Each NFL team's greatest play of all-time and why

Miami Dolphins - The Hook and Lateral
January 2, 1982

The hook and ladder is one of the most famous trick plays in the NFL. It’s basically the pass version of a reverse, trying to pull a defense in one direction so the eventual ball carrier can go the other way. A receiver catches the ball and then immediately tosses it to another player running in the opposite direction. Likely the greatest example of this is the “hook and lateral” play the 1982 Miami Dolphins executed. 

With six seconds left and the ball on the Chargers 40, Miami quarterback Don Strock hit Duriel Harris with the ball, but he was surrounded. So, he saw a streaking Tony Nathan to his right and just tossed the ball his way. Nathan darted up the field with the defenders trying to adjust to a new angle, but it was too late and he ran into the end zone.

Nathan knew it was a touchdown the second the ball hit his hands. He ran another 20 yards with the ball raised over his head in jubilation. No Chargers defender was able to catch him, and Miami was back in a game they were down 24-0 at one point. 

The play would be a pivotal one in a game the Dolphins seemed cooked, but they made it the “Epic in Miami.” The announcers couldn’t help themselves, screaming “that’s a Hall of Fame play. That deserves to be in Canton!” We don’t disagree.