Free Kick rule

[djp14150]

 

the rule has been around since the start of the NFL. College football eliminated this rule.

 

This was the 6th time in the last 20 seasons.

 

they  also moved the posts to the back of the end zone making it harder.

 

it’s not that common because it only happens at the end of half or end of game

 

with kickers improving today regularly kicking 55+ FGs you are likely to see it more frequently.
 

it could be used in strategy like if a team is down 9-11 points with under10 min to go, they have the team pinned deep and they punt and you fair catch it on their side of the field.

 

the kick is uncontested and can’t be blocked.

 

this was something Houston could have tried after buffalo punted from deep in their own end. I don’t know if coaches even thought about this scenario.

 

 

 

the one I remember was the divisional playoff game of niners vs Vikings in 1989 where the niners tried it and failed.

 

this sometime occurred on fair catches of attempted onside kicks.
 

 

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/packers-missed-an-opportunity-at-a-rare-fair-catch-free-kick-before-halftime
 

 

 

Edited Friday at 03:17 AM by djp14150

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

9 minutes ago, djp14150 said:

 

the rule has been around since the start of the NFL. College football eliminated this rule.

 

This was the 6th time in the last 20 seasons.

 

they  also moved the posts to the back of the end zone making it harder.

 

it’s not that common because it only happens at the end of half or end of game

 

with kickers improving today regularly kicking 55+ FGs you are likely to see it more frequently.
 

it could be used in strategy like if a team is down 9-11 points with under10 min to go, they have the team pinned deep and they punt and you fair catch it on their side of the field.

 

the kick is uncontested and can’t be blocked.

 

this was something Houston could have tried after buffalo punted from deep in their own end. I don’t know if coaches even thought about this scenario.

 

this sometime occurred on fair catches of attempted onside kicks.
 

 

 

 

 

Not likely they'd do this as the mentality if every time we get the ball, we're going to score, so why take 3 when you can go and get 7.  That's why it is only typically called with seconds to go.  Even if you only got one 1st down likely kicking then would be shorter.

 

I do recall one time seeing it happen, think it was in the early 70's and involved the Giants?

[djp14150]

Just now, Ed_Formerly_of_Roch said:

 

Not likely they'd do this as the mentality if every time we get the ball, we're going to score, so why take 3 when you can go and get 7.  That's why it is only typically called with seconds to go.  Even if you only got one 1st down likely kicking then would be shorter.

 

I do recall one time seeing it happen, think it was in the early 70's and involved the Giants?

I just posted the video of the one I remrmber.

 

 

thr logic innthe move us you need 2 scores and if it’s within kicking range is getting points without burning the clock thrn you have more time to get another score.

 

scenario…

 

you failed to get TD on 4 th down with 6 to go. You didn’t get a safety but punt was back of end zone. You FC atthe off 40. You kick FG preserving time to get the ball back for another score.

[eSJayDee]

The thing you're not noting is that although kickers are better, w/ far more range, but punters are, too.  In a kick away situation, netting 50 yards is a mediocre effort.  This means unless you're pinned near your goal line, you're still typically gonna out kick a placekickers range.

[djp14150]

18 minutes ago, eSJayDee said:

The thing you're not noting is that although kickers are better, w/ far more range, but punters are, too.  In a kick away situation, netting 50 yards is a mediocre effort.  This means unless you're pinned near your goal line, you're still typically gonna out kick a placekickers range.

That's the point. If you are pinned deep in your own end zone you can get FCs around your 45 to their 40.  Usually when teams are pinned inside their 5 on a punt the ball usually does not go as far as a notmal punt.

 

many kickers if they didn’t need to  wort about a snap or rush hit 60-65 yd FGs

Edited Friday at 03:59 AM by djp14150

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

That Niners game in 1989 was the one time I remembered it happening too!

[chongli]

10 hours ago, djp14150 said:

I just posted the video of the one I remrmber.

 

 

thr logic innthe move us you need 2 scores and if it’s within kicking range is getting points without burning the clock thrn you have more time to get another score.

 

scenario…

 

you failed to get TD on 4 th down with 6 to go. You didn’t get a safety but punt was back of end zone. You FC atthe off 40. You kick FG preserving time to get the ball back for another score.

 

What? Your last paragraph is confusing. The pronouns are wrong and the teams don't make sense. "They failed to get a first down on 4th down with 6 to go and punted from their own end zone"

 

Also, the clock starts when you kick the field goal (when the leg makes contact with the ball). You save like two seconds from not having to snap the ball and kicker running up.

 

And if you receive the punt from their end zone down two scores, you probably would try to score a TD first.

 

The main advantage is not having to snap and then a block attempt. No pressure. Plus you get to kick from the spot of the fair catch or penalty instead of eight yards back from the LOS. And you get to attempt the kick even if after the FC there is no time remaining.

 

But if you miss, as with any FG try, the other team can field the miss (if caught in the air) and return it for a TD (see the Auburn-Alabama "Kick-6").

Edited Friday at 01:55 PM by chongli

[Matt_In_NH]

LOL, watch that kick and then wonder what a fan forum or social media page would be if an NFL kicker did that today.

[chongli]

8 hours ago, djp14150 said:

 

This was the 6th time in the last 20 seasons.

 

Sixth time it has been attempted in the last 30 seasons. The previous five were failures

 

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/watch-chargers-utilize-obscure-nfl-rule-to-hit-leagues-first-fair-catch-kick-field-goal-since-1976/amp/

 

"Dicker's field goal attempt was actually only the sixth fair-catch kick attempted in the NFL over the past 30 years, but everyone had missed their kick before Dicker came along"

[Charles Romes]

As far as I can tell, Dicker’s kick is the only successful fair catch FG in NFL history recorded in video that has survived. 

Edited Friday at 04:13 PM by Charles Romes

[klos63]

Bills lost to the Bengals on a free kick,  in the 70's , if I remember correctly.

[chongli]

The last successful FC free kick was San Diego at Buffalo in 1976:

 

https://profootballresearchers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7938&sid=92116cb8d27c82fa8cdb06924ff9f27b

 

"Ray Wersching, San Diego vs. Buffalo, November 21, 1976.

Good from 45 at the end of the first half. This kick put the Chargers up 27-10, and so is missing from most brief recaps of the game. This, not Mac Percival’s game-winner in 1968, is the last known successful NFL free kick (until 2024).

 

 

 

10 hours ago, Ed_Formerly_of_Roch said:

 

I do recall one time seeing it happen, think it was in the early 70's and involved the Giants?

 

Is this it?

 

https://profootballresearchers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7938&sid=92116cb8d27c82fa8cdb06924ff9f27b

 

"Mark Moseley, Washington vs. New York Giants, November 25, 1979.

Short from 74 (yes, 74) yards with 54 seconds left (the Redskins were trailing 14-6 and hoped to score quickly & recover the onside kick; there was no 2-point conversion rule until 1994)."

26 minutes ago, klos63 said:

Bills lost to the Bengals on a free kick,  in the 70's , if I remember correctly.

 

I think you are referring to San Diego at Buffalo (had to look this up!). See the top of this post.

Edited Friday at 01:59 PM by chongli

[chongli]

 

https://profootballresearchers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7938&sid=92116cb8d27c82fa8cdb06924ff9f27b

 

"Who was the most visible proponent of the fair catch kick?

 

John Madden. Whenever a team was trapped deep in its own territory near the end of a half, Madden would reference the fair catch kick, and mention that he always wanted to try one, but never had the chance. Ironically, the Madden series of video games has never included the fair catch kick, though its sister franchise, NCAA Football, contained the equally-obscure one-point safety."

[Big Turk]

11 hours ago, djp14150 said:

 

the rule has been around since the start of the NFL. College football eliminated this rule.

 

This was the 6th time in the last 20 seasons.

 

they  also moved the posts to the back of the end zone making it harder.

 

it’s not that common because it only happens at the end of half or end of game

 

with kickers improving today regularly kicking 55+ FGs you are likely to see it more frequently.
 

it could be used in strategy like if a team is down 9-11 points with under10 min to go, they have the team pinned deep and they punt and you fair catch it on their side of the field.

 

the kick is uncontested and can’t be blocked.

 

this was something Houston could have tried after buffalo punted from deep in their own end. I don’t know if coaches even thought about this scenario.

 

 

 

the one I remember was the divisional playoff game of niners vs Vikings in 1989 where the niners tried it and failed.

 

this sometime occurred on fair catches of attempted onside kicks.
 

 

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/packers-missed-an-opportunity-at-a-rare-fair-catch-free-kick-before-halftime
 

 

 

 

Hmm...are you sure NCAA eliminated it?  From what I can tell it has not been eliminated and was attempted in a Fiesta Bowl recently.

[Dan Darragh]

2 hours ago, chongli said:

What? Your last paragraph is confusing. The pronouns are wrong and the teams don't make sense.

WHAT?  The pronoun police are on TBD now?

[klos63]

34 minutes ago, chongli said:

The last successful FC free kick was San Diego at Buffalo in 1976:

 

https://profootballresearchers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7938&sid=92116cb8d27c82fa8cdb06924ff9f27b

 

"Ray Wersching, San Diego vs. Buffalo, November 21, 1976.

Good from 45 at the end of the first half. This kick put the Chargers up 27-10, and so is missing from most brief recaps of the game. This, not Mac Percival’s game-winner in 1968, is the last known successful NFL free kick (until 2024).

 

 

 

 

Is this it?

 

https://profootballresearchers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7938&sid=92116cb8d27c82fa8cdb06924ff9f27b

 

"Mark Moseley, Washington vs. New York Giants, November 25, 1979.

Short from 74 (yes, 74) yards with 54 seconds left (the Redskins were trailing 14-6 and hoped to score quickly & recover the onside kick; there was no 2-point conversion rule until 1994)."

 

I think you are referring to San Diego at Buffalo (had to look this up!). See the top of this post.

I guess you're correct.  The Bengals game in 1973 was a last second FG, but not a free kick.  And one of the 3 games OJ didn't reach 100 yards that season.  He had 99.

[chongli]

11 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

Hmm...are you sure NCAA eliminated it?  From what I can tell it has not been eliminated and was attempted in a Fiesta Bowl recently.

 

Yes, it has been eliminated:

 

https://profootballresearchers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7938&sid=92116cb8d27c82fa8cdb06924ff9f27b

 

"Not since 1949. After that season, college football eliminated all fair catches, but that proved impractical. Following the 1950 season, college football restored the fair catch, but explicitly removed the fair catch kick rule. However, the rule still exists in high school football."
 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_catch_kick#:~:text=The fair catch kick is,the spot of the catch.

 

"The fair catch kick is not legal in National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) football; the NCAA abolished the fair catch in 1950, but re-added it a year later. When the fair catch returned to the rulebook, however, the option to attempt a kick after the fair catch was removed."

Edited Friday at 02:20 PM by chongli

[transient]

2 hours ago, Matt_In_NH said:

LOL, watch that kick and then wonder what a fan forum or social media page would be if an NFL kicker did that today.

 

[Dan Darragh]

14 minutes ago, chongli said:

Ironically, the Madden series of video games has never included the fair catch kick, though its sister franchise, NCAA Football, contained the equally-obscure one-point safety."

I would argue that the one-point safety is not "equally-obscure" but rather FAR MORE obscure.  I believe there has never actually been one in the NFL.

[chongli]

4 minutes ago, Dan Darragh said:

I would argue that the one-point safety is not "equally-obscure" but rather FAR MORE obscure.  I believe there has never actually been one in the NFL.

 

 

 

Edited Friday at 02:22 PM by chongli