Free Kick rule

[Big Turk]

3 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.

 

There has not...only in college...ironically, the closest we have ever come to a 1 point safety in the NFL was in the 2018 Bills-Patriots MNF game in Buffalo...

 

 

[chongli]

26 minutes ago, chongli said:

 

 

 

 

Speaking of triple OT, this reminds me of something like a 12-minute drive the Bills had vs. Cincinnati, I think it was, in the 80's or late 70's. Almost possessed it for an entire quarter. So this makes me wonder: what if a team gas the ball all 10 minutes of a regular season OT and kicks only a FG? Does the other team get a chance to score, even though all 10 minutes have gone by? Or what if the first team leaves the other team with just 10 seconds left? Not really fair.

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

3 hours ago, chongli said:

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

 

 

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

1 hour ago, chongli said:

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)."

 

Thought it was early 70s??  But maybe??

[chongli]

Just now, Ed_Formerly_of_Roch said:

 

Thought it was early 70s??  But maybe??

 

I was way too young then. That link I posted above lists all the attempts of the fair catch FG's they can find, but they also say there could be others, since box scores of old games do not mention if a FG was a free kick. They have to go by any game reports they can find, which are hit or miss.

[Utah John]

11 hours 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.

Punters screw up, too.  They don't always get off deep punts.  But generally when they do screw up, they shank a punt out of bounds, which takes away the fair catch opportunity.  I

[Tuco]

I remember the Cowboys had a good opportunity to attempt one years ago but they didn't bother because the coach at the time (Switzer I think, but not positive) didn't know you could attempt it even if there's no time left on the clock.

 

 

Also, the cynical nitpicker in me is going to rise up here. FYI everyone, it is a "fair catch kick,"  not a "free kick." It doesn't help that announcers and media usually refer to it as a free kick, or a fair catch free kick. But just so you all know, the NFL rule book even states that a fair catch kick is not a free kick.

 

Now you know.

2 minutes ago, Utah John said:

Punters screw up, too.  They don't always get off deep punts.  But generally when they do screw up, they shank a punt out of bounds, which takes away the fair catch opportunity.  I

 

It's also true that even though this play is seldom attempted, a big reason for that is coaches are all aware of it, and will tell their punters to punt it out of bounds for that very reason.

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

41 minutes ago, chongli said:

 

I was way too young then. That link I posted above lists all the attempts of the fair catch FG's they can find, but they also say there could be others, since box scores of old games do not mention if a FG was a free kick. They have to go by any game reports they can find, which are hit or miss.

 

So I seem to recall that I was watching the game in a bowling alley in location I lived in early 70's, that the only reason for me thinking that's when it occurred?  LOL 

[djp14150]

33 minutes ago, Utah John said:

Punters screw up, too.  They don't always get off deep punts.  But generally when they do screw up, they shank a punt out of bounds, which takes away the fair catch opportunity. 

Wind does funny things shortening the kick making short field FC possible.

[djp14150]

A full quarter possession is very difficult to do….

 

when teams start at their 30 and runs 3 plays for a first doen and the clock is continuously moving with 5 sec play and 50 second in between snaps can take…

 

1 play/ 45 secondsx  (15x60 )sec/ quarter= (15x60)/45 plays = 20 play drive

 

Divevthst by 3 and you need to get 6 1st downs in a drive

 

with starting at the  30, the max you can get without def prnalty is 6 2 st dozens such as..30( initial start point) 41, 48, 37, 26, 15, 4

[MJS]

2 hours ago, chongli said:

 

The palpably unfair act penalty probably could have been used against Tomlin when he stepped on the field and interfered with the returner a few years ago. The refs missed their one chance to use that rule! It did alter the returners path and cause him to get tackled, and the NFL fined him 100k, if I remember correctly.

[chongli]

21 minutes ago, MJS said:

The palpably unfair act penalty probably could have been used against Tomlin when he stepped on the field and interfered with the returner a few years ago. The refs missed their one chance to use that rule! It did alter the returners path and cause him to get tackled, and the NFL fined him 100k, if I remember correctly.

 

Great call on your part. I agree 100%. (Also, should have been used in the NBA when Jason Kidd "spilled" his drink on the sidelines as coach of the then New Jersey Nets, lol.)

[chongli]

1 hour ago, djp14150 said:

A full quarter possession is very difficult to do….

 

when teams start at their 30 and runs 3 plays for a first doen and the clock is continuously moving with 5 sec play and 50 second in between snaps can take…

 

1 play/ 45 secondsx  (15x60 )sec/ quarter= (15x60)/45 plays = 20 play drive

 

Divevthst by 3 and you need to get 6 1st downs in a drive

 

with starting at the  30, the max you can get without def prnalty is 6 2 st dozens such as..30( initial start point) 41, 48, 37, 26, 15, 4

 

Good analysis. What made the 12-minute drive by the Bills back in the day more remarkable was that the game clock stopped on each out-of-bounds play, unlike today, when it only occurs later in the half.

[Augie]

I’ve been watching football for a very long time, and until today I had never heard of a one point safety. I wonder what else I don’t know? 

[ticketssince61]

17 hours 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.

 

The key aspect is that the kick is uncontested. The kicker can a) take his time and b) does not have to worry about getting early altitude to get the kick over the defensive linemen.

 

With those two features most kickers could probably make a 65 to 70 yard FG. Kickoffs are from the 30 and routinely go deep into the endzone