The Hook and Ladder plays. Just circumstantial and lucky or are we on to something?

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

What are everyone's thoughts on these plays?

 

The three plays are listed below. Average gain of 32 yards. These are the only plays I recall us running the hook and ladder play this season but someone chime in if we attempted it at other times this season. 

 

Broncos:  27 yard gain.  2nd 10 @Buf 41 3 yard pass to Shakir, lateral to Ray Davis gain of 24 yards

Eagles: 25 yard gain.  4th and 10 @ Buf 29 4 yard pass to Shavers, lateral to Davis for 21 yards

Texans: 44 yard gain. 4th and 27 @ Buf 30 11 yard pass to Plamer lateral to Shakir for 33 yards

 

All three came in desperation mode in the 4th quarter on the Bills final drive of regulation in got to score mode. The Broncos hook and ladder was on 2nd down where as the other two were on 4th downs. All three 10+ yards to go. 

 

I'd like to see us expand on this play going into the 2026 season but not in these desperation mode scenarios. Can we successfully run these plays in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd quarters? Our guys have looked sure handed running the play. Seems the risk of a turnover might be worth the potential gain.

 

I think Ben Johnson has run these with some success with both the Lions and the Bears? Has anyone else seen other teams run them with regularity and success?

[ToGoGo]

I think we’re on to something. 
 

Defenses are not preparing for it, so there’s room to expand. Would give us half a season before defenses are locked in and other teams are copycatting. 

[TheFunPolice]

I saw another team run it as well (can't remember which)

 

It's a great play because you don't see it much. I would like it to be something we do semi-often (like every few games) because it gives the D one more thing to worry about. If you fly to the ball you could be in deep trouble. 

[H2o]

As long as you don't go to the well too often, I think we could be onto something. The timing and coverages have to be right. 

[zow2]

I told my son after the Broncos game.  The Bills are the only team that can successfully execute three hook and lateral plays in a season...and still lose all three razor thin games.  Some stuff you just can't explain...kinda' like 0-8 in OT games.

[Mikie2times]

Lions have been running it for a few years and almost became start of the standard offense. Almost no way to prepare for it. Hard to tell defenses not to rally to the ball.

[Yobogoya!]

I hate how every time we busted this out it worked to amazing effect.. and then we lost all three games anyway. 

[Walking Tall]

It’s done. Brady won’t be back.

Edited January 23 by Walking Tall

[QLBillsFan]

1 hour ago, Sammy Watkins' Rib said:

What are everyone's thoughts on these plays?

 

The three plays are listed below. Average gain of 32 yards. These are the only plays I recall us running the hook and ladder play this season but someone chime in if we attempted it at other times this season. 

 

Broncos:  27 yard gain.  2nd 10 @Buf 41 3 yard pass to Shakir, lateral to Ray Davis gain of 24 yards

Eagles: 25 yard gain.  4th and 10 @ Buf 29 4 yard pass to Shavers, lateral to Davis for 21 yards

Texans: 44 yard gain. 4th and 27 @ Buf 30 11 yard pass to Plamer lateral to Shakir for 33 yards

 

All three came in desperation mode in the 4th quarter on the Bills final drive of regulation in got to score mode. The Broncos hook and ladder was on 2nd down where as the other two were on 4th downs. All three 10+ yards to go. 

 

I'd like to see us expand on this play going into the 2026 season but not in these desperation mode scenarios. Can we successfully run these plays in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd quarters? Our guys have looked sure handed running the play. Seems the risk of a turnover might be worth the potential gain.

 

I think Ben Johnson has run these with some success with both the Lions and the Bears? Has anyone else seen other teams run them with regularity and success?

This is Joe Brady .. sooo if he’s around we will see more. If not 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Billzgobowlin]

1 hour ago, Sammy Watkins' Rib said:

What are everyone's thoughts on these plays?

 

The three plays are listed below. Average gain of 32 yards. These are the only plays I recall us running the hook and ladder play this season but someone chime in if we attempted it at other times this season. 

 

Broncos:  27 yard gain.  2nd 10 @Buf 41 3 yard pass to Shakir, lateral to Ray Davis gain of 24 yards

Eagles: 25 yard gain.  4th and 10 @ Buf 29 4 yard pass to Shavers, lateral to Davis for 21 yards

Texans: 44 yard gain. 4th and 27 @ Buf 30 11 yard pass to Plamer lateral to Shakir for 33 yards

 

All three came in desperation mode in the 4th quarter on the Bills final drive of regulation in got to score mode. The Broncos hook and ladder was on 2nd down where as the other two were on 4th downs. All three 10+ yards to go. 

 

I'd like to see us expand on this play going into the 2026 season but not in these desperation mode scenarios. Can we successfully run these plays in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd quarters? Our guys have looked sure handed running the play. Seems the risk of a turnover might be worth the potential gain.

 

I think Ben Johnson has run these with some success with both the Lions and the Bears? Has anyone else seen other teams run them with regularity and success?

Fun fact.  We won none of those games

[Kirby Jackson]

Love it and think we may have something. What a nice play to have in your back pocket for a crucial 3rd or 4th and long. Maybe start adding a wrinkle or 2 to it. That play should 100% remain in the playbook.

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

6 minutes ago, Billzgobowlin said:

Fun fact.  We won none of those games

 

Thank you, captain obvious. 

[GG]

Another fun fact.   Bills first attempted the hook & ladder on the last play vs Jags in the '23 London game.  Except Cook dogged the pattern and Diggs' attempt to lateral hit his facemask causing the fumble.

[Puckman5]

Desperation moves. Get cute with them during the regular season and we're all bitching about the fumbles.   

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

They worked awesome in my touch football league.  One rather large difference is a ball on the turf is a dead ball though, so the risk is far less. 

 

These are neat little play concepts though in any case, because you're adding a misdirection into a pass play where teams converge much more aggressively vs. traditional run fits.  The timing is obviously the difficult part, and it works when teams tend to sink into deeper zones.  

[Einstein]

1 hour ago, ToGoGo said:

I think we’re on to something. Defenses are not preparing for it

 

This.

 

Its almost never ran. Defenses are never ever going to be looking for it.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

Just now, Einstein said:

 

This.

 

Its almost never ran. Defenses are never ever going to be looking for it.

 

Add a josh allen option pitch behind those shakir screens!!

 

I'm joking... I think...?

[Buffalo03]

1 hour ago, ToGoGo said:

I think we’re on to something. 
 

Defenses are not preparing for it, so there’s room to expand. Would give us half a season before defenses are locked in and other teams are copycatting. 

And it's hard to prepare for because you don't know what side of the field it's coming from either

[pennstate10]

Lets think about the fumble aspect.

 

What if you try to avoid a fumble, by never actually catching the ball?  Sorta like a touch or redirect pass in hockey.

 

Then you'd avoid the largest risk--a fumble recovered by defense.

 

Of course, the Bills would perfect these touch/redirect passes, with the first receiver never having true possession, so no fumbles.

 

Then in the AFC Champ game, refs would decide an incomplete redirect was a fumble, since the receiver had possession in order to cause the redirect....

[DapperCam]

I think even if other teams prepared for it that it is hard to stop. Because in man coverage the trailing DB will get picked off by the pitching WR. In zone coverage usually after the toss it will naturally be in a gap in the zone.

 

I think teams don’t do it because it is a much higher risk of a turnover.