Between my brother and my brother-in-law, I’ve been getting a little more into [American] football. But there are a few little things that make me curious-
-During the kickoff, the ball is kicked from a tee. What exactly do they do with the tee during the kickoff play? Does a ref dart over and snatch it up? While probably really rare, I can’t help but think that having this object sitting in the middle of the field while 22 guys are running around might be a bit of a tripping hazard.
-Occasionally a player will get hit so hard his helmet will pop off :eek: . Usually this happens in the context of the ball being down/dead/flag thrown. Are there any stipulations for if a player has an equipment malfunction while the ball is still live? (shoe comes off, helmet/padding fall off in the middle of play) Do they immediately stop the play to prevent the player(s) from being injured?
-My brother was telling me of a rather archaic rule where a team receiving the kickoff, after indicating a Fair Catch, can opt to attempt a field goal during 1st down. If they do this, no opponent players can block the attempt. The theory is that with no blockers, the kicker can kick at a lower angle in order to get the range to make a long field goal. I’m guessing this was much more relevant back when missing a field goal only meant the other team started at their own 20 yard line (vs now when they get the ball at the line of scrimmage). Have any modern teams attempted this? Have any succeeded?
-Generally when the offense gets very near the goal line it becomes really easy for a QB or running back to just squirt through a couple linemen for a touchdown “football is a game of inches” as they say. But I’ve heard of situations where a team, that was 4th and inches from the goal line, failed to make a touchdown! When you are so close to the goal line, it seems like it would be easy enough to simply hop forward a couple feet. Most of the time this is what happens. But I’m curious how exactly the offense could screw this up.
there’s been like 4 in the past 20 years and the last successful one was in 1976
If the ballcarrier’s helmet comes off the ball is immediately blown dead
You have to remember that even though the ball is practically on the goal line, it still has to be hiked back to the ball carrier, so that puts the ball another foot back. Then it’s a matter of getting through both your own guys and the 300 pound lineman on the other side pushing back. And the refs have ot actually be able to see that you got the football over the line.
Between my brother and my brother-in-law, I’ve been getting a little more into [American] football. But there are a few little things that make me curious-
Pretty much. The ref or some other person goes and gets it at some point; I’m not 100% sure that it happens before the play’s over with every time though. The kick returns rarely get as far as the kickoff point, so it’s not really a huge issue most of the time.
Depends on who; if it’s the ball carrier, then they do blow the play dead. If it’s say… a defensive player away from the ball, then no, they don’t blow it dead immediately.
Never heard of that until the post above.
It’s harder than it looks in close like that; basically everyone crowds together very closely and the offense basically tries to push the defensive guys back far enough for the ball carrier to make it into the end zone.
However, the defensive guys are doing the same thing. So you tend to see a lot of dives over the pile of players at the line of scrimmage, play action fakes with either rollout passes or pitches to running backs going wide, or quarterback sneaks.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player trip over the kicking tee (though I have to imagine that it’s happened at some point). The tee that’s used in the NFL these days is pretty low-profile anyway:
It’s not legal for anyone other than the “in play” players to run onto the field in the middle of a play, even a kickoff. The tee gets retrieved after the play. At Lambeau Field, where the Packers play, there’s always a kid who’s won a contest to be the official tee-retriever during the game. He or she gets to stand on the sideline during the game with the players, and runs out onto the field after the kickoff to fetch the tee.
Not in college ball or the NFL; they keep playing until the play ends (edit: PSXer noted that the play is blown dead if the ballcarrier’s helmet comes off – that may be, I’m not certain). I’ve seen helmetless linemen still in the middle of things. And, you’ll occasionally see a running back lose a shoe in mid-play, and keep running. ISTR that Herschel Walker once scored on a long run with only one shoe.
It’s true. You can also do this if you make a fair catch on a punt. The resulting kick is called a “free kick”.
Usually, a kickoff gets fielded somewhere around the offense’s goal line – even the strongest-legged kickers in NFL history aren’t capable of hitting a 100-yard field goal. However, the free kick does get used, on very rare occasion, after a punt (usually right at the end of a half). The 49ers did just this earlier this season, at the end of the first half against the Rams, but missed the ensuing 71-yard field goal.
Note that the dog’s handler is watching the play, and not sending the dog out onto the field right away – he’s undoubtedly waiting until he sees that the play is over.
In the NFL, it’s illegal for a player to intentionally remove his helmet while he’s on the field. They instituted that rule about 15 years ago, at least in part because one particular player (linebacker Brian Cox) made a habit out of pulling off his helmet while arguing with the officials.
An interior lineman is not allowed to catch or run with the ball. (Recover fumbles and deflected passes that have already touched legal receivers, yes - but he can’t be the intended runner or receiver.)
According to MAS*H he can if the rest of the line is on one side of him and the end is off the line of scrimmage. In reality, there have been tackle eligible plays done in a similar manner.
There’s a rule that the center can keep it if it’s touched by the QB, I believe. Maybe it’s not allowed in NFL, but somewhere (high school? college?) it is.
I have heard of something called the “center sneak”, where the center hikes the ball back to the QB and touches the ball to his hands, then can pull the ball to his chest and then leap forward, accomplishing a short yardage goal. I don’t know if this is legal in the NFL.
CMIIW but I believe that if a player’s helmet comes off he has to sit out at least one play. As to the ball handler having the play blown dead I’m not sure.
Well, if we’re going to use "MAS*H rules instead of NFL rules, you can also inject (on-field!) the other team’s star running back with a mind altering substance that renders him ineffective.
Seriously, though, this site (and, to some extent, this one) claims that the “center sneak” play, while not in itself technically illegal in the NFL, would still have to follow normal play rules which would make it either illegal or totally ineffective (for instance, the center would have to first turn around and face the quarterback before he could receive a handoff).
That sounds like a trick play that Nebraska used to run, known as the “Fumblerooski.” Last time I saw it was in the 1984 championship game (the Orange Bowl) between Nebraska and Miami.
I believe the NCAA eventually outlawed that play, but I’m not sure.
No, the fumblerooski is different. In that, the QB sets the ball on the ground after taking the snap and then fakes like he still has it, so a guard can pick it up and run with it. The NCAA specifically banned it, and the NFL doesn’t allow anyone but a QB to advance a fumbled ball, so it’s a dead play.
