To add to that, the play “up the middle” is not designed to run into a pile of defenders, except in certain short-yardage situations where you hope your pile moves their pile. Rather, the blocking schemes are designed to open up lanes. Many times, you will see a running back head into what seems to be a mass of humanity and squirt through for a good gain.
Of course the defense tries to close down those lanes. What separates a good running back from a great running back is the ability to almost instantly scan the pile and anticipate which lanes are closing and where a new lane is about to open. True, sometimes the best opening is “around the pile” but a team that never runs up the middle or at least off-tackle will never establish a ground game (at least in the NFL–some college schemes run a spread well enough to rarely have to test the “pile up the middle.”)
And another thing. Runs like that–pounding it up the middle–are also designed to wear out a defense so that by the 4th quarter you have many more options against a tired defense that is sucking air. You can hit 'em again and again–or play action them out of their jocks.
I believe Baseball By The Numbers debunked this theory in their chapter on sacrifice plays, but I’m going to have to check on that. Of course the Baseball Prospectus guys frown on any type of non-pitcher sacrifice apart from a very few select situations.
I’d think it would be neat if more soccer academies/teams cultivated more players like Rory Delap, who can throw the ball over thirty meters in from the touchline with extreme accuracy. It’s a pretty good weapon to have a guy who can throw the ball almost as hard as many players can kick it, and his team Stoke City have scored a bunch of goals off of his throw-ins.
Except I’ve seen the shift on many, many, times with a runner in scoring position. And the batter hits another grounder right into the shift coughOrtizcough, when anything in the direction of third base would be an RBI.
Dropkick on a PAT or chip-shot FG.
If the defense rushes to block, dump it off to an end for a 2 point try or first down just like a QB in shotgun formation.
To chime in on this, Rory started playing at the team I support, Carlisle United, was developed through the youth academy and subsequently sold to bring the club cash and to provide him with a higher standard of football. We didn’t really develop his ability to throw the ball though - he was the Carlisle District Javelin Champion or something similar when he was 14/15, so he’d always had a certain ability to throw things a long way.
This, of course, does not negate your point - more of these players could be developed: just pointing out that, to a certain extent, we were lucky that a player with this skill came along at our club (I remember when Rory was sold onto Derby County, I think he made his debut against Manchester United - on Match of the Day, they actually showed his first throw in - which was in the middle of his own half and led to nothing - simply because the commentator said “this boy can throw it a long way, watch this”; I’m fairly certain that a reasonable amount of his value that came back to the club in his transfer fee was because of this skill, as otherwise, Rory is a pretty middle of the pack player in terms of talent).
The NFL rules allow you to dropkick a scoring kick attempt instead of placekicking. It’s more difficult, but easier to run fakes from because the kicker is standing with the ball in his hands, whereas on a placekick the backup QB or whoever is holding is kneeling on the ground.
I just thought of one: I want my team to score a lot of points.
Basketball- you’re down by three and have two free throws with say 10 seconds left on the clock. Make the first free throw to cut it to two points. Then for the second free throw, throw it overhand as hard as you can right at the rim. You have a chance to get your own rebound and hit a jumper for two points.
[QUOTE=Rule 3 Section 8]
a kick by a kicker who drops the ball and kicks it as, or immediately after, it touches the ground.
[/QUOTE]
which is why Garo Yepremian’s famous “kick” was not a dropkick and was in fact illegal.
Inside the 20 yard line, a drop kick should be a chip shot. Doug Flutie made one easily and Jim McMahon was apparently good at it but Ditka thought it was a gimmick. Here’s the thing, except for the fact that you bendover more, the formation is just like a QB in shotgun formation or possible a punt formation i.e. 2 split ends off the line of scrimmage and a fullback as a personal protector. So to block the kick, everyone rushes, but if the ends are not covered then the kicker could in theory straighten up and make a quick pass for an easy gain or 2 point try. If everyone does not rush, easy kick.
The issue, of course, is that, because the drop-kick is a lost art – when Flute made one, as an extra point, in his final game (1/1/06), and it was the first drop kick in the NFL in 65 years – virtually no one practices it any more.
I also suspect that it’s not as high-percentage a play as you believe it is – the game evolved from the drop-kick to the place-kick for a reason (i.e., the changes to the shape of the ball, to facilitate the forward pass, made the bounce off the ground less reliable).
As a field goal, it would be rare but I think there are some circumstances where it could be useful. A couple weeks ago Denver was tied with 10 seconds and third down on like the 7 or something. Put Tebow in shotgun and if they play for the pass then run and if they play for the run dropkick. Someone will object that on 3rd down you want to placekick in case of a bad snap you get a second chance but what if it is 2nd down and enough time to run a play and call time out if tackled in-bounds? Now maybe leaving open the option to run a play or kick a FG depending on the defense looks a little better.
But as a PAT play I think it has potential. Take your #2 or #3 QB and have him practice 20 yd dropkicks in practice because if you can get a 2 point try instead of 1 point even once in a game, you have drastically changed the strategy. being ahead 22-14 is very different than 21-14.