Brandon Marshall recorded a rare first down for the Jets against the Eagles, but as he was getting tackled, he did something you don’t really see often: He tried to lateral the ball, pitching it off Connor Barwin’s face, after which Eagles LB Jordan Hicks picked it up.
Brandon Marshall calls his dumb lateral the ‘worst play in NFL history’
THIS IS A BAD IDEA
There was a brief debate as to whether Marshall was down, but, nope. He was clearly throwing the ball before his knees hit the ground.
There’s really no good reason Marshall should’ve done this. Typically, a wide receiver going to the ground should only ever throw a lateral if it’s the last play of the game and you’re losing, and the game will end if they get tackled but will continue.
After the game, Marshall confirmed he was intentionally trying to lateral. He also confirmed he knows that was not a very good idea.
“Wrong time to gamble,” Marshall said. “I was pressing, trying to make a play. Probably the worst play in NFL history.”
I personally love the concept of players lateraling more frequently than they currently do, but this was not the time to try. If you are going to try a random-ass lateral, there are several things you should do.
Make sure you’re in full control of your body. Marshall wasn’t -- he was getting thrown to the ground, which made his throw wild. Make sure there’s a player expecting your throw. Jeff Cumberland is there, but, well, he’s not expecting a lateral. This ball probably would’ve just blown by him, since he’s standing three feet away from Marshall without his hands at the ready.
And most importantly: MAKE SURE THERE IS NO PLAYER FROM THE OTHER TEAM NEARBY. They are going to try to take the ball and they can smack the ball and make it bounce around and then take it, since it’s a free ball. Marshall completely fails in this regard, because, well, he throws the ball into a guy’s face.
The Eagles scored on their possession to take a 24-0 lead, and, well, the Jets are not having a good time.
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