Zoltan Mesko was the first
kicking specialist chosen in the
2010 NFL Draft.|alt=Football player in #41 blue and yellow uniform kicks the football]]
In some codes of
football, a
punt is a play in which a player drops the ball and kicks it before it touches the ground. A punt is in contrast to a
drop kick, in which the ball touches the ground before being kicked.
In American and Canadian football, the ball is kicked 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. In rugby football codes, the ball may be punted in open play by any player in order to gain field position, or a short-high punt known as an up and under kick in an attempt to disrupt the defensive line.
American and Canadian football
photograph (1905), of
Bradbury Robinson, football's first
triple threat man, preparing to punt]]
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) in such a field position that they do not believe they can successfully make a
field goal, and, given the game situation, they do not want to risk a
turnover on downs in that part of the field if they fail to reach the first down marker. The purpose of a punt is for the team in possession, or "kicking team", to move the ball towards the opponent's
end zone in order to maximize the length the opposing team (the "receiving team") must advance the ball in order to score a
touchdown when they take possession of the ball.
A punt play involves the kicking team lining up at the line of scrimmage with the kicker, or punter, lined up usually 15 yards behind the center (in American football this distance is shortened if the ball is on a spot such that the kicker's normal position is 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.
Rules
Common to American and Canadian football
If the kicked ball is blocked and 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.
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 "muff" and may be recovered by either team.
A field goal cannot be scored on a punt kick.
The length of the punt is measured from the line of scrimmage to the spot of the catch if it is a fair catch. If the receiving team does not touch it it is measured to the spot it stops or where the kicking team touches it. If the punt is returned it is measured to the end of the return.
punting against the
Texas A&M; Aggies in 2007]]
American football
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 the kicked ball enters the receiving team's end zone without first touching any player, whether in flight or on a bounce; or if the receiving team catches the ball in its own end zone and downs it before advancing the ball out of the end zone. 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 team committing the "illegal touching"; for example, it is common for a player on the kicking team to make contact with the ball before it enters the end zone and is thus ruled as a touchback. Since there is no further yardage penalty awarded, the kicking team is often said to have "downed the ball" when this occurs.
Canadian football
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". 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 at 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.
blocks a punt against the
Duke Blue Devils]]
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 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 one occasion in the CFL, a last-second missed field goal attempt was followed by three punts, all on one play, as the teams alternately tried to avoid a single and score a single.
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:
* 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.
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. The high risk and low success rate of "fake punts", combined with the need to maintain an element of surprise when the play is actually called, explains why this play is seldom seen.
One of the most famous fake punts was by New York Giants linebacker Gary Reasons during the 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.
Record punts
The longest punt in NFL play was a 98-yarder by
Steve O'Neal of the
New York Jets in an
American Football League game played against the
Denver Broncos on September 21, 1969.
The longest punt in North American pro football history is a 108-yarder by Zenon Andrusyshyn of the CFL's Toronto Argonauts (at Edmonton, Oct. 23, 1977). The CFL's field is ten yards longer than the NFL's.
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.
Rugby union
A punt in
Rugby union can be contrasted with a drop kick which is taken at a
22-meter dropout, kickoff, or drop-goal attempt. The main purpose of the punt is usually a bid to gain field position, where the ball is kicked by any player (but usually by back-line players such as scrum-half, fly-half or fullback) up the field and out of bounds (in touch), forcing a
lineout contest. The lineout is usually taken in the same position where the ball went out of play, however, the ball must make contact with the ground before leaving the field or the lineout is taken from the position of the ball when it was kicked instead, unless the kicker was inside his own 22-meter line, or the kick was taken from a penalty where the ball is allowed to leave play without bouncing. The other main type of punt is known as the
up and under kick and launches the ball high into the air, but without traveling far along the field of play. The purpose of this kind of kick is to disrupt the defensive line (who will scramble in attempt to retrieve the ball) while attempting to retrieve the ball for one's own team. However, the up and under is used sparingly because of the risk of losing possession without gaining field position.
In Rugby union, a team can elect one of four ways to take a penalty, being to run with the ball, take a scrum, kick at goal, or punt the ball. Where the team chooses to punt the ball, the punter may kick the ball out of bounds without making contact with the ground first, and the throw at the lineout is awarded to the non-infringing team.
Return
A
punt return is one of the punt receiving team's options to respond to a punt. A player (usually a second or third string
wide receiver or
running back) positioned many yards from the
line of scrimmage will attempt to catch or pick up the ball after it is punted by the opposing team's punter. They will then attempt 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. Players may also attempt to
lateral the ball to other players on their team, in order to keep the play alive if they expect to be tackled or go out of bounds.
See also
American football/Glossary
Punt kick (Australian rules football / rugby league)
Notes
Category:American football plays
