Is a Drop Kick Legal in the NFL?

A drop kick is a type of kick in American football, typically used as a punt or field goal attempt. In which case, it is usually kicked from the ground.

What is a drop kick?

In American football and Canadian football, a drop kick is a method of kicking the ball on a kick-off, punt, or field goal attempt. In football, a drop kick is executed by a player dropping the ball and kicking it as it falls.

In American football, the play is almost always intended for the ball to be kicked while it is still in mid-air; if the kicker drops and then kicks the ball after it hits the ground, it is considered a fumble rather than a drop kick. If successful, play continues as if the down never occurred; if unsuccessful, play stops as if an incomplete pass had been throw.

The drop kick was once commonly used in situations where either a punt or field goal was expected but near-immediate possession by the opposing team was desired rather than waiting for an opponent to return the long punt or make their way back onto defense after losing yards on a failed run or short gain. The kicked ball usually bounds high into the air for field goals or extra point attempts; for punts, high bouncing with long rolls makes difficult for returners to gain substantial yardage even if they do manage to recover possession. Drop kicks are now uncommon in both American football and Canadian football.

In 1909, Washington State famously employed the drop kick seven times in their victory over Idaho; Idaho did not attempt to defend against it. In 1911, John A. Hyson of Lafayette College wrote “that with proper coaching and carefully selected players a drop-kicking game could be played without excessive risk”. In 1912 Frederick Lutz of Pennsylvania State University wrote “a team which resorts frequently to this style of kicking will probably have little trouble in developing men skilled in its use”.

During that same period there were at least three recorded instances of college teams successfully employing dropped-kicked PATs: Brown vs Holy Cross on November 16th 1912 (the first known such instance), Oregon Agricultural vs Oregon on November 30th 1912 (which included two successful attempts), and New York University vs Syracuse on November 9th 1918 (which included one successful attempt out of three attempts). There are no known recorded instances of high school teams employing dropped-kicked PATs during that period; scores were 3–2–1 points for touchdowns/field goals/PATs respectively from 1893 until 1917 when touchdowns were increased to 4 points and PATs remained at 1 point.
The last regular season NFL game that included a dropkick was played on December 21st 1941 between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Eagles (the New York Giants also employed one unsuccessfully during their loss to Green Bay Packers in that year’s NFL Championship game). The last successful NFL dropkick was made by Ray Wietecha of Chicago Bears who used it to score an extra point against Detroit Lions on December 17th 1967; Wietecha had earlier missed two attempts during that same game.

History of the drop kick in the NFL

The drop kick is a kicking style used in gridiron football. A drop kick is a kick in which the ball is dropped from the hands and kicked as it bounces off the ground. It follows more or less the same flight trajectory as a punt, but it is usually executed by a player who is not punting, so the success of such a kick depends much more on skill than on strength.

The drop kick was once common in high school, college and professional football, but today it is seldom seen at any level of the game. When it is used, it is usually for field goals or extra points after touchdown (PATs), as its accuracy then relies more on timing and execution rather than pure strength.

In Canadian football, drop kicks are only used during conversions, where they are known as rouges (pronounced “roojs”). Drop kicks are no longer seen in American high school football or college football because of improved kicking techniques and playing surfaces; however, nostalgia for the play has occasionally led teams to attempt drop kicks during play.

A successful drop kick results in more points being scored than would be scored by either a standard placekick or punt. In general play terms, however, it has largely been made obsolete by shorter (and thus easier to execute) placekicks since 1900.

How to execute a drop kick

To properly execute a drop kick, the ball must first be touched to the ground. The player will then drop the ball and kick it as it bounces off the ground. The ball must go through or over the crossbar and between the goal posts for a successful field goal. A drop kick can be used for a conversion attempt after a touchdown is scored, but this is very rare and has not been successful in recent years.

When is a drop kick legal?

The drop kick is a kicking style in American football and Canadian football. This method of kicking was once common in both codes, but is today mostly seen in American football. When properly executed, it can be a very effective way of getting the ball into the opponent’s end zone or scoring a field goal; however, it is still generally regarded as a risky play, as missed attempts usually result in the opposing team gaining possession of the ball.

In American football, a drop kick is only legal during a kickoff or a free kick after a safety, and must be attempted from behind the line of scrimmage. A drop kick can also be attempted during an extra point attempt (i.e., after scoring a touchdown), but this is extremely rare and no successful attempts have been made since 1941.

Drop kick rules in the NFL

In order to attempt a drop kick, the ball must be snap-kicked, meaning it must be kicked off the ground. The kicking tee is not allowed. Once the ball is in the air, the kicker can drop to his knees and make contact with the ball as it comes down. If successful, it is worth three points.

The last successful drop kick in an NFL game was made by Doug Flutie of the New England Patriots in 2005.

Examples of drop kicks in NFL history

There are a few examples of drop kicks in NFL history. In 1941, Cleveland Browns player Lou Groza scored a field goal with a drop kick. In 1998, Tampa Bay Buccaneers player Michael Husted kicked a field goal with a drop kick. In 2006, New England Patriots player Josh Miller had a punt that was downed by the New York Jets inside the one-yard line that was kicked with a drop kick.