Question about football

[Alfred001]

Being a European I don't know squat about American football, but I noticed there are players that these teams have on their rosters who are called punters.

 

Judging by wikipedia, it seems that all these guys do is punt the ball. Is that right? These guys don't participate in the game in any other way? Only kicking the ball at the start of the game and any time the team wants to punt?

Edited May 9, 2016 by Alfred001

[zapatos]

That's pretty much correct, except punting is done by dropping the ball in front of you and kicking it out of the air. This is usually done at the end of a series of plays by the offense when they are turning over the ball to the other team and want to send it as far down the field as possible without kicking it out of bounds or into the end zone.

 

This is not to be confused with a place kicker, who kicks the ball from a tee to start the game and the second half, where the tee holds the ball upright and allows the place kicker to get a running start at the ball. A place kicker also attempts field goals, but instead of the ball being placed on a tee, the 'holder' catches the ball that is snapped to him, and holds it point up so that the kicker can get a short running start at it.

 

One of the advantages of punting is that the ball can be punted not only down the field, but also high in the air, allowing your team to get down the field further before the ball is caught by the receiving team.

 

Many players will have a primary position they play, perhaps also be a 'special teams' player, and be a backup for someone else. If the place kicker was injured and there was no other place kicker on the team, it is likely the punter would have practiced place kicking enough to be his backup.

 

My favorite position on the team is the 'long snapper'. His only job is to snap the ball back to the punter. He could find himself only in five plays or so per game, not be likely to ever be injured, and make millions of dollars.

Edited May 9, 2016 by zapatos

[Alfred001]

That's unbelievable! Al the guy does is kick the friggin ball a few times per game, THAT'S his job??? He never has to be in the line of fire in terms of tackles or anything. Amazing.

[Janus]

That's unbelievable! Al the guy does is kick the friggin ball a few times per game, THAT'S his job??? He never has to be in the line of fire in terms of tackles or anything. Amazing.

Technically, once he kicks the ball to the other team he is just as responsible for preventing the other team from running the ball back as anyone else. He can tackle the ball runner or be blocked by opposing players trying to prevent him from doing so. It doesn't happen often but, from time to time, the punter can be the last line of defense in preventing a touchdown by the other team.

[Phi for All]

That's unbelievable! Al the guy does is kick the friggin ball a few times per game, THAT'S his job??? He never has to be in the line of fire in terms of tackles or anything. Amazing.

 

This is like saying pawns are worthless in chess because of their limited movement. A good punter can help the defense by kicking the ball as close to the goal line as possible, leaving less room to work with and a lot of yardage to cover for the opposing offense.

 

Also, if they don't do their job well, they can have their punt blocked. Iirc, if you can get in the way of the ball, you can crash into the punter without penalty. They do occasionally take some shots. It can't be easy to keep your cool as a kicker when you're so extended and worried about getting blocked or flattened.

[Sensei]

A good punter can help the defense by kicking the ball as close to the goal line as possible,

In the real football,

goalkeeper of opposite team can have goal..

 

If I would be team coach, this would the most trained action by goalkeepers..

Edited May 11, 2016 by Sensei