Give It To John Moffitt!
That was my first thought when Golden Tate lost the ball at the goal line and big John Moffitt piled on it. But unfortunately, Golden Tate did in fact cross the line, taking away what likely could’ve been Moffitt’s one-and-only career touchdown for the Seattle Seahawks.
Despite an amazing catch radius from Sidney Rice, and some Beast Mode-ing from Marshawn Lynch, Tate gets this week’s Touchdown of the Week for showing off his acrobatic display.
The Personnel
The Seahawks lined up in a trips formation, with the three receivers on the right side of the field. Zach Miller was lined up off of the left tackle and would stay home to block.
Marshawn Lynch was lined up next to Russell Wilson in the shotgun. He seemed to fake into the flat and instead got into the line to block anyone coming off the line.
The three receivers involved, from left to right, were Tate, Sidney Rice and Doug Baldwin. And, of course, Moffitt!
The Play
At the snap, Tate runs a swing screen out towards the sideline and turns up field. Since we selected Tate in the second round in 2010, I’ve always hoped for him to be used in a Harvin roll—Harvin has been known for his hard running style and diversity.
Golden Tate gets this week’s Touchdown of the Week. (Photo: John Lok/Seattle Times)
Tate runs like a running back after the catch and stops on a dime.
This play exemplifies both of these things.
Doug Baldwin actually runs an endzone route and takes the corner with him for 5-7 yards before the cornerback figures it out and commits to the screen pass. Sidney Rice engages his defender and drives him back, giving Tate the space he needs.
Tate catches it about five yards behind the line of scrimmage and immediately makes a man miss at the line of scrimmage. He then stops on a dime at the six, making another cornerback miss, and the corner actually cuts off Chad Greenway’s angle in the process. At the three, he meets two more defenders.
That’s when he decides to take flight.
He jumps over the first defender and gets rocked by the second. The second defender actually knocks the ball loose, but Tate had already gotten the touchdown.
The Aftermath
After the Monday Night Football debacle, Moffitt sent out this tweet:
I stubbed my toe and instantly became furious at @showtimetate, it’s just fashionable right now u know.
— John Moffitt (@Moffitt74) September 27, 2012
Maybe now he actually is furious for taking away his first career touchdown?
You can watch the play and other highlights here!
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