Fair catch free kick thing
- Thread starter plcp
- Start date
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_catch_kick
You hear announcers mention it occasionally, but there aren’t many attempts. I remember the Phil Dawson one a few years ago only because it was so unusual.
This is part of a snowflake generation agenda whereby you can participate without the contact. After the game everyone goes for ice cream.
There've been lots of bad rule changes in football but this is the worst.
Kickoffs are exciting plays so let's have more run backs.
I get we're now attempting to protect everyone from everything which will make football unrecognizable soon.
Kickoffs are exciting plays so let's have more run backs.
I get we're now attempting to protect everyone from everything which will make football unrecognizable soon.
The NFL is already unwatchable.
The free kick rule has been on the books since the league started.
No offense, but this is such a very, very bad answer and response for this question.
The game is still plenty violent, physical and full of tough enough players.
For those fans that want to see the game continue, the time to reform is now.
We need drop kicks to come back into vogue.
"The fair catch kick is a rule at the professional and high school levels of American football that allows a team that has just made a fair catch to attempt a free kick[A] from the spot of the catch. The kick must be either a place kick or a drop kick, and if it passes over the crossbar and between the goalposts of the opposing team's goal, a field goal, worth three points, is awarded to the kicking team."
WTF are you talking about? This rule is a basically a carryover from the early days of the sport.
I can’t believe Carolina actually utilized it. Many coaches don’t even know it exists. Plenty of other times it could have been used and it wasn’t.
That's been an obscure rule forever. My high school team got beat by that rule about 25 years or so ago. We had to punt out our own end zone into a stiff wind right before half time. The wind took the ball practically strait up in the air and other team fair caught it around the 15 or 20 yard line. Give credit to their coach for knowing the rule but they had their kicker boot it thru the uprights for 3 points which turned out to be the difference.
Coaches know the rule but the situation to actually try a "Fair Catch Free Kick" is pretty rare, how many times does a half end on a punt from an end zone, not that often. You also don't see it at the end of games since teams up by 3 who have to punt with under 10 seconds on the clock usually have the punter run around the end zone then take a safety so they can Free Kick from the 20.
I definitely have seen instances where it could have been attempted, normally at the end of the half, and coaches are just clueless. If you did a poll of all NFL coaches you would probably be surprised how many have never heard of this rule.
BTW you can kick the ball with no time on the clock. If the fair catch is made and time has expired you will still get the opportunity to utilize the free kick
There aren’t many situations where teams have a shot at it, but I agree it’s underutilized. Kickers would probably have a shot at it from 70+ yards out.
I know one of the reasons coaches are sometimes reluctant to try long field goals is they’re wary of long returns if it comes up short. However due to the nature of the free kick this should never happen. There’s no need to have slow bulky offensive linemen on the field as you’re not facing a rush.
Does anyone have a clip of it? I have never seen it used and I have watched a lot of football over the years. I am surprised more people don’t use it.
It’s rare because a fair catch around the 50 in the closing seconds of the half doesn’t happen that often.
Here’s a link to some that happened in the past including the Packers trying one into the wind from 69 yards away.
thats not the entire rule though theres more
"the player attempting the kick nust do so while wearing a leather helmer and a jersey made of the thickest sheeps wool"
Two birds with one stone - reduction in "leading with the spear of the helmet" penalties.
Win - Win.
The only player known to have attempted it more than once in the NFL... former Pitt kicker Fred Cox.
He is also allowed to be smoking a cigarette during the attempt. Grandfathered into the rules.
gee, can you imagine being at the game there with a Limey and trying to explain this to a novice since you probably never even heard of it before...and we talk about Cricket being quirky...
We're talking about two different things since I mis-read the title of the post.
What I was addressing was the NCAA New fair catch rule on kickoffs that turned a fair catch inside the 25 yard line on a kickoff into a touchback.
This was approved by the NCAA Playering Rules Oversight Panel around March/April of 2018.
Reported in CBS Sports.com NCAA Football it was to improve player safety?
If you think it's to dangerous to catch the ball just let it bounce ? And the opponents might recover the ball? Catch the ball and run.
A new rule making the sport more unlike tackle football wasn't needed.
Fyi
There will always be a player willing to play the game and catch the ball.
Play that guy.
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A veteran high school referee said he used to ask the punt returner after a fair catch if he chose to free kick or put the ball in play. After about two years he stopped asking because the player would always look at him like he was crazy. Finally, after about 25 years, a kid made a fair catch and told him that they choose a free kick. Ref said he was thrilled that someone finally knew the rule and used it.
Interestingly, the rule is in high school and professional football but not college. I'm told there are several other rules like that, but I can't think of any off the top of my head. Maybe some of you guys have other examples.
Interestingly, the rule is in high school and professional football but not college. I'm told there are several other rules like that, but I can't think of any off the top of my head. Maybe some of you guys have other examples.
You could fair catch a kickoff prior to the rule change. It's one of the reasons teams don't "pooch kick" the ball in the air for an onside kick. The spot of the ball on a deep kick is all that changed.
I assume if it’s missed then the other team would get the ball at the spot of the kick? Which would explain why it’s only utilized with little time remaining on the clock.
