American football has no shortage of intricacies and obscure rules, but few match the sheer peculiarity of the "free kick." Let‘s unravel the mystery around this rare and quirky method of putting points on the board.
What Exactly is a "Free Kick" in Football?
In simple terms, a free kick refers to any kick taken with no opposing players within 10 yards of the ball. This includes kickoffs, punts, field goal attempts after a fair catch, and kicks following a safety. The "free" name comes from the freedom of movement the kicking team enjoys in formation and approach.
These free kick rules have been in place since football‘s earliest days over 130 years ago. They were initially introduced for player safety purposes on the chaotic mass kickoffs of yesteryear.
While free kicks occur in some form during every football game, the rarest and most obscure scenario is the fair catch kick…
The Peculiar "Fair Catch Kick" – Football‘s Big Foot
The fair catch kick, also known as the fair catch field goal, is one of football‘s most obscure and baffling rules. In a nutshell, if a player makes a fair catch of a punt or kickoff, their team can attempt an uncontested field goal from that spot on the next play. The defense has to stand 10+ yards away and cannot rush the kick.
This rule harkens back to the early 1900s when punt returns were extremely dangerous and fair catches protected returners from violent mid-air collisions. The fair catch kick gave teams a chance to salvage some points from the favorable field position.
Over the decades, rule changes and evolving tactics have made the fair catch free kick obsolete — but it remains on the books and gets unleashed every few decades when a team is feeling particularly bold or desperate. Let‘s look at some memorable attempts:
1921: In a Harvard-Princeton college matchup, future president John F. Kennedy‘s brother Joe had an extra-point level fair catch kick blocked by Princeton after Harvard scored a touchdown. Princeton won 3-0, possibly altering the course of history.
1968: With seconds left in a Bears-Packers game tied 10-10, Chicago‘s Mac Percival nailed a 43-yard fair catch kick to give the Bears a dramatic last-second victory. This remains the last successful fair catch field goal in NFL history.
2008: With 3 seconds remaining in the first half and trailing the Bengals 7-3, Cleveland‘s Phil Dawson attempted a 76-yard fair catch kick that was blocked. The chaotic play ended with Cleveland illegally batting the loose ball out of the end zone for a safety, cutting the deficit to 7-5 at halftime.
2012: Trailing the Rams 9-7 in the 4th quarter, Arizona‘s Neil Rackers tried a 74-yard fair catch kick that had the distance but hooked left. Arizona lost 17-3.
2018: Cowboys receiver Cole Beasley executed a clever fake fair catch during a punt return to pick up extra yards against Washington, a legal but rare play.
So while fair catch kicks are attempted very sporadically, they generate excitement and intrigue whenever they occur thanks to the sheer absurdity of the rule. Coaches are hesitant to attempt them since giving the opponent prime field position on a miss is a huge risk. In the modern NFL, they are likely to remain an oddity trotted out once every few decades during particularly strange game situations. But for football romantics, the allure of the fair catch free kick lives on.
The Evolution of Football‘s Free Kick Rules
The free kicks we recognize today – kickoffs, punts, fair catch kicks – trace back to the early chaos and carnage of early football games in the late 1800s.
Football then resembled a hybrid between soccer and rugby featuring large mobs of players violently contesting for possession of the ball with limited rules and protective equipment. Teams would kick to each other at the start of halves and after scores. Possession constantly changed hands through kicks, throw-ins from the sidelines, and primitive passing.
Gradually, rules evolved to open up play and protect player safety:
1876 – Fair catches are introduced allowing players a chance to catch punts unimpeded.
1881 – 5 yard distance required between kick return team and kick coverage team during scrimmages.
1888 – Wedge formations are banned on kickoffs to prevent dangerous pileups.
1894 – 10 yard distance adopted for free kicks, fielding team can‘t approach within 10 yards of ball.
1920 – Kickoffs made from 40 yard line instead of midfield to reduce returns.
The fair catch kick emerged as a way to reward teams exercising the fair catch option in the dangerous return game. While evolving strategies have rendered it nearly obsolete, this relic remains etched in the rulebook. It‘s a glimpse into how modern football‘s complex rulebook arose from incremental changes over decades.
That rulebook continues evolving to improve player safety and talent – the fair catch kick may face extinction someday, but new wrinkles like dual-sport kickers and pop-up surprise onside kicks ensure football‘s kicking game remains unpredictable and exhilarating.
The Art, Science and Sheer Oddity of the Football Kick
Kicking maintains a crucial strategic role and culture in football that other sports cannot match. The unique foot skills football kickers possess make them arguably the sport‘s most specialized and isolated players. Let‘s appreciate the remarkable achievements by examining some mind-blowing kicking stats and records.
Kickoffs and Touchbacks
Kick returns are among football‘s most intense and dangerous plays, leading to evolving tactics:
Kickoff moved to 35 yard line in 2011 to increase touchbacks and reduce concussion risk. Touchbacks have risen from 16% of kickoffs in 2010 to over 60% in recent seasons.
New "onside kick" rules also prioritize safety. Since 2018, kicking team must have 5 players lined up on each side of the kicker to remove running starts.
The longest kickoff return in NFL history remains 114 yards by Ellis Hobbs of the New England Patriots in 2007 against the New York Jets. Cordarrelle Patterson‘s 109 yard return in 2013 is the longest under current rules.
| Stat | Record Holder | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Most Kickoff Return TDs, Career | 8, Leon Washington | 2005-2012 |
| Most Consecutive Games With Kickoff Return TD | 3, Cecil Turner | 1971 |
| Most Kickoff Return TDs, Season | 4, Travis Williams | 1967 (14 game season) |
Punting Duels and Coffin Corners
Punting strategy creates fascinating cat-and-mouse games. Although touchbacks now automatically place the ball at the 25, coffin corner punts to the sidelines can still pin opponents deep.
Longest Punt Ever: 108 yards by defensive lineman Bob Keuchenberg in an impromptu quick-kick role for the Baltimore Colts in 1964.
Steve O‘Neal boomed a 98 yard punt for the New York Jets in 1969 against Denver, longest in NFL history by a dedicated punter.
Shortest Punt Ever: -7 yards by Paul Maguire of the San Diego Chargers in 1964. A 59 yard attempt from his own end zone was partially blocked through the back of the end zone.
| Stat | Record Holder | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Most Career Punts | 1,713 | Jeff Feagles (1988-2010) |
| Best Punting Average, Career | 46.4 yards | Johnny Hekker, St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams (2012-Present) |
| Best Punting Average, Season | 51.4 yards | Sammy Baugh, Washington Redskins (1940) |
| Most Punts Blocked, Career | 24 | Gern Nagler, Chicago Bears (1965-1970) |
Placekicking Legends and Long Shots
Field goal records showcase the incredible leg power and accuracy elite kickers possess:
Longest Field Goal Ever: Matt Prater‘s 64 yard boomer in 2013 broke a longstanding NFL record. In 1970, Tom Dempsey kicked a 63 yarder to lift the Saints over the Lions, an astounding feat kicking with a modified foot to compensate for being born with no toes.
At the college level, multiple kickers have hit 67+ yard field goals in games, showing possibilities at high altitude. The longest ever was 69 yards in 1976 by Ove Johansson of Abilene Christian University against East Texas State.
Most Consecutive Field Goals made is 44 by Mike Vanderjagt in 2004. Most Field Goals in a game is 8 by Rob Bironas for Tennessee in 2007.
| Stat | Record Holder | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Most FGs Made, Career | 652, Adam Vinatieri | 1996-Present |
| Highest FG %, Career | 89.5%, Justin Tucker | 2012-Present |
| Total Points, Career | 2,544, Morten Andersen | 1982-2004 |
| Most Consecutive PATs | 565, Adam Vinatieri | 1996-2009 |
| Most 50+ Yard FGs, Game | 3, Multiple times by 9 kickers |
Controversy and Comebacks in Clutch Kicking
Despite the mountains of practice and technique, kickers can still shank it on the big stage. Some infamously decisive field goal fails include:
1998 NFC Championship: Veteran Gary Anderson hadn‘t missed all year until missing a 39 yarder for the Vikings that would have sealed a win over Atlanta. The Falcons capitalized on the rare error to advance to the Super Bowl.
2003 Wild Card Playoffs: After hitting two clutch 4th quarter field goals to put the Giants up 34-38 over the 49ers, Matt Bryant‘s subsequent kickoff went disastrously out of bounds, setting up SF for a last-second touchdown and 39-38 comeback win.
But just when you think they can‘t be trusted, kickers can step up under immense pressure and etch their names in history on championship Sundays:
Super Bowl XXXVI, 2002: With the game tied and time expiring, young Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri nailed a 48 yarder through the snow to beat the Rams 20-17, sparking the Brady-Belichick dynasty.
2006 NFC Championship: Bears kicker Robbie Gould hit a 49 yard overtime field goal in sloppy conditions to defeat the Saints 39-14 and send Chicago to their first Super Bowl since the iconic 1985 team.
Strategizing the Element of Surprise
Innovation and trick plays keep kick unit strategies fresh and exciting:
Onside kicks allow a chance to regain possession against unsuspecting opponents. In Super Bowl XLIV, Sean Payton‘s gamble with an ambush onside kick to start the second half helped the underdog Saints top the Colts.
Fake Field Goals and punts leverage the expectations around placekicking. Coaches like Bill Belichick are keen to break one out when opponents least expect it. A classic fake sneak for a touchdown by kicker Kevin Butler helped the Bears sink the Redskins in 1991.
The "Drop Kick" faded decades ago but remains legal for field goals and extra points. Doug Flutie‘s drop kick PAT in his final NFL game in 2006 delighted football purists.
Should Football Reconsider Its Free Kick Rules?
Fair catch kicks and other obscure rules are fun relics of football‘s past, but some wonder if they are dated traditions that deserve retirement.
Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian is among those who feel rules like the fair catch kick have "outlived their usefulness." As he told ESPN:
"Times change. I don‘t see anything wrong with change, especially if it streamlines the rules and improves the game. Our game has evolved and rules sometimes just have to catch up."
But other experts argue quirky rules have a nostalgic appeal and strategic niche uses:
Sportswriter Kevin Clark contends they are a reminder of football‘s rich history: "The fair catch kick celebrates how rule changes, which sound barbaric and reckless now, actually made sense at the time."
Former coach and broadcaster John Madden believed in preserving options: "I wouldn‘t take anything out of the rule book. You just never know if you might need it someday."
There are certainly more pertinent debates around player safety and game pace today. But football traditionalists feel little harm in keeping such obscure relics for the sake of history and just in case an odd game situation calls for a free kick for the ages someday.
Ultimately, NFL dreams are built on executing the fundamentals like tackles, catches, and forward passes. But the sporadic free kicks – whether soaring kickoffs, pinned punts, or once-in-a-lifetime fair catch field goals – contribute fun wrinkles and improbable moments to football lore. Any game can contain an unexpected kick that flips the script. That prospect of explosive surprise and unmatched aerial artistry keeps football‘s foot in the kicking game for the foreseeable future.
