Football statistical puzzler of the day

[doctor x]

For absolute lack of a competent punter, one of our high school coaches sends out the field goal/extra point team in obvious punting situations and lets the kicker boot it as far as he can inasmuch as the kick is treated like a punt -- returned or downed.

I treat these as punts in the stat box. Correct?

 

[Ace]

Huh? Doesn't the team on defense get the ball at the line of scrimmage on a missed field goal?

 

[doctor x]

Huh? Doesn't the team on defense get the ball at the line of scrimmage on a missed field goal?

Apparently not. First time they did it last Friday, the ball was fielded at the 38-yard-line and returned near midfield, from which point the next series began. Second time, the kick was blocked. After that, they just went for it on fourth down, this being a preseason game.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

Not a punt, especially if he lined up with a holder.

What do the refs do? Do they signal missed field goal or allow someone to return the ball?

If you placekick it, it should count as a missed field goal and a dead ball. Opponent gets the ball at their own 20.

 

[Ace]

Not a punt, especially if he lined up with a holder.

What do the refs do? Do they signal missed field goal or allow someone to return the ball?

If you placekick it, it should count as a missed field goal and a dead ball. Opponent gets the ball at their own 20.

So why have punters? Your at your own 5-yard-line and instead of punting, you line up for a 102-yard field goal. It's short by 60 or so yards and the opponent gets the ball back at its 20.

 

[SixToe]

That's not a punt. It's a missed field goal.

You have more of a story there than a team with a ****ty punting unit. Find out the rules, talk with the state association's officiating director and go from there.

If they continue to use "field goal punts," find out how they're getting away with it. If it is a "wink wink" thing between the coaches and officials, "because, well, we don't, y'know, have a good punter," then an agreement to fudge the rules is significant.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

For absolute lack of a competent punter, one of our high school coaches sends out the field goal/extra point team in obvious punting situations and lets the kicker boot it as far as he can inasmuch as the kick is treated like a punt -- returned or downed.

I treat these as punts in the stat box. Correct?

That guy is my HERO!! I have been begging for YEARS for someone to do this. Why not?? A missed figgie in HS is treated like a punt. Even if his kicker ain't going to make it, say he tries a 45-yarder and can get it to the end zone. Touchback.

Beautiful.

 

[Ace]

For absolute lack of a competent punter, one of our high school coaches sends out the field goal/extra point team in obvious punting situations and lets the kicker boot it as far as he can inasmuch as the kick is treated like a punt -- returned or downed.

I treat these as punts in the stat box. Correct?

That guy is my HERO!! I have been begging for YEARS for someone to do this. Why not?? A missed figgie in HS is treated like a punt. Even if his kicker ain't going to make it, say he tries a 45-yarder and can get it to the end zone. Touchback.

Beautiful.

What if he doesn't get it into the end zone?

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

For absolute lack of a competent punter, one of our high school coaches sends out the field goal/extra point team in obvious punting situations and lets the kicker boot it as far as he can inasmuch as the kick is treated like a punt -- returned or downed.

I treat these as punts in the stat box. Correct?

That guy is my HERO!! I have been begging for YEARS for someone to do this. Why not?? A missed figgie in HS is treated like a punt. Even if his kicker ain't going to make it, say he tries a 45-yarder and can get it to the end zone. Touchback.

Beautiful.

What if he doesn't get it into the end zone?

Then what's the different, the punter sucks anyway!

 

[farmerjerome]

I didn't know about the 20-yard-line rule until last season.

Team A gets stopped at Team B's three-yard-line and decides to kick. When they missed I had no idea what was going on.

Personally, I think it's a stupid rule. You get it where the other team kicked (not punted) from.

 

[Mystery_Meat]

They changed the rules in my state about five years ago so that a field goal was treated like a punt, a la Arena Football. If you attempted a field goal and it doesn't reach the end zone, it can be returned. If it reached the end zone, it was a touchback. One of the teams in my area did that last year, owing to a combination of a good placekicker and trouble with long snaps.

The first year they instituted the rule, one of my teams was on the road and holding a six-point lead when they attempted what would have been a 55-yard field goal. Kick didn't come close, rolling dead around the 7-yard line. One of his teammates jumped on the ball, because the other team didn't realize the rule had changed. So instead of getting the ball at the 38-yard line, other team got it at the 7, and lost. Other team coach acknowledged that he should have explained the rule better to his players.

 

[novelist_wannabe]

Go talk to the coach and say, "Gol darnit, you're effing up my effing stats ... teach a gol darn kid how to punt. There's like 150,000 other schools that have no problem with this."

 

[spnited]

Key phrase "This being a preseason game"!

When he does it in a game that counts, then you have a story.. for now, just an oddity.

 

[bigpern23]

Don't forget, that once teams catch on that he's doing this, they're going to start returning the field goals and it's a lot harder to get downfield and make a tackle after blocking for the kicker than it is when punting. You can't release early when place kicking because it will surely be blocked, giving the returner a whole lot of room to get a good head of steam up.

 

[MileHigh]

Rule has been around for a while: Field goals are scrimmage kicks, just like punts. If it's missed/goes into the end zone, it's a touchback. If it's short of there, ball is live for the receiving team to pick it up and return like a punt.

 

[MileHigh]

Here's the rule:

Rule 6, Section 2, Articles 1 and 2.

SCRIMMAGE KICKS
Art. 1: A may punt, drop kick or place kick from in or behind the neutral zone before team possession has changed.
Art. 2: Any receiver may catch or recover a scrimmage kick in the field of play and advance unless it is during a try, or unless any member of the receiving team has given a valid or invalid fair-catch signal. R may catch or recover a scrimmage kick in K's end zone.