Last week the New England Patriots used some four-man offensive lines and used a Julian Edelman-to-Danny Amendola trick play.
This week, they brought out a new page in their playbook against the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC title game.
Tom Brady led the Patriots down on the first possession of the third quarter, leading 17-7, and delivered a big blow — to an unexpected recipient.
Nate Solider is typically the Patriots' starting tight end, but on Sunday he got into the pass-catching fun. The 6-8, 320-pound Solder — who played one year of tight end in college at Colorado — caught a screen pass (!) from Tom Brady and rumbled in from 16 yards out to make it 24-7 Patriots.
In the NFC title game, the Seattle Seahawks started their comeback against the Green Bay Packers, down 16-0, by running a trick play as well. The Seahawks called a fake field goal, and holder Jon Ryan hit backup offensive lineman Garry Gilliam for a stunning score. Like Solder, Gilliam also moonlighted as a tight end in college.
Anything goes with the Patriots. Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels are not afraid to make gutsy calls in key situations.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
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