The Los Angeles Chargers coach, Jim Harbaugh, has waited to put the rule into play and it paid off.
The obscure rules make watching football interesting, and one of the most confusing occurred a few weeks ago on Dec. 19. The LA Chargers took on the Denver Broncos and came out victorious after an unusual rule was played by the Chargers at the end of the second quarter.
The Free Kick rule was last successfully played on Nov. 21, 1976, by the previously known San Diego Chargers, against the Buffalo Bills. The rule states that a team may attempt a field goal from the position of a received fair catch. At this time, it was played by Ray Wersching during the end of the first half from 45 yards which assisted in the Chargers’ final score, 34-13.
While it has been just under half a decade since the last attempt of the Free Kick, the rule was successfully used once again by the now-Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 19, 2024. At the end of the first half once more, Cameron Dicker kicked from 57 yards for three points to help the Chargers win, 34-27. This historical play was recorded as the longest free kick in the NFL.
Aside from its record-breaking result, as with all rulings, there was strategy behind the use of the free kick imposed by head coach Harbaugh of the Chargers. To set up for this ruling, Derius Davis, whilst receiving a punt from the Broncos, called a fair catch.
The fair catch rule states that a player may signal for a catch without being tackled, by extending an arm and waving it above his head, after a kick has taken flight across the line of scrimmage. This is most used to ensure the receiver's safety by catching the ball without tackling from the defense. For this rule to be properly executed, no player from the defensive team may come in contact with the player who called the fair catch.
However, while Davis signaled for a fair catch, defender Tremon Smith made contact, thus setting up the free kick. Although the contact between Smith and Davis initiated this free kick, a team may choose to perform a free kick at any time. At this time, the interference by Smith caused a 15-yard penalty. While the fair catch was made with no time remaining, the free kick extended play for an untimed down; and after a successful attempt by Dicker, the Broncos led by only 8 points going into the second half. The free kick proved to be a turning point for the Chargers as they scored 21 points in the second half to win.
Though seldom used by teams, coach Harbaugh reported that he integrated watching the film of Joe Slye’s 60-yard attempt in 2019 during the Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers and weekly practice to prepare for such a situation. Harbaugh is known for his admiration of the fair catch free kick rule as he also directed Phil Dawson of the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 26, 2016, as their head coach, to attempt a free kick from 71 yards against St. Louis, which he ultimately missed.
The rare occurrence of this rule is well reasoned. To implement the free kick, a fair catch must take place, however, most fair catches are signaled outside of the field goal range. During this game against the Broncos, the Chargers were able to take advantage of the opportunity given the interference penalty brought on by Smith.
Some distinctions of a free kick include:
There is no snap;
The ball must be placed or drop-kicked, there is no tee;
It must be lined up as a kickoff rather than a field goal;
The defense must stand at least 10 yards from the line of scrimmage before the kick is executed;
If the preceding play has resulted in a loss of time, the team which called the fair catch may attempt the free kick
Fans may not witness the fair catch-free kick rule again for some time as Slye of the Panthers was the last to attempt it. Nonetheless, at its next occurrence, fans, teams, and coaches will be better informed of its obscurity thanks to this game-changing play by the Chargers.
Edited by Madison Roost
Comentarios