... On one play, Kosar handed off to a running back for a dive up the middle--no, the rb turned back toward Kosar--at which point one of your favorite people beat everyone else to their feet and yelled TOUCHDOWN!--and ptiched the ball back to Kosar who tossed to a wide open receiver for a long td.
The conception of the play gave the Browns a huge momentary advantage--which meant an easy six. It was a td from the moment the rb stopped going forward and began to turn back to Kosar. It was the conception of the play--the surprise element--and the odds of any defense on earth stopping the play were extremely low....
As you said, we are unlikely to agree. If what you said was true, that "the odds of any defense stopping the play were extremely low", you would see that play a lot, but the truth is that defenses can and should stop it, so long as the individual players execute their assignments. As a result you don't see it a lot. In the end it is merely a pass and catch that must be executed against a defender. If a defender stops covering his receiver, it was a mistake. Sometimes I see that play, or other similar plays work, and sometimes not, and sometimes, if it works, it's only because of flawless execution. I remember a similar play that went for a TD where the passer was flattened as he threw it, and the receiver had tight double coverage, but caught it anyway.
Trick plays can be effective at times, but they are rarely the difference between winning and losing. The team that executes their base offense and defense the best is usually the one that wins, and also the team for whom trick plays are more apt to work. If the core offense isn't working, the other team isn't going to fall for trick plays most of the time.