Trailing the New England Patriots 27-21 late in the third quarter, and facing a 4th & 3 from about their own 37, the Indianapolis Colts made the decision the run the worst fake punt, or whatever the hell this was, in NFL history.
The Colts lined up with wide receiver Griff Whalen acting as the center, with Colt Anderson, a reserve safety, playing "quarterback" behind him. The rest of the Colts were flanked out to their right, in a formation that looked like this:
It appeared as if the Colts were never supposed to snap the ball, as head coach Chuck Pagano could be seen yelling at Whalen "Why'd you snap it?" as he headed toward the sideline. Perhaps they were just trying to draw the Patriots offsides, or they were going to audile and then punt it or....honestly I have no idea.
But Whalen panicked and snapped it, and as you might expect, the two Patriots defenders standing in front of them tackled Anderson immediately for a turnover on downs. The Patriots took over, and scored a touchdown a few plays later. This is the definition of "overthinking" a play. It just so happens that it could go down as the worst play of all time.
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[Via Coley Mick]
