When it’s all gone horribly wrong. Screenshot : FOX

Reasonable people can debate the Broncos’ decision to run a fake punt early in the second quarter of Thursday’s poopshow loss to the Chiefs. The actual play itself, however, and/or the execution of said play, was something truly special.


Surely, what punter Colby Wadman did couldn’t have been the plan, right?


Unless the plan was for a punter to beat three guys in the open field, I guess. Don’t laugh! It’s not out of the realm of possibility, given that the artist of this masterpiece, Broncos special teams coordinator Tom McMahon, was the same brain genius behind one of the other worst fake punts in recent NFL history.

As noted by Ben Volin on Twitter, McMahon was the Colts’ special teams coordinator when they ran a hapless fake punt against the Patriots in 2015 (almost four years ago to the day!). You know the one:

(Oh, hell, while we’re here, you can also remember the Skins’ swinging gate from 2009. Not because McMahon had anything to do with it, but because it’s Friday and you deserve it.)

Maybe this is all unfair. Maybe whatever trick play McMahon drew up last night was actually brilliant, and it was, as head coach Vic Fangio suggested, simply “botched.” I don’t care! Yes, this is a rude post. But we’re a rude blog.