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Sunday, November 04, 2001

Mike Mularkey, the P.T. Barnum of the Steelers' offense, isn't the only coordinator pulling off unconventional plays this season.

Every Sunday is trick or treat in the NFL these days, and not everyone is a willing consumer. When they work, everyone loves them except the victims.

Mularkey has been uncanny in his success with trick plays. None has blown up in his face, although not all of them have gone according to plan. But the trick-play-gone-sour can be just around the corner.

Two years ago, coordinator Kevin Gilbride was ripped for calling a halfback pass by Jerome Bettis in Cleveland. The pass was intercepted, ending a promising drive on a day when the Steelers lost. Two weeks ago, Mularkey was praised for calling a Bettis pass that went 32 yards to Jerame Tuman for a touchdown.

The St. Louis Rams also have been pulling them off. They did so many against New Orleans last week that Saints Coach Jim Haslett angrily cursed when he mentioned them.

Atlanta linebacker Keith Brooking believes trick plays are less than manly.

"I would rather someone line up and run it right at me," Brooking said. "I love that type of football. It's frustrating, especially if they do it if you're stuffing them all game long and they get a trick play on you and gash you for 30, 40 yards. It's very frustrating, but the thing about it is, you have to line up and they can't run trick plays all day.

"Eventually, they're going to have to beat you playing football the way I believe it's supposed to be played."

The tricks, however, are only meant to enhance an offense, not describe one.

The Steelers have used them since Coach Bill Cowher came aboard in 1992.

The whole Slash thing was a trick of sorts. He would split slow-footed quarterback Neil O'Donnell out at wide receiver, flopping positions with Kordell Stewart.

Mularkey, though, takes the tricks to another level. He showed his hand early last season when he suggested a play in Buffalo. The Steelers lined up as normal on the goal line, but guard Roger Duffy and not center Dermontti Dawson snapped the ball. The Bills did not catch it quickly enough and were overloaded on the play that resulted in an easy Bettis touchdown run.

The Steelers have the personnel to do some of it.

Wide receiver Hines Ward played all the offensive skill positions in college, so he has the ability to take a direct snap and take off or throw a pass.

Haslett, given time to think about it, admitted that his Saints might be willing to use some tricks, if they had the personnel to do so.

"If I had those players, I'd run the same stuff," Haslett said of the Rams. "I'd do the same thing. But we don't have those kinds of guys, halfbacks who can play wideout, wideouts who can play halfback. If I had a wide receiver who could throw the ball 60 yards down the field, I'd run reverse passes. I'd probably do all that stuff, too. We're not built that way. We're not that type of team."

More and more, many NFL teams are becoming so.

Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com