NFL Has a team ever punted on anything other than 4th down? (1 Viewer)

[Cincy Saint]

I could be wrong and if so somebody please correct me, but I believe kicking a FG on 3rd down will only grant another try on 4th down if it was blocked.

I don't that's right. If it's blocked, defense takes over. And if the kicker misses, the other team gets the ball.

The rationale for a FG on 3rd down (usually near the end of a game) was that if the snap was bad, the holder could rise up and throw an incomplete pass. Then try the kick again.

 

[jeepman]

I thought it was only in the case of a bad snap/hold (meaning, the holder catches and then goes to the ground with the recovery), but I, too, could be mistaken.

I also thought possession changes once the ball is kicked, so a block on 3rd would result in the ball going to the defense.

Yea, maybe that's it. That sounds more accurate.

 

[mikedre]

I thought it was only in the case of a bad snap/hold (meaning, the holder catches and then goes to the ground with the recovery), but I, too, could be mistaken.

I also thought possession changes once the ball is kicked, so a block on 3rd would result in the ball going to the defense.

That could be what I saw and just thinking you could reyryy.

 

[Merl]

A one time teams often would save a timeout and attempt a half or game winning FG on 3rd down in case of a bad snap. If that happened the holder would down the ball, call for the timeout and a new kick could be attempted. I don't no why that never seems to happen anymore.

 

[Saint Kamara]

it's a stupid idea.

The QB punting is likely going to produce a terrible punt.

Try to get 10-15 yards on 3rd and long and then let a professional punter take over from there.

 

[ChaChingBaby]

Yep. Long-timers may remember that former Cowboys QB Danny White was also the team's regular punter. He executed a few quick kicks in the 80s.

Former Eagles QB Randall Cunningham was also a threat to pull the quick kick. It made a little more sense in a league without the modern (2000-2010s) passing / defensive coverage rules. Field position was somewhat more precious, plus you had plenty of coaches around who had come up as young players in the 1950s who still had that old-school mindset.

Kudos for mentioning Danny White. He is the forgotten Cowboy. Not even their own fans who are too young to witness their 1980's years know who he is. He won far more playoff games than Romo and yet he is never talked about.

I remember Cunningham punting back in the day. Have always wondered what his career would've looked like if he had Andy Reid or some other great offensive minded coach to develop him. In his early years, the Eagles were using him as a runner with a bad offensive scheme.

 

[faceman]

it's a stupid idea.

The QB punting is likely going to produce a terrible punt.

Try to get 10-15 yards on 3rd and long and then let a professional punter take over from there.

Not really, seen it many times. keep in mind there is no returner here. all you have to do is kick a low liner,and you'll get
a lot of extra yards on the roll.

 

[faceman]

 

[FH_BIGGINS]

Could a QB draw a roughing the kicker penalty if they punted prior to a sack?

 

[PayOrPlay]

I still remember Joe Washington's spectacular 76-yard quick kick, flipping the field with about 3 minutes to go and locking down OU's 24-17 defeat of Texas in 1975.

http://www.espn.com/blog/colleges/oklahoma/post/_/id/10619/five-memorable-plays-from-ou-texas

On the other hand, if the defense knows the quick kick is coming, the results can be disastrous, as Darrell Royal discovered in the 1972 edition of the rivalry. But what's a little spying between friends?

https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/royal-switzer-spying-hateful-red-river-showdown/story?id=42640653

Going much further back, Sammy Baugh was known for his advocacy of the quick kick--in 1943 he had five quick kicks longer than 70 yards and sometimes he'd even quick kick on first down!

https://www.si.com/2013/11/14/sammy-baugh-1943

 

[Doug B]

That particular quick kick was a mess. But Cunningham still does have the third-longest punt in NFL history (91 yards).

 

[ruzil]

Just a random thought I had the other day and figured it's extremely unlikely — I couldn't imagine the circumstances unless the punter needed a record or something with time running out — but does anyone know if a team has ever punted on anything other than 4th down?

I remember Dan Pastorini quick kicking a few times when Bum Phillips was head coach of the Oilers. IIRC, Dante wasn't a bad punter for a QB.

 

[faceman]

I remember Dan Pastorini quick kicking a few times when Bum Phillips was head coach of the Oilers. IIRC, Dante wasn't a bad punter for a QB.

He was their regular punter his first few years in the league. Danny White did the same in Dallas.

 

[LA_Steve]

I was a qb in college, and the coach would never let me call the plays. I loved to punt on first down.
So I became a cheerleader. But the other cheerleaders were sooooooo jealous. They wouldn't use even one of my cheers, like Die you gravy sucking pigs and try to make another touchdown you scumbags!!!

 

[Darth Deuce]

Could a QB draw a roughing the kicker penalty if they punted prior to a sack?

Apparently so. One of those videos showed it happening. QB punted and was run into for a penalty.