What Is a Flea Flicker?

A flea flicker is a trick play in American football. After the snap, the quarterback hands the ball off to his running back. The running back then fakes a run and tosses the ball back to the quarterback for a surprise pass. This play is designed by the offense in an attempt to confuse the defense and gain easy passing yardage.

  1. Formation

    • Before the ball is snapped, the flea flicker formation has a standard rush-play alignment. The quarterback stands over the center and usually has two rushers in the backfield. Up to six offensive lineman set themselves at the line of scrimmage and one or two receivers are typically spread wide.

    Execution

    • At the snap of the ball, the quarterback comes out of his crouch and hands the ball off to one of his backfield teammates. The rusher then attacks the line of scrimmage as if he is going to run the ball. He stops shy of his offensive line teammates and pitches the ball backwards to his quarterback. The quarterback catches the ball and looks downfield for an open wide receiver to throw the ball to. When executed properly, the flea flicker can help an offense gain large chunks of yardage or even result in a touchdown.

    Impact on Defense

    • The flea flicker is a trick play. Because of its deception, it often works well to catch defenses off guard. During running plays, the natural instinct of defensive players is to track the ball. Therefore, when the running back feints a rush, the defense usually collapses in an attempt to stop him at or behind the line of scrimmage. This defensive tendency gives the offensive wide receivers an advantage to get free downfield.

    Play Call

    • A coach's decision as to when to call a flea flicker is instrumental in the play's success rate. If a team is rushing the football well, a flea flicker will likely have a high chance of succeeding. The defense's desire to stop the rush will leave them vulnerable to a fake. If defensive linebackers and safeties crowd the line of scrimmage, offensive wide receivers will be in single coverage and find it easier to get open downfield for a big play.