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angieh angieh
 
M$3.25 August 21, 2009 06:18 PM

Did the Ochocinco extra point violate NFL rules?

Since the regular Cincinnati Bengals kicker was injured, wide receiver Chad Ochocinco kicked a good PAT and kickoff last night as the Bengals defeated the New England Patriots 7-6.

Are there any National Football League rules that require a dedicate kicker to perform those duties or can anyone kick if they want to? Does it make a difference between preseason and regular season?

I assume since the team allowed him to kick and the kicks counted that it was legal, just curious as to the actual rule regarding dedicated kickers.
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jeffp jeffp
 
 August 21, 2009 10:04 PM
There is no rule that states who kicks a extra point as long as you do not have to many players on the field, the ball is placed between the inbounds lines and two or more yards from the goal line.

Source(s):
http://refereestats.tripod.com/rules.htm



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albanian albanian
 
August 21, 2009 07:07 PM
I can't think of any sport at all which has a rule like the one you are suggesting may exist. Lots of sports have rules about what the person playing a particular position may do, but I have never heard of a sport saying that a member of a team could not come on and play a particular position.

Unless I am mistaken, in football one can go even further: another player could have been the one to kick the ball in some fancy play to trick the defense, although one never sees that in practice.

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angieh angieh
 
August 21, 2009 07:10 PM
Do you have any section of the NFL Rule Book to back up these statements? I am looking for a direct provision within NFL rules which allow or prohibit this type of thing.

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buddawiggi buddawiggi
 
August 21, 2009 07:18 PM
From what I can find of the NFL rules the only thing that matters is the number of men on the field at the time of the snap.
I can find no mention of who is and is not allowed to kick the PAT.
I wish I could being a Patriots fan :(
http://www.nfl.com/rulebook/playersubs
http://www.nfl.com/rulebook/digestofrules

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albanian albanian
 
August 21, 2009 08:59 PM
@Spoon found it. I was right through general knowledge but I'm not a big sports fan. Even so, I'll repeat my other point: this is a really strange question because I don't even know of any sport, not just football, which disallows a team member from playing at any needed position.

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albanian albanian
 
August 22, 2009 12:37 AM
You like to ask questions, maybe you could ask that one. ie., "Is there any sport where a member of a team is not allowed to be assigned to any position for a game?" In most common sports the players can change position even within a single game. It used to happen a lot more, now everyone seems so specialized, but the rules were written long ago and there's no reason to change them about this.

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spoon spoon
 
August 21, 2009 07:40 PM
It doesn't appear any rule was broken. The terms in the offical NFL rulebook state "If the offense successfully kicks the ball through the goal posts, it earns one point." If the games designated kicker had to be the one to kick the ball for an extra point the term "designated kicker" would likely have been used.

"EXTRA POINT and the TWO-POINT CONVERSION = 1 or 2 POINTS

Immediately following a touchdown, the ball is placed at the opponent's two-yard line, where the offense has two options. Usually the offense will kick an extra point, also called the point after touchdown, conversion, or PAT. If the offense successfully kicks the ball through the goal posts, it earns one point. The offense can also score two points by running or throwing the ball into the end zone in the same manner as you would score a touchdown. Since going for two points is more difficult than kicking an extra point, the offense generally chooses to kick the extra point."
Source(s):
http://www.nfl.com/rulebook/beginnersguidetofootball


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kerryk kerryk
 
August 21, 2009 07:58 PM
Doesn't matter who kicks. I remember a game a few years ago when Philadelphia Eagles kicker David Akers was injured and one of the linebackers, (Mark Simenou) did the kicking duties for the rest of the game.

"kicked a PAT, the first defensive player in NFL to kick a PAT since Houston Oilers LB Ted Thompson kicked four at NY Jets, 11/23/80" ---- http://neworleanssaints.com/Team/Injured%20Reserve/People/Mark%20Simoneau.aspx

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wook wook
 
August 21, 2009 08:29 PM
I can't find the actual text of the official NFL rules online. NFL.com only has a "Rules Digest". There's nothing in there which would prohibit Ochocinco from kicking a PAT or kickoff.
Source(s):
http://www.nfl.com/rulebook/try


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bdegrande bdegrande
 
August 24, 2009 03:42 AM
For decades, kickers were just regular players who happened to have skill at kicking or punting, including stars (Paul Hornung, Sammy Baugh, George Blanda, etc,) Anyone is allowed to kick.

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