ugclemon@sunybcs.UUCP (Robert Clemons) (01/22/86)
We have all heard the football play-by-play men bring up the
possibility of a team staging a free kick to get 3 points. I have never
seen this done successfully. To kick a free kick you have to either
give up a safety or fair catch a punt. When a team punts from deep in
their end with seconds to go in a half, invariably Marv Albert will call
for a fair catch so the receiving team can try for a 40 yard field goal
with no chance of blockage. This never works. Has anyone out there
ever seen this happen?
The rules of football allow for a fielded punt to be punted back
just like they do in Canada for points. The difference is in the USA
this is only done out of the goodness of a punt returner's heart. Why
would anyone want to do this? Has anyone ever done this?
We all saw the drop-kick successfully accomplished in that big-screen
classic "The Longest Yard". I understand in the past the drop-kick was
an important weapon in a team's scoring arsenal. Nowadays the only way
I could imagine a team accomplishing a drop-kick is for a punter to
fumble the snap, let it bounce, and boot it into the jet stream so that
it carries 75 yards through the uprights. This may be possible in
Buffalo, but never in a domed stadium. If there are any real football
stat fanatics out there, I would like to know when the last drop-kick
was successfully accomplished and who did it.
Also, who knows the last time someone returned a field goal attempt
for a touchdown. I don't mean a blocked kick, I mean catching the ball
and running it back as the kicking teams wander over to the sidelines.
If I were a coach I would put a guy back there to return those long,
desperate attempts made at the end of a half.
Come to think of it, if a punt hits the ground before it is kicked
the receiving team would be better off not to return it. They would
get the ball on the line of scrimmage rather then where they return
it to.
Any comments?
--
Robert Clemons
csnet : ugclemon@buffalo
arpanet : ugclemon%buffalo@csnet-relay
uucp : ..{burdvax,rocksvax,decvax,rocksanne,watmath}!sunybcs!ugclemonfranka@mmintl.UUCP (Frank Adams) (01/29/86)
In article <2764@sunybcs.UUCP> ugclemon@sunybcs.UUCP (Robert Clemons) writes: > We have all heard the football play-by-play men bring up the >possibility of a team staging a free kick to get 3 points. I have never >seen this done successfully. To kick a free kick you have to either >give up a safety or fair catch a punt. When a team punts from deep in >their end with seconds to go in a half, invariably Marv Albert will call >for a fair catch so the receiving team can try for a 40 yard field goal >with no chance of blockage. This never works. Has anyone out there >ever seen this happen? > > We all saw the drop-kick successfully accomplished in that big-screen >classic "The Longest Yard". I understand in the past the drop-kick was >an important weapon in a team's scoring arsenal. Nowadays the only way >I could imagine a team accomplishing a drop-kick is for a punter to >fumble the snap, let it bounce, and boot it into the jet stream so that >it carries 75 yards through the uprights. This may be possible in >Buffalo, but never in a domed stadium. If there are any real football >stat fanatics out there, I would like to know when the last drop-kick >was successfully accomplished and who did it. Back in the late 60's or early 70's, the Bears and the Packers used one of these (I don't remember which) in the two games they played against each other, in each case winning the game on the play. I don't know the year, and I don't know if this was the last time the play was used successfully. Frank Adams ihpn4!philabs!pwa-b!mmintl!franka Multimate International 52 Oakland Ave North E. Hartford, CT 06108
tonti@ptsfc.UUCP (Guy Tonti) (02/04/86)
> > We have all heard the football play-by-play men bring up the > >possibility of a team staging a free kick to get 3 points. I have never > >seen this done successfully. To kick a free kick you have to either > >give up a safety or fair catch a punt. When a team punts from deep in > >their end with seconds to go in a half, invariably Marv Albert will call > >for a fair catch so the receiving team can try for a 40 yard field goal > >with no chance of blockage. This never works. Has anyone out there > >ever seen this happen? > > > > Back in the late 60's or early 70's, the Bears and the Packers used one of > these (I don't remember which) in the two games they played against each > other, in each case winning the game on the play. I don't know the year, > and I don't know if this was the last time the play was used successfully. > You're forcing me to reach way back in my memory (no football digest books for this kid), but it seems like Roger LeCler (sic) of the Bears kicked a field goal after a fair catch to beat the Pack in the forementioned game. Obviously my memory is sketchy, but I distinctly remember it occurring. Also, another interesting quirk in football rules. My dad says he remembers from his college days in the 30's, that after a safety, a team gets a choice of making a free kick OR running a single play from scrimmage, from their own 20 yard line!? If their are any historians/ rule buffs who could verify this, is it still in force or was it ever used, it would be most appreciated (it has been a debate in the family for years). Guy Tonti
stevev@tekchips.UUCP (Steve Vegdahl) (02/19/86)
> Also, another interesting quirk in football rules. > My dad says he remembers from his college days in the 30's, that after a > safety, a team gets a choice of making a free kick OR running a single play > from scrimmage, from their own 20 yard line!? If their are any historians/ > rule buffs who could verify this, is it still in force or was it ever used, > it would be most appreciated (it has been a debate in the family for years). I have heard of this rule, too. Never seen it applied; never known whether it was a rule or a rumor. Steve Vegdahl Computer Research Lab. Tektronix, Inc. Beaverton, Oregon