Talk:Punt (football)
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[edit] Cleanup
Punt is used in Rules as well, but not with the same meaning.
Better to add a para to this article?
Or rename it and leave the Aussie Rules punt for some other place?
Tannin 00:20 Feb 23, 2003 (UTC)
[edit] Break up this article
I may sound like a nitpicker, but the paragraphs in this article are too long, and I think they need to be broken up.
How about separate sections for punting rules in American football and Canadian football?
[[206.72.11.195 6 July 2005 22:46 (UTC)]]
[edit] 198 eh?
Someone mentions a 198 yard punt. Somehow I don't think that's even remotely possible. You'd have to kick the ball clean out of the stadium. And even if you did, yardage from punts is measured from the line of scrimmage to where the ball is downed. The longest punt possible is the length of the ball from one's own end zone to the length of the ball from the opposing end zone (so it does not break either plane.) In other words, just over 99.5 yards.
I checked, and the record is 98... might have just been a typo or someone being silly, either way, it's corrected now 132.42.128.28 11:34, 13 November 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Moving picture?
This page is a prime candidate for a .gif image showing a punter in motion. bd2412 T 03:11, 30 January 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Contradiction
The following seems self-contradictory:
A player from the receiving team must be the first player to touch the ball after it has been kicked in American football; if the kicking team touches it first it is dead at the point that they touch it and the receiving team receives possession there. The only exception to this is that if the ball continues on into the end zone after the kicking team touches it then a touchback is called, and the receiving team gains possession at its own 20-yard line rather than at the point the ball was touched by the kicking team.
If the ball is dead as soon as it is touched, the play is immediately over, so if the ball then rolls into the endzone (between plays), how can that affect anything? Something's wrong here, but I don't know American rules well enough to make the correction myself. Indefatigable 18:34, 16 October 2007 (UTC)
Yes, something is wrong here and in the "Rules" section also. It is quite common for the kicking team in American football to "down" a punt that the receiving team has allowed to drop to ground without attempting to field it and the play is simply ruled dead where it is touched by the kicking team. I used to ref HS football but it has been over 10 years and I can't remember all the details. I think maybe illegal or first touching may pertain to touching before the receiving team has had a chance to field the ball, if the ball is allowed to drop to the ground this wouldn't pertain. But certainly, if the ball is touched and then goes into the endzone, it is not a touchback, but is dead at the spot of touching. Wschart (talk) 19:25, 22 November 2007 (UTC)
No, the rules section is correct. The quote from above was removed long ago. Also you are very confused. First off, you seem to be confusing kick catching interference with illegal/first touching. Secondly, your description of KCI is a not exactly right on anyways. No, the ball is not dead when K touches it. That is called first touching or illegal touching depending on the rule set being used. R has the option of taking the ball at the spot of the touching or taking the result of the down, things get sort of tricky when there are fouls during the play, but there is no need to get into that.--Smokedadro (talk) 23:49, 22 November 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Breaking Sections
May I suggest breaking the rules section into two separate section, having one cover American football rules, and the other cover Canadian football. As it stands now, it is very hard to follow. Ramsquire (throw me a line) 00:22, 28 November 2007 (UTC)
[edit] illegal touching
if the kicking team touches it first it is called illegal touching (first touching under NFHS), and the receiving team may choose to take possession at the spot of illegal touching touching or elect to have the result of the down.
The NFL.com rule digest says "12. Any member of the punting team may down the ball anywhere in the field of play. However, it is illegal touching (Official’s time out and receiver’s ball at spot of illegal touching). This foul does not offset any foul by receivers during the down."
This doesn't imply any choice for the receiving team. While I don't have a copy of the rulebook, so it may say something different, it does answer my question when reading this article of "how do they have the choice if they never get the ball to complete the play?". Can someone clarify? TheHYPO 22:43, 2 December 2007 (UTC)
I would also like to suggest splitting the Rules section between Canadian and American, and just explaining one while explaining differences in the other afterwards. I'd do so myself, but I'm not familiar with CDN Football rules (despite being Canadian, ironically). TheHYPO 03:47, 3 December 2007 (UTC)
With regards to illegal touching - if the ball is down once a player from the kicking team touches it, then why does it matter whether they catch the ball outside of the end zone or not? This supposed rule doesn't explain why a kicking team player will catch and pass the ball in midair just before the goal line, passing it to a teamate that is outside of the endzone, to down the ball. Peoplesunionpro (talk) 21:18, 20 January 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Touchbacks and Safeties
I can't tell from the rules section in this article whether if a receiving player fields the ball and is tackled in his own endzone, it counts as a touchback or a safety. Can someone who knows the rules better than me clarify that? Reyemile (talk) 20:35, 26 January 2008 (UTC)
