In gridiron football, a punt is a kick performed by dropping the ball from the hands and then kicking the ball before it hits the ground. The most common use of this tactic is to punt the ball downfield to the opposing team, usually on the final down, with the hope of giving the receiving team a field position that is more advantageous to the kicking team when possession changes. The result of a typical punt, barring any penalties or extraordinary circumstances, is a first down for the receiving team. A punt is not to be confused with a drop kick, a kick after the ball hits the ground, now rare in both American and Canadian football.
A punt in gridiron football is a kick performed by dropping the ball from the hands and then kicking the ball before it hits the ground. In football, the offense has a limited number of downs, or plays, in which to move the ball at least ten yards. The team in possession of the ball will typically punt the ball to the opposing team when they are on their final down (fourth down in American football, third down in Canadian football), do not want to risk a turnover on downs by not gaining enough yardage to make a first down, and do not believe they are in range for a successful field goal. The purpose of the punt is for the team in possession, or "kicking team", to move the ball as far as possible towards the opponent's end zone; this maximizes the distance the receiving team must advance the ball in order to score a touchdown upon taking possession. Thus, the most common use of this tactic is to punt the ball downfield to the opposing team, usually on the final down, with the hope of giving the receiving team a field position that is more advantageous to the kicking team when possession changes.
A punt play involves the kicking team lining up at the line of scrimmage with the kicker, or punter, typically lined up about 15 yards behind the center (in American football, where the end zone is only ten yards deep as opposed to twenty yards in Canadian football, this distance must be shortened if the kicker's normal position would be on or beyond the end line). The receiving team lines up with one or two players downfield to catch the ball. The center makes a long snap to the kicker who then drops the ball and kicks it before it hits the ground. The player who catches the ball is then entitled to attempt to advance the ball.
The result of a typical punt, barring any penalties or extraordinary circumstances, is a first down for the receiving team at the spot where:
the receiver or subsequent receiving team ball carrier is downed or goes out of bounds;
the ball crosses out of bounds, whether in flight or after touching the ground;
there is "illegal touching", defined as when a player from the kicking team is the first player to touch the ball after it has been punted beyond the line of scrimmage; or
a ball which is allowed to land comes to rest in-bounds without being touched (American football only).
Other possible results include the punt being blocked behind the line of scrimmage, and the ball being touched, but not caught or possessed, downfield by the receiving team. In both cases the ball is then "free" and "live" and will belong to whichever team recovers it.
If the kicked ball fails to cross the line of scrimmage, it may be picked up and advanced by either team. However, if it is picked up by the kicking team, the play is treated as any other play from scrimmage; i.e., if it is the team's final down, it must advance the ball beyond the first down marker in order to avoid a turnover on downs. There are two ways a punt can fail to cross the line of scrimmage: a blocked kick, in which the opposing team obstructs the path of the punt shortly after it leaves the punter's foot; and a shank, in which the punter fails to advance the kick beyond the line of scrimmage on his own (usually erroneous) action. If a punt crosses the plane above the line of scrimmage at any point during the punt, it is treated as such and the kicking team may not advance it, even if the ball moves on its own volition (either due to a headwind or errant bounce) back behind the line.
Deliberate, targeted punting to another player on the kicking team behind the line of scrimmage has some strategic advantages (for example, an offensive lineman can receive a forward punt but is not eligible to receive a screen pass) but, because of some disadvantages (any errant kick that crosses the line of scrimmage would result in lost possession), is extremely rare as a strategy.
The official rules regulate when and how the receiving team may hit the kicker before, during, and after the kick.
If the receiving team drops the ball or touches the ball beyond the line of scrimmage without catching it then it is considered a live ball and may be recovered by either team. If the receiving team never had full possession, it is considered to be a muffed punt rather than a fumble. However, the receiving player must be actively pursuing the ball. If the receiving player is blocked into the ball, it is not considered "touching" the ball.
The player attempting to catch the kicked ball may attempt a fair catch. If caught, the ball becomes dead and the receiving team gets the ball at the spot of the catch.
A touchback may be called if any of the following occur: (1) The kicked ball lands in the receiving team's end zone without first touching any player, whether as a direct result of the kick or a bounce. (2) The receiving team catches the ball in its own end zone and downs it before advancing the ball out of the end zone. (In high school football, the ball automatically becomes dead when it crosses the goal line and cannot be returned out of the end zone.) (3) The ball enters then exits the end zone behind the goal line. After a touchback, the receiving team gets the ball at its own 20-yard line.
If a player from the kicking team is the first to touch the ball after it crosses the line of scrimmage, "illegal touching" is called and the receiving team gains possession at the spot where the illegal touching occurred. This is often not considered to be detrimental to the kicking team; for example, it is common for a player on the kicking team to deliberately touch the ball near the goal line before it enters the end zone to prevent a touchback. Since there is no further yardage penalty awarded, the kicking team is often said to have "downed the ball" when this occurs (and the NFL does not count it as an official penalty). While the ball is not automatically dead upon an illegal touch, and can be advanced by the receiving team (who would then have the choice of accepting the result of the play or taking the ball at the spot of the illegal touch), this rarely happens in practice, as illegal touching typically occurs when members of the kicking team are closer to the ball than members of the receiving team. In the NFL, this is referred to as "first touching," and is considered a "violation," and cannot offset a foul by the receiving team.[1] Moreover, kicking team players are allowed to bat the ball back into the field of play so long as they have not touched the goal line or end zone, even if their bodies enter the air above the end zone; in such cases, the ball is spotted from where the player jumped or the 1-yard line, whichever is farther from the goal line.
The length of the punt, referred to as punting yards or gross punting yards, is measured from the line of scrimmage (not the spot where the punter punts) to whichever of the following points applies: (1) the spot that a punt is caught; (2) the spot that a punt goes out of bounds; (3) the spot that a punt is declared dead because of illegal touching; or (4) the goal line, for punts that are ruled touchbacks.
The net punting yardage is taken by calculating the total punting yardage and subtracting any yardage earned by the receiving team on returns, and subtracting 20 yards for each touchback.
The kicker and any players behind him at the time of the kick are considered "onside"; any other players on the kicking team are considered "offside". This is the same rule that makes all players "onside" on a kickoff since they are behind the ball once kicked. A player who is onside may recover the kicked ball, while a player who is offside may not be the first to touch the kicked ball and is required to remain at least 5 yards from an opposing player attempting to catch the ball. Violations of these restrictions on an offside player are called "no yards" infractions, with various penalties associated with them.
The ball remains in play if it enters the goal area (end zone) until it is downed by a player on either team or goes out of bounds:
If a member of the receiving team downs it in the goal area or the ball goes out of bounds before being brought back into the field of play, a single is awarded to the kicking team and the receiving team gains possession at their own 35-yard line.
If an onside player downs the ball in the goal area, the kicking team is awarded a touchdown.
If an offside player downs the ball in the goal area, the receiving team gains possession after a "no yards" penalty is applied from their own 10-yard line.
If the ball strikes the goalpost assembly while in flight the receiving team gains possession at their own 25-yard line.
The length of the punt is measured from the line of scrimmage to the spot of the catch or the point where the kick goes out of bounds. The punt return is measured independently, though the value of the punt to the kicking team is determined by distance from the line of scrimmage to the end of the return.
Canadian rules also allow a punt when the punter is not behind the line of scrimmage, which is not permitted in American rules. This tactic (termed an "open-field kick" in the rule book) is similar to rugby and in the modern game is usually reserved for last-second desperation: for example, a player, after receiving a forward pass with no time left on the clock and with no hope of evading tacklers, may punt the ball in the hope that it will score a single or be recovered by an onside teammate. After recovering a ball kicked by the other team a player can also punt out of his own end zone in order to avoid a single. On at least two occasions in the CFL, the last play of the game was a missed field goal attempt followed by three punts, as the teams alternately tried to avoid a single and score a single.[2][3][4][5]
Types of punts
The type of punt leads to different motion of the football.
Alex Moffat is generally recognized as the creator of the spiral punt, having developed it during his time as a college athlete in the early 1880s.[6] It is the longest type of punt kick. In flight, the ball spins about its long axis, instead of end over end (like a drop punt) or not at all (like a regular punt kick). This makes the flight of the ball more aerodynamic, and the pointy ends of gridiron footballs mitigate the difficulty to catch.
Teams may line up in a normal offensive formation and have the quarterback perform a pooch punt, also known as a quick kick. This usually happens in situations where the offense is in a 4th and long situation in their opponent's territory, but are too close to the end zone for a traditional punt and (depending on weather conditions) too far for a field goal try—a situation also known as the dead zone. Like fake punt attempts, these are rarely tried, although Randall Cunningham, Tom Brady, Matt Cassel and Ben Roethlisberger have successfully executed pooch punts in the modern NFL era.[7][8][9] Some pooch punts occur on third down and long situations in American football to fool the defense, which is typically not prepared to return a punt on third down.
Fake punts
On very rare occasions, a punting team will elect to attempt a "fake punt" — line up in punt formation and begin the process as normal, but instead do one of the following:[citation needed]
The punter may choose to run with the ball.
The ball may be snapped to the upback, who then runs with the ball.
The punter (or another back, who is standing nearby) may decide to pass to a pre-designated receiver.
The ball may be snapped to the upback, who then passes the ball to a receiver.
Although teams sometimes use fake punts to exploit a weakness in the opposing team's defense, a fake punt is very rare, and often used in desperate situations, such as to keep a drive alive when a team is behind and needs to catch up quickly, or to spark an offense in a game where the defense dominates. The high risk of "fake punts", and the need to maintain an element of surprise when the play is actually called, explains why this play is seldom seen. Fake punts are more likely to occur when there is short yardage remaining to secure a first down, or the line of scrimmage is inside the opponent's territory.[citation needed]
Jeff Feagles is the all-time NFL career punts and punt yards leader with 1,713 punts and 71,211 punt yards over 352 games.[13]
Bob Cameron is the all-time CFL career punts and punt yards leader with 3,129 punts and 134,301 punt yards over 394 games.[14]
Shane Lechler holds the NFL record for career punting average with 47.6 yards per punt.[15]
Sammy Baugh averaged 51.4 yards per punt in 1940 (35 punts for 1,799 yards). Lechler holds the modern single-season record with a 51.1 yards per punt average in 2009 (96 punts for 4,909 yards)[16]
The record for college football is held by the University of Nevada's Pat Brady, who booted the longest possible punt on a 100-yard field at 99 yards against Loyola University on October 28, 1950.[17]
A punt return is one of the receiving team's options to respond to a punt. A player positioned about 35–45 yards from the line of scrimmage (usually a wide receiver or return specialist) will attempt to catch or pick up the ball after it is punted by the opposing team's punter. He then attempts to carry the ball as far as possible back in the direction of the line of scrimmage, without being tackled or running out of bounds. He may also lateral the ball to teammates in order to keep the play alive should he expect to be tackled or go out of bounds. The punting team may employ a "directional punting" strategy. This strategy has a punter place the ball in a way that pins returners against the sideline deep on their side of the field, minimizing their potential to have a big return.[20][21]
DeSean Jackson, then playing for the Philadelphia Eagles in the "Miracle at the New Meadowlands", is the only NFL player to return a punt for a game-winning touchdown on the final play of regulation.[22] The NFL record holder for the number of punt returns for a touchdown in a career is Devin Hester with 14. The CFL career record holder for must punt returns for a touchdown in a career is Gizmo Williams with 26.[23]
^"2012 OFFICIAL PLAYING RULES AND CASEBOOK OF THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE" (PDF). static.nfl.com. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
^. TSN.ca. The Canadian Press. 30 October 2010. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014.
^blackknight101066 (30 October 2010). "Crazy Argonauts – Alouettes CFL ending.mp4". Archived from the original on 2021-11-18 – via YouTube.
^CFLfan#31 (19 September 2015). "SC: Top 10 Crazy CFL Moments". Archived from the original on 2021-11-18 – via YouTube.
^. winnipegfreepress.com. Archived from the original on 15 July 2016.
^David M. Nelson. The Anatomy of a Game: Football, the Rules, and the Men who Made the Game. p. 53.
^. databasefootball.com. Archived from the original on 2009-01-14.
^"Let's talk about Brady's punt". go.com. 15 January 2012.
^. databasefootball.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-31.
^First Sporting Production (2015-10-17), , archived from the original on 2017-09-16, retrieved 2017-09-07
^"Regular Season All-Time Records – Individual Records – Punting" 2009-09-03 at the Wayback Machine. Canadian Football League. (The CFL's field is ten yards longer than the NFL's.)
^"Bouncing ... bouncing – Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site". profootballhof.com.
^Joe Theismann NFL & AFL Statistics. pro-football-reference.com. Pro Football Reference.
^UPI (September 30, 1985). Bears Show Redskins a Team on the Rise. Lodi News-Sentinel, p. 17.
^Vrentas, Jenny (September 18, 2009). "For Jeff Feagles, directional punting becomes a fine science". NJ.com. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
^Erickson, Joel A. (August 24, 2022). "Source: Colts are signing former Bills punter Matt Haack after losing Rigoberto Sanchez". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
^Frank, Reuben (December 19, 2010). "Miracle at the Meadowlands III: Eagles 38, Giants 31". CSN Philly. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved 2010-12-19.
^"Henry "Gizmo" Williams". Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
External links
Media related to American football punts at Wikimedia Commons
May 11, 2023
punt, gridiron, football, gridiron, football, punt, kick, performed, dropping, ball, from, hands, then, kicking, ball, before, hits, ground, most, common, this, tactic, punt, ball, downfield, opposing, team, usually, final, down, with, hope, giving, receiving,. In gridiron football a punt is a kick performed by dropping the ball from the hands and then kicking the ball before it hits the ground The most common use of this tactic is to punt the ball downfield to the opposing team usually on the final down with the hope of giving the receiving team a field position that is more advantageous to the kicking team when possession changes The result of a typical punt barring any penalties or extraordinary circumstances is a first down for the receiving team A punt is not to be confused with a drop kick a kick after the ball hits the ground now rare in both American and Canadian football St Louis Post Dispatch photograph 1905 of Bradbury Robinson football s first triple threat man preparing to puntThe type of punt leads to different motion of the football Alex Moffat invented the now common spiral punt as opposed to end over end Contents 1 Description 2 Rules 2 1 Common to American and Canadian football 2 2 American football 2 3 Canadian football 3 Types of punts 3 1 End over end punt 3 2 Spiral punt 3 3 Pooch punt 3 4 Fake punts 3 5 Rugby style punt 4 Punting records 5 Return 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksDescription EditA punt in gridiron football is a kick performed by dropping the ball from the hands and then kicking the ball before it hits the ground In football the offense has a limited number of downs or plays in which to move the ball at least ten yards The team in possession of the ball will typically punt the ball to the opposing team when they are on their final down fourth down in American football third down in Canadian football do not want to risk a turnover on downs by not gaining enough yardage to make a first down and do not believe they are in range for a successful field goal The purpose of the punt is for the team in possession or kicking team to move the ball as far as possible towards the opponent s end zone this maximizes the distance the receiving team must advance the ball in order to score a touchdown upon taking possession Thus the most common use of this tactic is to punt the ball downfield to the opposing team usually on the final down with the hope of giving the receiving team a field position that is more advantageous to the kicking team when possession changes A punt play involves the kicking team lining up at the line of scrimmage with the kicker or punter typically lined up about 15 yards behind the center in American football where the end zone is only ten yards deep as opposed to twenty yards in Canadian football this distance must be shortened if the kicker s normal position would be on or beyond the end line The receiving team lines up with one or two players downfield to catch the ball The center makes a long snap to the kicker who then drops the ball and kicks it before it hits the ground The player who catches the ball is then entitled to attempt to advance the ball The result of a typical punt barring any penalties or extraordinary circumstances is a first down for the receiving team at the spot where the receiver or subsequent receiving team ball carrier is downed or goes out of bounds the ball crosses out of bounds whether in flight or after touching the ground there is illegal touching defined as when a player from the kicking team is the first player to touch the ball after it has been punted beyond the line of scrimmage or a ball which is allowed to land comes to rest in bounds without being touched American football only Other possible results include the punt being blocked behind the line of scrimmage and the ball being touched but not caught or possessed downfield by the receiving team In both cases the ball is then free and live and will belong to whichever team recovers it Rules Edit Ty Long punting against the Washington Football Team in 2021 Common to American and Canadian football Edit If the kicked ball fails to cross the line of scrimmage it may be picked up and advanced by either team However if it is picked up by the kicking team the play is treated as any other play from scrimmage i e if it is the team s final down it must advance the ball beyond the first down marker in order to avoid a turnover on downs There are two ways a punt can fail to cross the line of scrimmage a blocked kick in which the opposing team obstructs the path of the punt shortly after it leaves the punter s foot and a shank in which the punter fails to advance the kick beyond the line of scrimmage on his own usually erroneous action If a punt crosses the plane above the line of scrimmage at any point during the punt it is treated as such and the kicking team may not advance it even if the ball moves on its own volition either due to a headwind or errant bounce back behind the line Deliberate targeted punting to another player on the kicking team behind the line of scrimmage has some strategic advantages for example an offensive lineman can receive a forward punt but is not eligible to receive a screen pass but because of some disadvantages any errant kick that crosses the line of scrimmage would result in lost possession is extremely rare as a strategy The official rules regulate when and how the receiving team may hit the kicker before during and after the kick If the receiving team drops the ball or touches the ball beyond the line of scrimmage without catching it then it is considered a live ball and may be recovered by either team If the receiving team never had full possession it is considered to be a muffed punt rather than a fumble However the receiving player must be actively pursuing the ball If the receiving player is blocked into the ball it is not considered touching the ball A field goal cannot be scored on a punt kick By contrast the now very rarely attempted drop kick can be used to score either field goals or extra points in both American and Canadian football The 2007 Virginia Tech Hokies football team blocks a punt against the Duke Blue Devils American football Edit The player attempting to catch the kicked ball may attempt a fair catch If caught the ball becomes dead and the receiving team gets the ball at the spot of the catch A touchback may be called if any of the following occur 1 The kicked ball lands in the receiving team s end zone without first touching any player whether as a direct result of the kick or a bounce 2 The receiving team catches the ball in its own end zone and downs it before advancing the ball out of the end zone In high school football the ball automatically becomes dead when it crosses the goal line and cannot be returned out of the end zone 3 The ball enters then exits the end zone behind the goal line After a touchback the receiving team gets the ball at its own 20 yard line If a player from the kicking team is the first to touch the ball after it crosses the line of scrimmage illegal touching is called and the receiving team gains possession at the spot where the illegal touching occurred This is often not considered to be detrimental to the kicking team for example it is common for a player on the kicking team to deliberately touch the ball near the goal line before it enters the end zone to prevent a touchback Since there is no further yardage penalty awarded the kicking team is often said to have downed the ball when this occurs and the NFL does not count it as an official penalty While the ball is not automatically dead upon an illegal touch and can be advanced by the receiving team who would then have the choice of accepting the result of the play or taking the ball at the spot of the illegal touch this rarely happens in practice as illegal touching typically occurs when members of the kicking team are closer to the ball than members of the receiving team In the NFL this is referred to as first touching and is considered a violation and cannot offset a foul by the receiving team 1 Moreover kicking team players are allowed to bat the ball back into the field of play so long as they have not touched the goal line or end zone even if their bodies enter the air above the end zone in such cases the ball is spotted from where the player jumped or the 1 yard line whichever is farther from the goal line The length of the punt referred to as punting yards or gross punting yards is measured from the line of scrimmage not the spot where the punter punts to whichever of the following points applies 1 the spot that a punt is caught 2 the spot that a punt goes out of bounds 3 the spot that a punt is declared dead because of illegal touching or 4 the goal line for punts that are ruled touchbacks The net punting yardage is taken by calculating the total punting yardage and subtracting any yardage earned by the receiving team on returns and subtracting 20 yards for each touchback Under no circumstance can the kicking team score points as the direct result of a punt It can score indirectly if the receiving team loses possession of the ball or runs back into its own end zone and gets tackled Canadian football Edit Mike Vanderjagt left punting for the Toronto Argonauts in 2008 The kicker and any players behind him at the time of the kick are considered onside any other players on the kicking team are considered offside This is the same rule that makes all players onside on a kickoff since they are behind the ball once kicked A player who is onside may recover the kicked ball while a player who is offside may not be the first to touch the kicked ball and is required to remain at least 5 yards from an opposing player attempting to catch the ball Violations of these restrictions on an offside player are called no yards infractions with various penalties associated with them The ball remains in play if it enters the goal area end zone until it is downed by a player on either team or goes out of bounds If a member of the receiving team downs it in the goal area or the ball goes out of bounds before being brought back into the field of play a single is awarded to the kicking team and the receiving team gains possession at their own 35 yard line If an onside player downs the ball in the goal area the kicking team is awarded a touchdown If an offside player downs the ball in the goal area the receiving team gains possession after a no yards penalty is applied from their own 10 yard line If the ball strikes the goalpost assembly while in flight the receiving team gains possession at their own 25 yard line The length of the punt is measured from the line of scrimmage to the spot of the catch or the point where the kick goes out of bounds The punt return is measured independently though the value of the punt to the kicking team is determined by distance from the line of scrimmage to the end of the return Canadian rules also allow a punt when the punter is not behind the line of scrimmage which is not permitted in American rules This tactic termed an open field kick in the rule book is similar to rugby and in the modern game is usually reserved for last second desperation for example a player after receiving a forward pass with no time left on the clock and with no hope of evading tacklers may punt the ball in the hope that it will score a single or be recovered by an onside teammate After recovering a ball kicked by the other team a player can also punt out of his own end zone in order to avoid a single On at least two occasions in the CFL the last play of the game was a missed field goal attempt followed by three punts as the teams alternately tried to avoid a single and score a single 2 3 4 5 Types of punts EditThe type of punt leads to different motion of the football End over end punt Edit See also drop punt Spiral punt Edit See also torpedo punt Alex Moffat is generally recognized as the creator of the spiral punt having developed it during his time as a college athlete in the early 1880s 6 It is the longest type of punt kick In flight the ball spins about its long axis instead of end over end like a drop punt or not at all like a regular punt kick This makes the flight of the ball more aerodynamic and the pointy ends of gridiron footballs mitigate the difficulty to catch Pooch punt Edit Main article quick kick Teams may line up in a normal offensive formation and have the quarterback perform a pooch punt also known as a quick kick This usually happens in situations where the offense is in a 4th and long situation in their opponent s territory but are too close to the end zone for a traditional punt and depending on weather conditions too far for a field goal try a situation also known as the dead zone Like fake punt attempts these are rarely tried although Randall Cunningham Tom Brady Matt Cassel and Ben Roethlisberger have successfully executed pooch punts in the modern NFL era 7 8 9 Some pooch punts occur on third down and long situations in American football to fool the defense which is typically not prepared to return a punt on third down Fake punts Edit On very rare occasions a punting team will elect to attempt a fake punt line up in punt formation and begin the process as normal but instead do one of the following citation needed The punter may choose to run with the ball The ball may be snapped to the upback who then runs with the ball The punter or another back who is standing nearby may decide to pass to a pre designated receiver The ball may be snapped to the upback who then passes the ball to a receiver Although teams sometimes use fake punts to exploit a weakness in the opposing team s defense a fake punt is very rare and often used in desperate situations such as to keep a drive alive when a team is behind and needs to catch up quickly or to spark an offense in a game where the defense dominates The high risk of fake punts and the need to maintain an element of surprise when the play is actually called explains why this play is seldom seen Fake punts are more likely to occur when there is short yardage remaining to secure a first down or the line of scrimmage is inside the opponent s territory citation needed One of the most famous fake punts was by New York Giants linebacker Gary Reasons during the 1990 NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers in which he rushed for 30 yards on a fourth down conversion via a direct snap to him instead of the punter Sean Landeta which was a critical difference in a 15 13 victory The Giants went on to win Super Bowl XXV citation needed Rugby style punt Edit A rugby style punt is done with a running start usually to the left or right before punting while remaining behind the line of scrimmage 10 Bill Putich punting on the run Punting records EditThe longest punt in North American pro football history is a 108 yarder by Zenon Andrusyshyn of the CFL s Toronto Argonauts at Edmonton October 23 1977 11 This record was also tied by Christopher Milo of the Saskatchewan Roughriders on October 29 2011 at a home game at Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field in Regina during which winds gusted above 35 miles per hour 56 km h citation needed Mosaic Stadium is also the site of the three longest field goals in CFL history and one of the windiest fields in professional football citation needed The longest punt in NFL AFL play was a 98 yarder by Steve O Neal of the New York Jets in an American Football League regular season loss to the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium on September 21 1969 12 Jeff Feagles is the all time NFL career punts and punt yards leader with 1 713 punts and 71 211 punt yards over 352 games 13 Bob Cameron is the all time CFL career punts and punt yards leader with 3 129 punts and 134 301 punt yards over 394 games 14 Shane Lechler holds the NFL record for career punting average with 47 6 yards per punt 15 Sammy Baugh averaged 51 4 yards per punt in 1940 35 punts for 1 799 yards Lechler holds the modern single season record with a 51 1 yards per punt average in 2009 96 punts for 4 909 yards 16 The record for college football is held by the University of Nevada s Pat Brady who booted the longest possible punt on a 100 yard field at 99 yards against Loyola University on October 28 1950 17 Joe Theismann punted for one yard against the Chicago Bears in 1985 18 19 Return EditA punt return is one of the receiving team s options to respond to a punt A player positioned about 35 45 yards from the line of scrimmage usually a wide receiver or return specialist will attempt to catch or pick up the ball after it is punted by the opposing team s punter He then attempts to carry the ball as far as possible back in the direction of the line of scrimmage without being tackled or running out of bounds He may also lateral the ball to teammates in order to keep the play alive should he expect to be tackled or go out of bounds The punting team may employ a directional punting strategy This strategy has a punter place the ball in a way that pins returners against the sideline deep on their side of the field minimizing their potential to have a big return 20 21 DeSean Jackson then playing for the Philadelphia Eagles in the Miracle at the New Meadowlands is the only NFL player to return a punt for a game winning touchdown on the final play of regulation 22 The NFL record holder for the number of punt returns for a touchdown in a career is Devin Hester with 14 The CFL career record holder for must punt returns for a touchdown in a career is Gizmo Williams with 26 23 See also EditGlossary of American football Short punt formation Coffin corner American football American Football Kicking Hall of Fame No Punt GameReferences Edit 2012 OFFICIAL PLAYING RULES AND CASEBOOK OF THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PDF static nfl com Retrieved 2018 12 17 Crazy ending lifts Alouettes over Argonauts TSN ca The Canadian Press 30 October 2010 Archived from the original on 1 February 2014 blackknight101066 30 October 2010 Crazy Argonauts Alouettes CFL ending mp4 Archived from the original on 2021 11 18 via YouTube CFLfan 31 19 September 2015 SC Top 10 Crazy CFL Moments Archived from the original on 2021 11 18 via YouTube Nov 19 1972 Abendschan boots Blue in stadium s greatest game winnipegfreepress com Archived from the original on 15 July 2016 David M Nelson The Anatomy of a Game Football the Rules and the Men who Made the Game p 53 Randall Cunningham Past Stats Statistics History and Awards databaseFootball com databasefootball com Archived from the original on 2009 01 14 Let s talk about Brady s punt go com 15 January 2012 Ben Roethlisberger Past Stats Statistics History and Awards databaseFootball com databasefootball com Archived from the original on 2013 10 31 First Sporting Production 2015 10 17 Aussie punter Blake O Neill s Punts 80 yard Rugby Style Punt archived from the original on 2017 09 16 retrieved 2017 09 07 Regular Season All Time Records Individual Records Punting Archived 2009 09 03 at the Wayback Machine Canadian Football League The CFL s field is ten yards longer than the NFL s Bouncing bouncing Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site profootballhof com NFL Punting Leaders All Time PlayerFilter com Regular Season All Time Records Archived 2010 07 04 at the Wayback Machine Canadian Football League NFL Yards per Punt Career Leaders since 1939 Pro Football Reference Retrieved August 27 2022 NFL Yards per Punt Single Season Leaders since 1939 Pro Football Reference Retrieved August 27 2022 National Football Foundation Joe Theismann NFL amp AFL Statistics pro football reference com Pro Football Reference UPI September 30 1985 Bears Show Redskins a Team on the Rise Lodi News Sentinel p 17 Vrentas Jenny September 18 2009 For Jeff Feagles directional punting becomes a fine science NJ com Retrieved August 27 2022 Erickson Joel A August 24 2022 Source Colts are signing former Bills punter Matt Haack after losing Rigoberto Sanchez The Indianapolis Star Retrieved August 27 2022 Frank Reuben December 19 2010 Miracle at the Meadowlands III Eagles 38 Giants 31 CSN Philly Archived from the original on September 10 2012 Retrieved 2010 12 19 Henry Gizmo Williams Canadian Football Hall of Fame Retrieved 2023 02 20 External links Edit Media related to American football punts at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Punt gridiron football amp oldid 1140604285, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
