A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play ("from the field"). Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick (which is similar to a punt, except the ball must first bounce off the ground once before being kicked) fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed to be more aerodynamic due to the increasing popularity and effectiveness of the passing game. Prior to 1934, the ball was more round shaped and easier to kick like a soccer ball. The new shape made drop kicking extremely inaccurate due to the unpredictable way the ball would bounce due to its oblong shape. The ball must pass through the uprights, that is, over a crossbar that is 10 feet (3.05 m) off the ground and between upright posts that are 18 feet 6 inches (5.64 m) apart, to count.
It is one of the several methods of scoring in those two sports. Because a successful field goal is worth only three points, as opposed to touchdowns which are worth six, field goals are usually attempted only during specific situations.
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Because a field goal is worth only three points, while a touchdown scores at least six (usually seven with the extra point, and potentially 8 with a two-point conversion), teams will generally attempt a field goal only in the following situations:
Except in desperate situations, a team will generally attempt a field goal only when keeping a drive alive is unlikely, and their kicker has a significant chance of success, as a missed field goal results in a turnover at the spot of the kick (in the NFL) or at the line of scrimmage (in the NCAA). In American high school rules and Canadian football, where a missed field goal is treated the same as a punt, most teams still opt not to attempt field goals from very long range, since field goal formations are not conducive to covering punts. Even under ideal conditions, the best professional kickers historically had difficulty making kicks longer than 50 yards consistently (the NFL record is 63 yards and the CFL record, 62 yards).[1] If a team chooses not to attempt a field goal on their last down, they can punt to the other team. A punt cannot score any points in American football unless the receiving team touches the ball first and the kicking team recovers it (though it can result in a single in Canadian football), but it may push the other team back toward its own end.
The longest field goal kick in NFL history is 63 yards, a record shared by Jason Elam, Tom Dempsey, and Sebastian Janikowski. High school, college and most professional football leagues offer only a three-point field goal; however, some professional leagues have encouraged more rare kicks through four-point field goals. NFL Europe encouraged long field goals of 50 yards or more by making those worth four points instead of three (much like Australian rules' Super Goal or basketball's three-point line), a rule since adopted by the Stars Football League. Similarly, the sport of arena football sought (unsuccessfully) to repopularize the drop kick by making that worth four points; it failed, since only one kicker (Brian Mitchell) was able to do it with any semblance of proficiency. (In six-man football, where there is no offensive line, all field goals are worth four points instead of the usual three.)
The overall field goal percentage during the 2010 NFL season was 82.3. In comparison, Jan Stenerud, the only pure kicker in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, had a career field goal percentage of 66.8 from 1967 to 1985.[1]
When a team decides to attempt a field goal, it will generally line up in a very tight formation, with all but two players lined up along or near the line of scrimmage: the placekicker and the holder. The holder is usually the team's punter or backup quarterback. Instead of the regular center, a team may have a dedicated long snapper trained especially to snap the ball on placekick attempts and punts.
The defense will likewise line up all or nearly all of its players near the line of scrimmage to try to block the kick. If there is a significant likelihood of a miss and the strategic game situation warrants it, the defense may leave one player well behind the line of scrimmage to return a missed field goal; as with other kicks, a missed field goal can be returned for a yardage gain up to and including a touchdown. The risk in this is that if there is a return, then unless there is a score the defense will take over at the spot where the returner is brought down, which may be a considerably worse position than where they would have taken over had they not returned the kick. Thus, teams will usually return a kick only towards the end of a half or in a particularly desperate situation.
The holder usually lines up seven to eight yards behind the line of scrimmage, with the kicker a few yards behind him. Upon receiving the snap, the holder holds the ball against the ground vertically, with the stitches away from the kicker. The kicker begins his approach during the snap, so the snapper and holder have little margin for error. A split-second mistake can throw everything off.
The measurement of a field goal's distance is from the goalpost to the point where the ball was positioned for the kick by the holder. In American football, where the goalpost is located at the back of the end zone (above the end line), the ten yards of the end zone are added to the yard line distance at the spot of the hold.
In the early days of the sport, placekickers approached the ball straight on, with the toe making first contact with the ball. The technique of kicking the ball "soccer-style", by approaching the ball at an angle and kicking it with the instep, was introduced by kicker Pete Gogolak in the 1960s.[2] The Hungarian-born Gogolak, reflecting his roots in European soccer, observed that kicking the ball at an angle could cover more distance than kicking straight on.
A missed field goal is said to be "no good". If it misses to the kicker's left it may be called "wide left" and conversely "wide right" if it misses to the kicker's right. It may also be described as being "short" if it is aimed correctly but does not have the distance to go over the cross bar and through the uprights.
If a field goal attempt is missed and does not go out of bounds, the defense has the option to return it as if it were a punt. This type of play usually occurs during an extremely long field goal attempt when, anticipating that the kicker will most likely miss, the defense lines up a player downfield in the end zone to catch the ball. The longest play ever in NFL history was a 109-yard missed field goal return by Antonio Cromartie of the San Diego Chargers on November 4, 2007, against the Minnesota Vikings.[3]
Situations where the defense does not return a missed field goal vary between leagues and levels of play:
Returning a missed field goal is much more likely in Canadian football than in American rules for a few reasons. First, since the goal posts are on the goal line in front of a 20-yard endzone (rather than at the back of a 10-yard endzone), a missed field goal is much less likely to go out of bounds while in the air. Also, returning the ball out of the end zone allows the defense to avoid giving up a single point, which may be crucial in a tight game. Moreover, the wider field of the Canadian game makes the average return longer. However, many CFL coaches judge that conceding a single and taking possession at the 35-yard line to be a better gamble than returning a missed field goal and avoiding a single.
Occasionally, the defense will succeed in blocking a field goal. If a blocked field goal is in or behind the neutral zone, it is treated like a fumble and can be advanced by either team. Beyond the neutral zone, a blocked kick is treated like a punt and can be advanced only by the defense, unless a defensive player fumbles the ball, after which an offensive player can advance it.
In the early days of football, kicking was highly emphasized.
As recorded in Guinness World Records:
The record for a field goal is 69 yards. It was kicked by Ove Johansson of the Abilene Christian University Wildcats in the 1976 game against East Texas State University Lions in Shotwell Stadium, Abilene, Texas.[4]
Longest field goal attempt ever in an NFL game was by Sebastian Janikowski (Oakland Raiders) of 76 yards. It was just before the end of the first half and it missed.
In the history of the NFL regular season, only nine field goals have been made from at least 60 yards. They are:
| Distance | Kicker | Team | Result | Opposition | Date | Notes | Location | Elevation | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 yards | Tom Dempsey | New Orleans Saints | 19–17 | Detroit Lions | November 8, 1970 | straight-ahead; born with deformed right (kicking) foot; game-winning kick as time expired | Tulane Stadium | Sea level | |
| 63 yards | Jason Elam | Denver Broncos | 37–24 | Jacksonville Jaguars | October 25, 1998 | First field goal to tie record | Mile High Stadium | 5,280 ft (1,610 m) | |
| 63 yards | Sebastian Janikowski | Oakland Raiders | 23–20 | Denver Broncos | September 12, 2011 | left-footed | Sports Authority Field at Mile High | 5,280 ft (1,610 m) | Light rain early |
| 62 yards | Matt Bryant | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 23–21 | Philadelphia Eagles | October 22, 2006 | game-winning kick as time expired | Raymond James Stadium | 35 ft (11 m) | |
| 61 yards | Sebastian Janikowski | Oakland Raiders | 9–23 | Cleveland Browns | December 27, 2009 | left-footed | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 580 ft (180 m) | |
| 60 yards | Steve Cox | Cleveland Browns | 9–12 | Cincinnati Bengals | October 21, 1984 | straight-ahead kick; on Astroturf | Riverfront Stadium | 490 ft (150 m) | |
| 60 yards | Morten Andersen | New Orleans Saints | 17–20 | Chicago Bears | October 27, 1991 | left-footed; on Astroturf; only 60-yard kick done indoors | Louisiana Superdome | Sea level | Dome |
| 60 yards | Rob Bironas | Tennessee Titans | 20–17 | Indianapolis Colts | December 3, 2006 | The Coliseum | 400 ft (120 m) | ||
| 60 yards | Dan Carpenter | Miami Dolphins | 10–13 | Cleveland Browns | December 5, 2010 | Sun Life Stadium | 5 ft (1.5 m) | 77 °F (25 °C), wind SW at 14 mph (23 km/h) |
Prior to Dempsey's 1970 kick, the longest field goal in NFL history was a 56-yard field goal by Bert Rechichar in 1953. A 55-yard field goal, achieved by a drop kick, was recorded by Paddy Driscoll in 1924, and stood as the unofficial record until that point; some sources indicate a 54-yarder by Glenn Presnell in 1934 as the record, due to the inability to precisely verify Driscoll's 55-yarder.
In a pre-season NFL game Denver Broncos vs Seattle Seahawks on August 29, 2002, Ola Kimrin kicked a 65-yard field goal.[5]