Columnist Ron Kantowski: No Fun League redux

Thursday, Dec. 13, 2001 | 9:49 a.m.

Ron Kantowski's column appears Thursday. Reach him at ron@lasvegassun.com or 259-4088.

It was only six weeks ago that this writer, who had sworn off the NFL because in his estimation, it had become too stuffy and predictable, was thinking about rediscovering the pro game.

Until recently, I believed that if there were to be another "Wizard of Oz" sequel, and they added an additional character to stroll down the Yellow Brick Road, it would be an NFL coach, in search of Imagination.

But then the Rams' Mike Martz showed he was no Cowardly Lion when it came to offensive sleight of hand. First St. Louis ran a triple-option right out of the old Oklahoma playbook -- only Martz did it with a wide receiver instead of the quarterback, who then lateraled the ball to a trailing back some 20 yards beyond the line of scrimmage.

U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts, R-Okla., and Billy Sims would have been impressed.

A little later in the same game, the Rams scored on a direct snap to running back Trung Canidate, while the Jets' defense was still trying to figure out what day of the week it was.

That was the same weekend Patriots wide receiver David Patten became the first man in 22 years to run, pass and catch a TD in an NFL game, and 275-pound Steelers running back Jerome Bettis tossed a 32-yard TD pass. "A (very) fullback option pass" is the way I described it.

"It's hard to say how long these immaculate deceptions will remain in vogue," I wrote on Oct. 25. "But for one weekend, at least, it was nice to see the game trade in its navy blue suit for one of Doc Severinsen's blazers."

Well, to nobody's surprise, the blue suit is coming back. Along with the brown wingtips.

According to an ESPN report, football and Three Stooges fans who have come to appreciate these acts of trickeration had better enjoy them while they last. Because it's more than likely they will be deemed illegal when the rules makers get together during the off-season.

According to ESPN.com's John Clayton, the league also will be reviewing the fake-spike play that Colts' QB Peyton Manning ran in for an apparent TD against the Saints. I say apparent, because the officials were more unsuspecting than the New Orleans defense. Manning's acting was so good that the play was mistakenly blown dead.

The NFL (No Fun League) apparently believes there's no place for thespians -- I said "thespians" -- between the lines, discounting, of course, every wide receiver who fails to come up with a reception on 3rd-and-long and acts as if he were held.

The reasons given for abolishing the trick plays? One, unsuspecting defensive players could be injured. Two, the plays are intentionally designed to deceive the defense.

Isn't that the idea? (Not the injuries, but the deception).

Maybe if you played the Lions every week, you could just run the fullback into the middle of the line a la Woody Hayes and count the dust clouds.

But sometimes the guys on the other side of the line are as big and as strong as yours. That's why there are draw plays and reverses and fake field goals-- plays specifically designed to deceive the defense.

Those of us who still turn to football for entertainment can only hope that the NFL's threat to eliminate these gadget plays is nothing more than a play-action fake designed to freeze armchair quarterbacks.

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