Canada: Punt Returner Punts Ball, Team Recovers for a Touchdown

Is this legal? According to the YouTube comments, yes.

Yes it is legal. There were five players behind the punter (on the returning team) when we punted it back, and therefore they were “onside.”

According to Prep Rally once the football travels 10 yards on a punt, it is a free ball, the same as a kickoff.

However, in a nod to rugby, Canadian football holds that on scrimmage kicks (i.e., punts and missed field goals), the returning team can respond by immediately punting the ball back to the other team, creating a free-for-all where whichever team gets to the ball first will retain possession.

Canada! Am I right?

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22 Responses to “Canada: Punt Returner Punts Ball, Team Recovers for a Touchdown”

RexKramerDangerSeeker Says:
November 16th, 2012 at 2:26 PM

#freejimmer

starkweather Says:
November 16th, 2012 at 2:29 PM

Canadian football holds that on scrimmage kicks (i.e., punts and missed field goals), the returning team can respond by immediately punting the ball back to the other team, creating a free-for-all where whichever team gets to the ball first will retain possession.

That’s awesome

KC Resident Says:
November 16th, 2012 at 2:31 PM

Yes it is legal. There were five players behind the punter (on the returning team) when we punted it back, and therefore they were “onside.”

That makes no sense to me, but hey, chaos!

WheresWallace Says:
November 16th, 2012 at 2:32 PM

Deadspin had this this morning and a reader said you can even do it on completed passes and such. Of course there’s almost zero chance you would get the ball after punting a completion, but at the end of games instead of the lateral play they may kick it and try to get it first.

Wild.

Eric T0upal aka BrawnyTom Says:
November 16th, 2012 at 2:32 PM

So is this Soccer Baseball?

Garland Greene Says:
November 16th, 2012 at 2:34 PM

We did this a couple of times when I played in high school. There’s also some kind of weird rule about being able to drop-kick field goals mid-play. I have to look it up.

Wide Word of Sport (?) Says:
November 16th, 2012 at 2:38 PM

weird rule about being able to drop-kick field goals mid-play

Didn’t the Hoodie have Doug Flutie do that?

RexKramerDangerSeeker Says:
November 16th, 2012 at 2:39 PM

Didn’t the Hoodie have Doug Flutie do that?

Yup. Converted an extra point.

Wide Word of Sport (?) Says:
November 16th, 2012 at 2:40 PM

From the ESPN article

The ball was more round until 1934, making the bounce more predictable. And the rules were changed to require the kicker to be behind the line of scrimmage, relegating the drop kick to a riskier version of a place kick or extra point.
The drop kick remains in the NFL’s official rule book, even though it hadn’t been successfully converted in decades. Rule 3, Section 8 defines the drop kick as “a kick by a kicker who drops the ball and kicks it as, or immediately after, it touches the ground.”

So it’s no benefit at all really.

Garland Greene Says:
November 16th, 2012 at 2:42 PM

Didn’t the Hoodie have Doug Flutie do that?

I believe that was an extra point. I’m talking about running a regular offensive play, advancing the ball and then drop kicking a field goal before being tackled.

KC Resident Says:
November 16th, 2012 at 2:53 PM

I believe that was an extra point. I’m talking about running a regular offensive play, advancing the ball and then drop kicking a field goal before being tackled.

Like rugby

Clayton Cargill Says:
November 16th, 2012 at 2:54 PM

Of course there’s almost zero chance you would get the ball after punting a completion,

why would there be zero chance of beating defenders to a kicked ball in the secondary? They’re chasing you, and you kick the ball ( a la rugby) and you know where it’s going.

Or, you could kick it, and have a trailing teammate chase it down or something.

ms621 Says:
November 16th, 2012 at 2:54 PM

So it’s no benefit at all really.

Going to need to see some p-factor figures before I believe your argument.

Clayton Cargill Says:
November 16th, 2012 at 2:54 PM

Like rugby

exactly. That’s exactly like rugby. And rugby is awesome.

Wide Word of Sport (?) Says:
November 16th, 2012 at 2:57 PM

I believe that was an extra point. I’m talking about running a regular offensive play, advancing the ball and then drop kicking a field goal before being tackled.

I think it’d be worth 3 if you do it during a timed down, right?

Going to need to see some p-factor figures before I believe your argument.

Didn’t you hear, it’s all about Bayes facotrs and likelihood ratios… p-values are old news, because they refer only to false-positive rates on null data.

PeerLessPrices Says:
November 16th, 2012 at 2:58 PM

Good friend from home played for a college that played the team where I went. They get made fun of a lot, but those dudes are warriors. The hits I saw from that one match alone. Guy separated his shoulder and just got up like nothing

Wide Word of Sport (?) Says:
November 16th, 2012 at 2:58 PM

Would anyone make any drastic changes to (NFL) football if they could? Drop kicks, recovering punts, rounder balls etc?

KC Resident Says:
November 16th, 2012 at 3:01 PM

Would anyone make any drastic changes to (NFL) football if they could?

1. Fewer tv timeouts
2. Shorter reviews
3. No Gus Johnson

ms621 Says:
November 16th, 2012 at 3:02 PM

Didn’t you hear, it’s all about Bayes facotrs and likelihood ratios… p-values are old news, because they refer only to false-positive rates on null data.

My cat’s breath smells like cat food.

Wide Word of Sport (?) Says:
November 16th, 2012 at 3:02 PM

Is Chase Thomas a prospect for Stanford? Just saw a post about the game tomorrow, and all I remember from the UO/SU game last year was him cheating inside as an end on every fucking play, and the Oregon back running clear to the outside. He gave them the edge all 2nd half. I don’t think this game will be very close.

ms621 Says:
November 16th, 2012 at 3:02 PM

3. No Gus Johnson

Racist.

WheresWallace Says:
November 16th, 2012 at 3:05 PM

why would there be zero chance of beating defenders to a kicked ball in the secondary? They’re chasing you, and you kick the ball ( a la rugby) and you know where it’s going.
Or, you could kick it, and have a trailing teammate chase it down or something.

True. Didn’t think about that. I was thinking more the safety would have a huge head start on the ball. But not always the case obviously.