Can somebody give me a background on the drop kick which was used during the football game in this movie. Burt Reynolds said it counted for 3 points, but that was after the ref said he hadn't scene the play in 25 years. Someone please explain the history of this rule.
sharedrop kick
n. Sports.
A kick made by dropping a ball to the ground and kicking it just as it starts to rebound.
drop'-kick' (drŏp'kĭk') v.
The Dropkick
Believe it or not, the dropkick remains a legal maneuver in the National Football League today. Although the dropkick has not been successfully converted on an NFL gridiron in decades, mention of it still exists in the NFL's official rule book. Rule 3, Section 8 defines the dropkick as, "a kick by a kicker who drops the ball and kicks it as, or immediately after, it touches the ground."
Jim Thorpe
Some of the legends who've been permanently honored in the Pro Football Hall of Fame were masters of the dropkick. Names like Jim Thorpe, Wilbur "Pete" Henry, and Paddy Driscoll were known to have entertained pro football crowds with their extraordinary talent of dropkicking. Albeit, some of their exploits were exaggerated but nevertheless the dropkick was an integral part of the game in the 1920s and 1930s. It was during this era that the football slightly resembled a rugby ball. Numerous rule changes affecting the shape of the ball took place during the early years of the NFL. Changes to the ball essentially ended by 1934 as it took its familiar shape of a prolate spheroid. As a result, the number of dropkicks attempted in the NFL diminished significantly in subsequent years.
"As soon as they made the ball pointier, dropkicking went out of style. They needed the ball to bounce and to bounce true," commented Bob Carroll, a leading football historian.
Paddy Driscoll
In fact, it wasn't until 1963 that the league removed the category of dropkicked field goals from the record book. Driscoll shared the two major records for dropkicking when he booted fourfield goals (23, 18, 50 and 35 yards) for the Chicago Cardinals in a 19-9 win over the Columbus Tigers on October 11, 1925. That mark was equaled by the Kansas City Cowboys' Elbert Bloodgood. His four dropkicked field goals were from 35, 32, 20, and 25 yards as Kansas City edged the Duluth Eskimos, 12-7, on December 12, 1926.
Driscoll's 50-yarder was also an NFL best and matched the record-tying kick he made one year earlier in a game against the Milwaukee Badgers on September 28, 1924. The Cardinals defeated Milwaukee, 17-7.
Ray McLean of the Chicago Bears was the last player to successfully drop kick in the NFL. He converted an extra point following Ken Kavanaugh's 42-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown during the Bears' 37-9 win over the New York Giants in the 1941 NFL Championship Game. The drop kick came in the fourth quarter of the title game played on December 21, 1941.
Hall of Famer Earl "Dutch" Clark is believed to be the last player to successfully dropkick a field goal in the NFL. According to game accounts, he dropkicked a 17-yard field goal in the Detroit Lions 16-7 victory over the Chicago Cardinals on September 19, 1937.
Doug Flutie just did it today in the NFL.
Also, the dude who was the kicker in this movie was my dad's cousin.
Dropkicks are still legal in all levels of football and count just like any placekick (except on a free kick following a scoring play, ie a kickoff) so for a try (conversion) it would be one point and for a scrimmage play is would cout as any placekick, so three points. IN football, you can only score from kick by placekicks or dropkicks and not by punting. This is true at HS and NCAA rules as well.
shareAccording to ESPN, Flutie's recent kick was the first since 1941.
shareIn the NFL. I actually have seen a drop kick in HS football back in the early 1970s. I don't know when the last one was in college, but I am sure some Division III school must have done one in the last 25 years.
shareThe drop-kick isn't really done any more because back in the day, the football was rounder than it is now. It was always oblong, but in earlier times it was rounder and easier to predict a bounce, in order to do the drop kick. Being less round now makes the bounce erratic rendering the dropkick dangerous.
Other than as a novelty, I doubt anyone besides Fluite has done it in years.
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Because the drop-kick is unexpected, just like how the Mean Machine was actually doing well in the game. You line up your kicker like a punt, but the ball hits the ground. If it goes through the uprights, its 3 points. If it falls short, its a punt (I think).
Lining up for a field goal in the movie would have been like doing it in the NFL. Its a BORING play !! Kinda of like an intentional walk or a free throw.
As soon as any scrimmage kick, which would be a punt, FG, or drop kick; as soon as the ball enters the end zone it would be a touchback in NFHS (high school rules)only. In NCAA and NFL rules, an unsuccessful FG or dropkick would return to the previous spot (where the ball was snapped) and the other team would get 1st and 10. So in actuallity, it would not be like a punt using the rules of the game.
Of course, those are current rules, back when the original movie was made, the NCAA and NFL rules may have been similar to the NFHS rules, so it would be like a punt if the ball did not fo in the end zone.
Last year Devin Hester caught a missed FG on the fly and took it for a touchdown. So there must be a rule about that as well. It doesnt count as a punt, if it hits the ground on a dropkick it returns where the kickw as attempted.
shareI have seen teams send a return man on long field goal attempts just for that purpose, but not nearly as much as now since a missed FG the ball returns to the previous spot, rather than the 20 on a touchback.
I am assuming that a missed FG attempt can be returned if fielded by the defense and if they chose to run it out, then the result of the play would take precident. Just like on a KO when the retun mans choses to run it out of the EZ.
A team has the option of returning a missed field goal providing it does not go out of bounds. The longest possible touchdown in NFL history was Antonio Cromartie of the Chargers returning a missed field goal 109 yards for a touchdown. Generally speaking missed field goals that come up short are from far out so teams elect to take the good field position.
In the CFL you see teams return missed field goals more often but thats because a team gets a single point for missing a field goal (stupid bu thats the rule).
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The quarterback can use the drop kick option on any scrimmage play, say, if he can't find a receiver, or room to run the ball, he can change his mind and try for three points. He can also quick-punt.
I believe in Arena Football, it's worth more points. In CFL (Canadian), any ball carrier can drop kick any time, anywhere on the field.
The place kick can only be used while in a kick formation. This is not required for a drop kick.
One of the other big advantages of a drop kick is that you have 10 blockers instead of the 9 you have with a kick from placement.
If a man speaks in the forest and no women is there to hear it is he still wrong?
My question is, if they were in range to complete a drop kick, why not just try a field goal for three points? Safer play. Am I correct?
shareThey wanted to fool the defense, so they pulled off the unexpected dropkick.
Besides, it gave us the opportunity to see Ray Nitchzke question the play, then throw a fit when he finds out it's worth three points.