http://www.buccaneers.com/news/newsdetail.aspx?newsid=4140
Back to the subject. First off, Chris, I would agree that it’s an antiquated rule, by the second definition of antiquated in Webster’s Dictionary: ‘out of style and fashion.’ However, it is not antiquated by the first definition: ‘obsolete.’ NFL teams are free to kick after a fair catch now just as they’ve always been. The thing is, it would take just the right combination of circumstances to ever make it a viable strategy.
Let’s start by explaining just what this beast is. This time, I’m going to spare you the exact wording from the NFL rulebook because it gives me a splitting headache just to read it, even after I’ve had it explained to me by live humans with normal speech patterns.
Certainly, you all know what a fair catch is: A player waiting to return a kick can signal for a fair catch by waving one arm over his head; he must then be given room to catch the ball, but he cannot advance it after the catch.
Now, here’s where it gets tricky. Or antiquated, depending upon your point of view. Supposedly, the referee then asks the team captain if, after the fair catch, he would like to run a play from scrimmage or attempt a free kick from the yard line of the catch. In the NFL, that must be either a drop kick or a placekick without a tee (reportedly, a tee can be used in high school.) By the way, to execute a drop kick, you drop the ball on the ground and kick it either as it hits the ground or as it begins to bounce back up. A very Australian-Rules thing to do.
Let's recap in plain language: You call for a fair catch. Rather than run a play, you may choose to execute a free kick from the line of scrimmage established by the fair catch. And by free kick, we mean a kickoff-type kick in which the defense is not on the line of scrimmage.
Now, the Answer Man personally believes that the last time an official actually asked a team captain if he wanted to kick or run a play after a fair catch, that captain was probably wearing a leather helmet. Still, the rule exists and, believe it or not, players and coaches in the NFL know about it. Just for fun, I walked through the football offices on Tuesday morning and asked a sampling of three coaches, two players and three scouts if they knew what a ‘fair catch kick is.’ Seven answered correctly (names withheld to protect the innocent). These eight quiz men were chosen mostly on the ‘who-happens-to-be-standing-around’ criteria, but I think it’s fair to say that the fair catch kick rule, though antiquated, is still taught in NFL 101.
So when would this little gambit ever be put into play? Here’s a possible scenario:
Team A has a one-point lead and possession of the ball at their own one-yard line. There are three seconds left in the game, but it’s fourth down and Team A is going to punt, fearing that a kneel-down will leave a second left on the clock and a ‘run-around-until-the-clock-runs-out’ strategy exposes the risk of a sack in the end zone.
Now, since the clock starts on the snap on a punt, the act of kicking the ball away is likely to take up the remainder of the game time. The receiving team, Team B, would be forced to run the punt back for a touchdown in order to avoid defeat, right?
Well, maybe not. Let’s say the punt comes down at the 40-yard line. If the return man executes a fair catch, Team B could elect to use the fair catch kick option. League rules specifically state that the receiving team can still try a kick after time expires, but they cannot run a play from scrimmage. And here’s the beauty of it: Team B can choose to kick from a kickoff formation, without a defense challenging them at the line of scrimmage. In addition, the kick would be from the spot the ball was caught, not from seven or eight yards back after the snap. So, if the return man caught the ball at the 40, we’re talking about a 50-yard field goal, without any potential blockers in the way.
http://www.buccaneers.com/news/newsdetail.aspx?newsid=4140
Back to the subject. First off, Chris, I would agree that it’s an antiquated rule, by the second definition of antiquated in Webster’s Dictionary: ‘out of style and fashion.’ However, it is not antiquated by the first definition: ‘obsolete.’ NFL teams are free to kick after a fair catch now just as they’ve always been. The thing is, it would take just the right combination of circumstances to ever make it a viable strategy.
Let’s start by explaining just what this beast is. This time, I’m going to spare you the exact wording from the NFL rulebook because it gives me a splitting headache just to read it, even after I’ve had it explained to me by live humans with normal speech patterns.
Certainly, you all know what a fair catch is: A player waiting to return a kick can signal for a fair catch by waving one arm over his head; he must then be given room to catch the ball, but he cannot advance it after the catch.
Now, here’s where it gets tricky. Or antiquated, depending upon your point of view. Supposedly, the referee then asks the team captain if, after the fair catch, he would like to run a play from scrimmage or attempt a free kick from the yard line of the catch. In the NFL, that must be either a drop kick or a placekick without a tee (reportedly, a tee can be used in high school.) By the way, to execute a drop kick, you drop the ball on the ground and kick it either as it hits the ground or as it begins to bounce back up. A very Australian-Rules thing to do.
Let's recap in plain language: You call for a fair catch. Rather than run a play, you may choose to execute a free kick from the line of scrimmage established by the fair catch. And by free kick, we mean a kickoff-type kick in which the defense is not on the line of scrimmage.
Now, the Answer Man personally believes that the last time an official actually asked a team captain if he wanted to kick or run a play after a fair catch, that captain was probably wearing a leather helmet. Still, the rule exists and, believe it or not, players and coaches in the NFL know about it. Just for fun, I walked through the football offices on Tuesday morning and asked a sampling of three coaches, two players and three scouts if they knew what a ‘fair catch kick is.’ Seven answered correctly (names withheld to protect the innocent). These eight quiz men were chosen mostly on the ‘who-happens-to-be-standing-around’ criteria, but I think it’s fair to say that the fair catch kick rule, though antiquated, is still taught in NFL 101.
So when would this little gambit ever be put into play? Here’s a possible scenario:
Team A has a one-point lead and possession of the ball at their own one-yard line. There are three seconds left in the game, but it’s fourth down and Team A is going to punt, fearing that a kneel-down will leave a second left on the clock and a ‘run-around-until-the-clock-runs-out’ strategy exposes the risk of a sack in the end zone.
Now, since the clock starts on the snap on a punt, the act of kicking the ball away is likely to take up the remainder of the game time. The receiving team, Team B, would be forced to run the punt back for a touchdown in order to avoid defeat, right?
Well, maybe not. Let’s say the punt comes down at the 40-yard line. If the return man executes a fair catch, Team B could elect to use the fair catch kick option. League rules specifically state that the receiving team can still try a kick after time expires, but they cannot run a play from scrimmage. And here’s the beauty of it: Team B can choose to kick from a kickoff formation, without a defense challenging them at the line of scrimmage. In addition, the kick would be from the spot the ball was caught, not from seven or eight yards back after the snap. So, if the return man caught the ball at the 40, we’re talking about a 50-yard field goal, without any potential blockers in the way.
http://www.buccaneers.com/news/newsdetail.aspx?newsid=4140
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