Is there a new theory about fielding punts in DI football this year?

[soybean]

I could be way off on this anecdotal observation, but after watching several games this year, including, of course, the Hawkeyes, its my impression that I'm seeing more fair catches called inside the 10 yard line this year.

It used to be accepted practice for return men to put your heels on the 10 yard line and wave for a fair catch but allow the ball to go over your head and, hopefully, bounce into the end zone for a touch back. Now, it seems, that return men men are drifting back inside the ten to field the kick much more often than even just last year. Has there been a change in coaching attitude about this practice?

 

[HawkNole09]

I believe most are coaching to fair catch at the 7 or 8 yard line. At least this is where the punt returners are lining up. The 10 yard-line is pretty arbitrary. They’ve probably got studies to show that balls that bounce inside 7 yards go into the end zone a good % of the time, while balls hitting between the 7-10 get downed at the 1 or 2 yard line

 

[Herky T Hawk]

If this observation is true, my guess is that it is because punters are getting better at getting the ball to die inside of the 10 yard line without going for a touchback. 20 years ago, only the best punters knew how to put the backspin on a punt to do that. Now, many of them can do this with a good rate of success.

I'm guessing that coaches are probably thinking that it is better to fair catch it at the 7 or 8 yard line than have the ball downed at the 1 or 2 yard line.

 

[Hawk-A-Doodle-Doo]

Ol' Doodle fielded punts in HS...way back in the stone age. We were taught not to fair catch inside the 10....UNLESS there were two or more opposing players within a yard of us as the ball was arriving. If that was the case, the statistics bore out that the ball would be downed inside the 10 (and often the 5) a very high percentage of the time. So the fair catch, even at like the 7 or 8 yard line, could save a precious few yards in a circumstance where only a precious few yards existed to be saved.

But if the coverage was upfield a few yards, then we were instructed to let it go over our heads because in that scenario it was much more likely to bound into the endzone before they could corral it.

Doodle freely acknowledges that it's anecdotal. But food for thought nonetheless.

 

[soybean]

Ol' Doodle fielded punts in HS...way back in the stone age. We were taught not to fair catch inside the 10....UNLESS there were two or more opposing players within a yard of us as the ball was arriving. If that was the case, the statistics bore out that the ball would be downed inside the 10 (and often the 5) a very high percentage of the time. So the fair catch, even at like the 7 or 8 yard line, could save a precious few yards in a circumstance where only a precious few yards existed to be saved.

But if the coverage was upfield a few yards, then we were instructed to let it go over our heads because in that scenario it was much more likely to bound into the endzone before they could corral it.

Doodle freely acknowledges that it's anecdotal. But food for thought nonetheless.

Well, Doodle, I'm willing to bet that I pre-dated the stone age when I was fielding punts back in the 1960's and I have tried to keep up with all the latest thing about this art form. This year I see returners routinely fielding punts inside the 10 when the orthadoxy always was to let em go over your head and usually into the end zone. Now these damn kids are retreating inside the 10 on a regular basis and thus diminishing America's standing in the world!

 

[SHAWKER]

Rather have it at the 7 than the 1.

 

[nu2u]

5 yard line is the new 10 yard line. Longer hang times, better punt team coverage.

Also, coffin corner kicks are slowly becoming a thing of the past.

 

[Hawk-A-Doodle-Doo]

Well, Doodle, I'm willing to bet that I pre-dated the stone age when I was fielding punts back in the 1960's and I have tried to keep up with all the latest thing about this art form. This year I see returners routinely fielding punts inside the 10 when the orthadoxy always was to let em go over your head and usually into the end zone. Now these damn kids are retreating inside the 10 on a regular basis and thus diminishing America's standing in the world!

Damn teens and their rock-and-roll music!

 

[bagdropper]

Traditional punting with the football nose down is causing all this. I'm betting statistical analysis from practice/games tells The Powers That Be that punts using this method just plain die near where they land, or bounce a few yards past at most.

Notice you don't see rugby style punting usually once they cross midfield. Those punts roll - and I've noticed now sometimes there's a receiving team player farther up to fair catch it before it rolls for 15-20 yards.

 

[markfromj]

Traditional punting with the football nose down is causing all this.

Exactly this.

 

[Johnsoda123]

Well, Doodle, I'm willing to bet that I pre-dated the stone age when I was fielding punts back in the 1960's and I have tried to keep up with all the latest thing about this art form. This year I see returners routinely fielding punts inside the 10 when the orthadoxy always was to let em go over your head and usually into the end zone. Now these damn kids are retreating inside the 10 on a regular basis and thus diminishing America's standing in the world!

That would put Soybean in the Paleolithic Age, Doodle in the Stone Age and me in the Bronze age.

 

[Fan In Black]

I dont understand football anymore. Get off my lawn.

 

[soybean]

That would put Soybean in the Paleolithic Age, Doodle in the Stone Age and me in the Bronze age.

You pussies wore helmets I'll bet?

 

[soybean]

I dont understand football anymore. Get off my lawn.

Do the cheerleaders still bounce & jiggle? Asking for a, much older, friend.

 

[soybean]

Rather have it at the 7 than the 1.

Is there an app to help me figure stuff like that out?

 

[soybean]

Traditional punting with the football nose down is causing all this. I'm betting statistical analysis from practice/games tells The Powers That Be that punts using this method just plain die near where they land, or bounce a few yards past at most.

Notice you don't see rugby style punting usually once they cross midfield. Those punts roll - and I've noticed now sometimes there's a receiving team player farther up to fair catch it before it rolls for 15-20 yards.

How far back does "traditional punting" go?

 

[Johnsoda123]

You pussies wore helmets I'll bet?

Jockstraps.

 

[MeetTheFerentz]

Who coached Josh Jackson to field a punt at the goal line for a <10 yard return, when the team is desperate for every second on the clock?

My point is that, while I see everyone's points about how there are new rules with how the game is played in the "stat-cast" age, it's also possible that these kids just aren't responding to coaching all that well. The fact that this phenomenon is not being seen in the NFL (to my knowledge) supports this point.

 

[EpenesaEpenesa]

Don’t ask me. I muffed a punt in a game at Center Point Urbana inside the 5 back in the 90s. Cost us the playoffs. Playoffs?!?! Not for us!!

 

[Eternal Return]

Yeah, it seems to have changed the past few years. I think that's because of the proficiency of punters at placing the ball at specific spots on the field in ways they didn't seem to have the skill to do. Punt coverage teams seem much more schooled about how to down the ball inside the five. You can tell teams work on that so much more than they used to work on it. Better to have the ball at the eight than the two is the thinking. So you gotta catch it at the nine or eight or seven just in case. When Jackson caught that ball at the goal line, though, my lord. Some field awareness would be nice.

 

[Eternal Return]

Who coached Josh Jackson to field a punt at the goal line for a <10 yard return, when the team is desperate for every second on the clock?

My point is that, while I see everyone's points about how there are new rules with how the game is played in the "stat-cast" age, it's also possible that these kids just aren't responding to coaching all that well. The fact that this phenomenon is not being seen in the NFL (to my knowledge) supports this point.

I've seen a few punts handled inside the ten yard line in the NFL this year and even in recent years. Punters are just better at placing the ball now. They really work on that and they all seem to know how to put the right English on it to get the bounces they want. Too dangerous to let the ball get downed inside the 10 yard line. The other possibility is the focus teams are putting on punt coverage now. Lot of fast guys on the perimeter and even inside running down the field. May be some differences in how players are allowed to block the gunners, too, I don't know. But it's becoming common in the NFL, too.

 

[loper]

I could be way off on this anecdotal observation, but after watching several games this year, including, of course, the Hawkeyes, its my impression that I'm seeing more fair catches called inside the 10 yard line this year.

It used to be accepted practice for return men to put your heels on the 10 yard line and wave for a fair catch but allow the ball to go over your head and, hopefully, bounce into the end zone for a touch back. Now, it seems, that return men men are drifting back inside the ten to field the kick much more often than even just last year. Has there been a change in coaching attitude about this practice?

You are correct. I was thinking the same thing last week.

 

[MitchL]

Welp, given how the offense performed last week. ..take the safety and start over.

 

[Herkmeister]

Good teams don't punt.
Signed,
Nick Saban

 

[DavenportHawk8]

I watched a game a couple of weeks ago and the Returner would signal fair catch, and then run out of the way. He didn't touch anyone, but apparently the other team got called for Kick Catch Interference, because when he signals fair catch, they can't catch the ball in the air? I never knew this rule, but he would run away like he "mis-judged" the ball and the other team would try to catch it and the officials flagged the opposing team 2 times on it?

I agree w/everyone else that its getting more and more difficult. Punters (not Iowas) are becoming very skilled at downing the ball inside the 5.