Rules Quiz
Tough quiz: 7 calls you may never see in NFL (but how would you rule?)
4th-and-5 from the B12. Team A is in field-goal formation. Holder A1 mishandles the snap, and attempts to run the ball. Seeing that he will likely be tackled before he gets a chance to get a first down, A1 drops the ball straight down and the point of the ball touches the B11-yard line. The entire ball is beyond the line of scrimmage. A1 kicks the ball as soon as the point touches the ground with the heel of his non-kicking foot on the line of scrimmage. The ball goes through the uprights. What is the call?
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6. Successful drop kick
Image from The Lost Art of Kicking (1939) in the Pro Football Hall of Fame collection
Drop kick! Flutie Flakes! Booyah!
In order to have a valid drop kick attempt, a part of the kicker’s body must be on or behind the line of scrimmage at the time of the kick. Therefore, the ball could be across the line, while the kicker’s “plant” foot remains on the line.
The rulebook was revised in 1991 to close a loophole that allowed a player to attempt a drop kick from anywhere on the field, including beyond the line-of-scrimmage and during kickoff returns.
Drop kicks are a staple of the sandlot football playbook. While still in the rulebook, the drop kick is exceedingly rare in the NFL. They were more often attempted when footballs were made with a more round shape, making it easier to pull off such a play.
To illustrate the rarity of the play, these are the most recent drop kick attempts in the NFL:
- Jan. 29, 2012Â — Saints quarterback Drew Brees attempted a drop kick while playing for the NFC in the 2011 Pro Bowl. Although it occurred in a meaningless exhibition game, and he didn’t even score, it is included here solely to give the list depth.
- Jan. 1, 2006 — Patriots quarterback Doug Flutie, in his final game before retiring, successfully drop-kicked an extra point the last regular-season game of the 2005 season.
- Nov. 28, 1948 — An extra-point attempt was scored by drop kick by 49ers kicker Joe Vetrano against the Browns. This game was not an NFL game but rather an All-American Football Conference, before the 49ers and Browns were admitted to the NFL, so technically it is only padding the list.
- Dec. 21, 1941 — Ray “Scooter” McLean converted a drop-kicked extra point for the Bears in the NFL Championship game.
- I think we’ve gone far enough back.
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