Cards’ Kirk details trick play vs. 49ers
The “Fifth Ward” trick play the Cardinals ran to perfection during Sunday’s rout of the San Francisco 49ers almost led Christian Kirk, the head trickster, to the hospital ward. Well, maybe at least to the blue pop-up medical tent on the sideline. We should explain.
The play itself, which Kingsbury first used during his early coaching days at the University of Houston, has been in the works for several weeks. But the pump-fake pass to the left, pitch reverse run to the right and the receiver throw down the right sideline was designed for Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins and A.J. Green. Neither of those players were available Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, but coach Kliff Kingsbury called it anyway with his team leading 7-0 in the first quarter.
Colt McCoy took the shotgun snap and faked a throw left to Eno Benjamin. He flipped the football to Christian Kirk, who was sprinting right and made a cut up the field before firing a deep pass to fellow receiver Antoine Wesley near the goal line.
The play covered 33 yards and was ruled down at the 49ers’ 1. One play later, running back James Conner plowed straight ahead for a touchdown, padding the Cardinals’ lead to 14-0 on their way to an 31-7 victory.
“One thing people don’t know is I hyperextended my thumb on my throwing hand the play before so I really couldn’t feel my thumb,” Kirk revealed Tuesday during a video conference call with reporters. “And when they called the play, I was like, ‘Oh, no. I’ve gotta go say something because I can’t really grip the ball.’
“But then I was like, ‘I can’t miss out on this opportunity,’ so I just had to find a way to make it happen. Thank goodness I had gloves on, so that helped a little bit. I didn’t really get nervous or anything. I just got the ball and knew I had to make the throw.”
Kirk said his thumb is fine now. The soreness went away as the game progressed.
“I just thought it was funny and a coincidence that it happens right before we call the double play,” he said.
A similar trick play was designed for Kirk during the 2018 season, but with him sitting at home with a broken foot, the Cardinals let Larry Fitzgerald throw the pass instead during a late-season game against the Rams. It went for a 32yard touchdown to running back David Johnson.
“I was sitting on the couch and I knew when they broke the huddle,” Kirk recalled. “I’m like, ‘Oh, my gosh. Of course they call this play.’ ”
Kingsbury thought Wesley got into the end zone during Sunday’s trick play. So did Kirk.
“I was disappointed. I thought it was a touchdown for him,” Kirk said. “I wanted to be able to say that I threw him his first touchdown, so from a selfish aspect, I was mostly disappointed in that and obviously wanted him to get in the end zone. But hey, we got the ball down to the 1 and we were able to punch it in on the next play.”
It’s not the first time Kirk has ever thrown a pass in a football game. He did it twice in college at Texas A&M and almost a dozen times in high school at Scottsdale Saguaro.
“I feel like people were kind of asleep on my arm ability,” he said. “I always knew I could throw.”
Fitzgerald, who hasn’t officially retired as of yet, but doesn’t seem interested in playing again anytime soon, was watching on Sunday.
“He didn’t say anything about my throw,” Kirk said. “I think he complimented me in a text after the game, though, so that meant a lot.”