Unbeknownst to me, the NFL competition committee has apparently changed the rules on field goals. In order to take the pressure off kickers and head coaches, the NFL has agreed that if a kicker misses the kick on third down, he is able to retry it on fourth down.Like everyone else, I had thought that Marty Schottenheimer was once again snakebit in the playoffs this year. I thought he coached a pretty good game, all things considered. But my favorite NFL analyst, from the Philadelphia Inquirer, ESPN, and NBA2Nite, set me straight. Stephen A. Smith, just one of the most brilliant football analysts on television, informed me about the rule change noted above on the Sports Reporters.
If only Marty had tried the game winning field goal on 3rd down, the Chargers might still be in the playoffs. If Kaeding had missed, he would have had another shot on 4th down. Stephen A. Smith was all over Schottenheimer for such a boneheaded mistake. And rightly so, I might add, in the wake of the last minute rule change by the NFL. I can’t believe a head coach in the NFL does not have the football knowledge that even an NBA master such as Smith has. And the NFL isn’t even his main area of expertise! I tell you, the NBA is lucky to have Stephen A focusing on that sport full time.
Why would Marty ruin his chances at advancing to the next round by not attempting the FG on third down. Or for that matter, first down! Imagine if Kaeding had 4 shots at it. I’m sure he can make 1 out of 4 kicks to win the game. It boggles the mind.
I am grateful to ESPN for always informing us, the casual fan, of how ignorant we are of the nuances of the game. I consider myself pretty knowledgeable when it comes to football but in the shadow of Stephen A. Smith’s encyclopedic football acumen, I can only bow my head in reverence. Please, keep up the good work. Learning to understand the game of football from Salisbury, Hoge and Smith, I feel like I’m learning philosophy from Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato.
We are living in a golden age of football knowledge, folks. I hope you can appreciate it.
“You kick it on third down,” Smith said. “If the kid (Kaeding) misses it, at least he has a second chance.”
7 replies on “Important Notice: NFL Announces Rule Change on Field Goals”
3rd down Good article…
I didnt even know of the rule…nor should I…I havent heard one word about it until right about…NOW…haha.
Seriously…ESPN has never mentioned it…nor has any writer on ANY SITE. Oh well.
Knowing about it…I dont like it. I think its a dumb rule. Its like giving a team a second chance after they blew the 2pt conversion on a TD, giving them a chance at a PAT. Hell…what prevents a team from kicking a field goal on 1st down? From the way it seems…nothing…So whats the deal then? 4 straight tries? Give a kicker enough attempts i guarantee he can make at least one.
There are some kickers you just dont WANT to give a 2nd chance…Akers for example. Akers rarely misses, and if you give him a second chance…the other team will be pretty pissed.
BTW…the only reason Summer of SAS (Steven A Smith) is doing football is because of the Eagles and their success. Make the Eagles an 8 win or less team, and SAS is doing basketball full time. Make the sixers 0.500 or less and SAS is on football…oh wait, thats right, the Sixers are under 0.500…HAH.
LMAO On so many levels.
Hahaha… Hey, did you know that Todd Pinkston’s a girl?
SAS Upon listening to 610 WIP to a couple callers into Howard Eskin’s show, I have learned that this isnt a rule, and SAS is just a dope as well as the other guys on the show, not being able to see this mistake.
Oh well…just stick to basketball SAS.
i was kidding! this whole article had sarcasm turned on.
stephen a vin
sorry others could not have picked up on your sarcasm, i thought you had layed it down pretty thick. being from philadelphia area i have had to deal with the mindless overreactive and sometimes ignorant dribble of stephen a smith longer than some others. this just shows he loves the cameras as much as AI or TO. as far as the chargers go. i think marty should have gone for the first down i just dont think giving the ball to tomlinson three straight times was the best way to accomplish that. i have no problem with shottenheimer not putting the ball in the center of the field. a kickers job is to make field goals and they have to kick from the hash marks during the other three quaters, why should a coach make an effort to change that in the fourth?
hash marks actually, from what i hear, marty moved the ball over to accommodate Kaeding and he still missed.