For people who don’t know teams have production meetings with the various networks, where they will tell them some of the strategy they will employ on game day.
The understanding is that you never report about specific plays, you just speak in generalities, ESPN’s Bob Holtzman didn’t get that memo and I am sure the Steelers are not happy about it.
Bob Holtzman of ESPN reports that the Steelers will employ against the Ravens a trick play.
“Two Steelers have told me, if they catch the Ravens in the right defense, they have a trick play ready to go today that they’ve never run before.”
Holtzman said the play involves a pass thrown by someone who ordinarily doesn’t thrown the ball, and that receiver Antwaan Randle El will be involved in some way other than throwing the ball.
As one league source told us, unsolicited, regarding the report, “What a moron. Steelers will be pissed. How the f–k do you do that?”
What Holtzman should have said was something like this.
“The Steelers may have a trick or two up their sleeve against that aggressive Baltimore defense”
Instead he has put Baltimore on alert and anything that looks suspect they will be able to sniff out, in the grand scheme of things shouldn’t have an effect on the game, just some lazy journalism on Holtzman part.