The tight end leak concept is one of the most devastating pass plays in the modern NFL canon. This is largely because of the repopularization of the Mike Shanahan and Alex Gibbs run scheme, which includes a hefty diet of hard, downhill running to the outside. On most variations of the leak concept, a tight end is blocking “down,” or toward the direction of the running play. The tight end then emerges as a pass catcher, running what appears to be a low “drag” style route close to the line of scrimmage before drifting vertically once the linebacker or safety assigned to the tight end has committed to the shallow route. 

This is a fun play with lots of potential to hang various bells and whistles off it. Here’s the University of Texas running a myriad of misdirections that totally scramble Iowa State’s front, unwrapping this defense like a Christmas present. 

Here’s a version run by Chip Kelly at UCLA, which has a hard, downhill blocking look to one side and a fake handoff to the other, which conflicts the linebackers to the point where they don’t even notice the leak at all. 

Here’s a third just for giggles, back when Arthur Smith had a mauling offense with the Tennessee Titans and a still in-prime Derrick Henry, which made this play particularly unfair to a defense that had to sell out so aggressively just to try to slow down the Titans’ running back. On this version, Jonnu Smith didn’t leak across the formation so much as he delayed his route until it was clear the defense was compromised.  

Thanks to Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, we now have the greatest variation yet: the fake stumble tight end leak, known as “stumble bum,” which led to a 21-yard touchdown by Sam LaPorta with 12:18 to go in the third quarter against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.  

No team in the NFL runs to its left tackle more than the Lions, according to NFLGSIS data. So, the play began with built-in deception—a handoff to the left. While the Lions are not as rush-heavy on first downs as other teams, they still hand the ball off on first-and-10 about 36% of the time. This is a long way of saying that Chicago bought it wholeheartedly, with all but three defenders completely sold on rush action based on the movement of the offensive line alone. 

But the flourish here is a bit of play acting from both Jared Goff and Jahmyr Gibbs that is so unfathomable it took us a minute to realize that this was not simply a matter of sloppy turf or the wrong cleat selection. Johnson and the Lions were simply messing with the rest of the NFL again, showcasing a precision and talent level that allows them to skip and hop around the ring like a young Muhammad Ali.

Right off the snap, Goff immediately began to fall toward the turf. Gibbs also began to flop at the turf, though the giveaway that he was faking the fall comes in the fact that he put both hands down on the grass first and then immediately rolled to his side. This posture is intimately familiar to any parent whose toddler has asked them to play Ring Around the Rosie over and over again on a hardwood floor. Incredibly, he got back up in time to assist in pass protection, which may be my favorite part of the whole design. 

The defense was sucked into the strangeness of it all, especially—and most notably—safety Jonathan Owens. Owens started the play at linebacker depth on the side to which the fake running play was supposed to take place. His eyes remained in the backfield (likely due in part to the strange tandem falls) until the critical moment when LaPorta crossed his face and began the vertical ascent. Owens’s hips and head snapped violently when it was clear that the 6'3" tight end with 4.5 40-yard dash speed began to make a push toward the end zone. With two route concepts taking place on the opposite side of the field holding off the remainder of the Bears’ secondary, Chicago’s defenders were, once again, helpless in their collective efforts to avoid a high-profile passing play that will expose a lack of awareness in some way, shape or form (at least everyone was actually looking at the play this time?). 

This season, Johnson has called touchdown passes to Penei Sewell, a flea-flicker that worked off a toss followed by a reverse, a shotgun handoff to David Montgomery that turned into a sprint pass to Kalif Raymond, and a hook and ladder against the Arizona Cardinals that was so beautiful it appeared to be need two players moving as one.

However, there are two significant notes around Sunday’s play that make it quite possibly the best one in Johnson’s increasingly large portfolio.

• One, it took place against the Bears, a team that has a head coaching vacancy. We know that a team’s affinity for a prospective coach can often start from a thorough you-know-what kicking at the hands of said coach. (Think about Mike Macdonald against the Seattle Seahawks when he was defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens.) The Bears and, very likely, the Jacksonville Jaguars, will offer the two most attractive openings in the NFL, and this felt like a coach saying: I’m so good I can fake screwing a play up.

• Two, it took place at a time of incredible ineptitude across the NFL. Sloppiness is at epidemic levels (in fact, Johnson reportedly picked up on the concept by watching another quarterback fumble during the operation of a similar play and likely picked up on how the defenders reacted). The Lions are so dialed in that, a few weeks after their entire library of terminology was accidentally leaked on social media, after Montgomery was lost for the season, after they endured a desperate-looking loss to a Buffalo Bills team that could barely practice the week before, they pulled out a play with reverse 4.5 somersaults difficulty level. The Atlanta Falcons switched quarterbacks this week, in part, because theirs couldn’t even reach the running back on dynamic stretch running plays. Last month, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fumbled on a running play and no one even noticed. 

The Lions, meanwhile, are coordinating backfield pratfalls. This is like watching Japan versus Australia in the Olympic breakdancing championship. One side is altering your perception of what is possible within the confines of the rules. Another is simply trying not to vomit on their own shoes. 

While it remains to be seen whether Johnson will be a great head coach, his creativity is undeniable. Certainly, the Bears took notice once again Sunday. The question is how many other teams saw this and decided that they’ll do whatever it takes to have this level of entertainment any given week. 


This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Lions’ Fake Stumble Touchdown Is Ben Johnson’s Most Impressive Trick Play Yet.

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