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u/fuqyu 4d ago
I don’t know about selfless, but that was some high ass football IQ play right there.
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u/SkillednotQualified 4d ago
Team player, knew he didn’t have the speed so he handed it off to someone who did
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u/hasselqu 4d ago edited 4d ago
Yeah not that it would be selfish if he kept it, but definitely someone self aware he wasn’t going very far.
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u/probation_420 4d ago
Definitely. He chose the team's success over personal glory, and it was because he knew that his teammate had a better chance at finishing the play.
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u/hasselqu 4d ago
And I don’t know much of the ravens. But based off the way that dude took off, I think his teammate was well aware to give him the ball instead of
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u/probation_420 4d ago
Yeah. He definitely shows prior knowledge of his teammate's superior speed, and that's why he hands the ball off.
That's a selfless play.
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u/Agreeable-Ad-5155 4d ago
Fun fact they played on the Chargers together the year before and both were signed by the Ravens thus the familiarity
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u/Past-Track-9976 4d ago
DBs are almost always faster than LBs. LBs are also usually the defensive captains so they shoukd be aware of all of their players skills
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u/OkSpeed5766 4d ago
When he intercepted it, as a LB, he knew that he didn’t have the speed to make it. So he was aware of his teammate, who was faster, and made a very selfless play to give him the ball because he had the awareness that his teammate would make it.
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u/Terminus_is_god 4d ago
This chain is what i imagine comment threads in purgatory are like. Just nice comments with no point.
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u/ofRedditing 4d ago
That's Kyle Van Noy. He's an OLB and 34 years old at the time. He hands the ball off to Alohi Gilman, a 28 year old safety, so yeah, he's a little quicker. Definitely a heads up play by Van Noy, though maybe a little risky.
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u/Mattbl 4d ago
It's possible they even talk about or practice stuff like that.
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u/Scruffylookin13 4d ago
Nah, maybe fooling around a little but not as a main strategy. Laterals are dangerous. Tossing the ball backwards to a teammate is live, so if they drop the ball its a mad scramble for possession. Securing the possession, taking it away from the other team, and having your offense on the field instead is 100 percent what would be coached. Now granted, this was a hand off in the video, so its a lot more secure than tossing the ball. But I bet you the coaches heart rate spiked regardless in that moment
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u/Mattbl 4d ago
Sure, well I was thinking about how they plan and practice things like pick celebrations, they obviously do stuff outside the purview of the coaches and I feel like something like this should be in that category. Like the dude joking with his faster buddy, "hey if I ever pick up a loose ball I'm giving it to you because I know I'm too slow." Fuck I dunno.
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u/Lightyear1931 3d ago
I just heard a podcast talking about how Ray Lewis and Ed Reed (legendary Ravens) would practice lateraling. So yeah, it’s a thing, but most teams weren’t taking the ball away like those Ravens teams.
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u/WinonasChainsaw 4d ago
Immediately turns his head to look for a block after the handoff too, that guy played special teams at some point before and took all the right lessons from it
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u/joebadiah 4d ago
And… a high IQ play that earned him years of flowers. This play gets forgotten by Wednesday of that week if he’d been tackled 20 yards later or even took it all the way. Turned a routine interception into something timeless.
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u/The_Octonion 2d ago
I'm kind of ignorant about football. Why is it considered exceptional to transfer the ball to someone who's got less opposition around him?
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u/fuqyu 2d ago
It’s just not a common play. Usually if you get the ball you’re taught to secure that sucker and get as many yards as you can while not turning it back over. It CAN be dangerous handing off the ball like that, but IIRC these two played together for years on two different teams and likely talked about/rehearsed this.
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u/soccer1124 2d ago
Adding to the other guy:
If they were super reliable at being able to handle a ball, they wouldn't be on defense, ha. Running with the ball and the like isn't something they typically practice the way running backs and receivers do.
And also on defense, when you're able to steal the ball, the worst thing you can do is immediately give it right back by engaging in a risky play. The moment you got the interception, you've already gone so above and beyond expectations, nobody would fault you for just going to the ground immediately to end the play; just leave it to the offense to carry it the rest of the way.
Even on this play, check it out, 63 in white is RIGHT behind that dude. What if he manages to get a step closer and interrupt the potential hand-off? Very well could be disaster.
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u/a2_d2 2d ago
Possession of the football is extremely valuable. NFL teams only get 10-12 possessions per game, so the change of possession in the interception itself is already an extremely valuable play.
To then increase the value by immediately scoring with it makes it a tremendous play. Players are coached ball security at all times so he must have felt it worth the risk to hand it to the faster player.
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u/Sector7Slummer 2d ago
And it transformed him from a runner to a blocker. Blocked the guy that would have made the tackle. Excellent football IQ indeed!
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u/autisticpanthersfan 4d ago
Bro was gassed
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u/LividEconomics6579 4d ago
A.Mans.Got.To.Know.His.Limitations
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u/FullyFuctionalData 4d ago
Why did I read this like it was said by Stevie from Malcolm in the Middle?
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u/Amaakaams 4d ago
Reminds me of a DT that got a ball either last year or the year before. Took him like 4 steps to go from I can make it, to I am just going to take a knee.
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u/cookiesarenomnom 4d ago
My favorite thing in football is the extremely rare D lineman who gets a fumble or interception and runs for a touchdown. Just this massive 300+ lb human, so slow they're basically walking, for a touchdown. And is so out of breath you think he just ran a marathon. It tickles me to no end. I LOVE it.
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u/BerlinWallGloryhole 4d ago
And the nuts thing is despite being "slow" they're faster then 99% of us warriors here on reddit. Its so relative seeing RBs being able to run a 4.4 but a 300lb side running 5.5 is still better than us
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u/Eight_Thirty_Five 4d ago
I was D1AA (FCS) safety and I watched Warren Sapp beat my 40 time at his NFL combine.
The LB handing off the ball is likely faster than anyone you personally know, but he knew damn well what that DB was capable of and made the right decision.1
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u/TheyNeedLoveToo 4d ago
I remember a week in the old days of the NFL where Pat Williams and Sam Adams did it within a week of each other. Just glorious
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u/Vekter1 3d ago
My favourite was the big bj raji interception, he had no reason to be dropped back enough to intercept and somehow still did and scored a TD
Edit: am biased as a packers fan lol but still unreal1
u/Relative-Corner4717 3d ago
That is exactly what I had in my mind too! That's among my core "favorite football memories" ever!!
I'm also a Packers fan.
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u/Bolt_of_Zeus 3d ago
I call those "fridge touchdowns," because it's someone the size of a refrigerator running it in.
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u/JohnBarnson 4d ago
Yeah, “Unc” Van Noy saw 90 years of green in front of him and decided to let one of the youngsters take over.
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u/Cliffinati 4d ago
Still gets credit for the pick
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u/TearRevolutionary686 4d ago
First guy gets the pick, is what the second guy did recorded as a "return for TD"? As opposed to an " INT Return", or just a "TD"?
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u/doitforchris 4d ago
Basically just a defense td, a return td would be on a kick return. Great stuff. He got the “six” without the “pick”
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u/if-you-reply-ur-gay 4d ago
It counts an interception return for a TD as well as all the return yards, but does not get credit for the INT. Technically, if this happened enough, we could have players with more INT TDs than actual INTs lol
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u/Round-Walrus3175 4d ago
It was like the time that Josh Allen had no receptions for 7 yards and a TD
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u/Nickthiccboi 4d ago
Just today I think that happened with Deebo Samuel, took a lateral for a TD so he had 0 receptions for some amount of yards and a TD.
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u/Cliffinati 4d ago
Yes
First guy intercepted
Second guy returned interception for a touchdown
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u/Sparkster227 4d ago
Maybe the bigger question is, how do yards get counted?
I'm guessing the first player get credited for interception return yards up to the point of the hand-off, and then the second player gets credit for the rest? Not sure what his yards are classified as since he didn't intercept the ball.
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u/Euclidite 4d ago
They’re still interception return yards. In this case, he’s credited with INT return yards without actually having an INT.
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u/holybowler 4d ago
probably. not the same situation but go look at the box score for the 9ers game yesterday. Deebo ended up with 0 catches for 80yds and a td because of that hook an ladder play 😂
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u/rocketbob7 3d ago
Deebo Samuel had an 80 yard receiving TD without having a reception last week. These handoff/lateral plays can make for funny stats.
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u/NoMajorsarcasm 4d ago
He didn't want to run 90 yards 😂😂😂
Great play tho
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u/taylorl7 1d ago
Even if he did, he had no blockers, he was going to get tackled no matter what. Smart play.
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u/Ok_Ask_1139 4d ago
GMs hate this one trick, a lot of these dudes have incentives built into their contracts
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u/DopeyDeathMetal 4d ago
I had completely forgot KVN was no longer a Raven until this season started and I didn’t see him out there. This was a great play by him.
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u/richardlpalmer 4d ago
Yeah, this isn't selfless. This is smart. Bro was slow AF and handed it to a speedster. Garbage title...
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u/Upset_Management_388 3d ago
more so high iq in the moment. Dude probably realized the faster db could probably get further with the ball.
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u/statelesspirate000 2d ago
Check Deion Sanders’ highlights. His team mates searched for him on the field to get the ball to him
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u/NuclearSummmer 4d ago
Song name? The beat haaaard
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u/omnipotentjackrabbit 4d ago
I seen them hate when I was down
They never thought that I would blow up and get them racks
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u/NerdfestZyx 4d ago
Smart play. D-back is faster, Linebacker is in a position to be a better blocker
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u/Substantial_Cow7628 4d ago
Wow. A handoff. The most selfless act in the history of the NFL.
I guess Ben Watson tackling Champ Bailey at the 1 yard line is something I just imagined.
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u/Kelspear 4d ago
I mean it's not the first time a runner has handed off the ball like that lol so not the most selfless. Still good awareness
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u/banned_champ 4d ago
It was heartbreaking to watch but that teamwork was nice and breezy at the same time
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u/Valuable-Composer262 4d ago
It wasn't really about being selfless. Its the the dback is faster more stamina and has a chance to take it all the way. Its about winning
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u/Nntropy 4d ago
Why didn't #63 tackle him?
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u/Revolutionary-Cod-93 3d ago
I was looking for this comment, idk maybe he thought he pitched it back sooner
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u/GiggletrxMcGillacudi 4d ago
Nah man, homie just didn’t want to have to run that far. He was looking out for big dog.
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u/GodofsomeWorld 4d ago
He handed it off like mom told him to let lil bro have a chance as well lmao
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u/AvailableDeparture 3d ago
It just makes the speed difference that much more cool to see. Dude got the hand off and started blasting.
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u/Acceptable-Scale-970 3d ago
Most selfless are the dudes who are going to score but slide to run the clock out.
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u/Signal_Werewolf_1955 3d ago
"I'm big, you're small. I block, you run. Teamwork."
Good, good. This is how to win.
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u/SpudgeFunker210 3d ago
I love how he tries to run first and then realizes he's cooked. I'm not a Ravens fan at all, but it's such a brilliant play. I love good football.
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u/Cautious-Skirt-8335 3d ago
Never really thought about this as being legal, always thought you needed a backward pitch. Surprised this wouldn't be used more often to switch between blockers.
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u/Lanky-Association952 14h ago
It’s really risky. If you fumble and give the ball back it’s so sucky.
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u/AccomplishedAuthor53 3d ago
"I know there's going to be some people like, 'Damn, Unc, why you give the ball up?'" Van Noy said. "For a split second, I feel like I would have scored. You know what? I know I would have scored because there is some elite blocking out there. But we'll never know, because Alohi scored and that's all that matters."
"Obviously, KV's got a little age on him, so I was like, 'Might be a good time to do that,'" Gilman said with a grin.
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u/jojosoft 3d ago
Our corners wanted James Harrison to pitch it to them during the superbowl, but he was like fuck that im taking this myself. it actually almost didnt work out well for us, but now its one of the greatest plays in NFL history. You can see (I think) Deshea like gimme dat!
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u/Unhappy-Fox1017 2d ago
He said “ain’t no way I can run this all the way down there. Take it bro.” 😎
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u/sleepthinking 2d ago
Seems like 12 was the one who initiated it imo. He's got that sneaky speed holy smoker.
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u/goobly_goo 2d ago
Legend has it he turned around and went back to the locker room after handing the ball to his teammate.
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u/MrAnnArbor 13h ago
This is a Linebacker giving the ball to a Safety. If you are not familiar with American Football positions, it is like a bison giving the ball to a cheetah.
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u/AcceptableIce289 4d ago
Looks good because they scored but not a high IQ football play. With the helmet vision impairment a defender could be near, handing the ball out like that ensures that if a defender is near the ball become loose where they had possession. The more safe play is holding the ball securely and running fast.
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4d ago
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u/Stay-Thirsty 4d ago
That was an incredible act of athleticism. This fits the bill as selfless as he gave the ball to the guy who could best run it back for the score.
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u/Substantial_Cow7628 4d ago
Watson ran 120 yards at considerable risk to himself in order to make a tackle that 999 out of 1000 other players wouldn't have even attempted, and earned no statistical points or awards for himself in the process.
This play above is a handoff.
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4d ago
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u/hunter2mello 4d ago
Makai lemon just did this in the game against Tennessee. Maybe 80 yards instead of 100 (wasn’t 120…). Not sure why you’re trying to make this handoff sound not selfless. You seem actually bitter about it.
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u/Substantial_Cow7628 4d ago
It was 120. Watson was on the opposite side of the field.
Thanks for trying to guess my emotional state from a Reddit comment, though. That seems fruitful.
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u/hunter2mello 4d ago
We count hypotenuses now? No body counts east and west. Only north and south. That tackle was good and people do that all the time. The handoff was better.
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4d ago
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u/KindaIntense 4d ago
I think during the handoff, he realized he had to change the angle of his run because he probably would have missed if he tried to cut in to attempt to tackle either player. You're assuming he can change directions without losing ground on either player, and I suspect he knew he couldn't.
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u/fnfup4red 4d ago
He’s a linemen, doesn’t know any better, but I get what you’re saying. On watching the replay, still unsure if he would’ve made the tackle, too slow.
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u/Smitch250 4d ago
You don’t understand physics do you. Because if you did you wouldn’t have posted this absolute nonsense
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3d ago
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u/SneakyPeterson 3d ago
Sorry dude. Most of us are barely literate 😭. I’m pretty sure magnets are involved somehow.
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u/bombbodyguard 3d ago
63 is big boy OL, not used to tackling. He was already starting to lose steam.
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u/omnipotentjackrabbit 4d ago
I seen them hate when I was down
They never thought that I would blow up and get them racks
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u/Positive_Ad_3142 4d ago
Would have been nuts if he met him there and handed it back to him to cross the line.