11/05/24
September 09, 2009
SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle:
A place to discuss the sports stories that aren't making news, share links that aren't quite front-page material, and diagram plays on your hand. Remember to count to five Mississippi before commenting in anger.
Why don't more teams onside kick to the middle of the field? Everyone kicks towards the sidelines and it seems that a meaningful percentage of these kicks end up out of bounds. Why not kick to the center?
This would keep the ball in the field of play and allow all the players on the coverage team to converge on their opponents (since the recently changed rules require kicking teams to evenly distribute on both sides of the ball).
posted by 86 at 08:48 AM on September 09, 2009
if you kick down the middle on an onside kick, it gets to the 10 yard point to quickly and does not allow your players and angle on the ball. if you go to the sidelines, you can get your guys to the ball quicker.
posted by Debo270 at 08:56 AM on September 09, 2009
In rugby, at the restart (when the ball also has to travel 10 metres before the kicking team can touch it), the kicker kicks the ball high to give his players time to get under it. Is there anything to be said for training an NFL kicker to essentially pop the ball up in the air and putting your tallest guys underneath it?
To my (very uneducated) eye, it seems that with the grubber kick you're almost always relying on the guy fielding it making a mess of it. If you kick it up in the air, then you've got a decent chance of plucking it out yourself. Is there a rule that the ball has to touch the ground (or a receiving team player) before the kicking team can touch it again maybe?
posted by JJ at 09:19 AM on September 09, 2009
Is there a rule that the ball has to touch ... a receiving team player?
Only on punts. On kick-offs the ball is live as soon as it crosses ten yards.
I know you can drop kick extra points... I wonder if you can do the same for kick-offs?
posted by Mr Bismarck at 09:48 AM on September 09, 2009
JJ, even in the case of a short pooched kick, a player on the return team can call for a fair catch. Once the ball touches the ground, however, I believe it nullifies the fair catch rule.
Kicking into the middle of the field can be extremely effective. As a former kicker (only on the HS level), I recovered a couple of my own kicks by squibbing them forward directly in front of me.
It's most effective when there's no reason for an onside kick. The front five for the receiving team are most likely to turn their backs and run back to start blocking, and the jump the kicker has can get him to the ball quicker -- even though your front line should be taught to look over their shoulders and make sure the kick is going deep.
A good kicker and coach will watch to see what the opposing team will do. If they turn tail and run, there's your chance for the surprise onside kick.
I have also seen kickers do the same thing, but by lining the ball directly at the middle front-line blocker in an attempt to bounce the ball off him (the assumption being that player would be some big lummox unable to handle the hot potato).
I never tried this myself, but I have had the ball kicked on a line to me. Fortunately, having a decent pair of hands, I caught it and ran it back past the kicker. Unfortunately, being slower than molasses in January, I was caught within 10 yards.
There is nothing so horrible as to be a lineman with the ball and nothing but God's green grass between you and the end zone -- and know there's no freaking chance in hell you're getting there.
posted by wfrazerjr at 09:50 AM on September 09, 2009
Good point on the fair catch.
For some reason a redundant part of my brain recalls that the Orlando Thunder of the old WLAF used to onside kick down the middle all the time - even on the game's opening kick off and I think it worked more often than not.
But now I have to go bleach my retinas as I've been reminded of Orlando's lime green uniforms, (sported here by superstar Kerwin Bell who appears to be balancing his pet slug on his top lip).
posted by Mr Bismarck at 10:38 AM on September 09, 2009
The Redskins have backed off its effort to get $66,364 from the lifelong fan sued for not honoring her season ticket contract.
posted by rcade at 11:22 AM on September 09, 2009
Looking up an old Artest thread, I must say that hindsight has revealed to me that I'm, well, a bit of a douchebag.
posted by rcade at 11:38 AM on September 09, 2009
Bizarre stuff: Steelers QB's attorney rejects settlement offer. Proposal was for Roethlisberger to admit to the allegations, apologize and donate $100,000 to the Committee to Aid Abused Women, a Reno nonprofit organization that offers support to domestic violence victims.
posted by billsaysthis at 12:06 PM on September 09, 2009
The Redskins have backed off its effort to get $66,364 from the lifelong fan sued for not honoring her season ticket contract.
Thank goodness. I think the spin-doctoring in the aftermath is still pretty hilarious though.
"You should have called me directly."
"I didn't even know you exist!"
posted by Spitztengle at 12:18 PM on September 09, 2009
Looking up an old Artest thread, I must say that hindsight has revealed to me that I'm, well, a bit of a douchebag.
Thanks for the nice diversion. That was entertaining. You don't piss people off enough anymore. You are mellowing.
Thank goodness. I think the spin-doctoring in the aftermath is still pretty hilarious though.
They manage to do the right thing and still look bad.
posted by bperk at 12:20 PM on September 09, 2009
You don't piss people off enough anymore.
True. My ability to offend the subjects of sports stories was once a big draw here.
Rafael Nadal was kissed by a male fan from Queens on the court late yesterday, and the fan faces charges. Noam A. Aorta hearts Nadal.
posted by rcade at 02:28 PM on September 09, 2009
I am not a smart person, so can someone please tell me why the professional football club in Washington DC doesn't just sell the season ticket seats to someone else instead of taking the whole process through the legal system at an even greater expense? If the seats are worth $5,000 you would think that there would be some demand for them?
I mean, you get your money and don't end up looking like a great douchebag. Am I missing something? Is it really more difficult than that?
posted by THX-1138 at 02:28 PM on September 09, 2009
OK, THX, here's your lesson in business, taught to me at great expense by my son in the Smeal College of Business at Penn State. In order to sell something, a value must be assigned to the item. If the DC professional football club assigns the value of $5,000 to a season ticket, then a market has been established. Now that has been done, it is up to the buyer to do a cost-benefit analysis and make his decision whether or not to purchase the season ticket at that price. If there are enough buyers at the price, then the club will sell the tickets. The problem is that the team truly sucks so badly that they can't sell the tickets. If this thing had gone to court, I'm sure a successful defense would have been that an inept team management was to blame for the whole thing.
3 more semesters of tuition payments, then if the little snot wants to get his MBA, he's on his own.
posted by Howard_T at 04:05 PM on September 09, 2009
It's so rare that CFL news gets FPP status 'round here that this huddle might just give it some room to play.
The Alouettes have filed a formal protest with the league after the debacle that ended up erasing what would have been the game-tying touchdown last Friday against BC.
In short, the new "command centre" decided to have the on-field officials confirm the time on the clock after a play was correctly stopped when a time-out was called. The delay in getting communication to the on-field officials meant whistles didn't blow until after the play started (or as some report, already ended).
What are your thoughts on the options presented:
(a) Replay the final minute.
(b) Issue a tie.
(c) Status Quo: the league already apologized (implying that they will learn from this mistake)
In other CFL news, although locked in a 3-way tie for first place in the western conference, the Edmonton Eskimos fired their offensive co-ordinator, and released DE Kitwana Jones.
posted by Spitztengle at 05:22 PM on September 09, 2009
Perry Lefko on the decision facing the CFL commish re: the Als protest.
posted by Spitztengle at 05:41 PM on September 09, 2009
All sorts of international qualifier news for the world cup, as England and Spain both clinch their berths with convincing victories, while the convoluted mire that is the eight-of-nine second-place finishers to the playoff in Europe gets even more confusing. Moving to the Americas for tonight's action, all six CONCACAF teams play, and Argentina really need a win, as they've dropped into fifth in CONMEBOL with Ecuador's victory earlier today (and could be sixth by kickoff if Colombia comes back and wins their game with Uruguay, who are down to 10 men but lead 1-0 at half).
posted by boredom_08 at 06:04 PM on September 09, 2009
I am not a smart person, so can someone please tell me why the professional football club in Washington DC doesn't just sell the season ticket seats to someone else instead of taking the whole process through the legal system at an even greater expense?
For the same reason that The Mob will whack you for a $500 debt as well as a $5 million one.
Pour encourager les autres.
Yeah, I know.
posted by owlhouse at 10:36 PM on September 09, 2009
Argentina might miss out on the World Cup, after another loss under Maradona. Or more likely, end up in a play off.
They've been there before - in 1993, they had to play Australia home and away to make USA 94.
posted by owlhouse at 10:47 PM on September 09, 2009
SI.Com is digging into divorce records of the parents of newly famous American tennis player Melanie Oudin, including an allegation that her mom had sex with her coach.
Isn't it a little early to throw her into fame's sausage mill with coverage like this?
posted by rcade at 12:51 AM on September 10, 2009
After a thorough consideration of the different scenarios and methods surrounding the Washington DC football team's decision to employ the use of litigation in their season ticket dispute with the elderly lady and the other 100+ ticket holders, I have concluded that they (the team officials) are a tremendous group of weiner-brains.
See? I guess I am a smart person.
posted by THX-1138 at 02:03 AM on September 10, 2009
Isn't it a little early to throw her into fame's sausage mill with coverage like this?
Internet-era backlash is fast. Last night Mary Carillo and Pam Shriver were talking in adoring tones about how Oudin's coach had her up and practicing at 6am when she was 9 years old. And then they talked about how she was so relentless she practiced twice yesterday before her match. I'd give it about one more tournament appearance before Oudin's story becomes one of a bully coach and overreaching parents like every other female tennis player.
posted by yerfatma at 10:23 AM on September 10, 2009
Cubs tied a major leauge record against the Pirates last night. The first eight batters got hits.Show again how bad the Pirate pitchers are.