11/24/24
December 06, 2004
Ten For Ben: In a game decided when a last-second 60-yard field goal attempt by Josh Scobee inched right, Ben Roethlisberger led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 17-16 win over Byron Leftwich and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
I'm pretty sure it's illegal. I know you aren't allowed to get together and lift or throw a guy up rugby-style to try to block a kick.
posted by mbd1 at 08:14 AM on December 06, 2004
GO STEELERS!!!!
posted by scully at 08:35 AM on December 06, 2004
Oh man, I can't believe that I went to bed at the start of the 4th. What a doofus. rcade: I don't see why not. I'm pretty sure that the defending team can catch the ball and run it back if it's short. A more obvious thought, the defending team can block the ball at the point of kicking. Why can't they block it at the goal posts? This is assuming that they have somebody that can jump that high on their own to avoid breaking the rule that mbd1 pointed out.
posted by NoMich at 08:44 AM on December 06, 2004
I've now watched Ben Roethlisberger beat both Dallas and Jacksonville. I can't believe how well he's playing -- did anyone doubt he would move the Steelers into field goal position at the end? If he hadn't spiked the ball at the end to stop the clock, he would've had a perfect QB rating for the game. I think we have a pretty good young QB in Leftwich, but Ben's so good so young there should be a rule against it.
posted by rcade at 08:53 AM on December 06, 2004
I know you can do the block that way. I saw, I believe it was actually Pittsburg do it against the Raiders many many years ago. I am not sure if this has changed, but yes good strategy, and legal.
posted by diannepw at 09:22 AM on December 06, 2004
Oh yeah, one more thing, I have seen teams block closer kicks right at the bar by jumping up that high, so why not from further away. Its your choice where to put your men on the field.
posted by diannepw at 09:25 AM on December 06, 2004
In that situation, could the Steelers have put a player under the goalposts to jump up and knock it away? That seems like a good strategy for ridiculously long last-second attempts, if it's allowed. Yes, they could block it (unless they've changed the rules). However, it has to be in front of the bar, not behind it. Otherwise, the player had to go out of bounds and then back into the field of play, and that would be a penalty. I've seen quite a few wide receivers "dunk" the football over the bar, so I definitely think it could be done. The danger would be that you would, in fact, tip the ball over the crossbar in a case where it might have just struck it and bounced back.
posted by grum@work at 10:00 AM on December 06, 2004
Damn it, I can not find it, but I would swear I remember at least one NFL training someone specifically to block field goals at the crossbar. I'm thinking it was the Raiders who used the tactic. If someone finds this, please post it, as it's going to drive me crazy trying to locate the story.
posted by wfrazerjr at 10:05 AM on December 06, 2004
That seems like a great strategy for a team in Pittsburgh's position last night. How many 60-yard field goals would clear the uprights higher than a player can leap?
posted by rcade at 10:08 AM on December 06, 2004
Here's a rundown of the NFL's kicking rules, which do not at first glance appear to prohibit the crossbar block.
posted by rcade at 10:10 AM on December 06, 2004
A discussion on Usenet suggests that a crossbar block would be illegal. From the rulebook: "Goal-tending by any player leaping up to deflect a kick as it passes above the crossbar of a goalpost is prohibited." However, the wording could be interpreted to mean that a block in front of the crossbar is permissable. From a cached link on WireTap Magazine, a player blocked a kick this way in 1962:
Professional football player R.C. Owens nicknamed Alley Oop was considered one of the greatest leapers in NFL history. His jumping skills were so considerable that in addition to football he was also an accomplished athlete in both basketball and the high jump. In the high jump, in fact, he recorded a jump of nearly seven feet. With this in mind, Owens and some of his teammates came up with the idea that Owens might be a formidable field goal blocker, only not in the traditional sense. They reasoned that longer field goals, if they make it at all, usually just miss the crossbar. So Owens decided to try blocking the attempt, not at the line of scrimmage, but in the end zone at the crossbar. In 1962, Owens, playing for the Baltimore Colts, stood in the end zone and blocked a 40-plus yard field goal attempt by Bob Khayat of the Washington Redskins by leaping in the air and flipping the ball away as it was about to eke over the crossbar. His victory was short-lived, because not long after, the NFL changed the rule and made this kind of block illegal. It's a good thing, too, otherwise modern fans might be putting up with high-flying basketball player, Dennis Rodman, through two sports seasons.
posted by rcade at 10:19 AM on December 06, 2004
That would have been an awesome play in the CFL, with both teams battling it out for the rouge. Just sayin'.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 10:26 AM on December 06, 2004
I thought that too as I was watching it, Dr John.
posted by chicobangs at 11:04 AM on December 06, 2004
I think I asked this in the last Roethlisberger thread we had, but if Manning weren't having the Marino-esque year he's having, what do you think the chances are that Ben could've wound up with both ROY and MVP honors? Has anyone ever done that in any sport?
posted by Ufez Jones at 01:28 PM on December 06, 2004
Ichiro did it a few years back in MLB (though his rookie status at the time is probably debatable).
posted by trox at 01:37 PM on December 06, 2004
what do you think the chances are that Ben could've wound up with both ROY and MVP honors? I dunno. The kid is definitely good, but I don't think he's the second best player in the AFC. I've seen him play a few times and he still has some rookie to him.
posted by yerfatma at 01:50 PM on December 06, 2004
I haven't witnessed his play, but all the pundits claim that while he's good and has unnatural poise for a rookie, his success is due largely to the team he has around him.
posted by rocketman at 02:33 PM on December 06, 2004
I've seen him play a few times and he still has some rookie to him. As a Steelers fan I have seen him play plenty, and I think he has a calm demeanor, a good head for the game, and a helluva strong arm... but he is a rookie and has made many rookie mistakes. His line, Jerome and Deuce make him look better than he is, but he will be spectacular. But I think he had the best game of his short career on Sunday night. The running game wasn't working, the defence was giving up many more yards than they had all year, and he still was able to keep them in the game. Have I said GO STEELERS yet? ;)
posted by scully at 03:41 PM on December 06, 2004
I saw the first quarter plus a bit last night, and I thought Ben was terrific. I'm sure he's making the occasional rookie mistake but you can not tell me that leading a team to 10 wins in a row to start your career is not one of the most impressive rookie achievements possible, and hell, he still has four games left with none against teams that won't be underdogs to the Steelers. He beat the only two undefeated teams left in the league in consecutive weeks--and one of them just beat a resurgent Green Bay by 30 points yesterday. Barring injury or all the attention going to his head, Rothlisberger is going to be one hell of a pro.
posted by billsaysthis at 11:39 PM on December 06, 2004
Once there was a rookie named li'l Tommy Brady who didn't have such a godawful rookie year once he got his first starts...and he hasn't received all that many accolades, when you consider all his accomplishments. ROY and MVP for Roethlisberger? Could happen. But just because you earn it, doesn't mean you get it.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 07:36 AM on December 07, 2004
lbb, truth that Brady didn't get the press coming into the league and probably underrated to this day since all he does is win but doesn't put up numbers like those guys in Minnesota, Philadelphia and Indianapolis. Still, BR is 10 and 0 and we're talking about this season.
posted by billsaysthis at 03:18 PM on December 07, 2004
I have a rules question about the end of last night's incredible game (for some reason, every Steelers visit to Jacksonville ends up being a classic). If Scobee's kick had been one degree left, it might have cleared the crossbar by less than a foot. In that situation, could the Steelers have put a player under the goalposts to jump up and knock it away? That seems like a good strategy for ridiculously long last-second attempts, if it's allowed.