LA Rams roster holds small ball options for Matthew Stafford this year

Small ball option I:  Trick Play

One of the first options for a small ball package of course is the trick play. Now, I’m not talking about the triple reverse statue of liberty play, but rather the host of LA Rams offensive trick plays that are designed to be misdirection plays to thwart their defensive opponent’s timing and momentum.

Defensive players must read the offensive movements and, in doing so, diagnose where the play is going. But they need to see what the players are doing to understand where to position themselves in order to make the tackle. So what if they are befuddled by their inability to track Rams players?

Loading up an offensive formation with players who are 5-foot-9 or shorter may not be the type of short-yardage formation, but how can defensive players track so many moving parts that are hidden from view behind 6-foot-4 offensive linemen? What do I mean? Something like this:

The Rams’ offensive playbook has an entire chapter dedicated to trickery and misdirection plays. Jet sweeps are a staple of the Rams’ offense, and the speed and difficulty to track smaller players is just one option that comes to mind that can be augmented by a small ball package.

Trick plays may leave a bad taste in your mouth. Perhaps misdirection would be more warmly received. The idea is to use small fast guys to limit the defensive players’ reaction time to what the offense is doing. Then, hide the little guys so that the defenders are out of position to make the play.