Onside Kicks?

[whtfbplaya]

Does anyone know if it is legal for the kicking team to block on an onside kick in the NFL?

Saw I cant remember who but onside kicked 2 or 3 times against the colts and did it everytime.

Last night the cowboys did it.

Just curious if it is legal in the NFL, because I know it isnt in HS.

[Z motion 10 out on 2]

IO don't know the answer to your question, but Vernon onside pouch kicked it several times this year. Meaning punted instead of kicking. Just barley kicked it up and then the Vernon team crashed into the other team. It was weierd seeing that.

[raider red 2000]

i am not sure, but couldn't the recieving team during the seahawks came just called for a fair catch? the ball had not hit the ground yet. the cowboys would have had to give him a chance to catch it i believe.

when you say block on the kickoff team....what do you mean? trying to hit the guys that are attempting to field the ball, or trying to take out the recievers and having one player from the kicking team trying catch it?

[whtfbplaya]

The ball did hit the ground (the announcers never know the rules so just throw anything they say aside) and no he could not signal for a fair catch, well he could but they could cream him anyway. lol

I mean both of the situations you described.

[X21AAAPlayer]

Fair catch rules still apply, at least I thought. If the ball is kicked high and short, and the guy calls for a fair catch, don't the same rules apply as in a punt? Or do the rules vary on each level?

[Roll'em up]

The kicker drove the ball into the ground creating the big end over end hop up, therefore you can't fair catch it because the ball has already hit the ground.
As for the kicking team being able to "block" the receiving team, it is legal to run through a blocker in an attempt to get to the ball, therefore making blocking legal.

[X21AAAPlayer]

BUT, if it is a bloop kick, where the ball is kicked high and short it can be fair caught correct?

[TXMike]

NFL, just like us, permits fair catches to be made of all kicks as long as ball has not hit the ground or been touched.

NFL, unlike us, lets kicking team go past the 1st ten yards and block opponents even if the ball has not gone 10 yards yet.

NFL, just like us, has a kick catch interference rule so that even if there is no fair catch signal, receiver must be allowed to catch ball before he can be hit.

[Roll'em up]

TXMike

What are the chances of a HS official actually calling a penalty for the kicking team blocking on an onside kick. First of all, it would be a really gutsy call, and secondly it sure seems like it would be difficult to judge whether or not they are trying to run through the return teams blocks to get to the ball. Also, how exactly would the penalty be enforced?

[TXMike]

In order to be a foul in our game, the kickers have to be blocking someone before they (kicking team ) is eligible to touch the kick. That means, if they are kicking in front of the ball and the ball has not been touched by receivers or gone 10 yards, they cannot say they are going to get the ball. It is a foul. If the ball has gone the required 10 yards and they are coming behind it and are running into the receiving team after ball has gone 10 yards or been touched by receivers, no foul.

It is such a rare play there is no telling how a particular ref will handle it since he likely has not seen it much nor has he discussed all the possibilities on such a play.

If it is flagged and penalty is accepted, the penalty is 5 yards from previous spot with a rekick.

[whtfbplaya]

Originally posted by TXMike
NFL, unlike us, lets kicking team go past the 1st ten yards and block opponents even if the ball has not gone 10 yards yet.



Thanks txMike that is what I was assuming.

[whtfbplaya]

Originally posted by Roll'em up
TXMike

What are the chances of a HS official actually calling a penalty for the kicking team blocking on an onside kick. First of all, it would be a really gutsy call, and secondly it sure seems like it would be difficult to judge whether or not they are trying to run through the return teams blocks to get to the ball.

Well Roll'em up it depends a lot on the officials, during the regular season you probably wont see this called in 3a. In a bigger 5a game chances are good that if it happened it would be called. It's not a real gutsy call if it happend and was the reason for the kicking team recovering the ball. If you had a good kicker who could get it to go high enough or slow enough it would make it very easy to recover the onside.

[DaHop72]

Sweetwater onside kicked at the end of our game. It was a bloop, the Snyder boys called a fair catch. The ball was tipped by S'water and not allowed to be caught. The officials threw a flag, gave Snyder possesion and penalized S'water 15 yards for a personal foul.