Questions and Observations for American Football Fans

[Angrboda]

I do not understand the difference between a kick going out of bounds on a punt, vs a ball going out of bounds on a kick off after a score. Isn't the idea to put  back the receiving team up as much as possible? 

I don't think it should matter if you went 3 and out and punted a kick to the point your rival had to start at the 5 yard line. I also don't understand why after a field goal, or touchdown, why your kick off team kicker cant kick the ball out of bounds as close to the end zone so that you, the receiving team has to start as far back as possible.

[Ranjr]

This is such a satisfying play from last night's game.  The way the ball spirals to the ground and spins to be scooped up and rekicked.  I could watch it in a loop.  The way the announcers get the rules wrong.  So nice.

It won't embed so . . . 


https://youtu.be/m0sSaSPdyTQ

[Spongebob]

I had no idea it was legal to kick it again.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

In rugby, you can kick the ball to yourself. It’s a beautiful thing.

Boru

[Spongebob]

In rugby, you can kick the ball to yourself. It’s a beautiful thing.

Boru

You could do that in American football as well, but it would be a very bad outcome.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

In rugby, you can kick the ball to yourself. It’s a beautiful thing.

Boru

You could do that in American football as well, but it would be a very bad outcome.

It frequently works in rugby, provided the ball carrier is fast enough.

The only ways to move the ball forward are by carrying or kicking it (no passing forward). Once the carrier kicks the ball, he’s not allowed to be tackled. A player in possession of the ball who’s about to be tackled and has no open receiver, will punt the ball down field and try to run ahead and recover it. It’s a tactic generally employed by smaller, faster players - big guys will generally just take the hit.

Boru

[Ranjr]

I do not understand the difference between a kick going out of bounds on a punt, vs a ball going out of bounds on a kick off after a score. Isn't the idea to put  back the receiving team up as much as possible? 

I don't think it should matter if you went 3 and out and punted a kick to the point your rival had to start at the 5 yard line. I also don't understand why after a field goal, or touchdown, why your kick off team kicker cant kick the ball out of bounds as close to the end zone so that you, the receiving team has to start as far back as possible.

Allowing a free kick to go out of bounds in the field of play would effectively end the kickoff return.

[arewethereyet]

In rugby, you can kick the ball to yourself. It’s a beautiful thing.

Boru

In a weird way you can in American football with the onside kick. I've not seen it work all that well. A short kick and your team recovers it so in essence you are attempting to kick it to yourself (or your team, as it were).

It's a fascinating thing to watch (in a' this isn't going to go well kinda way') when watching young kids playing in rec leagues and junior high.

[Spongebob]

I do not understand the difference between a kick going out of bounds on a punt, vs a ball going out of bounds on a kick off after a score. Isn't the idea to put  back the receiving team up as much as possible? 

I don't think it should matter if you went 3 and out and punted a kick to the point your rival had to start at the 5 yard line. I also don't understand why after a field goal, or touchdown, why your kick off team kicker cant kick the ball out of bounds as close to the end zone so that you, the receiving team has to start as far back as possible.

Punts and kickoffs are different things and treated differently.  There are simply different rules for each.

Punts - can only be recovered/advanced by the receiving team.  Can be kicked out of bounds.

Kickoffs - are LIVE BALLS, meaning either team can recover/advance the ball.  Kicking out of bounds is a penalty because the receiving team is expected to get an opportunity to return the ball.

---

In rugby, you can kick the ball to yourself. It’s a beautiful thing.

Boru

In a weird way you can in American football with the onside kick.  I've not seen it work all that well.  A short kick and your team recovers it so in essence you are attempting to kick it to yourself (or your team, as it were).  

It's a fascinating thing to watch (in a' this isn't going to go well kinda way') when watching young kids playing in rec leagues and junior high.

That's not really the same thing.  ALL kickoffs are live balls and recoverable by either team.  The punt is more closely related to the Rugby kick.  A punter could catch his own punt, but he can't advance it and of course it would mean the punt didn't go very far so it's not a good thing if/when it happens.

[Brian37]

Growing up as a kid, and in my teens, most of the time I would see the quarterbacks be up under center on most plays. But like all of life, things change, and I began to notice more shotgun formations on more plays. Anyone else notice this? 

But this season, with both college and NFL, I have noticed more getting back to under center. 

It has to be a taste in long term philosophy for me. I've never been that fond of the shotgun. I've always been more of a running game fan. 

I like pocket quarterbacks far more than scramblers. It just seems more risky in shotgun.

Either way, both under center and shotgun have their advantages and disadvantages. I've just been more of a running game fan.