Hook and lateral The hook and lateral or hook and ladder is a trick play in American or Canadian football . It starts with the hook , which is where a wide receiver runs a predetermined distance , usually 10 yards down the field , and along the sideline , and " hooks in " towards the center of the field to receive a forward pass from the quarterback . Another offensive player ( usually another wide receiver ) times a run so that he is at full speed , just behind the player with the ball at the time of the catch . As the defenders close in on the stationary ball carrier , he lateral s or hands the ball to the teammate running at full speed in the opposite direction of the original receiver . If unanticipated , this play puts defenders out of position , running in the wrong direction . If the second receiver catches the lateral in stride , he can be long gone before defenders can react . However , the offense runs a high risk of turning the ball over if it is not handled properly because , unlike a forward pass , a dropped lateral pass results in a live ball . " Hook and Ladder " . The " hook and lateral " is sometimes referred to as a " hook and ladder . " The play is referred to as the " hook and ladder " on the cover of EA Sports NCAA Football 2008 , possibly because the term has been used commonly by sportscasters , coaches and fans for years . Speculation on origins of names . Some proponents of the term " hook and lateral " claim that the " hook " refers to the pattern run by the receiver who catches the pass from the quarterback . The " lateral " refers to the pitching of the ball by the receiver to his teammate . This is not synonymous with a " ladder " , which is a specific route ( also called a " chair " ) in which a receiver cuts out before turning up the field along the sideline . If the " hook " receiver laterals the ball to a teammate running a ladder route , the play could accurately be described as a " hook and ladder " . This would not be true of many hook and lateral plays ; in the case of the play run by the Boise State Broncos in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl , the player who received the lateral from the " hook " receiver was running a slant route across the center of the field rather than a ladder route . On the January 2 , 2007 broadcast of ESPN ' s " Around the Horn " , sportswriter Woody Paige claimed , perhaps facetiously , that the name " hook and ladder " originated with NYC Firemen Football Team in Hell ' s Kitchen , New York . This was in response to the other panelists ridiculing his use of " hook and ladder " rather than " hook and lateral " . The next day , Jay Mariotti claimed the phrase " hook and ladder " referred to coal mining in Pennsylvania in the 1930s — his research claims that coal miners need a hook and ladder when trapped in a mine . Another possible explanation is that " hook and ladder " is just a corruption of the phrase " hook and lateral " . A " hook and ladder " is a common name for a firetruck , which used to carry various hooks and ladders . The analogies that could be drawn to this play based on a " hook " route ( with or without an actual " lateral " ) and a " hook and ladder " apparatus are numerous . Long extension ladders include two or more pieces , perhaps the first piece being a " hook " route , and the second piece being a run up the " ladder " to the end - zone . The second part of the play is sometimes accomplished with a hand - off , and not a lateral at all . Notwithstanding , there does not seem to be any definitive proof of what the play was originally called or why .