why don't teams "late overload" on punts? (1 Viewer)

[flc735]

2 gunner blockers and the return man, line up 4 across the line and leave the remaining 4 in the middle. once the offense sets, the 4 (or 3) pick a side and overload rush the punt. you could also shift the 4 lineman over to the same side to overload it further.

if the offense adjusts, the 4 simply go to the other side.

wouldn't it be too difficult for the blocker(s) in the backfield to block free rushers coming from the opposite side since they would have to take on defenders at full speed along with waiting for the snap to clear?

"maybe it would be easy for the offense to convert fakes?" well in that case, just reserve this play for special situations.

 

[BoltBacker]

"maybe it would be easy for the offense to convert fakes?" well in that case, just reserve this play for special situations.

I agree with you and worst case scenario, it doesn't work, teams probably have to spend practice time protecting against overload punt block packages. It would work in FG attempts as well. Even if it didn't "work" it could at least distract the P or K before the snap or better yet force them to call a timeout if they didn't like the look of how it was set up to be blocked. The key would be saving it for special situations as you suggest so the kicking team can't scheme for it since they don't know when it will be used.But then again I don't understand why teams don't use an all-out block package when the opponent punts around the 50 yard line either. The returner almost never has an opportunity to return the kick, there's a far higher risk the punt returner will catch a punt too close to his own goal line or worse yet muff the punt deep in his own territory. I suppose the argument against is "Well then the punter could drop the ball at the 15 yard line and let the ball roll to the 5" but if the punter was that accurate in the first place all he'd have to do is punt it in the coffin corner anyway. Nobody knows where the ball is going once it bounces.

If there's one facet of pro football that hasn't changed much in the past decades it seems to me it's the special teams. In terms of directional punting I think special teams may have even regressed.

 

[shredhead]

"maybe it would be easy for the offense to convert fakes?" well in that case, just reserve this play for special situations.

I agree with you and worst case scenario, it doesn't work, teams probably have to spend practice time protecting against overload punt block packages. It would work in FG attempts as well. Even if it didn't "work" it could at least distract the P or K before the snap or better yet force them to call a timeout if they didn't like the look of how it was set up to be blocked. The key would be saving it for special situations as you suggest so the kicking team can't scheme for it since they don't know when it will be used.But then again I don't understand why teams don't use an all-out block package when the opponent punts around the 50 yard line either. The returner almost never has an opportunity to return the kick, there's a far higher risk the punt returner will catch a punt too close to his own goal line or worse yet muff the punt deep in his own territory. I suppose the argument against is "Well then the punter could drop the ball at the 15 yard line and let the ball roll to the 5" but if the punter was that accurate in the first place all he'd have to do is punt it in the coffin corner anyway. Nobody knows where the ball is going once it bounces.

If there's one facet of pro football that hasn't changed much in the past decades it seems to me it's the special teams. In terms of directional punting I think special teams may have even regressed.

The coffin corner is definitely a lost art. I remember having contests with my brothers to see who could get the best coffin corner punt in the back yard.