“Punting is Allowed” Edition

by Alana Klein

One thing that arena football has always claimed is that punting is not allowed. While that is technically the rule, can we argue about semantics for a little bit? Last year, I was witness to a fair number of missed field goals — some that hit the net and some which did not — that were subsequently returned. There were also a few dropkick field goal attempts at least one or two of which I remember being deep in a team’s own territory (even in their own endzone). Dropkicks were so rare last year that I think literally only one kicker even attempted dropkick extra points … let alone field goals … let alone “distance of the entire field” field goals. (For the record, there was 1 successful –out of 4 attempts — dropkick field goal from 32 yards last season.) I knew it when I saw it last year that these full-field dropkick attempts (which were shanked out of bounds, on purpose or otherwise) were just a way to try to push the opposing team back 20 or so yards instead of (for instance) throwing an incomplete pass on 4th down deep in one’s own territory.

This year, it seems to be more common (not common altogether, just comparatively more common) to attempt long field goals while … let’s call it … anticipating a return. (The league does not appear to keep record of the distance on missed field goal attempts.)

Last season, there was only 1 field goal made from 40+ yards (midfield + 7-yard snap + 8-yard endzone). This season, there have only been 2 such successful attempts. I’m not trying to throw shade at any kicker when I say this — and no, I’m not doing one of those “I’m not trying to throw shade, but I’m gonna anyways” things — but there is exactly one kicker last year and one kicker this year that I would be willing to send on to attempt a field goal from anywhere on the field with the game on the line. (To remind you of my stance, I’ll point you to my piece from earlier this year where I talked about my respect for and appreciation of for kickers.)

I realize it’s a hard job: the posts are extremely narrow, field goals aren’t as common (and thus less “game experience”), and there are times when the scoreboard is “the 9th man”. (At Firebirds games, there is a contest in which they give a fan a chance to THROW a ball through the uprights from different points on the field. Nobody has won that all year.)

My way to fix this so-called “punting loophole” would be to make it a penalty to attempt a field goal and not hit the nets (or at bare minimum reach the endzone). The defense would have the option of taking possession of the ball from the spot the return was advanced to or the spot of the kick. Until such a rule exists, I guess that every de facto punt will leave me Screaming Into the Void.