The Washington Football Team blowout of the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving included one very creative trick play, a “Fumblerooski” in which running back J.D. McKissic ended up with the ball that was handed to him under his legs by quarterback Alex Smith.
To many NFL fans, it looked familiar. That’s because it was indeed a play inspired by the 1994 classic sports film, Little Giants. It’s in that movie that Rick Moranis’s team dials up something called “the annexation of Puerto Rico” and (spoiler alert!) it wins the game. Washington head coach Ron Rivera also said it was a variation on a play once called by Bum Phillips.
Rivera said, yes, that was the Annexation of Puerto Rico play from the Little Giants… Gave a nod to Bum Phillips and said they called it the Bumarooski. Rivera said he probably watched that movie "100 times" because his kids liked it so much.
— John Keim (@john_keim) November 27, 2020
Just finished watching Ron Rivera's presser and Scott Turner did call the Annexation of Puerto Rico play from Little Giants. I take back every negative thing I said about him after calling that reverse the other week. #WashingtonFootball https://t.co/omoTV2qGhf pic.twitter.com/MOHRbpFfSx
— Tailgate Ted (@TailgateTed) November 27, 2020
Here’s the play:
FUMBLEROOSKI.
Washington is bringing the trick plays today 😆 (via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/tEYckixRno
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) November 26, 2020
And the movie clip:
The funny thing is that Rivera has run this play before back in 2011 with the Carolina Panthers and it was back then that the coach said he’s seen the movie 100 times.
Ron Rivera ran The Annexation of Puerto Rico tonight…just as he did in 2011 with the Panthers: pic.twitter.com/AFPUvosKv6
— John Ellis (@OnePantherPlace) November 26, 2020
Love it!
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