BY JIM DONALDSON
Journal Sports Writer

SAN FRANCISCO -- First, I must quote an item in Monday's San Francisco Chronicle:

"The NFL is a copycat league and already teams are mimicking the Dolphins' 'Wildcat' offense featuring direct shotgun snaps to running back Ronnie Brown. Miami ran 11 times in Sunday's 17-10 upset win over the visiting Chargers, resulting in 49 yards, five first downs and a touchdown. The Dolphins used it six times in Week 3's victory over the Patriots.

"That inspired New England coach Bill Belichick to use the direct snap to running back Kevin Faulk on a third-quarter TD at Candlestick on Sunday."

Um, not really.

The Patriots have been using that play -- a direct snap to a running back, during which the quarterback throws his hands into the air as if he's missed the ball coming back to him -- for years, going back to the days when Charlie Weis, now in his fourth season at Notre Dame, was the offensive coordinator.

In fact it was the same Kevin Faulk, who ran for two touchdowns against the Niners, who twice scored crucial two-point conversions, running that same play, in the playoffs for the Patriots.

The first was in Super Bowl XXXVIII against Carolina, in Houston, when he took a direct snap into the end zone to give New England a 7-point lead, 29-22, with just 2:51 remaining. That proved crucial, because the Panthers tied the score at 29-29. But the Pats pulled it out on a field goal by Adam Vinatieri in the final seconds.

Faulk also scored on that play against the Chargers in San Diego in the 2006 AFC semifinal game. His run tied the game at 21-21 with five minutes to go, and the Patriots wound up winning, 24-21.

So, we ask -- who's copying whom?

Comments

steve h said:

I believe that Faulk also took the direct snap for a 2-pt conversion in the AFC Championship loss to Indy a few years back

Link | October 7, 2008 2:59 PM
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