Neil Rackers 75 Yard Field Goal Attempt (1 Viewer)

[moleculo]

It doesn't seem fair that a kick like this sould go in the NFL record books as longest ever. Nitpicky point here.

Moleculo -Not sure what you are contesting here. All field goals are measured from where the kicker kicks the ball to where the goal post are. I don't think it matters where the line of scrimmage is.

if it indeed would have been a 75 yard attempt, it would have been an NFL record. That seems odd to me, that an untimed kick, with no defense within 10 yards by law, could superscede Elam and Dempsey's 69 yard record.My beef isn't with the spot, it's that this kick would basically be uncontested, whereas the previous records were not.

Elam and Dempsey's record is 63

right...my bad.

 

[The Jerk]

Can the holder put it on his foot?

That's a fantastic question! My instinct suggests no as it's intended to be like any other placement. However, all typical placements involve a pass rush, so I don't have a clue.

 

[TheWick]

Regardless if the team that is losing the game commits a defensive penalty to end the game the game should end. There is no reason for them to get another chance when THEY committed the penalty. Otherwise couldn't a team commit a penalty on the last play at the end of every game to get another chance?Doesn't make any sense to me.

I think what you're missing here is the fact that the fair catch kick is part of the play in which time initially ran out. St. Louis thought that by declining the penalty there would be no further action. However, a fair catch automatically brings with it the right to attempt a free kick. So St. Louis had to accept the penalty to avoid the fair catch kick. Any accepted defensive penalty requires an untimed down.So the choice was either to accept the penalty and untimed down, or decline the penalty and allow the fair catch kick to proceed.

I see what your saying. But then why was :00 on the clock? If the rams accepted the penalty and chose to replay the down shouldn't there have been the 5 seconds or whatever still on the clock?So if there was no Robert Griffith penalty the Cardinals fair caught the ball on purpose to have this free-kick opportunity?This was the strangest ending to a game I have seen...and the more I think about it the crazier it gets

 

[Mik789fl]

didn't someone put a kickoff thru the uprights last year?I don't remember who, but I do recall a kickoff sailing right thru the goal posts.

Maybe... I don't know. But, there wouldn't have been 2 lines of 6 foot+ lardbutts standing in front of him at that time. Theres just no way to get that type of angle with a line in front of you.

It would have been a "free" kick,the defense is not allowed to go after it,he would have had to have drop kicked it from the spot or kicked it off the ground not a tee. Would have been interesting,certainly no pressure on him,but tough to convert. Kudos to the Cards sideline though for thinking of it.

 

[Warpig]

I was laughing because it looked to me like Rackers was giving the old "Oh MAN, I think I woulda kicked it if they gave me the chance" dejected face.

I know it, I loved it. I think he had it, he is now my favorite kicker and I don't even own him in any fantasy league. I think he would have been allowed to tee it, I don't think it would have had to be a drop kick, am I wrong in thinking that?

No tee allowed. It must be either a dropkick or from a teammate's hold like any other field goal attempt. However, with no snap and rushing (because the ten-yard cushion applies like in a kickoff), he could use a full kickoff-type runup, so you'd think distance would be increased over a normal placekick.And yes, I would have loved to have seen it attempted.

I have absolute faith that he COULD have made it given the above scenario. The guy has a hell of a leg. And there have been plenty of kickers boot kickoffs through the uprights. It's not like an everyday thing but if your kicker has a strong leg he can do it. It's the accuracy that kills kickers. Rackers is a WARRIOR!

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

All I know is I was depressed after my Browns lost at the end of the game, and this gave me new found excitement. Thinking about this, I'm thinking the Cardinals may have had options. I'm thinking on a free kick you can attempt an onside kick, I think the Browns did it once after giving up a safety. I don't know if you can advance the ball on an onside kick recovery though. Rackers believed he was going to make it, I sure wish it would have been allowed. If anything, it would have been fun to watch.

Yes, you can advance the ball on any kickoff. It's live for either team to possess which is why the onside kick is recoverable in the first place. Another interesting question: has an onside kick ever been recovered for a TD by the KICKING team (it definitely has by the receiving team)?

No, you can't advance the kickoff.Philly did this vs. Arizona about 7 years ago late in the game, but it was brought back.

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

If he were to make it, I doubt that it would be an NFL record, as that would be a free kick attempt, not a FG (I think).

No, it would have counted as a field goal. Three points.

no, i agree - 3 points. I'm not sure if it owuld be officially ruled a "Field Goal" or "Fair Catch Kick". It doesn't seem fair that a kick like this sould go in the NFL record books as longest ever. Nitpicky point here.

It would be interesting to see if this gets classified the same as a normal field goal given there is no snap, etc. It is a unique play. Do we know what the longest such successful "fair catch kick" is in NFL history?

I don't if it is the record or not but Paul Horning kicked a 52 yarder against the Bears in 1964.

Paul Hornung, once again the Packers' placekicker after sitting out a one-year suspension in 1963, advanced to kick the ball out of Starr's hold -- and it sailed through the uprights, padding the Packers' lead to 17-3 as the first half ended.Hornung's 52-yard success tied the team's existing field goal distance record, which had been set by Ted Fritsch on Oct. 19, 1950, against the then New York Yanks at Manhattan's Polo Grounds.

From the same article:

Four years later, they invoked the same rule to turn the tables on the Green and Gold and pull out a victory in Lambeau Field.It was Nov. 3, 1968, in the year Phil Bengtson succeeded Lombardi as Green Bay's head coach, with Lombardi staying on as general manager.In retrospect, it seems somewhat surprising that the Midway Monsters needed a field goal to settle the issue that afternoon because Gale Sayers, the Bears' gifted running back, was having a career day, amassing 205 yards rushing to set a then-Lambeau Field record.But it was a tightfisted, 10-10 standoff with just 38 seconds remaining in the game, when Cecil Turner, back to receive the Packers' punt from leftfooted Donny Anderson, signaled for a fair catch and fielded the football at the Green Bay 43-yard line.The Bears immediately made known their intentions to Referee Pat Haggerty and lined up in kick formation, whereupon their specialist, Mac Percival, sent the free kick over the crossbar to seal a 13-10 Chicago victory.

Known attempts * On September 13, 1964, the Green Bay Packers attempted it against the Chicago Bears and succeeded. * On November 3, 1968, the Chicago Bears attempted it against the Green Bay Packers and succeeded. * On January 1, 1989, the San Francisco 49ers attempted it against the Minnesota Vikings and failed. * On October 9th, 2005, the Tennessee Titans (Rob Bironas, 58 yards) attempted it against the Houston Texans and failed. * On September 24th 2006, the Arizona Cardinals almost attempted it gainst the St Louis Rams. However, Arizona was flagged for offsides on the punt. After much confusion, St Louis accepted the penalty, allowing Marc Bulger to take a knee and close out the game

I believe Jason Hansen for Detroit tried this.

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

As it understand it, a "free kick" can occur two ways - 1) after a safety and 2) after a fair catch. We are fairly familiar with what happens after a safety - the punter comes in, and basically punts a kickoff. i tihnk the same thing can happen after a fair catch with the same rules, that is, the defense must be back at least 10 yards.If he were to make it, I doubt that it would be an NFL record, as that would be a free kick attempt, not a FG (I think).

A "free kick" is a kickoff. (After a safety, it is not technically considered a kickoff, but same idea.) A "fair catch kick" is a different category.A free kick starts each half, and follows a made field goal, a safety, or an extra point try. A placekick (from a tee) or a drop-kick may be used on any free kick. A punt may also be used following a safety.A fair catch kick may be made after a fair catch, and may be drop-kicked or placekicked (not punted).Technically, according to the rules, after every fair catch the team captain from the receiving team is supposed to notify the referee whether the team will attempt a fair catch kick or put the ball in play with a snap. Whatever he says first is binding -- he cannot change his mind. In practice, I don't know how often the team captain notifies the ref that his team intends to put the ball in play by snapping it.

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

and yes, I would have loved to see this attempted. Rackers was psyched for it and geared up. He was definitely pissed off that he couldn't try it.

 

[The Jerk]

All I know is I was depressed after my Browns lost at the end of the game, and this gave me new found excitement. Thinking about this, I'm thinking the Cardinals may have had options. I'm thinking on a free kick you can attempt an onside kick, I think the Browns did it once after giving up a safety. I don't know if you can advance the ball on an onside kick recovery though. Rackers believed he was going to make it, I sure wish it would have been allowed. If anything, it would have been fun to watch.

Yes, you can advance the ball on any kickoff. It's live for either team to possess which is why the onside kick is recoverable in the first place. Another interesting question: has an onside kick ever been recovered for a TD by the KICKING team (it definitely has by the receiving team)?

No, you can't advance the kickoff.Philly did this vs. Arizona about 7 years ago late in the game, but it was brought back.

Is this a recent rule change? Deion Figures advanced a surprise onside kick in the 4th quarter of SB XXX for the Steelers vs. the Cowboys. It wasn't for a TD, but he caught it in stride and gained another dozen yards or so before being forced out of bounds.

 

[Gatorman]

Mare kicked one through the uprights yesterday, I believe

 

[JayMan]

All I know is I was depressed after my Browns lost at the end of the game, and this gave me new found excitement. Thinking about this, I'm thinking the Cardinals may have had options. I'm thinking on a free kick you can attempt an onside kick, I think the Browns did it once after giving up a safety. I don't know if you can advance the ball on an onside kick recovery though. Rackers believed he was going to make it, I sure wish it would have been allowed. If anything, it would have been fun to watch.

Yes, you can advance the ball on any kickoff. It's live for either team to possess which is why the onside kick is recoverable in the first place. Another interesting question: has an onside kick ever been recovered for a TD by the KICKING team (it definitely has by the receiving team)?

No, you can't advance the kickoff.Philly did this vs. Arizona about 7 years ago late in the game, but it was brought back.

Is this a recent rule change? Deion Figures advanced a surprise onside kick in the 4th quarter of SB XXX for the Steelers vs. the Cowboys. It wasn't for a TD, but he caught it in stride and gained another dozen yards or so before being forced out of bounds.

You can't advance it...From wikipedia:

"Any member of the kicking team may recover the ball once it has gone ten yards downfield (and touched the ground in high school) or once it has touched an opponent. The ball is dead when recovered, though the kicking team is awarded possession at the spot of recovery."

 

[The Jerk]

A kickoff is illegal unless it travels 10 yards OR is touched by the receiving team. Once the ball is touched by the receiving team or has gone 10 yards, it is a free ball. Receivers may recover and advance. Kicking team may recover but NOT advance UNLESS receiver had possession and lost the ball.

Found this here but still confused. Perhaps a Dallas player touched the ball on the play I recall in SB XXX or it was called wrong by the referees.

 

[David Yudkin]

All I know is I was depressed after my Browns lost at the end of the game, and this gave me new found excitement. Thinking about this, I'm thinking the Cardinals may have had options. I'm thinking on a free kick you can attempt an onside kick, I think the Browns did it once after giving up a safety. I don't know if you can advance the ball on an onside kick recovery though. Rackers believed he was going to make it, I sure wish it would have been allowed. If anything, it would have been fun to watch.

Yes, you can advance the ball on any kickoff. It's live for either team to possess which is why the onside kick is recoverable in the first place. Another interesting question: has an onside kick ever been recovered for a TD by the KICKING team (it definitely has by the receiving team)?

No, you can't advance the kickoff.Philly did this vs. Arizona about 7 years ago late in the game, but it was brought back.

This is true unless the receiving team obtained possession and then fumbled. The kicking team can only recover a kick but cannot advance it unless possession was established by the receiving team and then they lost possession, at which point it would be simply a fumble recovery.I remember a game with the 49ers IIRC where they had an onside kick, the receiving team caught it and then the guy that caught was creamed and coughed up the ball. The Niners recovered the fumble on a crazy bounce and then advanced the ball a fair amount and ended up in FG range just on the onside kick.

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

Can the holder put it on his foot?

No. If it's a placekick, the ball must be in a fixed position on the ground. The ball may be held in position by a teammate.

 

[The Jerk]

All I know is I was depressed after my Browns lost at the end of the game, and this gave me new found excitement. Thinking about this, I'm thinking the Cardinals may have had options. I'm thinking on a free kick you can attempt an onside kick, I think the Browns did it once after giving up a safety. I don't know if you can advance the ball on an onside kick recovery though. Rackers believed he was going to make it, I sure wish it would have been allowed. If anything, it would have been fun to watch.

Yes, you can advance the ball on any kickoff. It's live for either team to possess which is why the onside kick is recoverable in the first place. Another interesting question: has an onside kick ever been recovered for a TD by the KICKING team (it definitely has by the receiving team)?

No, you can't advance the kickoff.Philly did this vs. Arizona about 7 years ago late in the game, but it was brought back.

This is true unless the receiving team obtained possession and then fumbled. The kicking team can only recover a kick but cannot advance it unless possession was established by the receiving team and then they lost possession, at which point it would be simply a fumble recovery.I remember a game with the 49ers IIRC where they had an onside kick, the receiving team caught it and then the guy that caught was creamed and coughed up the ball. The Niners recovered the fumble on a crazy bounce and then advanced the ball a fair amount and ended up in FG range just on the onside kick.

Thanks to all of you for your responses. Another possibility is that I remember the play wrong. Perhaps the ball was marked at the spot of possession and the advance was disallowed. Either way, thanks for the input.

 

[turkishkamel]

Was watching the Georgia Colorado game and the commentators said something about the colorado kicker hitting an 80yarder. I'm sure altitude & wind were huge factors ...aklso did not hear if this was during an actual game....anyone have any details?

i believe his name is mason crosby. apparently he kicks 75 yarders in practice and before games with ease. the colorado staff has said he would attempt a 70+ yarder at some point his year. it should also be noted he's 0-3 on FGs over 50yds this year.

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

If he were to make it, I doubt that it would be an NFL record, as that would be a free kick attempt, not a FG (I think).

No, it would have counted as a field goal. Three points.

no, i agree - 3 points. I'm not sure if it owuld be officially ruled a "Field Goal" or "Fair Catch Kick". It doesn't seem fair that a kick like this sould go in the NFL record books as longest ever. Nitpicky point here.

It would be interesting to see if this gets classified the same as a normal field goal given there is no snap, etc. It is a unique play. Do we know what the longest such successful "fair catch kick" is in NFL history?

I'm not sure of the answer to this, but a fair catch kick that goes through the uprights is technically a field goal.Rule 3, Article 1, Section 10:

A Field Goal is made by kicking the ball from the field of play through the plane of the opponents' goal by a drop kick or a placekick either:(a) From behind the line on a play from scrimmage; or(b) During a fair catch kick.

 

[Niaboc]

He could have done it

 

[apalmer]

Regardless if the team that is losing the game commits a defensive penalty to end the game the game should end. There is no reason for them to get another chance when THEY committed the penalty. Otherwise couldn't a team commit a penalty on the last play at the end of every game to get another chance?Doesn't make any sense to me.

I think what you're missing here is the fact that the fair catch kick is part of the play in which time initially ran out. St. Louis thought that by declining the penalty there would be no further action. However, a fair catch automatically brings with it the right to attempt a free kick. So St. Louis had to accept the penalty to avoid the fair catch kick. Any accepted defensive penalty requires an untimed down.So the choice was either to accept the penalty and untimed down, or decline the penalty and allow the fair catch kick to proceed.

I see what your saying. But then why was :00 on the clock? If the rams accepted the penalty and chose to replay the down shouldn't there have been the 5 seconds or whatever still on the clock?

The easiest way to undertand that part is to think about what would happen on some other type of defensive penalty. For example, If the Rams were behind instead of ahead and threw a Hail Mary and defensive pass interference was called, everyone knows what sould happen: The "game can't end on a defensive penalty" rule would apply and the Rams would have the ball at the point of the PI and no time on the clock (time is never put back on defensive penalties unless the clock was run in error*) for one more play. It's the same thing here: the time that's run off the clock is gone, but the game can't end on an accepted defensive penalty, so the Rams need to run another play. If they hadn't accepted it, then the other, less known, rule (free kick after a fair catch whether there's time on the clock or not) comes into play. *example of clock running in error: Following a timeout, the defense goes offsides by plowing into the offensive line and the play is blown dead before the snap. Since the ball wasn't put in play, the clock shouldn't start. If the timekeeper had erroneously started the clock, the clock will be reset. However, if it's an offisides where no contact is made and the referee allows the play to continue, then the time is gone and the clock isn't reset.

 

[Grigs Allmoon]

didn't someone put a kickoff thru the uprights last year?I don't remember who, but I do recall a kickoff sailing right thru the goal posts.

I think I recall seeing two this weekend...(I believe one was with a penalty moving the ball up 15 yards, though.)

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

I still don't like the ability of the coaching staff to refuse, then accept, a penalty.

"The St. Louis Rams have elected for a do over."

 

[TommyGilmore]

Another thing to consider is that the attempt can be drop-kicked (i.e., a punt that touches the ground at the moment you kick it). With practice, a drop-kick can actually go farther than a kickoff (i.e., in Australian Rules Football).

 

[Michael Fox Fan]

How many kickoffs have you ever seen sail through the uprights?Because that's basically what we're talking about here. 3 yards closer, but no tee.

I saw John Hall put more than one kickoff through the uprights when he was in college at U of Wisconsin. Granted, he had an extra 5 yards headstart (kicked from the 35 yd line), but he cleared the uprights easily. Hadn't seen anyone do it since, must have missed Rackers kick in Mexico City.

 

[Doug B]

I saw John Hall put more than one kickoff through the uprights when he was in college at U of Wisconsin. Granted, he had an extra 5 yards headstart (kicked from the 35 yd line), but he cleared the uprights easily. Hadn't seen anyone do it since, must have missed Rackers kick in Mexico City.

Even from traditional placement, a 75-yard FG is not an impossibility. Ridiculously difficult, but not impossible.Former Chicago Bears kicker Kevin Butler attempted a 70-yard FG for the University of Georgia in the 80s. He missed by about a foot wide right ... the ball was a good 10-12 feet above the cross bar. True, it was off of a tee back then ... but it was a conventional FG, without the kickoff-style run-up.

 

[NYCGangGreen]

How many kickoffs have you ever seen sail through the uprights?

Because that's basically what we're talking about here. 3 yards closer, but no tee.

I saw John Hall put more than one kickoff through the uprights when he was in college at U of Wisconsin. Granted, he had an extra 5 yards headstart (kicked from the 35 yd line), but he cleared the uprights easily. Hadn't seen anyone do it since, must have missed Rackers kick in Mexico City.

John Hall??? The guy who can't get a kickoff past the 20 yard line!!!!

I am so glad the JETS got rid of that bum, but unfortuantely we havent had much luck at that position for as long as i can remember!!!

But my oh my do i hate John Hall!!!!

 

[Chase Stuart]

How many kickoffs have you ever seen sail through the uprights?

Because that's basically what we're talking about here. 3 yards closer, but no tee.

I saw John Hall put more than one kickoff through the uprights when he was in college at U of Wisconsin. Granted, he had an extra 5 yards headstart (kicked from the 35 yd line), but he cleared the uprights easily. Hadn't seen anyone do it since, must have missed Rackers kick in Mexico City.

John Hall??? The guy who can't get a kickoff past the 20 yard line!!!!

I am so glad the JETS got rid of that bum, but unfortuantely we havent had much luck at that position for as long as i can remember!!!

But my oh my do i hate John Hall!!!!

Hall put one through the uprights when he was with the Jets too. Had a monster leg the first few seasons.

 

[BoulderBob]

Rackers used to kick them through the uprights on kickoffs at Illinois, albeit the distance is what, 10 yards closer to the endzone?

 

[Angrymutt]

I was laughing because it looked to me like Rackers was giving the old "Oh MAN, I think I woulda kicked it if they gave me the chance" dejected face.

I know it, I loved it. I think he had it, he is now my favorite kicker and I don't even own him in any fantasy league. I think he would have been allowed to tee it, I don't think it would have had to be a drop kick, am I wrong in thinking that?

No tee allowed. It must be either a dropkick or from a teammate's hold like any other field goal attempt. However, with no snap and rushing (because the ten-yard cushion applies like in a kickoff), he could use a full kickoff-type runup, so you'd think distance would be increased over a normal placekick.And yes, I would have loved to have seen it attempted.

Can the holder put it on his foot?

Like when we were kids in the front yard. That would be awesome. The holder would also have to make sure he was on Rackers right side. You remember what happens when you tee it up on your foot, and you are on the wrong side? Yep some gets hurt and has to go home...

 

[glock]

How many kickoffs have you ever seen sail through the uprights?

Because that's basically what we're talking about here. 3 yards closer, but no tee.

I saw John Hall put more than one kickoff through the uprights when he was in college at U of Wisconsin. Granted, he had an extra 5 yards headstart (kicked from the 35 yd line), but he cleared the uprights easily. Hadn't seen anyone do it since, must have missed Rackers kick in Mexico City.

John Hall??? The guy who can't get a kickoff past the 20 yard line!!!!

I am so glad the JETS got rid of that bum, but unfortuantely we havent had much luck at that position for as long as i can remember!!!

But my oh my do i hate John Hall!!!!

Hall put one through the uprights when he was with the Jets too. Had a monster leg the first few seasons.

Some of the tackles he made musta taken a toll on his legs...

 

[Oh the Humanity]

How many kickoffs have you ever seen sail through the uprights?Because that's basically what we're talking about here. 3 yards closer, but no tee.

In addition, you don't have to worry about having a high trajectory like you do with a kickoff because there isn't any return.

 

[Homer]

and yes, I would have loved to see this attempted. Rackers was psyched for it and geared up. He was definitely pissed off that he couldn't try it.

Yeah, he was really jawing it up about that on the sidelines. Also agree about the apparent idiocy of St. Louis getting a 'do-over' on the penalty call.BTW, a 75 yard FG would be worth 35 points in my league (10 points for a 50-yarder, 1 bonus point for every yard more than 50. John Kasay hung up 33 big ones yesterday, and was one yard short on the 49 yarder from putting up 38)... Should probably be worth even more than THAT, IMO.

 

[Browns Rule!]

and yes, I would have loved to see this attempted. Rackers was psyched for it and geared up. He was definitely pissed off that he couldn't try it.

Yeah, he was really jawing it up about that on the sidelines. Also agree about the apparent idiocy of St. Louis getting a 'do-over' on the penalty call.BTW, a 75 yard FG would be worth 35 points in my league (10 points for a 50-yarder, 1 bonus point for every yard more than 50. John Kasay hung up 33 big ones yesterday, and was one yard short on the 49 yarder from putting up 38)... Should probably be worth even more than THAT, IMO.

WOW, do kickers score more than QB's in your league?